The waves of the sea crashed against the sandy banks, taking some of the sand with it but also leaving some of its waters back on the shore.
+++Part 1+++
Sand
Laughter could be heard coming from the hill. "I'm gonna get you," giggled the little 5-year-old girl.
Pounce, chase, wait, pounce again, chase.
Farther and farther from her little house she chased the blue butterfly.
She came to the top of the hill she was running up while pursuing the butterfly and abruptly stopped. She gazed at all the fields and the beautiful forest that lie beyond them with wonder... as if she were gazing at it for the first time, though she had been outside just the day before.
But today was a new day.
She turned her head to look over her shoulder and back down the hill. There her family's one-storied house stood at the edge of their large farmland. She turned forward again before continuing to chase her little friend. Her family may not have been rich in money but they were very rich in land. To her, that was better than being rich in money.
It had taken her five minutes of running to get to the forest where she continued to lope after her newfound buddy. She could hear a cow bellow off in the other field, probably announcing to the herd that it spotted fresh greens.
Being so deathly shy of people, she mostly found herself in the company of certain animals. She didn't have to worry about not having enough creatures around because there was an abundance of them on the farm. They included the cows, the chickens, the barn pigeons, and the farm cats. She needn't have to worry about talking to them or worry about them calling her names. She would usually just want to chase them or play games. She might occasionally talk to them. Although it would usually be random words she shouted out to get their attention... or to scare them. She would very seldom try to have a conversation with any of them. That was generally saved for her immediate family, whom she was not timorous around.
This girl was the weird kind that was happy and bouncy to those who got close enough to be trusted and mute to those who weren't. So, you see, she could never make any friends out of most people. Even when she tried to she just couldn't speak loud enough and she would start stuttering; anxious... for a reason she could not understand. She never had a genuine not-related friend...that was of...the human sort.
"Nah, hey," she yells before stumbling over a root. "Ah-Huh? Uh..."
She studied her surroundings a little before standing back up. This was a part of the woods she did not know. Good- she liked exploring and it gets boring going through the same trails again and again. She took a few steps, looking around at the spring flowers and buds still growing. Some from trees whose branches where still fairly bare from winter. Rounding the corner of an unmarked path she noticed something. Through the trees she saw a rundown house that looked at least three stories high and somewhat... eerie.
Of course, being her adventurous self, she had to go investigate. Almost totally forgetting about the butterfly, she climbed the porch steps and slowly walked towards the door. It creaked open as she walked in. Every step caused the floorboards to groan. It didn't look as bad as she thought it would have. Still it was exceedingly dusty and some of the wallpaper was torn. But other than that everything looked...okay. She also didn't think it would have any furniture but it did, though old and mostly broken. The room where she stood had a white couch yellowed with age and covered in dust with a large dull red rug in front of it. It also had a bookcase loaded with all different kinds of books. The wallpaper was a white color with little flower bud designs at the top. To the right of the couch she noticed a doorway.
Curiosity got the better of her and she went deeper into the house. She went climbing up stairs, opening every door, and looking into each room. One door held a closet with a bunch of fur coats, shawls, and dresses, but she wasn't interested in that and carefully closed the door. She repeated the process until she came to a room with nothing placed in it but a large window and an antique dresser. It was a medium sized wooden dresser made with elegant wood that gave a dull glow in the evening sun. Dust and scratches hindered its prettiness. Disappointment flickered in her eyes when she opened the drawers to find them empty. Said drawers were quickly forgotten when girl saw something carved onto the wall behind it. She wanted to see it clearly. So she leaned on the side of the dresser and pushed. Her little legs strained and her feet slid across the floor.
Finally, she thought.
Slowly it moved across the old floor until the figure behind it was fully revealed. The girl stood in front of the strange carving. The wooden wall was barren except for that. It looked like... kind of like an hourglass with the top floating above it. She traced her fingers nimbly across the big symbol as if she'd break it but pulled her hand back when it started to glow orange-ish. Freaked out, she stumbled back. What the dickens was that? I mean, that doesn't happen with walls, right? Fascinated, she reached out again, tracing her fingers over the wall. The glow followed her fingers as they glided over the wood. She nearly cried out when the entire carving erupted with the light.
Wow, was all she could think. I must...touch...pretty light.
She felt herself being pulled. She didn't have a chance to shout before she was dragged into the wall by a nameless force.
Flying...she felt like she was flying as she fell through an unknown space with multi-colored streaks of light passing by her. Or was she passing by them? She started to speed up as she saw a white light at the end of the current.
"Ouch," she yelped. Looking back behind her she saw a cactus with the same glowing orange vein of light that disappeared within seconds. "What's going on... the...?" she whispers to herself as she finds sand instead of dirt and grass beneath her.
