The ocean reflected the color of the evening sky. Streaked through with the pink and orange sunset the waves crashed against the glowing sand. Footprints made trails along the damp sand. They were small, a child’s footprints. A loud squeal and giggle broke the serene scene.
“Louis stop!” A girl’s voice shrieked followed by a giggle.

The owner of the voice stood with her hair unbound in the surf. The water splashed around her thighs as she held her sundress to keep it from getting wet. She gave a shocked expression to the boy standing before her. His ten year old frame already lanky stood just out of the water. He wore a wide grin as he kicked his feet again sending a spray of water over his friend.

“I swear Louis my mom is going to kill me if I come home wet.” The girl exclaimed.

Louis just laughed.
“Oh Gracie! You should have thought of that before you waded out.” He said with a cheeky smile shaking his head slightly.
“I’m being careful.” Grace retorted rolling her eyes.


Louis shook his head eyeing the approaching wave. While she was arguing with Louis Grace had wandered deeper into the water. It now lapped around her knees. He took in the sight of his best friend. His thoughts wander to his impeding removal from the quiet beach town. It was times like this he regret his family being only seasonal resident of the quiet fishing town.

Louis laughed as the wave hit Grace square in her back drenching her.
“Careful? Sure...” He teased.

Grace narrowed her eyes at Louis. He could see the gears turning in her head. Anticipating Grace’s movement Louis backed up several paces. Grace shook her head a smug smile on her face.
“That’s it.” She said wading onto the sand.

Once her feet were clear of the water she chased after her best friend who was running full pace sending glances over his shoulder. Grace let out a laugh as she ran. Shivering slightly Grace raised her arms and felt the limp fabric of her sundress stream out behind her. In this moment she felt free. It was moments like this that made Grace feel truly alive. The feeling erased the sense of foreboding that hung over her like a thick cloud; feeling light a dark weight in the back of her mind that she just couldn’t share.

She turned her attention back to Louis who was easily keeping three paces ahead of her. A small black shape loomed out of the sand. Louis had his attention turned on Grace his eyes sparkling and his thoughts merry. Grace felt it her duty to warn him of the obstacle he was inevitably going to run into.

“Louis look out.” She called two paces before Louis would hit the form.
Louis snapped his eyes from Grace to where he was going but he was too late. His foot caught the black form and he tumbled rolling to the edge of the surf sand now coating his jersey. Louis went to get up but flopped back into the sand. Panicked Grace ran to his side.

“Are you okay? Are you okay?” She said frantically shaking Louis’ form.
When Louis didn’t respond Grace looked around frantically for someone else. The beach was deserted and they were about a mile from their houses. Grace stood up to try and get a better view and turned her back to Louis. She was panicking her throat threating to clench on her. As she was about to start screaming a hand grasped her ankle. The scream caught in Grace’s throat coming out as more of a shrill shriek. Twisting away from the hand Grace turned around to see Louis sitting up in the side smiling.

“Got you that time didn’t I?” He teased.
Grace let out an annoyed gasp and hit him on the arm.
“Louis William Thomas that was not funny.”
Louis grasped his arm and pouted.
“I could have been seriously hurt and you just hit me.” He mock pouted.

Grace turned her attention to the thing Louis had tripped over. She picked it up turning the cool glass in her hands. It was a glass bottle battered and clearly worn. Holding it up in the fading light Grace could see the small note folded inside. She turned back to Louis and raised the glass and her eyebrows.

“Seriously hurt yourself? Tripping over a bottle?”
Louis knotted his brow and got up to stand next to Grace. The stood side by side Grace still dripping wet and Louis covered in sand.
“Is there a note in it?”

Grace nodded her head. Louis leaned his head over her shoulder to look through it. He turned his head to look at her.
“Cool.” He said quietly not needing to speak loudly due to their close proximity.
“Should we open it?” He asked eager to discover the contents.

Grace looked at the bottle considering. She felt weirdly young and small holding the bottle. It had likely traveled farther then she had in her scant 8 years. She felt almost nervous to open it. She herself had tossed a bottle into the ocean last winter letting it sail to grander places. She had watched it bob through the choppy, crashing surf until she couldn’t see it anymore. She felt insufficient to be opening it thinking of the secrets that lay inside. Grace cycled ideas through her head as to how to delay it. She wanted to leave the bottle untouched for a while holding its secrets.

“How about next summer?” She suggested.
Louis considered her idea. Grace could still see the indecisive eagerness on his face.
“We can bury it and when you come next summer we can dig it up and open it. It’ll give us something else to talk about while you’re gone.”

Louis finally seeing her logic nodded his head.
“Next summer it is but it has to be the first day. I don’t think I’ll be able to wait longer than that.”

Grace smiled and Louis knew he had made the right decision. The two walked side by side up towards their secret place. They stopped where the grass started to come into the sand at the base of some palm trees. Louis knelt down and scrapped out a hole about two feet deep at the base of a tree. He took the bottle Grace offered and set it into the rapid refiling hole.

“So we just have to remember it is at the base of the twisted palms.” Louis commented. Looking up he saw Grace nodding her head. The motion sent water droplets falling from her damp red curls. She sat down next to Louis her back leaning against the palm.

“Can you believe summer is over?” She asked quietly.
Louis shook his head. He still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact he was leaving again tomorrow. The past summer had been one of firsts for Louis. Full of new adventures and long summer nights. He had gotten closer to Grace over the summer but it had been different. She would never admit it but she had grown up a lot in the past couple of years. Louis still wondered at Grace’s new moods. There were times when she thought people weren’t watching where her demeanor would get serious. As soon as others were around she would go back to being happy-go-lucky Grace that he had come to know.

“I’m gonna miss this place.” He murmured not sure if Grace heard him over the waves.
“Yeah.” She muttered.
Louis looked at her confused. She was agreeing with him? Grace hadn’t gone farther than 20 miles from the town her whole life. She turned to him a slight smile on her face.

“Yeah, I’m gonna miss you. Without you I’m stuck with Lexie all day.” She said.
“Oh.” Louis said he turned to face Grace in earnest. “Okay this sounds weird but will you promise me that we will meet right here every summer for forever and ever? Old people like the beach too right?”
Grace let out a laugh.
“Yes Louis old people like the beach too remember old Mr. McCartney.”
Louis crinkled his nose at the thought of their elderly neighbor who thought he could still wear a speedo.
“Eww don’t remind me.”

Grace let out a melodious giggle and leaned her head against the palm.
“Besides you know I won’t be leaving anytime soon so sure Louis promise.” She said holding out her pinky finger.
Louis wrapped his finger lightly around hers.

“Promise?”
“Promise.” Grace said lightly. “We can meet right here every summer till were fat and old and complain about our joints like Papaw Jorge.”

Louis smiled broadly but the sense of worry wouldn’t leave him. He tried to push it to the back of his brain thinking it irrational. Little did Louis know that summer had also held a lot of lasts.

Notes

So here is the revamped prologue not much change in this chapter the next one is where it starts :)
Let me know what you think :)
-Abby
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