Chapter 1: Just a day at the beach
I dreamt all that night and every night for the next month about my mysterious stranger. I couldn’t get his face out of my mind, or rather his dark and intense eyes. We were back home now and although I saw Kim and Leah all the time, I still never told them about him.
I lived in the coastal town of Trinidad California, a small community that survived on tourism and commercial fishing to support its residents: a whopping 311.
It was mid-July now, perfect beach weather. Kim and Leah had convinced me to go surfing with them. Apparently, I haven’t been the same since our trip abroad. I didn’t really feel like going; it had been forever since I’d been out on the water. Still, I didn't want to let them down.
I put on my swimsuit and turned to look at myself in the mirror. The deep gashes that once were on the back of my shoulder had healed over leaving tender pink scars as a reminder of my horrific trip abroad. I fluffed my hair, wishing it were longer so that it could hide them better.
I continued to look myself over. My face was fairly thin . . . actually, everything about me was thin. I was 5’5, and weighed 100 pounds. I looked pretty . . . not as tone as I’d like. But still, not bad for 23.
I pulled my shorts over my swimsuit, grabbed my bag, and stuffed it with the necessary items: extra change of clothes, towel, munchies, and Band- aids—lots of Band-aids. Past experience has taught me that any outing involving Kim usually meant I would need some patching up later.
I could hear the loud whining of Kim’s car coming up the road. Leah was in the back seat yelling at Kim, who was singing: “Greased Lightning” . . . again. The music was blaring. I couldn’t help but smile at the image.
About a minute later, I heard the car tires come to a halt outside my house. The horn beeped a few times. I could still hear Kim singing—although it was louder now.
I stopped where I was. How had I been able to hear her from so far away? I thought in disbelief. Even if the music was blaring . . . how could I have known Leah was in the back seat? She was still shouting for Kim to shut-up!
“Impossible!” I muttered in disbelief. I stepped out my door where a red Hyundai Scoop was waiting for me. Its contents: our wetsuits, two nuts, and three surfboards.
Kim was waving from the driver’s seat with a huge smile on her face. Her thick brown hair hung loosely around her tanned shoulders.
Leah was in the back seat, a mild look of irritation greeted me. Her sleek nut-brown hair was smoothed down around her pail freckled face. She was trapped between three surfboards positioned in all different directions, their ends hanging out every window.
I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to focus on the obvious question: “Kim. How am I supposed to fit in there?”
“There’s plenty of room. Hurry, we’re gonna miss the sun!” she called impatiently.
I frowned looking at Leah. She rolled her eyes as we shared the same understanding look.
Clambering in, I had to duck under a surfboard. Thank goodness I wasn’t very big; a normal sized person wouldn’t have fit.
We arrived at Moonstone Beach a few minutes later, with the sun shining brightly overhead.
Kim looked to be in an excellent mood having sung nearly every song off her Grease CD.
Leah however, was trying to straighten out her spine after being pinned for so long. “Probably permanent damage,” she muttered as she slunk out of the car. “Kim, you really need to get some new music,” she snapped. “And we’re not listening to that on the way home!”
I normally loved watching Kim and Leah argue. It was usually about something in significant, and it never lasted long. But something felt different. I began surveying the beach. I could hear voices far off in the distance, dogs barking, and the loud roaring of the ocean seemed magnified. There were a few people with surfboards; it looked like they were heading out as well.
Then, my eye’s flickered to the rocks out a ways in the water. There was someone standing on them! I was sure of it. I hadn’t seen anyone up there before, ever. I narrowed my eyes, straining them to see better.
“Here Phoebs, the water’s going to be cold today.” Kim smiled as she handed me my wet suit.
“Do you see someone standing on top of that rock out there?” I asked her as I pointed to the large rock in the distance.
Kim strained her eyes. “Noooo, wait! No . . . must be a bird or something,” she declared a moment later. “Who could see that far anyway?” She walked back over to Leah who was putting on her own suit.
“Bird?” I mumbled under my breath as I continued to stare at the rock. It wasn’t a bird.
“Phoebe, hurry!”
I nodded to Kim and began dressing; all the while keeping my eyes seaward. “Ready,” I announced several minutes later. The sound of the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” booming from a nearby truck, diverted my attention.
