The Beachside Cave

Chapter One

            It was August 16th, 2019. A young girl with  beach blonde hair lays on her bed, swiping up on her phone while reading various posts on a social media. Her room is decorated in a pastel yellow with white accents. Her bed is made out a luscious white wood, and a giant polka-dotted yellow comforter. The ceiling perimeter is surrounded in fairy lights as her laptop sits on a desk, playing some music from a website she frequently watches videos on.  Her eyes are heavy as she continues to stare at the phone, the light shining back on her face as she continues to read and like posts. A motherly voice soon echoes out from the floor below her, "CAITLYN, DINNER IS DONE!"
She sighs out, soon pushing her body up as her legs slide off the side of the bed. Her high waisted shorts had squeezed her legs as she stood up, letting out a laborer sigh as her feet hit the ground. Her sweatshirt, which has no right to be called a sweatshirt since the bottom half of it was cut off, slid up as she lifted her arms up with a yawn. She slid her phone into her pocket and let her whole body slouch, then return to a normal position. Her feet soon repeatedly sink into her carpet as she makes her way towards the door. With a soft creak, her door opened up with the twist of the knob as her feet made a thud on the floor as it changed from carpet to hardwood. Caitlyn soon stands at the top of stairs, blankly staring down at the first floor.
"CAITLYN ARE YOU COMING DOWN?,"
Her mom once again screamed up at her. Caitlyn returns back to reality as she makes her way down the stairs and to the dinning room.
"Ah, I thought we weren't going to get you to come out of that room, hunny." Her dad looked at her with care as he spoke with a fork up to his mouth, soon shoving some steak in.
"It's that damn phone! She never listens to us anymore since you bought her that junk, Gerald!" Her mom had bitched at her husband who just continues to shove food in his mouth. Caitlyn just remains quiet as she grabs a plate, and walks over to the stove. She grabs some steak and rice covered with cheese, sitting down next to her father.
"If you don't learn to listen and come to us on time when you're called, I'm gonna take it away!" Her mom stares at her as Caitlyn remains silent, looking down. At this point she's lost most of her apatite but plays with her food to seem somewhat interested.
"Oh hun, give her a break, you know she can't help it."
Her father attempts to defend Caitlyn as her mother soon opens her mouth again.
"Yes she can! She can take that damned medicine we keep forking over money for! But instead she still refuses to take it!"
Caitlyn soon slams her fork down on the table as she stands up, her chair sliding back with an awful sound to accompany it. She begins to make her way upstairs as her dad calls out.
"Cait! Come back here, you barely touched your food!"
Caitlyn ignores her father as she continues to storm up the stairs. The house falls silent as rain can be softly heard hitting the roof as the small girl now lays in on her bed; once again checking her phone. She enjoyed social media; it was a place she could feel loved, and a safe space where her mother couldn't reach her. The rain had picked up outside as ominous thunder had rolled out with a flash of lightning. Time passed along as she could hear each second tick by on an old grandfather clock right outside her door. It had now reach about one am as she could hear both her parents snoring and the rain had turned into a soft drizzle. She stared at her window, which was conveniently placed over a roof that made the ground easily accessible. Caitlyn sneakily began to walk in her room so she wouldn't wake up her parents as she gather items into a bag. She grabbed a flashlight, pepper spray, a small towel, a plastic bottle that was about half full with water, and a lighter. Caitlyn began questioning herself as to where she'd be heading to this night; maybe the woods, the abandon school, or maybe the beach. She liked that idea, the beach. It spoke to her, and it had been a few months since she last went out there at night. With her bag all packed she quickly stuffed her bed to make it look like she was still there, sleeping. She took one last glance outside as the rain still continued to be a drizzle, with an occasional flash in the sky followed by the rumbling of thunder. With one last look back towards her bedroom door, she opened the window with a soft grunt, and climbed out onto the roof.
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Pat.. pat... pat... pat...