Standing up she takes the chance to look around. Sand...everywhere there was sand! She stood there. Just stood there. Her breaths started coming quicker and shallower. Her eyes widened. The girl panicked not knowing where she was and ran, just ran. She ran until she came to the top of a sand dune. Her green and brown hazel eyes shook from side to side with fear as they scanned the horizon. She let out a breath of relief when she saw what looked like some sort of a town or city in the distance. She cast a glance back at the lone cactus that supposedly brought her here once more before heading down the hill towards the town. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her she got closer and closer. One of her hands clutched at her aching side and the other at her pounding heart. But she kept going until she was finally near. What? A...wall? A rocky canyon wall? Confusion raced threw her. She thought... a town. She thought she saw a town. She looked back at the large hill she ran down from. Was she seeing things? Is there nothing here? She couldn't have just been seeing things. She looked up the massive wall. Suddenly her eyes widened. She heard a shout! Someone, a person, shouted! There had to be something over this wall! Where there were people there were usually phones! She could call home!
Yes, E.T. phone home!
She stepped back, inspecting the top of the cliff. She went back up to the wall placing her hand up on it as far as she could reach. A hopeless look crossed her features. There was no way she'd be able to climb it.
Why does it have to be surrounded by a wall? She whimpered in her head.
But then something hit her. It was a rock pebble...but then an actual idea hit her. A smile broke out across her face. If she couldn't get over the wall then maybe she could get under it! She let her hopes soar as she walked to the right of the wall trying to find some way in. She soon stopped, her hope once again diminishing. She turned around walking back to where she first touched the wall. She walked a little further left, dully inspecting the rock. Nothing.
Wait stop. What was that?
Her anticipation shot up like a bottle rocket when she saw the crevice. She ran to it before sliding down on both knees to get a better look at it. Most of it was covered by sand but it looked like it was big enough for her to fit through! But it got dark in there so she couldn't see the end. She hoped it was just a thick wall and not a dead end. Her little hands got to work digging away the sand. When she found the opening to be wide enough she slipped through on all fours. She got deeper and began to get very nervous when she noticed the little tunnel getting narrower. She lowered her head a little more. That's when she started thinking about the possibility of scorpions. Now she was starting to really panic. She didn't like scorpions and her ma told her they were poisonous!
She started scooting along even faster, her breaths getting thin and uneven. It got tighter but she managed to get through. She weaved her way around rocks that stuck out in the path until it started getting straight again. It was so dark in here. She gasped in gladness when she saw light, the end of the tunnel. She hurried along scooting on her hands and knees. The tunnel got wider, easing her nerves. She pulled herself through but when she came to a sudden stop horror danced in her eyes. It wasn't big enough; she could only fit her upper half threw it. Her butt was stuck! She tried it twice but couldn't get through. She didn't have enough room to fully turn around! Could she back out of here? Was if she couldn't?
Wait, she told herself, I'll just dig like I did before! Brilliant!
She frantically clawed at the sand with one hand while the other supported her up. She tried to squeeze threw again. Not big enough-oh, please, please, her thoughts raced as she continued to move the sand until, finally, she got the hole big enough for her to easily slip out of.
Wheezing for air she entered the town looking every which way. This town's buildings weren't made out of regular material. It was weird; it was like they were made out of sand or clay or... something. She stopped in the middle of the street for a break, still trying to regain her lost breath. She was breathing pretty hard from that nervous breakdown she almost had back there. It was really hot too. It looked like it was around evening here as well; she saw the sun going down. She walked over to the side of the street as her breathing began to return to normal. She turned her head to the man standing next to her trying to muster up the courage to ask him where she was.
She took a deep breath and swallowed, "Um, e-excuse me... s-s-sir?" The man paid no heed, he didn't hear her tiny whisper so she tried again, "E-excuse me s-sir?"
The man looked down, "Hm? What do you want?"
The little brunette flinched as she tried to speak again, "C-can you tell me where I a-am?"
"Tch. You're in Suna, girl." The man scoffed.
She looked up, "Su-na?"
"Yeah Suna. Y'know, the Village Hidden in the Sand? In Wind Country?" The man glared down at her like he was a big dog and she was the annoying little kitten that bumped into his leg. The girl nodded and walked away not wanting to anger the man more than she already had. Jeez, by just asking him a question?
"The people around hear aren't very nice..." She whispered to herself still shaken from that human contact. What a butt-monkey, went one of her thoughts.
Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand? She expected an answer like Arizona, Utah, or even the Sahara Desert! Not Suna! Where exactly had that thing taken her? She brushed her chocolate locks behind her ear.
Okay, just look around...maybe...I don't know. She sighed. Aah! My feet!
