Chapter 1 Changes

Daquiri stared out the car window at the unfamiliar scenery on the way to Arroyo

Elementary. Farther north, at this time in the season, it would've been colder and nearly all the

leaves would have already fallen. But in southern California, it was like it was still the middle of

summer. Under normal circumstances she would have enjoyed the warmer weather, but now it

was just one more thing that made her feel out of place.

"Are we almost there?" an excited voice piped up from the backseat.

Daquiri twisted around to look at her little brother, who was giving his seatbelt a run for

its money with how much he was bouncing up and down. "We'll be there in a minute, Fox." She

glanced to Arak at the wheel before looking back at him. "Do you remember everything we told

you this morning?"

Fox slowly tacked off a list on his fingers, his eyebrows scrunching up like he was trying

hard to remember. "Don't cut in line… Don't talk when the teacher is… Umm…don't eat glue…"

He glanced up. "…Or paper…"

Daquiri tried to suppress a smile at the last two, not wanting to encourage him. She

knew Arak was grinning out of Fox's view, though.

"Ri," Fox said, scooching as far forward in his seat as the seatbelt would allow, "why

can't I go to school with you and Arak?"

"The elementary and junior and high schools aren't all connected buildings here, bud.

Our school is a little further away from here."

Fox frowned. "Why do they do that?"

Daquiri gave a tiny smile. "Probably because Santa Barbara is a lot bigger than Canyon.

They can't fit everyone into one school."

When the seven-year-old's frown only deepened, she reached out a hand and wiggled

his knee back and forth. "You don't need to worry. You're a little charmer—you'll have tons of

friends in no time, and you won't even need Arak and me." She smiled. "In fact, pretty soon, I

bet you won't even want to hang out with boring ol' us anymore."

Fox shook his head, giggling even though he knew she was joking. Still, it seemed to

help him forget some of his nerves.

"And here we are," Arak announced, pulling into the elementary parking lot and rolling to

a stop by the curb of the front entrance. He turned around to face Fox as well. "Time to go, bud,"

he said cheerfully.

Most of his excitement seemed to have returned, yet she could still see her little brother

felt a bit unsure of himself. She unbuckled her seatbelt. "C'mon, Fox, I'll make sure you're all

set," she said as she got out of the passenger side. Fox followed suit more slowly, taking his

time with his belt buckle and carefully sliding out of the car when Daquiri opened the door for

him. She knelt down to make sure his backpack straps were adjusted correctly, and he silently

stood still for her—a tad unusual for him. Her brother was a regular ball of energy that loved

everything and everyone, so it was rare not to see him constantly on the move.

"Hey," she said softly, smoothing down his spiky red hair only for it to stick back up

again. "There's a note for you in your lunch, and I left you a little surprise in there, too." She

tweaked his nose. "If you ever feel lonely, just remember I'll be thinking of you today."

"All day?"

"All day," she confirmed with a smile. "Okay?" Pausing, she gave her watch a quick

glance. Her and Arak's classes would be starting soon. "We've gotta go, buddy. Hugs?"

Needing no further bidding, Fox hugged her tightly around the neck and gave her a peck

on the cheek, and she kissed his forehead goodbye. She stood up and gave him a shooing

motion.

"You're gonna do awesome, bud. Go and get 'em!"

Giving her one last look, her little brother turned around and ran off to the front doors,

mixing in with the other kids heading to their classrooms. With a sigh, Daquiri got back in the

car.

Arak didn't say anything until they were back on the road.

"I don't know how you do it with him," he said with a slight chuckle.

Daquiri frowned. "Someone should've been able to walk him to class on his first day,"

she said, ignoring Arak's attempt at making her feel better. Like she could with Fox, Arak could

almost always sense when she was troubled.

When her older brother didn't respond right away, she leaned an elbow against the

windowpane of the car and propped her chin against a hand, looking back out the window with a

brooding expression. "That kid deserves the world."

She heard Arak give a large sigh. "I know, Ri," he said, his voice lower.

There were several beats of silence between them.

"You should try to think about something else for once," he finally lingered to say. "I'm

sure you've gotta be super psyched for our own new school this year." There was a cautiously

teasing tone to his voice.

Daquiri shot her brother a look. "I can hardly express my excitement in words," she said

flatly.

"Oh, it'll be fine," Arak insisted with facetious confidence and an errant smile. "So long as

you remember to keep track of every guy that tries to hit on you so I can take a hit at them." His

voice kept its teasing note…for the most part.

She rolled her eyes. "I can handle it, Arak."

The noise he made was somewhere between a chortle and a scoff. "Yeah, I know how

you'll handle it," he said with a snort. "Just try not to get sent to the office at this school."

