Cold Blood

❥Chapter Twenty-seven❥

Written by ChemicalWonderland

Everett's POV

Ash turns away from the door and shuts it with an emphatic bang. The room is once again filled with silence.

"So," he begins, clearly not sure where to start, "what do you want to do today? We have some time to kill." even a hint of the events that just transpired escapes his face, almost as if it never even happened. Its saddening, but also kind of a relief.

I nearly laugh at his pun. "Uh, I don't know. There's not much in this part of town, there's a couple small shops and businesses and then a really crappy beach," I say, trying to remember what I know about this area.

Ash eye's light up when I mention the beach. "The beach? Really? I've never been to one before."

I'm surprised that he's never been to one, but it seems obvious once I think about it, considering his damaged past and all. Being abused and locked away almost 24/7 probably doesn't allow a lot of time for vacations. I myself have only been to the beach once or twice, when my mom was still alive, but even then I was just a baby and far too young to remember anything significant.

I shrug my shoulders at his interest, saying, "Well the beach is sucky. There's a bunch of fine yellow sand that's layered with pointy seashells that gets everywhere and the water is really dirty. Its nasty."

My attempt to disuade him from wanting to go there doesn't seem to work, as he retorts, "I've just never been and that sounds like something fun. We can go as we are, you don't need to get into your hot pink Speedo or whatever."

"How dare you assume that I wear a hot pink Speedo! It's blue!" I shoot back.

Ash laughs, but only for a brief second. The next moment his face morphs into a more serious one. "But seriously, can we please go? I think we both deserve a break from having just escaped your psychotic dad."

I pause. I really didn't want to go, but if it's only for a little bit. . . "Fine," I reply, feeling like a mother allowing her child to go do something.

A smile breaks out across Ash's face, and he says excitedly, "Let's go then!"

Within minutes we've managed to clean up our hotel room a bit (straightening out the beds and throwing away the gross food I bought) and are ready to head out the doors. Once in the elevator, I pull up some directions to the beach on my phone, examining the map closely. Its about a ten minute drive from here, which isn't too terrible. I just hope it won't rain soon, because then I will definitely regret my decision.

After we've exited the elevator and are leaving through the front doors, Ash finally speaks. "What are most beaches like anyway?" he asks with the curiosity of a child.

"Hmm, I don't really know. I suppose most of them have annoying sand, and I've seen pictures where the water is actually clear. Its like a see through blue, and you can actually look at the fish that swim around by your feet."

"Have you ever been to the beach?"

"A couple times, although I was really little and probably wasn't too interested in that stuff," I answer truthfully.

He nods his head, and we don't say anything more as we walk to the impala under the storm cloud covered sky. I swear I can feel the ghost of raindrops on the exposed skin of my arms.

Getting into the car and starting it up, I place my phone with the directions onto the dusty dashboard, swiping some of it away with the flick of a finger. An automated voice erupts from the phone's speakers, a monotone woman with a slight accent that I can't quite place. She tells me to pull out from the hotel and make a right turn onto the main road. I follow where she takes me, down a bunch of bumpy, unpaved side streets that I don't take the time to count.

Eventually, we make it to a small parking lot surrounded by trees that wave in the breeze. A chipped wooden sign tilted at an odd angle announces the name of the beach. Crystal Creek Beach.

Ash and I exit the car after I park it, stepping out into the cool air. It smells like the sea, salty and fresh. I breathe it in as we venture over to a broken boardwalk.

The beach beyond is covered in a thin expanse of pale yellow, dark flecks of seashells imbeded in the tiny grains. The water is calm, frothing and lapping against the sand quietly. The ocean is almost the same color as the sky, murky and a dirty grayish-brown. Ropes of seaweed and fragments of wood swim in the small waves and mingle with the bubbling white foam.

"Woah, this is cool," Ash whispers, more amazed by the beach than I am.

He's the first person to step onto the sand, cautious at first as his foot sinks into the ground below. His steps are careful and slow, and he slips occasionally on little hills of sand. The beach is lined with trees, and he makes his way over to a particularly thick area that's heavy with foliage, like a cave of vegetation cut out of the beach.

I look down at the sand and grimace as my boots sink into it, the sleek, polished black now polka-dotted with yellow specks. I force myself to follow him, feeling like the ground beneath my feet is constantly shifting as I crunch over broken pieces of seashells. He's disappeared from my line of sight completely, hidden by green plants as bright as the color of his eyes.

I find myself staring at the gray ocean for a few seconds before I decide to go after him. I turn the corner to the cover of trees and the collar of my shirt is grabbed by a pale, slender-fingered fist quickly. I feel my body being pulled forward, the back of my shirt digging into my skin.

I'm instantly faced with a pair of bright eyes and dark hair. Ash shoots me a wide grin. "Hey there."

I feel my heartbeat pick up drastically, pounding loudly against my rib cage. I open my mouth, about to offer a response, but he beats me to it. I see him lean forward and touch his mouth to mine before the feeling actually registers in my body. Our lips crush, and I realize how isolated we are out here, the only people currently on the beach and hidden away.

Ash puts his hand on my chest, fingers cold against my skin. His black hair brushes my face, tickling my cheek. I feel like an explosion of color has erupted behind my eyelids, a kaleidoscope of green and blue. I lean forward, pressing my mouth against his further. Ash puts pressure on my chest, pushing my body away with his hands so our lips disconnect. He smiles as he separates us.

"Hey," I say in response.