Happy Wednesday!
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I walked out onto the beach barefoot. The sun had just set and I could feel my body tingling. The sand felt soft on my feet and I felt like I could stay here forever. The white dress I wore flapped around me gently as the breeze whistled across the sand. My dark brown hair hung loose, freely whipping through the air. I kept walking along the shore until I came to a small sand dollar sticking halfway out of the sand. As I bent down to get it I heard someone call my name. Surprised, I turned around and saw Hayden. He was walking towards me with a big smile on his face. He was barefoot and wore fitted jeans and a white button shirt that was open exposing his chest. My eyes wandered away from his eyes and felt a blush creeping up. Once he reached me he placed a hand gently on my cheek.
"I've been waiting for you," Hayden said taking his hand from my face and grabbing my hand.
"I didn't know. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," I replied staring into his eyes. The dark brown stood out against the bright blue sky. Hayden smiled and turned to face the ocean. He tugged gently on my arm and I followed instantly. We walked until the water rushed over our feet. I jumped back playfully.
"Ready?" Hayden asked pointing towards the water. I stared at him a moment before shaking my head in disagreement.
"No... I'm not ready to be in the water," I said pointing to my white dress. Hayden laughed and walked towards me.
"You needn't worry," he said coming close enough to me that I could feel the warmth his body was giving. I nervously took a step back and ran a hand through my hair. Hayden reached out for my hand and pulled me close to him. Our bodies met and I instantly felt a shock surge through me. I placed my unoccupied hand on his hip and leaned in, resting my head on his chest. "It's almost time, Kailani," Hayden whispered. I looked up at him in surprise. Did he really mix my name up with another girl's at a time like this?
"What?" I asked stepping out of his embrace.
"Do not think I have not forgotten who you are, Emma. Though, Emma is the name your land comrades have come to call you. Myself, and the others waiting for your return have called you and will always call you, Kailani. It is who you are. It will not make sense to you right now, but you must trust me." Hayden held his hand out for me to take it. I took another step back.
"Is this some trick to get me into the water while wearing white?" I asked. The filter from my brain to my mouth is nonexistent when I am nervous or scared. Hayden chuckled and kept his hand out to me. I slowly walked towards him and grasped firmly onto his hand. I gave a weak smile and Hayden turned around to face the ocean once more. I followed slowly as we got closer to the water. Again, the water swirled around my feet, but this time I did not move. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Hayden started to walk farther in. I moved close behind. Suddenly Hayden jumped into the waves pulling me in after. I let out a loud scream.
*BEEP *BEEP *BEEP *BEEP
I reached over and slammed my hand down on the alarm clock next to my bed. Slowly I opened my eyes one at a time. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. It was a dream. I sat up quickly and looked around. Sure enough, I was still in my pajamas in my room. Disappointment flooded through me as I tossed the covers off and stepped into my slippers. Groggily, I opened the door and walked out to the kitchen. My nose was immediately greeted by the aroma of bacon sizzling on the stove. I smiled and sat down on a chair by the kitchen island.
"Morning sleepy head!" Vanessa said cheerfully. I smiled at her and turned to look through the glass door leading to the balcony. I stared at the water rushing the shore and was reminded of my dream. It had felt so real... "Do you want milk or not, Em? It's not that hard of a question!"
"What? Sorry, I wasn't listening," I confessed focusing back to reality.
"Obviously you weren't. I said do you want milk?" Vanessa said with one hand on her hip and the other holding a gallon of milk. I nodded my head and stole another glance outside before putting my head down on the counter. "Whoa, Em. It's not even like you had anything to drink last night. How can you possibly look worse than me?" she asked as she slid a glass full of milk next to my arm.
"A weird dream is all," I said and quickly took a big gulp of milk. I watched over my glass as Vanessa shifted uneasily and her eyes stared at the floor. "What's up?" I asked as I wiped my upper lip. Vanessa turned and looked at me like I had just appeared out of nowhere.
"What was your dream about?" she asked cautiously.
"Just me out at the ocean..." I instantly pictured Hayden in my mind. "...and Hayden." Vanessa began to cough and choke on her milk and had to run over to the sink and spit the rest out. "Oh my gosh, Nessa!" I shouted hopping off the stool and running to my sister who was now in a cough fit. Once Vanessa had calmed down and cleaned herself off she turned to face me. I stared at her concerned.
"About you at the ocean with Hayden?" she repeated. I nodded and wiped off some milk splatters off the counter. "What happened in this dream with Hayden," Vanessa asked, saying Hayden's name like it was poison.
"I was just out walking on the beach after the sun was almost set. I found a sand dollar, he called my name and I turned around. We talked for a bit and he wanted to go swimming with me. I told him I couldn't because I was in a white dress. He called me a name I have never heard before and then asked me to go swimming one more time. The second time I agreed for some reason. I saw him dive into the water and just as I was about to follow him in, I woke up." The whole time I told my dream to Vanessa I was watching her closely. She never broke eye contact with me. I could tell that her brain was coming up with some ridiculous reason as to why I had this dream.
"See? Stay away from him," Vanessa said flatly and walked into the bathroom.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" I yelled after her. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the couch. I plopped down and let out a big sigh. All of this thinking about Hayden was making it hard for me to focus on the real reason I was here. I glanced at the clock and gasped. It was nine thirty! I was already wasting precious day light hours and I needed to collect a lot more photographs. Jumping up from the couch I ran to my bedroom to get dressed. I debated with myself about showering before I went but I figured I could always come back and shower. I threw on a pair of khaki shorts and a light purple t-shirt. I searched under my bed and found one of my Converse shoes. Frantically I began to look for my other. In the middle of throwing my clothes around it dawned on me that I never got my shoe from the canal. My other shoe was still stuck on the nail of the dock. Annoyed, I opened up my closet and found a pair of white flats. I gathered up my camera and bag and left the room. When I entered the hall I could hear Vanessa singing in the shower. Quickly I scribbled down a note and stuck it to the door. I practically ran towards the beach.