"You're one to talk," she retorted. "You were just talking about punching people's lights

out."

Arak laughed. "Yeah, well, I've had a good teacher."

Daquiri's head whipped to look at her brother in angry disbelief at the same time that

Arak seemed to fully register what he'd said. His eyes widened.

"Ri, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Just shut up, Arak," she snapped, turning away from him.

"Ri, you know I would never—"

"Shut up, Arak."

He quieted after that.

They rode the rest of the way to school in silence.

Once Arak parked in the lot space they'd been assigned, Daquiri immediately shoved

the door open and slammed it behind her, shouldering her bookbag as she made a beeline for

the front entrance. She didn't slow down even when she heard the car engine cut off and

another door slam behind her.

"Ri!" Arak called as he caught up to her. She sped up her pace, but he caught up her

wrist and pulled her sideways to face him.

Unable to tug her hand away, she rounded on him instead. "What?" she snapped

vehemently. "Did you wanna give a demonstration of what your teacher showed you?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that," he said, his voice soft but serious.

"But you still—"

"I know, I wasn't thinking. And I'm sorry."

Frowning, she looked away.

"Oh, c'mon," he pressed, taking her by the shoulders. "Don't be mad at me. You and I

always stick together as a family, right?"

Daquiri rolled her eyes and shoved his hands away from her. "Don't you play that card,"

she said as she turned and started walking again.

But Arak seemed to know she was relenting. He fell in step with her, slinging his arm

around her shoulders. "You know you can't stay mad at me."

Daquiri snorted. "Oh, you wanna bet?"

Arak tsked with a shake of his head. "You know you always lose to these kinds of bets,

Ri… "

Daquiri shot him a warning look. "Arak, don't you dare—"

But before she could move away, her brother scooped her up, bookbag and all, and ran.

He was the only one in the world who knew all her ticklish spots, and he took full advantage of

the fact.

"I am going to kill you," she gasped as she fought off the laughter threatening to escape.

She was tensed so hard from trying that her stomach started to ache.

"I think you'll have a hard time killing me from up there," he laughed, though he started

slowing down a bit.

"Arak, put me down."

Her brother was still laughing when he set her back on the pavement, and she shoved

him away.

"You idiot," she grumbled, punching him in the arm.

"You've forgotten how to have fun, Ri," Arak said with a smirk.

"And I suppose your idea of fun is making every person in this school think we're

dating?"

"Well hey, that would fix your boy problems, right?" he joked.

Daquiri rolled her eyes. "You're a moron."

"Love you, too."

Despite her irritation, her brother had still called her bluff. Arak was one of only three

people she even liked, let alone loved—Fox being one of them, of course. Since they were her

brothers, though, she wasn't sure they counted.

She and Arak walked the rest of the way to the entrance in companionable silence.

"Well, I'll see you later," Arak said when they reached the doors.

"Yup." She gave a little wave goodbye. Her brother smiled at her before melting into the

mass of kids clogging the hallways.

With a sigh, Daquiri straightened. Time to start high school all over again. Maybe she'd

manage to be more invisible this time around.

It took her nearly 12 of the 15 minutes she had to find her homeroom.

The rest of the kids in the class all seemed to be talking with each other or fooling

around when she walked in. Walking up to the desk in the corner of the room, she stood there

for a moment until she was forced to get the teacher's attention.

"Do I need to sit somewhere specific?"

The teacher looked up, clearly surprised. "Oh! You're Daquiri Laurens?"

"Unfortunately," she said dryly.

"We're glad to have you," she said brightly, either ignoring Daquiri's sarcasm or

somehow not picking up on it. She had a meticulously curled blonde bob and looked young, like

she couldn't have been much older than the students in her classroom. Daquiri wondered if it

was also her first year at this school. "I don't have everyone sitting in any certain order right

now, but…" The teacher paused as she looked around. "There's a seat next to Christopher over

there." The teacher gestured over to the other side of the room. "He's the tall boy sitting and

reading."

Daquiri hadn't thought someone could look tall while sitting down until she looked over

where the teacher had indicated. Even in his chair, this Christopher guy looked like a giant.

Just then the bell rang. Some of the kids started moving towards their desks, though

many just kept right on talking where they were.

"Alright, guys, take your seats!" Mrs.—actually, Daquiri couldn't remember the name

from her schedule—called, suddenly sounding a lot more in command than she had three

seconds ago. Daquiri shifted her weight to the other foot apprehensively, just wanting to go take

her seat so she wasn't standing there for the class to stare at. Before she could move, though,

Mrs. Teacher touched her lightly on the shoulder for a moment. Daquiri tried not to bristle at the

contact.

