Note: I don't think I've ever had so much fun writing a fic. Seriously, I love writing in Claire's voice. I'm so happy that this much positive feedback has been given after just the first chapter! You have no idea how ecstatic every single review made me. This next chapter isn't quite as good as the first, but the third should have more plot and character interaction, so stay tuned for that. For now, please enjoy the second chapter of Drowning in the Tide.
Chapter Two: Letters
Sometimes, I wished that life wasn't so hard. That maybe everything could still be sorted into black and white, good guys and bad guys, and right and wrong. But the older we get, the more complex we become, and suddenly we're thrust into the gray area of maybes and possibilities. You're forced to sort out your feelings, but it can be a messy process.
Kai was one of those gray areas. So many emotions had bowled me over after that fleeting moment with him. And how had I responded? With short, simple sentences and a blank confused stare. After all, how could I have expected to find him here in Mineral Town, of all places? Wasn't he the one who had always dreamed of exciting voyages to far-off lands, full of excitement and intrigue? How on earth did he end up here?
And why...why was I so flustered and hurt after seeing him again? I wiped a tear off my cheek and forced myself to smile. Shouldn't I be happy? After all those years, wondering if he were alive and okay, if maybe he was thinking of me, too...you'd think I'd be ecstatic to find him again.
If only Popuri hadn't found him first.
"Claire, you're here early," Lillia exclaimed as she opened the door for me. "I thought you were with Popuri at the beach."
"I was," I replied. "She's hanging out with Kai right now, though."
"Oh, were you a third wheel?" she laughed, inviting me inside. "Popuri probably just wants to keep Kai all to herself before the wedding. The poor dear, she only gets to see him every summer, you know. The long-distance relationship certainly took its toll on her."
"Yeah, they can be rough on a girl," I nodded, biting back my indignation. Poor Popuri? Last time I'd checked, my best friend was engaged to the most wonderful man alive and couldn't be happier. How on earth could I pity the luckiest girl in the world? Honestly.
"Well, at any rate, I'm glad Kai is the one marrying her," Lillia continued. "As much as I hate to see her leave, I can't blame her for wanting to. It's silly to think that such a pretty and talented girl could stay cooped up here in Mineral Town forever, I suppose."
A sad look crossed her blue eyes, and I decided it would be best to change the subject. The last thing I wanted was for Lillia to have a breakdown on me.
"Hey, Popuri asked me to see if my measurements for the bridesmaids dress are right. Would you mind checking it for me?" I suggested, clearing my throat. Lillia blinked for a moment, as if she hadn't heard what I said.
"Oh…the dress? Oh, right, the dress," she understood belatedly. Walking over to a nearby shelf, Lillia took down a soft pastel fabric the color of rosebuds. The subtle shade of pink didn't surprise me, and yet I felt a little alarmed as I realized that I would have to wear it.
As if dresses weren't bad enough.
"A lovely color, don't you think?" Lillia beamed. "It'll compliment Popuri really well."
But Popuri wouldn't be the one wearing it. I would, and so would Elli, and Ann, and Mary, and Karen. Karen would probably be the only one who could pull it off, though. No surprise there.
I stood still as Lillia wrapped the measuring tape about my waist, scribbling down a few notes before proceeding to measure the rest of my body.
"You haven't grown any since I last measured you, dear," Popuri's mother reaffirmed, standing up. "But…goodness, do you smell that?"
My face turned red as I realized she was referring to my clothes.
"Er, oh yeah, Popuri said I could borrow an outfit of hers," I mumbled. "Do you care if I just go up there and change or something…?"
"Go right ahead," she smiled.
I bolted up the stairs and entered my best friend's bedroom. The scent of freshly picked flowers wafted in, and I turned to see a single rose sitting in a glass vase on her nightstand. I smiled to myself. How like Popuri, to surround herself in beauty.
After some trial and error, I found where she kept her clothes and, after realizing that there were no pants or overalls to be found, I pulled out a light blue sundress. I figured she had never really worn it, so it wouldn't hurt if I borrowed it for a bit. She'd been wearing those long old-style gowns lately with the bodices, after all.
I shed my sweaty overalls and felt the cool fabric of the sundress touch my sun-burned skin. Probably better quality than those old denim overalls I'd been wearing lately, I reasoned. And yet, it felt awkward, almost as if I was stepping into a life I didn't belong to.
Wistfully, I gazed at myself in the mirror before turning back to gather together my clothes. As I did so, my eyes caught sight of something tucked under Popuri's vase. Was that…a letter? My curiosity got the better of me, and, after making sure no one was in the room, I proceeded to examine the hidden envelope. The faint scent of the ocean lingered on the paper as I pulled it free from its container, and I let out a short gasp as I recognized the sloppy handwriting.
"Hey, beautiful.
