Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Chapter Two

Sunshine pierced through Daniel's eyelids as something poked and jabbed at his side. He covered his eyes and groaned feeling sand all around him. Blocking the sunlight, something towered over him as he stayed there on the ground, "Come on get up." The familiar voice ordered with another poke.

"Fiona?" Daniel turned around while groaning as was slowly able to feel his body once again. Everything tingled as he tried to move around.

"Yeah, it's me." He sat up on the sand. To his left, an ocean lulled lazily with rhythmic ripples that tapped the beach at a steady pace. He tried to stand up, but immediately went back down to sit when an unpleasant feeling suddenly surged up his system, "Take it easy. Just sit down for a little bit longer." Fiona suggested. Daniel gladly listened not wanting to fall face first into the sand.

"How long have you been awake?" Daniel asked with a nasty taste forming in his mouth.

"Since the sun first started coming up. Same with the others. We all woke up in the same area and at the same time. We've been looking for you for hours." Daniel laughed nervously.

"Always the problematic one I suppose." He slowly and gingerly stood up. Completely upright, his stomach churned and his face grew slightly cold.

"More so complicated." She corrected when she noticed his face turn a weird shade of green. She already knew what was coming and took a couple steps back. "Just do it." Fiona winced looking at him sympathetically, "You won't feel better until you do." She looked away just before he began retching onto the beach's sand, groaning as his body pulsed violently emptying everything in his stomach, "Are you ok?" Fiona asked, putting her hand on his back while he stayed hunched over.

"I'm assuming this happened to you too?" The sickening feeling in his body was already beginning to dissipate with the soreness from the violent pulses.

"Yeah happened to all of us and believe me the beach didn't look too pleasing when we all got done." She laughed and Daniel managed to chuckle while his muscles still ached from the force.

"Where are they anyway?" Fiona only pointed down the beach.

"Straight down still. Hopefully, they haven't moved. But with how long I've been gone... Alek might have started coming down this way along with the others." She guessed after looking at the sky and then she started to walk. Daniel had always hated walking in sand. With every step, it took an enormous amount of energy to pick his foot up trying not to get sand in his boots.

They walked in awkward silence, even the water barely made a sound as it stood there with slight ripples nothing more. Daniel looked at the large expanse that looked like a never-ending cerulean blue carpet. Fiona looked over and watched as inch high waves disturbed the otherwise stagnate water. She huffed a slight laugh that got Daniel's attention away from the water.

"Quite the opposite of last night huh?" She smiled, her brown eyes glittering in the unbroken sunlight.

"Yeah quite..." Daniel's mind wasn't on the water, but rather what was in the water that grabbed him.

Before he could ask Fiona the question he had the entire time, she shook her head, "No I didn't see what grabbed me. All I know is that I had this strange feeling that I wasn't in water anymore." Her eyes quickly looked down at the sand, "I believe we were drugged by something... By who or what I have no idea." She pondered playing with her dark brown hair that went a little past her shoulder blade.

With Daniel's unspoken question somewhat answered, there wasn't anything else that needed to be discussed. He felt the heat from the sun intensify and he took a break to take off his boots. He hissed in pain when his bare foot touched the scorching hot sand and he scooted closer to the water and rested his barefoot in the pleasantly cool water. Halfway done unlacing his other boot, he stopped when he noticed Fiona's figure start to sway lazily.