I smiled as I grabbed the last suitcase from the back of our car and closed the hatch. The sun had been beating down on us the whole trip and I was glad when we arrived at the new house. The breeze from the ocean had started to cool me down a bit at least. It wouldn't have been so bad had the air conditioner kept working in the car, but a few hours after we left the motel that morning it had conked out and even with all the windows down, it had never actually gotten cool enough for us to not be sweaty. Thankfully the ocean breeze drew away any humidity but my curly brown hair had already been drenched with sweat and I didn’t even want to know what I looked like.
I stopped and took in the surroundings of our new home. The beach was directly across the road from our house and I could smell the tangy saltiness in the air. Large rocks dotted the coast line and the sand looked cool and inviting. I couldn't wait to feel the cool ocean water and look for sea life. The one good thing about moving halfway across the country was we were practically steps away from the ocean. I pulled my eyes away from the water and looked at our new house instead.
It was nothing like our old place in Minnesota. This house was a wooden chalet style with floor to ceiling windows in every room. It was built up on rocks that were sticking out of the mountain behind it. The tall trees surrounding the house gave it a cozy feel, like living in a tree house, with exposed beams and logs. The garage at the front was big enough for two cars and all our extras that I was sure would fill it. The moving truck had been the day before and the boxes were distributed around the house. I was glad I didn’t have to pack all the boxes up the front steps as I counted nine of them.
I had heard my mother talk of the beautiful sights in British Columbia but I never in my life thought it was as gorgeous as it was. The tree’s were so high it was hard to see the tops and the lush green mountains surrounded us on three sides. We had visited a few times when I was younger but I guess I wasn’t old enough to appreciate the beauty then.
Of course my mom had talked about it since I was old enough to listen. She loved Minnesota and moved there with my father after they were married. But when a chance to move back to Canada, to her home, came up she had convinced us easily. A seagull squawked overhead and I almost jumped. It would definitely take a little bit to get used to living near the ocean.
“So Anna, how's the unpacking going?” my dad asked as I came into the kitchen. He ruffled my hair and I cringed. He didn't get that I was almost eighteen and took pains to get my long curly hair to stay in some sort of style. Although right now it was more sweat than anything.
He and my mom were going through boxes of dishes and stocking the cupboards. They were so cute together. He was short and stocky, with thinning hair and round glasses. My mom was tall and lean with curly brown hair like mine although she always kept hers short at the nape and I let mine grow. I wish I would have gotten some of her height as well as the hair, but no such luck. I was stuck at just over 5 feet tall.
“I don't think I will ever be done,” I said and mocked wiping sweat from my forehead. “Couldn't we have paid the movers to unload the stuff in the boxes too?”
“But that's the fun of it!” My mom said and I laughed as I rolled my eyes. “Why don't you take a break and go for a walk along the beach before the relatives start pounding on our door. There is going to be a lot of cheek pinching and 'My have you gotten so big' from all your aunts and uncles,” my mom explained and I groaned. I had met my mom's family when we came to visit before. They had all made the trek down to Minnesota a few times over the years as well. But I knew she was right since I hadn't seen them for a while and honestly I was actually looking forward to having some family nearby.
I couldn't wait to get to know my cousins better. We had met a few times while they vacationed with us but now that I would be living here I couldn't wait to see them again. Especially my cousin Miranda who was exactly one week younger than I was. We were both seventeen and in our last year of high school and would be attending the same school together. We got along great when I had seen her last but that had been two years ago and only for two weeks. I hoped she was still the funny girl she was when they visited.I ran up to my room and took a quick shower before I headed out to the beach.
I was carrying my shoes and splashing through the water when a large black lab came over and shook in front of me. Water sprayed up my legs and I let out a yelp and then laughed as he barked and rolled in the rocks and sand in front of me.
“Sorry about that!” a voice called and I looked up to see a guy around my age come jogging down towards me. His short wavy hair was almost white blond. It was so light it looked surreal. He smiled widely as he stopped in front of me.
