Beach Week

Chapter 7- "Was it something I said?"*

"Did you ever find your wallet?" Taylor questioned trying to fill the silence with amiable conversation as they waited for Brett to come down from his room. She didn't know if everyone was feeling awkward or if it was just her. Aaron had taken the seat next to her on the love seat in the lounge room upstairs, and every chance she took she readjusted her position to that her body never came into contact with his. The kiss earlier had been enough of a tease for her to realize that she couldn't be with him and should just try to avoid him and move on. That was hard to do though when he was a part of your friend group. Even harder when him and his girlfriend were apart of their friend group and after the kiss and the make up, Amy was now dead set on making Taylor jealous.

Sara shook her head, focusing her big blue eyes Taylor. "No, but I found my driver's license under my bed. I have no idea how it got there or where my wallet is still."

"Creepy," Avery said eerily, stretching out the 'e' sound.

Sara nodded and added, "Even worse, this morning I could have sworn there was someone on the porch outside of the outdoor entrance to my room. When I looked I didn't see anyone, but there was a mud or something all over the place."

"That's why I don't sleep next to windows or doors where people could watch me sleep," Taylor chimed, obviously feeling smug at the fact that she was safe from peeping toms.

Sara rolled her eyes before she glanced at the boys, waiting for them to own up. She had been certain it was one of them trying to freak her out late at night since it wasn't a secret that she would binge watch horror movies in her free time.

"We didn't do it!" Aaron called, when he caught Sara's accusing gaze.

"Maybe it was the Marsh Monster coming to visit you." Brett teased as he joined them in the living room of his home, getting a laugh from everyone except Taylor and Avery who didn't know the local legend.

"What's the Marsh Monster?" Avery questioned once she realized that no one was going to fill them in.

"It's just a myth and nothing more," Sara stated.

"That's based off of true events!" Brett cried, pushing off of the couch and coming to Sara's side. "Let me tell you the story of our haunted little town," Brett said with a smile as his voice dropped into a creepily low whisper.

"I hate ghost stories," Amy whined from her spot on the floor in-between Aaron's legs.

"I love them," Avery and Taylor said in unison, earning a disbelieving glance from Sara before she and Brett shared a silent moment. A moment of hesitation hung in the air as they looking in each other's eyes before nodding and splitting up. Brett shut the blinds, Sara turned off the lights, and then one of them turned the flashlight on their phone on and placed it in the center of the table. Only the faint outline of everyone's face was visible in the soft glow of the light, and now the mood had been set.

"Avalon has many stories," Sara started with a low, almost demonic voice. "Legends say that pirates buried their treasure on the beaches of our island, and that Henry Hudson may have dropped anchor somewhere offshore and this is where he was thrown off. Set adrift until he made it to shore; dead."

A soft gasp erupted from the corner of the room where Amy was no doubt quivering like a bowl of Jello between her boyfriend's legs.

"But the one that no one can deny is the legend of the Marsh Monster," Brett stated, picking up the story in the same voice Sara had started it in. "Years ago, in the mid 1940's Avalon was hit by a hurricane. The residents were hiding inside their homes and in shops in town to escape the wind and rain. That's when the earth beneath their feet began to tremble. A few ignored it, while others thought the a small earthquake had been caused by the passing storm, but they were wrong. The waves had been beating the island for days. The barriers couldn't handle it, and were eventually crushed. First through sixth street began to crumble under people's feet and the houses were plunged into the ocean. Huge chunks of road, houses, cars and pavement were dropped into the sea. While some survived, other's drowned."