Aquatic Ties

I couldn't focus the next couple of days, all I could think about was Xavier. Some point in the couple of days at school, I catch myself drawing his face. When one of my friends would notice what I did, they would ask about him. I would say that I made him up. Then they would say he looked real. If only they knew he was real. Why didn't I tell them about him? Was it because I wanted to keep him for myself? To keep him away from Olivia, so she wouldn’t flirt with him?

Riding my bike by the water, I hear a splash sound. Slowing down, I see Xavier waving at me to get closer. Getting off my bike, I walk it over to the same bush and slide down to the rock. "Hey," sitting down on the rock, he swims closer, but still keeps the same distance as a couple of days ago.

"Where have you been? I got worried," he looks generally worried about me.

"Grounded,"

"Grounded?" says it in such a way, he almost doesn’t understand what it means.

"Yeah, I locked my devil twin step sisters out of my room, then they found out I left the house not letting anyone know about it," shrugging my shoulders, I have the urge to dip my feet in the water, but I refrain myself to doing so.

"So are you not grounded anymore?"

"I am, but everyone is busy doing something, so I can take longer getting home,"

A big smile crosses his face. "Then come for a swim," he encourage.

Looking at the water, I see the flash of falling again and falling into the water. Every time I see it, the event is slowly letting go and in four months, it's as if I can breathe again. "Not yet," I say softly, as a cold wind comes by sweeping my hair into my face.

"When you feel up to it, let me know, I would love to show you a special place." he gives me a big smile, that makes me want to reach out to him and hug him, but the moment is lost when my phone goes off. "You have to go, don't you," he doesn’t say it like a question, he just says it like he knows it.

Shaking my head, I stand up. "Afraid so, see you later."

Going up the small hill, I pull out my bike from the bushes. "Brook!" looking over my shoulder at him, he throws a seashell no bigger than my palm at me. Catching it, he gives me a smile. "I hope the sound of the ocean calms your stormy nerves and dreams." then he is gone.

Putting the shell in my bag, I get on my bike and head home.

~~~~~~

A couple days later, I am finely ungrounded and I am free to do anything as I want. The nights of my grounding, I have the shell on my nightstand and would fall asleep staring at it. In my dreams, I would see Xavier and myself swimming underwater. All around us is brighter and unworldly. He would take my hand and lead the way to a place not seen by human eyes. Though when he would start to say something, my alarm clock would override him and I would have to wake up.

On Thursday, I am on my way to meet up with my friends, so we can go to school together. But when it comes to my spot whenever I see Xavier I stop and look out at the water and sure enough he is there waving at me. Getting off my bike, I put it in the bushes and just stand on land. "Why aren’t you headed to school?!" I yell from the distance that is between us.

"Free day! Why aren't you in the water?!" he yells back.

"School!" I yell.

"Skip!" he yells.

"Brook hurry up!" Izzie yells from up the hill.

"Can't, school!"

"Please?!"

"Brook!" Izzie yells.

Looking between him and my friends, I feel torn. "Go ahead of me!"

"Why?! You are right there!" Izzie yells.

"I'm not feeling to good right now, I'll just have to walk my bike up the hill!" I yell.

"I'll walk with you!" Mark yells and I swear I can see Olivia briccale at his words.

"I'm okay, thanks though! You guys go ahead," I watch as they debate about what to do, then they walk off. Putting my bike in the bushes, I slid down the small hill and go down on the rock. "I'm still not comfortable with the water," I tell him.

"Just step into the water and I swear, I won't let go of your hand. There is somewhere I want to show you,"

"Do I have permission to slug you in the arm if you let go of my hand?" I ask as I take off my shoes and socks.

"Yes,"

Getting into the water, I'm careful of where I walk. Soon as I am in the water where it's around my chest, I swim easily, as Xavier slides his fingers through mine. "Alright take me to this special place of yours,"

He starts to swim, but as we get further from land, he turns and faces me. "Close your eyes,"

I look at him like he's crazy. "Okay, just since I'm in the water, doesn't mean I'm not scared, cause I am just one string away from having a panic attack."

He squeezes my hand. "I promise, I won't let go,"

Swallowing hard, I close my eyes. A chill goes up through my spin and then everything changes. My feet hit ground and slowly I am lead to a small incline. "Open your eyes,"

Opening my eyes, we are nowhere near where we were at before. This place is more nature then city. The ground has moss around it, starfish stick to the rocks around us and even moss hangs above us. "Where are we?"

"My hideaway, do you like it?"

Looking around me again, I shake my head. Then I look at what he is wearing. He wears shorts with a piece of fabric that goes from his front to his back hitting his knees from behind like a scales backdrop of a tunic. "It's wonderful," I force myself not to say anything about his strange clothes.

"This can be our special hideaway now," he tells me, giving me a smile.

"I would like that," giving him a smile back, then we go back into the water and start splashing one another.