After lunch, it was free time. I went to the clinic and asked to put on some bandages on my wrist because it sprained a little when Ace tackled me down during lacrosse.
When I got out of the clinic, the cousins were playing with Erin and Damien on the Sports Wing Complex. Luna playing soccer with Erin and William playing basketball with Damien. That left me with Nico. I caught sight of him by the bleachers.
He was cleaning and removing gums with Ace as a punishment for his actions at lacrosse. I bought some refreshments and brought a towel with me and proceeded to the bleachers.
I walked towards the bleachers, and Nico saw me. It was so hot today, explaining the sweat marks of Nico at his back.
“You all right?” he asked me, looking at the bandage on my hand.
“Just a minor sprain. How about you? Feeling okay?” I ask him, my eyes squinting from the sunlight.
“Feels like high school and he really has that vibe that gets in your nerve, doesn’t he?” he asked as we looked at Ace hissing from time to time.
“Yeah, you kind of remind him. Especially that time when you pushed me on mud. Gets on my nerves every time I remember it.” I said jokingly. Nico looked at me and smiled.
“We’re far alike from each other and we were kids that time, we do stupid things.” he laughed. I just rolled my eyes, and I slammed a bottle of water together with the towel at his chest, “Thanks.” he uttered.
We sat at the table as we drank our water. “How are we going to get out of here tonight?” I asked him.
“I have someone from the outside. We exit through the lake. There’s a road beyond the woods when you cross by the lake. I’ve got the lake don’t worry,” He defended as he sensed skepticism in me and that explains the sound of cars passing by I have been hearing by the lake.
“You know, I hate you because you always bully me as a child. Yet, despite that, I will make a risky decision. Can I trust you, Nico?” I said and looked at him.
Giving your trust to someone is no doubt a risky and hard decision, when I, myself don’t even trust my guts.
Nico also looked at me and said, “Hundred percent my friend.” he said smiling, “Swear I will not disappoint you. Free to throw me nowhere on the process of this trip if you ever feel disappointed. I mean it. Just show yourself at eleven later tonight, okay? Have some faith, Blythe.” He gave me a smile as bright as the sun we are under.
“I am sorry to interrupt your little conversation under the sun..” someone blurted out, and we both looked in Ace’s direction “… but mister, you have some bleachers to clean.” Ace continued.
Nico’s face dropped from as bright as the sun to as dark as the raging storm clouds. He stood up and faced Ace. “Shut the fuck up, asshole. And never get near me or her again.” Nico said, clashing Ace’s shoulder on purpose as he passes by him. Ace just walked out and continued to do his work at the bleachers.
I let out a sigh and stood up to leave the bleacher, “See you later, Nico.” I said to Nico’s back. He waved his hands at me, not turning around.
~~~
When the daylight faded, the dreary night sky consumed the scene above, accessorizing it with its stars that seem to be the only source of light that illuminates the darkness outside the cabin.
Luna and I were laying on our bunks with eyes wide open waiting for a flicker of light to come out from the outside signaling the checking of cabins before all the authorized personnel inside the campsite will have their good night’s sleep.
Not long, we saw a flicker of light outside and our cabin door creaked open as a flashlight cast light upon every bunk in our cabin. We both stayed in our position until the door once again creaked, leaving the cabin in darkness.
I went down my bunk quietly and joined Luna kneeling at the wooden floor of the cabin, peeking through its window, waiting for all the flashlights and the people holding it to be out of sight. Moments passed, and the outside was dark again.
We took our stuff under the bunk and quickly and carefully tiptoed our way out the cabin and I thanked God we made it out of the cabin with none of our cabin mates noticing our escape since all of them were snoring.
It was eleven-thirty by the time we got to the tree tunnel, and only Damien and William were in there. Moments later, a hissed called out our attention, and it was Nico who was with Erin motioned us to get to the lake.
We waited by the shore as Nico flashed a flashlight in every part of the woods beyond the lake. A tree started shaking and Nico flashed the light to it, revealing a guy dressed in all black dragging two boats that were tied together. He waved at the guy.
“Who’s that?” Luna asked.
“You know what’s called the cousin of the brother of the man your aunt will marry?” Nico queried, standing between Luna and me.
Luna looked at me with a questioning look, “You have any idea, Ellie?”
“Not a single idea,” I answered her.
The guy made it by the shore and the first thing that came out of his mouth was how hard it was to look for the road, and that kayaking was tiring and the woods were disgusting. I am picking up a William vibe here.
“Nice to see you too, Kayden. Guys, this is Kayden. Let’s save the introduction later.” Nico walked towards the boats and untied them with the help of Erin and Kayden.
When the boats were finally untied to each other, I hopped into the same boat with Luna together with Erin and William, who was the one kayaking. The kayaking only took about five minutes before we trudged with the sounds of rustling leaves and William and Kayden’s complaints in the woods.
“Oh my God! Can both of you please shut the **** up?” Luna’s whisper screamed, and so did they.
When we got to the road, a yellow Volkswagen Type 2 bus greeted us. Its third back seat was removed and turned into a homemade bedroom with a soft white carpet laying on it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I introduced you to my baby,” Kayden said, full of pride.
“Classic.” I heard Damien whispered, his eyes glinting with excitement.
We hopped inside the car with Kayden on the driver’s seat, Nico at the passenger’s seat, the three of us girls in the second backseat, and William with Damien at the back.
Kayden stepped on the gas pedal, and we hit the road. After a brief drive from a road surrounded by bushes and trees, our ears make out the gushing sounds of the waves from the ocean as the car steered left and was now running on the Pacific Coast Highway.
