“Bobby!” May hissed, “Put it back!”

Bobby rolled his big hazel eyes, and put the shell he had slipped in his pocket back onto the sandy shore.

“It’s just a shell, May,” he said, annoyed.

“Yeah, just a shell. Just a Kauri Snail shell. Mum’s told you before you’re not meant to take things from the beach or bush.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” 

Behind May’s back, Bobby could see Wren filling her pockets with shells she was pilfering from the shore, and he averted his gaze before smirking at her defiance.

May sighed at Bobby, believing his smirk to be directed at her, and walked away from him. Bobby shrugged, and followed May.

“Wren, come on!” May called over her shoulder as she noticed the distance growing between them.

Their younger sister followed, trying to reduce the sound of the clattering calcium carbonates in her pocket, lest she face a similar scolding as her brother.

The three siblings wandered along the shore, using boulders to hop over makeshift estuary streams, avoiding mud-sinkholes and climbing under Pohutukawa trees that had fallen from the cliffside alongside them.

The afternoon was warm, the November weather bringing with it a promise of a great summer to come, and the temptation to swim was high.

Wren was the first to dip a foot in the ocean, a small squeal escaped her lips as she decided against embracing the coolness. May took this as an indication that she didn’t want to dive in either, while Bobby, without even testing the water first, took off his t-shirt and stormed through the low-tide, a grimace of glee on his face as he fought to enjoy the cold.

The breeze was picking up now, and Bobby was quickly overcome with goosebumps, as a chill ran down his spine. 

May picked up his shirt and threw it at him as he exited the water, he caught it and slipped the top over his tall frame. Despite being two years younger than May’s 13, he was almost as tall as she was. A testament to how big he was going to be once puberty hit.

The top clung to the water droplets that had splashed on his body when he charged through the water, feeling cold enough, Bobby was thankful that he hadn’t taken a full-body plunge into the water.

“Let’s go home.” May said, wrapping an arm around Bobby, helping to warm him up. Wren stood alongside May, sneaking her hand into May’s free one, putting May in the middle of her younger siblings, and the three Hunter children walked home.

Once home, Bobby ran off to get a clean t-shirt, a trail of sand streaking behind him on the ground as he ran.

“BOBBY!” May yelled after him. 

“It’s okay,” their mother Allie laughed. “We’ll sort it out later.”

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May walked to the bathroom to wash her hands, while Wren knelt down and gave their brown border collie Tucker a smell of her hands, letting him explore the beach via the scent, in lieu of taking him with them.

“Is he feeling better?” Wren asked Allie.

“I think so,” Allie nodded. “I know he was sad to miss out on the beach trip with you three.”

“We missed him too.” Wren said. Then she pulled a handful of shells from her pocket, and held them out to Tucker, who enthusiastically sniffed the collection, and pawed them out of Wren’s hands. Once they were strewn across the tiled floor, he began to roll on them, lifting the smell of the ocean onto his own coat.

Noting the shell's arrival at their home, Allie raised her eyebrows questioningly at Wren. Wren gave an innocent smile in return. 

“Tucker needed to be included.”

Allie sighed. “We need to leave nature as we find it.” 

Wren nodded, avoiding Allie’s gaze.

May came back, noticed the shells in front of Wren and Tucker, rolled her eyes and bit back the snark that wanted to be loosed. 

“Dinner’s in ten minutes.” Allie said. “Can someone take Tucker for a short walk? Leave him on lead - his paw is still a bit too sore for much.”

“ME!” Wren and Bobby yelled in unison.

“I said it first!” Wren said, and ran to grab Tucker’s harness and lead from the coat hook. Beating her there, Bobby held the harness out of her reach.

“GIVE IT!!” Wren yelled, jumping to reach the harness. Her brown eyes were wild with an untamed rage as she fought for her success.

“No.” Bobby said, his mouth in a wide grin as he relished in the height advantage he had over his little sister.

“Bobby…” Allie warned.

“Fiiiiiiine.” Bobby relented and gave the harness to Wren, who quickly got Tucker to sit and wait for the harness to be put on him.

After agreeing to be back in ten minutes for dinner, Bobby and Wren left with Tucker eagerly walking alongside them, happy for his short reprieve from being cooped up for recovery.

“You okay, hon?” Allie asked May once the younger two kids had left.

“Yeah, fine.”

“What’s up?”

“Ugh, nothing mum.” May whinged.

Allie looked at May and waited.

“I’m just worried about finishing school next week.”

“I can understand that. Next week is your last week at intermediate, then you start high school next year.

Anything in particular you’re worried about?”

“I don’t want to lose my friends.” May looked down, fighting back tears.

Allie nodded, and brought May in for a hug.

“Tight?” Allie asked. May nodded, and Allie gave May a tight embrace, with a quick smother at the end. May always loved Allie’s tight hugs, giving an added boost of security.

“Change happens,” Allie said, “all the time. Sometimes it’s not a good change, sometimes it is. What matters is how you react to the change and handle it.”

May nodded. She knew this.

“Love you May.”

“Love you too, mum.”