Avoidance - the action of keeping away from or not doing something.
She didn't see him until Finn had conveniently insisted they finally head towards the water. They have been at Jan Juc for over an hour, and the weather was fairing towards the hotter side of 30 degrees celsius.
Finn was over sun bathing, there was only so much he could take plus he wanted to see Rose.
She was the latest addition to the Surfers Coast Life Guards, Poe had come home one Thursday afternoon ranting about the recruit. Between 'fiery' and 'Korean BBQ lover' Finn was a goner.
Since that faithful day, he had spent most Saturdays scouting out her watch schedule, claiming innocence when confronted with the borderline harassment.
"it's not harassment, when you're dedicated to pursuing a relationship"
"Finn, that's what all stalkers say," Rey smiled at her friend's dedication/lunacy.
Which had seen them again at Jan Juc beach on this bright Saturday morning, Rey had only confirmed her cooperation under the strict promise that he wouldn't be there.
Poe had confirmed, Benjamin Solo would not be in Torquay for the remainder of January, he was back home in the States visiting his Uncle.
So, it seemed strange that when she and Finn stretched out towards the rolling water, a familiar broad back caught her attention. She shook her head in denial, out of the diverse population in Torquay there had to be another male with a back that pasty and that wide.
She continued, watching as Finn darted towards the swimming Rose. Rose spotted him and smiled, Finn proceeded to stumble and kamikaze into the gathering wave. Rose froze and waded after him.
Rey laughed "the boy has it bad"
The frosty pacific water bit at her ankles, as she proceeded to submerge herself as quickly as possible. The water was the best antidote for the blazing Australian sun.
She had moved to Melbourne, Victoria in the hopes of finding herself. The bustling streets of London had left a deep ache in the void of her loneliness, with that prompting she had gathered her small scraps of life's belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Australia.
She had met Finn and Poe in a backpacker's lodge on day three of her new journey. They had coerced her into moving to the Surf Coast with the temptation of better pay for tourists seeking under the table cash jobs.
Poe was a student pilot gaining his hours and Finn was ... well know one really knew why Finn was there but he seemed semi-sane (apart from their current predicament) and they needed the extra boarder.
She has begun to be able to breathe again, the sea change had done wonders to the ache. The one that had been present her whole life. During the countless moves, the river of new faces as she was passed from foster family to foster family.
Breathe.
She dove under the pressing wave, pushing herself further out until her lungs burned with the want of air. Breaking through the surface, she pushed back the darkened locks that clung to her face.
The sea salt momentarily stung her eyes, looking around she took in the multiple surfers wading out to catch the larger waves. A few braver teenagers were near her, including one smaller girl in a Christmas themed floatation donut.
She seemed calm under first observation, but the closer Rey moved towards her, she realised the girl was younger than first anticipated. She couldn't be older than six and her face was blotching red.
Rey turned towards the shore, trying to see if she could spot any concerned parents.
Panic set in when no abruptly troubled faces showed themselves. The girl had drifted further away, Rey compelled herself closer to the girl.
Her lips were bluing, Rey raised her arms and waved with terror "HEY!" "Here! Quick, Emergency!"
She screamed "HELP!" "God, please, someone help," she powered with everything within her towards the girl, the moment she touched the cool plastic of the donut, the girl bowed.
"Sweetheart, hey, wake up!" Rey forced her face up; the girls face was riddled with angry red blemishes and her eyes were rolling. She was in an anaphylactic episode.
Rey laid the girl on herself as she side-stroked faster to the busing crowd that had gathered around the oceanfront. Minutes passed as she pushed and pushed… dragging the girl as recklessly as her body would go. Some concerned swimmers had started to drift towards her.
"Hey, is she okay?" one of the surfers queried.
"Look, I'm not entirely sure how long she's been like this, but I need to get her to the shore as quickly as …" before she could finish her laboured sentence, the lifeless girl was pried from the water
"Rey?" his deep voice boomed over her shocked daze. She begun to shake as the adrenaline soared through her body. She watched as the girl was lifted from her arms onto the red hamboard.
"Rey," Ben quizzed again. "you need to get on Rose's board" nodding, Roses fluorescent board come into view. Heart pounding loudly in her ears, she watched as Rose reached out for her.
"Rey, I need your arms up so its easier for me to grab you," her soft voice was firm in nature, Rey simply obeyed. The flowing fright leaving her in shaking breaks, as the buoyance allowed Rose to easily guide her unto the longboard.
Rey watched ahead, as that familiar back drove onwards. She could make out the crumpled body of the little girl, as her eyes birthed salt laden tears.
"Rose," she weakly eased, as her throat thickened from the building emotions. "do you think she'll be okay?"
Without ceasing, Rose calmly nodded "she been stung, it looks like bluebottle. The coasts called an ambulance, she's going to be fine"
She continued to pound against the waves, as they moved closer to the shore. Ben effortlessly spurred through the breakers, his strong arms muscling the liquid. She noticed his hair had been messily tied into a half knot, keeping his eyes free of obstruction.
"you'll be alright, keep breathing," Rose peeked the mantra at her "keep calm or you'll go into shock,"
Rey nodded again.
Breathe
Ben reached the beach first. The other guards were waiting with a stretcher, they gently removed her from his hamboard and laid her prostrate.
He was by her side, panting heavily as they commenced treatment on her now obvious leg and arm legions.
The girls panicked parents broke through the rabble, "Harper, Oh No!"
"Harper!" the woman wallowed as she observed her eerily still child. "Harper!" she repeated, as she lurched forward trying to crowd her child.
The closest life guard grabbed her gently. "Ma'am please, you need to give them space. She's received a few jellyfish stings and gone into anaphylaxis, but an ambulance is coming," he finished as he guided her back to her shaken husband.
In the next beat Rose had marooned her board, easing her way off to get the shaken girl a towel.
She called out as a fortified Rey blacked out, careening off the beached rescue board. "I need some help here, I think she's gone into shock!"
Rey's final assessment before darkness took her was that back turning to display that face that she had been trying all summer to avoid.
That face twisted into a grimace of surprise and alarm.
That mouth that rushed her name.
So much for trying to avoid Benjamin Solo.