She looked down at her little brown shoes. They were filled with sand. She giggled...it was squishy! She took the time to study the rest of herself for scratches, tares, and what. Her white socks were still white...enough. Her brown shorts that went just above her knees had minimal damage and her white shirt with light pink spaghetti straps was okay too. The shirt had a little rose pink bow at the top with just a little lace up there as well. Her mom had bought it for her. It was nice but she couldn't say pink was exactly at the top of her favorite color list...but she didn't mind it. She dusted herself off before continuing on, wandering aimlessly though this village, eventually coming up to what appeared to be a little play area of some sort. Looking past the street to the side she saw a little two-person swing set. She trudged over and sat down, gently swinging back and forth. Looking at her feet she started to really think about the situation. How was she supposed to get home? What if she couldn't get home? What would she do then? Tears started to well up in her eyes as she silently thought on all this. She was really by herself! There was no place to go home to here! What would she do? She tightly pressed her lips together as she tried to stop the tears from falling. She hauled herself up, walked over to a building, and leaned against the wall in it's alley way.
What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? That was the question that was going on and on in her head. She continued to stare at her feet while shuffling them every now and then. She bit her lips together and heaved in and out a long nose-sigh. Crud…cruuud!
Stop. Listen. She heard laughter and turned around, peeking out from behind the wall. There were a group of kids that came out onto the play area, kicking a ball. She continued to watch them play wishing she had a friend right now. But no... She was by herself all because of her stupid shyness. Even if she had one of her animal friends with her they wouldn't be able to help much. Now don't get her wrong. She had her moments where she was bubbly and hyper to people. But they were special people like her brother and her two cousins but, as said, very rarely was she like that to strangers. She wished she could be like that with other children more of the time. Maybe then she'd have someone to be lost with...
Bounce.
The girl snaps out of her thoughts as she notices the ball get kicked from the group and roll to a stop at a boy's feet. He looked around her age but what the little brunette noticed most was his deep red hair.
He picked up the ball. "Here."
All the other children froze. "I-it's him."
"It's...it's..."
"Gaara..." another whispered.
There was a silence before another shouted out, "RUN!"
In confusion the girl watched all the other children flee before this one red haired child. Why were they running from him? The boy that the other children called... What did they call him? She couldn't hear. Hey, wasn't that how the ducks ran from her whenever she went to the pond? Yeah, but it wasn't her fault she didn't understand that running at the ducks screaming "AHHEEE! DUCKIES!" was going to make them run. No, in her mind, the mind of a small child, the ducks flew away because they didn't like her. She snapped herself out of her thoughts once again as she noticed the boy look down sadly at the ball before dropping it. He headed towards that swing that she was at just moments ago. He sat down and started to swing gently back and forth his feet not leaving the ground, like she did. The girl peeked her head out further getting a closer look at the boy's face. Did he have black rings around his eyes? He looked so sad...and uh... upset. Kind of like her. The girl frowned and narrowed her eyes in thought, looking over the boy and then the ball that lie motionless on the ground.
She took a deep breath before she walked out from behind the wall and over to the ball. She picked it up and turned to the boy, taking another lungful of air. Then she just stayed rooted to the spot. That fear of people she didn't know rose up again.
And that part of her said, "No" but... there was another part of her. It was loud, insistent, and unrelenting. Something she never noticed before...
And it said, "GO"
So she stood up straight and pushed a small smile to form before she took diminutive steps over to him. The boy looked up hearing the sound of approaching footsteps and saw her, aglow with everything else in the evening sunlight. A meek smile was on her face as she stopped in front of him. Timid yet bright and shining hazel eyes slowly connected with his sea-foam colored ones. She held the ball tightly to her stomach as she lightly twisted the heel of her foot in the sand. She looked from the boy to the ball and back again.
Her smile grew a little brighter as she gradually felt her shyness ease away. It was as if a locked iron door was being pushed open. "Um, hi. Would you like...um, ball, I mean, uh... You dropped it, um..."
She found herself stumbling again and that iron door jammed.
Oh crud! I...my brain just died. Craaap, say it! Just get it out!
"You...play?" She managed to gasp it out. "With me?"
"You want to play...with me?" The boy looked stunned. Whether it was because of her question or the way she asked, acting like she couldn't breath and all, was not known.
She paused, "Well... yeah. S-so... do you? I, I mean..." Her smile faltered as she struggled for something to say. "We... could use this ball! So, whaddya say? Y-you want to?"
He stared at her like he was in a trance, unable to recognize what was happening. No one had ever approached him before. It was usually the other way around, and he was usually turned down- harshly. Even though he tried to be as friendly as possible.
"Aren't you scared of me?" he asked. Who exactly was this weird girl?
"Uh," was all the response she could get out. Scared? What the crap? Scared of WHAT? Wait was this a trick question? "Should I? I can't see why..." She looked every which way then back at him. "Well... if you don't want to..." She turned, disenchanted.
