Complete darkness. That's what I first see in my dream. I'm suspended in the air, but it feels strange, suffocating. Shadowy figures emerge from the deep, calling me, welcoming me. Slimy fins brush up close against my legs, and I scream, but it is silent. They come close to me, pulling my hair and holding my face. Then they pull away. I'm different. One of the creatures comes up to me. It is a girl, about my age, with piercing purple - blue eyes and dark brown hair with indigo streaks. She tilts her head and smiles a strange smile. "You are with us now. There is no going back." her voice echoes with an unearthly quality. I look down at my legs and gasp. I'm a . . . they are . . . There is no going back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I woke up sweaty and breathing hard. That dream again. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sigh. I had that dream often, and I could never figure out what it meant. What made the dream worse is that I never knew what I - or they - were. I always woke up confused.
No time for that now, I thought as I pulled my long curly red hair into a ponytail. I stumbled downstairs and joined my father at the breakfast table.
"Good morning, Charlotte." he grinned. "I made some waffles to fill us up for our trip today."
Huh? Trip? Ahhh, yes, the trip to the beach. We had been planning it for weeks.
"Yeah, thanks," I mumbled as I stared blankly at my waffles. Somehow I thought going to the beach would make the dreams worse.
He frowned. "Everything okay?"
I managed a smile. "Yeah, just a bad dream." I gulped my waffles with butter as he told me about the place in Florida we were traveling, called Panama City, with miles of sugar sand and turquoise waters.
"And our condo is right by the beach!" he said ecstatically. "We're going to rent it for two weeks. Are you all packed? It's a long drive from Michigan to Florida."
Florida would be a welcome change from the erratic weather patterns of Michigan. When they said, "If you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait five minutes!" they weren't kidding!
"Yep, all ready!" I smiled at my dad's excitement and got up from the table to get my suitcase.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The car drive was long, but pretty fun. I listened to music, read books, and sang silly songs with my dad.
"All covered with cheeese, hold on to your meeeatballs, and don't ever sneeze!" I laughed. I liked it, just him and me. It was comfortable.
We had never gone on a trip together before. I thought it was a little strange, him wanting to go to the beach. He had always kept me away from water, never even letting me have swimming lessons. But a few weeks ago, he had gotten a passion for the beach and started looking to rent a condo.
"Oh, look, we're here!" he exclaimed as he pulled up into the driveway of our cabin.
It was pretty dark, with only the dim glow of the porch light on the condo.
We unpacked our things from the car, but I lingered outside as I listened to the groan of the ocean.
I settled into my bed, again heard the the crashing waves that awaited me, and drifted off to sleep.
I woke up early. Too early. I looked over at the clock. 4:26. I rubbed my eyes. This is ridiculous! I thought the beach was supposed to be calming. Falling back into my bed, I tried to sleep again. Tossing and turning, I finally decided I wasn't going to get any more sleep, and quietly walked out of the room, not waking my dad.
I quickly scribbled a note saying that I had gone out for a while. I grabbed a flashlight and walked toward the beach.
The sun was just rising over the ocean, and it was beautiful. Orange mixed with red and red mixed with pink and the countless other colors of the morning.
There was something so calming about being out there, alone with the sunrise and the sea.
I walked up to the sea's edge and let the cold water lap over my feet. I watched with fascination as a light-colored ripple came from the deep and came closer and closer until it came to the edge and slapped my feet. A sudden feeling of nausea overcame me and I fell into the wet sand, dazed. The last thing I heard before I passed out was a seagull's cry, that sounded oddly like laughing.
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Hello, there, and I hoped you liked the beginning of this book! Thanks for reading and please vote and comment if you want to. :)
_pure_imagination_
