"So how's it going with you?" Tori asks as she unlocks the car door to her van. Eve stops, staring at it. It's a blue and white van, not a big deal. But it's the blue and white van she remembered Tori had always been talking about when they were younger.
"Eve?" Tori looks back over her shoulder at her friend. Eve shakes her head, trying to distinguish memories from real life.
"I'm fine, but…isn't this the van you always wanted?" Tori breaks into a smile.
"Yes! The very same! You remembered." Eve gives a little laugh.
"How could I forget? I remember it was all you talked about. How when we grew up and were able to drive, you were going to get this van." She smiles, reminiscing all the good times she once had growing up in Blue Bay Harbor. It seems like a lifetime ago that they were two ten-year olds, dreaming about driving.
"Well, I did. And now you are allowed to see it in person." Tori finishes putting Eve's surfboard in the back and climbs in the front door before leaning out the window. "Come on! I gotta get you home. By the way, do you live where you lived before?"
"No." Eve shakes her head. "We couldn't buy back the house. Here, I'll give you my new address." She walks around to the other side. As she gets in, she catches a final glimpse of Tori's friends as they return to normal. Hunter is still staring after them but he quickly turns and bends over to conceal his face. Eve feels her smile falter a little. She knows she just met him and all, and that she shouldn't rush anything, because when the time is right, something will happen, but she still feels a pang as they drive away.
"Thanks for the ride, Tori," Eve says as she slams the door behind her. "Do you want to come in?" Tori shakes her head.
"No, that's alright. Besides, you should be resting after almost dying today. I don't want you to strain yourself at all."
"Thanks Tori," Eve smiles at her. Always looking out for others, that's Tori to a tee. Except when she's not. "I'm fine, really. I think I do just need some sleep."
A breeze blows by them, ruffling her brown hair and carrying the slight scent of seawater. She breathes it in deeply, admitting she did miss this seaside town and all its charms. Even when living in a big city, she had longed for the smaller town. The glass-fronted shops, the wooden boardwalks, the white buildings.
Of course, even when moving back, her parents had wanted something modern. They couldn't buy back their old house so they had chosen a new neighborhood, a few blocks away from where her old home once was. Their new house had glass sliding doors and tall, wide windows that overlooked the little bit of an ocean view they were granted with.
Tori's eyes widen a little at the sight of her house. A driveway made of crushed stones and seashells lead up to the two-story house.
"Nice digs you have," she comments, leaning her arms out the window and resting her head on them. eve gives a small laugh.
"Thanks. But, Tori, 'nice digs'? really?" So she's changed more than I thought.
"Hey," Tori grins at her. "You have no idea how badly hanging out with only guys can affect you."
"I guess not," Eve concedes, slinging her bag to her other shoulder. "By the way, you don't mind holding my surfboard until tomorrow? I can take it now, if you want."
"No, it's fine. Eve, really. You need less things to worry about. Don't sweat it, I got it." Tori smiles at her once more before starting the van up. She backs out of the driveway and turns the car around as Eve watches.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow! Bye!" She calls, waving before driving away. Eve shakes her head at her friend's antics.
"I don't remember that happening," she mutters. She turns her back on the street and walks up the driveway before stopping at her porch. As she fishes for her keys in her bag, she smiles slightly.
"Just like old times, right?" she says to herself, unlocking the door. She kicks off her shoes first thing before setting her bag down. Feeling something is a little off, she looks down again before realizing her ankle is bare.
Where's my anklet?
It probably got cut off when I was saved.
A sudden chill catches in the air and she shivers, hugging herself tightly. Whatever. It's just a piece of string anyway.
That night, after changing out of her wet clothes, she had crawled in bed, exhausted. She hadn't wanted to admit it earlier but she is so, so tired from that encounter she can barely keep her eyes open. Drowning does take a lot out of you, she supposes, taking a sip from the glass of water she has on her bedside table. Her throat had been like sandpaper, so dry and rusty and making swallowing difficult.
Her eyes find the clock and see the red numbers reading 10:15. Her parents still aren't home.
She shouldn't be surprised. They have always been ones to stay at their jobs late. They know she can take care of herself. They know she can handle things here at home.
It just hurts, sometimes. That she's always left alone. That people think she's fine with whatever they decide for her as opposed to what she actually wants.
She should be used to it by now. That's basically her life. She thought over time it would get better but really, the pain never goes away.
Eve shakes her head of these thoughts, setting her cup back down on the wooden table. She had already closed the blinds to the window on the wall across from her bed. The blue curtains with orange and red detailing, same as her blankets, flutter gently.
She leans over to turn off the lamp, not sure she can stay awake for another minute. And she's right. As soon as the light is off, she's out.
Too bad her dreams aren't that simple to turn off.
She sees cliffs…ragged, cracked, dark cliffs. Waves beat upon them relentlessly, wearing away at them, tearing them down.
Wind howls above her, around her, everywhere. The sound is loud, vibrating in the air.
The sky is dark. Too dark to see barely anything. Black and gray clouds tumble and collide in the sky, giving a new palette of colors.
She sees something on the edge of the cliffs. It almost blends in with the landscape. It's a slick black, oily looking, adding a shine to the softer colors of dark. It has its back to her, staring out over the iron waves.
She takes a few steps forwards, some rocks dislodging and falling into the sea. But she doesn't notice. There's something about the figure that's pulling her to it. She's entranced, she's intrigued. She continues towards it, not able to think of anything else.
Finally, she's a foot away from it. The figure slowly starts to turn to her.
"Eve!"
A flash of white. A gleam of red.
Her heart's on fire. Sparks fly from it.
"Eve!"
She shoots up in bed, chest heaving. Sweat coats her face. Her hair is tangled around her shoulders. She pries her eyes open to see the clock. It reads 3:45 AM.
She tries to slow her breathing, calm her ravaged lungs. In, out. In, out.
She brushes some strands off her forehead, trying to pull herself together. Her shuddering breathes relax as she continues to take deep breathes.
"It's just a dream, just a dream," she whispers softly into the darkness. Shadows play on her walls, making her dream seem that much closer to reality.
It wasn't even that scary. Just a feeling of…the unknown. Like something was coming and she couldn't stop it. That it's out of her control.
Breathe in, breathe out. In, out.
But at the end…at the end there was something. What was that glance of red and white? What was it?
"You're fine, you're fine. It's just a dream." She sighs deeply, snuggling back under her blankets. Not bothering to wonder what it means. Not thinking about how the latch on her window is slightly open. Not knowing another troubled person is awake right then, having had the same dream and pondering why his crimson morpher won't work.