The three of us looked over to see a few guys we knew: Jeff Roberts, Brian Hawk, and Sean Hansen.
“Great,” I remarked sarcastically. Brian Hawk, Hawk being the operative word, was a constant nightmare; waiting like a snake for some poor mouse to happen by so he could strike. I unfortunately was the object of his attention as of late.
“Maybe they won’t notice us!” Kim spoke to soon.
“Hey girls!” Jeff yelled out as he waved us over.
We waved halfheartedly back and pointed to our surfboards as if this would excuse us from a conversation with them.
“Phoebe!” Brian was bounding over to me. “Hey girl!” He yelled as he scooped me up into a big bear hug and finished it off with a noogie.
“Ow Brian!” I rubbed my head vigorously.
“Hey. You look different.” Brian was looking me up and down. “I haven't seen you since you got back from Europe. You change your hair?”
What are you talking about?” Leah argued. “It looks exactly the same—long and black.”
I frowned at her. “I did braid it today,” I defended. Leah was always after me to do something “fancy” with my hair.
“No. That’s not it. I can’t figure it out, but there is definitely something different about you.” He smirked as he continued leering at me—weird, even for Brian.
I turned my back to him, and did my best to pretend he wasn't undressing me with his eyes.
“So you girls going surfing?” he finally asked.
Leah rolled her eyes. “No Brian, we’re just carrying around the boards for fun.” She really couldn’t stand Brian and had no problem showing it.
Brian being Brian, either chose to ignore her, or he honestly had no idea how much she hated him.
“Hey ladies,” Sean called out as he and Jeff joined us. “You better be careful out there today. The swells are pretty big.”
“We’ll do that,” Kim grumbled as she pulled Leah toward the water. Kim and Sean had dated awhile back—it ended badly. Kim couldn’t stand being within eye-distance of Sean. Sean however was “cool” with the whole thing. He figured it was only a matter of time before Kim came crawling back—as if! Dating a conceded jock who continued to relive his Senior year highlights, was not on Kim’s list of qualities in a prospective boyfriend.
I followed the girls eagerly, trying to ignore the three idiots laughing loudly as we walked away—why did I let the girls talk me into this?
A group of joggers were coming up the beach. One had a dog, a cute German Sheppard who looked to be enjoying his run as well. I smiled as they were about to pass, when the dog stopped abruptly and began to bark wildly at me, baring its teeth.
I jumped back, slowly putting some distance between me and the dog as his owner tugged frantically at the leash, trying to pull him away from me; all the while apologizing.
“Gee Phoebe, you really freaked out that dog!” Leah stood beside me, her voice was as shaky as I felt.
“I just looked at it,” I defended.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” Kim’s face was inches from
mine, examining me closely.
“What do you mean?” I tried to back up a little, desperately needing some personal space.
“They weren’t like that yesterday . . .” she stepped closer again. “They’re wild looking; your pupils are really small.”
“What?”
“She’s right!” Leah agreed stepping forward. She began examining my eyes as well. “They are different.”
“It must be the sun,” I suggested sharply as I pushed past them. I was bugged now. If I didn’t get some space quickly, I was going to scream. After all, I was just nearly mauled by a dog—again!
The girls shrugged me off and started paddling out together. I headed out a ways toward the big rock. I needed a little time by myself, and I was also curious about the man who was clearly watching me.
He was squatted down now, one arm on his knee and the other hand holding onto the rock for support. I could feel his gaze on me still.
I pulled myself onto the surfboard, as a gust of wind met my face. And with it, a smell not normally found at the beach. It was sweet and fresh, like a spring rain—I knew that smell! It took only a moment for my brain to connect another subconscious piece of my puzzle. I looked up abruptly, and although I never should have been able to see from where I was, our eyes locked. My mouth dropped a little in amazement. I knew those eyes in an instant. They were the eyes from my dreams, the eyes of my stranger . . .
I felt panic rise up within me, but I couldn’t look away; he drew me in deeper. My heart began to pump wildly as I saw the corner of his perfect lips curl upward into a smile. He was beautiful! I tried to imagine Zeus himself looking more handsome. I couldn’t. His hair was a deep brown that reflected auburn highlights as the sun bounced off it. His face was just as I remembered it, pale and flawless. I couldn’t believe I had remembered such detail, as I only saw him for a few moments.
