“Let’s play chicken!” Cassie exclaimed.
“What’s that?” Larissa asked over the boy’s hoot of agreement.
“You sit on Ammon’s shoulders and I’ll sit on Josh’s then we both try and knock each other off.” She explained.
Larissa took a step back, “I don’t want to get wet.” She objected as Cassie swung off her athletic bag and set it on the shore.
“But it’s fun!” she insisted, tossing her bag beside the boys still folded towels. “Trust me.”
“What’s up?” Josh asked. Emerging out of the water and shaking his wet hair in Cassie’s direction just to annoy her.
“Larissa doesn’t want to get wet.”
“How can you come to Hawaii and not want to get wet?” asked Ammon jogging out of the water. Silvery water shimmered off his flat pecks and Larissa tried not to stare.
Larissa took another step back. “I don’t even have a swimsuit on.” She insisted.
Josh jabbed a thumb over his shoulder and Larissa saw that he was pointing at a man with jeans and a straw hat splashing about the ocean. “Neither does he but nothing’s stopping him.”
“But still…” Larissa continued. “Maybe tomorrow when I buy a swimsuit, but not right now.”
Ammon glanced at Josh. In less than half a second, Larissa had read their faces and knew what was coming. Even with her supernatural reflexes she barely had time to turn away before Josh had grabbed a hold of her ankles. She wiped-out on the beach with such an oomph that grains of sand fell in her mouth. Larissa hardly had time to spit before Ammon had grasped onto her wrists.
“Let go of me!” she screamed kicking her legs. At first she fought with all her might and managed to wriggle a foot free, but Josh was right there to snatch it back up. Larissa didn’t want to try using her strength again for a fear that she might accidentally reveal her true capabilities. Instead she glanced at Cassie for help, but the girl had already fished out her camera and was snapping away furiously.
“No!” Larissa roared as the boys dragged her close to the waves. She felt like a pig being brought to slaughter and wriggled about to try and free herself.
“On the count of three?” Ammon asked.
“On the count of three.” Repeated Josh and they swayed her as if she were a human jump rope. Her whole body flew back and she screamed something vulgar in Spanish. The second time they swung her back she had gained even more momentum. The third swing came around then she was soaring through the air. She thought about stopping time for a moment, but the thought soon vanished as she plugged her nose and collided with an oncoming wave.
She was swirling around the bubbles for a moment, then her feet found the sandy bottom and her head sprang out of the ocean. She spat the overwhelming taste of salt from her lips and glowered up at the boys who were now rejoicing and exchanging high-fives. Cassie once again hid her camera then exclaimed, “Chicken time!”
The boys rushed back into the ocean spraying water as they went and Ammon sank down beside Larissa. “I know you enjoyed that.” He said with the only thing out of the water being his head.
Larissa pulled her soaked hair from her face and when she glanced at him she felt the weight of water on her lashes. She wanted to say something angry in response, but she ended up smiling, “I’m just happy you’re back.”
Ammon beamed and beneath the surface his hands found her waist. “I’ll be here to stay if that’s what you want.” An oncoming wave rocked their bodies close and for the first time Larissa’s fingers brushed against the bare skin of his abdomen.
She didn’t have much time to analyze how she felt about that because another surge of water was aimed at their face and when she cast her eyes in that direction she saw that Cassie had already hopped onto Josh’s shoulders. “Let’s go lovebirds!” he exclaimed, “Best two out of three. Let’s do this!”
Ammon swung around and Larissa hopped up on his shoulders. He waited until Larissa had her balance before standing up. Then the battle began. In one shove, Larissa had knocked Cassie off.
“You suck!” Josh exclaimed as Cassie wiped the water from her eyes.
“Shut up Josh!” she exclaimed, “You just need to hold on to me tighter.”
“That’s what she said.”
“That’s what your mom said when she’s in bed with a pig!”
Josh stopped and made an utterly confused face, “What’s that even supposed to mean?”
“It’s an insult so act insulted, jeez!” she wailed, “Now pick me up, I need to redeem myself!”
