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Nothing to do. Nothing. No one needs to be saved or killed, or whatever. I find that almost impossible to believe. Yet, here I stand listening to Tann go on about – something – doesn’t matter. Rash all but salutes and rushes out, to find Liam no doubt. Riti smiles at me, and I fully expect her to leave to find Jaal. I try not to rub my stomach, but I can't help the small smile that graces my face.
We walk out of Tann’s office and Riti giggles when we see Rash waiting just outside the door. She’s whispering with Vetra. Never a good thing. “Guys! Come on,” Rash waves us over, and she links arms with us. “We have places to go.” Her excitement is catching.
She all but drags us down the steps and towards the train. “Have fun!” I hear Avitus call just before the doors shut.
Riti is looking at me like I should have the answer to what is going on. “Rash?” I ask, “What is going on?” The train stops, and she pushes us out.
It has been too long since I have seen her this excited. “We have a shuttle to catch,” she says and walks off towards the docks.
I look over to Riti and shrug, “Why not take the Tempest?” Riti asks as we slow beside her.
Rash sighs heavily, “because then someone could expect us to do something.” She draws it out, almost like a whine and I’m excited to know what she has planned.
People try to stop and talk to us, but Rash isn’t having it. She all but bull rushes through the crowds. I can only imagine what Tann or Addison will have to say about this later. Keri waves from across the room and I smile at her before pushing on.
On the shuttle Rash practically squeals as she hands the two of us bags. “Open them!” She demands. Who are we to deny our sister? I think. At the same time, Riti and I peek inside before bringing out the contents.
I’m holding two pieces of cloth…It clicks as I hold them up. “A swimsuit?” I ask at the same time as Riti. We both laugh and Rash’s smile widens. “But why in the world do we need these?” I ask.
“We’re going to spend the day at the beach,” Rash says with her ever-present smile.
“Huh?” I don’t think I heard her right.
Riti giggles, “Where is there a beach?” she asks.
Never one to be shy I sneak a glance past Rash to make sure the cockpit door is shut and start to change. “Some of the science team from our ark started to scout Meridian,” Rash says as she quickly changes tops without showing skin for more than half a second. It’s a skill I’ll forever be impressed with.
By the time I get my top situated just right on my arms, and the band is properly covering what it’s supposed to Riti is finished as well. “Show offs,” I mutter with a smirk. They both laugh and Rash hands us each a towel. I wrap mine around my waist.
The shuttle lurches, and we barely remain standing. A muffled voice tells us we’ve landed, and Rash pushes the door open and hops out. We follow, and I stop in my tracks. It’s beyond words. The sun at the horizon and rising but the water – so crystal clear – the waves crashing ever so gently against the bank won't even disturb the sand. My very soul soaks in the serenity. Then Riti is leaning against me, and I smile softly at her.
The three of us are all giggles and limbs as we crowd each other on our way to the water. Towels lay forgotten as we get closer to the water’s edge. I dip a toe in and shiver, it’s the right side of cool. Perfect for the weather sure to come once the sun is at its highest point. “Come on Riti, Rash get in,” I say and shove teasingly at Rash who grabs my arm.
“You first!” They shout at me. I sigh and try not to smile as I grab them each by the hand and drag them into the water. They squeak as the cool water rushes over them but neither try to pull away. Instead, they grin at each other before they push against me and I go face planting into the water.
I fling my head back and take a deep breath as I cough out water. Before I’m even fully recovered, I take Rash’s legs out from under her. she covers her face just in time. When she surfaces, she’s smiling and tries to tackle me. I dive out of the way leaving Riti to take the blow. They both fall back into the water.
Once they are both upright again, we start a splashing war. There’s a lot of climbing on each other and tripping. In the end, as we sit on the sand as the waves crash at our feet I think we drowned ourselves more than each other.
“Sun bathing!” Riti calls, and we laugh and get our towels as un-sanded as we can. Before Riti can lay down, I snap her neon purple strap, and she sticks her tongue out. Rash is getting her top to sit properly around her torso. She shares a small smile that I swear holds more than happiness.
I’m lying on my stomach and making faces at Riti who can’t stop laughing when suddenly I’m in the air. “What in the –” then I’m in the water. I come up sputtering and trying to get my hair out of my face. “Liam!” I yell as I stalk from the water. Rash and Riti are in different states of laughter, and even Jaal and Evfra are barely holding back.
Liam has made it over to Rash and has the stupidest of smiles. “that’s for the incident on Eos.” He says and kisses Rash on the cheek.
I stare at him open mouthed trying to comprehend what just happened. “That was…like six months ago!” I finally say as I continue to remove hair from my face. I look over to Evfra, “Why did you let him?” I demand, but I think it lacks heat as I can’t stop from laughing. “I’ll get you back Knave,” I say with a sweet smile. I shoot a smile at Jaal before stalking over to Evfra.
“Some hero you are.” I tease before kissing him. He chuckles, and my stomach does the strange flutter thing it does when he’s around. Riti is already in the water with Jaal by the time I zone back in.
Rash and Liam are…plotting – I see as I drag Evfra to the water. Riti is an interesting shade of red by the time we join her in the water. I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and she flushes an even deeper shade. I yell over to Rash, “have you seen how flushed your sister is?” Riti tries to glare at me, but I only smirk.
Rash is floating towards us and looks for herself. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear about this later.” She teases. Riti splashes us and that all it takes for the second war to start up. All our moving has disturbed the sand, and the water is just the right side of cloudy. When Jaal manages to trip me, I don’t surface. I swim around the group and can hear muffled sounds as I see Liam standing near Rash. With a tight-lipped smile, I plant my feet on the ground and launch myself at him. His shout of surprise is far from dignified, and he flies back into the water.
Rash takes the opportunity to tackle me as revenge and when we both surface a truce is called for. I agree and we eventually pair off, or at least we would have if Riti didn’t drag Rash down and start a new mini battle. I laugh as Rash whispers something to Riti, and she flushes a bright pink. “I think my hair is jealous!” I yell from my place with Evfra. She flicks water my direction, and I laugh, so does Jaal, and that makes me laugh even harder.
By the time we settle down Liam has Rash cradled against him as they float and it’s almost too sickening to watch, almost. Riti is in a similar position but Jaal is whispering to her, and I’m both glad I can’t hear them and also wishing I could spy.
Evfra runs a hand through my hair, and I hum, closing my eyes. Nothing can beat the feeling of being around loved ones.