Following the lurching motions of the sea's surface exhausted Sally's eyes, yet she looked on regardless. It was not the surging waves, whose staggering scale marked the lighthouse's rust-flecked walls in shadow, or the bleak beauty wrapped up in the boats quivering under Nature's mercy that captivated her. What she watched was the black abyss beneath the waves, a shifting mirror image of the steel sky overhead that only got darker the further she searched. Drizzle already fell around her, and occasionally the short shock of a perfect rain droplet splashed over her cheek. Tension crept into the air as Porthdruro held its breath.

    "Fancy seeing you here, stranger."

    Suddenly, the moment's grip on Sally's nerves dissipated, and even the largest raindrops bounced off her skin unnoticed. The days since she had last seen Flick had stretched into weeks in her mind, yet as soon as she laid eyes on the girl it was like she had never left her side. Nothing shone through the gloom her sharp, shimmering dark hair, and nothing painted the grey village walls in bold colours like the flash of her vibrant shirt as it swayed in the wind. Sally let the image of her girl standing in her home village sink in, forgetting for a second that the two could not last together beyond a picture's frame.

    "Ouch. I know I was a few minutes late, but I didn't think that'd get me the silent treatment!" Flick snatched off her sunglasses and tucked them into her shirt, her hazel eyes bright with her usual boundless energy. "Was it something I said? Did the whisky make you sick? The whisky made you sick, didn't it?"

    Air rushed into Sally's lungs as she sparked herself back to life and shot to her feet. "No! Not at all. It's just..." Though Sally sought a way to vocalise the whirlpool that raged in the core of her waters, she only found the words for the finest dot of spray that arced from the margins. The rest of her reserved strength crumbled at the gentle nudge of Flick's sniggering. "I've missed you, Flick. A lot."

    Laying her hands on Sally's shoulders, Flick winked and grinned. "Duh, what's not to miss?" she said as her thumb grazed Sally's neck. The pair settled on the bench facing the sea, Flick pointing out the camera bag on the ground between them. "And taking care of Miri for me? You sure know how to snag a girl's heart, Sal!"

    "It was no trouble." The narrow bench yoked the girls together, yet Sally would have rested her head on Flick's shoulder on the broadest stretch of Porthdruro's beaches. Basking in the girl's bubbling glow, breathing in her berry-sweet air, and running the locks of her soft side-plait between her fingers had dominated Sally's mind during their separation. Now she had Flick within reach again, she would not let such comforting closeness slip away. Not until she had to, that was.

    Flick's fingertips ran along Sally's arm, then her waist, then her side until it soared high enough on her body to summon a sigh of anticipation. "So, how much longer before you tell me why you called me down here?" she said, hooking Sally's hair out of her face. The breeze cooled the exposed skin, but the soothing warmth of Flick's lips on her forehead banished any discomfort far beyond Sally's notice. "Unless you're waiting for a real thank you for bringing Miri back to me..."

    Sally's body quaked. "Flick, I..." The realisation of how much she missed Flick's touch, combined with the girl's willingness to dispense it, led her to the cusp of giving in. She watched Flick's gaze drift down her face, and it took all of her strength to press her finger against the girl's lips before they closed the gap to her own. "I need to talk to you. It's about Miri."

    "Miri?" Leaning back, Flick raised an eyebrow at Sally, then shrugged. "I didn't see that coming, but fine by me. We can bring Miri into this, get some good shots of each other's –"

    "That's not what I meant," Sally said, prising herself away from Flick's side and biting her tongue to fight the ache that followed. "Someone stopped me today and asked about her. He said his name was Damien."

    Flick's fiendish smile wilted, draining away the colour in her cheeks with it. "Damien? You're sure he said Damien? Double-sure? Quintuple-sure? You can't be quintuple-sure, no way."

    Setting the camera bag on the bench, Sally shook her head. "I'm sure. He definitely said Damien, and he also said he was Miranda's brother." Her throat tightened as she watched Flick slide further away from her with every word, and the weight of her next question stopped her reaching out to catch her. "How did you end up with Miri, exactly?"

    A raindrop fell between them, transforming into a tear as it split over Flick's face. "Whatever he told you, he's wrong."