The second round Larissa made sure to not shove too hard. She tried to lose on purpose, but even as she tried, it still took all of Cassie’s strength just to nudge her at all. Finally Larissa took pity on Cassie’s pathetic attempt and fell into the water with a fairly believable splash.
“One to one!” Cassie exclaimed victoriously, “one to one!”
“I know you can do better than that.” Ammon muttered quietly as Larissa swung her legs around once more.
Larissa snickered and when the last battle began, Cassie had tumbled backwards in seconds.
“Roswell, you suck!” Josh exclaimed not even bothering to help her up.
“You’re ugly!”
“You’re hideous!”
“I hate you, Josh!”
“That never gets old does it?” asked Ammon sliding Larissa off his shoulders. Sand was starting to be thrown and Larissa backed away to avoid the volley. Eventually she and Ammon had backed up all the way to shore. Larissa didn’t like the way her romper clung to her dripping body and so she sat on the hot sand and willed the sun to dry her.
Ammon flopped down bedside her. He was so close that their hips were touching and as water pooled at the tips of his hair, they eventually dripped onto Larissa’s shoulder. They sat there for a moment watching their friends splash and throw sand-pies. When that wasn’t enough Josh converted to dunking her repeatedly. Even Larissa had to admit that was kind of funny to watch. She leaned over and dug through Cassie’s bag for the camera. After several pictures Ammon finally asked, “How are you, Larissa?”
Larissa turned off the camera and slid it back in the bag. The couple was still fighting and Josh had thrown Cassie over his shoulder like a bag of flour. Larissa laid down on the sand. It was scorching hot and yet it felt wonderfully good. “Good, I guess. And you?”
Ammon laid on his side and bits of white sand clung to his damp chest. “I’m alright.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re yourself again.” She shut her eyes and let the hot sun warm her cheeks.
“Is that what you think?” he inquired.
“I’m still not going to tell you my secrets.” She said quickly after she realized that was the direction their conversation was headed, “You still haven’t proved to be the Ammon O’Connell I knew, even though you have been making huge improvements.”
“I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” He said, “Just remember that you promised me.”
Larissa huffed, “I’ll tell you Ammon, I swear, just… probably not soon.”
“Why?” he asked.
Larissa nibbled on her salty lip. “I’m just not ready for it. I mean, I’m still trying to understand it…”
“Uh-hu?” Ammon encouraged.
Larissa sat up and squinted at him. “You were trying to coax it out of me weren’t you?”
Ammon shrugged, “It was worth a try.”
“Well, that’s definitely not going to happen. Not today. Nor tomorrow…”
Ammon frowned as Larissa laid her head back down. She scooped up a pile of sand around her head to make herself an improvised pillow.
“I knew a guy that used to say that.” Ammon remarked after he too was comfortable.
“Say what?”
Ammon put on one of his most convincing Jersey accent and exclaimed, “Not today!”
Larissa giggled. “Why did he say that?”
Ammon inhaled deeply and let the sun tan his skin. �
�He was on the soccer team.” Ammon explained, “He was the keeper. Every time he stopped a ball it was his thing to say-” again Ammon put on the accent, “not today!”
Larissa shifted on the shore, “I didn’t know you played soccer.”
Ammon made a draw out laugh, “I don’t. I dated someone who was on the school’s broadcasting team. She needed help getting some soccer footage and that’s how I found out about that keeper.”
Larissa nodded. She loved it when Ammon told her stories about his high school. She could tell he missed it badly, but at the same time she knew he was happy where he was at. “It seems like you dated a lot of girls.”
Ammon scoffed, “Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I had a bit of a reputation. But after I broke up with Isobel, it was hard to find another person to fill the void.” He stopped himself. He had just broken the first rule of dating: never bring up the ex. But Larissa already knew about Isobel.
She was one of Ammon’s first girlfriends and by far one of the most amazing people he had ever acquainted. Girls like Isobel were the reason bands wrote love ballots. She completely rocked his world and to think that Ammon was lucky enough to meet her in high school. After dating her for nine months it was safe to say that he was madly in love with her, then she told him something. She had never been herself around him because she had been keeping a secret. She was a supernatural.
