No one knows, but You. - Rafe Cameron

CHAPTER ONE: The front door

*Cassandra's POV*

The Outer Banks, a long chain of barrier islands that shape the eastern border of North Carolina, are often said to be paradise on earth. However, I have the urge to specify that this consideration comes from people who are much less critical than me.

Believe me, I do not want to denigrate the land, but it is the sort of place that you either annoyingly idolize during a conversation, dwelling on somewhat useless details regarding its whereabouts, or find obnoxiously repellent for no particular reason.

And between the revolting humidity that haunts you throughout the year or the pathetic and rather banal fights between the Kooks and the Pogues, I could not tell you which of the two gave me the biggest ick.

But the fact remains that I had to go back there to spend my first summer break of college. And as one can grasp, the idea did not make me particularly enthusiastic. After having spent the school year in New York during which I returned to the OBX sporadically, the thought of living there for several months caused me to have a good deal of unwanted emotional stress.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was not that bad; but after having lived in the same place for all of your life, I figured that it is natural to eventually grow tired of it. However, despite my pretentious rant -which was quite predictable, too-, I made peace with my father's buoyant attitude towards my arrival and decided to pack my stuff.

Once I arrived at the airport, I felt like I was assailed by an indeterminate and rather nauseating sense of nostalgia, a bittersweet yearning for the past which contributed to making me feel trapped and helpless during my flight.

As soon as I arrived, I felt... undisturbed. A sandy stroll by the ocean was enough to make me feel connected to my memories. Not to mention that seeing familiar faces everywhere rekindled in me the inexplicable desire to give the Outer Banks a second chance and, above all, to see my friends, since I hadn't seen them for a few months but it seemed like a lifetime had passed.

Before my thoughts got the best of me, I was finally interrupted by a voice. A familiar voice, to be more precise.

'I can't believe you're here! I'm so glad to see you!' Shouted Kiara while running towards me.

Her hair was longer and lighter due to the sun and the salty water. Her skin was glowing; her smile refreshing and heartening as I exactly remembered it to be. After having hugged me, she attempted to update me on everything that had happened while I was away.

Even though it was nearly impossible to condense nine-and-a-half months of events into a brief conversation, I appreciated her effort and the desire to make me feel part of their lives- even when I was far from them. From what I was able to understand new romances had blossomed and new adventures had begun.

This is probably the part where you automatically assume I am a Pogue. Except for the fact that I'm not.

I'm not even a Kook, for that matter.

The distinction between the two was hideous and pointless from my point of view, and for that, I chose to spend time with whoever I wanted, independently whether they lived on The Cut or Figure Eight.

'Now,' she stated euphorically while placing her hands on my shoulders. 'I don't want to overwhelm you but, as you know, tonight is the night of the annual bonfire, and you must come. Everyone's gonna be there and it will be the perfect opportunity for you to catch up with everyone and see how they've been getting on.'

I experienced mixed emotions regarding the bonfire, feeling entirely torn and contemplating whether I should go or stay at home to avoid unnecessary drama. The thing I abhorred was not the party per se, but the petty fights between Kooks and Pogues, which regularly happened every year for no reason whatsoever, therefore making me regret having gone in the first place.