Clouded Waters

Chapter Eight

  Last night had been ranked as one of the worst experiences that I had ever come to have. Even after I had left that boardwalk, a strange feeling had been stuck inside my stomach. At first, I could have sworn that it was pure, undeniable, anger, but now it didn’t exactly feel like it. There was definitely something different here. The very memory of it kept me up half of that night.

 Generally when I’m confused or upset by something, I head down to the beach and just surf all of my problems away. In only two weeks from now the ISC would be chipping away yet again at the remaining surfers in the competition so that only five would move onto the finals, so I needed to focus more on trying to make it there and less on some guy who lied to me. Getting to beat Jacqueline and every other surfer on those waves, would have to knock this horrid feeling out of my stomach. I couldn’t be distracted in the least bit. I had my board tucked underneath my arm as I made my way across the sandy shore.

 It was only about eight, so I hadn’t expected too many tourists to already be scattered around the area. There was no initial burn that came with stepping on the sand for the first time since the sun had not yet risen high enough to warm the sand to such a temperature. There were even less people in the water then there were on land, but that was only good news to me. One person I could easily recognize was Alohani, he was out on the water, waiting calmly on his surfboard. Seeing him, even though it was just the back of his head and his naked back, made me happy so I decided to go out there with him.

 “Aloha,” I greeted. Though I was still paddling over, I guessed that I would pretty much be in his ear shot by now.

 “Hey,” he greeted me faintly, without even looking away from the calm waters.

 “Hey? That’s all I get? And you didn't even look at me? Wow, you’d think I wasn’t even your sister,” I had responded in the playful tone that I usually used with my brother. Alohani groaned before turning to face me. He put on a sad excuse for a smile before continuing to reply.

 “I’m sorry. Hello Melody, little sister of mine. How are you on this fine day?” he questioned rhetorically.

 “Ooh someone’s feeling a bit sarcastic aren’t they?” I returned.

 “Do you want to get knocked off your board?”

 “Violent too? Ouch. Did someone get up too early or something?” I taunted. Alohani looked from me after that. We always used to talk to each other like this just a month ago so I don’t know what was so different now. He was still my older and I, his younger sister.

 “I’ve been up since five-thirty this morning. So yeah, maybe just a bit early,” he had told me plainly.

 “Why?”

 “Training. I left the house and then went right for the waves. Well, I stopped by Otto’s for breakfast but then I came out here,” he explained. I nodded once in a silent understanding.

 Our attentions had returned to the beautiful ocean that constantly shifted beneath our surfboards. The morning sun still hung low in the sky, as it was frozen in the moment during such an early hour. I inhaled deeply taking in that fresh ocean smell that I adored so much. It was relaxing in a way that just seeing the waves could not be. Speaking of waves, I could  feel a beautiful one as it sprung up from the rest of the water, making itself known to my brother and I. Alohani was the first to spring into action, which was alright with me. After all, he was my brother and had been waiting much longer than I. So, I stayed put and simply watched.

 My eyes followed him as Alohani’s body seemed to click with his board. They moved together fluidly through the wave as if there was no boundary between man and nature. Seeing my older brother this way reminded me of the first time I was ever on a board.