Bliss

30 - Ingrid

The next day, I walk on an empty beach. My eyes scan the motionless waters. The only

thing that drives the waves is the wind. It feels good on my warm skin, brushes my face and puts my mind at ease. Now that I'm completely aware of it on this hot day, I notice how the wind swirls around the air. Making my hair blow back from my shoulders. I stand for a moment, my feet are buried in the sand. I stop to feel it kiss my face. I've almost forgotten what the wind feels like.

A wave of heat rushes over my body, I don't know why I was stupid enough to wear jeans and a sweatshirt on a day like this. Then again, I don't remember waking up and putting on these certain clothes. Probably to protect my skin from the sun. I thankfully, I don't burn and tan easily. I'm always cautious.

That's when Sky comes into my mind. I can't recall the last time she smeared sunscreen on her skin, maybe before she got sick. Then after that she just gave up. She spent a lot of time outside with me, and she would usually lose some freckles from peeling. I don't have freckles, my face would look too strange with them. When I was young, I couldn't decide whether I wanted freckles or not. They looked cute on Sky, but in her opinion they were sort of babyish. She doesn't have too many now. They've faded from all those years of tanning.

I keep walking.

All of the sudden, I feel someone tap their finger on my shoulder. I whip my head around

to Niall.

"Hey!" he greets me with a warm smile.

"Hi," I say back, a little too excitedly.

"Follow me," he says, then grabs my hand and then starts running. I willingly chase after

him, we run down the coastline of the beach. He runs quickly, pulling me with his strong arm. I look around, we are headed to a dock where the beach ends.

Niall stops running, he and I are both breathing heavily. He doesn't let go of my hand, and he walks towards the stairs of the dock. Niall climbs up the stairs, looking back at me to see if I follow. I trot after him, he walks to the end of the dock.

"Do you like to swim?" he suddenly asks. I nod.

"Wanna go in?" he asks, preparing to take his shirt off.

I shake my head. "I don't want to get wet."

"Then why did ya go to the beach then?" he asks, and he strips down his pants and shirt. I shrug, and watch him as he jumps off the dock into the water. I look down, his t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and socks lay at my feet. I look back towards the water, and watch Niall come up for air.

Before he can say anything, I strip down my shorts. I dive into the water quickly, holding my breath and trying not to get water up my nose. I close my eyes, and then come up to the surface.

"Niall?" I ask, looking around. "Niall?" I feel a hand brush against my leg. I jump for a second, but then exhale knowing that it's him. I look down at the water, that looks darker than it did before.

"Niall? Are you--" I shriek when he pulls me under the water. He has both of my feet, pulling me down towards the sand on the ground. I struggle to get up, I kick and pull away from him. His nails dig into my ankle, and I scream. Why is he trying to drown me?

"Niall, stop!" I scream, but it only come out as bubbles. I swallow gulps of water, and my body stops moving. The last thing I see is Niall's face, blue from the water on his skin. Water fills my lungs.

I inhale sharply, as I open both my eyes quickly. I find myself gasping. Gasping for air, as if I haven't had air in a while. I sit up from the bed, I tug the white sheets off from my body. I run my hands against the top of my scalp, looking around the room. I'm home. In my room. My old room. Did Will just suddenly give up his room and gave it to me?