I truly believed that one of the most beautiful things in the world was a sunset. The orange light leaking out onto the dark blue waves of the ocean was captivating, sometimes crashing against the rocks, forming white sea foam at the top. One of the best parts about them was how the sky acted as a canvas, becoming half dark with bright yellow stars, and yet the remainder of the day flickered away when the cool night air settled in.

It only took fifteen hours to drive around Plod more or less if one decided to travel through the mountains, which were lush and full of thick green and purple shrubs. A cluster of palm trees were gathered on the beach area, their branches weighed down with large, ripe coconuts. There were forty cities on the island, connected to each other by interstates and long winding highways that ran in wild directions on the map. And there were thousands, if not, millions of metal pipes that drew fresh mineral water from our eight main underground caves. It tasted better than bottled water that’s sold in stores and shipped from neighboring countries. I’ve always wanted to travel to and explore each cave.

We lived on the east coast in a city called Nivea, close to the shoreline. I’ve been there with Mommy since I was five. I wasn’t sure how many people were in our small neighborhood, since, growing up, I never saw any children playing on our block. Our neighbors were old, friendly people who often mowed the lawn or sat on the front porch sipping ice cold lemonade on the hotter days. Mommy didn’t like me going outside by myself, but I would dig in the front yard for worms with a stick, poking around in the grass.

But one of my most favorite things in the world, besides Plodian sunsets, were the beach trips. It was only a mile and a half away from home— I’d insist we walk there, even though she preferred to drive because she complained that the sun hurt her skin. Not a lot of people were usually there when we arrived, and we would lather sunscreen on each other before jumping into the waves, screaming. The salt water would burn my eyes because I kept forgetting to close them underwater.

Mommy knelt beside me, the wet sand and sea foam lapping around her ankles. My stomach was hurting from laughing so much, but a serious look appeared on her face as she rubbed me dry with a towel.

“You know that Mr. Karin is coming this week,” she said. “You remember him, don’t you, Adlai?”

I looked down for a moment, seeing my reflection in the water, before nodding. I didn’t like thinking about the men in those black suits and who wore gadgets on their collars. Mommy had told me that they called each other agents. She sighed and pulled me into a hug. A thick piece of seaweed clung to her fiery red hair, which looked even brighter in the sun.

“Don’t want to take any tests,” I mumbled.

“I know, I know,” Mommy softly said. “I’ve done everything I could, but those people are curious about what you can do. You know that. You know I’m trying, but the police aren’t much of a help. We may need to move if they send more agents to us. In the meantime, we’ll be alright.” She pulled away and placed a light kiss on my cheek. “C’mon, it’s lunchtime.”

The sunlight on the waves glittered like diamonds as they moved back and forth. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back, dragging my towel in the dirt. Mommy looked down, a surprised look on her face.

“I'm not showing them this, though,” I giggled. “Look!”

“What?”

I squatted down on my knees and held my hands out towards the water. A large, transparent blob detached itself from the surface, and I could feel a sharp pain in my head as it floated between my hands. A look of shock appeared on her face as I imagined it the shape it wanted to be. It was just beginning to form when the screech of a seagull startled me, causing it to spill on the sand as it swooped by inches near me.

“Hey!” I yelled, shaking my fist as it flew out of sight. “You ruined my magic trick! Stupid bird.”

Mommy hid a smile. “Don’t worry about it."

I looked up at her, before grinning. "But I wanted to show you. I’ve been practicing for days. It’s hard to keep it in the air for long, though. I can do it Mommy, if I concentrate hard enough. If I think about it, I can."

She scooped me up in her arms. “I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard. You know how bad your headaches can get.” With a sigh, she glanced up at the sky. “I’m gonna have to go to work soon, so we need to hurry back. Let’s eat, okay?”

I hated this part; this moment wasn’t supposed to end. But I didn’t want to be selfish. As she started to walk away, I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes.

* * * * * * *

Homeschool was never really fun either. Hours upon hours of sitting in front of a laptop and staring at books became draining. Only after a tedious math lesson did Mommy stretch her arms backwards and yawn, setting down her glasses.