We were driving in silence as we gaze outside the road surrounded by the vast ocean and hills as other cars passed by when Erin, who was sitting between Luna and me, spoke.
“So where are we headed to?” Erin asked. Nico looked back over his shoulder from the passenger seat and landed his eyes in my direction.
“Let’s ask our tour guide here. What’s first on the list, Blythe?” Nico asked me.
I tossed my duffel bag a while ago at the back where William and Damien are, so I looked behind me and asked Damien to hand me my duffel bag. Rummaging through my stuff and in between my folded clothes; I found the dark yellow paper.
The first thing on the list was Santa Monica Pier. Looking at my watch, it was already nine-thirty and though Santa Monica Pier was open twenty-four hours, the amusement park closes earlier, which leaves us with nothing to do at the place aside from fishing. And looking at it, I don’t think either any of us wants to fish at deep night.
“Santa Monica Pier, but the amusement park is already closed. We can still go tonight, though, and that is if any of you intend to go fishing. If none, then we need to stop and find a place to stay.” I explained to them.
“But where?” Kayden asked from behind.
We reached the part of the highway where the ocean view turned to enormous houses, the same as the other side where there were houses in front of the hills. Kayden suddenly stopped on the side of the road.
“Why are we stopping?” William asked.
Kayden and Nico both looked behind us from their seats, both eyes glinting with mischief. “I think we got ourselves a place,” Kayden said, smiling as he turned off the engine of the car.
It took us a moment before we realized; he parked the car outside a gate of an expansive beach house whose lights were the only one not lit up among the houses along the highway. Kayden and Nico hurriedly unbuckled themselves out of their seats.
“Don’t tell me we will trespass in there,” I said from behind. Nico looked behind us.
“You said we need a place. So, we find us a place,” He replied as he and Kayden hopped off the car.
We great hesitations in our hearts, we still followed the two as they looked around, searching for any suspicious witness and walked through the gate of the house.
As soon as we entered the gate and passed by the trees that were blocking the view of the beach house, we all stopped and took our time to gasp at how enormous the beach house in front of us was.
The walls were made of glass and despite the lack of light inside, we can perceive how big the beach house was inside.
“How sure are the two of you we can get in there triggering no alarms?” William asked. And with that, Kayden twisted the door handle, causing no grand scene.
It was unlocked. How can the owner of this house forget to lock a house that is so attractive to any kind of robbery? Gosh, people can be so rich and be stupid sometimes.
Kayden and Nico high five each other. “This is a crime.” I heard Luna said as we entered the front door.
As we stepped on the floor of the house, the lights automatically light up and the luxurious furniture we are seeing everywhere blinded our eyes.
“This is crazy,” Kayden and Erin said in unison, and I don’t know if they meant crazy that at this moment, we are committing a crime, or is it because of how big the house was. Either way, both are crazy.
Each of us scattered in different directions. William lay on the big couch; Damien and Nico went to the back of the house; Kayden to the kitchen and Luna with Erin up the stairs. Until all of them went to the back of the house where the beach was.
One by one all of them came running down the stairs with their swimming attire and me watching them, surprised at how gullible they were right now when in fact at any moment we could spend our time in jail instead of hitting the road if someone might catch us.
“You’re not coming?” Nico asked me.
“This is crazy! You’re all out of your mind! Someone might see us!” I said hysterically. Nico looked at me and laughed.
“Calm down,” he said, gripping my shoulders. “Live a little, Blythe. This might be a crime, but I swear you will regret not savoring this moment. So if I were you, I will go upstairs and look for something to wear among those five enormous bedrooms upstairs and give myself some fun or just stress myself inside of here, getting paranoid if someone might catch us red-handed to which I think has a low chance of happening. Your choice.”
I sighed and went upstairs. Nico’s right, these bedrooms are big, and yeah, after everything, I deserve to have some fun, and what makes it more enjoyable is to have fun knowing danger might come anytime.
I entered every bedroom until I found something to wear. I saw a black two-piece swimsuit in the third bedroom. Putting the swimsuit on and denim shorts, I ran down the stairs to the back of the house feeling excited despite my paranoia a while ago.
We all went to the back of the house to which there was a pool that has recliners at the side. We ran down the stairs that lead to the beach, with a smile on our faces so bright, that could almost light up the darkness that the sky is illustrating above.
Our laughter’s sound, full of joy, echoed through the beach as the surge of waves hit our feet and the rocks that send flying droplets of saltwater into our faces.
We dipped ourselves in the water and stopped as it reached our hip. We swam and threw each other water, laughing and having fun.
I looked around the blackness of the night as the voices and laughter of the people I am with the ring into my ears.
They say black is the absence of color. From the very moment I saw my dad lying in that convenience store, all the pigments I knew disappeared and left me with nothing but black and darkness.
A blackness that was so dark making everything around me seemed so hard to see and find. And when everything becomes so dark, you find it impossible for a light to find. And the next thing you knew you-you are sitting in the middle of endless darkness, crouching, silent, and alone. That’s what I have been feeling ever since.
Tonight, I can see the same darkness I have been always seeing my whole life, but today it wasn’t silent.
There were the violent gushing sounds of the waves. And despite that, I find calmness as the waves carry my body with the flow not worrying where it will take me because the waves make me feel something, and somewhere in those violent gushing sounds are voices and laughter that is telling me that this time, I was not alone.
That, at this darkness I am in right now, though it may seem impossible to find a light beyond the dullness of the ocean. I have no reason to stop and let the waves carry my body to the depths of its darkness, for at this moment I have these people with me.
And together we become the light of each other as we go on with the tons of **** the world has to throw at us, and that in the process of it all, it will lead us to the end of this gloomy place and find it how worthy it was that we didn’t