[ the first book in the drops of sunshine series ]
For some, being a hero means saving a life. For others, it means making your mark on the world. For AJ Hood, it means being sarcastic and fighting monsters while illegally skipping out on your cult...
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~ ☼ ~
When I woke, my eyes were heavy. I wiped the sleep away, but my vision stayed blurry. That was horrible, I thought. What kind of dream was that?
I felt like I'd fallen asleep 10 minutes ago. But as the fuzzy world around me slowly came into focus, I realized it'd been much longer. Riley was now driving, and Alec was sitting in the back seat with his head tilted against the window as he dreamily watched avocets fly across the sky.
It was just the beginning of sunrise outside, all peachy and rose. Sea grass blew in the wind along the road side, sand dunes to the left and endless marshland to the right. Shag music played softly on the radio, and I narrowed my eyes.
"Are we in the Outer Banks already?" I asked Riley.
She nodded. "About to enter Kill Devil Hills."
"Woah."
Just like that, we'd reached our destination, a place straight out of a James Taylor song. For a second, it almost felt like it'd been too easy.
(Then, I remembered everything.)
It was hard to believe that by the end of the day, we would most likely be on our way back to New York. I couldn't wait. As soon as we got this Python business over and done with, we'd never have to worry about getting enough food or sleep ever again.
Only a few days ago, I wanted adventure. But I got so much more than what I bargained for. I'd take picking strawberries all summer over fighting monsters any day.
"Alec and I were thinking of stopping at the next restaurant we see," Riley told me. "Might as well get some more energy in our systems before the big boss battle."
"That's fine with me."
From the backseat, Alec said, "Riles, I see a neon sign just ahead. That could be a diner or something."
My gaze shifted from the cracks in pavement in front of us to what my brother was talking about. Sure enough, there was a teal sign rising up above the cattails that read Cassie's 24-Hour. Behind it was a tiny, truck-stop like diner, with only one car in the parking lot.
(Well, now 2, counting us, as Riley turned in and parked within a matter of seconds.)
It was early enough in the morning that none of us felt the need to say another word as we exited the car and made our way to the door.
Outside, the air was already warming. I took in the smell of brine and salt and Carolina summertime, still sleepy but strangely calm. I hadn't been to a proper beach since I was 10 or so, when I went to Coney Island and fainted at the sight of a rat in the subway. It was nice to feel fresh ocean air again, and to know this whole catastrophe would be over soon.