“Well, no one could fill the void until now.” he said quickly. The moment lingered then he rolled back to his side and said. “Listen, Larissa, I’ve only known you for like six months, but ever since day one I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. I’ve never told you that, but I guess now’s a good a time as any.” He frowned again realizing that those words probably weren’t the best. “For the longest time Isobel was the center of my thoughts, but I’ve hardly been able to think about her now that you’re in my life.”
Larissa didn’t know what to say. No one had even come close to mentioning those things to her. She didn’t even know if she should open her eyes or just keep them shut. Instead she pressed her lips in a fine line and waited to think up something miraculous.
“You’re killing me Larissa, say something.”
Finally she decided to sit up. Sand clung to her still soaked romper as she sat there. “I don’t know what to say,” She managed to choke out. “Other than… I guess I feel the same about you.”
For some reason, Ammon was astounded to hear this. “Are you serious?”
Larissa considered, “Yeah, pretty serious. You mean a lot to me, Ammon. You’re the reason why I’m free; you’re my only other friend outside of the orphanage. You’re the only person I can and would be able to come to. For anything.”
Larissa knew all those things were true. She felt the truth in her heart as she spoke them. But like Ammon, neither of them had told the other. Larissa didn’t like that awkward feeling of having Ammon gawking at her so instead she cast her eyes out to the crashing ocean.
Ammon sat up too and put his face right up against hers, “You’re serious?” he asked again.
“Yeah,” Larissa repeated.
This time they held eyes and she could tell by the way he was looking at her that he wanted to kiss. In all honesty, at that moment, so did she. Larissa leaned in slightly, then pulled away quickly only to spin her head around.
Cassie was standing there with her camera in her hand as Josh watched behind her. “You were so going to kiss!” she exclaimed.
“And you were so going to take a picture of us when we did.” Larissa objected.
Ammon pulled away then climbed to his feet. “Thanks for crashing the moment.” He said as he pulled Larissa up.
“Since when have you two been all…” Josh hesitated, “kissy-kissy?”
“Since forever,” Cassie interjected, “you couldn’t tell?”
Josh shook his head, “Nah, romance is boring! You know what’s better than dating?” He didn’t give the group much time to think about his question before he answered, “Food! Who’s ready to go stuff their faces?”
Cassie beamed.“There’s a luow back at the hotel and it smells really tasty!”
Without further comment, they trotted back up the beach and as they went, Larissa’s stomach grumbled.
~“Wait, one more!” Michael insisted even though their plane had finally rolled to a stop in the Honolulu airport.
For the majority of the flight, Lee had been asking random silly questions ranging from ‘what’s your favorite movie?’ to ‘If you had a dream about a rhino chasing you, then you went to a zoo, what would you do?’ Lee enjoyed asking questions and Michael enjoyed answering. As for Ace and August, they tended to doze off in between snacking.
“We’re running late as it is.” August grumbled from the open door of the aircraft.
“Aww crap you’re right.” Michael frowned then sprang from his seat and bounded for the open door. “Well it was nice meeting you Mini Star.” That was the nickname he gave her simply because she looked like Lotus. “Farewell!” he exclaimed then he was springing down the jet’s stairs right behind August.
“That was fun. It was nice to get my mind of Lozey. We should play that game more often.” Michael mentioned.
“Hey Michael, focus!” August snapped as they strolled across the massive airport hanger. A golf cart snaked its train of luggage across the even concrete and finally parked inside one of the many garages at the base of the airport. The last of a jet’s ferocious roar dwindled into silence as it disappeared into the sky. Michael watched as the plane sailed over the vast blue ocean of the beach front airport and August had to snap his fingers to grab the lead singer’s attention. “We need to be in Italy right now, but we’re stuck on this island! How are we supposed to get there now?”
