Chapter Two: You Have the Wrong Number 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbN9kxyfek1
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrFVoqNoUI
How did I find myself in a Flynn's Toyota Prius heading straight for Cresent Beach even though we mutually agreed upon the Castillo? Oh, I know. I was duped! The moment Flynn set off in the direction of the communal student parking lot, I should have known something was off. We only had to walk with our own two feet to get to the Castillo. There was no need to remind ourselves that the lot given to students to jam their precious vehicles together like they did their backpacks was far too minuscule to accommodate the student populous. I also didn’t like that I had opted to let my parents keep my car as a second emergency vehicle instead of taking the hunk of metal with me. Sure, I wasn’t really out of place with my bike in Florida, because believe me there are a lot more bikes stuffed into the tip of Florida than I had ever seen in my life in Illinois, but I did enjoy having a set of wheels to just travel. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHerHoKetGq
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WPpgqyrf3
“Umm, Flynn?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAla1Q3ofpY
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfQZvmGXRp
“Don’t worry your pants off, Emily. We’re still going to the Castillo. I just thought it would be a good idea to get a grocery haul while we’re out.” Flynn defended her actions with a perfectly reasonable counter motive. I should have seen right through her rouse. Especially with that devil’s grin. A dimple popped at the corner of her lip.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjvRHmHbRE
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GMIUyiH3x
“Okay, okay. I have some stuff to get, too. Lemme in.” I pulled open the door to Flynn’s car once we safely navigated the conglomeration of cars. Inside, there were papers and wrappers littered everywhere, and I needed to dig out a spot to sit in relative cleanliness. The car smelled of coffee, but not the good type. More of the type that sat out in 80 degree weather to curddle and then dry into a type of cracked lake of fake cream and sugar. I immediately hit the switch that rolled down the window and breathed fresh air. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdqtarqhIl
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3x2HczlKw0
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Flynn groaned. She shut her door and pressed the power button, bringing the engine to a gentle tremble. I shifted and nearly crunched a wad of paper at my feet, all of which had the rainbow pen marks from Professor Drockleheimer. I rolled my eyes.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIYeYyOvo6
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYG8GpRvna
“I think I am appropriately dramatic. Didn’t we just clean this car up?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynKzHO6g1V
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEL8OscYjnH
“Don’t judge. Einstein was said to be super messy, and he was a genius.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxvbshOJQF
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerNllLrEf0
“That is an overused excuse. Plus, his mess was a sort of, organized disorder. Yours is…” I saw that something sticky had spilled in the middle glove compartment and had accrued indistinguishable hairs and pieces of food. “Yours is nothing close to resembling Einstein levels.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJLUb1yBvY
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQCXHrwX1f
“Whatever. I’ll clean it later,” said the girl who just looked so out of place in her gunky den of grocery bags and half eaten pastries. She honestly would have been well suited to a castle dining hall with servants hurrying to fill her silver goblet or something regal like that.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGrNFJdTBs
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvB3pSqwzy
“Hey, it’s not my car. I just like clean oxygen for lungs and nose purposes.” I mock punched her in the arm and her stoic glare at the road turned into a charming chuckle. How could people not see the glimmer to her skin when she was genuinely happy like that? Either I was exceptionally observant or I was the only one who really could see. Judging by my dismal Helper life, then I’m guessing the former. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ882y27G6lK
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JPcvootAg
We were able to gracefully navigate the tight streets with ease. I think it was because the students were nestled in their dorms getting ready for their imminent doom via finals. And to say the traffic wasn’t bad would be lying. There would always be tourists from all the fabrics of the world clambering into the red trollies and horse drawn carriages and flooding the gift shops along St. George Street that were a staple in St. Augustine. There was never a dull moment when driving the narrow pathways, that was sure. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfxgKpNlpZ
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhEB3FGWTG
Just as I was about to relax in my soft seat, I noticed that Flynn had entered into the lane leading to the Bridge of Lions. I sat up sharply and looked at Flynn with what I knew was the offended puppy dog face.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46cyT18GbH
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WfJpxwXis
