Beneath the sun and beyond the ocean

Shadow

"Jesus Christ why would you scare me like that?" I shout, my heart still pounding from the shock.
"I asked a question." The boy replied, "What's your name?"
"Marina." I answer quietly, "Who are you?"
"Aelius Ariti," He says almost proudly, " It's Greek, from my mother." His explanation seems legit and there is a quiet moment when neither of us know exactly what to say. He pipes up again asking question after question about why I'm here and who I am. I reply quietly with short answers and eventually he gives up with his long string of thoughts. 

"I know you from school, on the last day." I mutter, finally getting a word in.
"Yeah," he replies, looking at me thoughtfully. His frown reminds me of when we met, he seemed so troubled. Maybe it was just the thought of having to return to those dingy hallways when the bright summer ended. For some reason this summer feels different, and I'm not sure whether I want it to be. I just want to enjoy it while it lasts, before I'm dragged back to the hellhole in those damn corridors.

The deep frown doesn't seem to leave his face and the silence becomes sort of uncomfortable, so I - for some unknown reason - invite him for a swim. He accepts, not something I was expecting. He drops his cap to the floor and starts to run towards the water, I follow. It almost feels like a repeat of that day in the hall, me following him exactly where I want to go, and it just feels right. We dive in together, almost as if we're perfectly synchronised. His blonde highlights disappear, blending into his soaked hair. The sun lights up his olive skin as his eyes dance in the reflections of the water. I can't tear my eyes away from his striking features, it's almost as if he's the sun itself. I know I'll get blinded if I look straight at him, but I cannot help myself.

He dips below the surface like the seals and I follow, I have a feeling I may never be able to stop following him. Wherever he goes I want to go. I dive under and my eyes adjust to the salt, I watch him search aimlessly until his eyes meet mine. I can't help but smile at his child-like mannerisms as he kicks his legs out around him, I hold in a laugh as he grins back at me. I turn towards the horizon, wishing for the sun to join the sea, the sunset is so much prettier from below the surface.

We spend the rest of the day running and splashing, ending up dozing off with the rays of sunlight lulling us to sleep. I'm woken a while later by an unfamiliar voice sounding out from below my rock. I lift myself up, groggy from my strange dream, not quite awake but not quite asleep. I peer down at the dark boy below; I think I've seen him at school before, maybe in an assembly or something. His hair shifts, uncovering his face and revealing his piercing blue eyes; they're almost icy, like something you'd read about in a book. His rosy lips are pulled downwards into a grumpy scowl and his eyebrows dip, frowning almost exactly how Aelius does. 

"Whose this?" I ask, suspicious of the new intruder on my beach. Why are so many people finding my place?
"My brother, Erebus, he goes by Era mostly though." He explains, a matching frown forming on his once carefree face. It's obvious they're not close; I want to ask why but Aelius climbs quickly down my rock and says a quick goodbye before trudging off after his contrasting associate. My eyes follow his back as he walks away from me for the first time. I wish he had stayed for the sunset. 

Soon after he leaves the sun lowers over the water, shooting bright fire into the pale sky and reflecting it's striking colours onto the ocean. I wonder what the boy with the dark hair is like, he didn't seem at all like Aelius, more like the absolute opposite to him. As the sun dips below the horizon I pack up my things and head back up the wooded path home. Dali's already set out dinner and I fill up a glass of water before slumping down at the wooden table. 

"How was your day?" She asks as she sets down a plate of steaming food in front of me.
"It was actually really good," I reply, smiling to myself, "I met this guy, he goes to my school, he's spending the summer here as well." Dali lifts an eyebrow at me and I laugh, assuring her that it's 'not like that'. She babbles on about this, that and the other and I dig into the filling meal. We watch movies and eat ice cream as we chat about all her boy troubles and joke about dumb exes. I've missed summer; it's like welcoming back an old friend. 