"We have a new student who just moved here—this is Daquiri."

Daquiri glanced around the class and pressed her lips together for an awkward moment,

her fingers giving a single set of taps against the strap of her bookbag.

The young woman directed another welcoming smile towards her. "Did you want to tell

us a little about yourself, Daquiri?"

Daquiri glanced between the teacher and the rest of the class. "...Not really."

A smattering of snickers rippled through the room, and Mrs. Teacher gave a small laugh

that Daquiri thought sounded slightly more strained. "Well then I guess we can get started." She

motioned to the seat she had previously indicated, as though Daquiri might've already forgotten

where it was.

As she made her way to her desk, she definitely regretted not sitting down right away.

She hated the way everyone stared or passed glances at her as she walked to the back corner

of the room.

Well, except for the tall kid, Christopher, who still had his nose to his book. When she sat

down next to him he glanced over at her for a moment and gave a quick smile—she supposed

in welcome—before going back to reading. He couldn't have gotten much further in his book,

though, because the teacher started up her lesson then.

Getting out a pencil and folder of looseleaf, she straightened them neatly on her desk

before resting her chin on a hand to stare up at the front. She resisted the urge to heave a sigh.

Just seven more hours of the new kid routine to go.

Daquiri didn't manage to get herself lost until Fourth Period.

The extracurriculars like woodshop and music always seemed to be the rooms that were

most out of the way and difficult to find, and apparently the art room was making no exceptions.

She'd been pleasantly surprised to learn Arroyo Burro High School even had an art program,

considering most schools nowadays had already cut them out. Her old school had cut theirs

right before she'd started freshman year, so this class was pretty much the only reason she'd

been even slightly excited to move here.

But even then.

She began to resign herself to having to backtrack to the office at this point, since she

had about thirty seconds before the bell rang. It wasn't so much the being late itself that was

going to bother her as it was the extra unwanted attention it would stir.

Just as she was gathering her bearings to find her way back to the front office, she found

herself lurching forward as she was shoved into from behind. The wall saved her from falling,

but her books weren't so lucky. She swore under her breath as the few books and papers she'd

been carrying scattered to the floor. She knelt down to pick them up.

"Ack! I'm sorry!"

Daquiri looked up to see another girl bending down to help. She had to blink to make

sure she was seeing correctly.

The girl was probably the oddest sight she'd ever seen.

Or really, her hair was. It was styled into long dreadlocks, which wouldn't have been

altogether unusual, except that each "lock" had been dyed a separate color to make a mass of

aquamarine blue, sea foam green, bubblegum pink, tangerine orange, and coral. Some of the

dreads were twisted around each other to make multi-colored spirals, and it was quite possibly

the most bizarre hairdo Daquiri had ever laid eyes on.

So much so that she kind of forgot to listen to whatever the girl was babbling about.

"—and I'm always such a klutz, especially when I'm late for class. I guess you're late for

class, too. Wait, are you new here? I know like, everyone here. Well—sort of…"

Staring at the girl, Daquiri blinked again. Um.

"…I'm looking for the art room."

The girl seemed to brighten. "Oh! You're in art, too? That's where I'm going!" Rainbow

Dread Girl stood up with the other half of Daquiri's stuff. "C'mon, I'll show you where it is!"

Since the girl started bouncily trotting off with her things, Daquiri didn't have much choice

but to follow her down the hallway.

"So what's your name?" Dreadlock Girl asked when Daquiri caught up with her.

Daquiri hadn't really been planning on introducing herself, but the girl was taking the

liberty to help her, so she supposed—

The bell finally rang. Great.

"Quick! Run," the girl squealed. Before Daquiri could protest, she grabbed her hand and

practically sprinted down the rest of the hall. Daquiri almost fell over when Rainbow Dreads

halted in front of a door.

What was wrong with this—

"In here!" the girl chirped before swinging open the wooden door with a flourish. She

pulled Daquiri inside. "We are not late!" she announced. "It is still eleven-thirty-five!" The girl

paused to look at the clock on the wall. "I think, anyway."

Daquiri tried to willfully force the color rising to her cheeks back down as every head in

the art studio turned towards them at the crazy girl's outburst.

Just simply being late would've been better.

"Were you kind enough to show our new student to class, Gypsy?" the teacher asked, a

hand on her hip. Her tone was wry and one of her angled black brows had risen sharply above

the other. Daquiri thought she caught a glint of a smile in her fierce grey eyes, though.

Gypsy? Daquiri's attention strayed back to the rainbow girl next to her. Is that some kind

of nickname?