“What’s the square root of forty nine, Adlai?”

I ignored her, digging holes into my eraser with the tip of my pencil. The sound of the ticking clock echoed in my ears as she snatched it away from me. I looked up quickly, trying to reach for it, but she swatted her hand at me.

”Stop, Mommy! Give it back!”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Four, eight, twenty, six?”

Mommy pointed at the book in front of me. “No!”

“Two, fifteen, twelve—“

”Stop guessing.”

“Seven?”

She rolled her eyes as I grinned at her, before shutting the book and standing up. With a heavy sigh, she rubbed her forehead and walked toward the fridge, taking out a water bottle. “I think that’s enough for today. You’re gonna finish that worksheet tomorrow for me, okay? I’m taking a quick nap, I have to be at work by six. Don’t be too loud like you were last time.”

“Can I go out and find someone to play—“

“No. Adlai, you know the rules. We already have enough attention from those men. Just read a book, or why don’t you play that new video game I got you? We can go to the beach tomorrow, how does that sound? If you’re hungry, there’s meatloaf in the fridge. And don’t touch the cake, I’m bringing it for the collegues at my job.”

I sighed and shoved my hands in my pockets. "But I don't want to be by myself."

"We'll play a game later, love."

"Okay," I whispered.

Mommy placed a quick kiss on my cheek before making her way upstairs, yawning. It was only after I heard the sound of her bedroom door closing did I slip on my shoes and walk as quietly as I could to the front door, praying that it wouldn’t squeak. It didn’t take long before she began to snore.

When I stepped out onto our front porch, it was so hot that I started to sweat immediately. A dark green car was parked by one of our neighbors’ houses, right by the sprinkler near the driveway. A man and a woman stood by, talking to the elderly woman who owned the place. Two boys were running in circles, squealing and tagging each other. My heart skipped a beat.

I took off sprinting down the street. “Hi!”

They all looked up as I finally reached them, trying to catch my breath. My neighbor smiled at me, and I wished I knew her name, but I couldn’t remember since it had been a while since I’ve seen her. The man and woman gave me a friendly look.

“Why, hello, kiddo. How are you doing? Does your mama know you’re out here?” she asked. The two boys began tugging and shoving at each other, interrupting my thoughts. Their father groaned and stepped in between, trying to yank them apart.

“Uh...I...uh, yeah,” I lied, rubbing the back of my neck. “She’s been real tired lately, from work and all.”

“So glad to see you, sweetie. Give Margaret my best, will you? My family was planning to go out tomorrow and spend the night here. These wild ones—“ she gestured at the siblings rolling in the grass “— are my grandsons Alex and Jamie. Boys, say hi to Adlai.”

The father grinned at me and extended his hand out after holding one of his sons back, who was trying to grab at his brother. I shook it eagerly and faced them.

“Hello.”

Both of the kids stopped wrestling and stared at me. It was hard to tell them apart, since they had identical faces. The one in the green shirt stuck his thumb in his mouth and smirked. His brother waved at me, his glasses dangling at the edge of his nose.

“How about you all go to the beach while we get settled in?” their mother asked, carrying something from the trunk. “You have too much energy, anyways.”

“Can we?” I asked, breathlessly. “You really mean it?”

“I don’t see why not. Just for fifteen minutes or so. You two don’t be late for dinner, okay? And Adlai, you’re welcome to join if you would like. It’s mac and cheese on the house tonight.”

I felt like I could fly. Pasta sounded infinitely better then Mommy’s meatloaf.

The boy in the green shirt nudged me. “Race you!”

* * * *

By the time sand appeared underneath our feet, we landed on the ground, gasping for air. The boy wearing the glasses finally caught up to us, leaning forward. His brother grinned, resting on the ground and folded his arms behind his head.

“You’re so slow, Alex.”

“Am not, you liar. You just had a head start, and you always cheat! Always. You ain’t better than me just because you’re two minutes older.”

Jamie shrugged and rolled over on his side. “Older means stronger.”

