Author's Note: Well, welcome back dear readers who have stayed with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you aren't disappointed but, if you are, don't hesitate to let me know. Just tell me why whilst you're at it. I don't mind if you love this or you hate this as long as you tell me why. Then, if you don't like it, I can fix it. Well, try to anyway. Thank you for all the reviews :)
Perdido Beach. Home to starving kids, dying animals and whatever else is brave enough to take residence here. Come and see the mutant animals on our safari walk, try not to get attacked in the process. Or would you rather go on our caving expedition and visit the ominous glowing 'darkness' at the end of the tunnel? WARNING: Only for people who are losing the will to live. Perdido Beach: A home for the crazy, the strong, the weak, the hero's, the villains and even the people who don't have any place at all. The one's who will do nothing but panic and freak out. Mina sighed, not exactly the ideal tourist destination, was it? But she was there nonetheless.
The sea. How big it was. How very big and powerful yet so peaceful to just stand next to. The sea was huge, it was unstoppable. If it wanted to claim land, it would and it did. No amount of walls would keep it back forever and that was something that scared Mina about the FAYZ. The FAYZ wall had even gone down under the sea, probably to the bottom. The FAYZ had got the better of the sea, how could they hope to get the better of the FAYZ? When – no – if the wall came down none of them would be fit to go back into society. After this, who could go back into routine? Mina turned her attention back to the sea, the sun reflecting off the water. The sun, warm on Mina's shoulders. The sun, lighting up Perdido Beach. The sun, rising in the morning. But it wasn't. It was fake. Fake. Mina felt as if she was living in a world of lies. Lies and mysteries and surreal things. She was right.
Then something broke the silence. Someone's thoughts. That was another thing Mina liked about the sea. It seemed so alive yet there were no irritating thoughts bombarding her constantly. It was a mystery and Mina didn't really come across many of those, someone always seemed to have the answer, someone always knew even if they didn't say anything. "Hi." Said Sam, coming to stand next to Mina "you came back then."
"Yeah I came across a few...problems." This wasn't exactly a lie, Mina could lie about anything and people would believe her. But she didn't like lying. She didn't like her power and so she tried not to use it too often. If Mina said that a lion was about to eat you, she could make you believe it and believe it you would. "I'm not surprised really. You coming to stay here for good then?"
Mina shrugged, because she doubted that she would be able to stay away from Coates. "I'll probably stay a while but not forever. I'm a coming and going sort of person."
"I guess that's not a bad thing. That way you've got nothing to lose."
"Nothing to lose but nothing to hold on to either." Mina dug her foot into the sand, the grains making their way inside her shoe. She never stuck with one place. Never stuck with one person. She'd always liked that but she'd never...belonged. "How are you at solving problems?" Said Sam.
Mina was a little shocked by the sudden question and she said "Well...I don't really know. Never had much experience. What sort of problem?" Sam bent down and picked up a small pebbled, he rubbed his thumb over it.
"Just about every problem you could think of." Sam clenched his fist, squeezing the pebble tightly "people are hungry, starving. People are fighting...killing. We're a mess here. A big mess and, for some reason, I seem to be the person who's supposed to fix everything. But I can't. I can't do it because there are too many problems. Too many things I don't know how to solve." Sam threw the small stone he had in his hand into the sea, it landed a few metres out making a quiet splash.
"Sam," said Mina quietly "just for a minute, forget. Forget about your problems-"
"I can't forget-"
"You can Sam. Just for a minute. Just look at the sea out there. You looking?" Sam nodded "well, keep on looking. Keep looking and looking and stare at the place the sea goes dark blue instead of clear and keep on staring. Just look Sam, don't think."
"What am I looking for?"
"Nothing. You're looking for nothing. I don't know what nothing looks like yet and that's why I haven't found it. So do me a favour and help me look." Sam smiled slightly, and stared out to sea before saying "you look for nothing a lot?"
"Every day." Said Mina and then "every time I need to forget. To be free..."
"Freedom. I don't think that's even a word anymore." Spat Sam.
"It is. You just need to know where to find it. It's like looking for nothing. I don't know what freedom looks like, but I think it's a whole lot closer than nothing."
"Sometimes," said Sam "I'm not too sure." After a few more minutes of silence Sam spoke up "well, Mina. You say you're bad at solving problems but I want to find out for myself because I think you'll be pretty good with problems. Let's go into town and meet some people. People ought to meet you because I think you can help. Answer some questions."
"I'm not good with questions. Usually, I only know the answer if someone else does too." Sam looked at Mina a little oddly then, not sure what to make of her statement. But he shrugged it off and turned to leave, Mina following behind him.
Caine Soren stared out of the window, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of...of what? He didn't even know himself. All he knew was that he had nothing better to be doing. Caine squinted against the harsh glare of the sun, searching for something. Anything. He turned away and looked into the shadow of the room, no longer looking for anything, but thinking. "What are you doing?" Came a voice from behind Caine. He sighed, knowing full well who it was.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Said Diana, moving to stand in front of Caine, forcing him to look at her.
"Yes! That's what I said, isn't it?" Snapped Caine, moving his eyes to glare at Diana.
"Well...shouldn't you be doing, you know, something?"
"Why should I do anything?" That girl, was really getting on his nerves. First messing his thoughts up about Mina, now this.
"Because you're our fearless leader, that's why."
"What do you suggest, Diana? What do you think I should do?" Caine really wasn't in the mood. It wasn't his day at all. In fact, it hadn't been his day in quite some time.
"Where's your master plan you promised me? The thing that was so amazing you wouldn't even tell me about it." Diana was doing this to irritate Caine and he knew it, yet it bothered him anyway. "Don't tell me you lied Caine..."
"Diana, will you just shut up! I'm getting sick and tired of hearing your snide comments, so what if I'm not doing anything. It shouldn't bother you. What does it have to do with you?"
"Oh, Caine. It has everything to do with me." Then Diana's face twisted into a scowl "well Caine, I'm sick and tired with you too. You're becoming lazy, you sit around here all day and do nothing. Ok, I'm glad you're not out killing people and causing trouble but it strikes me you can't be bothered to do anything anymore."
"What would you know? You have no idea-"
"Don't I? I'll tell you what I think, I don't think you have it in you. I don't think you can do it anymore. I think the darkness took it from you, you're not you anymore."
"That's not true and you know it." Growled Caine.
"Oh really? Then prove it because I'm willing to bet a whole lot of money that it is."
"Money you don't have." Said Caine quietly.
"It doesn't matter if I have it or not. All that matters is that I'm right. You're useless Caine." Something flared in Caine's eyes then, something like anger. Diana began to wonder if she'd gone too far, if she'd over stepped that thin line that was between Caine throwing her against the wall and just shouting at her. She stepped back. "Diana," said Caine in a low, dangerous voice "I am not useless. I am Caine and I will not be spoken to like that. You have," Caine paused and glanced at an imaginary watch on his wrist "ten seconds, to get out of here before I smash you against that wall and break every bone I can find." Diana made a quick exit but, as she was walking down the hall she smiled and thought reverse psychology, works every time.