"It stared at me as its shadow flickered and danced across the water..."
Russet shades
"Pump it up!"
"Oh, control yourself! We're still in public, Trita!"
A delightful laugh escaped my lips as Sonya slapped the dancing brunette next to her. Trita immediately stopped dancing to the beat in her head and gaped at the platinum blonde beside me.
She was so good at this; making us feel guilty. Sometimes I wonder where she acquired her theatrical skill. Her father was an accountant and her mother was a pharmacist. Not much creativity required there. Though, let genetics stop Trita from leaving a flair of drama and appeal behind.
Sonya rolled her eyes and continued to walk, her petite feet disappearing into the white sand with every step.
Trita crossed her arms and pouted, but quickly jogged to keep up with our pace. "I expect an apology!"
"Ha!" I said and flicked my golden bronze hair over my shoulder.
Trita shot me a smirk and Sonya groaned. She knew exactly where I was headed.
"Oh yes... My, my..." Trita threw her rainbow colored beach towel over her right shoulder and adjusted her shades with a finely purple painted middle finger.
Sonya sighed and spoke before we had the chance, "Stop this you two! I'm serious!"
"You're always serious..." I spoke up as a wave crashed onto a pile of nearby rocks.
The water splattered left and right and a faint sea spray hit Trita on the side of her face, causing her to quickly wipe it away.
Sonya chuckled, but her amusement was short-lived as Trita and I continued to smirk at her from the side. She was so going to get it this vacation.
Last time all three of us were together was back home in our small, harbor town of Caneyville. It was about two weeks ago- before Sonya left for their annual summer family holiday to Seagull's Valley. It was just about an hour's drive away along the sunny, fresh coast. Trita and I were readily armed with our cucumber masks, Lana Del Rey CD-sets and a full two seasons box-set of Friends, but even after a weeks' notice, Sonya called the day before and canceled.
Apparently she had a huge date...
"Oh come on! I was honestly looking forward to the stay-awake, as usual, but give me a break! It was Dave Hanner, for heaven's sake! He's like a total hunk of-"
"I don't care if he's a hunk of vanilla crumbled cheesecake; you bailed on us!" I scoffed, "You need to be punished!"
"Cheesecake? Ugh...Disgusting" Trita mumbled at my comment and I gave her a silly look.
Sonya rolled her light green eyes and stared up at the cloudless blue sky. Trita smiled and whispered with a sweet voice, "Don't worry...We'll go easy on you since you invited us to your humble abode for the week. But only because of that."
"Yeah," I chipped in, "Definitely not because you're our fave hippy."
I grabbed Sonya by the neck, taking care to avoid her beaded necklace, and dragged her head down. She squealed from the sudden tug and tried to wrestle me to the ground with a forceful pull, but I wouldn't budge. The platinum blonde stood sternly still, her body bent at a strange angle. I tried to keep in my giggle, but failed miserably.
Trita laughed as Sonya gripped my leg and pushed me flat onto the ground with a thud. I wrestled my hand free from her iron grip and wrung my leg over her waist; making her tumble over, face first in the salty sand. Trita's laugh exploded next to my ear drum and I chuckled. Sonya screamed something inaccurate and I looked up at Trita's tanned face, but she was gazing at something in the near distance.
I had no time to wonder what it was, because at that exact same moment she confidently winked and waved in the opposite direction we were standing. I wanted to duck my head into the sand like an ostrich as I twisted my head to the side and saw four, delicious-looking surfers watching us with large grins plastered onto their faces.
Not this again...
If I wasn't making a fool of myself at the mall by silently insulting the nasty cashier and having myself thrown out of the shop by a local security guard or being stared at because of my bikini top falling off at Greg's 18th birthday party, I was wrestling my best friend on the very public beach in front of very sexy guys.
Shit.
"Trita!" I softly yelled at her as I sugar-coated my smile that I immediately shot to the hot, black haired guy on the left.
He is one fine piece of-
"What the hell are you two asses doing?" Sonya grumbled beneath my grip and I momentarily forgot about the green-eyed blonde. I quickly stood up from her pinned down form on the sand.
I shook myself clean as one of the guys walked up to us. To my disappointment it was the blonde. He was okay-looking, but I much rather preferred the tall, dark and handsome types.
He smiled broadly, "Hi there..."
