The Invasion

2 | Foreshadow

Regret hits me the second I step out of the car.

A bomb of expletives explodes from my mouth, but everybody else is so excited about the beach that they don't hear me. With a hand shielding my eyes, I scowl at the cloudless sky that's cooperating with the evil sun to bake us all. After ten minutes of walking, the sweltering heat crawls under my skin like an annoying itch that refuses to go away.

I know my skin is sensitive and I've already slapped on sunblock, but it doesn't help. The more I scratch, the more my skin burns. I don't wish to turn into a red, angry lobster, but for Avery's sake, I grit my teeth and try my hardest to endure the heat. None of them seem to look as annoyed as I am.

Old Orchard Beach is a seven mile-long beach that's on the Southern Maine Coast—a hot tourist spot. Summer is ending, but the heat isn't going away that quickly. A handful of people are in their swimwear, nestling in the shade of several palm trees. Some are tossing frisbees, handballs or suntanning.

Under the glare of the sun, the gentle breeze is my greatest source of relief. I pause in my steps, relishing in the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. It calms my mind. They always do, which is why whenever I'm stressed, I would sneak out of my house alone to come to this place.

But if Mom finds out, I'll get a horrible earful and end up being deaf for days.

Suddenly, Avery exclaims loudly. "Speed up, guys! The last person treats!"

She's joking, but the boys and I chase after her. I don't like to lose a challenge, so I dash ahead and startle everyone with my speed.

Leo whistles after me. Obviously in awe. "Whoa, Delia! What is that? How come you aren't on the track team?"

Instead, I stick out my tongue at him and hook arms with a proud-looking Momma Avery. He jogs up to our side, shooting me a curious, amused look. "I'm serious, Delia. You can try out for the school's team."

"Not happening because I'm a lazy bum."

"Well, get your ass moving!"

"What I do with my ass is none of your business!"

"But think of how many medals you can get if you run like that? I'm serious, Delia, I haven't seen a girl run that fast like you before."

"Oh god! You sound just like Gramps!"

"Guys!" Avery groans between us and covers her ears. "Stop shouting into my eardrums!"

Most of the people that visit this place come to The Pier. What used to be an old wooden wharf remodeled a few years ago by some reputable company called World Solutions. They are a well-reputed and highly distinguished company, constantly breaking barriers in their technology.

As the oceans become increasingly polluted over the years, their team has designed a special micro-filtration system and ultraviolet disinfection to treat wastewater directly from the seas immediately. They built a zone around The Pier to contain the clean waters and recreate man-made waves for surfers. Treated water in a pristine blue color sweeps up the shore, but it's just a mere distraction for people to forget that pollution exists.

There are similar beaches like this out there in the world. They are few in numbers, but it's because projects like this require millions of bucks. World Solutions has made it widely known that their aim is to preserve the long history of the beach from 1898 and what's left of the beauty. Yet, with the recent facility explosions, they themselves have become a murderer of the ocean.

At The Pier, we're allowed to swim as much as we want. As long as we don't cross the border, we're safe from the polluted water that's potentially harmful to our skin.