Jasmine's P.O.V.

The shouts seem to radiate through the house. "I'm leaving this stupid house and NEVER coming back!" my sister yells. "Caroline, you're being dramatic! This is my house, if I tell you not to invite boys over while I'm gone don't! You leave. Let's see where that gets you." My mom and sister argue a lot. It tends to happen whenever my dad leaves.

My phone goes off alerting me I have a text, and I gratefully accept the distraction. How are things at home? I'm busy right now developing a skyscraper in Japan. Anyway, tell your mom and sister I love them. I'm actually about to go to sleep because it's 2:00 am here, but I believe its 3:00 pm there in Florida. I love you.

It's hard when your dad leaves you for so long. He's going to be away from us for a whole year excluding special holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, exc..

I desperately need another distraction. My hands rummage through my dresser drawer trying to grab my swimsuit because the beach is a perfect distraction. I reach for my boogie board that matches my pink swimsuit. Despite all the pink, I'm not a girly girl.

Once my chocolate brown hair is in a messy bun, and a Florida t-shirt with some jean shorts are covering my bikini, I'm ready.

Most people wear flip-flops while at the beach, but I enjoy wearing sneakers because I love the thrill of running to it then diving into the calm, cool waves. My heart rate accelerates slightly when I approach my door knob. There are no screams, but the tension is still looming in the air.

Do I really want to walk into a war? With one last calming breath, I walk outside my room. My mom's delicate hands are scrubbing away at the already spotless dishes. Alligator tears slide down her face making my heart shatter. I realize Caroline is gone, probably sulking in her room. When my dad leaves, it leaves a broken feeling in Caroline and I's hearts. Caroline likes to act out; I build up walls. But, my mom puts on a strong face for us. Her façade used to work, but now I'm 14. I can see right through it.

"Mom." My voice is barely a whisper. She wipes her tears quickly. "Jasmine, I didn't see you there." A smile masquerades my sadness. "I'm like a ninja." She laughs. She still seems sad, but I'll take the laugh. "Can I go to the beach?" She nods not then continues scrubbing the nonexistent particles of food.

My only way to get to the beach is jogging, but I enjoy the freeing feeling of it. I begin running once I step out the door, and already feel a wave a calmness and clarity. Passing the local ice cream shop, theater, and everything else that comes with living in a small town, reminds me that my life is in a continuous pattern. I wake up, hear my mom and sister snap at each other during breakfast, go to school, eat dinner, and take a shower than repeat. At least I have summer to look forward too.

My momentum makes my stop somewhat clumsy, but I realize that I ran too far. Despite all my exertion, I can't contemplate where I went wrong. The surroundings don't help with my struggle. I keep walking forward in a futile attempt to find someone to tell me where I am.

Eventually, I do reach a beach, but the cluelessness remains. The image in front of me looks too surreal. It almost seems like I was transported into a storybook, the water is almost crystal, the sand fits the saying "white sandy beaches", and the beach is absent of people.

I could go to my regular work, but that would take more work and… shouldn't I take advantage of such a gorgeous beach? A smile meets me forest green eyes as I dive into the swell of the approaching wave.

I jog next to the roaring waves listening to the peaceful melody it sings to me. The door opens swiftly, and aromas tackle me which means my mom cooked dinner. When my mom's stressed, she cleans or cooks. For some reason, it calms her.

"Where's Care?" I ask flopping next to my mom on our tan couch. "Pulling crap somewhere." She mutters. "Are you going to call Mrs. Tammy?" I ask. My mom shakes her head yes. "That's probably a good place to start."

I make my way to the kitchen to find the casserole I smelt. I quickly eat, take a shower, and then get to my room, a constant cycle.

"You can't control my life!" Caroline is home. She resembles my mom with her aqua eyes and my dad with her brown hair. My parents always play argue about who she looks like the most.

I wrap my blanket closer around me, trying to protect me from the sadness trying to claw away at me. My dad first left when I was eight, but the memory is edged into my brain, making sure to continue torturing me with its continuous replaying. "Jasmine, your father has an amazing opportunity, so he's going to go away for a while. He gets to go to New York." Hope seemed to persevere the first time, but every time he leaves, hope seems to diminish that he will ever get to stay here with us. Hope is such a funny thing.

Summer just started, but I already feel loneliness setting in. What will I do with this summer? How can I make this one incredible and different than the rest?

The questions seem to haunt me as I drift into sleep. Hopefully, I'll be able to answer these questions. Hopefully, I'll make this summer actually mean something.

Ok, this is a rewrite. But, that does not mean I'm not going to ever do the sequel. I had the first two chapters, but I was stuck. I reread Beneath the Sea, so I would have an idea. Basically, I cringed at how bad my writing was. I wanted to re-write it. And, the first two chapters of the sequel got scraped because my idea completely changed. I'm hoping this is better, but maybe one day, I will cringe at this work too. I am open for any literary advice anyone has for me.

Thank you EmberandChocalate, RosemaryAlysse, h2omermaidforever, Headless Gummy Bear for creating Ivory, Emma, Olivia, and Penelope. I look forward to continuing writing your characters.

Please review, favorite, and follow. Thank you! :)

I'll try to update frequently, so we can get to the sequel some people have been waiting months for.