The Bloodmaid's Tale

Chapter 12

June sat in the passenger side of the van, her smile plastered on her face as she watched the city pass by in a blur. She had used to love watching the lights go by as a child, thinking they were stars that were just extra close to the world below. Unfortunately through school she had learned about the light pollution from the city and the lights had begun to seem not as magical as the actual stars. She couldn't remember the last time she had really seen a clear night....

"You mind if we take a short pit stop?" Nico said looking over at her.

"Do you think we have time?" June said fearful that they would be gone too long from the house. Fredrick would probably lose his mind if he found both Nico and June gone at the same time.

"We will" he said with a grin "At least for this."

"Alright" June said nodding as she watched him pull up on a baseball field that looked overgrown from the city not keeping up with the landscaping. They pulled up and Nico led June by the hand as they crossed the baseball field and into a walking trail.

"I don't think I've actually been here before" June said "My parents usually kept to the inner city when we visited for special events."

"I came here a few years back when I realized nobody really visited this part of the city anymore" he said as they began walking across a concrete pathway over what was once the highway "I think the Order deemed it inhabitable for some reason, but to me, it seemed the perfect place to get away for a while."

June looked ahead as she saw the Great Lake ahead of them, it's vast waters stretching out over the horizon as the moon made the waves shimmer against the man made beach before them.

"The beach!" June said delighted "I haven't been here in forever!"

"I love coming here" he said "Nobody has bothered this beach since I've found it. It's totally secluded for some reason."

June smiled so wide she thought her cheeks would hurt in the morning as they walked down towards the beach, her feet moving fast towards the waves that gently crashed against the shoreline.

"Can I take my shoes off?" June said looking at Nico.

"Go crazy" he said with a laugh.

June didn't hesitate as she kicked off her sneakers and ran into the water, her feet feeling the cool sand below as she twirled around in it for a few minutes. This was so....real. She felt the current of the water moving back and forth against her skin, her toes wiggling into the dirt of the lake as her fingertips grazed the top of the water. She wanted to fall into it, wanted to float and let the current take her away from all of this. She looked back to Nico sitting on the beach, watching her with a content smile as she moved around the water like a child.

June looked out at the horizon and saw the contrast of the city and the lake. The lights were so bright, but the farther and farther she looked out to the lake, the sky darkened to a deep blue. She loved it here, loved the peace and quiet compared to the chaos on the inside of the city. Here it was serene, here she could be alone. Maybe that's why Nico had found this place, to be alone....

Her feet grew numb to the cold water soon and she reluctantly walked up the beach, taking a seat beside Nico as they watched the waves in silence for a moment.

"Thank you" June suddenly said "For everything."

"Your welcome" he said, his voice gently as he stared out to the lake "This place reminds me of the shores along the ocean. When I was a boy, I used to sit and watch the ships pass by in the night. My mother let me collect shells that washed up on the shore, she would tell me stories of her going from ship to ship in the old days."