Chapter 6 - THE SHALLOWS

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There was salt in the air, staining the insides of her nose, tickling the back of her throat and dissolving on the tip of her tongue. There were other tastes and smells underneath it too, but she couldn't quite tell what they were supposed to be, only that they felt nice and inviting in an oddly familiar way.

The short gusts and gentle breezes brought sounds with them as well, the cries of seagulls hovering above them and the rumbling of waves crashing down on the shoreline. They sounded distant though, almost muffled, from where she stood.

The sand beneath her feet was hot and dry. She wriggled her toes, digging her heels in deeper to feel its rough warmth hugging her skin.

"Ada?"

Her eyes fluttered open. Kassia was right there in front of her, bent at the waist, brushing her braids aside to peer up at her with a warm, soft smile.

"Come on," the older girl whispered, voice struggling to break through the wind's whistling. She took hold of Ada's hands and gave them a gentle tug. "Let's get your feet wet."

A dazed Ada let herself be pulled towards the water, completely transfixed by the way the sunlight caressed and kissed the other girl's dark skin. It was only when a wave came rolling in, soaking the sand and the bottom of her feet, that she flinched and stepped back.

"It's okay, I'm here" Kassia was quick to reassure her, never losing that soft smile even as she tightened her hold on her, "It'll feel nice, I promise."

Taking in a deep breath, Ada bit her lip and nodded. With grited teeth, she stepped forward and steeled herself, keeping a strong grip on the other girl's hand, just in case.

Another wave rushed towards them, washing over their feet and lapping at their calves. She had expected it to feel sharp and cold, like steel, but it didn't. At all. It was tepid, even warmer than the breeze caressing her skin.

They went further, step by step, until they were both standing knee deep in the water. The waves started strong and towering up ahead, but lost most of their momentum by the time they reached their legs. It was easy enough to settle into their almost lulling rhythm and forget about them entirely.

The almost tranquil water around them also made it easier to see what hid beneath the surface, like the small fishes and bits of algae brushing past her legs, the minuscule crabs scurrying about before disappearing under the seabed, or the pebbles digging into the soles of her feet.

Ada was so entranced by all of the life teeming underneath, that she didn't notice Kassia's hand slipping free from her grip.

By the time she looked up, it was too late. The older girl had already splashed a handful of water on her face.

"Kassia!" Ada gasped, stumbling back.

The older girl just laughed, skipping away from her with a cheeky grin.

"Sorry, Ada," Kassia teased with an dramatic shrug, smirking at the younger girl from what she clearly thought was a safe distance, "but you can't go to the beach and not get splashed at least once. It's basically tradition."

Unable to help the slight pout tugging at her lips, Ada used the sleeve of her now damp shirt to dry her eyes. She was still staring down at the passing waves when her frown shifted to a sly grin.

"Well, then..."

Without any warning, Ada threw herself into a mad dash towards Kassia. Eyes widening in sudden realisation, the older girl immediately tried to make a run for it, but by the time she turned around, Ada was already within throwing range, and managed to splash Kassia's back with a wall of lukewarm water.

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The next couple of minutes were a mess of splashing, shrieking and laughter, as the two girls engaged in a short but spirited water-fight, giggling like children as they ran up and down the shallows.

Suddenly, a long whistle broke through the noise.

Both girls froze in place and looked up, only to find Gabriel waving at them from his spot next to the parked SUV.

"You have fifteen minutes left!" he yelled over at them, making a tapping motion on his wrist watch.

"Yes, sir," Kassia yelled back with a mock salute, rolling her eyes when the boy flipped his middle finger at her and went back to checking his phone.

"Sorry, Ada," she said in a low tone, looking downcast as she turned back to face her, "I wish we had more time. Thirty minutes is not nearly enough to enjoy the beach."

Seeing the dejected look on her friend's face, Ada frowned and stepped closer, fingers brushing the back of the other girl's hand.

"It's okay," Ada said in a soft tone, smiling when Kassia accepted the touch and fitted their hands together. "This." She nodded towards everything, the sand, the cliffs, the sky, the water. "This is more than I ever thought I'd get to see and feel."

A tentative smile bloomed on Kassia's face, before being quickly replaced with a bright glint in her wide, brown eyes. "Hey, how about we get some souvenirs for you then?"

Frowning, Ada blinked and tilted her head, letting that foreign word roll off her tongue. "Souvenirs?"

"Yeah, something to remind you of your super awesome day at the beach with us. Like..." Kassia gave a sweeping look at their surroundings before suddenly dropping to snatch something from the seabed.

"Shells!" she cried out with barely contained glee, presenting her finding to Ada like a proud child. It was a small, smooth, white shell. "We can look for them in the shallows. Whoever gets the prettiest or strangest one wins! What do you say?"

Ada giggled and nodded, letting herself get infected by Kassia's child-like enthusiasm.

"Great!" Kassia beamed. "This is our starting point. You'll look for them that way, till you reach those rocks, and I'll do the same, but this way. Once we're finished, we'll run back towards this spot and show each other what we found. Sound okay?"

Another eager nod from the younger girl, her eyes already straying, trying to spot more shells nearby.

"There are rules though. You don't know how to swim, right, Ada?"

Surprised at the question, Ada turned back to lock eyes with a worried looking Kassia.

'Because it's too deep and you can't swim.'

Ada frowned. Then, slowly, shook her head. "No."

"It's okay," the older girl shrugged, throwing her a much more comforting smile, "I'm in a swimming team, and both Gabriel and I were kind of forced to have CPR classes, so it should be fine." The smile faded, lips pressed into a tight line. "But, just to be safe, stay in the shallows, alright, Ada?"

There was something grave and intense about the way Kassia stared into her and tightened her grip around her fingers. So, Ada made sure to mirror that same degree of seriousness when she nodded back at the girl.

When the game finally started, Ada followed Kassia's advice and made sure to not stray, keeping the water well below her knees.

It wasn't like there was much need to go deeper anyway. The shallows were covered in pebbles and shells. Most of them were broken though, just bits and shards and jagged ends, and even those that remained in one piece were either the size of her thumb or just as pale as the one Kassia had shown her, and not nearly interesting enough to keep.

Much too soon, she found herself just a couple of feet away from the rocks on her side of the beach, still empty handed. Frustrated, Ada was on the verge of just giving up and going back to help Kassia with her own hunt, when she heard something.

A voice.

It was too deep to belong to Kassia. A male voice. But it wasn't Gabriel's either.

It came from the sea.

And it was calling out for help.

Ada's heart skipped a beat. Whipping her head around, she cast her gaze out into the horizon, beyond the waves.

There was nothing.

But the voice kept calling. No, not calling. They were screaming.

Heart racing, Ada found herself leaping towards the waves until the water was lapping at her waist, soaking through her shorts and shirt. But that didn't matter, because she heard the voice again, much louder this time. And then she saw it. Squinting between the large, darker waves, she spotted something.

Smoke. Flames flaring up into the sky. And metal wings.

It was a plane, burning up, torn in half and sinking fast.

There was someone inside it. They were screaming in pain, probably trapped, and desperately calling out for help.

They were calling out for her name.

That's when the whole world came crashing down.