Aqua Waters | ✔

Twenty-Nine

"The ocean?" I question.

My mother nods her head, quickly wrapping her arms around my father. She rushes from the kitchen heading towards the room they had been staying in. I glance at Sammy, searching her face for any emotion other than fear.

"What are we going to do?" Sammy seems just as scared as I was about going to the beach with my parents. She rushed over to stand beside me, her hands finding my shoulders as she stares into my eyes. I shook my head to answer her question. I really had no clue what we were going to do.

"Maybe I will just tell them I am sick and stay home?" I shrug, that was always an option, but then my mother would try to nurture me back to health. Maybe I could tell her I had a job interview and then just pretend I didn't do that well?

"You know that will not work," Sammy crosses her arms over her chest. She was right, and I knew she was right. It was something though, and at least one of us was coming up with ideas.

"I guess I will just have to stay out of the water!" I shout a little louder than I had meant to. Sammy and I both turn to look towards the direction of where my parents were currently getting ready for the beach. This was never going to work.

"Listen, we already almost got caught this morning with the book..." I pause for a moment, reminding myself to take a breathe, "we need to focus so we don't screw this up again," Sammy placed her hands on her face balancing on the table with her elbows. She let out a sigh of air. The bun she wore sat lopsided on her head.

"We will get this figured out," She pulls her hands from her face before turning to walk up the stairs like a defeated soldier, or a child marching to their room for a timeout. In my heart, I knew she was right, but my mind kept telling me this was going to be a challenge.

~*~*~

We reached the ocean only a few moments later. Sammy and I had decided to take them to the same spot we always went... Gage's backyard. This was for moral support, in hopes that if anything went wrong he would be around to save the day. The skin on my hands was sweaty, my palms feeling clammy as we walk down the road towards the mansion I was growing to know. Sammy led the way and I tagged along in the rear like we were herding cattle to the slaughterhouse.

As we walked down the sidewalk I could see my mother taking in everything detail of the houses. She was captivated by the paneling, the storm shutters, the palm trees no taller than regular large bushes. I could see a smile growing on her face and something about it told me that everything was going to be okay.

When we reach the secret pathway down to the sand my father slams on his brakes, stopping dead in the middle of the road. His gaze rose upwards with the towering house looming over us. Gage's house was ridiculously huge, extensively expensive, and pathetically over the top. I find myself a spot on the asphalt where I too can gaze up at the house. The baby blue paint still as unusual as the first time Sammy and I had seen it.

"This is where Gage lives?" My father whispers, almost as if he was trying to convince himself it wasn't true. Sammy and I glance at each other, neither of us sure if this interaction was a good one or a bad one. Would my father hate Gage for his families extensive wealth? Or would this be a bonus in his eyes that Gage isn't such a bad guy?

"Come on guys, what's taking you so long?" Sammy shouts, turning to run through the sharp bushes. My father shakes his head, turning to follow her down the trail.

When my feet finally hit the sand my breath was swept away. The ocean seems more beautiful every time I see it. The waves crashing, singing songs, calling my name, as they washed the old sand away replacing it with new sediment. My eyes began to blur as my body began to tingle. My mind racing for the ocean but slowly fading from reality.

The water was captivating, the blues dancing with the drops of green. An image flashes through my mind of the blonde mermaid I had seen a while ago. I needed to find her. A sudden urge takes over my body as I bend down to remove my shorts.

I took a few steps towards the water, the material falling to the ground. Luckily my shirt was long enough to cover anything I might have exposed to my parents. A few more steps, the sand was getting deeper around my toes, the smooth calm breeze blowing tufts of my hair around my head. My eyes only saw one thing.

I lick my lips, I can taste the salt in the air. The water was coming up quick as my steps were getting faster and faster. The hair on my arms began to stand on end. I was going to do it. I was going swimming and nothing was going to stop me. Only a few more steps....

Suddenly my face was smashed in the sand, my entire body engulfed in something much stronger than me. My eyes were clenched shut as I roll in the sand trying to get back up to my feet. But nothing was there.

I open my eyes searching my surroundings. The waves crashing next to my head, the water threateningly close to my skin. A blonde girl stood leaning over me, her eyes were harsh. Was she angry?

"Do no go in the water!" She snarls, pointing her manicured finger at me. "You hear me Olyvya," The sun was way too bright for me to see who it was. Who could it be? I didn't know anyone in this town.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you, I didn't see you there!" She shouted before rushing off as if she was continuing on her jog. My brain felt jumbled but I manage to pick myself up enough to search the girl a little longer as she ran away.

"Asada?" I whisper before slumping back into the sand.