“You’re going into the wrong lane,” I said even though I knew that she knew what she was doing. That dimple had popped again, outing her. She kept her mouth shut, her eyes right on the seashell lined road. The salty ocean air had lazily curled itself into the car, hanging heavily around my head. It must had felt the are way with Flynn, too, because her eyelids were fluttering as if she were in a trance. Bad. This was bad. “Come on, this wasn’t the plan. Castillo and then groceries. Not beach and then get in trouble. Your mom wouldn’t want this, Flynn.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRO92ZiLC0
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9v01GbmijT
“Emily, you haven’t even met my mom. Besides, like I said, I won’t be going into the ocean. I just want to look at it is all.” Flynn chanced looking at me when we stopped at the drawbridge. A schooner was passing underneath like it had all the time in the world, leaving us time to talk. “I don’t know why the ocean is worse than drugs or alcohol or whatever to my mom and now you, but I think normal people are okay at just looking at the ocean. It’s not like I’m going to die or anything.” She patted my knee reassuringly. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvNWf1xeCX
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpisVLyy0x
“Never should have told you about Crescent Beach,” I mumbled as I set my head on the window. My parents and I used to go there all the time, and I told Flynn all about it before I heard her story about her mom never wanting her to go into the ocean. If I knew how much my memories would fuel her sudden cravings to “just look at the ocean,” I would have traveled to the past to smack myself. In fact, I would have zoomed through time to do a lot of things differently.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOA0LOXRsIO
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8tYwezjp4
Like when Adrienne first told me she could speak with the trees. As the drawbridges settled back into place to let the aggravated drivers back onto the passage to Anastasia Island, I let myself recall Adrienne.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl3pAie6Jb
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTP7HgsxzB
Now, this was my first Helper gig. I had to get the whole disbelief factor out of the way. We had been friends for six years, then. I was thirteen and she was fourteen. She knew that my first crush was when I was four. His name was Scar and he had temporarily had reign over the Pride Lands. She swore she would never tell a soul, keeping the secret to death and beyond. I just so happened to know that she adored mixing melted cheese and ketchup to dip her fries in. I always defended her choice of cuisine when we ate in the cafeteria. A girl should be able to eat what tasted good to her, dang it! We painted our nails with cheap polish and talked about the latest botany book she pulled from the local library, and I would geek out on the history novel I bought from Barnes N’ Noble. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XIsY45Mbd
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfZRoEPYx9
So when she pulled me aside after a two hour round of playing the video game, Kingdom Hearts, I knew something was up. She never would have broken the sacred minimum playtime of three hours and skip out on anything related to the character, Riku. That was just sacrilege. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDOG8xdtkO
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRJDQEdMcT
“Emily, I have something…umm, very important to say.” Adrienne gulped and shakily grabbed a bottle of green mint tea from the nightstand. She never brought the drink to her lips. I think she just had to hold something. Anything. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FdMo6Fgm4
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTObmjyFMg
Sensing her abrupt change, I set down the old controller and turned my entire body towards her. My usually plush and soft light blue comforter felt more like a bale of hay. Adrienne was worrying me. She blinked her honey brown eyes as she observed me over her long, straight nose. She was so pretty. Her mom was from India and her father was from Japan finding each other in Chicago with a whirlwind romance, and so Adrienne’s features were delicate and yet so fierce. High cheekbones, small and plump lips, not too tall but definitely filled out, and thick black hair that ended at her back. She was like an ethereal being just chilling out on my bed playing video games. But seeing as she was feeling bad about making me concerned, her eyebrows were doing a rare action where they crushed together like two large mountain ranges battling for dominance. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI0cDWjXoe
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIzHm0oiO7
“Your eyebrows are doing that thing,” I commented. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBiGamslIF
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmYGRJi0fk
She frowned and I sighed. Whenever I was nervous, I would just say whatever was on my mind. It was a bad habit, and I was doing my best to contain my odd quirks at that age, but Adrienne had me super aware that something just was not right. “What is it, En?” En was my nickname for her. It was difficult to truly find a better shortening of her name, so we settled for En. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBtxDkkFzM
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtue5lfpGxh
“Just promise not to…not to think that I’m weird or anything. And don’t get mad. And super just don’t think I’m crazy,” she said in her low, smooth voice. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzyNf3HDul
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv0yWait0Y
“I promise,” I agreed automatically. I trusted Adrienne with my life. At least, if we were in a life or death situation, I was utterly certain Adrienne would take a laser beam for me, and then I would take it for her, and then her for me. You get the point. Whatever she had to tell me, I could accept. Even so, my palms and bottoms of my feet were becoming sweaty. Why did she have to look so serious? Was she going to tell me that she had a crush on a senior? Were they going out? How scandalous, but still something I could handle. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tU14ISpCC
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT954qHhZZW
“Emily, I can talk to trees.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmyROjmtbb
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa4LtPAqkI
Silence. Well, outside of my body there was silence. The inside was a different story. The blood in my veins was rushing wildly through my entire circulatory system like rapids. I heard the melodic thumping of my heartbeat in my eardrums. Bump ba bump, faster and faster. I could practically feel my pupils widening like a camera lens shutter after shutter. The sweaty palms and feet spread to my stomach, back, and neck. Oh, and my brain. My brain was on overdrive. And from the looks of it, Adrienne was suffering the same symphonic torment within her own skin. She had to put away her green mint tea to keep from spilling the liquid from how much she shook.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVBWqgv1zQ
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2H7EoWV2HM
“Say something, Emily.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraiDfVdKZm
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwxqSaQn8w
“S-Something.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeJZnsbMQn
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6phhAhPsd
“No, not. Come on. You know what I mean.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQRKh3lxLt
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmXhwhCRv0
“What, um. I…geez…can you explain it more?” I stalled. If she kept talking, I could try and figure out if this was a joke or not. The mountain eyebrows were scrunching even more and she brought her thumb to her lips to nibble at the edge of her fingernail.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GaGNX2Kc7
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqb5Rp5KoC
“I, gosh, I haven't said this out loud to anyone,” she laughed nervously. Her attention flitted everywhere; to my nightstand with our drinks, to the floor where my fluffy black cat, Gwendolyn, snoozed, to the paused game on the television screen, and then finally directly, and intensely on me. I could have gulped but my throat had suddenly gone dry.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkf5xmkdXq
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMM9nWXjOZ
“But I trust you, Em.” Em. That was my nickname. That way were for En n’ Em. One without the other and we would be some odd syllable standing alone. “I could, hear, the trees speaking with each other since I was three. I told my parents, because what sane three-year-old would think to keep talking to tree a secret for her parents? Not me,” she sighed and then shrugged. “They thought that the Chicago atmosphere was messing with my head. We moved here immediately, taking me away from the only friends I had. The trees. After that, I never ever told anyone, anyone one at all, what I could do.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10phzB7keS
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUglYaxDzhE
“What changed?” I managed to mumble. “Why tell me now?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsfuX7IOUD
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2Z5bHAL9n
“W-well,” she stuttered and then turned pink. “Before, I just spoke with the trees. Nothing more. They told me how the soil was, what type of animal was around, how the weather was going to turn out. Stuff like that. I’d ask about the different people they’ve seen and how many lives they saw pass by them. They didn’t mind I was so nosy. Someone new was talking to them! But…but last year I met a willow tree when my parents and I drove around for fun out in the country. The willow tree, Akram, he. Um. I can see him.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIVz5JGnS3
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7uXHuKwNd
“See him how?” Damn, I was doing an excellent job in sounding put together. If I wasn’t so jolted, I would have patted myself on the shoulder.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFf05FeUyl3
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkZ3kbvJt6
“The other trees just had voices. I heard them in my head. Nothing physical or anything. Akram, though, I immediately saw him outside of his willow tree next to a pond. He was transparent, so I knew not to let Mom and Dad know that they just walked past a tree spirit. I let them sit on the other side of the pond so I can talk to Akram. And when he spoke, I heard him outside of my ears, not inside my head. I can’t tell you how exciting that was. We talked up a storm, and not just dumb drivel. We spoke about life and the universe and the color of the sky and what that meant,” she swooned.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXSZWvSYOU
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7bAIOGK8A
“What does a tree spirit look like?” I was surprised that Adrienne didn’t catch on that my responses were mechanic. To me, she was making up a story. To her, she was living a fairy tale. I wanted to believe her, but I couldn’t. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHiqhTvT6K
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN7vIHblHh
“I’ve only ever seen Akram. He’s tall. Like, six foot three. He’s a lot like the elves from Lord of the Rings. Elegant, soft, long silver hair and vivid blue eyes. His skin is milky and he has long, pointed ears,” she was clambering to tell me everything all at once, and I struggled to piece together the man she was shaping with her words. “He has an even speaking voice, low and raw, but when he’s on a topic he really cares about, his gravel kind of smooths out. Like the rock tumbler we used in fifth grade. You know, like the peridot you gave me from class. Rough to shiny. If all the tree spirits have his appearance, the human race would be doomed.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNh6GfnEwj
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GDX90ai27
“He sounds like a dream come true.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8ew7IhUna
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOgnF3Tus0
“And that’s the reason why I had to tell you about me speaking with trees and all. Speaking to Akram specifically. Em, I think I’m falling in love with him.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HFWFqsOAF
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tbMTR8UmB
My best friend. My best, best friend just told me that she was in love with a tree. What could I possibly say? I urged myself to open my mouth and reply with anything.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaznJQZK9j
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQhNfq1Xab
“Does he feel the same way? Can you tell?” No. That was not what I wanted to ask. I didn’t want to encourage her. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbe9JMHmHuc
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytzqfjXfiC
“I don’t know. I’m fourteen and he’s two hundred and sixty three. To him, I’m a baby.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMhGX6Sb7a
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcrPXV9art
Great. Now my best friend was in love with a tree who happens to be a pedophile.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuRqz62xtI
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxGqngAFEj
“Can I meet him? You can translate tree mumbo jumbo for me, and then I can decipher his answers. Another pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.” Again, bad plan, me. What was I doing? And why was I feeling weird like I was covered in quick drying glue?841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4ksLN1wIT
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YqM88YHN0
Adrienne brightened. She was actually tearing up. No, no, no. The mountains had crumbled from her face and she was polished. Like peridot. My heart plummeted. “Oh, Em! Yes, I can get my parents to take us next week! God, this means, this means you believe me!” Her back straightened and she grinned and grinned. “You do, right? Right?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlwvOEJ0wj
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsm6WErUwYK
“I-I-I,” there were go. There was the nervousness. “I, I…”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL39Kee4JW6
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgUdHdcmfZ
Flynn’s car stopped in a parking space next to the station where people go to the bathroom, change into swimsuits, and have a water spigot to rinse their sandy feet. I blinked about five times before completely dragging myself out of that memory of Adrienne’s expectant face, waiting for my answer. Hungry for it. To think that everything went wrong because of that one response. That one word that sealed my Helper fate for my entire life. It was my fault, wasn’t it? Flynn poked my side to get a reaction from me, and as I turned to poke her back, I knew that I had to make sure she wouldn’t so much as stick a toe in that damn ocean.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur1dhAi505
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPH5t2rBu3x
“Let’s go!” Flynn squealed. She exited the car and barreled straight towards the boardwalk leading to the beach. I yelped and jumped from the car, making sure to lock the doors because Flynn had forgot. I rushed after her, letting the humidity and salt coat my throat, nose, and lungs. The air was therapeutic up to the point where it began to burn. Not so much happiness after that. Ouch!841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4QeSP93gD
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAkQuGA9L3
“Wait, Flynn!” I shouted through gritted teeth. She briefly spared me a devious glance behind her and then focused on the sand and shrubs under the boardwalk until the ocean bumbled into view. Faster and faster she ran, absorbing everything I was sure, until she saw it. When she found herself face to face with the object she had been denied for so long, all her life, she stopped dead in her tracks. There wasn't much time for her to gawk, thought. Yup, I slammed right into her with an oomph. We tumbled down to the bottom of the sandy hill, getting the stuff in our hair and cloths, but I don’t think Flynn minded. She was laughing. An enchanting sound in itself. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKLXaVBNli
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrlVkPHPmX
“The ocean!” She panted. “The ocean! Emily, I can see seagulls! Oh, look, pelicans. Sweet, are those dolphins way, way out there? Can you believe I’m at the freaking ocean?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSLBxRFiC4
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqycoJyTKj
“Yup. Fun times.” I got up, brushed myself off, and yanked Flynn to her feet by the arm. Now that I could see her better, I saw that she was crying. Weeping with joy. Oh no, not tears. Those were the right type of weapon against me. I scrubbed the back of my hand across my nose. “Let’s walk along the bank. That's it, though. No toe dipping allowed.” Adrienne turned to me, startled.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSexBzRH84J
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmQwUofFzj
“Really?!” She almost barked.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJzrwFUYTc
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4FE64XBS9
“Yeah. Just don’t get in is all.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzFj3WghdT
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTND8Ght8yB
“I won’t. I promise. I just want to be near it. That;s all I've always wanted. Anyways, I can’t swim.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7NGji5S1G
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpd9l3r1M1Q
Yet, I found myself thinking. I shook my head. No. Not Flynn. I’d keep her safe like I couldn't with Adrienne. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpKhiLmMN3
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wmhnZvZDP
We avoided the crispy sunbathers and charging children kicking their sand castles down only to build new versions seconds later, and found a good path to walk along. I was closer to the ocean’s edge, which was about a good yard away. Even I felt the undeniable urge to jump in and splash about like a fool. Think about what Flynn had to go through. But there would be no relenting here. I lost Adrienne when I did that. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT4qaa2r5l
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NdmXL6ZVP
“I feel so relaxed, like my whole life had been some jittery and unfocused blur. Everything here is so clear, though,” Flynn sighed. She held out her palms as if she were letting the whole world rest upon them, and smirked. “Maybe we can do our homework here. I think my grades would shoot up to a perfect 4.0.” 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxVoWCsDFB
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqXtks5Fv3
“They’d drop if you’re this into sand in your pants.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcKdzEsMjD
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjmuMcBijN
“Oh, yeah. You’re right.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5PZvnSqqz
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG3ORPGjdE
There were a few other people up ahead. They had the unique air of ex-students who graduated the year before and were relishing the lack of tests, homework, books, and studying. One day, that would be me, too. The group was separated by a net, and they were passing a ball from one group to another. Volleyball. It looked fun and they were all smiling, but I knew that I would burn in a game like that. I shuddered from the thought of the spoiled P.E. classes from my lack of cardiovascular talent. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkII3O7jGO
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccFAhOdgYQ
“Thank you for not getting mad at me,” Flynn said as she bumped my shoulder playfully. “I don’t know what was wrong with me. I was driven. Kind of went crazy.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYtDRaIU9l
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8o9C2UbAK
One girl must have been as skilled at volleyball like I was and passed the ball way off course. A guy who was determined to pass it back ran after the ball at a rapid speed.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUJKY6EWJW
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyihnXnhgh
“I can’t get mad at you, Flynn. Just don’t trick me like that again. You can find me pretty understanding and, erm, helpful.” My own little inside joke.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKnQZ2f0Zx
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGte85I1y8G
He was all muscle in his legs, and so the guy was using too much force. And, wait, his trajectory was veering away from the ball. No! He was heading right for us! And if we were hit with that much force….841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH3cWrWqFF
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qWNztjhpj
“I know you are! But you were so hung up on my mom keeping me from the ocean, I just didn’t want to chance it. Yeah, I won’t do you like that again.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxg0DBR4HT
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSg179hy9J
“Flynn, watch out!”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBZrEF6rHl
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MCYIIhrwo
Yeah. Yeah, as you might have guessed from the first mention of "volleyball" and "muscle legs," the guy crashed right into us. Flynn flew into me, and despite all of my efforts, I was flung onto the wet sand. Luckily, the water had only just receded. Not luckily, the water was coming back in the form of a two foot wave. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob2v5EGbY9
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bO1JYJTUU
“Get up, Flynn. Hurry. Hurry!” I screamed. I scuttled underneath her, breathing heavily. She tried to move, but the volleyball guy was tangled in her hair. I felt my eyes burn as if they needed to cry, but the tears were stuck. No crying until Flynn was out. I told my body to move. To get up. The water was closing in on us. I saw the swirling waves as they frothed with white caps, churning the sand underneath its weight. The guy finally got up, apologizing but did not having the decent sense to help the girl he bowled over up. I growled and pushed at Flynn’s back. She budged only a little. “Please,” I almost whimpered.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJApc9Qeg9Q
