Unseen Sparks / Billie Eilish

Chapter One: Between the Waves

Y/N stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, a pair of dark sunglasses resting on her freckled nose. She adjusted the collar of her loose-fitting blazer, letting the soft fabric fall over her tattooed arms. The air in her family's grand estate felt as cold as always—sterile, emotionless, despite the luxury that surrounded her. Polished marble floors reflected the early morning light seeping through the grand windows, but there was no warmth here, only the rigid silence that had come to define her home.

She glanced at the clock. It was time to leave.

Without a word, she slung her helmet under one arm, grabbed her motorcycle keys, and made her way down the sweeping staircase, ignoring the distant clatter of her mother's heels in the sitting room. Veronica Y/S/N was likely planning her next social gathering, the sound of her cool, practiced laughter faint in the background.

Y/N didn't bother to say goodbye. She never did.

As she passed the parlor, she caught a glimpse of her mother's elegant frame, poised and perfect, with not a hair out of place. Veronica glanced up briefly from her conversation, her blue eyes flicking over Y/N without a hint of acknowledgment. There was no warmth, no smile, just a fleeting glance as though Y/N was another piece of furniture in the room. Nathaniel Y/S/N, her father, was nowhere to be seen, no doubt buried in his office, attending to business matters that always seemed more important than his daughter.

The absence of words between them felt normal. Comfortable, even. Y/N didn't need their affection or approval. She had built her life on the premise that emotional distance was a form of power—a shield that kept her untouchable. And right now, all that mattered was the rush of wind that would soon greet her as she sped away from this place.

Pushing open the heavy front doors, Y/N walked outside and mounted her motorcycle. The engine roared to life beneath her, a familiar vibration that stirred something within her, something close to freedom. She tightened her grip on the handlebars and shot out of the long driveway, leaving the mansion behind without so much as a glance in the rearview mirror.

---

The beach was only a twenty-minute ride from her parents' estate, but the shift in atmosphere was immediate. The moment she left behind the pristine streets of wealth and privilege, the world seemed to open up. The salty tang of the ocean filled the air as she sped down the coastal highway, the Pacific shimmering on her right, the wind whipping through her short red curls. 

Y/N felt more at home here than she ever had in the sterile halls of her parents' mansion. Here, she was Y/N—no one's daughter, no one's project. Just a girl on a motorbike, heading to the one place that made sense: the ocean.

As she pulled up to the beach, she heard the familiar thumping bass of Youngblood's latest track pulsing through the air. It was coming from a portable speaker, and in the distance, she spotted Calie Smith, already in full motion, dancing around like she didn't have a care in the world. Calie's long, pastel-colored hair caught the golden sunlight, flowing behind her as she moved in rhythm with the music, her rock-chic outfit standing out against the laid-back surfers gathered around.

Y/N parked her bike, removed her helmet, and watched for a moment. Calie always seemed to be in motion, always laughing, always bringing energy to wherever she went. She had a way of turning even the most mundane moments into a scene, and Y/N couldn't help but snort at her friend's antics. Calie was showing off again, spinning in circles, her arms flailing dramatically as a group of surfers watched, half-amused, half-enthralled.

"Y/N!" one of the guys called out, waving her over as soon as he noticed her.

The small crowd broke into smiles as she approached. Despite her aloofness, Y/N was well-known here—respected, even. She wasn't the loudest, wasn't the friendliest, but she belonged. The ocean was her sanctuary, and these people, Calie especially, were her escape from the carefully curated world she had been born into.

"Finally gracing us with your presence?" Calie teased, still swaying to the beat as Y/N walked over. She grinned at her, eyes glinting mischievously under her winged eyeliner. "Missed the first dance-off, but you're just in time for the main event."

"You know I don't dance," Y/N replied dryly, crossing her arms, but the corner of her mouth lifted just slightly.

"Not with that attitude!" Calie shot back, making a face before grabbing Y/N by the wrist and dragging her toward the surfboards lined up on the sand. "Come on. Waves are calling."

As they both grabbed their boards, Y/N cast a quick glance at the setting sun, which bathed the sky in hues of pink and orange. It was breathtaking, but she rarely let herself feel overwhelmed by such things. Still, something about the way the light kissed the horizon stirred something in her, a sense of belonging to this moment, if only for a while.

They waded into the water, the cool ocean slipping over their ankles, and paddled out. Calie moved with the ease of someone who had done this a thousand times, and so had Y/N. The rhythmic pull of the ocean was grounding, like a language only she and the waves understood.

As they waited for the perfect wave, Y/N glanced over at Calie, who was staring at the sunset with a soft smile on her face. Calie was everything Y/N wasn't—open, carefree, unafraid of her emotions. She lived her life like it was a song, loud and unapologetic, while Y/N kept everything locked away, hidden behind walls of indifference and sarcasm. Yet, despite their differences, they had been best friends for as long as Y/N could remember. Maybe it was because Calie never pushed her, never demanded explanations or emotions Y/N didn't want to give. She just... was.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Calie said, her voice cutting through the sound of the waves.

Y/N looked out at the sunset again, the golden rays reflecting off the water. For a moment, she felt a pang of something—something like longing, or maybe just the quiet sadness that sometimes crept in when she let herself think too much. But she shoved it aside. 

"Yeah," Y/N muttered, shifting her weight on the board as she prepared for the next wave. "Not bad."

Calie laughed, and the sound carried over the water, bright and full of life. 

As they both caught the next wave, the world around them seemed to fall away, leaving only the rush of the ocean beneath them and the vast, open sky above. This was where Y/N could be free—where nothing else mattered but the pull of the tide and the quiet companionship of the one person who knew her better than anyone else.

For now, that was enough.