The Sight of your Breath

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The next morning, Breeze had prepared herself as she had plans with Ariella as soon as the sun had risen. She had put on makeup, just in case she'd see Gauge again, something that Ariella had told her was unlikely. Ariella's now familiar knock is heard downstairs. Breeze plays with one of her brushes, waiting for Aunt Vanessa to answer it, but Ariella's knock is heard again. Breeze sighs, knowing her slave work for her aunt must continue and she plops down stairs to open the door.

"Hey, Ariella," Breeze says with a sigh as she opens the door.

"Are you ready?" Ariella asks her with excitement in her voice.

"Hey girls," Aunt Vanessa enters the room with pile of mail, "are you going out to do something fun?"

"I cannot believe she just said that," Ariella says with disgust.

"Oh, my God!" Breeze exclaims and then looks back to Aunt Vanessa and rolls her eyes, "why does nobody get us?" She and Ariella promptly leave.

Breeze finds herself trudging along the shores of Coastal Beachton, to a part of the beach she had never seen before.

"Aunt Vanessa will just never understand," Breeze complains before looking up to see that they are at a rockier of part of the beach. "Ariella, what are we doing here?" Breeze asks.

"Oh, girl, just keep following me, we're almost there," Ariella has led her onto some of the rocks.

"I don't know about this," Breeze tries to climb on the rocks, but her pink high heels slip and slide of the jagged surface.

"You said you would help me, girl" Ariella gives her hand to pull her up, "here old this." Ariella hands Breeze a digital 35mm camera with a camera strap.

"Oh my God, this is ancient," Breeze cries, "why didn't you just bring your phone?"

"I did," Ariella tells her as she pulls something out of the duffel bag she had brought with her. Breeze gives a sigh at all of the junk Ariella had  carried. To Breeze, Ariella was so the girl the next door. She embraced her ginger hair, despite the fact everyone knowing she secretly had no soul. Breeze would never have carried a duffel bag on the beach and she would never be caught dead with the type of camera Ariella had. Despite all of her flaws, Breeze liked Ariella and knew Ariella would benefit from being friends with her all summer long.

"Hey, girl, check this out, isn't this going to be great?" Ariella asks her, while holding up a green mermaid fin that had obviously been homemade.

"What is that?" Breeze asks with disgust in her voice.

"Oh girl, it's my mermaid fin," Ariella happily tells her, "my grandmother made it for me, before she passed away and I need a new profile picture, so I thought this would be a good place. Meemaw was one of the few people who ever understood me." Breeze shudders at the word meemaw. "Hey girl, come on," Ariella instructs her walking ahead with the fin.

The rock formation they stand on formed a small peninsula that stretched out into the waves. Breeze and Ariella walk right past a warning sign, advising people to use caution and walk further at their own risk.

Breeze's high heels struggle on the rocky surface as she tries to keep her balance and not drop the antique camera she holds. Ariella nears the end of the rocky peninsula and begins to step into her mermaid fin.

"Why do we have to take your new profile picture all the way out here?" Breeze asks as big waves crash along the peninsula. One wave crashes along the side of the peninsula and splashes Breeze, who squeals. No one knew how much she disliked getting wet, unless it was in a shower.

"Oh, girl, this is the most majestic place in Coast Beachton," Ariella says, now fully into the mermaid fin and she begins to lay down on the rocks. She flips her hair and poses. "Do you get it, girl?" she asks with a large smile on her face. For the the first time, Breeze noticed that Ariella did not wear her glasses today. Maybe that's why she couldn't see the now monster waves crashing along the shore behind her and splashing up on her. Breeze also thought that even though Ariella had removed her glasses, she is still so the girl next door. "Do you get it?" Ariella asks again, snapping Breeze out of her thoughts. Breeze bites her lower lip, trying to figure out the riddle that Ariella had present herself as. "My name is Ariella and I'm dressed as a mermaid," Ariella explains, still hoping Breeze will connect the dots.

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