The ocean is teeming with wildlife and mystery.

The sand, wet and sticky, holds onto her feet squirming between her toes, the ring that sit there catches grains with every wave. Delilah studies the horizon, the sun slowly hiding away in the distance. She's not thinking, she's just feeling. Feeling the ocean breeze chill her skin causing prickly goosebumps. No sleeves to help her keep warm, Dee loves the chill of the air at the beach. Living here her entire life, only ever knowing the sea and its depths.

She stares into the distance, she stares at the darker blue hues to the sea. The deeper parts of the water, cation to anyone who swims out there inexperienced. Dee just got out of class, taking a nutrition class for her nursing program at the community college near the beach. There's splashes out there, she recognizes it, a creature who visits at this time in the day. She thinks it's an otter and her baby, she craves the day she swims out there to meet it. Ignoring the dangers of messing with wildlife, she wants to connect to the friend she's cried with in the past week.

"Hello." She calls out the creature. "Good to see you again." She knows there won't be an answer, there never is. But it's nice to have someone around to listen or just sit there with her.

She stretches her legs out marking the sand with her heels.

"I'm going to go out there one day." She says, promising the creature. "I totally will."

Dee always loves a challenge, she desires this risk. She has never interacted with the animals of the sea. Sticking to the land but enjoying the benefits of being on shore. She loves the water but she fears the unknown of the sea.

"Just don't swim away scared. Because then we won't get to swim together." Dee is a strong swimmer, the strongest in her family. They're too busy planning their escape from this little town. All she wants is to live her life in peace and quiet, in a small town that already knows her, doing the things she loves unbothered. Her sister wants to become an actress so she moves to Los Angeles, her bother to moved to New York City for more investment career opportunities. She doesn't even want to think about her greedy parents.

Confident, Dee rises from her spot slapping her bare feet against the wet sand. She walks to the water trying to peak at the otter. She can't see anything, just rushing water. She inches into the water aiming for the rocky area a dozen feet away. Climbing onto the prickly surface, she crawls to the biggest rock standing tall with her long legs.

She can't see what is causing the splashing, only that it stopped, leaving ripples behind as evidence. Disappointed she sat on the rock, her bare cheeks cool against the surface. Dee crosses her tan legs putting the full length on display. Her shirt, that covered her swimsuit, flapped with the ocean wind. Staring out into the water, watching the sun finally set, Dee smiled kindly. Enjoying the moment she experiences everyday, a moment she never takes for granted.

"Today was a good day," she spoke to the otter, "my classes were interesting, I could actually follow what my professor was saying in maths. I got to the cafeteria early so I got to buy the lunch special before it sold out. A really cute boy asked me for my number, he said I was very beautiful," Dee giggles at the memory, cheeks heats up at the compliment. "That made my day, definitely. I told him 'thank you but I'm not interested' of course. When have I ever said yes?"

Silence. The water ripples instead.

"And then I bought a Starbucks and came here to read and see you." Delilah smiled brightly, today really is a good day. "One day, I'll see you."

The longing to enter the water or wait long enough for it to come to the surface again vibrates in her bones. But with the sun going down rather quickly, the night threatens her safety. When the wildlife became more active, Dee had to face more of a risk to be in the water.

"I have to go, this was really quick, I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." Dee stood up from her seat, her toes gripping the rock balancing her. She hops down to the next rock letting her back face the ocean view. Dee looks back, "bye," she waves to the sea. Thinking about the otter and its family. "Thank you for keeping my secrets."

Delilah hops into the water with a small splash, her  ankle bracelet floating with the water level. She walked over to her things; two sandals, a large tote bag, a small purse, an open book placed pages down saving the page, an iPhone and AirPods, a Hydroflask of water, and a finished mocha latte paper cup from Starbucks. She set up a little nest on the beach, one that helps her relax and sit in some silence before going home.