“Really?” I asked, sitting up. “How?”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just being stupid,” Alex snapped. “Anyways, you live here? You talk pretty funny, too. My house could fit inside of Grandma’s, that’s how big these are.”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “But it’s not that—“

Jamie got to his feet. “Can we come and see your house? Do you have a pool in the back, like Grandma’s? You look rich, too.”

I didn’t know how to answer that question. If I brought them home the racket alone would wake Mommy up and she wouldn’t be happy. Plus I didn’t want to be grounded again. Alex and Jamie both stared at me, waiting for a response.

“Well, I, uh...”

“See, he is rich! I wish I could live here,” Jamie interrupted. “Portia is so boring compared to this. It’s down south where everything’s kind of more expensive. At least that’s what Daddy says. And being this close to the ocean, man, you don’t ever have to go to the pool, or wait in line, or deal with mosquitoes and chlorine.”

“Or pay to swim either,” added Alex.

I grinned. “How long are y’all going to be here?”

“Just for one night,” he replied, taking off his glasses and rubbing them clean with his shirt. “Then we’re gonna see our uncle, who lives up north. But he ain’t fun. All he does is smoke weed and tells us stories of his childhood. It’s actually really boring, and Mom gets really mad when she catches him.” He sighed. “I just love the beach. You can go here whenever you want to when it gets hot. You’re lucky. ”

“Yeah,” murmured Jamie. “Too bad we ain’t gonna see it for a while. Back to the public pools.” He made a face.

I took a couple of steps away from them and picked up a long wooden slab that was sticking out halfway in the sand. They followed me as I wandered to the shoreline.

“Hey, where are you going?” Alex asked.

I turned and faced them, smiling. “You ever surfed before? Like really, really fast? Since it’s rare for you to be here, you deserve to have a good time. I got a idea, it’s gonna be fun. One of you can stand on the board and I can move you across the waves. You can take turns!”

“M-move us? How?” Jamie stammered as he looked at the raging waves. “I can’t really tread water yet on my own.”

“It doesn’t look that deep,” I said, stepping into the water. It was cool against my skin, and it reached my chest as the wooden slab floated underneath my arm. “It feels great! C’mon, who wants to go? I’ll run it!”

The boy hesitated, his eyes darting from me to the board. “I...I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“Aww, Jamie, stop being a baby,” Alex said, kicking off his flip flops before wading in, splashing his way through. He was a lot shorter than me, but managed to doggy paddle his way through as he grabbed onto it with both hands. After I helped him stand up, he held his arms out, keeping his balance.

“See!” he called out. “I’m surfing!”

“Alex, get back here,” Jamie said. He was standing at the edge of the shoreline, his fists balled up. “You can’t swim.”

His brother barely heard him. I slowly let go, before holding my hands out to the water. It began to bubble and churn underneath the wooden board, and I felt a wave of energy course through my hands as I focused. It shot forward as he began to take off, a look of excitement appearing on his face. Jamie looked so shocked his mouth dropped open.

“How are you doing that?” he exclaimed.

I took my eyes off Alex for a split second to answer, but a loud splash made me turn my head. Several feet away, the board floated to the surface, and there was nothing but sea foam and bubbles rising. For a moment, everything became still, and I stood there, paralyzed. Jamie’s screams filled the air as he ran in the waves, struggling and thrashing, going underwater and coming back to the surface several times.

I dove underwater, kicking as hard as I could, but the salt water burned my eyes. When I came back up, gasping for air, Alex was in Jamie’s arms, his eyes shut. A cherry red seam sat on his forehead, and his glasses were missing. He wasn’t breathing, and his hair was plastered to his face. We stumbled to shore, sand clinging to our legs. Jamie kept holding onto him, screaming, rocking back and forth. A lump rose to my throat.

"I..I’m so sorry!” I shouted. “I..I didn’t mean to...I...I’m going to get your parents......I’m....I’m sorry!”

He didn’t respond, just kept sobbing as I took off through the sand, ignoring the rising pain in my chest. Hot tears bubbled in my eyes as his screams grew louder and louder, no matter how hard I ran.