The Things That Make Us

Chapter 5

Hannah

Summer in Florida is hot. And it's only the middle of June.

  Having a pool literally right next to where I'm living is ideal, and I love swimming. I must have learned when I was little - though I don't remember - because for the past ten years, I don't think I went swimming even once.

  It's my fourth day in Clearwater and time seems to be a very weird thing. Some moments, I feel like I just got here and everything is so new. Other times, it feels like I've been here forever. I feel comfortable in the pool house and around the property. Especially the beach, which is only about twenty feet down from their back yard.

  This morning, I put on my new bathing suit and did some laps in the pool. When I hopped out and dried off, Seb was standing near the edge of the pool, watching me. He looked impressed but he didn't say a word as I tucked a towel around my body and walked towards the main house. I heard the splash of him jumping in a moment later.

  In the house, there always seems to be food either cooking or just made. This is something that is hard to get used to. Erin is home today and she smiles at me as I walk into the kitchen. Before I'm even sitting, she has a coffee ready for me. This type of attention / affection is still new and it throws me off guard a bit, but I am starting to like it.

  "How was your swim? Is the pool too cold?" she asks, pouring herself another coffee.

  "It was perfect," I answer, and then pull out the chair to sit. "Um... did I learn to swim when I was... here?"

  Erin grins and nods right away, pulling out the chair in front of me. "You sure did. Matt was actually a swimmer in college and he was very adamant about teaching you and Seb to swim, when you were young. I'm sure you could swim well on your own by the time you were three."

  "Oh, wow. I don't really remember that."

  "Yeah, my parents' summer house had a big pool, so we were there a lot and Matt was always in the water with you and Seb," she goes on, like this is no big deal.

  This is the first time she's talked about her parents - my grandparents - and it surprises me. For now, I chose to leave it be. I'm not ready to get into the family stuff yet. It's only been a few days and I'm barely getting used to being here. I don't know how long I'm sticking around for.

  "Seb is a great swimmer, he was on the high school swim team," Erin goes on, keeping her eyes on me.

  "That's... cool. I haven't really gotten to swim much but... your pool is beautiful."

  "Well, use it all you'd like."

  And I promise myself that I definitely will.

  I see Cannon - the mysterious guy who crashed the pool house a few night ago - walking down the path, just outside the property later that afternoon, on the beach. My brain says to leave him alone, but my heart and my body do not listen. I kicked this guy out of the pool house and now he's here, right in front of me. It's either a sign or he's trying to get my attention.

  I slip out of the pool house - where I was reading a book that Erin bought for me - and end up having to chase him down, calling him. I feel regret creep up as soon as I'm on the beach, but I don't back down. I mean, I'm already here.

  "Hey!"

  He stops and looks back, but his expression is blank. Is he trying to pretend like he doesn't remember me? I jog to catch up with him, but keep my distance a bit. Something about him seems to pull me to him, like a magnet. That both intrigues me and terrifies me.