Thunder & Chasing Waves

1. Sea Salt Air

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I grumble in response to the high-pitched energy sucking beasts jumping on my bed, but play dead in the hopes they would let me sleep 5 more minutes.

"Come on!!", Lyric groans and pulls on my arm that was hanging off my bed.

They keep pushing until I say, "Fine, fine. I'm going". Happy cheers come from Lyric and Wilder while their feet pitter-patter quickly towards the living room. I can hear my mom watching tv in there from my room, while I hear the pans in the kitchen sizzling until one falls with an audible gasp from my mom. My dad must be trying to cook. It's sweet, the gesture and all, but he is such a clutz in the kitchen.

Arlo, my twin brother, peaks into the room and goes "I should probably help him, huh?". I nod while staring out my window, not really wanting to talk and he taps the door frame and slowly retreats towards the kitchen. The view outside my window was beautiful; the baby blue sky scattered with white, fluffy clouds. The type of clouds that made you wish you could lay outside on a picnic and make them into shapes with your mind. Clouds that only brought light and life into your mind. I was going to miss the sound of the waves, the smell of sea salt, and the view when I was going to leave. I don't know how Arlo was so ready and willing to leave where we live. He said it's because "it might be nice to be somewhere different and quiet for once". Maybe he was just an old soul, or maybe I just wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Doesn't matter. I have to leave, no choice or say about it.

Then my phone goes off and it's a text for Kayla, "Get out of bed, I know you're still in it". How did she know? Who knew, but she always did. Kayla knew me better than anyone. I begrudgingly leave my bed and go towards the loud, active living room. My mom is folding laundry while watching When Calls the Heart, quite a cheesy show in my opinion, while the little ones are playing in the play area. Lyric is trying to teach Wilder how to play barbies, but Wilder is just driving them around in a toy car. Everyone should fear the day little Wilder hits the road based on how he has managed to knock into everything with a little toy car.

"Wilder James Concord?!" booms throughout the room and then I see why. Lyric is wide-eyed looking at Wilder who just crashed into all the folded laundry my mom was working on. Wilder starts crying, but Gray's laughter is covering it up. I jump down next to him and see that fact that he recorded him crashing into it and realizing what he did. I should feel bad for laughing, but it really is funny. Then my mom throws a death stare at both of us, "You guys are the older siblings, you should know better than to laugh". My smile slowly drops into a deadpan while I slowly make my way into the kitchen, retreating from Gray trying to talk to my mom through his laugh-ridden lungs.

The smell of bacon and pancakes envelops me as I get closer. Arlo and Olive, my second oldest sibling, are sitting at the bar and picking at the fruit while my dad is still trying to clean up the mess he made by the falling pan. Turns out it was a bowl, and also turns out to have been full of eggs. I slightly giggle at the sight, but my dad goes "What I was trying to scramble them but things got outta hand", shaking his hand in the air and smiles widely. All three of us laugh at the pitiful attempt at a dad joke he just tried to make. As silly as I think his jokes are, I really am going to miss this. Waking up to the chaos of my family and the warm, yellow light energy they have. Arlo notices the change in my emotion and says, "You wanna come out with me and Mason to Skyline today?". I had plans with Kayla to go to Sunset Cove, but she probably wouldn't mind the change of locations. Surfing is surfing right? So I smile and say "Ya sure, but Kayla is coming with me". Arlo agrees and I grab a cup of coffee before I head towards the back porch. Passing the living room and play area as I go.

I open the glass door and let the cold, salt-ridden air hit my face. It was like I was waiting for it to happen for me to take a deep breath. The moment ends quickly when I shiver, because all that I'm wearing is a pajama shirt and some shorts. I still walk out into the air and sit on the chair facing the water, bringing my legs up to my chest to keep some type of warmth to myself. I grab the blanket that was on the chair next to me and swaddle myself. I look at my phone and text Kayla about the change of plans, and she shoots back a smile and "Sounds like fun". I take a sip and let my blue eyes reflect the crashing, overlapping waves I see before me. Soak in everything.