Through Hues of Blue

Chapter 1- Synnøve

Synnøve.

The warm breeze whipped against Nove's hair as she stood atop a jagged boulder, looking down on the ocean. She was wearing her normal baby blue sundress, as well as a sunhat to block out the warm rays. Beneath her, the deep blue water churned loudly, whitecaps forming on the crests of each wave. Sunlight still danced across the rocky surface, creating . The water seemed to be calling to her, drawing her closer to its mysterious depths.

Synnøve.

The wind wrapped around Nove, calling her name. She could hear its voice urging her to step down from the boulder. Nove jumped down, harshly landing in the sand below, her feet sinking in slightly with the warm, tan grains. She wiggled her toes, smiling at the feeling of the soft sand against her skin. It's been so long since I've felt this.

Synnøve.

The indigo colored water seemed to be reaching for her on the shoreline, only to back away in defeat after realizing she was too far. Nove took a few steps forward, allowing the water to finally reach her toes. Somehow, it seemed pleased at its small victory.

Nove laid her baby blue hat on the beach and ran her hand through her dark brown hair, brushing it out of her face. Without hesitation, Nove continued further into the ocean, until she stood waist deep in the water. Surprisingly, the salty liquid enveloped her like a warm blanket. She had expected the temperature to be much colder.

Synnøve.

With each repeat of her name, Nove's heartbeat grew louder in her head, drowning out the rest of the sounds around her. Thump, thump, thump. The noise pounded against her head as she stood in the water, standing firmly against the waves. With every wave that hit her body, a slight tingle ran through her nerves, feeling the excitement of the churning white caps. Nove faced the deep waters, staring out into the endless expanse of ocean, extending farther than the eye could see.

"What's making you stop there, Synnøve?" The voice of the breeze wrapped itself around Nove's head, tickling her ears. "You know you want to go further." Nove took a deep breath and moved her feet forward, one by one, until she was submerged beneath the murky depths of the ocean.

The voice in the wind dissipated, leaving Nove alone with the rhythmic boom of her heart in her head. Nove looked around at the darkness, spotting nothing else, not even the seafloor. She was alone, accompanied only by the thumping and the salty sting in her eyes. Strangely, Nove felt free and weightless. It felt as if all her concerns had been lifted from her shoulders and were now drifting toward the surface.

Quickly, her heartbeat grew faster and her body began to crave for air, but something inside her wanted to stay inside the depths of the ocean, so she did. A panic spread internally through her body and her organs screamed for air, but she didn't move. She didn't want to return to the world above, the world that made her lose herself. Maybe this was a way to find herself again. Nove closed her eyes, ignoring the obvious plea for oxygen her body was begging for. Instead, she focused on the feeling of slight euphoria she gained from being weightless.

Synnøve.

----

A loud gasp brought Nove back into reality, where she found herself leaning dangerously far back in her cubicle's swivel chair. A jolt ran through her body and she sat forward quickly, heart pounding against her rib cage. She took a few deep breaths, alarmed at what just happened. What was that? Did you really just try to drown yourself in your own head? Pathetic, she scolded herself. Why did it feel so real, though?

Nove turned her attention back to her computer, where her accounting work sat on a spreadsheet before her. The clock next to her said 4:58 p.m., so she knew it was almost time to leave. Her mind was completely checked out, so there's no way she would have finished the task she had been asked to do earlier. She'd just have to complete it tomorrow. Nove sighed and shut her computer off, grabbing her water bottle and bag to take a lap around the office. She knew she'd stop by the window and people-watch for a few minutes, it was one of her favorite things to do during the workday. It was also one of the only things she liked about her job.

As Nove made her way through the silent office, she could hear the other workers packing up as well. She barely paid attention to them, as she usually did, and made her way directly to the window. She worked on the sixth floor of a fairly large building, so this window had a nice view of the Portland street below. Nove always enjoyed watching the people come and go, she liked guessing what their lives were like. It provided a sense of creativity to her, something of which was useful for her writing.

"Goodnight, Nove." Nove couldn't tell who the voice belonged to and didn't turn around to figure it out. Quite frankly, she didn't care.

"Goodnight," she responded, focused on the crowd below. The streets were crowded to the brim with people, most of which looked to be commuting home from work. She noticed quite a few duck in and out of stores quickly, as if attempting to break free from the crammed sidewalks. I don't blame them, I get a sense of claustrophobia from just looking at all the people.

"See you, Nove." Someone patted her back, which startled her.

"Goodnight," she responded quickly, still refusing to take her eyes off of the street. Hopefully I can get some inspiration for character descriptions, she thought. She took a quick sip of water, then noticed some commotion to the left of her. The crowd seemed to be parting for someone. He acted strange, almost as if in a rush to get somewhere, or perhaps get away from something. She noticed he was carrying a blue urn, which he seemed to cradle like a baby.

Wait. Nove paused, staring at the man. That couldn't be-? Nove almost choked on the water she drank.

The man raised his head to look over the cluster of people and Nove recognized him almost immediately, causing her blood to turn cold as ice. His pointed face and mop of brown hair, almost exactly the same color as her own. She recognized his entirely blue outfits, the same as they were years ago. Nove's heartbeat began to pick up, watching the man continue onward, shoving through the crowd.

Nove, there's no way that could be him, she told herself. She knew she was wrong, though. There was no way to mistake that face from her past. Nove couldn't wrap her mind around the thought of him being able to track her down after all these years. She knew that he wasn't running from anything, rather searching for someone.This familiar face was searching for her.

Nove shakily made her way out of the office building and found herself standing on the busy street. She looked right and left, trying to see if the familiar face was near. When she knew the coast was clear, she pulled her blue sunglasses from her bag and delicately set them on the bridge of her nose, then rushed in the opposite direction from which she had seen him go.

Marius Johansen, you sure are clever for a dead man.