Ella Marin sat up on her favourite rock, overlooking the beach of Crocket island. The cool salty breeze whipped around her, filling her with a sense of calm she knew and loved.
Whenever the weight of the world got to be too much, she would sit, here by the beach, and she would be calm.
She stared out at the sapphire blue water stretching for miles around her. It was far too cold still to swim, but it was tempting.
She loved to swim. She was always the fastest swimmer whenever Crocket held its summer festival down on the beach.
She smiled to herself, remembering how she always wanted to go pro. She had big plans when she was younger. And now, here she was at 29 years old sitting back on the island she longed to be away from.
Ella sighed. That wasn't the case anymore. This island was her home. Her parents had moved away three years ago, driven out by Beverly Keanes insane embezzlement, causing the price of living for them to be too much.
Her heart filled with hatred for the woman. "Shes always been such a saint!" People would say. She worked for the church, wore her hair in a tight braid and wore long dresses and cardigans. She was the perfect Catholic girl in everyone's eyes, but Ella knew her for who she really was. Nothing but a coward.
She sighed to herself again. Now wasn't the time for Bev to be working her way into her brain. She wouldn't let that witch touch this safe spot of hers and infect it with her negativity.
She closed her eyes and stretched out against the rock, letting the sun warm her face and the cool salty breeze fill the air.
*****
Hoooooooonk
Ella woke with a start, her heart racing.
She sat up on the rock she had been on hours earlier. It was now dusk, the last bit of sunlight faded away casting the island in a blue hue.
She saw the bright lights of The Breeze, the farey that took people to the island from the mainland. It had just pulled in a ways down the shore line.
She sighed looking up at the twilight sky.
"Didn't meant to fall asleep," she muttered to herself, swinging her legs off the rock and down onto the rough sand.
"That's an odd place to rest."
Ella whipped around at the voice only to find Bev Keane standing over her, her arms clasped together in front of her stomach.
Ella let out a scream internally before putting on her best "polite smile" and turning back to Bev.
"Oh you know me Bev. The wild woman of the water," Ella replied with a smile.
"More like the hobo on the beach," Bev muttered.
"Excuse me?" Ella asked, careful not to break her smile.
Bev shook her head. "Nothing dear."
Bev was only a year older than Ella, yet she always acted as if she was so much wiser.
She acts more like my grandma Ella thought to herself stifling a laugh.
Bev apparently caught on. "Something the matter?"
Ella shook her head standing up from the rock and stretching.
"You should see Doctor Gunning about your narcolepsy," Bev snarked.
Ella wasn't going to listen to this bullshit any longer. She was too tired to do anything about Bev now.
She just sleepily strolled past her, patting her shoulder. "Just enjoying a day in the sun. Maybe you should get out more."
Bev didn't say another word as Ella strut away, down on the small forest path leading back to the main road into town. This side of the island was mainly just the docks, but it was more peaceful than the main beach. No one went there but Ella.
And Bev now apparently Ella thought rolling her eyes. What is she doing there anyways? Did her "Ella's doing something stupid" alarm go off in her head and she immediately raced to belittle me for it? She always was the best at that game.
The forest was dark, darker than the evening sky with all the trees blocking any light, but Ella knew her way around. She had grown up here after all.
Sure she hadn't lived here most of her twenties, only just moving back a year ago, but Crocket could never change. And that's what she loved so much about it. Crocket would never surprise her, or bring on a sudden change that would alter the course of her life. She was safe from any anxious feelings here.
She stumbled out of the little wooded path and began walking down the main road into town. It was gravel, all the roads were. There were no cars, you simply didn't need them. You could get anywhere in town in a five minute walk no matter where you started.
As she walked along the gravel road lost in thought she suddenly noticed the sound of something dragging across the gravel.
Worried Bev was coming at her with a hatchet, she whipped around sharply.
But it wasn't Bev she saw.
It was a man who looked to be in his mid thirties, dragging some sort of trunk behind him.
He was dressed in a casual green hoodie and denim skinny jeans. He had ruffled black hair that blew gently in the wind, and big kind brown eyes. He looked wise beyond his years, yet very approachable and friendly.
He had a grin across his face as he stared back at Ella.
After a few moments he realized Ella was staring back at him with a suspicious look on her face, like he had expected her to recognize him.
He shook his head a little, "Sorry I was waiting to see when you'd notice I was here. You came right out of the woods and walked right past me without a second glance," he said with the same, friendly smile.
"Did I?" Ella asked suddenly worried she'd offended him, "I'm sorry I must have been lost in thought."
He waved off her apology. "No worries. Are you on your way back to town?" He asked.
Ella nodded, still feeling embarrassed she completely ignored him.
"May we walk together? I'm new to town," he told her.
Ella examined his face. It looked soft, except for the stubble around his jaw. His eyes looked as though they withheld many secrets, but he looked like he would be be open to sharing them. He had such a rugged charm to him.
He reminded her of someone.
"Yeah of course," Ella replied with her own smile.
His eyes lingered on her for a second before he caught up to her.
"Do you need any help?" Ella asked motioning to the trunk.
"Oh no, just my luggage," he stuttered slightly, "I appreciate the offer though. Very thoughtful."
Ella just nodded. "So why have you moved to Crocket?" she scoffed. It was such a small, unknown island. Most people either were born here, or were needed here. Nobody moved here for fun.
He looked away in thought smiling, "I'm here to replace Monsignor Pruitt."
Monsignor Pruitt.
Ella's heart caught in her chest.
Pruitt had left for some sort of quest a few months after she moved back. But she had grown up with him as the priest. She always looked up to him, he was very non judgemental and only ever wanted to help those around him.
Now he was apparently dead. The news hit her hard. Now that was change.
Sensing her fear, the man suddenly spoke up, "temporarily! Temporarily I assure you!" He explained. "He's fallen ill, but he's recovering in a hospital just on the mainland."
Ella let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. I hope he's going to be okay."
"He's in the best place he can be to get better," the man told her. "No need to worry Ella."
Ella stopped in her tracks. "How do you know my name?" She asked.
He looked back at her, with a shy smile. "Pruitt has spoken to me all about the residents on this island. He's very fond of them. Including you. He told me how much you loved music and would always put on a play for the island. He also told me how smart you are, and you wanted to be a Forensic Scientist. He was very proud of the way you turned out."
Ella was speechless. Pruitt and her had always been close when she was younger, but once he fell into the clutches of dementia he slowly seemed to forget most of the people here.
"Monsignor Pruitt had dementia," she said to him, "I never expected him to remember me."
"Like I said he's recovering. He feels just awful he could ever forget you," he said to her reassuringly.
Ella smiled to herself and nodded.
The two strolled into town properly now. The dim orange street lamps illuminated the road.
"So are you also a Monsignor?" Ella asked.
"Not exactly, my name is Father Paul. Paul Hill."
"It's good to meet you. I hope you enjoying your time here," Ella responded, stopping outside of the church. Just behind St. Patrick's was the rectory where the priest would stay.
"I'm sure I will. Goodnight Ella," Father Paul nodded at her with the same ruggish smile.
Ella set out for home with a big grin on her face. Something about Father Paul was so charming, and charismatic. He just seemed to draw her in, even in the very small interaction they had had, she felt like they had talked for hours.
She glanced back at St. Patrick's. She had grown up Catholic, but when she moved away she lost the traditions of it. She was still religious, but she didn't much care for the Catholic Church anymore. She hadn't attend church in a while, she went once or twice when Monsignor Pruitt was still here, but it got hard to see him. He just wasn't himself anymore. But now that Paul had come...perhaps it was time to pay a visit.