Once I reached the bank I slowed my pace. I grabbed my shoes from my feet and tossed them onto the sand. I took a few steps back and jumped from the grassy bank and landed with a soft thud. Smiling, I reached into my bag and brought out my camera. I placed it over my neck and turned it on, ready for anything exciting. One of my favorite things to do is to catch birds in mid flight. I find that I am lucky when I can catch a bird doing such a majestic act.
After about an hour went by I sat down on the middle of the beach and began to look through what I had so far. Today, I was able to get a seagul, raven, and a hawk in flight. I captured a crab trying to find it's way back to the ocean and a mouse scurry across the sand and disappear into some tall grass.
"Kailani..."
Suddenly I felt my body tense up. Slowly, I put my head up and looked around. Aside from myself, the only other people on the beach right now was some old couple in sweat suits walking about one hundred yards from me. My heart began to race as I strained my ears to hear it again. After five minutes of being completely still I allowed myself to finally exhale fully. I let out a small laugh. I was hearing things. The location of my dream was this very beach, so I must just be remembering it. I stood up, brushed the sand off of my legs and walked to where I had left my shoes. Stop being so crazy, I thought to myself. I found my shoes and slipped them on and hopped back up on the bank. Now I would spend some time within the tall grass and reeds.
I moved slowly through, careful of where I stepped. Suddenly there was an odd scratchy feeling on my arm. I looked down and let out a loud scream. I flailed my arm around and tried to shake off what ever had landed on me. Once it was gone I took a few steps back and bent over to look at it. As my heart calmed and my brain made sense of the little monster, I recognized it to be a caelifera, or better known as a grasshopper. I took a few pictures of it and shuddered. I decided to walk through the grass in another section.
"Emma?"
I whipped around and saw Hayden walking towards me. I instantly became aware of my clothes, hair, and breath. I blushed as he came closer.
"What are you doing?" he asked sticking his hands in his pockets. I looked down at my camera and lost all knowledge of how to speak. I felt my cheeks blush and I cursed mentally at my vulnerability around this person I had just met last night.
"I-I am taking pictures," I replied. "For my book," I quickly added annoyed at how flustered I suddenly was.
"No way! Can I see some of the pictures?" Hayden asked taking another step closer. I automatically took a step back as I took the camera off of my neck and handed it carefully to Hayden. I stood there watching Hayden carefully as he observed my photos. This would give a small heads up on how people would react to the pictures that I find important of this area. With each click Hayden's grin became a slight bigger. When he was finished he handed the camera back and just smiled.
"So..." I pushed, as I wrapped the strap around the camera and set it in my bag.
"They're excellent," Hayed said grinning.
"Really? You don't think they're too...generic?" I asked. Hayden thought a moment before answering my question.
"They really are good, Emma. I just think...that if you want to capture what Ocean Shores is about, you need to also get some pictures of the areas around here. I understand that not your entire book is going to be about this particular area, but I know that it is your favorite, so I assume it will have the biggest role in your book."
"How do you know this is my favorite area?"
"I...I just assumed and hoped as much." I gave a small side smile and nodded.
"It really is my favorite," I said in almost a reverent whisper. I looked around me and took a deep breath. The wind was blowing and the salty air was filled my sense.
"Can I show you around? I mean, like show you some of the local businesses that I think would be great additions to your book?" Hayden asked shifting his weight. It was only at this moment that I realized what he was wearing. Hayden was dressed in a white button up shirt, actually buttoned up and fitted jeans without shoes on. He looked almost identical to how he appeared in my dream. I had to look down at what I was wearing to make sure this wasn't a dream. Nope, still in a purple shirt, far from white. "Emma?" Hayden said waving his hand in front of my face. I snapped out of my thoughts and focused back on him.
"Show me around?" I repeated. "That would be great! Only, where are your shoes?" I asked pointing to his feet. Hayden let out a chuckle.
"Don't worry. They're over there. Don't you ever take off your shoes once you reach the sand? It's the best feeling being barefoot on a beach." I smiled and nodded. Of course I knew the feeling. I take off my shoes all the time. "I'll meet you back at your suite?"
"Sure. Room 201." I said starting to walk towards the building. Hayden waved and jumped over the bank.
I was only about half way back when it dawned on me that I told Hayden to meet me back at my suite. Vanessa, who for some reason despises him, would be there. The beginnings of a panic attack flooded through me. I turned around quickly and searched for Hayden. He was nowhere to be seen. I waited a minute and once he didn't come into vision, I turned around and ran the rest of the way. Maybe if I got the the door first and left quickly she would never know he was there. I raced back and flew up the steps.
Once in the house I stood still trying to hear where Vanessa was at the moment. I heard in her room the TV on. I sighed with relief that she was currently occupied. I waited nervously by the door for five minutes. Hayden hadn't made it up here yet. I decided to go and use the restroom real quick. As I was washing my hands I heard a knock on the front door. I scrambled to rinse the soap from my hands and turn off the faucet. I grabbed the nearest towel and took it out of the bathroom with me. I rounded the corner just in time to see Vanessa skipping towards the door.
"Who is it?" Vanessa asked in a sing-song voice. I stopped at the end of the hall, my breath caught in my throat as Vanessa swung open the door and revealed Hayden.
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Whoop!