Dea Shattered

⎈Chapter 4: Surf and turf

Sitting belly down on the towel I shoved my sunglasses further up my nose, seeing as I forgot the sunscreen, it was my only protection from the blazing sun. I've been pretending to read a book I brought while Eliza and Grace whispered to each other, their tones were hushed but if I listened close enough, I could understand what they were saying.

"Why did you leave her alone out there," Grace hissed. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't truly angry, but most likely just irritated with her. Eliza flinched and looked down at the ground.

"She said it would be okay if I went and talked to the guy from earlier..." Eliza replied back in a quiet tone also. Grace sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before replying.

"We need to be careful with her, she's gone through some shit. And whatever happened out there in the water freaked her out, it freaked her out so much that I'm fairly certain she lied to our faces." Grace said in a nicer tone, but her tone was still filled with steel. I flinched subtly from where I sat reading my book. She always seemed to know when I was lying, but I have no clue what my 'tell' is.

"She lied? What did she lie about? Why would she lie to us? She never lies to us," Eliza said in a louder whisper. Grace's glare made her quiet down but she already got her questions out.

I wanted to groan aloud, I thought my lie was sneaky. But nope Grace saw right through it, and now I have probably hurt her feelings along with Eliza's.

"She lied about seeing a stingray, whatever she really saw scared her. That's all I know." Grace bit her lip slightly, "we just have to watch her. I don't want her alone in the ocean again, so make sure you follow her if she goes in." Grace gave a nod of her head and stood up.

I looked up pretending to look surprised, "going somewhere?" I asked, closing the book.

"I'm gonna surf a bit, the waves have finally grown to a decent size," Grace said with a shrug. Then she grabbed her neon blue surfboard and started towards the water.

Eliza and I watched her walk away. Eliza smiled at me and moved a bit closer to where I sat on the ground. She watched me for a second before opening and then closing her mouth. She didn't know what to say.

"Why- sorry, why are you rubbing that part of your palm?" She inquired watching me closely.

I looked down at where I was indeed touching my palm and looked at a faint scar, it was the one from the champagne shards. Eliza took my hand and looked at the small scar.

"I got it the night before... on the- I cut it on a glass shard."

"So you got a scar from a glass shard but not a bite," she motioned towards my leg. I flinched and Eliza looked down at the ground. "Sorry, that was inconsiderate of me. Hey wanna go back and sit by the water, we don't have to go in."

I glanced back towards the ocean, where the waves were rising and falling, it took a second but I nodded my head. Standing up Eliza and I headed towards the water. She stopped right where the waves brushed against our toes and then retreated, sitting down she looked at the water. I shifted as a wave hit my feet but then allowed myself to bend down and sit with her.

"Any boys?" Eliza asked out of nowhere and very bluntly. I chuckled slightly and shook my head.

"No boys, just me."

"Is it still because of Jacob, babe you need to get over him-"

"It's not because of Jacob, I got over him a long time ago. I just-," I paused and thought for a second. "I am looking for the right guy, I'm tired of dating some lousy cute dude that turns his head at every other girl that passes." Eliza nods knowingly at my words.

"Babe I totally agree, but I'm still having some fun before I find the one." Eliza winks and turns to check out a guy surfing in the distance.

"People are gonna call you a pervert if you keep checking out every guy nearby," I joked.

"I'm not a pervert; I'm just... observant."

A smile cracked over her face, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Suddenly we both spot a girl with a platinum blond ponytail completely wipeout on a big bright surfboard. We started to laugh even harder.

Not too long after a highly annoyed Grace came storming out of the water, her irritation directly pointed at us. We were still laughing, and tears had even started to gather in our eyes.

"It wasn't even that funny! You guys are-" the rest Grace murmured off in irritated curses and supposed-to-be offensive names.

"Fish Swaddler, that's a new one," I commented on one of the names I could make out.

"I heard Ladybug eater," Eliza hummed happily. Grace turned around and shot us a death stare.

"I'm going to make you guys walk the plank if you keep talking," Grace hissed half-joking. Eliza pretended to zip her mouth and lock it. Then she handed me the non-existent key. I pretended to take it and swallow it. Grace sent us a withering glare, clearly not finding our skit amusing.

Unlocking the car we all hopped in and Grace started up the engine. She sent a glance at me through the rearview mirror and sent a small wink.

The car ride was short, and we dropped Eliza off first since she was the closest. I slipped into the front seat next to Grace, we sat there in the car listening to the music. It was a brand new playlist that Grace and Eliza had prepared for summer called "99.99% VIBES". As we neared my house she turned down the music and turned to me.

"Hey if you ever need to talk about anything... just give me a call" Grace gave me a small smile and then unlocked the car doors for me. I nodded and said goodnight, then headed home.

As I entered the house my brother was cleaning up the table from dinner, a small salad was on the counter for me though. Grandpa sat by the TV watching the news and my mother was nowhere in sight.

"There is salad and some rice you can warm up in the microwave," he motioned towards a small bowl that could be seen through the tinted microwave. I nodded, thanked my brother, and started the microwave. Once the timer went off I grabbed my food and headed to my room.

The room was quiet as I closed the door and turned on my lights, glancing at the table I saw my unfinished painting from earlier. Going for a closer look I realized what I was painting, the blues mixed together in a wave-like motion. I took a step back and shook my head, it had to be a coincidence that I painted the ocean. Just a coincidence.

I showered and changed into my PJs, and headed back into my room to dry out my hair. My window was cracked open still from this morning. The ocean breeze blew into the room, leaving behind a hint of salt. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

That's when I heard it, a faint calling. The waves brushing across the sand and pulling back, I heard it all.

It was like a call.

A sirens call.

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Published: April 7, 2020, 2:00 PM

Words: 1290