Between two worlds

Introduction

June Cameron perched on the polished railing of the porch, her white sandals dangling over the manicured lawn. The grand beach house smelled faintly of fresh flowers and sunscreen, a world away from the salty ocean breeze. Mom was inside, probably arranging fresh tulips in the dining room, and Wheezie was upstairs, lost in her sketchbook like usual.

From here, the view was perfect—white sand dunes rolling toward the water, dotted with tall, swaying grasses. It was the Kook side of the Outer Banks, where everything was neat and orderly, just the way June liked it. Safe.

But the sky was changing. Heavy clouds marched in from the ocean, turning the afternoon golden into a stormy gray. June's stomach twisted. Sarah was coming back today. Sarah—the sister who had traded their polished world for the wild one across the bay. The Pogues.

At eleven, June was too young to understand why Sarah had left, or why she wanted to live with those rough kids on the other side. But she missed her. And despite everything, she was curious.

A breeze swept in, carrying the faint scent of salt and adventure. The storm was coming, and with it, a chance to step beyond the fences of her perfect little world.