Tide

Chapter 13

The next morning, I woke up to find a small child poking at my face.

"Ava, wake up! We're celebrating your birthday!" Mason cheered, a wide smile split across his face, his brown eyes crinkling with joy.

I sat up to find myself back in my old bedroom, decorated in pink coloured walls and stuffed animals. I really need to remodel this, I thought.

I looked over my shoulder and glanced at the clock, catching a glimpse at the time. It was early and too early for my liking. I sighed. "Mason, go away. I'm tired." I muttered, lying back down and burying my face into my pillow.

"Please Ava? Please? If you get up I'll give you your present I made for you."

"You can give me that present later," I yawned.

For a second, nobody spoke. I thought that maybe Mason had given up and left me in peace. But I was wrong - instead, he came up with more excuses.

"What if... What if I told you that your boyfriend was here?"

"What boyfriend?"

"Isaac,"

"Go away, Mason."

"Aw, come on Ava! Get up!"

--

"Get up, Ava," said a familiar voice. My eyes blinked open, squinting as the light hit them. As my vision slowly came back into focus, I realized that Isaac was lightly shaking my shoulder in an attempt at waking me up. That was when I understood that I wasn't back at home with my family. It was yet another dream. Instead, I was stuck here, unsure of whether or not they were alive.

Isaac smirked. "Good morning."

I pushed myself up, rubbing my eyes and scanning the room. Piper slept on the mattress across the room, her eyes sealed shut, snoring lightly. Although Isaac really did everything for her not to, I had convinced him that she was better off staying at the same shelter as us. I didn't want to risk losing sight of her.

"What are you doing up so early?" I mumbled.

"I wanted to watch the sunrise."

The sunrise?

I looked at him, confused. "And you woke me up... because?"

"I wanted to give you the opportunity. If you don't, when I get famous, you'll strongly regret not watching the sunrise with the one and only; Isaac Sanford," he grinned.

"No thanks."

"Oh come on, Ava. Please?"

"I'm tired."

"It'll make me feel better," he said.

Then I remembered the other day, and suddenly I felt a pang of guilt. He'd managed to keep a smile this week, but occasionally I caught a glimpse at the dullness in his eyes. He tried staying positive - I could tell by the way he tried cracking jokes. But I could also tell that he had locked his pain away somewhere deep down and masked it, whether that was by the muffled cries that came out of him at night when he'd curl up and cry silently into his pillow or the way his smile would fade whenever he spoke about his mother.

Taking a deep breath, I untangled myself from my blanket. At the corner of my eye, I saw him smile. "Thanks, Ava. Have you ever watched a sunrise before?"

"No," I said, standing up and dusting myself off.

"I used to watch it all the time as a kid. My mother would wake up early in the morning to go on a jog, and I'd wake up too, and sometimes we'd just go outside and watch the sunrise." He paused. "It's really beautiful. You'll see."

I yawned and tip toed my way towards the exit, making sure I didn't wake anyone. Carefully, I stepped outside, then sat on the ground. A soft, icy breeze danced across my skin. It was pretty dark, but I could see an orange hue floating through the sky, golden rays peeking through the clouds.

My shoulders slouched over, I picked at the grass. "So how long's this gonna take?" I asked.

"A few minutes," he responded. "Just wait."

I took a deep breath, then looked up.

Slowly, I could see the clouds moving out of the way, and a red-yellow pigment rising through.

"The sunrise is the biggest cliché in the history of photography," Isaac said. "I mean, how many times have you seen a painting or some sort of representation of it?" He paused for a minute and then continued. "But... The way I see it, there's a reason behind it all. As Victor Hugo once said, "Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.""

He smiled at me and looked back towards the sky. I found myself staring at him, processing what he had just said. Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise. His head was tilted upward, blue eyes reflecting against the sky.

He turned toward me, catching my stare. He raised a brow. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I looked away quickly, feeling my face burn. "That's a really good quote."

"Thanks." He breathed out a laugh.

We sat in silence for a while. When I glanced back at him, he was looking at me, too. His face spread into a smile.

I looked back at the sky, watching warmth awaken to a cold world. I observed as radiant sunbeams illuminated the Earth, and daylight climbed higher and higher into the clouds. I smelled the sweet aroma of nature, and for a moment, all of the stress and pressure that was built up inside of me had gone. I listened to the sound of the trees rustling, and the birds singing, watching beauty swell into the sky.

For a moment, I took the time to appreciate the peace. For a moment, I forgot reality.

A/N: Currently obsessed with the song Photograph by Ed Sheeran XD I literally listened to it on repeat while writing this chapter LOL. Btw, I am so sorry for taking my time to update these chapters, I'll try my best to write more often! XD Anyway, that was Chapter 13! I hope you guys enjoyed it:) Once again, feel free to comment any feedback or suggestions/requests. QOTD: Favourite song?