LACY
I feel like I'm being watched.
Everywhere I go, my hair sticks up and I feel a sick feeling in my stomach. I look around, but no one is ever around.
I feel sick right now, on the beach next to Jessica and her friend, Hella. I keep turning my head all around me, but no one is in eye sight.
My mind wanders back to two nights ago, when I saw that shadow figure watching Jessica and me during the sunset.
"Are you okay, Lacy? You are so pale," Hella asks.
My gaze snaps to her. "Yep. I'm just fine."
She nods slightly, and we all return to the conversation at hand: should Jessica wear a pink dress to her date, or a white one?
"White. It'll make you look like a dove," Hella says.
Jessica nods thoughtfully. "Well, Lacy? What do you think?"
Her question snaps me out of another trance. I stare at the waves crashing onto the pebbles we're sitting on, nearly reaching our feet.
"Pink," I mumble out the first word that comes to mind.
The curly-haired brunette girl sighs. "Hm. Maybe I'll wear green. Mum always said that green makes my color pop."
Hella and Jessica begin to chat about topics I have tuned out of. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen soon. And I can't stop it.
I pull my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them. I gaze out past the horizon. What would happen if I just fled to the sea?
A life filled with absolute certainty and calm fills my mind. It would just be me and the water and all of the little creatures beneath the surface.
Someone taps on my shoulder, making me flinch and then tense in anticipation. "Oh, Lacy? You okay?" Jessica asks slowly.
I immediately look up, and see Hella and Jessica standing near me. "Huh? Oh, um... Yes, I'm perfectly fine." I stand up and walk to them.
Hella flashes me a small smile. "We're going to go to the bakery. My auntie owns it, and she always gives us free biscuits on Thursdays."
I nod slowly. We all walk side-by-side down the street to a quaint pastel blue shop. A sign with swirly letters says 'Auntie's Sweets' on the front.
A woman stands at the front counter when we enter. She whips her head up upon hearing the doorbell swing, casting a flow of notes into her ears.
"Ah, my favorite girls," Her piercing green eyes wander to me, and I hear her suck in a breath. "Who might you be, darling?" She asks in a warm tone.
"Auntie, this is my new friend, Lacy. She's living with the Johnsons up the hill," Hella explains for me, gesturing to my foster family's house that is out of sight.
The woman nods. "Pleasure to meet you, dearest. Please, call me Madeline." She picks up a plate filled with jelly biscuits. "Care for a treat?"
~~~
Hella stayed with her aunt when Jessica and I left the bakery by the time the sun went down. I bid farewell to Jessica a few minutes after that.
I walk up the paved road to the Johnson house at the top of the hill. The view is breathtakingly beautiful, but it takes more effort to get there than I am willing to exert now.
For a brief moment, I stop halfway up the hill. I sidestep so I stand on the grass, and I overlook the edge of the cliff.
Water bursts up against the jagged rocks. I kneel down on the cool grass, and then lay my stomach against the soft soil. I inhale deeply, taking in the salty scent of the water.
YOU ARE READING
Lacy
Romancestandalone ~ mafia siblings series I stare at the elegant man. He smiles at me. I tilt my head to the side, hands clasped behind my back. "Good day," The man begins. "I am sorry for your loss." The words sound force and rehearsed. He doesn't mean...
