Unexpected (Editing)

Chapter I *

"Happy sixteenth!" my mother looked incredibly ecstatic as she embraced me, her arms wrapping lovingly around my shoulders

"Um... thanks..." I gave her an awkward thumbs up. She seemed extremely overly exuberant about my birthday this year. Usually, my parents were too busy working and just gave me a couple hundred dollars for a shopping spree.

She smiled brighter and turned to my father, rocking back and forth on her heels. Mom gave him one of those looks parents have with each other, indicating something to him. Dad frowned and nodded, turning to me.

"Your birthday party is on the beach." he said flatly and he walked out, followed by my 14-year-old sister Jess. I was beginning to get the feeling something was going on. Dad seemed tired and exasperated, like he did whenever something exciting was about to happen. Those kinds of things stressed him out immensely.

"Mom... why are you and Dad so... distant?" They were acting like my birthday was a big thing that they'd been planning. The last time they'd organized me a party though, I was twelve and it'd been to Disneyland. They'd proceeded to both been called away for some work emergency and left Jess and I with a babysitter.

"You'll find out soon enough, dear." Mom smiled and walked out, leaving me to get ready. I sighed, letting my shoulders drop.

I ran up to my room and quickly put on a dark grey striped bikini. Then I chose my favourite blue sundress and ran back downstairs. The feeling of anticipation grew as I heard my parents talking in hushed tones outside. I tried to catch a few of their words, but it was impossible. They sure were good at hiding things.

I frowned, slipping on my beaded sandals before exiting the house. I jogged around to the garage in the back and punched in the code to open the door. It opened up with a buzzing sound and I proceeded to grab my surfboard from where it was leaned against the wall. I was looking forward to today, swimming with my friends and sister was going to be a nice way to unwind before school started back up again.

I glanced down at my board. Every time I looked at it, I couldn't help but admire it every time I saw it. It was a stained light wood grain with light pink hibiscuses around the top. Although it seemed very Barbie-and-A-Mermaid-Tail-esque, not something I would usually be overly ecstatic about, I loved it. I carried it under my arm and ran back to our truck, a nice (and very expensive) brand new 2014 silver Volkswagen truck.

I smiled. I knew how lucky I was. We had an endless flow of money and luxury, but I had always promised myself I wouldn't let it get to my head. The reason? My parents were marine biologists, but they refused to keep animals in tanks against their will. In their careers, they had discovered several new fish and shrimp species, as well as many sub-species of coral, algae and plankton. I loved the ocean, and tried my best to learn as much as I could about it, even the tiny organisms that may seem insignificant to others. When I graduated, I wanted to continue my parents' work, if possible. Their discoveries had led to them getting more and more promotions, which undeniably led to even more money. Although I'd always thought there was something they were hiding from the science world... something big. Surely, they wouldn't intentionally keep things from their colleagues though?

I climbed into the back of the truck on the plush seats with Jess and listened to her fingers typing on her phone The clicking sound irritated me so I pulled out my own phone and plugged in headphones to drown out the noise. I turned on some acoustic Taylor Swift and started to text my best friend Amy Waters.

Hey, you're coming to the party tonight, right?

Read, 2:42 PM

I waited for her to reply, looking out Jess's window where you could see the ocean. We were driving past a secluded stretch of beach, with a few sparse trees and patches of grass dotted here and there. With the ocean in behind the scene, it seemed like a photograph. The sun was sparkling off the water picturesquely and the white sand beaches stretched on for miles. I couldn't deny the warm feeling that came over me upon gazing at the ocean.