lucidity | shyland ✓

four

chapter four

i awoke to the sound of running water, seagulls chirping and the smell of salt. a feeling of motion succumbed me and my eyes flew open, revealing a clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. stretching out my arms, i sat up, blinking in confusion. underneath me were long panels of beach wood, and the rocking sensation shook me back to reality as i fully woke up and realised i was on a boat. i jolted, staring at the miles of blue sea around me. it was a small boat, with a cabin area underneath. the floors were left free of colour, but the boat itself had chipped white paint, and if i strained my ears i could hear the hum of the motor against the crashing of the waves.

'oh, you're awake.' a voice sarcastically commented, making me spin around. 'i've never had someone fall asleep on deck before.' the boy from starbucks climbed out the cockpit with a laugh, sitting down next to me and leaning back on his hands. the weather was bright and warm, beating down on my skin. i only wore denim shorts and an adidas t shirt, and my skin was browning from the sun.

a small, confused smile appeared on my lips as he continued. 'how rude of you, anyway, am i really that boring?' his cheeks were pink from the summer sunshine, complexion tinted gold against his floppy auburn hair, messily styled. his eyes were an even brighter blue against the ocean behind him.

i stared at him for a few seconds, eyes flicking out into the blue setting. 'where am i?' i asked quietly, furrowing my eyebrows as shane giggled in front of me.

'at lakeside, where d'you think we are?' he answered with a wry grin. the engine of the of the boat was rumbling as we slowly drifted across the water. before i could tell him that i had no idea where i was and that i couldn't remember anything i had done today, he continued. 'are you hungry? i've got loads of food downstairs.'

as shane said this, my stomach rumbled a little and i agreed, shrugging my shoulders. my head was a little fuzzy but i shook it off, watching as he went underneath the deck to retrieve the snacks he was rambling on about. as he walked back over, i couldn't help but smile at the boy. he had on black denim shorts and a plain black v-neck, and his feet were bare against the hot wooden flooring.

handing me a bowl of strawberries, he gave me a bright smile and popped one of he fruits into his mouth. 'i'm glad you agreed to hanging out with me today.' he stood up, fiddling with the ignition of the boat as he spoke. 'most people are surprised when i say i have a boat, y'know, since i'm not the richest sixteen year old in the world. it's a bit scruffy, probably nothing compared to what you have.'

i shook my head with a laugh. 'surprisingly, we don't actually have any boats. my dad gets really sea sick.' it was true. a few summers back, morgan and i had convinced my father to take us on a cruise holiday. once we pulled up outside the ship, he had taken one look at the sea and ordered the chauffeur to take us straight home. my sister was only eleven and had cried for days since we'd been looking forward to it for so long.

what morgan said last night had shed some light onto my way of thinking, acting, behaving. perhaps she was right by saying that i was so obsessed with impressing my father that perhaps i wasn't living my own life, instead a more modern, venerated reinvention of his.

shane turned to face me, laying down on his stomach and resting his head on the palms of his hands. 'tell me about your family.' he suggested softly, tucking a curl of auburn hair behind his ear and looking at me intently.

i almost choked on my strawberry. no one – not loren, not conor or any of my friends at school – had ever asked about my family or home life. what could i tell him? that if my father knew i was out on a boat with a guy who dressed poorly and liked boys, i would probably be grounded for a week? maybe not.