When Lightning Strikes [COMPLETED]

Chapter 14: Around the Island (Part 3)

Jamie sometimes talked about a rocky cove on this side of the island. While she was over here, she would go see it. She lived on the flat side of the island, all sandy beach with no rocks marring the beach's long expanse. If nothing else, she had her book with her and could read for a little before going home.

On her way to the beach, she thought about Muriel and Kara. She missed them. A lot.

She didn't have many friends. Just Kara. The three boys in her class were too interested in doing things for them to be real friends. Muriel almost felt like a grandmother, although she would never say that to Muriel, since she wasn't old enough. It was the general feeling she got from being around her every day, like she was there for more reasons than to teach her dancing. She wasn't sure why she felt that way—Muriel didn't treat her much differently than Kara. Maybe she was lonely, and Muriel was another warm, friendly face in the sea of cold and haughty faces on the island.

There was a worn path to the beach at the end of the road. She pulled her moped off onto the sandy curve and headed down the path. The sound of the waves crashing against rocks made it through the thick trees obscuring the ocean from her view.

The path through the woods led out onto a ledge, and she found the trail down to the beach. The cliff was high up, and a group of people was further down the beach to the right. It was fairly large, twenty to thirty people—all teenagers. Several girls lay out in tiny bikinis, obviously enjoying the sun and attention from the boys playing some game with a ball. She didn't recognize any of them, so it was the kids who went to the other school.

Should she leave? She looked around. The beach curved sharply to the left there, and a small stream flowed into the ocean. There was no one over there. She put her chin up. She wouldn't let them scare her off. They wouldn't even notice her if she walked the other way. Once she crossed the stream, no one would see her.

Julie headed down the rocky path and went to the left as she reached the bottom. If anyone in the group of kids saw her, they ignored her. Which was fine by her, if they were all like that boy she met in the coffeehouse with Jamie.

She kicked at small rocks along the beach as she went, occasionally looking over into the water, as the wind whipped around her. She was nearer the stream now. In a little while she would go around the corner and be out of view of the other kids.

A flash of red caught her eye in the water, but a moment later it was gone as a wave swept over. She looked down to kick at another rock. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the red again.

She stopped, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. The red flashed again in the bright blue waves, and she walked toward it. Whatever it was seemed to be bobbing along on the waves.

It was fabric—part of a bathing suit.

Julie cried out, waving her arms at the other end of the beach. The kids down there either couldn't hear her over the wind or ignored her. She dropped her bag in the sand, kicked off her shoes, and raced into the water fully clothed.

She dove in as soon as the water was at her knees, aiming for the bobbing red suit. The cold hit her hard, which was why no one was swimming in it. The red fabric bobbed about ten feet ahead of her, and she could see short black hair.

It was a person. How long had they been out here? Was she too late?

She swam faster against the waves. She was strong from dancing but had never learned to be a fast swimmer. Swimming was more of a recreation for her. Her parents had insisted she learn and made sure she knew CPR.

Julie finally got to the person—boy?—and grabbed his shoulders. A shiver went down her spine when she touched his skin. She leaned into him as if her body were on strings. She wanted to lie next to him, brush his hair back from his eyes, and sigh. What color were his eyes? She shook off the thoughts. It must have been the excitement or dread of the moment.