She'd always wanted to see the ocean. Something about it – ever since she was little and heard stories about the sea, she had wanted to see it firsthand; to look at a horizon that never ended, to see the sunset's full reflection, to hear the sounds and play in the foam with her toes in the sand. Pictures were gorgeous, tales were treasured, but still her curiosity would not abate. She even dreamed of the sea… her dreams as real and as vivid of a memory. To see the ocean in person was her very first goal. And now, with the help of her friends, it was finally becoming a reality.
"Well," Wilhelmina teased, her arm crossing the carriage door to block the exit, "We should be able to see the ocean right about now." Bunny sat straight up, her daydream ending abruptly as her heart started to pound with excitement. "What do you think, Rachel? Should we let Bunny see?"
"Yes! Yes, you should!" Bunny voiced immediately, raising her hand like they were still in primary school.
"I don't know…" Rachel trailed, elegant fingers curling to cover her mouth as she made a show of considering the option.
Bunny reached for the window covers on her side of the carriage and drew them aside, only to see wide open fields with no sign of the coast. She whipped her attention back to the others in the carriage and grabbed Rachel's free hand. "Pleeeeease?"
"I just don't know…" Rachel repeated, a smile creeping into her expression.
Bunny turned her blue eyes onto the girl sitting across from her, her heart in her expression as she begged, "Annie! Make them let me see!"
Annie, her gaze leaving her book for the first time in hours, turned to the others and made a small attempt with an exasperated sigh, "Mina, draw back the curtains –"
But it had already taken too long, and Bunny, with an apologetic smile to Marceline, had climbed over her seat partner and wedged herself between the taller girl and the window, her fingers fighting Mina's strength as she attempted to pull the curtain away from the window; with a laugh, Wilhelmina released her hold and sunlight flew into carriage, the afternoon glow amplified in the reflection off of the water's surface.
It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Paintings did it no justice, stories paled in comparison. Bunny was finally there – the ocean.
They stopped at a beach and all took off their shoes and picked up their dresses to play in the sand and seafoam, spending the afternoon talking and teasing and taking in the beautiful scenery; they enjoyed each other's company, and the picnic lunch Marceline had carefully made for them. Annie read poetry aloud as they ate, and she and Mina teamed up to tease Rachel into snapping at them, then dove in for consolatory hugs. Bunny adored every moment of it, of splashing in the shallow water, drawing pictures in the sand with their toes, of stretching back in the scrub grass and enjoying the salty air, and still she wanted to see more. As her friends calmed down and took to relaxing on the shore, she walked off alone, following her feet, her mind on her dreams, wondering if they could stay until nightfall, for in her dreams it was always nighttime. Closing her eyes she could picture it easily, and with the sounds of the real ocean and the smell of the sea aiding her, it was only too easy to fall back into that familiar scene:
Then, as now, she walked barefoot in the sand, though in her dreams it was much cooler, the water almost warm to her toes. The wind blew softly, teasing her dress, pulling at her hair, sending the salty sea air to dance around her. There was no heat from the sun on her skin, just the cool light of the moon, the calming sound of the waves upon the shore, and the reassuring warmth beside her…
She slowed, trying to push the dream further, willing it to move past the stubborn ending point. Who was there? And why did she always wake up so content despite the sharp pain in her chest?
They were walking slowly… she reached for his hand…
His hand… she was certain it was a boy, and yet he was so much more…
An interruption of the soft, repeating sound of the crashing waves grew too loud and uneven for her to ignore any longer, and Bunny opened her eyes, blinking in the light, and screamed. She ran forward and fell to her knees in the wet sand, her hands uneasy, hovering above the stranger's head, not knowing what to do as he coughed and sputtered, his arms shaking and wavering beneath his weight. "ANNIE!" she cried, her voice shrieking – if anyone knew what to do it was Annie, "ANNIE!"
He fell forward, his face hitting the sand hard, and, her heart fluttering in a panic in her chest, she took him by his shoulder and pulled as hard as she could to flip him over onto his back. She fell back as her strength finally overcame his weight, and she recovered as quickly as she could, her legs struggling in the fabric of her dress. She knelt over him, still unsure of what to do, of where to place her hands; behind her she heard her friends coming, calling her name; in the distance she heard other answering shouts – help would arrive soon; he'd get help. He…
He looked familiar, somehow… his black hair, his strong jaw, straight nose, even his height and build… His wheezing softened and his hand raised, shaking, to take hers. It was wet, his skin cold and clammy, and yet the touch filled her with warmth and a spark of the familiar. Looking to his face, their eyes met, and she fell into their deep blue depths, a rush of warmth flooding the sharp familiar pain in her chest.
Who was he?
Arms wrapped themselves around her middle and pulled her up and away, Marceline quickly removing her from the scene; Rachel took her hand as Marcy went back to help Annie, who was kneeling where Bunny had knelt moments ago, her hands on his wrist, her soft yet forceful voice asking him questions as Mina motioned to the men who were running down the beach towards them.
"Bunny, what happened?" Rachel asked quietly, but the man had tilted his head so his eyes could find her, and she could not look away.