“Are you ok? He didn’t get you wet did he?” he asked and I shook my head. I had to lift my head up, way up in order to look at his face. His eyes were a deep green like emeralds as they sparkled in the fading light of the afternoon. As the light hit them they lit up and I could almost see the different shades of green dancing in them. He was wearing beige cargo shorts and a white t-shirt over his lean chest. He looked like the epitome of a surfer boy.
“Is that your dog?” I asked as the mutt stood up and ran down the beach a little ways, splashing around in the water and then digging in the sand.
“He is the neighbor’s dog, and he gets out a lot. Jake is his name. I'm Desmond Hill,” he said and stuck out his hand.
“I'm Anna Leach and pleased to meet you,” I said and we shook hands. “Do you live around here?”
“Yeah, just across the road.” He pointed to a house that looked a lot like my own although it was a bit bigger. It had the same large windows and exposed beams as mine, which seemed to be the norm in the neighbourhood.
“We just moved in across the road too,” I said and pointed towards my house, which was right beside theres.
“Oh right, I saw you arriving this morning. We've lived here for fourteen years. Well, in Summerside, not this house. We just moved into this one a couple of years ago. This is a great area to live in.”
“Yeah it seems really beautiful. Are you still in school?”
“Yep, Summerside Academy.”
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“That’s great I’m going there too. You might know my cousin Miranda Chattel?”
He blinked his eyes and frowned. “Miranda is your cousin?” I got a weird feeling there was something about her.
“Yeah why? Is there something I should know about her?”
He ran his hand over the back of his neck and smiled. “No, no, it’s just that I didn’t know she had cousins around here.”
“We’re new to Canada. We moved from the states, I have never lived by the ocean before.”
“No? Well you will love it. Do you swim or surf?” he asked, changing the subject from Miranda quickly. His green eyes caught the diminishing sun’s rays again and I found myself staring.
“I can swim but I've never surfed,” I admitted. “I’m more of a land lover. I like hiking and I jog most days.”
“Jogging? You should talk to my brother. He knows a bunch of trails around this area.”
“That would be fantastic. But I would kind of like to learn to surf too.” “Ahh, I'll get you surfing in no time! It's something we can do a lot of here since the bay has the perfect amount of wind,” he said excitedly. “I love the water. I'm always down here when school‘s out. I think I spend more time here than in the house.” I couldn't help but smile, he seemed so friendly. It was infectious. The top of his white blond hair ruffled in the slight breeze and I wondered what it would be like to run my fingers through it. I almost laughed at the thoughts running through my head but instead my cheeks heated and I imagined they were bright red.
“Come on Dez!” A loud voice boomed and we both looked across the road as someone jogged towards us.
“Hey Thayer, this is Anna. She just moved in beside us,” Desmond said, introducing me to the guy as he came to stand a few feet away. His hair was shaggy and jet black and his eyes were as blue as the ocean in front of me. They also shone in the sunlight like Desmonds but they seemed deeper, more troubled. He had his hands in his pockets as he stood there, looking me up and down. His face was almost expressionless, except for his eyes. For some reason both of them had the brightest eyes I had ever seen.
“Desmond tells me you know of some trails around here that are good for jogging?”
The corner of his lip raised and he snorted. “Dez can show you, he knows them as well as I do.”
I was taken back by the gruffness in his voice. “Oh,” I said and looked at Desmond, shrugging. “I guess you can show me the trails after you teach me to surf.”
Desmond looked to his brother and then back at me. “Yeah for sure. I’ll definitely do that.”
I looked back at Thayer, who was staring at me. We locked eyes for a moment until I looked away. He let out a frustrated sigh and hooked a thumb at Desmond. “Dad's waiting, we have to go.”
“Well, it was nice meeting you guys.”
Thayer gave me a quick once over, saying nothing, before turning and jogging back across the road, dismissing me like I was just another rock on the beach. I would have dismissed him right back had he not left so fast and if he wasn’t so freakishly hot. He was wearing black jeans and a tight black t-shirt and I couldn't help but notice the muscles in his back as they pressed against the shirt. My friend Hannah back home would call him a rock star wannabe. I sighed as I turned back to Desmod.