Dee grabs her book stuffing a bookmark inside throws it into her bag, then her AirPods and her flask. Picking up her bags and her sandals, she wobbled across the sand beach getting more and more sand on her feet. Between her toes, on her toe ring and anklet. Thank goodness there were showers, one for full body and one for just your feet. She stops up the cement steps, looking around at the deserted beach.

This is used to be filled with people in the 60s, but then in the 80s they built a better and more modern beach, by the time the late 90s came in... this beach was basically abandoned. Around twenty years later, this place was forgotten about. The only people to remember the name were older parents and grandparents who frequented the place. Maybe one or two groups of people would pass by a week but other than that, Delilah was the only regular to come.

After cleaning herself off, she slips on her sandals and flip flops over to her Jeep Sport. Throwing her bag in the back of the two seater, she hopped into the front seat, neutral, clutch then the car roars alive. Releasing the clutch she presses the break, first gear, remove from break, clutch then drive releasing it. She passes through large forest like trees that reminded her of the mountains where her family used to camp every year. The nostalgia pulling at her memory, her lips smiling softly. She wished she could've treasured those memories more.

The house was quiet when she got home, the lights off leaving only the porch light available for their daughter to see. She parks her jeep behind her mother's SUV like usual, she spots her father's truck. Great, both of them are home at the same time. But there was no noise coming from inside, the night fell onto her darkening any ability to see through her windows. She unlocks the front door, the brown color peeling at the corners.

"I'm home." She calls out into nothing, she knows she wouldn't receive a response. She doesn't count on it. She locks the door behind her, going to the kitchen to throw away her coffee cup and add more water to her flask. In her room, Dee set her purse and tote bag on the floor next to her bed. Homework instructions laid messily out on the bag, she sighs bored. She hates doing homework, she was never smart enough to pay attention. But she always aced her tests making her even out as an average student. If anyone actually spoke to her, they might form their own contradicting opinions.

She lays back onto her bed, sliding her phone out from her pocket. She began to play music, setting it on her chest so she could feel the vibrations. The window behind her nightstand opened and filled with noise of the world. She thought, she kept thinking. The silence of the house deafening, she could guess her dad is taking a nap in the guest room and her mother is obsessed with her phone in her own room. The arrangement not unfamiliar to Delilah, the parents ignore each other pretending like they can live like this.

Dee didn't want to think about her parents anymore. Wants to think about boys but there was no one she was interested in. She wants to text some best friends but she didn't have any, lost them in some lame argument... who could remember that stuff anymore. So there she was, no one to talk to. No one share her thoughts with. No one to go to. There's the girls at school who invite her out, she's fairly popular but she's never considered these girls to be her close friends. All of them desperate for attention. Always available to any guy who paid them any attention.

She wasn't judging those types of girls, though her language sounds like it. She would never do those kind of things but she didn't mind if others did. That didn't mean she was okay with surrounding herself with people like that. School is one thing, actually implementing someone who's unhealthy into your life is just dumb, especially if you clearly know about it.

Dee eventually fell asleep, the warmth of her bed inviting and comforting. Her body heavy, still filled with sweat. She felt safe, until she woke up to basically muffled screaming throughout the entire house. Makayla could practically feel the vibrations of her parents booming voices. She sits up in her bed, straining her ears unable to hear anything clearly. So she decides to scurry to the bedroom door opening it up, leaving it ajar. She could hear her parents finally.

"I live in this house and there's nothing you can do to stop it." Her father's deep voice resonating throughout the house. Stern and assertive.

"You're not going to bring women into this house while your daughter is sleeping upstairs!" Her mother fierce and strong, no room to budge and no open mind. They bait each other into arguments.

"Don't bring her into this, Miranda. She has nothing to do with this. You're able to go on dates but I bring around one girl and you're jealous!"

"Jealous, Ronald?" Dee heard her mother scoff loudly, "you sound ridiculous!"

Delilah couldn't help but roll her eyes, this kind of argument happened almost every night for her. Too used to the sound of her parents trashing each other with words that hide their true feelings. God, Dee just wants them to speak to each other like adults.

