The Book

Chapter 1 / 2 years Later

Caelia Robins sat on a rock at the beach, her eyes drooping as she listened to her best friends fight, the cool water of the sea splashing against her cream-colored legs.

It was a warm Saturday morning, and she and her friends had been on the road all week on a best friends-road trip, as a treat for finishing high school. All week she had to listen to Flora and Jace bicker over pointless things, like whether they should close the curtains or not. Or if they should park in the store parking lot or a field nearby. All week, Caelia had wondered why she had even come because she could always listen to them arguing back home in Cincinnati. Caelia could have been bored to death by the pointless arguing. Then again, she could have been resurrected by all the breathtaking things she had experienced in the past week.

Finally, over the sound of the waves and seagulls, she was able to tune them out. Caelia sighed and leaned back against the rocks she had settled upon. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that uncomfortable. She knew that it was probably because of the soft blanket Flora had thrown over the boulder. Sometimes, Caelia had to admit that her best friends' preparedness was beneficial. "Cae, what do you think?" Flora's voice startled Caelia out of her reverie.

She looked up, surprised to be included in the argument. "What do I think about?" She asked, looking at Flo and Jace. Flora sighed. "If we should move over there." She pointed to the far right, where there were logs but other than that, it was no different than right where they were. "We should go there!" Jace exclaimed. "There are logs for us to sit on! It'll be better than the rocks!" "And what if we get splinters?" Flora countered. Then they continued to quarrel, completely forgetting about Caelia.

She turned her gaze back to the calm, mid-day ocean. Yes, Caelia Robins's life was annoyingly dull.

.......

"Guys! I'm goin' for a swim!" Caelia called to Flora and Jace, who were now arguing about what to have for lunch. Neither Flora nor Jace looked at her. Caelia sighed and took off her sundress and cap, revealing a blue swimsuit underneath.

She fleetingly glanced at Flo and Jace and saw them quietly talking and nodding. It seemed like they had, for once, learned how to come to a disagreement like everyone else. She grinned, hoping that their constant disputes would finally come to an end.

Caelia walked towards the water (which wasn't really a walk as the water was so near), the golden sand crunching underneath her feet. She stood at the edge of the sand, the chilly water just not reaching her. Stood where the ocean meets land. She dipped her foot into the water and then stepped further in. She kept going in until she had to tread water, until she could no longer feel the land beneath her toes.

Caelia's pale head bobbed above the waves. Caelia turned on her back, swimming backward. The water splashed against her skin, and Caelia sighed, wishing she could drift in the water forever. She dived under the water and swam. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of dark, like hair, but it was gone before she could see any more. She came up to the surface, taking a breath and looking around for whoever she saw under the water.

When she saw no one, she swam to shore and called her friends. Flora was sunbathing, while Jace was... building a sandcastle? Caelia had to admit, Jace had always been a little odd, but it was one of the weird reasons they were best friends. "Flo, Jace?" She called to them. They both looked up simultaneously. "Did you see anyone else on the beach?" She asked expectantly. Flo frowns and takes off her sunglasses. "You mean that couple and their kids?" She asked and pointed to a family on the other side of the beach.

Caelia shook her head. "No, the person was pale and had dark red hair. For a second, I thought it was blood." Jace frowned. "No, we didn't. Sorry Cae."

Caelia sighed. "It's ok. I'm going back in the water, wanna come?" "Nah, we're good," Flora replied with a wave of her hand. She was already lying back on her towel. Caelia sighed and walked back towards the water. She waded through the water until she was knee-deep and then started to Doggy paddle until the water came up to her chin. Then she began to do breaststroke, looking for the person she had seen earlier.

She saw the same flash of red and immediately spun around, scanning the deep blue waters. "Who's there?" She asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "What do you want?" The water was calm, and if Caelia hadn't seen the scarlet hair, she would've thought she was alone. She saw the same red hair, but it was gone as fast as it had come. "I know you're there!" Caelia screamed, trying not to panic.

She could hear her own heavy breathing, coming out in ragged breaths. She heard a splash of water and turned around, frightened, but no one was there. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. She swiveled around, but the last thing she saw was a pair of brown eyes shining with malice before she fell into a dreamless sleep...