He continued to smile at me as I watched him. How could this be the man from my dreams? How could we be in the same place again, at the same time, in another country?
His head jerked slightly as his attention was suddenly diverted.
I wouldn’t have looked away if I hadn’t heard the screams from Kim and Leah. I looked frantically for them and saw that they were on the beach waving their arms wildly, yelling something to me.
I strained to hear. “WHAT?” I shouted as loud as I could over the roaring ocean.
Then a slight nudge on the bottom of my surfboard claimed my attention. I pulled my legs up; something smooth had just brushed against my left leg. I yelped, as it bumped me again, this time rocking me, nearly knocking me off.
I could still hear Kim and Leah screaming. Then, the word: “Shark!” came across the wind loud and clear.
“Oh God.” A violent bump knocked me from my board. Panicked, I began to swim toward the shore. I hadn’t realized how far out I was. I struggled with the waves that crashed down upon me, threatening to push me under. I spit the salty water from my mouth, while the fear of not knowing where the shark was consumed me.
I sucked in a sudden breath of air. Something had rammed me in the stomach. I couldn’t breathe! I frantically looked toward the rocks. Our eyes met for an instant and I could see a look of sheer horror directed back at me.
Another wave crashed on top of me, this time taking me under. I struggled to find the surface, but the waves kept pushing me deeper and deeper. The murky water made it nearly impossible to see—then it became red. The last of my air escaped me as I realized . . . I was going to die.
Something wrapped around my waist and began pulling me upward. I gasped for air, choking on the water as my face broke through the surface.
The sky flashed by overhead. I was conscious of the ocean around me, the waves crashing against my body, and the sounds of birds. But I couldn’t see who was pulling me.
The warm sand was comfortable beneath me now. My eyes focused for only a moment. I could see his face lowering to mine. His lips parted and then a cool breeze blew through my lungs inflating my chest with air. He released me as I rolled over to choke out the remaining water. I lied there on my side for several minutes, waiting to catch my breath. Then something brushed across my back.
“Shark!” I jumped, looking around me frantically.
“Shhh,” he spoke softly as he held my body still. “The shark is dead, you’re quite safe now,” he assured.
I glanced around me, not trusting his words at first, then calmed. I looked over to see his face gazing into mine. It was like an angel’s, flawless and smooth. His hair hung down around it, drops of water still fell from the tips as he hovered over me, watching me anxiously.
“Are you alright?” he asked. His voice was soft and familiar, like a melody I had heard long ago. He caressed the side of my face gently with the back of his fingers. The touch of his skin on mine was almost electric, causing my heart to speed up.
“How did you . . .?” I reached up and rubbed the water from my eyes. “I saw you on the rocks. You were so far away. How did you know there was a shark?”
He glanced past me. “Perhaps, another time,” he suggested, his eyes still gazing down the beach.
I could hear Kim and Leah screaming my name as they ran toward me. I looked in their direction and then back to my savior—he was gone!
“Phoebe, are you alright?” Leah gasped as she dropped to her knees beside me, trying to catch her breath.
“Yes, I’m fine . . . now.” I sat up, looking all around me.
“The shark, how did you get away from it?” Kim cried as she hugged me tightly.
“What do you mean? Didn’t you see that man pull me out?” I asked urgently.
“Nooo,” Leah answered, “We didn’t see anyone. The waves must have washed you up.”
“No, a man saved me! I was drowning, he pulled me out, and then he gave me mouth to mouth. I almost died!”
“What man?” Leah asked as she looked up and down the beach.
“You didn’t see him?” My voice was softer now, tired, defeated. Was I the only one who could see him? The only one who could hear him? I put my fingers to my lips. I could still feel the cool kiss he’d left there. I searched the sand around me. The only footprints were from my friends.
They looked at one another then back to me, shaking their heads. They hadn’t seen anyone.
“Uh, Phoebe, maybe we should get you home,” Kim suggested as she looked to Leah who was nodding her head in agreement.
“Hey, look!” Kim jumped up and ran to the water’s edge to retrieve my surfboard that had just washed up. “Not even a bite!” she added cheerfully.
I frowned. Leave it to Kim to be making jokes at a time like this.
Leah helped me to my feet as I took one final look around, hoping to see my stranger. He was nowhere to be seen.