She was lost until he found her
"I wouldn't say it was love at first sight...I saw him and my soul kind of noticed a familiarity in him. It's like I knew..."
"Knew what?"
"He'd be the one."
•
Life hasn't always been easy for Alana Cameron. At only e...
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The night was preparing to watch over the outer banks of North Carolina as her sister sun was slowly starting to set leaving the sky looking a beautiful mixture of orange, red and yellow. Alana Cameron loved watching the sunset. It calmed her and distracted her from her dark thoughts.
"Alana!" Sarah Cameron stepped out back to the pool to where her cousin was sitting. Alana let out a small sigh as she twisted her body to face Sarah, a girl who was just as beautiful as she but they had their differences. Alana felt she didn't belong here, matter of fact she felt she didn't belong anywhere. She noticed she was the odd one in the family. Alana loved to surf, she enjoyed being out by the water and eating a big bowl of fruit and getting into crazy adventures. Fancy cocktail parties weren't her thing.
Her fathers side of the family is loaded. They weren't always rich though. Brian and Ward Cameron were two brothers who once lived in what they call the cut. After graduating high school they swore they would go full kook. That's what Sarah called it and apparently it's what everyone in the island refers to as the rich people: Kooks. People who have two houses and do fancy stuff such as sit out on an expensive boat or have dress up parties. The other side of the island is home to people who work two jobs to eat and live a more troubled lifestyle. Pogues. It's more the younger generation who are stuck on this whole pogues versus kooks war thing. Alana couldn't help but find it all absurd as her cousin explained this to her but deep down she felt she belonged more on the other side. She longed to have a simple life, to work and enjoy the small things in life. Having a lot of money and nice things didn't really appeal to her. For years Alana has felt lost and has been trying to find herself again but doesn't think anything or anyone could help her find her true self.
"Yes Princess?" the girl said jokingly to her cousin. Sarah rolled her eyes but it was followed by a genuine smile.
"What're you doing out here? A hurricane is coming" Alana chuckled. Hurricane Agatha isn't expected until tomorrow. It's a good thing Alana came when she did before the storm arrived.
"It's so beautiful out here Sarah...I'm not ready to go inside just yet" Alana rests her chin on her arm. Sarah Cameron fixes her jean shorts as she bends down, sitting down next to her cousin. Her eyes scan her cousins face looking for a clue as to what could be on her mind.
"Has he tried contacting you?" Sarah asks nervously knowing this is a topic her cousin might not want to discuss right now. But it's better to talk it out instead of bottling everything up. Sarah Cameron found herself worrying about Alana. That call that woke her up a week ago at 3 in the morning creeps back into her mind. She remembers the way it made her heart sink. It was the first time she has ever heard Alana sound terrified and desperate. The first thing Sarah did after hanging up the call was running to her fathers room, shaking him to wake up and crying to him about how he needed to get Alana out of Jamaica that very morning before her brother killed his own niece.
That Friday was hectic but Alana Cameron made it to the outer banks safely after making sure she waited for the right moment to pack her bags and get the hell out of that house. Ward assured the girls he would take care of things. How? Alana wasn't sure but her father has not picked up the phone once since she left. Maybe her uncle convinced Brian it's best she stays with him until she's old enough to be on her own and decides where she wants to end up in life. Alana often thought about where she would want to end up...
"Are you kidding?" Alana huffed. "Brian doesn't give a damn about me. He's probably thrilled I'm gone. Drinking a bottle of whiskey to celebrate as we speak no doubt." Her voice lacked emotion. This made Sarah's heart hurt even more for her cousin. Alana didn't deserve this kind of life: her mother leaving them because she fell out of love with her father, Uncle Brian picking up everything and moving to Jamaica because the banks held too many memories for him, the alcohol and drugs, the violence.
"Hey" Sarah reaches her hand and places it over Alana's small one. Her cousin winces at the contact. She gives Sarah an apologetic look after she realizes she pushed her hand away.
"I'm sorry" Alana apologizes. It bothers her so much how she jumpy she gets when anyone tries showing her any kind of affection. Her hand intertwines with Sarah's, a full smile appearing on her face. The way she felt in the moment to be reunited with her best friend. Sarah and Alana have not seen each other in five years. They've talked on the phone and FaceTimed, keeping each other updated on life.
"Don't be. I love you" the girls sit in silence for a moment. Alana leans her head on Sarah's shoulder watching the sun go down until everything becomes dark, the night taking over. Alana spots the North Star. Stars were always her favorite. She'd spend her nights out by the water naming every star she could and the constellations. When Alana turned 16 she got her zodiac constellation tattooed on her left shoulder blade.
Ward Cameron searched the house for his daughter and niece who were no where to be found. The back door was left open and he immediately knew it was Sarah Cameron. His daughter had a habit of leaving doors open.
"Girls! Hurry on inside please" he stood by the back door as he caught the girls sitting next to each other. A smile split his lips as he noticed how his daughter was comforting his niece. Anger suddenly flushed through his body as he thought about his brother. How could he treat Alana so badly and nearly kill her that it drove her to pack her bags and leave him?
"Just a minute dad!" Sarah replied.
"A hurricane is expected to come"
"Yeah, tomorrow dad." His daughter flipped her hair not once turning her head to look at him.
"Sarah" he warned. Alana giggled against Sarah's shoulder.
"Alright!" They said in unison.
"Let's go bother wheezy?" Sarah suggests. Alana nods. "I'm down for it" she jumps on her feet and extends her arm out for Sarah to grab. Alana looks up towards the sky taking in the view before her and Sarah Cameron disappear inside the ugly mansion to bother Sarah's little sister. They had nothing else to do and they both knew Ward would have the girls stay in since Agatha is coming.
