The turquoise water sparkled in the sunlight as Rosie and Husk paddled their surfboards across the ocean surface. Beth sat in front of Rosie on her board and around her neck, she wore a special puka shell necklace that Rosie charmed to keep Beth from falling off.

Husk caught the first wave, Rosie and Beth watched as he balanced on the water and gracefully steered the board along the crest of the wave. It was quite impressive. Especially when at first glance, you'd think that some like Husk wouldn't have one agile bone in his whole body. Then again, Rosie and Beth were taught that looks could be deceiving.

"That was pretty cool Husk." Beth said.

"Not bad." Rosie said. "Now let me show you how it's done."

After making sure that Beth was safely on board, Rosie paddled toward the next rising wave and stood up when they were lifted. At first Beth was a little afraid, the extremely high waves and the quickness of how the tides crashed, it was a little unsettling. However Rosie had assured her that the charm on her necklace would prevent the girl from suffering any wave disasters. Beth clutched the necklace close to her chest and then looked back to see how Rosie was doing. She was incredible.

Her balance, her grace, it was perfect. Her movement on a surf board was just as elegant as her movements on stage or just on the street. She was as graceful as a rolling wave and as delicate as a falling snowflake. It was probably impossible for her to ever trip or fall or do anything clumsy. After awing at Rosie for some time, Beth turned her attention to the front of the board and found herself amazed by how they were riding through the center of a curling wave. The wind in her hair, the salty mist, it was like she was soaring on the water. Flying really. She laughed and smiled, letting her hand run across the ocean surface and playfully splashing about.

Later Beth was switched over to Husk's board and he pulled off a neat trick he thought of back in Vegas. He called it the diving surf board. It was where he would hang ten and then just as the wave would crash, he would dive right off the surf board as if it was a diving board. At the right moment, Husk scooped Beth up into his arms and they cannon balled into the wave. The two of them popped back up to the surface laughing and splashing each other.

Later they paddled back to the shore and started to build sand castles. It was a little difficult without a bucket and a shovel and the castle wasn't the most grand establishment made from sand but they didn't care. They were having so much fun sculpting in the sand and decorating with seashells. Then Rosie showed Beth a part of the beach where she knew that crabs would nest and sandpipers would hunt. They saw crabs burrowing deep into the sand and sandpipers poking their beaks into the rising tide to catch food. Beth thought it was the greatest thing she had ever seen.

On the drive home, a hurricane warning came on the radio, telling everyone to seek shelter immediately and not to go anywhere if it could be avoided. Rosie's apartment was the closest form of shelter and she thought it would be too risky to take Beth home and Husk to the circus, so she decided to have them both spend the night with her. As soon as they were safely inside, Rosie called Alastor and informed him of her idea.

"It's an hour and a half drive to your house and I'm not sure if it would be safe for us to make that trip." Rosie told him over the phone. "So you're okay with this?...You don't want Husk to stay over? Why?...Alastor he's not going to do that...I just know that's all...No I can't make him walk home! There's a hurricane coming! Be sensible, will you?...Yes I understand you don't know him and I understand your suspicions, but...Alright, alright, if it'll make you feel better, Beth can sleep with me in my room tonight. I was going to have her do it anyway. My bedroom is extremely safe and secure...Uh-huh...Yes all my windows are sealed shut...Yes I'll call you first thing in the morning to let you know how she is...Yes you can talk to her."

Rosie brought the phone from her ear.

"Beth! Alastor wants to talk to you!" She called.

Beth came over and took the phone from Rosie to speak with her brother. As she did this, Rosie took this time to change the sheets in the guest room for Husk. Later she brought Beth to her room and helped her get ready for bed.

"You don't have to go to sleep just yet." Rosie said pulling the comforter off the bed. "But I want you to stay in my room for the rest of the night. It's the safest room in the entire apartment. It's high up, there are no windows, and the conjoined bathroom has an emergency exit."

"Aren't you coming to bed?" Beth asked.

"I will. But first I have to do a few things to make sure my apartment doesn't get flooded or fly away."

Rosie opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a book that was inside. It was Beth's storybook which she then handed to the girl.

"You left this in my cabaret the other night." Rosie explained. "Thought you might want it back."

"Thank you."

Beth started to get comfortable in Rosie's bed. She picked a good spot on the mattress to lie on, pulled the sheet and blanket over herself, then opened her storybook. She flipped through the pages and didn't stop until she reached the beginning of her favorite story.

"Rosie?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you think that...Maybe you...Could you read me a bedtime story?"

Rosie looked at Beth, surprised by the question. She didn't think children her age still liked to be read to.

"It's just that, I get really scared during a storm and one of the ways Alastor would calm me down is by reading to me." Beth said, suddenly feeling very stupid for asking. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I'm too old for bedtime stories anyway. Just forget about it."

"No, no, no. It's alright. I don't mind, in fact I'd be happy to read to you. Just let me get the apartment secure."

It took Rosie about twenty minutes for her to set up a protective barrier around the apartment. It was a spell she had learned from her grandmother, it would keep ocean water from entering any household. The perfect defense against a hurricane. After that she crawled into bed with Beth and read her favorite story to her.

" 'Oh,' said Mother Duck." Rosie read off the page. " 'That is not a turkey; how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! He is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly.' "

There was suddenly a terrible clap of thunder, it scared Beth. She screamed and hid underneath the covers. The girl felt embarrassed again. She was elven years old and she still acted like a five year old when there was a storm. When was she going to get over it? Rosie was probably going to scold her for such juvenile behavior. But Rosie only chuckled and pulled back the covers, looking down at Beth with a tender and warm gaze.

"Oh my pretty duckling, don't be afraid." She said gently hugging her. "I'm here. I'll always be right here."

Beth smiled as her fear vanished and she returned the hug. It wasn't just the storm that had urged Beth to make the request. Growing up, she had always fantasized about what she and her mother would have done together if she had not passed away so soon. One of them was reading her a story before bed. Now she knew that Rosie could never replace her mother. Despite having no memory of her mom, no one would be able to take her place. But Rosie was the closest thing Beth had to a maternal figure.

" 'Please, noble, beautiful birds, kill me. For I am too ugly to live.' The Ugly Duckling begged." Rosie had read from the end page. " 'What are you talking about brother?' Asked one of the swans. 'You're as beautiful as we are. More so I'd say. Come see for yourself. Look at your reflection in the water.' "

The whole time she read, Beth had nuzzled up close to her, as though she was a sleepy small child curling up to her mother.

" 'No, no, no please. Don't mock me like this.' The Ugly Duckling pleaded. 'Don't make me look at myself.' But the swans urged him to bend his head down to the surface of the water so he could see himself the way they did. And what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. To be born in a duck's nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan's egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer, and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome. Then he rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, 'I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling.' "

By the time she finished, Beth had fallen asleep. Rosie smiled and carefully tucked her into the bed, pulling the covers over her and kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight my pretty duckling." She whispered lovingly. "Soon to be a beautiful swan."