Being Bad

Chapter 54: He's A Monster

Lia James

Eli decided to drive one of his many cars. He wanted to have a CSI kind of vibe, so he went for the Suburban with tinted windows.

And to be completely honest, I felt like I was part of the President's secret service.

When Lina has texted me that she was going to the beach with Dante, I had an idea of where she could be. Yes, California is full of beaches, it's entire coast is sand and water, but I specifically remember the beach that I went to.

I had to give it a shot, right?

It was the beach I went to with Lina, Mason, and the gang on Labor Day. The day before my first day of senior year. It was secluded, and almost deserted, which is why everyone else liked it.

They could do dumb shit and not get caught for it.

However, once in a blue moon, people would show up and do their thing, but that's besides the point.

The point is we have a location of Lina's whereabouts which is one step closer to saving her.

Eli pulled up to the parking lot, and he turned the ignition of the car off. He pulled the mirror down from the roof of the car, and checked his hair. He smoothed the curls of his dark brown hair, and slid on his black tinted aviators. I could barely recognize him, even close up.

Now, it was my turn and I put on my black beanie that Eli had lended me for the day. I slide on a similar pair of aviators, and then we were on our way.

We both got out of the car in unison, and we grabbed the binoculars that were hidden in the console of his car. Eli decided last minute that it was good idea to bring them, in case they were pretty far on the beach.

I couldn't help but agree. Anything to help.

We both walked to the little wooden staircase that led us to the beach. It was all sandy, and all the marsh weeds were sticking out from the sides. This was exactly how I remembered it.

And it's crazy to think that six months ago, I was here, with a couple of friends and with a senior year ahead of me drama free.

Boy, how wrong I was.

"I don't see them." I told Eli, scanning the area. He stands beside me doing the same.

"Come on. Where could they be?" He started to bring his binoculars up to his eyes, but I pushed his hands away.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for them...?" He gives me a confused look, and I roll my eyes.

"You look like a Peeping Tom. Come on, let's go to the dock." I pointed towards the wooden seating area that overlooked the whole beach. You could see for miles, and little specs of people every size and color filled the beaches. Whether it was surfing, sun-bathing, or all of the above, people were doing it and having fun.

What else would people be doing on the weekend? It's California after all.

We walked over to the dock, and got settled. Eli put down his large bag filled with what he called "equipment". He probably just brought snacks and stuff even though we just had pizza a half an hour ago.

I rested my chin on my hands on the dock, looking over and checking to see if Lina and Dante were there.

"No sign of them so far." I told Eli, and I heard sounds of rustling behind me.

I turned around and Eli was sifting through his backpack, trying to find something.

"What are you even looking for?" I put my hand on my forehead, looking around.