"So what actually happened between you and Ronnie?" The boy chat eventually ends up on Aaron, as it always does. I try my hardest to steer the conversation away from him but Dali's expression hardens and a serious tone laces her usually sweet voice.
"Rina, what happened that night?"
"Nothing," I pause, "Everything. It was the week after mum died. He was bored of me being so depressed and stuck up. At least that's what he said. I thought he loved me Dahlia, but he didn't care, not one bit. He even got with Goldie a few weeks later; who even does that?" I feel tears pool in my eyes, making the world around me shimmer with the reflection of the TV. I feel her arms wrap tightly around me as I fall carelessly into her warm embrace. 

"I don't think I believe in love anymore Dali. Does that make me damaged?" I ask into her chest, a pool of salty droplets staining her t-shirt.
"You're not damaged Marina, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You're young, there will be others, and one of these days you're going to find your person, and they're going to hold onto you for as long as they can." She comforts as I sob into her. I fall asleep at some point, I'm not sure when; I end up lying in my bed watching the sun rise across my ceiling. I don't leave bed. I don't eat. Dahlia forces a few glasses of water into me, but she knows it's a bad day. 

The sun hides behind the drawn curtains as I rot away in my unmade bed. The pit of emptiness hangs low in my gut and I can barely feel anything else. As the sun lowers a hatred overcomes me, firing me up with energy. I hate that stupid boy, I can do so much better than him. I pull on my shortest shorts and a tube top, dousing myself with deodorant and perfume before sneaking out through the garden door. 

The loud music greets me as I near the main beach. There's always a party on the first Sunday of summer, and I'm going to make the most of it. The local mean girls hog the karaoke machine, singing off tune and screeching the high notes. I swing down a couple bottles of liquid courage before sauntering towards them.

"You girls mind giving me a go?" I smile sweetly. They're obviously out of it, more than 5 drinks in at least. Still not drunk enough to don nice personalities for once.
"No, we're singing idiot; the stage is for the pros." Her slurring words give her away and I grin to myself.
"I am a pro, now scooch it Regina George."
"One condition, we choose the song." She smirks to her minions and hands the mic over to me, typing in a song to the machine. I'm not given a moment to think before the speakers start to blast. I read the machine: 'I feel the love'. She's truly an idiot, I've been singing this song with Dali since we were like 5 or something. I join the song as the words light up on the screen in front of me. The crowd slowly quietens, their gaze turning towards me. Any other day I'd freak out and run, but I'm to worked up to quit. 

My groggy mind encourages my body to dance as I dip and spin almost like a hooker. Well this will definitely get someone's attention. I'm barely aware of my slipping top and revealing shorts as I belt out the last few notes. The music fades behind me and I sober up a little seeing the wide eyes staring up at me. I spot the dark haired boy, Erebus or something; his eyes follow me as a smirk plasters his face. His hand join together, snapping me out of the trance. His loud clapping sparks the crowd and soon they're shouting and whistling at me, the attention is almost like a drug. The Regina George lookalike and her minions almost drag me off the stage and I saunter over to a log to sit down on. Someone is walking towards me, then he's sat beside me. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I know I'm definitely not comfortable. 

A sinking feeling rests heavily in my chest as a sense of danger overcomes me. I need to get away from this boy; is it even a boy? How old is he? His hand is on my thigh, I don't remember that happening; I push it off and his anger is obvious. I stand up, wobbling on my feet. I didn't even have that much to drink. This was all a stupid, dumb, idiotic idea. why didn't I just stay in bed? The man is much faster than my shaky legs and he grabs onto my arm tightly, leading me away from the buzz of the party. I'm increasingly aware of my situation. 

"I need to go home," I mumble, trying to sound forceful through my slow tongue.
"I'll drive you home then, just follow me." His tone is threatening and I can barely focus on putting one foot in front of the other. A familiar voice sounds out behind us and the man pulls his hand away from my arm. The loss of stability send me careening towards the sandy ground and I feel a pair of warm hands wrap around my stomach, preventing my fall. I watch through squinted eyes as the man stomps off back to the party. The person holding me places me back on my feet, leaving a strong arm around my waist for support. I look up at his murky face and find hazel eyes staring down at me.

"Li?" I ask, not able to pronounce his fancy Greek name with my slurred voice.
"Yeah it's me." He smiles down at me softly. It's the last thing I see before my eyes roll and my body drops.