Chapter 1

Chao

‘Why does this always happen to me?’ I asked myself methodically, my stomach lurching forward, water gushing out of my mouth as I regurgitated all that disgusting salty sea water. My mouth felt dry and wet at the same time, leaving me queasy all over again. The taste was the worst. I clamped my mouth shut, grinding my teeth while listening to little crackling noises that sounded like pop rocks going off, one by one. The idea never occurred to me that I was eating sand. ‘Was I eating sand? Why would I be eating sand? And why would I want to be eating sand in my sleep?’

Involuntarily I swallowed the grains of earth, immediately coughing it back up and spitting them back out on the ground. Wiping my mouth clean, I stared blankly at the stretch of beach I was crouched on, somewhat astonished that it continued for miles, beyond my range of vision. Slowly getting to my feet, I swiped the excess sand that clung to my pants and jacket, searching my surroundings constantly, from body of water to my left and a forest to my right. Careful not to pull any of the cramped muscles in my calves I knew for sure were there, I treaded slowly down the beach, continually spitting out sand that lingered on my tongue, between my cheeks, and teeth. Seagulls littered the stretch, crying and snatching food from others, all trying to get a bite to eat. The flock of birds started when my form approached them, taking to the air when I got too close for comfort. They squawked, screamed, and squealed-- ’Do seagulls squeal? Or do only pigs do that?’—at me, trying to scare me off, which would have worked if I had a massive headache of some sort. As I passed on by, the seagulls landed back on the sandy beach and resumed to snap at each other to get some food.

“Where am I?” I asked aloud, propping myself up against a giant palm tree that stretched out further than the other trees, as if to gaze at its’ reflection in the water; the tree only got far enough to mirror an image of its palm leaves. I watched waves crash against the shoreline, wetting the sand to no end, washing up treasures from the ocean floor—like seaweed torn from the bottom, or coral, sometimes shells of a different sort. The sky was clear with no clouds in sight to smudge the blue ceiling and sun that shone brightly way up high on its throne. I had to shield my eyes from the scorching sight, even having to take cover behind the giant palm tree to escape the relentless yellow dot.

“I never thought I’d actually have to do this one day, but… HELLO!” I called, forming a cone with both my hands over my mouth. I received no response but my own echo, so I tried once more, hoping to at least get back the cries of the seagulls. I really did not expect to have someone answer back.

“Will you shut up already? God! You’re so annoying…” A male’s voice groaned loudly, followed by a yawn if I heard right. The bushes behind me rattled and as I turned to look, out came the Adonis of my dreams.

‘Oh my God…’ I thought dumbly, my arms dropping to my sides as the guy stood a couple feet away from me, scratching his shaggy brown mane of hair while trying to remove the sand that clung to his scalp. ‘I must be in heaven… Somebody pinch me!’

The mysterious hunk wore a black tank top that wrapped nicely around his chest and torso, sketching out his well defined six- pack. ‘Soon-to-be eight-pack if he worked out more.’ I mused to myself. His cargo shorts hung low around his waist, maybe about an inch or so if you wanted to be accurate about it. ‘I bet my face looks pretty stupid right about now; my eyes practically the size of baseballs if I tempted to see my reflection in the water, if it would be at a stand still for a second, which it won’t.’

“What are you gawking at?” the guy grumbled, swiping the sand that fell on his shoulders. ‘The guy was a jerk by far, just by the way he looked at me… and yeah, the way he talked too; but still, the guy was hot! I couldn’t really hold it against him. Nothing is ever a complete package when you get it in the mail, or wherever.’

“What are you talking about? I’m not gawking at anything.” I responded, pushing aside the mental notes I made about him. “Do you happen to know where we are? Like Miami Beach? What about West Palm Beach? Or any kind of beach for that matter that you know of?”

“How the hell should I know? I live nowhere near a beach…” his sentenced trailed off unfinished, gone with the wind I should say. “I was working out in my garage and the next thing I knew, I was laying face first in the sand. Followed by that, I had a loser just stare at me, which said loser is still doing.”

‘And I was in the middle of a tunnel and... Wait… What? Did he just call me a loser?’ “I am not a loser!”

“You sound like one; so that must make you a loser.” He crossed his arms over his chest, smirking sadistically. “Better yet, I’d say you’re more of a dumbass… Yeah, dumbass-- I like the sound of that.”

“I am not a dumbass, okay? Get that through your thick skull idiot.” I kicked up sand unintentionally, bathing the poor guy with small pellets from head to toe. “What’s so funny? Or is it some kind of inside joke of yours?” His chuckles escaped through his perfect lips while he brushed the sand off himself that refused to fall.

“Actually, having you prove my point of being such a dumbass, Dumbass. That’s what’s funny…” He said in an amused tone, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned his back on me and walked away.

I thought my head was going to implode from the insult, but my luck wasn’t that good. I ran out into the shallows of the water and reached down into the wet sand, forming a little mud ball in my hands. I aimed for the guy’s head, and sure enough, I hit him on the head, watching as it splattered into his hair and down his back.

“I am not a Dumbass!” I yelled, proud that at least all those years of P.E actually served some purpose in my life, besides keeping me fit.

I molded another sand ball and threw again, aiming for the same spot. Sadly, when I threw it, the ball did not hit him on the back of his head. The dubbed Adonis made the mistake of turning around and had made contact with his face. SPLAT! I felt relieved, but then again, my conscious got the better of me –sorry little evil me. “Oops! Sorry!” I called apologetically.