"Yesss ma'am!" Gypsy lifted four fingers to her temple in a salute to the art teacher, a

large grin spreading across her elfin features. Then, much to her chagrin, Gypsy splayed out her

arms toward Daquiri in a "ta-da!" motion and began announcing to the class, "This is—!" Then

she paused, seeming to realize something. "Wait, what's your name?"

Daquiri wanted to bang her head on the nearest wall. Or maybe Gypsy's.

"…Daquiri," she said through her teeth.

"—Daquiri!" Gypsy finished for the class's benefit. Then she addressed the teacher

again. "Can she sit with me, Mrs. Adams?"

Please say 'no,' please say 'no,' please say 'no'…

Mrs. Adams looked between the girls for a moment. Then she said, "Go ahead," with a

dismissive wave of a hand. "Explain to Daquiri what we've been working on, please."

Daquiri's shoulders dropped as she silently let out her breath. Great.

"Oh, and Daquiri."

She paused and turned back to the woman, half expecting a remark about her tardiness

with how serious she sounded.

"Welcome." Her grey eyes barely glimmered with a smile, which was the only indication

she meant what she said before she turned away herself. The redhead barely managed to note

it before Gypsy was pulling her along again.

The girl started babbling about some method of painting, but Daquiri wasn't really

listening anymore. She'd taken this class to be a respite from the rest of school, where she

wasn't obligated to say anything and could just work on a thing she enjoyed in peace.

This Gypsy girl was anything but peaceful.

"—and you know, I really prefer painting without any kind of specific method, I just like to

feel it, y'know? But Mrs. Adams doesn't always go for that and says I should—"

"Gypsy," Daquiri interrupted. Considering she'd hardly gotten a word in edgewise, she

was almost surprised when the sound of her name actually paused the girl's torpedo

monologue. Daquiri took a breath. "If you just tell me what we're doing, I think I'll be fine on my

own." She took back her things from the girl. "Minus the conversation."

Gypsy drew her mouth into a bow shape off to one side. "Oh." She nodded slowly. "Okay

then." A pause and a beat later, there was a quick little shake of her head before she launched

straight into the explanation of their current project with all the same energy as before. With how

frequently the girl went off on random tangents, Daquiri was certain the explanation took a good

deal longer than strictly necessary.

Daquiri had to resist the urge to sigh. Just talking to this girl made her feel like she

needed a nap. Being around Gypsy in any manner seemed to be reason enough for a respite.

Settling into the chair at the easel station next to Gypsy's, Daquiri started sketching out

an idea for the project. She either shot down or blatantly ignored any of the girl's random

comments or attempts at conversation, which were made despite Daquiri's previous

discouragement. And that was how she spent the remainder of class. If it hadn't been for the

annoying rainbow child, Daquiri might have actually enjoyed it.

But apparently the Universe wished to grant her no happiness.

When the bell finally rang, Daquiri wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

But next period was lunch, so she could at least decide which people she wanted to be around.

Or rather, not be around.

As she was following the stream of other kids heading towards the cafeteria, Gypsy

caught up with her again.

"Hey, so since you're new and all, you can totally sit—"

"No." Daquiri didn't even glance at the girl. "I'd actually rather be alone, but thanks."

She hoped Gypsy would understand her bluntness and leave her be, but she clearly

underestimated the girl's persistence. She stuck to her like glue.

"Are you sure? I know it can be hard making friends on the first day, and I totally get that!

I mean, I moved here forever ago, but I still remember what it was like, so I totally get it, and—

oh, I just said that, didn't I? Yeah, I just said that—but anyway, maybe you're worried about

getting made fun of 'cause you're new and no one likes you and stuff, but I promise I'm not like

that at all, and—oh, I didn't mean to say no one likes you! I actually have no idea what people

think, or who's even met you, but—"

After a minute, Daquiri just started to ignore Gypsy's run-on ramblings and tune her out,

since she apparently had no off switch. Arak's warning about the principal's office was

becoming more and more difficult to take heed of.

"Look, Gypsy," she finally said through her teeth as they walked through the cafeteria

doors, "I appreciate the offer—" not really "—but I'm fine. You have friends, so you can go sit

with them. Just please leave me alone."

Before the girl could react, Daquiri spun on her heel and stalked off towards the doors

that led to the outside courtyard. She'd never thought she'd have to work so hard not to make

friends here.

"How was your first day, Fox?"

Fox all but tumbled into the backseat of the car in his rush of excitement. "I met lots of

kids! And my teacher is really nice! And look—" Fox paused to go digging through his backpack.

He pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "—I painted a picture in art class!"

Daquiri smiled. "That makes two of us, bud. Can you close the door behind you?"

