Blue on Blue

Chapter Nine

"Hear that?" Charlie says, cupping his hand behind his ear. 

Maggie listens for a second and shakes her head. "All I hear are waves crashing against the shore." 

Charlie shakes his head. "Listen. The island is sighing. The tourists have all gone home." 

Drew spins around, arms out, face to the sky. "We have our island back," he shouts. "No more traffic jams clogging the roads, no more beach umbrellas crowding the sand, no more jet skis and speed boats, no more -- " 

Maggie's eyes widen. "You mean this place gets even quieter?"

"Quieter, colder, and darker," Cay says, warming her hands by the fire.

"Fun fact," Drew announces. "We're losing three minutes of daylight every day."

"Whose idea was it to sleep out on the beach anyway?" Charlie groans, stacking enough wood to keep them warm through the night. 

Cay and Maggie point at Drew. 

Drew raises his hands like they're holding him at gunpoint. "Where's your sense of adventure? What do you always say Charlie? You only live once, right?"

Cay shivers. "You only die once too, and I'd rather not die of frostbite." She pulls the sleeping bag over her shoulders. 

Drew plunges down next to her and gives her a tight bear hug, causing them both to fall backward, into the sand. 

"Drew!" she yelps as they roll over each other, laughing. 

Charlie glances at Maggie and shakes his head. "Do you believe them?" He turns his attention to Drew and Cay. "Be careful! You'll roll into the fire."

"Don't be such a dad," Cay tells Charlie as she spins on top of Drew and pins his arms to the sand.

"I give up!" Drew yelps. "I give up!" 

She slides off him, still grasping his hands between her own. 

The wind blows their hair every which way. Their cheeks are pink. Puffs of breath float from their lips. 

"I'll be good," he tells her. 

She drops his hands. 

He lunges forward, tackling her again. 

She lets out a yelp, shielding herself with the sleeping bag. "Drew!" 

He laughs. "I'll be good. Promise."

"Promises...promises." She grabs a stick and plunges a marshmallow on top of it. "Prove it. Roast me a marshmallow." 

Drew grabs the stick and holds the marshmallow near the fire, careful not to burn its edges. He lifts his eyes to Maggie. "City Girl, what's the biggest difference between Fallowshill and Cayder Bay?" 

Maggie shrugs. Truth is, there are so many big differences between Fallowshill and Cayder Bay; it's hard to narrow it down to only one. She says the first thing that comes to mind. "City lights on the street versus firelight on the beach, I guess." 

Charlie abandons his woodpile and sits down next to her. "Which one do you like best? City lights or firelight?" 

The fire crackles and snaps. Sparks reach for the night sky, as if they're trying to find a place among the stars. Fallowshill's night sky is pale in comparison, washed out by the city's bright lights. Light pollution at its best, or worst depending how you look at it. 

"You can't see stars this vast and this bright from the window of a city bus," Charlie says. He has her there. The stars look like they've been painted in broad strokes across the Cayder Bay sky. Big and round. Countless.