My fingernails dug into the palms of my shaking hands as I watched Ms. Campbell jotting down notes with a ballpoint pen. We had been talking about what I did just a few days ago. It was awkward. I wiped my tear-stained cheeks and said,

"Ms. Campbell?"

She stopped writing. Her eyes met mine. "Yes, Ava?"

I dragged my hands through my hair, my heart beat pulsating in my ears. "I'm tired."

She tilted her head and gave me a look of confusion. "Tired of what?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. My voice strained. Say it. God, Ava, say it now or you never will. "Everything. The memories. The nightmares. They won't leave." I felt my throat tighten. "I just want them to leave."

When I opened my eyes, I saw Ms. Campbell watching me with a look of concern. "What kind of... nightmares do you have? What do you see in your flashbacks?"

I could feel my throat closing up. I wanted to spill everything out, right then, right there. "December 26th." I blurted. "The memories are always about that day. My nightmares too. They're about the wave. Sometimes I'll dream about my family, my friends. Sometimes the dreams don't make any sense... But they involve the wave."

Ms. Campbell put down her notebook and pen, letting them rest on her lap. She leaned back in her chair and watched me carefully. "What do you think this means?"

I shrugged and looked away from her, my gaze feeling pulled towards the window. It was still raining. It hadn't stopped raining in days. At this rate, I thought the sun would never reappear.

"Maybe," I said finally, "It's a fear. A phobia, I guess you could say." I let out deep breath and breathed back in, hoping to inhale a bit more courage. "The other day... I was at the movie theatre with my friends. The movie took place on an island. I saw the ocean and I just... I got scared. The memories came back. I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the movie. I was too focused on what was going on inside of my head. And I can't ignore it, either. It's just... there, you know what I mean? It's impossible to ignore."

She nodded. At the corner of my eye, I could see her staring at me. "Do you think there's anything you can do to possibly, I don't know, overcome this fear?"

I shrugged. "Mom thinks talking to you helps. I mean, I guess it would if I spoke more." I shrugged again and shook my head, burying my face into my hands. "I don't know."

"Okay, but other than speaking to me. Is there anything you think might help you let go?"

There was a long pause. I thought deeply. There was an idea that had come to mind a few weeks ago. I had ignored it, though. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but now, it seemed possible.

I looked at Ms. Campbell, my gaze meeting hers. I wiped my sweaty palms against my jeans, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. With slight hesitation, I said, "I could go to Thailand."

Her eyes widened. "Pardon?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard me correctly.

"I want to go to Thailand." I repeated, more certainty in my voice this time. "This summer, to be exact. I want to volunteer or something. I heard there's tsunami camps and orphanages I could visit."

Ms. Campbell's face split into a genuine smile. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Ava."

--------

I stepped out of the building, walking towards my mother's car. She was sitting in the driver's seat, a book between her hands, her eyes hidden behind the lenses of small reading glasses.

Rain poured down on me, a lightning bolt slicing through the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. I began to jog through the storm, my running shoes splashing into puddles. I bit my lip and smiled a bit, feeling a small prickle of happiness.

I opened the door to the car. My mother's attention turned towards me. She smiled a little, folding her book closed and taking off her reading glasses. "Someone looks like they're in a good mood. How did the session go?"

"Fine," I replied. I took a seat and closed the door, clicking in my seatbelt. I could hear the sound of muffled rain tapping onto the vehicle as we drove away.

I couldn't hide my smile. It had been a while since I had felt happy.

My mother glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "What's going on, Ava? You seem so excited."

I shook my head. "Nothing." I murmured.

She furrowed her brows. "Alright then."

There was a long pause. The idea nagged at my mind. I had begun planning it in my head: I would do the interview this summer, and then go to Thailand and visit the places I had been fearful of for so long. People say to face your fears. At that moment in time, I was already labelled a survivor, hence the interview scheduled for me. But I knew that in order to truly become a survivor of 2004, I needed to recover first.

"I have an idea." I blurted.

The light turned red. The car stopped, and my mom took the time to look at me with a puzzled expression. "What idea?"

"I was talking to Ms. Campbell and... Well, I came up with something that might help. I know it's a bit of an unrealistic idea and, it's fine if you say no."

"What's the idea?"

Suddenly I felt my face redden. "Never mind. It's unrealistic."

"What's the idea?" she repeated.

I let out a deep breath, looking down at my hands. "I was thinking about going back to Thailand. I could volunteer."

"What makes you want to go back?"

I bit my lip. "It's just a fear I want to face, I guess."

The light turned green. My mom's gaze pulled towards the road.

"I think it's a good idea." She said finally.

"You do?"

She nodded. "I do."

I nodded back, looking out the window with a smile along my lips. "Okay."

The rain softened, sprinkling onto the car. Through the dark, heavy clouds, a single ray of sun shined through. It sparked a question I had been waiting to ask.

"Who called?"

My mother had said that my loved ones had called on the car ride back from the hospital, but I had never bothered to ask who. Suddenly, I felt bad for the things I had said about Piper.

"Piper, Nolan, Grandma, a few family members-"

"Nolan?" I repeated. "How did Nolan get our number?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe Piper told him?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "Anyone else?"

"Yeah. Your friend you met in Thailand. What was his name again? Isaiah?"

"Isaac?" I corrected her. The mention of him hadn't registered immediately. It took me a few seconds to even process what she had said.

She nodded. "Yeah, Isaac. He called."

Then it registered. I froze. My stomach dropped. He called?

During my stay at the hospital, I had managed to convince myself that I shouldn't get my hopes up. The day he called was our last conversation, I was sure of it.

Questions spiralled through my head. What did he say? Does he know what happened? Is he okay? But the only question that managed to escape my lips was, "When?"

--

The second the car pulled into the driveway, I unclasped my seatbelt and bolted towards our house.

Searching for a phone, I fumbled for his number. When I got it, I dialled so fast that I had ended up calling the wrong number. I dialled again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

My heart pounded so loudly I thought for sure anyone could hear it. Anxiety held me prisoner. I was chained to the weight of dread.

"Hello?" said a woman's voice.

"Hi." I could feel my heart racing, heat flooding my face. My throat grew tighter, fear crawling in my stomach. "Is Isaac home?"

"He is. He's asleep right now, though. Can I take a message?"

Right then, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I released a deep breath, a wave of relief washing over me. He was alive. He was alive. Isaac Sanford was alive, and right then, that's all I cared about. I didn't need to talk to him. As long as I knew he was okay. "No, it's fine." I said finally. "Tell him Ava called."

"Ava?" the woman repeated.

"Yes."

"Oh dear, Ava, did you hear what happened? He wrote a letter for you."

"I know," I breathed.

"Anyway, I'll let you talk about it with him. I'll make sure he calls you back, yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Goodbye, Ava."

"Goodbye."

A/N: A bit of a happier chapter this time :) Isaac should be in the next few chapters so keep an eye out. What do you guys think? Feel free to leave comments, feedback, etc. Tide is almost done! 0.0 Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it c: