Phantom Universe

by Laura Kreitzer

CHAPTER 8: BEACHED

  15 years old

  The sun embraces the water and brings the ocean alive with orange, red, and pink. Clouds scatter in the sky, burning with the sun’s rays. Summer’s lips are cracked and bleeding; she is so thirsty she considers drinking the ocean water even though she knows it will only hurt, and her skin is so burned she is not sure if she can suffer through another day at sea. The sight of the sun should be a relief because now she can see farther out, but to her disgust there isn’t land in sight. She flops back against the dining table and wonders where she is, but mostly where Landon is. He saved her life and now his might be . . . forfeit, just as the lady said. Surely not, though, she tries to convince herself. It’s impossible.

  She drifts over wave after wave and considers speaking again. There isn’t a soul out on the water—nothing to be anxious about. She mouths several words but none of them are verbal. She tries again and again, but continues to fail. She yells at herself internally for being such a stupid coward. She has no excuses anymore, yet she still can’t form a single syllable. Hours pass as her mind wanders onto other subjects. She daydreams of a merman coming to her rescue and falling in love with him, only to be separated by land.

  At that thought she begins to wonder what it’s like to actually be on solid ground. She pictures digging her toes into the sand, and the smell of grass on the breeze. She wants to climb a tree and smell a flower. The water seems to turn from a dark blue to a light green. She can almost see to the bottom of the water it is so clear. She lies on her stomach and watches schools of fish swim past in rippling patterns.

  Another hour passes when suddenly she’s thrown off the dining table, flips through the air, and lands with a splash in the water. Her feet immediately find purchase under the water. The life vest forces her to float as she gasps for air. Another wave quickly sends her sailing forward. When she comes up for air the second time, she realizes she is on a beach. It’s the most beautiful sight she has ever seen, though it’s not exactly what she had pictured. It’s always been marinas and shipyards—now it’s endless sand.

  The beach seems to go on forever in both directions. Palm trees dot the area, and in the distance there are patches of green and brown. Once on land, the sand is too hot to stand on and she runs through it until she reaches a shady spot. The sand there is cool and squishes between her toes. Thirst momentarily forgotten, she can’t help but be fascinated with this as she wiggles her toes over and over, finally digging her feet deeply into the sand. She wishes she could share this moment with Landon.

  The sound of the water crashing against the shore is so relaxing that Summer begins to think of sleep. She finds the perfect spot between two palm trees and curls up on the sand, her head in a patch of grass that smells so wonderful she puts her nose in it. Exhaustion eats at her, and soon her eyes droop until they close in sleep. She doesn’t care that her resting place is on a deserted beach. She’s too tired to.

  “Summer?” Someone shakes her. “Summer? Wake up!” The voice is relieved.

  She pops open one of her sapphire blue eyes and meets Jaden’s smiling face. Her other eye pops open too as she takes in her features. Jaden’s skin is burned, but not as badly as her own, and Jaden’s hair’s in a wild fit of tangles around her face. Just like Summer did in her room, she latches onto Jaden and hugs her so closely she’s sure it’s cutting off Jaden’s air supply. Jaden returns the hug for a moment before they both pull away. Summer immediately begins scanning the area for Landon.

  “I haven’t seen him,” she admits, frowning now.

  Summer’s eyes snap back to hers with raised eyebrows.

  “I’m sorry. We were separated, and I never found him.” She plops down next to her. “I’ve been searching the beach all morning and nothing.”

  Summer’s shoulders slump in disappointment.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure he’s fine.” It sounds more like she’s trying to convince herself than anything. “Anyway, the sun’s about to set. I think we should go find some wood and start a big fire. If he’s still out to sea he’ll be able to find us.”

  Summer nods enthusiastically. Why didn’t I think of that?

  First, they find water inland, much to Summer’s approval. Everything on land fascinates her. She can’t help but touch every plant she comes across and smell the wild flowers growing everywhere. Though it’s uncomfortable to walk without shoes when she’s not on the sand, she can’t help but find even the ground enthralling. Jaden laughs at her several times and even has to remind her to pick up dry wood to burn. She’s not sure how they will start this fire, but Jaden probably knows. Right?

  Along with plant life, there are also several bugs she’s never seen before that she can’t help but stare at.

  “Don’t touch that!” Jaden warns suddenly when she reaches for a viney plant. “It’s poison oak. It’ll make you itch and cause a rash. Trust me—stay far, far away from that!”

  Summer stares at her in horror and yanks her hand back.

  They finally collect a substantial amount of wood to burn right as the sun begins to disappear over the horizon. There’s barely enough light left for Jaden to start the fire. How she does it shocks Summer, though. Jaden uses a stone, a stick, and some dried up leaves. When smoke wafts into the air, she blows gently on it, and the leaves begin to glow before they catch fire. It spreads rapidly and soon they have a full-blown fire going. The flames lick wildly at the oxygen infested air with ravenous fingers. It’s highly impressive.

  “So, why don’t you speak?” Jaden asks as they warm themselves next to the fire.

  Summer smiles and just shrugs. What can she say? Oh wait, she can’t. Not even when she’s alone. Pathetic.

  “That was a stupid question,” Jaden admits with a slight frown.

  There’s an awkward silence between the two. She’s not use to people not knowing what to say around her. Usually people find her silence comforting—a means to say whatever they want without interruption. Everyone on the Cosmos filled the silence, especially Landon. He said that for people not to talk with her would only place more anxiety on her, but she honestly doesn’t care either way. It isn’t like she’s ever going to talk again. I wonder what my voice would sound like anyway? she wonders as she throws a stick into the fire. Sparks rise into the air in a flutter, agitated by the intruder.

  “So,” Jaden says uncertainly, finally breaking the growing silence, “if you can’t talk, guess I’ll have to fill the silence.”

  Summer smiles at her encouragingly.

  “You know, my family was poor back in the states, but then my brother hit the jackpot.”

  She raises her eyebrows, asking her what “jackpot” means.

  Jaden’s eyes sparkle, reflecting the ambitious fire. “It means he won a ton of money. Anyway, my mother decided it’d be fun to go to Britain. I was young and had recently watched this cartoon with a prince who had an English accent. I thought I’d meet him. The rest of my family groaned, but I jumped at the opportunity to leave the reservation—back in Arizona.”

  Again, Summer looks at her questioningly.

  “Oh! Yeah, my family is descended from the Native Americans. I’m part of the Hopi Tribe. Get this—my last name is Redleaf. Silly, isn’t it?” says Jaden with a laugh.

  Summer shakes her head no. She actually likes it a lot compared to her last name: Waverly. Not that she doesn’t love her name, but it’s not as colorful—pun intended.

  “Yeah?”

  She nods with a warm smile.

  “Yeah, okay. I like it too. I’m not quite sure how I got lost, but I did on our last day there. I swear I saw that prince in the crowd and next thing I know I’m being led away by someone telling me they’ll help me find my ‘mum.’ At first I laughed at them saying ‘mum’ instead of mom. But then I ended up in that house.” She visibly shudders at the thought and so does Summer.

  Jaden takes a deep breath before she continues, her eyes mesmerized by the dancing fire. “I
was sold to this man who made me do the most horrific things imaginable. Then every night he’d reward me with gifts. On the outside you’d think I was living the good life, but he was horrible to me. I think he got off on torture.” There is no more explanation, and none is needed. They both know.

  Summer reaches out and takes her hand, her eyes conveying every last bit of apology she can. Jaden looks up with tears in her eyes and holds her arms out. They both hug and cry; several of the tears are for the past, but many of them are for the future. They’re free now—no more slavery. The image in Summer’s mind is so intoxicating she can’t help but imagine all the things she’ll do.

  Maybe I’ll go to high school and meet a faerie or vampire, she thinks excitedly, but the picture is devoid of Landon.

  When they separate, Summer searches the empty ocean for her missing best friend. “Hey, we’ll find him,” Jaden comforts.

  She hopes Jaden’s right—after four years of him being there almost every second of every day it can’t just end like this. Preferably it’ll never end.

  That night they sleep under the dazzling stars, and the shining, flirtatious moon, but there is something brighter in their midst. Summer springs forward from her sleeping position, gasping for air. She’s not sure what’s happening, but her heart is exploding in her chest, and her body is vibrating with an urgency to do . . . something. Jaden rises and looks around the beach for what’s bothering Summer. Summer can’t catch her breath, and she starts to gasp and choke for any air she can swallow. Jaden’s frantically saying something, but Summer can’t hear—she’s starting to lose her senses. Her skin begins to glow like the burning wood at the bottom of the fire, and they both go wide-eyed. Their eyes meet, brown and blue. A blinding light explodes from Summer, and they collapse onto the sand.