Children of the Sea

Chapter 11

 After a fairly quick ride, we pulled up to a beach. It wasn't a sandy type of beach, but it also wasn't a rocky beach. Instead the foamy waved ran over small, pleasant pebbles. I enjoyed those type of beaches. Theodore said he had found me on a beach similar to that one so it gives me warm memories of him. Sometimes when I visit them, I wonder if it is the one where I washed up like a beached whale.

"Elsie." Roland says softly as he opens his door.
I realized that I am just staring at the beach, lost in memories. I unbuckle myself and step out and at my new surroundings. The sky is dimly lit by the sun that hides behind the thick clouds. I hear the waves crash before gently gliding along the beach and the wind blowing through the autumn orange trees that line the coast. As the waves rush forward before retreating back to the deeper waters I feel something that seems to be pulling on my chest like a very strong urge. It was peaceful but still seemed gloomy and lonely.

Roland walked toward the pebbly area and sat down in a dry spot. Cautiously, I follow behind him and nervously biting my lip. I plop myself down next to him, curiously peering at him. He stares at the ocean, a relaxed smile tugging at his lips. It appeared that he was really comfortable around the bone-chilling water. His expression showed he recognized it like it was a friend. He must come here a lot.

"You probably wonder why I dragged you out here." His unique eyes meet mine and he offers me a warm smile. Slowly, I nodded as a reply.

"Well. You have to promise you won't freak out." He said sounding fairly serious now.

"Alright. I promise I won't freak out." I declared.

"Good," he said before pausing a moment, "I know this is... Very strange to hear, but you are actually not human."

I burst out with an awkward laugh, thinking he was joking. However, when I looked at him his expression showed he was, in fact, being serious. I stopped my laughing, feeling uncomfortable now. He then just seemed a bit crazy. Or he was just a very good actor. I stared at him, getting an urge to dash away from him. Surely, he was out of his mind. He is on drugs, isn't he! I exclaimed in my head, my eyes growing wide like a full moon.

Roland put his hands up in a defensive way as he softly spoke, "stop freaking out Elsie."

"W-Whaa.... I-I'm freaking out." I tried lying, but it was clear that I actually was.

"You are. Relax. I am not crazy." He grabbed my hands and held onto them gently. When his hands came into contact with my own I almost cringed, feeling very uncomfortable. Not only because he was now holding my hands, but also he was insane.

"You feel the pull. The instinct. I know you do. It's the ocean..." He said, confusing me more.

"N-No. I am human. And you've got a screw loose!" I tried to pull my tiny hands from his, but his grip tightened on them so I couldn't escape. I tried hard to get free, but he just wouldn't let me.

"It feels like it's pulling on your heart, giving you a strong urge to just jump in." He said, determined to convince me. I stopped trying to pull my hands from his grip and stared at him feeling confused. I did get the feeling often, especially around the water like we were right then.

"The ocean is your home, Elsie. Our home."

"O-Our home?" I tilted my head more concerned with that part rather than when he said it was just mine.

"Yes. Our home. We have matching eyes. Everyone in our species has them." He explained, pointing to one of his eyes.

"What is our species?" I put a lot of emphasis on the word 'is.'

"They call us the Children of the Sea because... well. We come from the sea and we have a bond with the water like the bond of a mother and her babe." He smiles at the water as he spoke.

"Okaaay," I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to ask.

Roland suddenly stood up, bringing me up with him like I was just a doll. I then realized, even though he wasn't really muscular, he was very strong. Curiously, I looked at him and gave a bit of a questioning look.

"I know you have more questions, but we should get back to the school. The sun will be setting soon and we don't want people to make assumptions. We can always talk more tomorrow."

I nodded my head in reply as he leads me back to his car. Finally, he let go of my hand and I quickly jumped in his car. He started his car and drove away from the beach. As he drove I stared out at the trees, watching the cold wind blow their leaves off. The street was a golden orange, just like a sunset due to all the leaves that have fallen from the thick groves of trees that lined the road.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Elsie." Roland side as I stepped out of his car.

I simply nodded before turning and hurrying along the sidewalk towards the dorms. I squinted a bit as the bright orange rays from the setting sun crept over the top of the dorms. Despite the cold air, the rays were warm. Unfortunately, I walked into the shadow of the building, getting chilled again.

I hurried to the door and through the door to the girl's wing. As I walked up the stairs I saw the same black haired girl from when I first arrived. She glared at me and the girl from my history class, "Ms. Leals," joined her. The two stand at the top of the stairs with their hands on their hips, blocking most of the way. I stopped a few stair below the two, feeling a bit intimidating as they looked down at me.

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