How long has it been since I last gazed into your eyes? Too long, I'd have to say, because everywhere I go I'm still thinking of you. Right now, I'm enroute to this place called Flowerbud. It's a lot like Mineral Town, actually. But bigger. I've been all over the world, you know, and seen all sorts of people and things. You wouldn't believe half of the stories I have to tell! But I'd have to say, nothing compares to seeing your smile. That is a treasure the rest of the world just can't offer me. Hope this letter reaches you soon. Or if you're lucky, I'll reach you first.
Love you, Poppy.
Kai."
Poppy. The name shook me out of the trance his words had placed me under. Poppy. Not Claire, but Poppy. Foolishly, foolishly I had almost for a brief second…actually thought that the letter was…was…
For me.
My fingers stroked the paper almost reverently, and I felt a pang of jealousy surge through me. Why had he never written to me? If I was going to waste my nights worrying about him, then why couldn't he have sent me one measly letter? Didn't I deserve to know that he was safe and sound? Didn't I?
…No, of course not. I had been discarded like yesterday's garbage into the recesses of his memory. What was I but a figment of his adolescence, a playmate from his childhood?
But still, why couldn't he write to me? Why couldn't he…
"Write to me, Kai," I begged, hugging my legs close to me. "It'll be so boring without you here for the summer—why do you have to go on that stupid business trip anyway?"
"My dad wants me to get a feel for business," he replied, rolling his eyes. "At least you'll be having more fun than me. There isn't a beach where we're going."
"Are you kidding me?" I gasped. "No beach? That's like—like—so mean of him!"
"I know," Kai sighed.
"And what does he mean, 'get a feel for business'? You're only twelve for Goddess's sakes!" I glowered. "I mean, it's bad enough that you'll be stuck with a ton of old guys talking about blah-business stuff, but I won't have anything to do while you're gone!"
"Claire, relax," Kai grinned, putting his arm around my shoulder. "I'll write to you. Sure, this summer will suck, but it'll suck for both of us. We'll get through it together."
"…You promise you'll write?" I insisted, turning to him with pleading blue eyes.
"Hey, I swear it. Cross my heart and hope to die," he promised. A small smile crept across my lips.
"Yeah, I'll write back," I nodded. "But you know what?"
"What?"
"I bet you my summer will suck worse than yours."
"I'll take that bet on," Kai decided, putting out his hand. "Loser has to eat an egg raw."
"Ew, are you kidding me?" I gagged. "A raw egg?"
"What, too chicken?"
I didn't have to think twice before shaking his hand.
"Chicken? You wish."
If I hadn't told Kai that my Aunt Myrtle had died that summer, I probably would feel very differently about eggs. Thankfully, I had been blessed with the natural talent of a skillful liar, and therefore got to watch Kai eats his own words.
He had kept his promise, though. By now, those letters had probably either been thrown out, gotten lost while moving to Mineral Town, or were simply covered in junk that I was too lazy to organize. I hadn't preserved them like Popuri had. But then again, my letters were written by a child, not a lover. They had seemed empty of the love that Popuri's letters contained.
Instead, he had written to me out of boredom.
But even now, what I wouldn't give to receive just one letter from him, just to know he cared. Just to know that he had forgiven me, for all that had happened back then. What I wouldn't give to just turn back the clock and—
"What are you doing up here?"
I whirled about, crushing the letter in my fist behind my back. My chest heaved up and down as shaky breaths emerged from my throat, shocked at the arrival of this sandy-haired intruder.
"J-just borrowing a dress," I stammered, my cheeks burning. "That's all."
"Oh, really? Is that all?" Rick's eyes narrowed a bit as he saw the poorly disguised look of humiliation on my face. "Well, it just looked like you were busy."
"What, I'm not allowed to look around?" I retorted. "You think I'm snooping around your house or something?"
"I didn't say that," he replied, scratching his head in thought. "You hiding something?"
"What?"
"Behind your back."
"Oh…that's nothing," I laughed uncertainly. Obviously my lying abilities had gotten rusty with age.
"You okay?" he asked, eyeing me through his glasses. "Everything alright? You seem…nervous."
"Everything's fine," I insisted, backing up. "I just came to get some measurements done, actually, but then I had to change and—ahhh!" Slipping backward, my elbow crashed into the glass vase, causing it to fall and smash against the nightstand. Water dribbled down across the broken glass, and the papers that had laid there became virtually unreadable as the ink merged the letters together.
"Are you hurt?" Rick gasped as he helped me up. "That was a nasty fall right there."
"Urgh…probably just a bruise," I groaned. "I'm more worried about the vase."
"It's not gonna get fixed in this condition. Popuri won't be too happy about that," Rick agreed.
"…You won't tell her I did this, right?"
"Like I want to bring bad news to her before the big wedding day," he smiled wryly. "Relax, it was just an accident. You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," I muttered, dropping the letter under the nightstand while Rick left to get a towel. "Everything's just fine."
But that was the problem. Everything was falling apart.