OCEAN EYES (ENG)

CHAPTER I

It's white, made of slim and uniform wood panels. More like it was. The paint is now black-ish, consequences of the flames. The back of the church and the main tower are completely burnt, and the windows cracked open. Scaffoldings surround the entirety of the building, and some men with yellow helmets seem to be working hard on it.

- What a shame, huh? - says mom- It was one of the oldest buildings in Iceland.

Leaving the church behind, mom drives us through the streets of Akureyri, surrounded by green trees and wet grass. I lay my head on the window, shuffling through my playlists.

- Nina, promise me you'll make an effort, okay?

- Does dad know she was arrested? - asks Jonah, my little brother who's sitting in the passenger seat.

- Jonah! I didn't do it, okay? Stay out of it. - I tell him, moody.

That's how I've been lately. Always. Since mom and dad divorced two years ago. It was then when I saw dad for the last time, and that's how it should've stayed. But for whatever reasons my mom had the great idea to make us spend our summer vacation with him, in Akureyri, where dad moved to after the divorce. I was sixteen and I put up with it really badly. Let's say I kind of became a loner. Jonah, my little brother, was seven, and didn't really realize what the hell was going on. Now he does understand it, and just wants to see dad again; the man that ruined my life.

The car makes its way through a dusty street, in the outskirts of town. Mom parks in front of a house; dad's house, I guess. It's also made of wood, with a porch and stairs. The hand-railing is decorated with all kinds of seashells. I see dad staring at us through a window. He looks the same, maybe a little bit tanner. His dark hair has now streaks of white, and some wrinkles paint his kind face.

Jonah jumps straight out of the car even before mom turns off the engine, and runs as fast as he can to meet my dad after two years.

- Wow! Dad! - he screams, jumping in the arms of the man who contributed in giving me a life, only to later take it away from me.

- Jonah! My boy, how have you been? - he says, hugging him as if he really loved him.

- Great! How are you?

- I missed you – dad says, looking at my little brother- Look how big you are! You're like 190 now!

I get out of the damn car and make my way to the house. Let's be honest, the location is pretty rad. First coast line, making my senses calm down with the smell of the sea. Jonah keeps on laughing, super excited and happy to be here. Everything's beautiful. Too beautiful for me. When Jonah starts running away to the beach I lay my feet on the porch.

- Oh, that's right! - he face-palms himself- we have two children.

Dad tries to hug me but I avoid him, sliding past him, getting away from that damned house in the same direction Jonah did. The wet sand crushes beneath my naked feet, and the breeze makes my hair, black and wavy, go crazy. I just keep on walking, trying not to think about how boring this summer's gonna be.

N/A: please consider english is not my mother tongue so I'm sorry for all the mistakes you'll encounter during this novel. Thanks for reading!