Nightshift

chapter 1

Almost dusk. The view is beautiful; no more snow, no more rain, only the serene hush of waves crashing against the boulders, a sky full of stars, and the gorgeous NORTHERN LIGHTS above us. I stare in awe at the different shades of pink, purple, green, and orange, motionless, not daring to let this moment slip me by. I have one leg resting against the slightly elevated boulder, and a mind embracing the absolutely magical scenery. My face is turned upwards in awe as if magnetized. Then I sense a bright flickery flash out of the corner of my eye, turning slowly towards it.

"Don't move," Zander's hands are outstretched as if holding me in place from a distance. "That's the perfect pose." He pulls out his camera from its professional case, and begins bombarding me with small blasts of blindness, then dismisses me with a "perfect".

Tiffany skips over to criticize each shot until she finds the best one, muttering something like " This picture maked your hair look darker than it is", the usual Tiffany. Her blonde hair whips past my face, filling the air with the scent of strawberry shampoo, as she cheerfully comes to settle on a rock beside me. She looks like a snow angel. I think to myself. An angel dressed in denim shorts and a tank top.

Meanwhile, Blondy number two is enjoying the cool evening water on her own, no one else was up for the challenge. The tide 's a little rough today, but Peyton was never the type to let anything stop her. After calling her out to join the bonfire for what felt like the millionth time, she finally decides to honor us with her presence. I take one look at her and I'm laughing harder than ever; " Hey Pey, tell me you didn't notice the furry creature on your head", my laughter turns into hysteric sobbing as she reaches for it.

"A little higher Pey." Kaia suggests, wiping the hint of a tear off the corner of her eye. "No, that's not even close, higher."

With her emerald green eyes widened and lips curved into an 'o' shape, Peyton places her palms approximately 10 inches from her head. How her long waves had turned into that will probably remain one of the many mysteries no-one should bother solving because they would never find closure in doing so. She looks like she had just fought a battle with an electric eel. Gabriel stumbles from behind one of the tents, where the cool boxes had been placed, raising an eyebrow. "Whoa"

Rance shows up more or less in the same state as Gabe, inspecting Peyton up and down, "Yeah you're a hot mess" He concludes.

"Oh please, and you two aren't?" She lifts her chin, gesturing at the empty beer cans disposed on the floor by the tent. She glances at me accusingly straight after, "Anna, why'd you have to buy so much beer? You know how kids get overexcited."

"I'm not a child" Rance starts, and pauses to sit down on one of the folding beach chairs, practically folding himself in half as both boy and chair plummet to the ground. The girls and I just watch, waiting for him to say something redeeming, but I can sense our urge to burst into a hysteric semi laugh/cry rising. Rance clearly wasn't satisfied at having embarrassed himself enough, "What's funny?" He slurs, drunk out of his mind.

"We love you Rance" Tiffany says, as he nearly falls asleep in his folded chair.

" Are you guys hungry yet?" Mel asks, slipping the wrapper off a stack of paper plates and uncrossing her legs to leap to her feet. A powerful hop that should bring her gratitude for having worn jeans rather than the skirt she'd been contemplating.

" Faaamished" Kaia sings.

"Great." She claps her hands together. "There's pizza in the kitchen, I'll be right back."

"I'll come with" I offer. " You won't know the way to my kitchen." I added with a wink.

" Yeah, right" Mel's grey eyes roll so perfectly I wonder if she'd been been practicing them lately, but then again she lives with me, which is pretty self explanatory. "Don't freak, but this is incase you haven't realized already that I live in your house. Have been for the past 2 years babe"