At the sound of a male's voice, Sonya shot up from her slumped position on the ground and came face-to-face with a stunning Colgate smile. She hastily dusted herself off before replying back with a crimson blush, "Hey..."
Trita's gaze was fixated on the young man's chest. She was painfully obvious when she wanted to be. It was already clear to everyone on the beach who Trita was going to play for. Too bad Sonya was too busy drowning in those crystal blue eyes to notice.
I smiled at the black haired hottie behind the Brad Pitt look alike and he shyly waved back.
Shy boy? Not a good sign. I rather like the daring types...
"Sorry to interrupt the fierce battle, but couldn't help to notice how alone you ladies looked."
The blonde surfer's gaze trailed slowly from Trita's eager face over to Sonya's blushing cheeks and to my undisturbed smile.
This one was a player, no doubt... No wonder he had the guts to come over here when none of his friends even dared to look us directly in the eyes.
My gaze moved swiftly over my friends.
Well, what guy wouldn't be intimidated?
Trita's long black-brown bangs lay just below her eyebrows, exposing her dark green eyes and thick lashes. Her stance was that of a super-confident, super-powered, super model. Her plump ass was covered in a dark red bikini and she knew exactly how to flaunt it.
Sonya on the other hand was much more innocent and tried to cover as much of her beautiful, pale skin as she could. Her lime green eyes shone with a certain thrill and her pink lips tightened into a small grin. I watched as her curly blonde hair swayed in light the breeze, making a halo on her head. If it weren't for her skin-tight, blue striped bikini, people would think she was an angel.
I snuck a look down to my chest, to see if everything was still in place after the little rumble. My bright turquoise bikini glittered in the sun, along with my dark tanned skin and my sapphire blue eyes. I silently hoped my straight hair was still as volumized as it was this morning, and just to make sure, I seductively ripped my hand through my golden hair.
The boy's blue eyes darted to me and I could feel them melt onto my skin.
Alright, he wasn't too bad-looking, but still not my type.
"No problem, I was wondering how I'd get these two apart..." Trita seductively said as she giggled and stepped closer to the surfer. His friends laughed awkwardly from the side.
This was so typical. They had no guts to do it themselves, so they send over the cocky friend to do the 'grooming'.
I flicked Sonya an annoyed glance, but she was too entranced with the boy in front of her. His muscles were impressive, but not that impressive.
"Yeah, well it was definitely entertaining. You okay?" The blue eyes landed on me and I ripped my attention back to the smirking surfer.
"You should be asking Sonya here..." I pointed the quiet girl next to me, "She got a mouth full of sand, not me."
I laughed as Sonya wiped her mouth, afraid there was still some evidence attached to it. Trita smiled widely, but before she could speak up, the young man's voice filled my ears, "What a grip you have there. Do you tackle your friends to the ground often?"
I laughed, "First of all, it was not a tackle and I'm a black belt."
"What, really?" The surfer's eyes shot up. Well, that certainly sparked his interest. I nodded and his smile grew with an inch. "What kind of-"
"Oh, look at the time!" Trita chipped in and dramatically gazed at her watch.
She tapped it and looked up to the guy in front of her. "We really must be going. You know how it is; tanning time is so precious..."
The guy nodded, as if he honestly knew exactly what she meant and took a step back. I blinked at Trita and gave her a confused look. She smiled innocently and grabbed Sonya and me by the wrist and pulled us past the guy's friends. I could feel their eyes on our backsides and silently wished that it wasn't full of sand.
The blond surfer waved goodbye and shouted, "See you around, Sonya and friends!"
Sonya blushed ferociously and stumbled a bit.
I looked back and waved. Not likely, I thought and pinched Trita on her forearm.
She howled quietly and rubbed the spot with her other hand. "What the hell?"
"Tanning time? Pu-lease... You would give and arm and a leg to score a summer fling. What in the world was that?"
"Ugh, he was so totally into you..." She nearly grumbled it.
I rolled my eyes; "Not true! And if he happened to be, what gives you the right to drag me away from him?"
"True! I was just allowing you to play hard to get."
"Yeah right..."
Sonya sighed as Trita and I bickered on. She silently walked along without saying a word. Trita's voice went a pitch higher as she tried to explain her point, "Look! If I hadn't stopped him from groping you on sight, you would've kicked his ass and made us get dragged off the beach by a security gu-"
"Not this again! Let the security guard-story go! It was one time!"