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6SGweqU0j
Maybe it was the sound of my desperation that gave Flynn her gumption, I don’t know, but she at last heaved herself up. I moved, too, in awe that we might escape the ocean unscathed. I was slow, however. Yes, she got up, but her feet were still planted in the same spot she had fallen. I didn't catch that vital detail. When the water came, it barely tickled her ankles, yet that was all that needed to be done. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKajB8t9idW
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wsJQtvcuU
A flash of intense light poured and expanded from Flynn’s body from the contact point of ocean to skin. The light was a pure gold, and it illuminated all of Flynn’s features, making her already glimmering skin a sheet of sparkles. The guy and the volleyball party were all blinded, pawing at their eyes, but I could see everything clearly, probably because of my Helper afflication. I could see the ocean begin to writhe, churn, bubble, and then boil. I could feel the earth beneath us rumble in protest, creaking. The light continued to stream out of Flynn’s skin, a torrent of bright air waves. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxtcyMZTY9
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47nlTSNPUk
“Emily, what’s happening?” Flynn moaned. She was terrified, and I couldn’t blame her. I’ve seen some crazy stuff, and she must have seen my otherwise placid expression, thinking that my lack of astonishment meant that I knew what the hell was going on. I did not. Not exactly. I had an idea, though.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc4taf5VzG
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwDH7NkYlL
“I’m guessing this is why your mom didn’t want you in the ocean.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjNUFKjWCA
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAr061OgRR5
“I thought as much,” she answered sarcastically, “but, what should I do?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRo9dxMjEK
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiDivy0ZBm
“Get out of the water?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoVQOxD9hC
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecfE9OKgfx
“Right.” She stepped away from the water, holding her breath. Nope. She was still glowing. “Dammit!” 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbttOHBjVe
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRM6s7VRkL
“That’s right, 'dammit',” I groaned. While Flynn was extracting herself from the water, something in the far off depths of the ocean was making a peak form from the boiling torrents of angry waves. Something that had yet to break the surface. All that came to mind was that there was a torpedo spiraling over to annihilate us. There was no point in running. The thing was going too fast, and it was directed right at Flynn. She was too preoccupied in her glowy-ness. I bit my lip and tasted blood.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1oNa7AxqS
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6l0lpGHqY1
Well. It was nice living. My parents were the best parents anyone could ever have. I had four best friends. The ocean was lovely. The world was fulfilling if you gave it a chance. I shuddered and then relaxed. Alright. It would be okay.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDu0d572Us
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQ3f0YLPqp
Time for the classic bait and switch, right?841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1Z0MxPce5
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAVgLFIB7Z
Swiftly, I ran to Flynn and pushed her away from the spot she seemed to be rooted to with all of the strength I possessed in every muscle fiber in my body, letting adrenaline do its job. She fell right back on top of volley ball guy who shouted in surprise since, right, he couldn’t see that coming. Flynn stared at me with hurt, but then that soon melted into shock and understanding. She must have glimpsed the torpedo thing. She shouted something I didn't allow myself to hear. I gave her a sad smile and turned to my fate.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtQHwO4sz3
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2VPgatoT2
Something crested from the ocean, popping out onto the sand. It was coming for me quickly, that was sure, but it wasn’t a torpedo. No. Not a torpedo at all. It was a man. That was as much as I could see before he latched onto my wrist and said something that I couldn’t understand. He then yanked me right into the ocean. Right. Into. The. Ocean. There was a cacophony of Flynn's screams, the rush of water over my ears, and the roaring panic of taking my last deep breath of Florida air.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9EwuRmO0x
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe2gMvuhBx
And I did something no Sidekick or Helper should ever do. Not ever. It was something reserved only for the main character. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolyq2cxUSj
841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dPOCpuDsU
I blacked out. Bad form, me. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HfGnGVajz
...
HIYA!
Who is this mystery man? What will become of Emily and Flynn? Please tell me tour thoughts!
ns3.145.154.106da2
