Believe

Chapter 1

Tempest awoke with a start, pillow wet and her eyes puffy with sorrow. The nightmares had roused her from her shallow slumber yet again. The sky was still a warm gray with a faint tinge of pale yellow on the horizon, where the navy blue waters met the sky.

She rolled over, tugging the covers back over her head, begging sleep to come and embrace her once more. When sleep eluded her, she sighed and clambered out of bed, the early morning chill clinging to her like a second skin.

She threw on a navy blue hoodie and left the cabin, heading towards the cliff.

Clad in only her pajamas and her hoodie, she crossed the cold, wet sand in her bare feet, heading towards her cliff.

Her hazel eyes ringed with green scanned the area, taking in the tumbling blue ocean waves crowned with whitecaps that smashed against the shore. Seagulls screeched overhead and the air smelled of salt as she hiked up her cliff.

The fine sand of the shore gave away to coarse grass, then to slabs of slate gray rock that overlooked the stormy waters.

She walked straight to the edge and looked down at the water, stomach flipping. She leaned forward just a little, before closing her eyes and stepping back. There was no way she was ever going to be brave enough to step off the edge.

She sat down and crossed her legs, staring at the horizon as the sun slowly heaved itself above the ocean. However, the sunshine could not slip through the clouds that covered the entire sky like a grey blanket. The only time Tempest could see the sun was at dawn and when the sun set.

Gulls shrieked overhead and the repeated crash of the waves against the cliff began to lull her to sleep. She curled her knees to her chest and laid her head down, eyes drifting closed. Sleep finally embraced her atop her cliff, the smell of salt weaving itself into her hair and the crashing of the waves fading away.

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Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to the Remembrance day service in the darkened theater at my school. However, the darkness could not conceal the sorrow in my friend's blue eyes as he too listened to the service. My heart broke, because his sorrow ran deeper then my own in that moment.

I reached out and placed my hand atop his thigh, stroking my thumb back and forth. I caught his eyes and smiled gently, silently vowing that I would always be there for him.

I turned my attention back to the stage, the movement of my thumb bringing me comfort. I watched my friend out of the corner of my eye, and when he swallowed, eyes shining, I placed my hand on top of his, silently asking. He took my hand, his dwarfing my much smaller one as we sat in the theater, drawing strength from each other. I gazed around, making sure that all my other friends were okay.

One caught my eye and mouthed,"Is he okay?" I shook my head, and she leaned forward and patted his shoulder, silently letting him know he was loved and not alone. He smiled at the gesture, and I laid my head on his shoulder, also promising he was not alone. As the service ended and we stood to leave, I squeezed his hand and whispered,"You don't have to do this alone," before letting go and following everyone else out of the theater.
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Tempest slowly cracked open her eyes, the dream clinging to her mind. Why did she dream about this? Understanding dawned in her eyes as she realized that when the girl in the dream spoke about not having to do this alone, she was talking about her friend as well as herself.

Tempest stood up and walked along the shore, lost in thought. The girl in the dream reminded her of someone, but she couldn't place her finger on where she had seen the girl before.

She walked along the shore until the sun dipped into the water, a darkness spreading across the ocean.  Tempest turned and walked back to the cabin. As much as she tried, she could not bring herself to call the cabin home.