Michael grasped onto August’s shoulder. “I can teleport, mate. How about this, I’ll go to Italy alone this time. I know it’s far, but I’ve jumped from north pole to south before so I know I can do it. I just can’t do it carrying luggage.” He gave August a look, “Besides, didn’t you need to make a call or something?”
“Yeah,” August grumbled.
“How ‘bout this? I go to Italy, you make your phone call and just stay here. Ithaca should be around. She just bought a house in the mountains didn't she?”
August nodded.
“Right, well then problem solved. You just stay with her and wait for me to get back.” Michael patted August’s built shoulder, smiled then disappeared. There wasn’t a swirling of colors, nor a rushing wind. Michael was simply there one moment and gone the next.
August sighed as he glanced over his shoulder at the airport. He needed to be in Italy. Not for Michael’s reasoning but for his own. Angrily, he pulled out his phone to give Ithaca a call. Not going to Italy was just one down fall he needed to talk to her about. The other was that the assassin she had sent to kill Lee didn’t do a very good job.
His head swung back around and as he walked, his phone went to his ear. Ithaca picked up on the second ring.
“You’re back.” She said the moment she answered. Of course he was. Why else would he be calling her? “I need you in Italy right now.”
“Yeah, but I’ll get to that later,” he said briskly, “You know that girl Mirage was trying to protect? The girl with the platinum hair and green eyes?”
Ithaca frowned. “It’s not a crime to say her name, you know.”
August didn’t waver, “She’s alive.”
The other end of the line was silent. Then finally Ithaca laughed. Even over the phone her cackle gave him chills. “Well then Mason is back too isn’t he? It’s been a while since I’ve seen him and I’m dying to see what he looks like all grown up.” from the other end of the phone her lips parted into a devilish smile. “This is turning out to be a better day than I intended.”
“What do you want me to do?” August asked.
Ithaca replied casually, “Don’t worry about it. I will run into them eventually. As for now, come find me. I’m on W
aikiki Beach and I’ve got a surprise for you.”
August had just stepped into the shadow cast by the airport building and he glanced around for a door. “Did you find your cousin?” he asked.
Ithaca smiled, “I sure did.”
~“This is so much more amazing than I thought it would be!” exclaimed Lee as they descended the jet steps. Ace had lugged two duffle bags over his shoulder and was carrying a suitcase in his hand as Lee clung to her shoulder bag. “Is this Heleow?”
“Honolulu,” Ace corrected then pointed out over the flat beach behind them. Lee could see the sheets of silver light growing out of the flat blue ocean. “Heleow is out there.”
Lee spun around and walked backwards across the pavement. The silver city seemed far too fare to even be noticed between the different shades of blue. And yet the glass columns stuck out like a finger print on glass. “That’s so cool,” she marveled. “I wish we could get a better look at it. From here the towers look like they are shaped all funny. Are we going straight there?”
Ace shrugged, “Honestly, I’m not even sure what to do now. I suppose we could just grab a hotel and get a feel of Honolulu before we do anything else. Besides, I don't even know how to get to Heleow."
Lee nodded as her eyes took in Hawaii. She had never been out of Tarrillian City before so Hawaii was clearly an amazing sight. As they were coming to a decent in the international airport, she had glanced out the jet window and was instantly amazed that they were practically landing on a beach. Even as she walked under the jet’s wing, she could already see the aquamarine ocean beckoning her.
Up shore from the waterline sat the low building that made up the port and she could see the distant mountains on the island. They were not at all like the rolling hills of East Side, with piney trees and laired with buildings. Instead they jetted up sharply into the low grey overcast almost forming green volcanoes. But the clouds there seemed strange as if there was an invisible barrier keeping them on one side of the mountains while on her side of the island, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
The flat shoreline allowed for the sea air to ripple through her hair bringing with it a comfortable breeze. She had expected Hawaii to be so hot that the moment she stepped out of the plane; the heat would yank the air from her lungs. Instead, the weather was pleasantly humid compared to the smoggy air in Tarrillian, and she figured she’d grow used to it quickly.
The Stelter City Saga: Ultranatural Page 13
