The waves roll in high, heavy with the weight of the deep waters. Beneath Mya, the ground shifted, sand sliding out from under her as the tide pulled back. She listened to the whispers of the soft wind, her arm raised against her brow, she looks outward. Even in a place as serene as this, she knew terror could spring from anywhere. Nowhere was truly safe.
She watched, unmoving, as a seagull scoops up his fill and carried his wriggling prize away. Beneath that glorious crystal surface, she knew there were battles being fought—assassins waiting in the kelp for the perfect moment to strike. She understands that even in a world as mystical and alien as the sea, the shore was no different.
"Hey, Mya! Did I make you wait long?"
The spell broke. Archie stood over her, breathless.
"Sorry, my boss was chewing me out and wouldn't let me leave on time."
Mya dug her sandals out of the sand and rose slowly, as if waking from a dream. She embraced him to quiet his apologies.
"Let's go, Hun," she said softly. "Sarah and Mitchel are probably at the docks already."
Archie retrieved her bags from the sand and heaved them into the bed of his truck. He gave her a playful peck on the cheek as she settles into her seat, then hurried to the driver's side, the engine hums to life.
By the time they reached the marina, their friends had already hauled their luggage onto the boat. Sarah and Mitchel were busy laying out snacks and hovering over the map when the truck pulled up.
"Well, hey you, lovebirds! What took you so long?" She gives Mya a devious wink before capturing her in a crushing bear hug. Archie, as if by reflex, began relaying the same story he told Mya to excuse them for being late.
Mitchel slapped him on the back, pulling him over to a table in the corner. "Save it for the fish, man."
The giggling girls leave the boys to go take in the breeze out on deck. Once they were out of earshot, Archie elbowed Mitchel.
"So?" He asks expectantly.
Mitchel pretended to be interested in a coordinate on the map. Archie poked and prodded him like a child until Mitchel finally conceded.
"Ugh, fine." He reached into his inner jacket pocket. "Look."
He produced a small velvet box. When he snapped it open, a sharp ray of light seemed to beam from within.
"Hot damn! Man, how did you afford that?" Archie scratched behind his ear, staring at the ring. "Does every girl expect triple stones like that?"
Mitchell let out a deep-bellied laugh and tucked the box back into his jacket. He assured Archie that Mya would never want something so flashy anyway, sensing his friend's sudden anxiety.
"Hey, who said anything about that?" Archie stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, shying away from the laughter. "We're taking it nice and easy. Haven't even thought about it yet."
Once the bags were tucked into the small cabins and the men confirmed the route, a toast was raised. The monohull cut its way toward the horizon, leaving a white scar on the blue water.
"You can't even see the Montauk beach anymore." Sarah exclaimed, swirling the last sip of the cocktail in her glass. "It hasn't been that long, has it?"
"It's funny how an entire town can just disappear so swiftly" Mya mused, her voice nearly lost in the wind.
Sarah bumped her hip into Mya's, scolding her. "Stop being so dismal! We're on vacation!"
Vacations were a rarity for them. Only Archie had a stable income; the others were balancing part time jobs with liberal arts college. Mya was the outlier, dedicating her free time after school to studying art theory. Living with her parents allowed her to dodge getting a job and allowed her to focus entirely on honing her craft.
Their last 'getaway' had been a lackluster two-day cruise that never really left the coast. Mya and Sarah had been gushing with anticipation ever since they planned this trip a few months ago.
"Just relax and enjoy the open air! Gosh, how many drinks do I need to funnel into you for you to loosen up, huh?" Sarah bounced on her heels.
"I guess we did practically beg the boys to do this for us." Mya surrendered.
Just then, Archie appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Myaaa," he sang into her ear. "What are you ladies conspiring about now?"
"Nothing," she teased. "We were just talking about what great boyfriends we have"
"Oh, really? And what's so great about us fools?"
"That's what we're still trying to figure out!" Sarah explodes into laughter.
Mitchel lunged forward, picking Sarah up and spinning her around. He tickled her until she breathlessly admitted she liked him. Archie and Mya watched, trying to pretend that they weren't feeling like a third and fourth wheel to the spectacle.
"So. Mitchel, how long until we reach Newport?" Mya asked, turning back to the group.
"Normally it's about six hours, but I thought we'd take the scenic route. There will be fireworks tonight—would you ladies like to watch them from the water?"
Mya and Sarah eagerly agreed, immediately interrogating him on how he had found out about them. To which he shrugged, explaining that a classmate had mentioned it.
"That's so cool!" Sarach grabbed Mya's hands. "I haven't seen fireworks in ages!"
"C'mere, man." Mitchel beckoned. Archie followed him to the bow, leaving Mya with a lingering kiss on the cheek.
The two men stood at the edge of the ship, Archie leaning on the railing while Mitchel stood with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"I arranged the fireworks, Archie." Mitchel grinned ear-to-ear.
"You sly dog! You're gonna pop the question then, aren''t you?"
Mitchel nodded. "When it gets dark and as the first one goes up, I'm getting down on one knee."
"Brilliant." Archie muttered, astonished by his friend's natural romance skills.
Suddenly, Archie's pocket vibrated. A phone screen glowed though the fabric of his pants.
"You still have service?" Mitchel raised a brow.
"I guess so. Weird." Archie let it beep again but made no motion to check it. Instead, he remained fixated on the rolling waves ahead of them.
"Are you going to check that?"
"Nah," Archie said. he gave a small, forced titter and scratched behind his ear, his gaze never leaving the horizon. "What for? I'm on vacation."
Mitchel grunted, turning back to the bow. He was satisfied with the answer. Afterall, they were on vacation.
But in Archie's pocket, the phone buzzed a third time—a persistent, frantic demand from a world they were leaving far behind.