Ada sat on the beach watching the sun rise.
Ricky emerged behind her, doing a double take as she saw her.
"You been out here all night?" Ricky called.
Ada threw a glance over her shoulder.
Ricky sauntered over and sat down next to her. "You know Brax is probably freaking out, right?"
Ada wiped her face. "What time is it?"
"Seven. Time to go home, get a shower. Don't you reckon?"
"I will, in a minute. There's just a lot to face right now."
"You mean your brothers?"
"I mean everything." Ada ran her hands over her shoulders, hugging herself. "I thought I could handle it, Rick. But, now, I'm not so sure."
"Telling people was never going to be easy."
Ada squished her toes into the sand. "I buried it. I don't think I ever really thought properly about what happened."
Ricky nodded. "You had to, to survive. You were so young, how could even begin to know how to deal with something like that?"
Ada watched the waves crash and fall. "Now it's all there, in my head. It's like it's happening all over again."
Ricky shifted, turning towards her. "Hey, this time, you're not alone."
Ada's eyes met Ricky's. "What if I can't get over this? I am scared of what I might do. I am so angry... all the time."
Ricky scoffed. "I think you'd be crazy if you weren't. But you need to let your brothers help you."
Ada stared at her. She shook her head. "I ruined their lives with this, Ricky. There's no coming back from that."
Ada got to her feet and dusted the sand off herself. She strode away, up the beach.
Ricky stared at the waves and let out a sigh.
Ada barged down the hallway into the living room, yanking her school dress over her swimsuit.
Brax leapt up from the table, rapidly swallowing his mouthful of cereal.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Ada stared at him blankly. "What's it look like?"
She lifted her backpack onto her shoulder.
"Wait a minute!" Brax said. "You've been out all night, you packed a bag, we gotta talk."
Ricky appeared at the door.
"Relax." Ada said. "My bag's still here." She nodded to the floor. "I'm going to be late."
She turned and strutted past Ricky, out the door.
Brax scoffed.
Ricky walked towards him.
"What am I meant to do?" He asked, throwing his hands in the air.
"It's not going to be an easy fix, Brax."
"She say anything to you, before?"
Ricky nodded. "Yeah."
"And?"
"And you'll have to talk to her yourself. I'm not going to break her trust like that."
Brax cocked an eyebrow. "You're kidding, aren't ya?"
She held his gaze. "Nah."
He sighed and sulked out of the room.
In the empty corridor, Ada slammed her locker shut. She rested her head against it.
