Chapter 11: Not-So-Sweet Dreams and Waking Up in Space
Ah, the beach. Sun, sand, and surf… this was great. It would have been even better if Amy could find somebody to talk to, but for now, she was content to simply sit on one of the large rocks between sea and shore, allowing her feet to be splashed by cold sea foam as she enjoyed her small chocolate shake.
Amy watched as her parents played volleyball with several other beachgoers. It was nice to see her dad so relaxed – he spent so much time working, he deserved to take a break. And her mother was laughing as she stumbled around and tripped over sand while attempting to hit the ball – clumsiness must have run in the family. Amy smiled to herself, and turned her attention to the ocean. It was so calm and peaceful, with only a few small waves crashing against the shore – today could not have been more perfect.
Amy saw something on the horizon. It was slowly approaching, but it was hard to tell what it was. As she leaned closer, a wind started picking up, blowing her hair into her face. As she brushed it aside, the thing got closer – it looked like some sort of funnel, riding along the water…
"HURRICANE!" One of the lifeguards yelled, and everybody began scrambling to get away. The sky rapidly darkened as the storm picked up, and Amy found that the wind was nearly impossible to move against. As she struggled to get off of the rock, her glasses were ripped off of her face and the water violently crashed around her, clutching at her ankles and trying to drag her in. Everything was gray and blurry, and Amy had no idea where land was. She looked around in a panic, desperately trying to make sense of everything with her foggy vision, when one last gust of wind sent her off of the rock and tumbling into the ocean.
The water seemed deeper than it should have been, and refused to let go of its catch. As Amy struggled to swim to the surface, the water around her seemed to tighten, forcing her further and further into the darkness. Each futile grasp for the air above pulled her further and further down, and everything went black as the last bit of breath escaped her lungs…
Amy shot up from the cot with a gasp, and her head banged against the bunk above her. As she rubbed her new wound, she used her free hand to retrieve her glasses from the small table. Dual waves of relief and disappointment washed over her as she realized where she was. No luck, she thought to herself as she climbed out of her bunk, it wasn't just a dream. I'm still technically an alien. As she stood up, she glanced at the bunk above her and realized it was empty. Sonja must have already woken up and started her day. Amy walked over to the dresser, and found a note stuck on the front of her drawer.
Hey, roomie! I'm already at the mess hall, ya might wanna hurry so all the food doesn't get eaten! See ya at breakfast! ~ Sonja
Amy sighed, and opened the drawer. She selected a button-down white blouse and knee-length pleated black skirt, and quickly changed out of her pajamas. After running a brush through her hair and tying it up into the same heart-buns with pigtails that came down to her hips, Amy smoothed out a wrinkle in her skirt and ran out of the room. All she could hope was that they had Earth waffles.