Free Falling

Chapter One

She was standing at the edge of the boat. Her hands grasping tight to the wooden helm. The storm raged all around her.

"Come," he said, his hand outstretched. His feet walking on water.

Did she dare step out in faith? Would the impossible happen? Her feet walk on water? How much did she rely on faith? How much did she rely on nature and logic? Would that one step be her downfall? Send her free falling down into the turbulent waves?

"Packages!"

The sound of her roommate's muffled voice jolted her from her reverie, and Julia Kyoto slammed shut her laptop just as the door flung open. Sure enough, there sat two brown-paper wrapped boxes stacked one on top of the other affectively blocking Lexi Lin from entering their shared dorm room. Julia bit back a smile as she watched Lexi attempt to scoop up both boxes, only to strain her reedy thin arms and fall back on the wooden hallway floor with a small thud.

Giving the boxes a kick, Lexi announced, "They're for you, from your mom."

Between the two girls, they managed to push the boxes inside the room. Strong salty air blew in from the open window, ruffling the sheer white linen curtains draped over the valance. Rock Harbor University was located in sunny southern California, nestled on a rocky cliff at the end of the peninsula. On this late September afternoon, the weather was crisp rather than sweltering, thanks to the constant Pacific breeze blowing in from the beach.

"Let's see what Mama Kyoto packed today," Lexi murmured, unceremoniously tearing open the triple taped box. "I hope it's the shrimp chips I hinted at the last time she called. I miss our weekly trips to Marukai," she sighed, reminiscing about the local Asian market from their hometown.

"So what's the verdict?"

Leaning in, Julia recognized the content immediately.

The well-worn burgundy leather covers greeted her sheepishly, like they knew they weren't supposed to be four hundred miles away from home. Away from where she had carefully hidden them deep inside the large armoire of her childhood bedroom.

"Your journals?" Lexi said, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "Why did your mom send you these? You didn't ask for them, did you?" One glance at Julia's horrified, equally confused expression answered her question.

As private as Julia was, it was a testament to Lexi's trustworthiness that she had also been able to instantly identify what those unassuming notebooks were. They were the treasure troughs of Julia's otherwise impermeable thoughts. The yearnings and moment by moment accounts of all things important and trivial in her everyday existence.

"Do you think your mom read them before she sent them to you?" Lexi wondered. She kicked off her cherry red sandals and headed to the small cupboard above the mini-fridge in the corner of the dorm room.

Julia felt her heart stutter at the thought. But as the blood began to rush though her head, it cleared away the mortifying notion.

"No, you know how she is. The moment she realized what they were, I'm sure she squeezed her eyes shut and turned the other way." Growing up, her mom had avoided any hint of drama. She believed that secrets should be swept away and unwelcomed feelings remain unspoken.

"Hm, that's true. I wonder how she found them. Don't you keep your journals locked up in a vault?" Lexi teased. She rummaged through their snack stash and pulled out a half-eaten bagel.

Julia had given up organizing that cupboard. It was hard to keep the shared area tidy without crossing the fine line of intruding into Lexi's personal space. She was messy, but had a good memory. And she didn't like it when the last three M&M's she had specifically saved had mistakenly been thrown away.