That day, in that one day so much had happened. Alex had finally asked out Fin, all of Fin's friends thought her new boyfriend was a total jerk, and honestly, Fin was mad. She was tired that night, but for some reason, she couldn't fall asleep.

She took slow, steady breaths as she allowed all the contemplations of that one day flood her mind. Her head filled with all sorts of different emotions and feelings that she desperately tried to push to the back of her mind and fall asleep, but she just couldn't. All Fin could do was stare at the open window. A beautiful, comforting ocean breeze drifted in and made the curtain dance. It's just like when you dont know the answer on a test and all you can do is look around the room and stare at the walls and out the window or watch everyone else work. Just like not knowing the answer on a test, Fin didn't know the answers to the questions in her mind.................................. which led to her staring at the window.

Fin knew that since there was no chance of her falling asleep, she decided to do something else.

With a sigh, Fin got up and began to pace around the room, trying to think different, happier thoughts. She walked in circles, not knowing where she wanted to go to. Her footsteps made the old, creaky, worn out floor of the staffhouse bedroom groan in protest but she continued pacing.

Fin's eyes again began to dart around the room, looking for something to focus on.

She walked over to the open window. The beautiful stars glittered beautifully, she could see so many here. Looking out at the crests of the pushing waves, all fighting to reach the shore, and the billions of stars, fighting for her attention, she felt an automatic sense of comfort. The ocean had always calmed her. Even since she was a little girl. It was as if she was a gas tank with a leak. The waves started lulling her out of consciousness. She yawned and leaned out onto the windowsill. Her head rested in her hand, she thought about how lucky she was to work at the ocean.

Fin was just about to fall asleep, when the noise came.

Eyes widening now, permanently open, she spun around and threw herself against the wall, breathing heavily. She could feel jolts of adrenaline and she waited for them to pump through her body and fizzle out. When she was calm again, she crept over to the window, clutching the frame tightly, she slowly stuck her head out. She guessed that there was a cloud in front of the moon before, because the silvery sand seemed to have a glow. Fin could still, very faintly, hear the same noise. It was kind of a sifting sound. She couldn't quite guess what it was though.

Her eyes scanning the shore, she tried to find the source. Aha! Fin saw a figure moving slowly down the shore, dragging his feet as he went along. The water would repeatedly surround his feet, then dissapear. Fin got scared but didn't move, her already wide pupils got even wider, her brain wanted to move, to jump out of the way, but her body didn't listen.

Fin was in a trance. Maybe this figure was just like her, unable to fall asleep, too awake with thoughts. Fin couldn't help but smile. Reef, she thought. Wait, why did I think about Reef, I don't like Reef! Why have I thought of him, he's a sexist jerk, I don't like him!..........................do I?

(for those of who won't figure this out, this is coming from the figure's perspective.)

I couldn't fall asleep. No matter how hard I tried. My room was so isolated, the ocean was so open, so free. I knew I had to be outside, I had to be in the water.

I wouldn't swim, but I had decided to let the freezing water surround the base of my feet, in between my toes. Every step in the water glowed. The waves pushing against the rocks seemed like a spark shower. All little, tiny, plankton were glowing after being thrown against the rock by the angry sea.

I smiled to myself, then my gaze drifted past the trees and woods, the sand, to the far away staff house.

Fin is in there, I thought. I looked around for something, anything to give. My pace went from a slow trudge, to a trot. Becoming faster, scanning the shore, the low moonlight was making it very hard to see.

I didn't realize, but I had started to run. Going and going, untile I felt something rigid under my foot. BINGO!

I reached down into the water and my fingers found the shell, and wrapped around it. I lifted it out of the water, slowly. When it was out, I took a look. From what I could see in the brightening light, it was a beautiful shell, except it had one hole at the top. I turned it over. One side wasn't ruffled, it was perfectly smooth, pearly. The other side had ridges. From what I could see, it was mostly white, with dark pink, yellow, and orange streaks.

I started to walk out of the water. On the shore, the sand was sticking to my now wet feet. I started to walk through the woods. After a while, when I had almost reached the staff house, my leg was shot with agony. The bottom of my foot was stinging, something had gotten stuck. I grabbed my foot, holding the shell tightly in my free hand, and yanked the perfectly pointed rock out.

My foot wasn't bleeding.

Wait! I thought. I have an amazing idea!.

I got to work. This plan went a lot smoother in my head. It was so frustrating, it took about ten minutes. I had decided to carve my name into the pearly side of the shell.

When I was done, I took the drawstring out of my pajama pants, and looped it throught the hole in the shell.

With a perfect shot, I launched it into the window of the staffhouse. Then I heard a rusling sound,. and I ran.

(This next part is coming from Fin's perspective.)

I stared out the window, watching the figure. He seemed to become frantic after a while, searching for something. He picked up something out of the water, and disappeared.................................Fin laid in bed and waited. After a long time, Fin heard something, a scratching sound.

Then, something was flungh in through the window, onto the floor of her room. Fin got up to investigate. She picked it up to examine it, it was a beautiful shell.

Then she heard a rustling sound, and something flew in the other window. It was a bouquet of flowers with a card attatched. Fin read the card, it read..............

From Alex, to Fin. I'm glad you said yes.

Then Fin ran over and picked up the shell. On the other side, it said something in big scratchy letters.

REEF. Fin looked at it and realized it was a necklace. She put it on and admired it.

Looking at the flowers and necklace, Fin suddenly filled with stress. Who would she choose. All her stress moved to her eyes and formed into tears, which fell out. Fin walked, to bed. tears puring down her face, and cried herself to sleep.

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