Sandstorm {Discontinued}{Rewritten}

17. Debates on the Beach

The beach was just on the outskirts of town, and the walk only took about twenty minutes. It wasn't long before Deserey spotted the sand dunes in the distance, before she could hear the salty water splashing against the earth's service. She smiled, the wind sent her dark curls fluttering, as she and Ray stepped onto the beach.

Deserey reached up, tying her hair back with the hair band she'd been wearing around her wrist. Kicking her shoes off for a brief moment, Deserey dug her toes into the sand, letting the little grains wiggle their way in-between her toes. The sand was warm on her skin, reminding her of all those times she had spent burrowing herself on the beach back in her childhood home.

She closed her eyes, letting the wind press up against her face, chilling her skin just enough that she grew cool in the hot summer air but not enough that she froze. For a moment her mind went blank, as a warm feeling emitted from her chest, and, just for a second, she imagined that she was home. At peace. A soft sigh escaped her lips, as she breathed in the fresh air of the beach. Somehow warm and cool at the same time.

Then, suddenly it wasn't so peaceful. She remembered the last time she had been on a beach. The night the Particle Accelerator exploded. She'd been there, trying to rekindle her muse. It had been ages since she'd painted something, and she had been dying to start up again. Except lack of motivation, as always, stood in her way. So, she had gone to the one place that had always given her a sense of solitude.

But that night had quickly turned ugly. A storm began brewing. Lightening had been striking left and white. Rain had poured harder than it ever had before. There'd been a wave of some orange substance, (dark matter she knew now) but it didn't come from the sea. It came from the sky. Deserey had tried to get out, but she hadn't moved quickly enough. The wave had slammed into her, sending her flying across the beach in a violent tumble.

Deserey's eyes snapped open, as the memory came to an abrupt stop. Ray stared at her, frowning slightly. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded meekly. "Yeah. Just...The beach was always my sanctuary growing up... I was on the beach at Central City, when the Particle Accelerator exploded. Guess it kind of ruined it for me." Deserey crouched down, pushing some sand into her bag, but she could still feel Ray watching her closely.

"Why would it ruin it for you?" he wondered, and she felt her heart flip. He always sounded so innocent, so pure. She longed to be so untouched by the darkness...

She shrugged, as she rose to her feet once more. "That night...the Accelerator...it turned me into a freak."

Ray scoffed, making her turn towards him. "You're not a freak," he said, and she was surprised to hear how stern his words sounded. His voice softened with the next sentence though, reverting back to his normal, happy-go-lucky tone. "You're unique. Nothing wrong with that!"

Deserey rolled her eyes. "Unique is just the polite way of saying weird."

"I respectfully disagree. Being different and unique is what sets you apart from other people. It's what makes you cool."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes again. He grinned, which she kind of found annoying. It was like he couldn't go two seconds without smiling about something. Ray pointed at her sand bag. "Why do you carry that around, then? If you think it makes you a freak? You had it, even before the Legends."

Deserey looked down at the bag sitting on her hip, frowning lightly. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess it just sort of...reminds me of home."

Ray nodded, like that made sense. Though she wasn't sure how he understood any of it, because she didn't really comprehend it herself. "You know," he said, "they say home is where the heart is."