Second Star on Right

Chapter E: Surprises and Heartbreaks Go Hand-in-Hand

I woke in the middle of the night. I sat up in my bed. The nightlight had turned off, set on a timer. I looked out the window at the water. At first, I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but as I looked at it further, I saw a figure along the shore.

It was a boy. Tall, skinny. I had a view of his side. He was running, pumping his arms. Once he reached the dock, he tore off his shirt and jacket, kicked off his shoes, and dove in. I watched at the figure swam further and further out in the cold water.

Was he crazy?

I got out of bed and ran outside. “Hey!” I shouted. “Hey! You!” I ran towards the water, the night air brisk. My feet dug into the sand as I ran. I ignored the shock of the warm sand. “Hey!” I waved my hand at him and ran towards the dock.

The wood was wet with ocean spray. It felt moldy and slimy. I struggled to keep my grip at times. “Hey! Stop!”

The boy turned around and back stroked. Then he stopped abruptly. “Skyler?! You can’t be out here! Go back inside where it’s safe!”

“Peter? What are you doing? You’ll freeze!”

“Go back inside, Skyler!” Peter glanced behind him, then started swimming back towards me. Once he reached the dock, he told me to grab his clothes. I picked them up and gave them to him after he reached the shore. “Skyler, you idiot.”

“How am I the idiot? You’re blue. Come inside, I’ll get you a towel. Peter, you’ll got pneumonia or something.”

Peter put on his jacket and sprinted. “Got inside and stay inside, Skyler.”

I huffed and went inside. As I sat in my bed, I looked across the ocean, trying to see what he felt like he needed to swim in the freezing water for. I saw nothing and went to sleep, holding my teddy bear a bit tighter.

I didn’t say anything when I sat Peter standing in the kitchen the next morning. I ate my breakfast—an omelet with bacon, onions, and spinach—grabbed my book bag, said good-bye to Scott, and got in my truck.

Peter motioned for me to roll down my window. I rolled it down, but didn’t look at him. “Why aren’t you riding with me? It’ll save gas. You barely know the way to the school.”

“We both know damn well why I’m not coming with you. You still have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Get in.” I watched as Peter walked around the truck and got in the passenger’s seat. “What the hell were you doing swimming last night? You could’ve frozen.”

Peter sighed. “Believe me, Skyler, I’d love to tell you why I was swimming in the ocean at such a time, but I can’t. It’d put you in danger. And myself.”

“What in the world could be so dangerous that you can’t tell me?” I pulled out of the driveway.

“Oh, many, many things in the world. There’s an entire other side of this earth that you have no idea about.”

“What do you mean? What, are vampires real?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Vampires aren’t real. But werewolves are.”

“Are not.”

“Are too. Faeries too. But no one calls them faeries anymore. They are more commonly known as Sprite, but even then, you can’t go around calling every faery a Sprite. They don’t take too kindly to that.”

“You sound like an old Brit.”

“I was an old Brit.”

“You’re very confusing and secretive, Peter Pan, I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it.” I turned down a road and Peter laughed, telling me I took a turn too soon. I did an illegal U-turn, gave Peter a heart-attack but got back on the right road.