ARRIVAL (ERA 1)

10 | at Cliff's Cove

Every night without fail I surrender to my subconscious, plagued repeatedly by the same haunting nightmare. Only now I wake screaming. I'm running out of excuses.

            The dream is lucid like I'm actually reliving a moment. I have fully accepted my death: free falling from a ledge of rocks. The woman's voice calling after me was my sister Leah's.

            The two of us were hiking the Appalachian Trail. We used to live just outside Roanoke and spent our summers camping in the mountains. We were thrill-seekers, as much as teenage girls could be. We were always looking for the next great adventure. So many times we fashioned far off lands with exotic lives and new realities. What a whirlwind to find myself tangled up in one. Leah would love it here.

            Increments, bits and pieces here and there, are reforming in my mind. Most recently, there was an old rustic house with white siding and blue shutters nestled on a ranch. My house.

            I know I am missed and that my mother, father and sister are pining for me back home. It was better before I remembered. I didn't miss them then.

            I stare out at the water. The ocean is therapeutic. It reminds me of Katton family trips to the beach. The lighthouse tower reminds me of the silo on our ranch. Leah and I used to jump in the pile of grain we stocked there during the harvest.

            But there were no seagulls back home on our ranch. Their presence here reminds me just how far I am. Seagulls are ubiquitous here on the coast. They nest in the tower and soar above the cliffs, land on the jetty across the harbor. The first time I found this reservation, the weather was still clement – warm even. The cherry blossom petals on the island were brilliant and rosy. Now, almost all the leaves have fallen.

            A branch crunches behind me. I spin and peer through the gap in the stone; Niko is trotting through the tall grass heading my way.

            I freeze. It's been over a month and a half since my Evaluation but I'm still not allowed to leave the town limits without permission. Busted. William slips down from his saddle and ducks under the lighthouse's crumbling archway.

            "Fancy meeting you here," he says, smirking.

            "How did you find me?" I murmur, pulling at the ends of my flannel.

            "How did I find you?" William laughs. "I pluck you from a forest, but couldn't possibly track you beyond that? Give me some credit."

            "You've been following me?" I glower.

            He's wearing his Garner jacket, my eyes find the familiar patched nametag: G. James.

            "No. The first rule of clandestine getaways... Make sure your boots and saddle aren't coated in sea salt," says William.

            "Oh." I look down. "I'll try to remember that. Why didn't you say anything?" I ask, wondering if he's known all along. "If you knew I was coming here."

            "Say anything?" he furrows his brow.

            "Yes, you know since I'm not ..." I trail off.

            "Ah, you are referring to the illegality of your actions," William taunts. "I really should report you."

            "No! No!" I shout. I try to keep my voice from shaking but it sounds strained. I wonder if I would be in a lot of trouble.

            "No, I need to. I'm aiding and abetting a wanted criminal. You'll be arrested for this you know," he threatens.

            "Arrested? Really?" I mock and raise my hands, "Take me away."