Fox complied even as he continued to chatter on about his day. She leaned her head

back against the seat as she listened, with the other occasional comment or question from Arak.

School had tired her out and, despite her best efforts to pay attention, she was having a hard

time keeping her eyes open. She let out a quiet sigh as she gave up and let them close.

"Hey," Arak said in a low voice, which meant he was talking to her.

Daquiri cracked an eye back open at him.

"You should get some rest when we get home."

She raised an eyebrow, one eye still closed. "And why would I do that?"

"C'mon, Ri," Arak scoffed lightly. "Fox was in your room practically half the night before

he finally fell asleep. I know you're exhausted."

Daquiri stayed silent for several moments. Her other eye opened a bit more and both

shifted to the window. "Do you think Dad will be home?"

"I don't know," her brother replied. "I'm not sure what his work schedule is at this new

department."

When Daquiri didn't respond, her brother continued. "C'mon, I'll keep an eye on Fox.

There's no sense starting a new school just to overwork yourself before you can settle in." He

caught her eye when she glanced over at him. "You'll drive yourself into the ground, Ri."

Turning away, she crossed her arms and pulled her legs up under her on the seat.

"Whatever," she muttered, closing her eyes again. Inside, however, she was actually relieved.

Even though Fox was older now, he still needed a lot of looking after, and even though Arak of

course always did his part, Daquiri volunteered her time more than anyone else. She loved her

little brother more than anything in the world, let alone sleep.

That being said, it was still nice to have a break.

Once they pulled into the house driveway, Daquiri went straight to her new room. They

had just moved in two days ago, so a lot of it was still in shambles. Daquiri had to weave around

and over open boxes and piles of belongings just to get to her bed.

She collapsed onto it with a huff, letting her bookbag thud to the floor. Between being

forced into social interaction, constantly keeping up with Fox, and her lack of sleep the previous

night, Arak had been right: she was exhausted.

Hardly minutes passed before she was out like a light.

The sun was setting when Daquiri woke up again. She came out of sleep abruptly and

completely disoriented, at first not sure where she was and then thinking it was morning and she

was late for school. It took a few minutes of lying there to regather her surroundings and what

she'd been doing. Waking up here would still take some getting used to.

Getting up, she left her room to go find where Arak and Fox were. She didn't hear them,

which was fairly unusual, so she wondered if Arak had set up the TV to watch a movie or

something.

She walked out to the kitchen, but the silence told her before her eyes did that the TV

wasn't on. In fact, it somehow felt even quieter out here.

She noted a piece of paper on the counter, and picked it up to read:

Ri,

Went with Fox to the park. Be back later.

Arak

Well then.

She sent him a text asking when they'd be home before setting her phone down to open

the fridge for something to eat. At least she could get her homework done early now.

She jumped a bit in surprise when the front door slammed open. And they were home.

So much for that.

"I just texted you," she called as she made her way around the corner to the tiny foyer. "I

was just seeing when you guys were—"

Daquiri stopped when she saw it wasn't her brothers at the door. "Oh," she said stiffly.

"Hi, Dad."

Lawrence Laurens narrowed his eyes at her from where he stood in the doorway,

looking like he was having a hard time focusing on his daughter. It took him a few moments

before he said anything.

"Where're your brothers?" he slurred, sounding like he'd been gargling with gravel.

Daquiri took a cautious step back. "You're drunk," she observed warily.

The comment seemed to annoy him. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Daquiri. Your

brothers."

Her stomach turned queasy at being faced with the question. Normally it wasn't a good

idea to let him know she was home alone. But then, it also wasn't a good idea to lie.

"They're—" her voice faltered for a moment. "They went to the park."

Her father seemed to consider this for several moments. Then he walked further inside,

shuffling a bit but not completely unsteady on his feet. Drunk enough to make rash decisions,

but not so drunk he'd have trouble following through on them.

That was the worst kind of drunk.

"Get me a beer," he muttered, waving a hand towards the kitchen as he walked past her

into the living room.

"Get your own beer," she said with a scowl. Any act of rebellion she could get away with,

however small, already felt like a win against her dad—but even that aside, she hated just being

around alcohol, let alone touching the stuff. Seeing its effects so often had never encouraged

her to find its appeal. "I have homework to do," she said coldly before taking off to go back to

her room instead.

Daquiri flinched when her dad grabbed her arm.

"You know better than to disobey me," he growled.

Daquiri tugged against his grip and glared up at him. The resemblance to her fight with

Arak that morning was a bit unnerving. "And you should know better than to assault someone,

but that hasn't seemed to stop you," she said through her teeth. "Especially when it's your own

daughter."

