Chapter 1: Kayla on the Beach

"Kayla, want to go to the beach? The sun's a scorcher today, and the sand is burning my toes already," Brianna says to me with her ebony hair blowing in the ocean breeze. The sea air hits my nostrils and opens me up to the possibility of sailing. I've never been sailing, but the air today would be perfect, and I am up for anything..

The beach is a safe haven for me and always has been. My mother and father used to bring me here a long time ago, back when the world made sense. But the world is backward now because all my family are dead, consumed by the sea.

"Yes, why not. I could use a beach outing. I must warn you I am not much of a swimmer. I'll just read and get a tan while I'm at it."

I've never been a strong swimmer; perhaps it's my uncoordinated legs. My legs have always been wobbly from the time I started walking. I was always falling upstairs instead of down them. Being a clutz has made my life miserable, and my weak ankles made swimming next to impossible. My heart murmur is another thing altogether, for that too weighs me down and makes my breath stagger.

Brianna gets out of her car and puts her hair behind her ear the way she always does before she's about to relax. On the other hand, I am a disaster; relaxing doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for Brianna. Boys always liked her better, and all the boys notice when her sweat goes near her bikini line.

Men would line up in flocks just to drink her sweat from a lemonade stand. But me, no one ever liked Kayla Lawson, and they shouldn't have to. Being mean is what I am known for to everyone other than Brianna Bryson. Brianna is a distant cousin of mine and tolerates my toxic traits more than she lets on.

"Seriously, do you have to be so boring? Come and swim with me. Come get your waist in. Don't just sit like a lump all day. Let's look for sea shells..."

"Bri, I am not in the mood. Jaxson and I just..."

Oh, yeah, the break-up. I was supposed to tell her all about my lovely break-up with Jaxson Miles. There's not much to tell. He was fondling another woman's breast on his bed when I went to pick him up for our date last night. Some boyfriend he turned out to be, like his scumbag father before him. I should have seen the signs and learned that 'father-like son' was a phrase for a reason.

"What happened? Are you two fighting again? You guys always have issues. How bad can it be this time?" Brianna gets out of the water, and it drips down her back. Nearby men are already taking notice of her toned physique.

"Bri, he was about to fuck another woman. I caught him in the middle of the deed before our date last night. I dumped him on the spot. Can we drop this? There's nothing to say other than I am not in the mood to go swimming. Please let me read in peace."

Bri dusts the sand from my shoulders and helps me spread the beach blanket on the sand. She sits on the blanket and gets a book out of her purse.

"I don't feel like swimming either. Let's just sit and read together."

Good old Brianna knows I don't want to talk about it. She is willing to change her mind under the right circumstances, and I could always argue that a breakup is the right circumstance.

"Let's trade books, Kayla. The last thing you need is to drown your sorrows out with Pride and Prejudice."

"But you're reading Interview with a Vampire. You know I don't believe in vampires, ghosts, or werewolves."

She rips the book out of my hands and forces me to trade. I don't try to fight her off. She has a point. I need to clear my head of any romance. Jaxson and I would have celebrated our sixth-month anniversary today.

We had the whole day planned before I caught him cheating. We were going to go on an early horseback riding date and have a picnic on the beach today. Then tonight, we were going to go dancing at our favorite dance club. But not anymore. Today, I am going to drown out my sorrows in puddles of ice cream and bad breakup songs.

"Just read the damn vampire novel. This will tell you what real vampires are like, not that girly romance fluff you usually read."

"But I like my girly romance fluff," I replied attempting to deflect her judgment of me.

"Well, today, you don't care. Today read about vampires sucking blood. Anne Rice might change your mind about vampires. Just read the book and get your tan."

I begin the book, and after ten pages of reading, I am hooked. Bri's right I needed to learn about vampires. Mr. Darcy will have to wait for me to heal.

The beach is quiet, and my sunburn is setting in. I'm used to my shoulders becoming red like tomatoes this time of year. Brianna sprays my shoulders with sun lotion. I have a sunscreen that feels like bug spray when it is applied.

"What are you doing, woman?"

"You are burning. Just read the book and let me work," Brianna snaps and finishes spraying my back. She hands me the bottle without asking and turns around. I spray her back as two men walk by us. The last thing I want to see is a man. It's not their fault I was dumped, but just the site of a male makes me want to run into the sea.

I return to the comforts of my vampire book as the two unwelcomed hoodlums stroll towards us. The first one is scrawny, like a Scooby Doo character. He walks with his feet slightly pigeon-toed. His limp gives his bad posture away.

The second is a long black-haired wonder. He is too chiseled for his own good. He must be a model or a robot. Or perhaps the Avengers are real, after all.

My eyes betray me as I stare into his chest and toned muscles. A slight blush on my cheeks begins to form as the heat rises within my pours. A minor sexual attraction pulls me from my gaze, and embarrassment consumes me. It's not like I have a boyfriend to cheat on.

"Hello, ladies. You look like you could use the company," the scrawny blonde says as he sits next to Bri.

Of course, he is sitting next to Bri; they all do. I just keep reading as I roll my eyes.

"Do you read vampire books often?" The tall Avenger-like male says to me.

"Stop hitting on me, and leave me alone. I am busy." A new man taking notice of me is both flattering and off-putting. It's not his fault, I am back on the market because Jaxson couldn't be bothered to stay faithful to me.

Mr. Long-hair can go away and leave me be for all I care. I have already been fooled by one man. I don't need to be mind fucked with by another, thank you very much.

"I was just trying to be polite. What's your name? I'm Aiden Atkinson," he says as he holds his hand out to shake mine. I put the book down and shake his hand firmly. His grip is strong enough to pick a Christmas tree out of the ground with the roots still dangling.

"I'm Kayla Lawson. Well, now we've met. Enjoy your time at the beach." I drop his hand, it slams into the sand. I don't want to acknowledge that my mind finds his body attractive and divine.

Aiden and his scrawny blonde friend go into the ocean. As I continue to read my book, I notice Aiden gazing up at me occasionally. It's confusing and forces me to turn my back on the ocean.

Brianna turns around as well, and her tan starts to show. I only hope that Mr. Aiden doesn't return in search of something he can't have. I didn't come to this secluded beach to get hit on. I came here to hide. Hiding is the only place I feel safe from heartache. I continue to read my book and get lost in the vampire story beneath my gaze. Eventually, Aiden and his friend leave, and the ocean shore rises and falls with the tide and their footprints right along with it.