Into the Unfamiliar (Teagan; Open~)

[Chrissy]

Whoosh.

It was almost soothing, the sound of the ocean.

Whoosh.

In and out, the waves threw themselves onto the shore, white frothy fingers scrabbling at the sand as if the very ocean were trying to heave itself from its bed.

Whoosh.

Shells and various sea creatures were thrown from familiar surroundings into the bright surface world above. Teagan could relate. She'd been happy in Vancouver, living her life and minding her own business. She'd had friends and she'd known the best places in town for a teenager to hang out. She'd thought, perhaps stupidly so, that she'd be there forever. She'd thought, in her youthful naivety, that life would never change. It had occurred to her, as Matthias finished university, that a job would be the next logical step. She wasn't completely dense, of course! What hadn't occurred to her was that finding a job here in Vancouver would be so difficult.

She'd woken up one Saturday, ready for the next big thing. She'd dressed and primped and ignored the shouts of Claire as she'd responded to Matthias' rumbling voice down below. It wasn't uncommon for Claire to throw fits, after all. As the door slammed, Teagan had slipped from her room, down the stairs. Normally, Matthias was bustling about the kitchen. That Saturday, he'd been sitting solemnly at the dining table.

He'd told her he'd gotten a job. She'd congratulated him as was only proper. It was then that he'd shattered her pefect little world. They weren't staying in Vancouver for this job. Good bye Vancouver, hello California. He'd tried to make light of the situation as Matthias was wan to do. Unfortunately, all Teagan's mind kept screaming at her was "Goodbye life, hello desolation."

So here she was, thrust from ease of what she'd grown to know into this bright... Nothing.

This place was nothing to her.

'Whoosh' went the waves. 'Crack' went her heart.

With her hands wrapped around the railing bordering the road, Teagan squeezed. She squeezed and squeezed until her knuckles turned white. She squeezed until she felt her fingers might fall off and if they had, she wouldn't have been too unhappy. Maybe then, Matthias would understand just how angry she was!

Behind her, the hotel door swung open and the very sound of footsteps had Teagan's spine stiffening. Matty's voice called out.

"I got us a room until we can find a house." There was an apologetic note hidden beneath the awkward rumble of his words. Teagan was having none of it.

"... I hate you." She hissed without turning to face him. Each word dripped with the venom of her unhappiness and silence reigned for a long, uncomfortable moment. Finally, Matthias' footsteps retreated and the hotel door opened and closed once more.
'He can have his stupid hotel.' Teagan fumed silently. 'He can have it but I'd rather drown.'

The thought echoed around her loudly. Everytime she tried to forget it, it clanged noisily, demanding her attention. Her eyes slid to the ocean. All of a sudden, those white tipped claws were no longer trying to escape. Instead, they beckoned to her, inviting her to dance hand in hand with its depths.

Teagan's fingers drummed uncertainly along the railing and then she was up and over, sandal-clad feet digging into the hot sand. She barely paused to enjoy the heat though, simply charging headlong into the surf.

Cold water engulfed her up to her thighs. It snagged at her skirt and tugged at it playfully as if trying to encourage her toward the open sea.

[Cassi]

Wind swirling around her golden blonde hair, gently nudging her towards the pulsing waves of the unpredictable sea, Thaise’s bare feet softly dug into the embracing white sand. Golden sandals draped around one wrist, and a small transparent water proof clutch revealing old money and a beat up iPhone around the other. Thaise’s miscellaneous clothing danced around with the lithe wind, creating a feeling of uneasiness inside of her. Having uprooted her entire existence to move to a foreign town that she only ever visited on holiday’s that required “family time.” Thaise loathed being here; however, New York was much worse. It housed rushing cars, intolerable business “men,” the contestant blaring sirens, and her deceitful mother, all things that made tiny little Riverside feel like a hidden oasis.

Wind pushing, water crashing, Thaise idle. Eyes gliding around from jubilant families to the white foam appearing from colliding waves, a single girl caught her eye. Alone, like her. Frustrated from the never ending plane ride filled with her family’s nervous bickering, Thaise slightly wicked mind desired to mess with the girl. Based on the airhead flight attendances and the shallow teenagers roaming the streets so far, Thaise could simply ask where the nearest library is and half the town would be dumbfounded. Best case scenario, the girl possesses more intelligence and back bone than half the town, and maybe, Thaise could put up with her.

Finally giving into the nudging wind, Thaise strolled down the beach, stopping immediately as she reached the break between the soft white sand, and the murky moistened sand. Cocking her head to her right and allowing her devious smile to shine through, Thaise called out over the crashing waves, “You did hear this ocean is an incubator for bacteria, correct?” Frozen smile, Thaise waited for either a frighten scream, or a witty come back.

[Chrissy]

Though the sea beckoned, the sunshine on her hair gave the slender girl pause. She tipped her head skyward, letting the warmth of the sun seep into her skin, momentarily thawing the block of frozen hate within her. While she missed Vancouver dearly, sulking would hardly transport her back in time. What was done was done and she had best find some way to make light of the situation.

Her lips twitched, attempting a smile that her emotions weren’t quite ready to comply with. The end result was a slight sneer, twisting her mouth into a bit of a knot. She’d tolerate this mess that Matthias had landed them in but she wouldn’t be happy about it!

“You did hear this ocean is an incubator for bacteria, correct?” The stranger’s words pulled Teagan from her thoughts and she turned to face the intruder. That’s what this girl was, after all: An intruder on her pity party. From what Teagan could recall, she hadn’t sent out invitations.

The sneer on her face deepened, darkening her features into a scowl of monumental proportions. “It can’t be half as bad as what your head must be for stupidity.” The words were out of Teagan’s mouth before she’d registered them, her tone the crack of a whip. When she had registered what she’d said though, she felt a certain sense of pride and made sure to mentally high-five herself. “If I were scared of bacteria, I’d have shucked my skin and burned it a while ago anyway. Not to mention the mites that live in human lashes or the bacteria that lives in your pillows, mattresses and food.” Her tone grew flippant then, the wind snatching her words up and whisking them away.

[Cassi]

Thaise stepped up to the rolling waves, allowing her ankles to be attacked by the white foam, while her feet sank into the murky sand. Avoiding eye contact with the girl, she watched as the wave hit her flesh, over and over again, as if the world was playing a tiny metronome and the ocean was its instrument. Rolling her head back and around, allowing the sunshine to absorb into her skin, she stopped to look at the girl.

As the girl spoke, Thaise allowed a small smirk to come across her face when the girl became defensive. The words were pushed aside and ignored; Thaise was listening for the girl’s tone. Words can be useless, especially when someone is distressed. Their tone is the gateway into what they were really thinking, especially with girls. As the girl continued to talk, Thaise’s smirk continued to grow. She did not seem to enjoy Thaise’s little comment at all. Amused, she tried to keep her smile to herself, allowing her golden hair to fall in front of her face, and looking down at her feet, distorted underneath the salt water.

When the girl finished, she retorted, “Bacteria are a curious little thing, aren’t they? Everywhere, all the time, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. In fact, we would die without it because we have grown to be so dependent on it.” While she was speaking, she stepped deeper into the mystifying ocean, allowing her knees to be immerged into the clear water. “Bacteria are like almost everything in life. We can attempt to control it, but the harder we try, the more we ruin things.” Her smirk fell into her relaxed face, and she quickly glanced over at the girl. “Sorry to sound like a philosopher. Sometimes I wonder if I read too much Emerson and Thoreau…. Sometimes.” She murmured through a relaxed smile.