Caitlyn stood there looking up to the sky as the rain fell on her face, creating little lakes and rivers along her forehead, cheeks, and dimples. She wore a soft smile while looking up; the rain always gave her a cozy feeling, and whenever she saw a flash of lightning she got a burst of adrenalin. Caitlyn eventually slides of the roof and lands in a puddle of mud with a thick squelching sound. Mud had splattered up her leg as she looks down at the small puddle that now house two foot prints. She looks back up and takes in her surroundings as she walks out front of her house and stands on the sidewalks, looking up and down the road. No cars, no people, no life. This was perfect for her, no one would question why she is out, she doesn't have to worry about getting kidnapped or getting hit by a car. She looks back up and down the street thinking about how she wants to go about this. The beach is out east, but she'd have to head up north, or head down south to reach a road that goes east. If she heads north, she heads closer to the local police station, which means a larger chance of someone spotting her. But if she heads south she has to worry about the roads that normally flood up and that could still be flooded, even though the rain had slowed to a drizzle. She had no choice but to go south. A soft hum left her mouth, as she bounced in her walk to the beat. Suddenly everything had color to her, she could see the green of the grass, the brown oak of a nearby tree, the red car parked in a driveway. Being out there unlocks her happiness, her freedom. The rain continued to drench Caitlyn, but she continued to just wear a big smile and continues to walk. It was a beautiful night; and with it made her feel alive. Her feet made a soft slap sound against the pavement as she walked towards the beach. As she was walking she came across a small cat that sat under a car. She stared at it for a bit. She couldn't explain it but she felt like she had an immediate connection to it. She pondered to herself why she felt this way towards the cat, and couldn't help but bend down to get a closer look at it. She called out to the cat, extending her arms in a caring way, trying to get it to come to her. The cat reluctantly walked towards her, as she picks them up. She spoke softly towards it as the cat meows quietly back. She pets their wet head as she continues walking towards the beach with the cat in her arms. She played with a few names back and forth in her head, soon deciding Cookie, the cat was brown with some black spots on the fur, and a soft white underside. It reminded her of a chocolate chip and marshmallow cookie. She once had a best friend who made cookies like that, and they were Caitlyn's favorite, but one day the parents of her friend didn't let them see Caitlyn anymore. She was confused about it, but decided to drop this thought once again and push on to the beach with her new friend Cookie. She would pet Cookie's now raggedy hair and they would purr up towards her. The trip felt shorter now that she had a companion to make her forget about how long the walk was. Once she was close enough, she set Cookie down and told them to stay as she crouched down to take her shoes and socks off. Cookie sat on the thick wood railing they had been left upon, staring at Caitlyn as she finished up taking her shoes off. In a swift motion and a loud meow, Caitlyn scooped Cookie off the railing and ran for the beach. Her feet kicked up sand as she giggles out. Freedom. Freedom filled her body as she hugged Cookie tight. She had loved the beach and loved the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing, the lightning over the water, the feeling of sand between her toes, in this single moment she felt free and unstable. She held Cookie out front of herself. She smiled wide and giggled out loudly, setting down Cookie. She began to run down the beach again as Cookie followed. Lightning flashed beside her over the water as the rain hit her hard. She ran for what felt like an hour as she soon came across a cave. She never remembered this cave being her, so she sat Cookie out front of it, telling him to stay as she slowly walked into the cave. She soon reached for her flashlight, turning it on as she stepped deeper into the cave. Her eyes sparked; she had found adventure awaiting in front of her. The rocks crunched below her feet as she stepped cautiously, as she had left her shoes at the entrance to the beach. The cave had an echoing drip sound as drops fell from the ceiling. She shined her light around as she went deeper, the walls shimmered back as they were damp and covered with crystals. She was fascinated by the shape as she soon came to a drop off. The cave went deeper, but it would require some climbing. She had debated long enough while tying her hair up into a pony tail. She reached into her bag, pulling out the towel as she stuck the flashlight on her head. The towel then came up and wrapped around her head to hold the flashlight in place, putting the bag back on her back. Caitlyn tightened the bag tighter to her body, and with along inhale, crouched down to a crawl. Her hands gripped the edge of the cliff to support her body as she turned and tried to find a place to put her feet. Her hand slipped as she almost fell, but she quickly caught herself and found a place for her feet.
