Tide

Chapter 7

That night, Isaac left the hospital with a smile. He'd found his little sister, and I'd never seen anyone more relieved than he was. He wore a bright grin and kept teasing me, telling me all about his life back at home and his hobbies. He was so full of joy and happiness - it seemed like nothing on this planet could take that away from him.

Later, we went to stay in a shelter to get some rest, except I didn't sleep at all.

I couldn't help but wonder about my family - I kept asking myself if they were alive. I kept imagining what it would be like to see my little brother again, to have that sense of relief wash over me as I wrapped him in my arms. I couldn't stop thinking about my mother and father, and how badly I wanted to see them - even if it was just for one day. I'd give anything to talk to them again. Maybe they were in a different hospital. Or perhaps they'd found shelter somewhere. Finding Harper had offered me hope. I had managed to convince myself that they were alive and that they were safe.

Maybe they had survived the wave. Maybe Piper was able to swim away, and Mason had been saved by someone who had helped him get to higher ground. Maybe my parents had climbed or held onto something, just like I had done, and that had kept them alive. Maybe right now, they were looking for me. Maybe right now, they were all sleeping peacefully in a shelter. Maybe I'd find them tomorrow. Maybe everything was going to be all right.

--

The next morning, I found a binder. Out of curiosity, I snuck out of the shelter and sat outside, then flipped it open.

Inside there was a collage.

Pictures of dead people, wounded and rotting. Some had descriptions, which I figured were those who had passed in the hospitals. A sick feeling stirred inside of my stomach. I felt like throwing up. I bit my lip and took a deep breath, reluctantly checking for my mother's last name, Piper's, and my own.

Leafing through the thick pages, I could feel my heart pounding and sweat beading at my forehead. I didn't want to look at the faces of the people in the pictures - if I did I'd be sick. I kept scanning the pages, turning each one over with caution and dread. And then my blood froze and my heart numbed when I saw the name: Sanford.

I slammed it closed, tossed it away from me and wiped my clammy hands against my shorts. No, I thought. That wasn't somebody related to the Sanford I knew. I sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down. No.

A voice from behind me made me flinch. "What you doing?" Isaac asked, stepping out of the shelter. He breathed out a laugh, "Did I startle you?"

"A bit," I replied, avoiding eye contact with him. "I was just... thinking."

"Thinking about what?" he asked, flattening the grass as he sat down beside me.

"Stuff," I muttered, remembering the picture I had seen in the book. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase the memory. "Nothing important."

"Like what?" he asked, squinting at the sun as he looked up towards the sky.

I hesitated. "I don't know."

He glanced back at me, furrowing his brows. "You can tell me."

"I can't."

"Oh, come on. You don't trust me?"

"No, no, Isaac. It's not that it's just-"

"Please, Ava? The suspense is killing me!" he pleaded.

"I can't," I whispered, my throat tightening as I managed to get the words out.

Suddenly, Isaac didn't seem so poised. "You all right?" he asked, concern visible in his eyes. He sat closer to me. "What's wrong?"

There was a long pause.

I took a deep breath, my heart aching. I dreaded what was about to happen next. Slowly, I placed the binder between my trembling hands and held it out. It's not someone he knows. He's not related to them. You're overreacting, I told myself.

He raised a brow, his eyes swarming with confusion as he took it from me. "What's this?" he asked.

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

Carefully, he flipped it open. He looked at me, looked at the book, then looked at me again. As he realized what it was, he swallowed hard and leafed through the thick pages. With dread, he observed each and every photograph.

His fingers began to tremble as he held the page I wished I had never seen.

He reread the word. Sanford.

He stared blankly at the picture. I expected him to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he just sat silently.

"Isaac?" I said, nudging him a little. "Is it... Is it someone you know? Do you know them?"

"Yeah," was all he said. Then he tore out the page and crumbled it up, tossing it away. He stood up and dusted himself off.

"I'm so sorry. Please-"

"Don't tell Harper," he muttered.

My heart sunk to the pit of my stomach and the image of the woman in the picture swam into my vision once more. I felt uneasy - like I was going to throw up. A sharp pain twisted into a knot right beneath my ribcage, pressing against my lungs and making it difficult for me to breathe. It hurt to see Isaac like this, especially since he had been so hopeful only a few minutes earlier. He'd been smiling, even cracking jokes. And now he couldn't even give me eye contact. All of his hope had so suddenly gone. Vanished.

"Isaac...." I trailed off, watching him carefully.

He didn't look at me.

He just walked away.