Chapter 3: Another Storm

A/N: Characters. Not mine. Reformatting. Computer is evil. Will dance for reviews.

"So how are things at the vineyard?" Ann asked me, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"Same stuff, different date." I replied.

The sun beat down on our bodies as we lay on the beach. Stu and May were running around, playing tag or something. It was summer now; everyone took some time off to go down to the beach.

"What about Kai? He's adorable!" Ann gushed.

"What about him?" I asked. She was always trying to hook people up.

"I mean, don't you like him?" She said, her blue eyes sparkling. She was thinking up something for sure.

"Why, what did he say to you?!" I exclaimed.

"He doesn't have to say anything. It's the way he treats you, the way he looks at you. He thinks the world of you, Karen." I blushed. I knew what he thought.

"What are you two ladies up to?" A voice questioned.

"Oh, same ol same ol Kai." Ann replied.

She flashed him a nice big smile, then got up from where she had been laying.

"I'll leave you two for now. Bye Karen!" She called out, walking away, brushing the sand off her skin as she left.

Kai sat down next to me, his tan skin gleaming with sweat. I had to admit, he was rather good looking. I sat up, running my fingers through my brown hair, hoping to shake loose some sand. I could feel his eyes upon me, watching like a hawk.

"So Gotz finally let you leave, eh?" I asked, looking away from him.

"Yeah, well, not really. I couldn't bear any more work right now." He said, staring at the sand like it was his whole world. I smiled to myself.

"You don't have to hide from me, you know I try to get away all the time." I commented, brushing some sand off my arms. He nodded silently. I wondered if something was wrong.

I stood up, walking towards the water. A swim would be good right now.

"Karen?" Kai said, his voice the usual smooth soothing tone.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I turned around, the wind catching my hair. He got up, walking towards me.

"What is it, Kai?" I asked. He usually kept his distance.

"I ahh, I mean ah, you look nice today." He stammered out the words, a blush spreading across his face.

A blush ran across my cheeks as well, but my hair was hiding it.

"Umm, thanks Kai. Well, I'm going to go swim, ok?" I replied, running off into the ocean.

The waves were soothing. I didn't look back at him, I couldn't. I really didn't know what to think. It was so hard to let someone get close to me. I have so many barriers I wasn't even sure I could let someone in anymore.

Ann's been my friend forever, she knew me before I became this empty shell of a person. She always tells me that I'm really a good person, I just don't show it. I always laughed at her for it, but deep down I knew I wasn't that bad.

Well, he's been trying ever since he got here to get inside my head. Maybe he will, someday.

Someone splashing about ruined my train of thought. I looked over to see a mass of pink hair floating on the water. That was Popuri, alright. She surfaced close to me; her red eyes wide open.

"Hi Karen!" She exclaimed, spitting water in my direction.

I winced, dodging the water droplets spraying from her mouth.

"Hi Popuri." I replied, swimming off further into the water.

I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Looking up into the sky, I could see clouds gathering. Darn, should've checked the weather today. I swam towards the shore. The wind was already becoming colder, the sky darker and the water choppy. Finally I reached the shore as rain started to pour.

I ran through town, my feet pounding on the brick roads. Thunder roared as I hurried home. I hoped Popuri had made it home alright.

Soon I arrived at the vineyard gate, but of course it was locked. Cursing, I pounded on the lock, hoping to at least attract someone's attention in the house. The wind was blowing terribly now, whipping my hair into my face. I had to hold onto the gate in order to stay standing.

Finally, Kai ran out of the house, and tried to pull the gate open. It was no use, so after trying for awhile he just picked me up and ran into the house. I would have protested, but I couldn't find the words.