"One time too many! You know I'm never allowed in there again? They have the best shoes."
"Ugh..." I pulled a sour face.
Trita gasped, but this was actually a normal conversation between the two of us. We insulted each other, we bickered and ranted, but none of it made us mad at each other. We could argue for days and still laugh at a random chick tripping over a lose tile on the ground and watch as her skirt flies up on top of her head. Classic.
"Sonya, talk to this maniac?" Trita swung her arm lazily over the shorter girl in the middle and I watched as the blonde rolled her eyes and say, "You both better shut up before I throw you in the ocean."
"Sounds like a plan." Trita chuckled.
"Don't you dare change the subject, Rita" I spoke up from the side and stopped at our usual tanning spot.
The sand was a pearl white and the shells were a little less than on other areas. I opened and shook out my bright blue towel and placed it gently on the soft sand. Sonya followed my movements and in a few seconds a polka dotted orange beach towel lay neatly next to mine.
Trita on the other hand stood stiffly still and glared at me. "I'm just saying that the guy was far too wild for you..."
"He was not! You just want him for yourself."
"You don't even like blondes!"
I groaned and blobbed myself onto the soft fluffy towel as Sonya took out her shock speaker and turned on her Ipod.
"That's not the point..."
"Then what is?" Trita moved on to my other side and placed her bright, sunny patterned, yellow towel next to me. She sat down and leaned back, placing her elbows on the towel and probed herself up. Her pink shades glistened in the midday sun.
I listened to the wild seagulls fly over and cry as they met up over the water. They flew into different directions as the waves cashed onto the white, pearly shore. It was low tide today, but later it would get higher, and then the boogie-boarding starts.
"You just don't like it when a guy takes more interest in anything other than yourself. You can't have every guy."
"I can have as many as I want." Trita looked up, her small smile played mischievously at the corners and I scoffed. Typical answer...
"Lorde or Foster The People?"
"Foster The People." Trita and I replied in usion as Sonya pressed a button on her Ipod touch and immediately a familiar beat echoed through the black speaker.
Trita ranted on; "I bet you-"
"Oh, Lord..." I grimaced.
"No, no! This is a good one!"
I sighed, "Define good?"
Sonya laughed and opened a packed of chips and a can of fruit juice. I picked out an orange flavored can and opened it as I watched Trita finish a few chips. She swallowed loudly and laughed, covering her mouth with her tanned hand; "I bet you that I can get a summer fling before you."
"Fine. Deal. I win."
"What? No!"
"Um, yes... That surfer guy will totally go on a date with me." I lazily flicked my hand into the packet of chips.
"No he won't. And I thought you said he wasn't into you."
"I lied."
Sonya picked up her floppy white hat and came to lie down on the towel next to me. She covered her face and reached into the packet. She grabbed a handful and started to hum along to 'Don't stop'.
I watched as the waves grazed the beach and asked Sonya, "Did you put on sunscreen?"
"Yeah, at the house..." She replied without lifting her head.
Trita interrupted our conversation; "Surfer dude is out...Okay?"
I bit back a retort. This was so easy. I mean, come on, even the damn seagull could see the dude was desperate.
"Okay, okay. Deal. But..."
Trita stopped smiling and waited, her hand stood stiff in the packet of chive-flavored chips.
"You are not allowed to flirt up anyone you know. And you must go on an actual date with this guy. Deal?"
Trita sighed and nodded. "Deal."
I smiled and laid down on my stomach. I reached for the can of orange juice and took a small sip, letting the liquid stew on my tongue. It tickled the back of my mouth, the crisp cold seeping down my throat. It was definitely a hot day and perfect for tanning. Trita was right about one thing- tanning time is important...
I could hear Trita rummage in the packet. Sonya's toes moved to the rhythm of the song and I closed my eyes and moved my blond hair away from my back so that it could tan evenly.
I calm quiet consumed us and the only sound that escaped was that of Sonya's speaker, the waves and the seagulls.
Trita spoke; "That haunted house-"
"It's not haunted." Sonya spoke as-a-matter-of-factly and I shifted my weight to the side to get a better view of the old brick mansion on the cliff.