    "He said you stole it."

    "See? Told you he was wrong." Flick took up Miri's bag and tossed the strap over her shoulder, standing up with a stretch. "Just ignore him, Sal. Miranda's family never liked me, especially not her pesky brother."

    Sally hopped to her feet and marched in front of Flick, her fists on her hips. "I'd love to ignore him, but people don't follow you over three hundred miles just because they don't like you!" Wincing at the thought, she gritted her teeth and looked Flick in the eye. "Be honest, Flick. Did you steal Miri?"

    "It's not stealing if she wanted me to have her!" A flash of frustration coursed through Flick's voice, and it struck Sally hard enough to knock her back. Rolling her eyes, Flick clutched her locket and looked out across the sea. "She never even let her family hold Miri, let alone use her. Miranda would've wanted me to keep Miri safe when she was gone, I know she would!"

    "Would she?" The boldness in her own tone shocked Sally, yet she swallowed her fear and pressed on. "Did she ever tell you that?"

    Flick ran her hand through her hair and scoffed. "How could she have done? Her stupid family always..." she said, catching herself and shaking her head. "They didn't even let me see her after she got sick. I would've just 'made things worse', apparently. Can you believe it?"

    Wiping a spot of drizzle from her face, Sally stared at Flick's fidgeting form. "That's...terrible. I'm sorry."

    "And you want to know what else they did? They told the nursing staff to watch out for me and kick me out if I showed up. And they did! Every time!" Flick paced in front of the bench, delivering a kick to the seat as she cried out. "I was mad, Sal. I was done. So, I waited for her family to visit the hospital. Miranda's bedroom window didn't lock properly, and I'd snuck in enough times to know how to jimmy it open from the outside. After that, finding Miri was a piece of cake. I was in and out faster than you can say 'creepy control freak family'."

    "That doesn't make it right, Flick." Sally caught Flick as she turned on the spot, her nostrils flared. "As far as Damien and anybody else would see it, you stole the camera. You have to give it back!"

    With a bitter laugh, Flick pulled her arm free of Sally's hold. "Oh yeah? Tell those jerks I'll give Miri back when they give me back my chance to say goodbye." She paced past Sally to the wall and leaned her back against it, withdrawing her hip flask from her side as she landed. "Don't hold your breath. Even Miranda couldn't cut through all their crazy."

    Dark clouds knitted together to shut out all but the sparsest traces of sun from the sky. Even without the day's glow, Sally saw the sadness glaze over Flick's eyes, helpless in the face of raw memories etched in trembling stone. A large weight pressed down on the girl's back, a burden that every muscle in Sally's body drove her to share in, yet Flick's silent struggle kept her at a distance. Instead, Sally perched herself on the wall, her hand a span or so from the girl's arm, and tilted her head into Flick's sight. "What was she like?" she asked, fighting the urge to wipe away the wet smudges glittering by the girl's eyes.

    Flick ran a hand through her hair, her black fingernails dawdling on her shaven side. "The scrubs all said she had a weak heart, but their kit must have been out of whack, because Miranda was the best person," she said, and her eyes lit up as she spoke. "She was sweet enough to know better, but totally wild enough to not care. When she reached out for my hand, I didn't know whether she was going to hold it or throw me into a lake or something."

    "Did she really do that?"

    "If it was what she thought I needed, then you bet she did!" With a smile, Flick looked out across the sea, her fingers reaching for the locket around her neck. "She was way into making people smile, laugh, chill out. Even when she started spending nights in hospital, she told me straight that she'd kick my butt if I went partying without her!"

    A chuckle rode out on Sally's next breath, and she clasped a hand over her mouth. Her spike of fear subsided as Flick laughed with her, a twinkle of mischief in her eye. "She sounds like a treasure," Sally said, daring to stroke Flick's arm. "I bet it's amazing to know someone cares so much for you."

    "Don't ask me, bud. I was always too hyped, blasted, or wasted to notice how it felt." Though she let out another laugh, the sigh that Flick followed it with made clear that there was more to say. She clutched her locket and lifted it from her chest. "She gave me this when she started having more tests done. I guess she saw it all coming a mile away, even when I couldn't see what was in front of my dumb face."