She didn't have a chance to avoid the backhand to her face. Working her jaw at the pain,

she brought a hand to her mouth on reflex. The fingers came away bloody.

"When it's my disrespectful daughter, it's jus' good ol' fashioned discipline," her father

countered, his voice low with contempt. He pushed her away with far more force than

necessary, throwing her against the counter that divided the kitchen and living room. "Now get

me my drink."

Steadying herself against the counter, Daquiri wiped her mouth off on the back of an

arm. "Starting over new, huh?" she said. "New house, turning over a new leaf?" She scowled at

him. "Yeah, things are going to be real different here."

"Daquiri. Drink. Now."

"No," she spat. She moved around the counter before he could come at her again. "God,

I am so sick of you, I don't even care anymore. And you haven't bothered to care in years, so

why can't you just leave us all alone?"

"I care enough t'not let you run wild, and make sure you're raised right," he snapped

back. "You're just the one that never learns."

"Learns what? To live up to your impossible standards?"

"To respect me, dammit!" her dad yelled. "Like doing as I ask, when you're told!"

"It never changes anything!" she shouted back, slapping a palm on the countertop. "You

said things would change."

"Oh, get over it, Ri," her father sneered, leaning his palms on the countertop across from

her. "You're a big girl, you should be able to handle it now."

"Maybe for Fox's sake, but not for mine," she retorted. "And don't call me that name."

Her dad snorted dismissively. "Or what? You'll fight back?"

Daquiri lifted her chin. "There's nothing stopping me, is there?"

"I can always fix that."

Daquiri stared her dad down for a moment. Then she bolted for the door.

Her spot in the kitchen gave her a slight disadvantage, and even intoxicated, her father

still had the instincts of a trained sailor-turned-cop. He managed to catch her wrist, and the force

with which he pulled her back made her lose her balance. She slipped on the wooden floors of

the hallway and fell, half suspended by the arm her dad still held tightly. He yanked her back up,

twisting her wrist in the process.

"Still think you can fight?" he growled.

The moment she was steady on her feet again, Daquiri used her other arm to elbow him

in the gut as hard as she could. "Yes." When his grip loosened from surprise, she tore away

from him, out the door, and kept on running.

A lot of the time, she couldn't use running as an escape from her father. Sometimes he

wasn't intoxicated when he was angry, or Fox was home and Arak wasn't, or some other

number of reasons. Also a lot of the time, it wasn't even that bad. Sometimes her dad just

wanted someone to yell at, or to knock around for a minute. She thought of it more as an

occupational hazard for being a single-parent kid.

As often as she could manage it, though, she just wanted to get away.

Back in Oregon, she'd had go-to spots, but here she just went straight. She didn't stop,

even when she heard thunder in the distance. She hadn't realized a storm had been brewing.

By the time the houses of her neighborhood were out of sight, the rain had started

coming down. After only a few minutes more, it was pouring out in sheets.

Much worse weather conditions hadn't kept her in the house before, and she wasn't

letting a rainstorm deter her now. Her long red curls were slicked straight, and she was soaked

through, but she didn't care. She pushed past the burning ache in her legs and just kept running

through the growing darkness.

But after a while, she did finally have to stop.

Daquiri practically collapsed against a standing rock face out of exhaustion. The sound

of blood pounding rang in her ears as her lungs screamed at her for being completely spent.

Closing her eyes as her chest heaved with ragged gasps, she tipped her face up toward the

night sky. The cold rain beating down soothed her skin, washing away her father's blow.

Part of her had desperately hoped that with the move, the new house, the new scenery,

the new people—that all of it would lead to things finally changing again. Their dad had said this

move would be for the better, after all, and that it would lead to new opportunities he'd never

had at his old police department, small as it was. And it had seemed like, by leaving Oregon,

they might finally be able to leave all of the past behind with it. But, if she was honest with

herself, the other part of her had always known that would've been far too good to be true.

Her breaths had finally started to calm down a bit, enough that she opened her eyes to

get a better look at her surroundings. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust since darkness

had completely fallen now, but the light of the full moon allowed an eerie glow to illuminate the

hill amidst the rain and shifting clouds. She realized the textured rock face she was leaning

against was only one of many rocky formations around her, some obscuring others in an almost

maze-like fashion. Curious, and having never seen anything like it before, Daquiri ventured

further amongst the outcropping.

As she explored, she further realized that what she'd thought was the sound of blood

roaring in her ears was now only getting louder. She tried to follow the noise, though the tall

spires of rock piles seemed to distort and break apart the source's direction.

Daquiri nearly missed the sudden drop off of the cliff.