"No! Wait!" The red haired boy's eyes lit up with urgency. "I will!"
Her smile returned and he eagerly took her hand when it was tentatively offered. They walked to the grounds where the other kids were playing before. She felt it again, something inside that said she needed to be this one's friend. The iron door was beginning to move again.
"We'll play catch, okay? O-only this'll be different! Now listen, you can only hold the ball for two seconds! And we'll count down from ten and the person that catches the ball on zero has to...um...put sand down their pants!" she proclaimed, her stutter leaving. "You ready?"
"Yes... ready!" He seemed excited, yet unsure. Like he had never played with anyone before.
The hazel-eyed girl tossed the ball. "Okay! Ten!"
But she threw the ball at an odd angle and it went for his face. Something from the ground shot up and deflected it. The ball landed with a thud in front of him.
"What was that?" she gasped.
"Nothing!" He had replied very, very quickly. He snatched up the ball and urged her to continue the game. "Here!"
She got the ball... right in the face. "Ow," was her only reply. She could hear him apologizing profusely. However she only laughed, "It's fine. Me too. I'm not very good at throwing straight...um, ha." She started laughing again. "Okay, okay! Let's go again! What number were we on? Wait, aren't we suppose to explode if we drop the ball?"
"We... haven't exploded." He looked really confused.
"O-oh! Never mind! That rule is for a different game!
"I...didn't mean to throw it at your face."
"It's fine. Really. That was actually funny! Anyway... Oh, yeah! Here, let's just start over. Ten!"
"Nine!" - "Eight!" - "Seven!"
"Six!" - "Five!" - "Four!"
"Three!" - "Two!" - "One!"
"Zero! Ah crap..." The girl found herself with the ball on zero.
She sighed but nonetheless picked up some sand, opened her shorts, and dropped it in. It came out of the pant holes anyway but it was still weird.
"Me and my stupid rule making..." She mumbled to herself but loud enough the boy could hear. She looked up as she heard him laugh.
The girl smiled at him. She found him cute...like a squirrel!
Or...something...like that.
She didn't know why but all her worries seemed to steadily melt away, she just felt... safe. They continued playing with each of them having to put sand down their pants when they lost. When they were done with the ball game they played other games with the ball, mostly whatever she came up with, and after that they played on the swings, sometimes she'd push him and sometimes he'd push her. It seemed like the evening went by too fast as the sun was already halfway gone over the horizon.
She couldn't think of any other game to play. The two sat on the swings side by side. He looked at her expectantly. "What now?"
"I don't know...you wanna watch the sun set with me? Sometimes me and my cousins do that."
"Yeah, I know a really good place to watch it too!" He took her hand. "Come on!"
Soon they came to a large building, "Up there!" he exclaimed pointing to the top.
"Up there? But...EE-OOO!" The sand beneath their feet started to move and float as it brought them to the top of the building then set the two down.
The boy looked down at his feet after a couple seconds realizing what he had just shown her. "I'm sorry..."
"What just happened? How?" The girl looked at the red head in confusion.
"I...I can control the sand," he said still looking at his feet.
"Th...that's..." The boy's eyes sadden as he hears her speak just waiting for her to scream and run. "That's...so... COOL! Really?"
The boy jumps back surprised, "Y-you mean... you're okay with it?"
"What? Okay with it? Tch, yah!" She giggles, "I think that's just the best-est thing ever! Wish I had superpowers!"
He stares at her in wonder. No one had ever given him that kind of reaction before.
She beamed. "You're funny. Snnzz-Hehe!" She went over to sit down, making sure not to get too close to the edge. He paused, still surprised at her reaction but soon rushed to sit beside her.
The two of them sat in contented silence for a few minutes, watching the sun set over the horizon. It was so nice-looking. The girl looked over to the boy, his red hair was gleaming in the sun. She zoned out once again, mesmerized by his brilliant red tresses. She thought about how he could control sand. It reminded her of when she got to go to the beach. She loved the beach, playing in the sparkling water and the warm sand. She snapped out of her thoughts. What did those kids say his name was anyway? She couldn't believe she played with him all that time and didn't even ask him his name. How embarrassing, her mother taught her better than to talk to strangers.
She smiled. "Hey...um..."
He looked over.
"What's your name?" She looked away embarrassed. "I forgot to ask you earlier."
"My name's Gaara," he says sheepishly.
She blinked owlishly. She had never heard that kind of name before. But... she liked it. It wasn't boringly ordinary. His expectant stare brought her back to the moment.
"Oh! Uh, my name's Katherine, but you can call me Kathy or Katy or whatever... if you want!" She smiled at him and the boy known as Gaara smiled back.
Maybe...just maybe she found a new friend...