It has been there since forever and every vacation Trita and I come to visit Sonya we would go up to the house and spend at least one night in the old, run-down mansion. It was thrilling and fun and it was completely and ridiculously risky. It's been abandoned for about twenty years; except for the odd house guests such as bats, stray cats and the occasional rat infestation.
Oh hell, let's hope that never happens again...
The place was a no-man's-land. Free for us to use as we pleased, even though if my parents even remotely had an idea that I'd been spending nights in an abandoned mansion with no one but my two best friends as company, I'd probably be sent to my great aunt Annette in Berlin.
Even now, as I think of our little tradition, I'm slightly appalled. How insane are we do to this? I guess it was like getting into a pool. The water's cold so you test it by slipping your foot in the shallow end and before you know it- you're diving in the deep end. Nothing felt more alive than being in a place so dead.
After spending a night there, all your phobias seemed so little and trivial.
I remember the first time we snuck out and decided to spend the night in the 'creepy house on the cliff'. We were fifteen and stupidly brave. Or bravely stupid.
Sonya's parents didn't mind, mainly because they didn't know. They thought we were staying at a friend of Trita's, when actually we stayed awake through the night visiting a ghostly manor.
Trita, Sonya and I had known each other since the day we were born, but only in the second year of high-school did we first start this odd and dangerous tradition. That night was cold- colder than other nights, and part of that night was somehow blurred, like I had slept through most of it, but I definitely remember the first two hours.
It was horrifying.
"What of it?" I asked extending my head to the manor.
Trita gazed at it with a pout. "I think we should go tomorrow night. It'll be a full moon. We've never gone on a full moon. That'd be cool."
''And whoever said you don't plan ahead..." I smiled and Trita smacked my ass, causing an elderly couple to frown and stare as they walked past. The old man more than his wife. She gave him a stern warning glance and he quickly peered ahead.
"That sounds like a fine plan, Mrs. Ellis", Sonya said as she lifted her head to wink at us.
Trita extended her pinky as she picked up my orange juice can. Before she took a sip, she spoke with a fake British accent, "Why thank you, lady Harrods."
"Keep your paws to yourself, Mrs. Thief." I smiled as I ripped my can from her hand. Trita idly waved her hand in my direction and spoke with her phony accent; "So brutish, lady Venerelli..."
"Phish-posh. Shut your mouth."
Sonya laughed, "Fat chance of that ever happening..."
We chuckled and I extended my hand up to Sonya for a high-five. Our slap sounded in the breeze and the sound drowned out by the crashing of the waves.
Trita, strangely, had no mocking reply.
I peeked up from my comfortable position and saw her squint at the manor. Her eyes focused really hard to examine into the windows and she slipped her shades up, making her pupils contract and grow small from the bright light. I smirked at her from the side and contemplated whether to ask what the hell she was doing or to throw her with a potato chip.
The potato chip won.
"Hey!" She clicked her tongue at me.
"What are you doing, pumpkin?"
Trita threw the chip back and I caught it between my fingers before it could hit my nose. Sonya sighed and spoke up, "Quiet, my song is on..."
I chuckled as the platinum blonde swirled her hands over her head like a ballerina. Trita's attention was back to the mansion.
I tried again; "Trita..."
"There was something there..." Trita pointed a finger at the large front window. It was open and anyone could peer inside. The dirt was clearly visible as the sun shone on the glass panel and I squinted to get a better view.
Nothing.
"You're imagining things."
"Am not." She spoke with resilience, but her voice was soft. She was too focused to retort back with a snarky remark. I gazed at the window again and felt a shiver run up my back. I clenched my teeth to stop them from clattering.
Trita sighed. "There was something there just a minute ago."
"What was it?"
"A cloak? Maybe a curtain. I don't know... The house is too far away."
"A cloak?" I lifted an eyebrow and waited for a better explanation. Trita had none.
I laid back down and adjusted my white shades. Trita crossed her legs and absent-mindedly grabbed a handful of chips from the bag, her eyes glued to the window.
I took a sip from my can and placed it back onto the sand. My eyes caught the sight of a strangely moving shadow and I carefully lifted up my head to get a better look. The shadow disappeared behind a few rocks. I wondered what kind of animal it could have been, but nothing popped up. It wasn't a bird...
Perhaps a stray dog?
"There!"
I shot up as Trita gripped my arms and pulled me to her. "Wha-"
"Look!"