“He’s a ray of sunshine huh?” I teased.
“You picked up on that huh?” Desmond said and shrugged. “Brothers are a pain, especially twin brothers.Do you have any? Siblings that is.”
I smiled and shook my head, “Nope, no siblings for me. I'm an only child.”
“Desmond! Now!” Thayer yelled as he stormed back across the road towards us. I watched him walk over and wondered who died and made him king. He seemed cantankerous and bossy.
“Is he always like this?” I asked quietly.
Desmond nodded and laughed as he backed away. “Unfortunately. Consider yourself lucky to be an only child. I have to put up with captain grouch here 24-7.” We both shared a laugh and he waved goodbye.
“I'll see you around I guess,” I said loudly as I watched him jog backwards across the road, Jake the dog following him.
“You can count on it Anna!” he yelled and disappeared up his driveway, saying something to his brother as he passed by. Thayer stood there for a few moments staring at me. My heart flipped in my chest and I looked down at my feet. When I looked up again he was heading up his driveway.
By the time I made my way back to my house my family had started to arrive. We ate, we laughed and I had fun meeting everyone again. I was exhausted and soon after they left I went up to my room and got into my pajama shorts and a tank top. I moved the half empty boxes off my bed and collapsed on it.
Just as I was falling asleep I heard some kind of commotion outside. I got up and looked out my window at the house next door. Thayer was standing at the back of an SUV, something in his arms that looked heavy. He put it in the back and closed the hatch. That’s when I saw the other person. He was tall and lean and looked like he could be the guy's father. He had the same black hair as Thayer although it was clipped short. I was just going to go back to bed, satisfied that the noise was only the neighbors when the man reached out and slapped Thayer across the face. I gasped and then covered my mouth as the man grabbed Thayer by the shirt and pulled him back from the car and pushed him up against the garage doors. I could hear his voice rising but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
I backed away from the window and quickly made my way to the second floor where my parents' room was but the door was closed and the light was off. I stood there for a second before I took off down the stairs and headed out onto the front porch.
“When I say jump, you say how high! Get it?” the man said, his voice tight. “I give you boys a lot of leeway but I will not take insubordination! Especially from you Thayer. You will do as I say, when I say it!” He ended his sentence with a shove and Thayer went down, falling to the concrete driveway. He got up on his hands and knees and his eyes met mine. I sucked in a breath and stepped closer to the railing but he shook his head slightly telling me to stay where I was.
“Get up and clean yourself up. You will come with me tonight.” His father turned and stomped away. Seconds later I heard their front door slam shut and I took off down the stairs, my bare feet slapping on each step. By the time I reached Thayer, he had stood up and was wiping at his face.
“Your nose is bleeding,” I said as I reached out to him but he stepped away.
“Don’t. Just go away.” He sounded defeated.
“I’m not going anywhere. Your father just slapped you and threw you on the ground!” My voice was raised and Thayer grabbed me by the arm and pulled me around to the front of the SUV.
“Keep your voice down!” he whisper yelled at me. He dropped my arm and lifted the bottom of his shirt up and wiped at his face. I saw he had a cut on his cheek and his hands were roughed up and bleeding.
“Ok fine, but you need to do something about him. He can’t touch you like that. You can call the police.”
He shook his head and dropped his arms to his side. “You have no idea what’s going on Anna. Go back to your house and forget what you saw. Please.” He started to walk away but I grabbed his arm. He stopped but didn’t turn back towards me.
“Thayer,” I said and he let out a long breath, turning so quickly that my hand flew off his arm.
“Go. Back. Home.” he said angrily, his face inches from mine. “I don’t need you sticking your nose into my business. Get it?”
I swallowed and nodded. His eyes that were so shiny and bright earlier were dark and stormy now. My heart started to race inside my chest as I took a breath. “But…” I started to speak but he stopped me.
“But nothing. I will never need your help. So don’t talk to me or look at me and keep your nose out of my business. I’m not going to be your friend, ever. Just leave me alone.” With that he turned and stormed away as I leaned against the truck and wondered what the hell just happened.