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“I’ll take the couch,” Cove announces.
He walks over to the prof and waits expectantly for him to move. He doesn’t.
“Maybe you should get to bed too,” I suggest to the prof, still treading on eggshells.
“Fine.”
He gets to his feet and grabs the half empty bottle and his full glass in one hand.
“Maybe without the booze,” Cove adds.
The prof spins on him and shoves him in the chest, making Cove tumble back into the sofa cushions. The prof doesn’t spill a drop. He storms past without sparing either of us a glance.
“You okay?” I ask Cove.
“Yeah.” He sighs. “But I’m getting pretty tired of his mood swings.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Do me a favour?”
“Sure.”
“Check on Malia before you go to bed? Just see that she’s okay.”
“Of course. Goodnight.”
“Night, mate.”
I climb the stairs and find all the doors along the corridor shut. Guess Bhodi and the prof have already turned in for the night. I stop outside Cove’s door and listen; there’s the sound of the bedclothes rustling, like Malia’s restless, and I knock gently. No answer.
Pushing the door open on silent hinges, I peer inside. It’s easier to see her in the light from the hallway behind me. Malia’s tossing and turning in Cove’s bed, wearing a shirt of his, and with a small smear of blood still on her cheek.
I cross over to the bed and place my hand on her forehead lightly. She whimpers and images assault my vision, flickering too fast for me to decipher but causing a wave of panic to rise in my chest.
This is Malia, what she’s seeing, experiencing, in her dream. Her distress twists my stomach up to the point of pain. I hate to see her suffering. There’s a difference between knowing she’s hurting, and experiencing that pain first hand for myself.
It’s unbearable.
When she whimpers again, my control snaps. I draw on my magic and gently syphon her suffering away. Sweat breaks out on my forehead but I don’t allow my concentration to waver. This isn’t like taking her memories; I don’t have to alter what was there with some carefully constructed colourful new lie. I’m just taking the dream away. It can’t harm her.
When the frown creasing her brow eases and she sighs softly, I release my magic and Malia’s nightmare is gone from both of our visions.
She already seems more at peace. Serene. She looks more like the girl I kissed at the beach than she has in weeks. I push a stray lock from her forehead and then leave before I’m tempted to do something insane like kiss her again or spend the entire night watching over her to ensure the nightmares don’t return.
I wish it were as easy to release us all from the nightmare of this damn mysterious prophecy.
Their whole beach ‘hut’ is…epic. And that’s before taking in the view outside. I’m totally in awe, and at peace. I wish I could stay here forever.
I was surprised when Cove pulled up at Ben West beach last night, turning down a little dirt track and stopping at a run down sort of garage some way down. He and Bhodi were apologetic that we had to walk the rest of the way, but I didn’t mind. The fresh air helped clear my head and bring me…back.
I’m pretty sure I was still in shock though. Despite that, I slept so soundly I didn’t even dream.
But I woke early, and now I’m burning with questions. I tear my gaze away from the ocean, which has held me captive for longer than I’d care to admit, and shut off the song I was listening to. DNCE’s ‘Cake by the Ocean’. It made me smile.
I take stock of my surroundings.
Last night I could tell from what little of the house I saw that it is far from being a humble little beach hut. Cove’s room – clearly identifiable as his from the surfboard in the corner and all my favourite scents of the beach, like suntan lotion and sex wax, that I’ve come to associate with him – is stunning. The walls and floors are all the same white washed weathered wood, the sparse furniture matching, and the soft furnishings are all white and mint green. It’s nautical without being clichéd, refreshing and airy. The view from the huge window completely steals the show though, and I love the way Cove’s simple driftwood style bed is angled to make the most of the landscape outside. There’s no blinds or curtains, and waking up to this vista every day, why would you want them?
