Tidal Waves |outer banks|

ii. are you insane or just fucking idiots

When Katherine was ten, she found her solace at the beach. Ten year old issues were closer to who did and did not sit with her at the lunch table, but regardless, the beach was her safe place.

Even with the impending storm, she still felt an overwhelming calmness, as she sat cross legged a few feet from where the tide rolled in. Many feelings were burning her soul mere moments before, but while she sat there, they were nothing more than dull murmurs in the back of her mind.

The weather was taking a turn for the worse, so she thought she was crazy when she heard footsteps walking towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, a figure sat next to her. Katherine only turned her head when a familiar head of blonde hair took over her peripheral vision on her left side. "You shouldn't be out here," Katherine hummed, looking back to the water that was now threatening to lap at her feet. "Weathers kind of shitty."

"I could say the same for you," the blonde scoffed. Leave it to Sarah Cameron's to always come to the rescue. "I was headed home of Topper's. How was your night with Todd?" Her best friend wriggled her eyebrows suggestively, but the question sent Katherine's mind whirring again. A deep crease between her eyebrows formed, as her frown deepened.

"Todd broke up with me," she sighed heavily, before looking Sarah directly in her eyes. "Then I slept with Rafe." The monotony in her tone was almost as terrifying as the calm in the eye of a hurricane. She looked back out into the water, clenching her jaw. Movement amongst the waves to her right caught her vision. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a blonde and a brunette's head sitting atop what Katherine assumed to be a surfboard. Those aren't surfable waves. She thought to herself. She found herself unable to peel her eyes away.

Her mind was dragged back to Sarah, when she nudged her lightly. "Are you even hearing me, right now?" She hadn't, of course. She'd only heard the muffled sound of her voice underlying the waves roughly slapping the shore.

Katherine inhaled a sharp breath and fluttered her eyes closed. Her moment of peace was wilting away. "I seriously don't want to talk about this right now," she snapped harshly, gripping the sleeves of the hoodie she snagged off of Rafe's floor. She immediately regretting the edge to her tone, without even needing to see Sarah's hurt expression. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I just—I need to be alone right now. I promise, I'll leave before it gets too worse." She finally looked at Sarah, the raw emotion shining through her tear filled eyes.

Sarah nodded, understanding the need for space. "I'll come over as soon as the storm passes, okay?" Katherine nodded at her words, wiping away a stray tear with the sleeve of the hoodie, as Sarah stood to walk away.

Immediately, her eyes were drawn back to the mystery surfers, who had made their way out farther. After hearing Sarah's car whirl away, Katherine rose to her feet, and found herself walking further down the beach. Whoever these two were, were absolute idiots. Granted, they could probably say the same about her.

The faster the tide pulled, the more violent the waves got. Katherine chewed on the inside of her cheek, fully prepared to witness an idiotic death. Her eyes narrowed at them, frowning at the huge wave headed towards them. "Fuck," she huffed. She knew they realized it too late, paddling pointlessly away and still trying to ride it. The blonde managed a little longer, but the brunette was swiftly dragged into the tidal waves, the blonde shortly thereafter. Katherine ran an anxious hand through her hair, scanning the water for any signs of life.

A breath she had no idea she'd been holding released at the sight of their head bobbing just off the bank. They waded back onto shore, collapsing onto the bank, still unaware that they weren't alone, until Katherine spoke. "Are you insane or just fucking idiots," she seethed. Their heads immediately whipped around to find the source and both wore equally confused expressions. She folded her arms over her chest, waiting pointedly for a response.