Caught Inside

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." – Philippians 4:4

As soon as Alana's eyes peeked open at six a.m. on Saturday morning, she bolted upright in bed. Her heart, which had been beating slow and steady only seconds ago, now pounded with excitement. Finally, it was the day of her eighteenth birthday!

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pattered across the floor to her dresser. There, folded neatly on top, were the clothes she had set aside the night before. She quickly changed into her swimsuit and sweats before jogging downstairs. Her eyes, which were still growing accustomed to the early morning darkness, remained thick with sleep. She made a quick pit stop in the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair, then immediately made a beeline for the kitchen.

To her surprise, Dylan and Tammy were already seated at the counter. Dylan was caught mid-yawn when she entered the room, but he immediately brightened upon her entrance. "Happy birthday, Alana!"

Tammy chimed in with her own happy birthday wishes, and soon Alana was wrapped up in a family hug.

"Aw, you guys didn't have to get up early just for me," she said.

"But I'm going surfing with you!" Tammy exclaimed, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet.

Alana smiled and wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders. "I know you do," she said. "You always have fun surfing with the gang."

Both sisters automatically turned to look at Dylan, who awkwardly scratched his head. His eyes were full of regret, but they were heavily outweighed by the fear that shook his entire being. Alana knew he had a hard time going back to the ocean ever since their parents had drowned. Dylan felt like it was his responsibility to keep out of danger because if anything happened to him, Alana and Tammy would lose their only guardian.

"It's fine," Alana said softly. "Don't worry about it, Dyl."

But then his face erupted into a brilliant smile. "I'm just messin' with you."

"What?"

"I'm going down to the beach to watch you guys," he said.

Alana gasped and wrapped her arms around him in another hug. "Oh my gosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

It would be the first time he had set foot on the beach in months. Tammy giggled and clapped her hands excitedly while Alana reveled in the moment. She couldn't believe it.

After Tammy ran out of the kitchen to get dressed, Alana stared up at her brother and gave him the warmest smile she could muster. "You're awesome," she said. "Mom and Dad would be so happy."

He nodded, his gaze drifting away to some distant place thanks to the onslaught of memories produced by Alana's words. She quietly removed her arm from around his waist and headed over to the cupboard to find something to eat. A few minutes later, after she wolfed down a bowl of cereal and Dylan made himself a cup of coffee, the last member of their family came sprinting down the stairs.

"Are they here yet?" Tammy hollered.

"No," Alana said, but not a second later, the doorbell rang. The trio quickly gathered their belongings, including the three surfboards and wetsuits leaning near the front door, and hurried outside.

Five figures stood huddled in sweatshirts on the Walker's lawn. "Happy birthday!" they exclaimed, rushing towards Alana and enveloping her in a large group hug.