Chasing Forever Down (Great White Surf Saga, #1) [Wattpad Featured Story] | ✔

Chapter 12: The Storm

Vin Brooks is probably the only other person in Crescent Cove awake at this hour. His eyes were glazed over with the blues and greens of the weather channel when I left him on the couch two hours ago. Everyone else finally crashed, but Vin's silent treatment was more annoying than his usual smartass comments. Lightning flashes across the bedroom like a massive camera flash. There's no way I can sleep through this.

 Gusts of wind howl around the side of the house as the ocean hurls salty water over the sand and through the night air, mixing with the rain. Solomon spins around in the window. His blue reflection splashes on the ceiling and walls. The weatherman made mention earlier of swells and high waves, which to a commoner means 'stay inside.' But to a surfer, it means perfect monster waves. Still, even the most hardcore surfers won't be out in this disaster until daybreak.

 I cross the hardwood floor to the bay window and pull the curtains to the side. Droplets chase each other along the glass. The whitecaps of the waves wash ashore just briefly before being hauled back out to sea. I try to imagine Colby out there, black and silver surfboard, wind flowing through his hair and waves crashing around him. He's in his element, the sun burning his skin and the water washing away the worries of the world. It must be a magical moment to be willing to "die" for.

 I reach for my bag on the floor to finish obsessively reading the carefully worded information about him on the tourist brochures. But my fingers find their way around a little doll dressed in a white blood-spattered straightjacket. The Enchanters. I pull the five dolls out along with their booklet. Zombie Asylum, the first Enchanter rock band. My eyes scan over Emily's biography and how she hand sews each doll herself. And I remember her sales pitch about the unattainable heartthrob and his four band members.

Pickett – dressed in his straightjacket after escaping from an insane asylum. Locked up after a massacre that resulted from the accidental death of his favorite musician. As much as Linzi loves TheKeeganLawrence, I can't imagine her going on a murder spree for him. Pickett's lime green eyes stare up at me, like he's alive and watching the thoughts scroll through my mind.

Bones – a former funeral director who supplied a vampire coven with blood. After being stalked out by vampire slayers, he hid in the woods and met up with an asylum escapee. He traded his embalming tools for a set of drumsticks and a wild wardrobe and became the rock band's drummer. His pink undershirt is as bold as Alston's swim trunks. If Alston was an Enchanter, he'd be Bones.

The thought of any of these guys in doll form makes me laugh. The next one is Caspian, a former pirate who went down with his ship, The Sapphire Bandit. This would be Vin with his thieving ways. He may be somewhat cold, but he'd definitely be the type of captain who'd go down with his ship. There's a sense of loyalty that follows him, even if I hate admitting that. He'd be laid to rest with his sapphires on the ocean bottom, with the sharks, and I think he'd be okay with that.

Declan – one of the friendliest Enchanters created, according to Emily's handwriting. He was a firefighter in a former life, always helping others, always caring. I can almost see Reed's smile in Declan's dark face and his lime green eyes.

And then Nicholas – the bassist heartthrob with the inability to love. The heart pinned onto his shirt is detachable, so unrequited and aching. I imagine Emily's Enchanter booth after dark when the little dolls come to life and Zombie Asylum would take the stage. All of the little Enchanter girls would go crazy screaming for Nicholas.

The five dolls look up at me from their line across the bay window. This time, I smile at massacre-man Pickett. He's not so scary now. He's full of loyalty and love and a little bit of Gonzalez. He'd be my A.J. if I were a doll on Emily's shelf.

I carry them to the bed, move the candle from the shelf on the wall, and line them up accordingly – Nicholas farthest from my reach, symbolic of the isolated surfer. I place Caspian the pirate next to him, the biggest obstacle I've yet to overcome to reach the surfer. Then Bones, because Alston is still unreadable, followed by Declan, because Reed is still cautious with what he says. Pickett remains closest to me. For me, he's the easiest to get past, and honestly, he's the one I'd most want on my side. Enchanted Emily was right – they were made for me. I fall back onto the bed and watch Solomon twirl until my eyes are too tired to focus.