Dee grabs her bag, tossing her phone in, and tip toeing around the house, attempting to hide any sound. The yelling getting louder as she gets closer, tuning out the exact words they're saying. Something about a woman being the driveway of our house. Her mom is a jealous woman even if they're separated. But Dee didn't want to pick sides, she knew it would just complicate things further for herself.

She successfully snuck out of her house, grabbing the bike from her front porch and hopping on. In a small town with lots of smooth, clean hills, biking was sometimes faster than driving. Much cleaner for the environment as well. Delilah loved to feel the wind flow through her hair, the chill of it eating at her face. it was the same way with skateboarding, except she favored the vibration of her feet than peddling.

The only thoughts on her mind as she flew by the residential houses was the way her parents used to treat each other. Always laughing and indulging in sweets, smiling at each other like they were the only two people in the world. And then one day, everything changed. They could barely even look at each other until they told their daughter about their plans to legally separate. That they both love her and it could never change no matter what.

But they stopped hanging out with her and wanted to create their own lives. Dee became an adult in college and her parents stopped seeing her as a child. It slowly started to feel like she wasn't wanted, like they were tired of having to share a time consuming expensive kid. Paying for her college, having to help pay for her first car, setting all her doctor's appointments, and sometimes having to clean up her messes. Dee wondered if all of this finally got to them and they wanted to be 'busy' to avoid her.

She arrived at the abandoned beach, she knew it couldn't be true. Her parents would always love her, they would never get tired of her. She checks her phone, 1 a.m, she didn't realize how late she left. The dark ocean lit up by the moonlight, stars cascading down from the sky. It broke into a million pieces amongst the water. The sounds of the waves washing up onto the shore enticed her. She dropped her bike on the sidewalk, trusting to come back to it.

The cold sand hugged her feet as she walked across, her bag secured in her shoulder and her purple flip flops in her hands. She dropped her bag and sat on the sand. Taking out the book that was left in there and beginning to read it. She needed to cool down, the anger rattling in her shaky hands.

Turning each page, then turning back when she realized she didn't process the words she read at all. Her mind drifting off to her family, thinking about opportunities Dee would have after she graduates from the nursing program. She loves it here, this small town surrounded by salt water. It is her safe haven, her quiet little comfy village. But she wants to move out of the house, get her own little place here so she doesn't have to constantly wake up to an arguing couple unable to admit how they really feel about each other.

She hadn't realize she'd been crying, her tears slowly running down her cheeks. Little sniffs here and there, she had't realize until she felt the pages of her book a bit wet. The air nips at her bare legs, her knees turning pink. It's warm in the day but the ocean breeze makes the nights here a bit chilly.

Delilah heard the water ripple, her head snapped up to the ocean. She could see the splashes of the water far away. The otter and its family is back, Dee smiled. Wiping her tears from her face, she stands up peering out into the sea. The challenge staring right at her, the adrenaline starting at her finger tips.

Hurriedly, she pulls off her shirts and jean shorts revealing her maroon bikini - often a replacement for underwear since she goes to the beach everyday. Using the hair tie on her wrist, she puts her long blonde hair into a thick tight bun. She puts her things away in her bag, the excitement dripping from her face. She's like a fish who desperately needs water.

A large smile on her dimpled face, "I'm coming out to meet you!" she yells across the water. Her voice bellowing out. The splashes get bigger.

She steps into the water, it's freezing making her shiver. The more she walked in the more it was cold, freezing her like ice. But she knew that in a few seconds she would feel warm again, the cold wouldn't affect her as bad. So she kept going until the water reaches her neck and she pushes off from the slimy floor of the ocean. Her feet no longer able to reach the bottom. A quick thought of putting herself in danger filled her mind until she forces it down. She needs to do that in order to accomplish this feat.

And with that, she set off to the splashing water to finally meet the otter family. Fully expecting to be bitten and scratched, but a sliver of hope held out. She wanted to swim with the creature.