Her breathing was short and shallow, puffing out in small gasps in the crisp night air. She put her hands on her knees, bending over to try and calm her racing heart. She can't believe she did it. Finally. FINALLY.
A small strangled laugh found its way out of her throat, a few tears squeezing out of her eyes. Her shaking started to calm slightly, until she heard it.
The screaming of sirens off in the distance caused her wheezing to become worse, until it felt like someone had a vice on her chest, slowly squeezing her lungs until no space was left.
She wiped a shaking hand through her hair, and continued to run. It was only a few blocks to the dock. Then she would be gone. Finally putting the distance she so desperately needed between her and that horrible place. But as she stood in front of the ticket booth a few moments later, jittery and nervous, she had another brief flash of panic. Could she really do this?
What would she do without the structure, without the molding, without...her? She forced the thoughts from her head as she bought the first ticket she could find to anywhere. She took a deep breath to settle herself, and squared her shoulders as she stepped up to the man with the roster, asking for her name. She closed her eyes and answered.
"Chelsea" she murmured "it's Chelsea."
The boat docked in the middle of the night. Chelsea sighed, rubbing her forehead into the palm of her hand. The voyage had been long and tiring. Thoughts of doubt had rang in her head the entire way. But she knew she needed this.
Extremely exhausted, dirty, and feeling very lost, Chelsea stepped out onto the dock. Stumbling onto the sandy beach, she sighed, as she wondered what she should do next.
As the empty beach surrounded her, she could feel the tears begin forming in her eyes. Her throat chocked up and she was sure she was about to let the tears she had been forcing back all night fall.
She plopped down in the sand, burying her face in her hands. She felt so lost. Where the hell was she anyways? A sob tore out of her chest as everything finally hit her. She cried large, hot tears, the sound coming from her mouth primal and raw.
She didn't know how long she sat on that beach for. Minutes? Hours? Until exhaustion finally overtook her and she curled up in a ball, letting the darkness overtake her.
Suddenly there was light, and warmth. Chelsea stiffened, afraid to open her eyes. She felt around her slowly, the edge of something soft hitting her fingers. A blanket? Slowly, she opened her eyes.
She was in a small shack, obviously turned into someones home. She glanced down, seeing the soft purple down blanket that was covering her. Cautiously, she sat up.
"Oh good, your awake. You scared the shirmp outta me, the way you were just lyin' in the middle of the beach!"
Chelsea froze instantly, her head swiveling to the voice she heard. She focused on a very tanned man, with curly brown hair and a purple bandanna. He was sitting under a small kotatsu, winding a fishing pole.
She swallowed hard "How..Who..?" She didn't even have to finish before the boy started to talk.
"Names Denny" He said, pointing a thumb at himself with a wide grin "Was on my way in from a late night fishin' trip when I saw a dark blob on the sand. Turns out it was you, scaring me half to death. You wouldn't wake up so I took you here and called Julia."
"Julia..?" She questioned
"Yeah" Denny smiled. Damn, does this guy ever stop smiling? "She runs a small animal shop with her mother Mirabelle. Blonde hair, real confident. Anyways, I didn't know what to do after I got you here, so I gave her a call and shes on her way. Should be here in a few minutes."
Chelsea sat still, processing all of this information. Passed . Fish. Julia. Got it.
"So..I was passed out?" She questioned softly, embarrassed at her venerability
"Well, yeah. But you arn't now so no need to worry about it." Denny beamed at her. No need to worry...right. Just then a knock sounded at the door.
"Oh, there she is!"
After a long conversation, Chelsea learned that she was on small island that was discovered by accident. With a small population, it wasn't very well known yet and had few people living there. It was then decided that she would take over the overgrown farm area in an attempt to bring in more people. Chelsea had agreed, it was work with a built in home so she was in no position to complain.
Julia said she would talk it over with some person named Taro in the morning. But for now, it was a bed for her to sleep in.
It also seemed that Chelsea could become friends with this Julia person. Just as Denny said, she seemed to be extremely confident. She wore a low cut tank top and the shortest shorts Chelsea had ever seen. Her blonde hair was long and flowing, tied up in a high ponytail. The blonde quickly took over the conversation, seeming to sense Chelsea's need of guidance at the moment.
As everything came to a close, she thanked Denny for his help and started towards the farmhouse with Julia. The night air was chilly, and the breeze ruffled through Chelsea's chestnut hair. She shivered, pulling her vest tighter to herself. Julia glanced her way and giggled slightly.
"Yeah" she said, sliding her hands into her pockets "it starts to get kinda chilly in the early spring. But it warms up around the middle of the week"
Chelsea smiled slightly, reaching up to smooth down her bandanna.
"So.." Julia hesitated "I know you said that you were looking for a place to stay but..well, never mind. Its not my business. But seeing as though you might be staying awhile, I really hope we can become good friends."
Juila smiled, Chelsea returning a weak one of her own.
As they reached the farmhouse, Julia promised a tour of the island in the morning and a meet and great with the residents, saying she should get in and get some sleep. Nodding, Chelsea shuffled into the farmhouse, softly clicking the door shut behind her.
As soon as she could no longer hear Julia's retreating footsteps, Chelsea slid down the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.
A small tear trickled out of the corner of her eye, but she wiped it away. No use in crying now.
Standing up, she surveyed her new 'home'. There was a small kitchenette near the door, along with a couch, a small bookshelf, and a bed pushed up into the far left-hand corner of the room, alongside a window. She walked over to the bed, shaking out the fine layer of dust that had covered the comforter. She would defiantly have to do major house cleaning in the morning, but first she knew she needed sleep. As she laid down in bed, she realized how quiet everything was. She could even hear the wind blowing outside her window. So different from the city.
Chelsea already felt a little bit safer, even in such a different place. As sleep finally started to overtake her body, one thought kept popping up in her mind. It was funny what a little bit of distance could do.