    Hesitant, Sally threaded her fingers around the locket's chain, taking hold of the pendant when Flick released it. "Is there anything inside it?" she asked as she admired the gold surface's fine finish. She gasped as if something hidden in the casing pricked her finger, and struggled to find her words. "If you want to tell me, that is."

    Flick let her hand fall over Sally's and shrugged. "Beats me. I've never opened it." As Sally looked at her in shock, Flick forced a smile onto her pale face. "What? The mystery's too hot to spoil!"

    "Not with stuff like this, Flick," Sally groaned, laying her head on Flick's shoulder. When she shut her eyes and took in the hiss of the wind, the crash of the waves, the rustling of Flick's shirt, her cheeks burned as she realised how much she wanted the moment to last forever. "Sometimes it's okay to open up. You didn't have to tell me about Miranda, but you wanted to, and I'm glad you did. See? Honesty's pretty hot too."

    Rocking her head from side to side in thought, Flick clicked her tongue. "Honesty, huh? Sounds like a total buzzkill, but I guess I could give it a try..." she mused, turning to admire the soft smile on Sally's face. Suddenly, she leapt from the wall, took hold of Sally's hands, and poised herself on the tips of her toes. "Come with me."

    Sally dug her heels in to stop herself falling into Flick's unsteady frame. "What? Come with you where?"

    "Come with me when I ditch this place tonight." Punctuating her words with a wink, Flick pulled on their joined hands. "Think about it! You, me, and Miri – three bad boss bitches hitting the open road! Now that's a recipe for the hottest party on four wheels!"

    The wind raked icy needles over Sally's burning face, and her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. She stumbled backwards and shook her head, yet no amount of forceful blinking wiped the eager grin from Flick's face. "What are you on about? Polly said she's not going to kick you out, I thought. Why do you have to leave tonight?"

    Flick hoisted Miri's bag between them and shook it. "It's like you said, sailor. Damien's rolled up, so it's time for me and Miri to roll out. Are you coming or not?"

    A few days earlier, Sally had yearned to escape the village with Flick, to rev the car's engine and leave Porthdruro in a cloud of sandy dust. Like always, the world around her promised freedom at every turn when she held Flick close. The bottomless sea spanned out of sight towards the Isles, the stalwart lighthouse soared into the sky away from the rising waves, and the main road wound between the valleys with an offer to lead her to the world beyond. Sally let herself sink into Flick's reddened eyes, diving into everything she had thought she wanted since she met the girl.

    Bringing Sally closer, Flick whispered by her ear. "Come with me, Sal. Once we break you out of here, there'll be nothing to hold us back."

    "Nothing to hold you back, you mean!" Sally freed herself from Flick's grasp and looked the girl up and down, shivering in the cold drizzle. "My family, my uni place, my whole life is here, Flick! I can't leave it all behind! I'm not..."

    Her eyes narrowed, Flick fixed her gaze on Sally through the growing veil of rain. "Not what? It's rude to keep a girl waiting, bud."

    Sally folded her arms to hide her shaking hands. "I'm not like you. I can't just run away from my problems whenever I want."

    As Flick stepped back, Sally braced herself for a tirade more lethal, more powerful than anything her parents could throw at her. The hairs on her skin pricked up to catch the shower of razor blades headed her way, each fine edge destined to slice her apart and leave a wound too deep to heal.

    When Flick finally spoke, it was barely above a sigh. "Suit yourself."

    Sally's defences abandoned her. Her knees cracked against the ground as the rain's chill pierced her skin. Every beat of her heart thumped through her aching head. A storm of tears raged in her eyes, sparing her the clear image of Flick turning her back on her and flying away without another glance, the camera bag hanging over her shoulder.

    Something fell on Sally's shoulder. "It's the toughest thing, lass," Ronan said, his knees settled beside hers. "But it had to happen. It'll get better, and you'll move on, I promise."

    Sally stared into the cracks in the stone that sprawled between her fingers. She did not know how to answer her brother. She only knew she was not strong enough to face the empty space ahead of her. She was not strong without her.