Tide

Chapter 10

I held the electronic device between my fingers and listened to each and every suspenseful ring. I could feel my heart pounding loudly inside of my chest, caterpillars crawling inside my stomach. Anxiety spread throughout my entire body. If someone answered, I wasn't sure I'd be able to speak.

"Hello?" said a woman, and my heart melted. Her familiar French accent was one I could never forget.

"H-Hi," I mumbled, barely able to get the words out. I had mixed emotions, unsure of what was going to happen next.

My grandmother gasped. "Ava? Oh my goodness, dear. I heard there was a tsunami. It's all over the news, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I couldn't help but fight back tears.

"What happened? The number of deaths keep on rising, and I was so, so afraid that you were-"

"It washed away everything, grand-maman, everything. We were at the beach, and then I saw this huge wave and out of nowhere I was in water. The tide pulled me away from everyone and everything and I'm just so confused right now and I don't know what to do and I don't know where the rest of the family is-"

"Shhh, calm down honey... Are you hurt?"

"No," I responded, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down. I couldn't. My heart beat faster than the wings on a bird's first flight. "I mean, I have some injuries, but they aren't severe."

"Have you found your mother yet?" she asked. The question caught me off guard. Why my mother? The others were missing too.

"No."

There was a long pause. My anxiety got worse.

"I heard from her," my grandmother murmured, breaking the silence. I nearly dropped the phone.

"Pardon?"

I was hearing things, now. I was sure of it.

"Your mother called yesterday," she said, her voice trembling, "She was wondering where you were, sweetie." 

A wave of relief washed over me, a weight lifting off of my shoulders. I closed my eyes and breathed out, realizing I'd been holding my breath. This was real. 

"Where is she?"

"She didn't tell me, honey. She could be anywhere. I'm sure she's been moving around trying to look for you guys." 

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's okay, sweetheart." She said, and I smiled, tears slipping onto my cheeks. My mother was okay. "T'es tu correct, ma belle?" She spoke softly and soothingly, and it offered me relief.

"Oui, grand-maman. I'm doing fine," I said. I let out a deep, shaky breath. "And don't worry, I'm not lonely. I made a friend." 

I looked over at Isaac, capturing his grin at the mention of himself.

"Okay, that's good. And by the way, I didn't forget; happy birthday." She said, and I could tell she was smiling by the subtle sound of happiness in her voice.

"Thanks, but I have to go now, grand-maman. Lots of people need to use this phone. Just know that I'm okay, alright? Je t'aime." 

"Je t'aime aussi, ma belle. Stay strong, okay? Goodbye," she said, and then the line was cut.

I turned to Isaac, who had a smile spread across his lips.

"She's alive," I breathed. "Mom's alive!"

Isaac wiped away a tear from my cheek with his thumb, pulling me closer to him. "You see? Everything's gonna be okay."

I wrapped my arms around him and took another deep breath, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. When I pulled away, I smiled through my tears and handed him the phone.