am?”
“Don’t you?” she asked,
confused by his question.
“I’m not exactly sure.”
“Well, you’re in South Nags
Head, North Carolina.” She pointed over her shoulder. “We have a beach house
here this summer. Are you staying in a beach house, too?”
“No.” He stood up and gazed out
at the ocean.
The little girl stood, too. He
towered over her, but everybody did. She glanced at the water to see what held
his attention. “Look! Dolphins.” She pointed in the direction they were both
already watching.
“Yes. I see them.”
The dolphins jumped out of the
water, clicking and wheezing, like they were trying to talk to them.
Coco ran back and forth just
out of reach of the tide, barking as if answering them back.
The boy smiled. “What’s your
dog’s name?”
“Coco.”
“What kind?”
“A Chihubeagle.”
“She’s funny.” He turned his
gaze to her.
With his back to the sun, she
needed to squint to look into his face. She put her hand over her eyes to see
him better.
“Thank you for helping me,” he
said, “but I have to go now.”
She frowned. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“Well, okay, can you come back
tomorrow, so we can play? Me and my family will be here for two whole weeks.”
She liked this strange boy.
“I’ll try, but I can’t
promise.”
“Well, try.” The little girl
felt lonely. The other family with children her age wouldn’t get there for a
few days, so she had no one around to play with except her dog. She stood on
her toes and hugged him. “Friends.” She barely reached his chest.
He hugged her back. “Friends,”
he agreed. He turned and ran into the water until it reached his waist. Diving
in, he kicked hard and swam out to the dolphins. When he reached them, he
turned to wave to the girl left standing on the sand. Then, as one, he and the
dolphins leapt up just above the water and dove beneath the surface.
The child stood there for some
time, but didn’t see either the boy or the dolphins surface again. She returned
with Coco every morning and afternoon for the two weeks they were in the Outer
Banks…While she saw dolphins from time to time, the boy never came back.
Chapter
One
“Kill me now, please. I’m
begging you!”
“Cut it out, Cori.”
“These damn patches don’t even
work, what a rip-off.” Cori Daniels turned over, rolled out of the narrow cabin
bed, and hugging the walls, barely made it to the bathroom, but nothing
remained in her stomach to heave out. Not even air.
Was it just five months ago,
they celebrated her winning that stupid radio contest? She’d never survive the
ten day cruise. The first forty-eight hours weren’t even over and she hadn’t
been able to leave the cabin. Hell, she couldn’t even go far from their
bathroom. Now, she knew why some called it the head: because your head was
always leaning over the bowl.
“Cori, honey,” Desiree called,
hovering somewhere behind her. “Here’s some ginger ale and crackers. The nurse
said it’ll help settle your stomach and you’ll be just fine in a day or so.”
Desiree Holden, her best
friend, just didn’t seem to understand.
“I hate you, you know that,”
she groaned. A cool towel suddenly pressed against her forehead and it went a
long way to help relieve her bad mood, as well as her pounding head. She didn’t
hate her best friend and partner in crime, not really. But damn, why couldn’t
Des be sick and she be the one meeting the handsome hunks they’d seen when they’d
boarded? Damn, damn, damn! But to be
fair, Des hadn’t met anyone either, taking care of her most of the time. “Okay,
no I don’t.”
“Xavior, are you sure about
this?”
“No, Aaron. I am not, but what
choice do we have? The sea witch foretold my bride would be on this boat.”
“But Xavior, a landwalker?”
Aaron shook his head, making his blond mane shift across his shoulders. “No.
It’s a lie I tell you, a trick. Besides, how could you have previously met
“Don’t you?” she asked,
confused by his question.
“I’m not exactly sure.”
“Well, you’re in South Nags
Head, North Carolina.” She pointed over her shoulder. “We have a beach house
here this summer. Are you staying in a beach house, too?”
“No.” He stood up and gazed out
at the ocean.
The little girl stood, too. He
towered over her, but everybody did. She glanced at the water to see what held
his attention. “Look! Dolphins.” She pointed in the direction they were both
already watching.
“Yes. I see them.”
The dolphins jumped out of the
water, clicking and wheezing, like they were trying to talk to them.
Coco ran back and forth just
out of reach of the tide, barking as if answering them back.
The boy smiled. “What’s your
dog’s name?”
“Coco.”
“What kind?”
“A Chihubeagle.”
“She’s funny.” He turned his
gaze to her.
With his back to the sun, she
needed to squint to look into his face. She put her hand over her eyes to see
him better.
“Thank you for helping me,” he
said, “but I have to go now.”
She frowned. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“Well, okay, can you come back
tomorrow, so we can play? Me and my family will be here for two whole weeks.”
She liked this strange boy.
“I’ll try, but I can’t
promise.”
“Well, try.” The little girl
felt lonely. The other family with children her age wouldn’t get there for a
few days, so she had no one around to play with except her dog. She stood on
her toes and hugged him. “Friends.” She barely reached his chest.
He hugged her back. “Friends,”
he agreed. He turned and ran into the water until it reached his waist. Diving
in, he kicked hard and swam out to the dolphins. When he reached them, he
turned to wave to the girl left standing on the sand. Then, as one, he and the
dolphins leapt up just above the water and dove beneath the surface.
The child stood there for some
time, but didn’t see either the boy or the dolphins surface again. She returned
with Coco every morning and afternoon for the two weeks they were in the Outer
Banks…While she saw dolphins from time to time, the boy never came back.
Chapter
One
“Kill me now, please. I’m
begging you!”
“Cut it out, Cori.”
“These damn patches don’t even
work, what a rip-off.” Cori Daniels turned over, rolled out of the narrow cabin
bed, and hugging the walls, barely made it to the bathroom, but nothing
remained in her stomach to heave out. Not even air.
Was it just five months ago,
they celebrated her winning that stupid radio contest? She’d never survive the
ten day cruise. The first forty-eight hours weren’t even over and she hadn’t
been able to leave the cabin. Hell, she couldn’t even go far from their
bathroom. Now, she knew why some called it the head: because your head was
always leaning over the bowl.
“Cori, honey,” Desiree called,
hovering somewhere behind her. “Here’s some ginger ale and crackers. The nurse
said it’ll help settle your stomach and you’ll be just fine in a day or so.”
Desiree Holden, her best
friend, just didn’t seem to understand.
“I hate you, you know that,”
she groaned. A cool towel suddenly pressed against her forehead and it went a
long way to help relieve her bad mood, as well as her pounding head. She didn’t
hate her best friend and partner in crime, not really. But damn, why couldn’t
Des be sick and she be the one meeting the handsome hunks they’d seen when they’d
boarded? Damn, damn, damn! But to be
fair, Des hadn’t met anyone either, taking care of her most of the time. “Okay,
no I don’t.”
“Xavior, are you sure about
this?”
“No, Aaron. I am not, but what
choice do we have? The sea witch foretold my bride would be on this boat.”
“But Xavior, a landwalker?”
Aaron shook his head, making his blond mane shift across his shoulders. “No.
It’s a lie I tell you, a trick. Besides, how could you have previously met
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