She sat there composing herself as she nodded softly, beginning her climb down. Caitlyn looked down as she could see the bottom about 15-20 feet down. Her confidence boosted as she climbed down faster. One hand down, leg down, hand down, leg down, and so on. She repeated this process until one error occurred. Her hand slipped, and it caught her off guard as she let go and fell back. She now began plummeting down 15 feet into the cave. She tried to scream, but only a low, high pitched noise left her throat as everything went black.
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A loud scream echoed in the house, soon a shouting for someone was followed.
"GERALD. GERALD GET IN CAITLYNS ROOM."
Gerald sat up from his bed and sleepily shouted back.
"I'm coming Mira, I'm Comin'."
Gerald slipped on shorts and walked towards Caitlyn's room as Miranda stood in the door way.
"Gerald she's not in the room. Her window is open and she's not in the room!"
Miranda sounds mad and upset, a dangerous combo, as she steps into the room.
"I'm sure she's around, maybe she's downstairs? I'll go check."
Gerald pivots towards the stairs as he slowly makes his way down, calling out.
"Caitlyn! Caitlyn are you in the house?"
To no surprise, he got no response. She couldn't even wanted to if she wanted too, stupid. He made his way around the house, checking rooms closets, and anything else as he stood in front of the basement door, soon cracking it open. He himself was afraid of the basement due to events in his childhood. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he flicked on the light and walked down the stairs as they creaked under his feet.
"Caitlyn..! Where are you? This isn't funny anymore, we're seriously scared!"
He made his way to the bottom of the stairs as he looked around the small basement. She was no where, not even a trace or a hair of her is in the basement. He turned around and walked up the stairs, and shut the door behind him. He was able to take a sigh of relief as Miranda stands in front of him.
"Jesus Christ Mira-"
"Gerald, I found foot prints out from that lead from her window and towards the beach."
"How do we know that's her Miranda?"
"We don't but it's our best bet. I'm going to follow it, because it will hopefully ease my mind."
Gerald sighs softly, nodding.
"Let me get dressed and then we can go check. Okay?"
"Fine Gerald, but be quick."
Miranda sits on the couch trying to compose herself as Gerald walks upstairs and begins to get dressed. To the parents knowledge, Caitlyn has never snuck out before, she just always stayed in her room. For Caitlyn this was the first time she had never returned from her little expedition. Gerald soon walks back down as Miranda walks over and opens the door and pulling Gerald out the door. They wrap around to the back of the house as she points at the dried mud on the ground. The mud had footprints left in them and from looking up, they saw her window open. Just this little evidence convinced Gerald as well; She had to run away from home.
"Maybe we should call the cops, the cops may find her, Hun."
Gerald looked at the footprints while talking as Miranda began to follow them.
"We look ourselves, then call the police, they will make everything more messy."
Gerald looks over at her with  puzzled look.
"I don't get you, last night you were so harsh on her, made her feel probably like she was unloved, and now you care oh so much? It makes it seem like you did something."
Miranda winces from his comment, glaring at him.
"We'll talk about that later, for now, we are looking for our daughter."
Miranda began to walk in the direction of the beach. Gerald sighed out and followed her. After a couple minutes of painful silence and walking, they soon reach the beach as Geralds heart drops.
"Her shoes."
He points at them.
"There are her shoes, she has to be around here."
Geralds voice trailed off as he ran out onto the beach. His feet kicked up sand under him as he frantically looked around, trying to find any sort of lead to his daughter. Miranda followed after him, as the wandered quickly through the beach. They found footprints that soon lead to a small cliff side. The mountain was solid with no sign of an opening. A cat laid in front of the mountain that was brown with black spots and a white belly. It sits there and meows loudly.
"Gerald.. She's.. gone.."
"No, let's call the police, and really make sure she's gone."
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