Riptide

Prologue - Sandcastles

I met the love of my life on a beach in California. We were little kids, and we had met when he was eating his lunch on a picnic blanket and his mother's hat flew off her head. I was making a sandcastle, my back facing the nice summer breeze when out of nowhere a white sun hat landed upon my head. I was visibly confused as I took the hat off and looked around. There my eyes met his for the first time. He had blue eyes that matched the color of the ocean beside me, his hair was blowing in the salty sea air, and his freckled face was smiling at me. "Is this your hat?" I asked, holding it out to him. He nodded, "Yes, thank you." He smiled gently, taking the hat from my hands, "I think that hat is a bit too big for your head." I joked, and he laughed pitying my stupid joke. "It's my mom's hat," He smiled, and I smiled back at him. "Oh well tell your mom I said I like her hat," I smiled, "The hat likes you too." He jokes, and I simply giggled. 

He ran back over to his mother, but soon he came right back. "What are you building?" He asked, sitting beside me. "A sandcastle, though right now, it looks like a sand disaster." I sighed a bit desperately trying to get my mound of sand to form into a magnificent castle. "Can I help you?" He asked, looking from the pile of sand back over to me. "Sure, I definitely need it." I giggled a bit, passing him a shovel. "So do you live around here?" He asked as he began to collect sand into the nearby bucket. "Yep, well for now I guess." I sighed softly. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, raising a brow. "Last year my mom's company took off and became wildly successful or something. Because of that, we move around a lot." I sighed softly looking down as I gathered sand with him. "Oh, well maybe we can be friends until you move again." He smiled, "I'd like that," I smiled back. "So, if we're friends, we should probably introduce ourselves to each other," I said as I stood up. "Right," He smiled standing up also. He was a bit shorter than me, but not by much. I reached my hand out to him, "I'm Emma," I said smiling. "Billy," he said as he shook my hand.

 He ran back over to his mother, but soon he came right back over. "What are you building?" He asked, sitting beside me. "A sandcastle, though right now, it looks like a sand disaster." I sighed a bit desperately trying to get my mound of sand into a magnificent castle. "Can I help you?" He asked, looking from the sandcastle back over to me. "Sure, I definitely need it." I giggled a bit, passing him a shovel. "So do you live around here?" He asked as he began to collect sand into my nearby bucket. "Yep, well for now I guess." I sighed softly. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, raising a brow. "Last year my mom's company took off and became wildly successful or something. Because of that, we move around a lot." I sighed softly looking down as I gathered sand with him. "Oh, well maybe we can be friends until you move again." He smiled, "I'd like that," I smiled back. 

Billy and I became best friends that year. We had played every single day that summer, and then in September we discovered we were in the same class. Things were almost perfect, "I don't know what to do," Billy's mother said crying softly to my mother. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation after closing the sliding door and sitting on the back deck with Billy. "How ya holding up?" I asked handing him a soda. Billy sighed accepting the drink, but not opening it and not answering my question. Instead, he continued to look ahead of him at the ocean. I sat beside him and looked with him. "Why does he hate her?" Billy asked, not taking his eyes off the ocean. "I don't know," I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder. "I never want to get married," He sighed, opening his soda. "My mom always says never say never." I shrugged, "I just never want to be like him." He sighed before taking a drink of his soda. "If you do, I'll slap you, I promise." I giggled, and Billy chuckled softly. "Okay," He nodded. 

Billy and his mother would come over to my house regularly, and Billy and I would sit on that back deck and watch the ocean. However, things changed during that summer, and one day knocking on the front door was just Billy. When my mom opened the front door he went to me immediately and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me to the deck. When out there he hugged me tightly. "What's wrong?" I asked, and he didn't say anything. I sighed just hugging him back in silence. I later found out that his mom had left. We'd still spend time together but trying to spend time at his place proved to be very difficult. Especially with Neil, I'd have to hold my tongue or else things would get worse. 

During all of this, I was his safe place, and I was okay with that. We needed each other, but when we needed each other the most we had to move. "Look Emma, I've been holding off this move as long as possible, but I can't afford to anymore and we need the money." My mother sighed, "No! We're moving because you want to!" I yelled not fully understanding, I was an angry child. How could I? "You think I like completely uprooting you, and your siblings? You think I want to do this?" She asked, rubbing her temples in frustration. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I simply yelled. "I hate you!" Before walking outside and slamming the door. I went to Billy's and knocked on his window. Billy opened it confused, "Emma what's wrong?" He asked in a whisper so his dad wouldn't hear. "Meet me at the beach in five minutes," I said walking to said beach. Billy simply climbed out his window. "I'll go with you," he said walking with me. I sighed softly, smiling a bit though when he grabbed my hand. "So, what's up?" He asked when we finally reached the beach. I sat down with him before breaking the news. "I'm moving," He froze but simply nodded. "Where to?" He asked, sighing a bit. "Texas," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Will you write to me? And call me every second you can?" He asked, sighing. "I will, I promise." I nodded, hugging him tightly.

 I moved two weeks later; we moved around a lot more after that. Even to California again, but we finally settled down when I was a junior in high school. We had decided on a small town where nothing ever seemed to happen. I mean the last murders to happen in Hawkins were twenty-six years ago. However, a week after moving some strange and bizarre things were going on. Starting with the disappearance of Will Byers. Everyone thought he died, but he ended up back at school not too long after his funeral. Hell, he ended up eating sandwiches in my kitchen when he befriended my brothers.