I stared at the window and at first, I saw nothing, but then... then I saw a black figure. It was large; man-shaped. Another chill shot up my spine; this one full of dread, leaving me hollow.
I frowned. Trita smiled, happy she had proven her point. I, however, felt nauseous. Something made me feel so...sick. I could feel the bile move up to my throat and I clenched my hands around the fluffy towel.
Damn! It was summer vacation; I can't get sick now! I laid back down quickly before my head had a chance to spin.
Trita chuckled. "See. I was right."
"Congrats." Sonya replied dryly. I covered my mouth with my left hand and waited for the ailing feeling to pass.
Trita suddenly caught sight of me and asked, her voice coated with concern, "Hey, you okay? You're so pale..."
"You see a ghost?" Sonya smiled and asked as she sat up. She peered over to me and I watched the seagull fly over. Its shadow casted a black flying dot on my body and I had the strange urge to slap it away.
"No. Not a ghost."
It wasn't a ghost.
What was it?
"Chill. It's probably just a few naughty kids playing in the place." Trita patted my shoulder and Sonya glanced over to the window, "I don't see anything."
I quickly sat up straight. Sonya was right. I peered up at the window again, but unlike before, there was no odd shape.
You're being dramatic; I thought to myself and pushed aside the nauseating feeling that erupted from my stomach.
"Come on, Aurora." Sonya said and grabbed my hand.
She pulled me up and towed me to the water. I walked along with her to the ocean and watched as the waves crashed onto the shore. I sighed as the water grazed my foot. It was perfect. Cold and refreshing. The sick feeling passed as quickly as it came.
Sonya rushed right in and dove into the dark water; I glanced back at Trita and saw her running up to me.
She grabbed my waist and fell on top of me with all her might. With a large force, we crashed into the water. I pulled myself up and tossed my head back; making my hair hit Trita right in the eyes. She yelped and laughed along with Sonya and me. The seagull returned for more fish as it dipped into the water a few feet away from me. I watched its shadow play on the water.
As if it had a life of its own.
"Sonya!" Trita ripped through the water as fast as she could and tackled the lighter blonde into the water.
I moved in sync with a coming wave and dipped down into the salty depths. The water was dark, but the sun's rays shining through created flecks and streaks of bright patches on the ocean floor.
A large commotion went on in the water in front of me and I could only imagine all the death threats Sonya was promising Trita if she didn't stop her absurdity.
I chuckled as I saw Sonya's face duck under with the most abhorrent facial expression to date.
I quickly broke through the watery surface and welcomed the sunny rays that gently seized my skin. The water moved away from me and swirled back and forth. I watched as limbs flew through the air and Trita's shrill scream echoed through the air. Sonya had caught her hair and was refusing to let go.
Payback's a bitch.
I laughed as Sonya screamed playfully and climbed onto Trita's back, ready for probably the most unenthusiastic piggy back ride of all time.
Suddenly I felt the urge to look behind me.
My eyes immediately focused on the large window. A shadow passed over its surface and I felt a chill in the air. The sordid taste reappeared suddenly; leaving my mouth bone dry. The light-headedness swung back as a large wave hit my lower back; edging me towards the shore- closer to the house. My eyes grew larger as a figure appeared more focused in the window. It was like my eyes acted as a camera lens- turn it and the focus shifted from clear to faded.
The figure was so black. I narrowed my eyes. I could make out a figure of a man. A cloaked man?
A cloak, like Trita had ment-
"Aurora..."
"Yes?" I turned around to the two wrestling girls in the water, but when I spoke, they lifted up their heads and gave me a confused look.
"Huh?" Trita asked, her eyes clouded with salty tears and I twinkling shade of tomfoolery. Sonya followed my gaze as I looked back at the window. There was nothing.
"You okay?" She asked her lime eyes echoed concern. Something was off.
That wasn't a woman's voice... Was I going mad?
"Yeah..." I breathed and forced a smile.
Trita laughed as she caught Sonya's leg, as her guard fell down for a second, and swiped her up. Sonya splashed hard into the water and ripped great waves that crashed effortlessly onto the shore. My heart leapt as I saw the seagull once again. It stared at me as its shadow flickered and danced across the water.
The eerie voice faded away; leaving only a sense of dire unease...
*Caneyville and Seagull's Valley are both fictional towns from my imagination.