The Adonis stood stark still, slowly raising his arm—flexing biceps and triceps if you took the time to notice—to wipe the wad of wet sand off his face.

“… And you act like a dumbass, too.” When the mud was clear of his eyes, he looked up at me through a sneer, blue orbs narrowed dangerously. ‘They’re like the bluest of blue that I have ever seen… Wow! That sounded really dumb.’ I thought. Finally looking at him fully, I cringed slightly when his luscious lips contorted slowly; ready to let the word I dreaded to hear roll right off his tongue.

“Dumbass.” He even drawled out the word seductively. ‘Oh, how I hate you… But God Almighty do I enjoy it!’

“I have a name, you know.” I said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It happens to be Mo-“

“Dumbass suits you perfectly, Dumbass.”

My lips pouted and frowned like an idiot, since I had no clue for what to do next. I narrowed my eyes on him and glared. “Then what do I call you? Asshole?” ‘Cause that’s what you’re acting like right now…’

“Richard will do.” He said, turning on a dime and walking away like last time.

“Oh! So that makes you a dick, right?” ‘Cause that’s what you also are…’ I couldn’t stop laughing inside. All I could do was smile sweetly, with the occasional slip of a giggle.

“Not really, Dumbass.”

“My name is Mo-“

“Dumbass.”

“Stop that!” I fumed while following close behind him, getting caught in the sweet aroma of his body wash. ‘Mm… Irish blend…’

“Seriously, I don’t think I like having you walk behind me.” He turned around, grinning slightly as he stared down at me. “You make me think you’re going to jump me and knock me out or worse…”

Now I had to gawk at him, since I knew what he was assuming in that Neanderthal head of his because whatever it was, it was a half-lie, half-truth… ‘Mostly a half-lie…’ I kept on telling myself over and over again.

“How dare you presume that I would do something like that; I mean, who the hell do you think you take me for?” ‘Bad question.’

“I was falling under the impression of a rapist, Dumbass.”

‘He’s seriously getting on my nerves…’ I made the mistake of smirking at his rude comment. Now I was going to pay the price for it double-time.

“Scratch that. Make it a perverted, rapist, Dumbass.”

‘Ah!’ I screamed inside my mind, not believing that my once dreamt heaven had turned into a personal hell. ‘”Maybe, it wasn’t a heaven to begin with?” … Shut up conscious good me. You’re really not helping the situation much.’

“Also, can you stop breathing on me? It’s like having a stalking, perverted, raping dumbass behind me.”

My brain snapped. I couldn’t take the insults anymore. I mean, I can handle insults pretty well, but this Dick has taken it too far! ‘Even if he is a dubbed Adonis who’s very handsome and- Wait! No! Bad me! Bad, bad! He is the enemy!’ I jumped and tackled the poor guy—‘What was his name? Oh yeah, Richard… I think that’s what he said.’—to the ground, wrapping my fingers around his thick throat, or neck, or whatever you want to call it.

“My. Name. Is. Monique!” I squeezed tighter around his throat, careful not to completely lose control and kill him, yet. “Not Dumbass; not rapist dumbass, and definitely not stalking, perverted, raping dumbass! It’s Monique! Now say it!”

A grin graced his handsome face. I knew he was up to something… ‘Dang it! Why does he have to look so cute when he’s being an evil, conniving bastard!’ Richard whispered something, but I couldn’t hear him right, so I leaned in and pressed my ear up against his mouth. At that moment, I regretted ever meeting the guy.

“Dumbass.”

My pupils shrunk. My anger reached a new high. That was it. This is what breaks the camel’s back. This is what boils the water over. This—is what causes wars and mass genocide to happen. But for this occasion, we’ll call it murder; or better yet, self defense since he was attacking me verbally. ‘Insults can hurt too, you know.’

“I’m going to kill you!” I growled, finalizing the death grip I had around his neck. I was ready to take his breath away-- Literally.

We both started to roll around on the floor, kicking up sand here and there. Richard was trying to pull my hands off so he could breathe, but I just squeezed harder, my nails almost digging into his skin. We stopped when we heard Juby, Shuichi, and Riho scream my name, ordering me to let go. I screamed in response when their heads popped out of the bush. I felt lost and found at the same moment, but then realized what I was doing and looked down to see the angry scowl set across Richard’s face. Not only was his windpipe closed shut from me choking him, but I was also sitting on top of his chest, adding even more pressure that wasn’t helping the poor guy at all. I guess, when we stopped rolling around, I ended up on top. ‘He looked like he was about to burst like a balloon.’

“Get off me Dumbass…” He choked out barely. Throwing my hands off his neck, he rubbed his sore neck and throat, coughing to clear the airway. “Fucking psychotic, stalking, perverted, raping dumbass…”

“That’s it,” I sighed dejectedly; looking up at the sky, I asked a rhetorical question, knowing full well what the answer was going to be. “I’m in hell, aren’t I?”

“Monique! You freaking idiot! What were you trying to do? Kill the guy?!”

I shot a glare towards Juby, since she just figured out the obvious. I looked down at Richard in a defeated fashion, nearly forgetting why I was attempting to kill this poor creature. Then I heard him say the magic word. ‘Oh yeah, now I remember why.’ I went straight back to choking him, having Shuichi grab me by the waist and tug me off.

“I think that was her intention, Pocha.” I overheard Riho mumble to Juby.