She jerked back a step, her heart pounding with the sudden adrenaline of realizing she'd

nearly walked right over the edge. She'd never considered herself afraid of heights, but even

her vision spun at the sight of the ocean crashing more than 30 feet below. The roaring had

heightened to an almost deafening chorus.

She couldn't see its source, or even catch sight of it from where she stood, but she

realized she was hearing the thundering of a waterfall. It must have been coming straight out of

the cliff for there to be no river that she could see, and Daquiri determined she must be standing

on an overhang that was deeper than she realized. Biting her lip, she risked inching closer to

the edge again to see if she could get any better of an idea.

The sudden flash of lightning that lit up the horizon distracted her attention first, but it

was the crackling boom of thunder a half second later that made her jump in surprise. Next thing

she knew she was slipping, whether on slick grass or shifting ground she couldn't tell. She tried

to over-correct, but in her panic, balance betrayed her.

She must have fallen fifteen feet before she even registered the need to scream.

Another fifteen, and the cold water ripped the scream right out of her chest.

Salt water filled her mouth and nose, and she coughed from the shock and cold, which

only made her choke even more. Her chest and nose were already burning from swallowed

water and she struggled to find any sense of direction as the waves tumbled her below the

surface. She blindly chose a direction she thought was up and prayed for the best.

Daquiri gasped as her head broke the surface.

She could hardly see through her waterlogged vision, much less figure out where the

nearest shore was. Even if she'd known, she doubted she'd have the strength to get there. Just

keeping her head above water was taking nearly everything she had now. She spluttered as

another wave surged over her, pulling her back down into the surf.

She screamed into the night when she surfaced again, but she already knew no one

would be able to hear her in this storm, let alone over the roar of the waterfall. The chances of

anyone even being out in this were slim. And if this storm lasted, she didn't think she'd be able

to keep up.

Daquiri had the very certain sense she was going to die.

Without warning she felt a strong force of water push her down from above, which she

instinctively struggled against despite not knowing what it was. It couldn't have been the rain…

That was when she realized she'd actually gone under the waterfall.

Before she could decide whether that was good or bad, the strongest wave of all of them

thrust her forward like she was barely an inconvenience, sending her crashing against the

cliffside. She gasped as the air got knocked out of her all at once and her body just went limp,

refusing to work any longer. The only agency she had was to let out a strangled cry as she was

sucked back under the water.

It was the events that had led her here that flashed through her mind's eye as she sank,

and all the many bad memories of the last five years that followed it. They made her want to let

go more than anything; to give in so she could finally just be at peace. Hopefully.

Then it was images of Fox, and Arak, that flared up as she felt herself being pulled

deeper still, and her chest ached for a different reason than simply the lack of oxygen. She

couldn't just leave them alone—especially not Fox.

And hell, when had she ever just given up?

Daquiri found strength in her limbs once more and forced them to work for her again,

determinedly fighting her way back up to the top. She was not just going to let the sea take her.

Just when she thought her chest was going to burst, her head broke through the surface.

She heaved a labored breath as her body fought between coughing and trying to get air to her

starved lungs. But she was okay. She wasn't dead.

It took Daquiri a few moments to register that the water she was treading was no longer

a churning frenzy, without even a ripple in sight. In fact, she'd never seen water that looked so

calm. When she actually looked around, she also saw she was no longer by the cliffside, but in

a rather large pool of water; the rumble of the waterfall was now muffled, and when she looked

up she saw a large hole way up in the ceiling like a skylight. She could see the moon just

starting to creep past its edges.

Where was she?

Looking around curiously, she decided she must be in some sort of cave—the sky above

her was hidden apart from the hole, and the air smelled slightly musty and saltier than regular

ocean air, like it didn't have a regular breeze flowing through it. But how had she gotten in

here?

Caught up in her surroundings, Daquiri startled when the water in the pool began to

bubble. She was alarmed at first, but then she watched in baffled amazement as sparkling

droplets of water began to rise up towards the ceiling. She watched their course as they

traveled all the way up through the skylight and disappeared into the moon's eye. The full moon

now hung brightly in the center of the skylight, almost as though it was there just to show it off.

It was probably the strangest sight Daquiri had ever seen, and she had absolutely no

energy to sit around and think about it.

Slowly swimming her way over to the edge of the pool, she heaved herself out of the

water and up onto the smooth rock floor of the cave. She was exhausted—beyond exhausted—

and chilled to the bone, but she forced herself to stand up and look around. It was pretty dark in

the cave, but she could barely see the silhouette of a tunnel entrance. Cautiously, she walked

over to investigate.

