Shadow at the Water's edge.

Surprise reunion

Alex woke up feeling uneasy, the dream from the night before still haunted him. The girl had sounded so scared, so trapped. And he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her somehow, but when he tried to remember all he came up with was the ocean.

He sighed and rolled out of bed, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. He busied himself by taking a shower and getting dressed. Rubbing his hands vigorously through his hair, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

He slowed as he saw Nick standing at the counter, scrambling eggs in a large bowl. Alex picked up his backpack and crept towards the door, inching past the kitchen door.

"Alex." He froze, just on the other side of the door. "Come eat breakfast, you can't avoid me forever." Alex sighed and let his backpack fall to the floor, walking into the kitchen and sliding into one of the stools at the island.

"What's for breakfast?" Nick poured the eggs into a pan and flipped some bacon.

"Eggs, bacon and pancakes." \Alex nodded, but didn't say anything else. Nick didn't seem to mind, and just kept on cooking. Finally the silence was too much.

"So..." Alex started, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the counter. He trailed off and waited for Nick to say something.

"So?" Nick said expectantly. Waiting for Alex to elaborate. Another pancake flipped, bacon was turned with a pop and hiss.

"I..." Alex paused and cleared his throat. "I wasn't avoiding you." Nick chuckled and said matter-of-factly."Yes, you were." Alex sighed and shrugged.

"Okay, maybe I was." Nick flipped some pancakes onto a plate as he asked.

"So going out and getting drunk is your idea of dealing?" Alex didn't say anything, staring at the counter. Nick finally turned around and set the food on the counter.

"Listen...I know this is hard for you. Trust me, I know. We both lost someone close to us, and it hurts. It hurts because she didn't care, or stop to think about how her decisions impacted those around her, but she did care about us. And that's what we have to remember." Alex nodded, refusing to meet Nick's gaze.

"I...I just don't want you going down the path she chose." Alex looked up, anger in his eyes.

"Just because I got slightly drunk last night does not mean I'm going to turn into an alcoholic!" Nick raised his hands placating and said quickly.

"I just meant, I'm here to look after you, and I'm worried about you." Alex sighed and tapped the counter for a moment.

"I know...I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Nick smiled and nodded.

"Good, let's eat before this gets cold."

They sat on the island, Alex gratefully accepting the mug of black coffee from Nick. They ate in silence for the most part, occasionally making small talk. Finally breakfast was finished and it was time for Alex to go to school. He retrieved his backpack and hopped into his car. It was about a twenty minute drive to school, so Alex turned on the radio, keeping the music low due to his hangover headache.

He slowed and braked at a stop sign, glancing down both sides of the street. He had just started to pull forward when an image flashed across his vision and he heard a scream that pierced through his mind. He slammed on the brakes and held his hands over his ears with a cry of pain. Closing his eyes tightly as he tried to focus on the vision. He briefly saw a net, and blood clouded water. The scream had been so filled with pain, and fear that he gasped and felt his eyes fill with tears. He could feel their pain.

"What's happening to me?"

"Alex! Hey you alright? You've been kind of....distant today." Squints' voice brought Alex out of his trance-like state as he thought about the scream and if it was connected to his strange dream.