It was much too dark to see further into the tunnel without a light source. Even if it did

lead out into the open again, she'd never be able to navigate her way in the dark, especially

tired as she was.

She looked back to the pool. She wasn't sure how deep down, but there must have

somehow been an entrance into the cave from under the wall behind the waterfall. After she'd

sunk, the waves must have pushed her far enough to come up on the other side into the pool.

She'd gotten incredibly lucky.

There was no way in hell she was going back out that way.

Unfortunately, that left her only option as the pitch black tunnel, and who knew what

could be hiding in there. Tired and uncertain, Daquiri sighed as she leaned a hand against the

cave wall to think.

She flinched away in reflex when the top of the cave suddenly lit up like a night light. It

winked out into blackness again with the removal of her hand.

What the—?

Cautiously putting a hand to the wall again, her eyes widened as the ceiling far above

her sprang to life once more. She stared up at it in stunned silence.

Crystals glittered across the ceiling, casting an unearthly blue-green glow that revealed

the many stalactites, large and small, dripping down with menacing beauty. The crystals even

continued along down the wall and onto the tunnel ceiling, illuminating the path until it

disappeared behind a bend.

"What is this place…?" she wondered aloud to no one. Her words echoed around the

walls in soft whispers.

The hairs stood on end at the back of her neck. This place either felt magical or was

giving her the serious heebie-jeebies. Maybe both.

She looked back at the pool one last time to steel her nerves. She didn't really have any

other choice.

Taking a deep breath, she continued into the tunnel, keeping her hand brushing along

the wall as she went deeper into the cave, only hoping that she'd be able to make her way out

of here without anything else going wrong.

With the crystals as her guide, it didn't take too long to find the cave entrance. Daquiri

had been completely dumbfounded by the sheer number of other tunnels within the cave, all

leading off in seemingly every other possible direction. She would've ended up hopelessly lost if

not for the peculiar lights.

Most of the entrance was obscured by a veil of moss and webbed lichen hanging off a

twisted tree that grew straight out of the cliffside. Under normal circumstances, the idea of

having to go through the lichen probably would have creeped her out, but she was past caring

now; she just wanted to be home and in bed.

It wasn't raining anymore when she stepped out onto a rocky alcove of the beach,

hidden away from the average eye if they didn't venture further. By the looks of the cave, no one

ever did.

Daquiri trekked up the sand dunes to the top of the hill so she could figure out where she

even was at this point. Her eyes strained, but hard as she tried, she couldn't see the bluff with

the rocky pillars where she'd fallen from. She frowned. Just how far had those caves spanned?

She lost track of how much time it took her to find a way back to anything familiar. Once

she had, though, she retraced her path back to the house as quickly as her aching feet would

carry her. She'd left her cell phone behind when she'd run out, which had proved fortunate in

light of her ocean dip, but also meant most of the household was probably worried about her by

now. That, and she was still exhausted. She didn't know how she was going to stay awake to do

homework now.

She let herself into the house as quietly as she could, thankful the door was unlocked.

She took a slow breath to brace herself just in case before rounding the corner to the main

room.

To her relief, Arak alone was in the living room, restlessly pacing back and forth. When

he turned and saw her, relief flooded his own face. He strode up and pulled her into a strong

hug.

"Thank God you're okay," he muttered quietly.

Daquiri gently pushed him away. "Of course I'm fine, Arak. Relax."

Her brother frowned down at her, still holding her loosely by the shoulders. He brought a

hand up to her chin and briefly ran his thumb over her cut lip with a practiced familiarity before

she could move.

She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. "I just had to get out for a while."

Arak was silent for several moments before letting go of her. "Why are you all wet?"

"It was raining."

"You smell like salt water."

She hesitated, not sure how much she wanted to tell him, or even how to describe it all.

"I...might've taken a small swim."

"In the middle of a storm?"

She didn't respond.

"Ri."

Daquiri crossed her arms and gave a small shrug. "I fell in. I'm fine."

"You fell in? From where?"

"I'm fine," she repeated in a mutter. "I didn't get hurt."

"Fell from where, Ri?"

Daquiri gave an impatient sigh. "Where's Fox?"

Arak gave her a frustrated look, but he gestured to the back hallway. "He's in bed

already. He fell asleep waiting for you to get back."

"And Dad?"

She could see Arak restraining himself from rolling his eyes. "He passed out a while

ago."

Daquiri rubbed a hand over her face. "Good. At least it'll be quiet while I try to finish

homework." She began to head off to her room, but Arak stopped her.

"Ri..." His voice was lower now. "What happened?"

Daquiri locked eyes with her brother for a moment. "What do you think, Arak?" Then she

turned away and went off to her room for the night.