Two

The soft wind was blowing lazily and it ruffled the large green leaves above in the swaying trees. The gentle swishing of the green created a wave of a lullaby throughout the block. Something in the breezy wind smelled sweet but there with a hint of metal mixed in there. The pavement radiated heat from the ground since the hot sun had been beaming down on it all day. There was something orange on the ground, but the picture was fuzzy and blurred to the point where color was the only thing identifiable.

     One particular thing, however, was that in the sky, there were white things floating slowly down towards the ground. It was strange because it wasn’t the right weather for it to be snowing already. The winds would be harsher and the pavement would not be giving off enough heat to fry an egg. The white objects slowly made their way down, taking there time.

     It wasn’t just one either, there were white fluff falling everywhere, it almost did look like snow. The wind blew by and ruffled them in all sorts of directions.

     She reached out her hand to touch one, to see if by feeling, she could identify what they were. Her hand, however, was not obeying and did not budge. One of them drifted towards her face and she made out the soft features of them.

     They were feathers, floating down from the sky. Why were feathers falling from the sky? She thought to herself as she watched them continue. They started piling up now, all over the ground and on top of her. The white masses starting falling more heavily, covering parts of her face and arms. All of a sudden, it felt like bricks were being piled up on her instead of the light, weightless feeling that feathers usually felt like.

     She felt her breath quicken as more and more of the feathers suffocated her. She was literally being buried alive. The orange coloring out of the corner of her eye, could no longer be seen and the sound of the wind had disappeared completely and replaced by the speeding thumping of her heart. There was a sudden burst of sound through the midst of the torturing silence. A bike bell rang twice, paused, then rang loudly, continuously in a crescendo. Her body jerked upright from the sudden and high pitched shrill that echoed in her ears.

     Hazel sat up in bed and covered her ears to look around the room in partial silence. Her alarm clock was ringing next to her on the white wooded nightstand. She sighed and relaxed her arms to press the off button on the little screaming device. The alarm ring stopped, and all that she heard was the hard thumping of the pain in her head. The clock hands showed that it was 7:00am, Monday morning.

     The sun had already risen, and the early birds chirping could be heard through the open window. A light breeze drifted through, ruffling the transparent, cream colored curtains. She got out of bed and went to go wash up in the bathroom. After a few minutes, she slipped into her new trainee uniform. Her white t-shirt with the aquarium logo was a little big on her, since there were no smaller sizes. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts to go along with her baggy shirt and tightened her the laces of her black sneakers. Her long hair was all tangled at the ends, so she pulled a brush through the mess. After her hair smoothed out as silky as possible, she smiled at her reflection.

     From a distance, she could hear barking coming from downstairs, telling her that Eva was making breakfast and Moose smelled the aroma. She opened her door and went downstairs to notice the peppery omelet smell in the air. Moose was already sitting a few inches away from Eva’s feet, with his tail wagging on the floor, and looking up at her with big, irresistible blue eyes.  

     “Moose, you fat pig,” Eva’s voice was filled with laughter, “When will you ever stop begging? Begging is not gentlemanlike.” She threw him a piece of the omelet.

     “Maybe that’s exactly why he keeps on begging,” Hazel said as she stepped down the last few steps and into the kitchen. She pointed to the already-eaten omelet and Moose licking his mouth.

     “I try not to, okay? But sometimes his eyes just get me,” Eva said and slid the omelet onto a plate. “Eat up, you have a long day ahead of you.”

     Hazel nodded and sat down at the wooden table. She picked up her fork, but before she could eat, she said, “Eva, I just wanted to thank you.”

     Eva was sitting across from Hazel, and she looked up, confused. “Thank me for what?” She took a bite of her eggs. “Breakfast isn’t that big of a deal, I bet you’d do the same for me.”

     Hazel smiled but shook her head since she had missed the point. “No, it’s not that. I mean, I do thank you for breakfast too, but that’s not the point. I wanted to thank you for everything, really. You took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I have a place to stay, and friends who like me. Now I even have a job, all thanks to you.”

     “Oh no, now don’t go thanking me for everything I do, it’s no big deal. You don’t have to thank me for it.” Eva smiled and continued to eat her food. “You should stop worrying about it, just enjoy your life before it flashes before your eyes and suddenly, your widowed, single and forty,” she spoke the truth.

      “Eva, that’s not how I think of you.” Hazel said after a moment of silence. “You’re the head of the aquarium, only lived half of your life and, wait for it,” Hazel held up her index finger for dramatic effect, “out on the market.” She finished and winked with a smile.

     “Your so sweet, Hazel,” Eva laughed and poured a glass of orange juice. She thrust her wrist up to check her watch. “We leave in five minutes, eat your eggs.”  

     “Alright,” Hazel replied. She took a big forkful of tomato, green peppers, and bacon with eggs. She smiled at the swirl of sweet and salty flavors and she took a swig of orange juice. “So, what am I doing today?”

     “I’ll be showing you around first, and then I’m thinking about teaching you about some animal care.”

     “Okay, that sounds cool,” she answered and took the last bite of her breakfast. She thought about learning how to clean a dolphin’s mouth or how to treat a penguin flipper injury. Can you even clean a jellyfish?

     “Are you ready to leave?” Eva asked, washing the dishes.

     Hazel snapped out of her thoughts, “Oh, yeah I’m ready.” She put the dishes in the sink and got her bag.

     “We’ll wash when we get back,” Eva said as she turned off the faucet and dried her hands on the decorative white towel hanging from the dishwasher.

     They headed out the door, both patting Moose’s head on the way. They heard a muffled ‘woof’ as they shut the door behind them. The morning birds were chattering around the trees again while the sun shined brightly through the healthy green leaves.

     “Oh, by the way, you have another appointment with Dr. Vulger today. You can head over there before lunch. I’m sorry I can’t go, I have a meeting around that time.” Eva said after walking a few blocks.

     “Its okay Eva, I can go by myself. I’m a big girl now,” Hazel joked and smiled at her.

     Eva laughed, “Alright, good.” They turned another corner and the aquarium came into clear view on their right hand side. There was always a slight salty breeze around the area since they were so close to the ocean. Hazel’s long brown hair slightly ruffled in the wind as they crossed the sleepy street. There was a cool blast of air conditioning as they entered the blue building. Hazel inhaled the smell of water and they walked up the stairs to Eva’s office.

     “Give me one second…” Eva trailed off and turned the light on with a flick of the white switch by the doorway. Immediately, the light swam in, chasing away the darkness. She shuffled the papers around her desk. “I just have to find the attendance sheet to see who’s shift it is today.”

     Hazel nodded and walked over to the large window that overlooked a part of the aquarium. People were just setting up their areas, getting ready for another long day ahead of them. There was a bunch of shuffling noises when a group of performers dragged their equipment across the clean floor.

     “Okay, lets go downstairs. I need to show you around.” Eva said and grabbed her master keys off the table. They closed the door behind them and went down the stairs. They turned left once, getting to the first level and walked on.

     “Obviously, there are signs everywhere that tell you where is where, but as an employee here, you need to know this place like its written on the back of your hand.” She pointed at the glowing directory and street arrows that pointed in different directions. Hazel nodded and began reading the signs.

     “Let’s start at the bottom floor first. We’re on the first floor right now, there’s another floor above us, and then one more floor below us.” They took the stairs down a flight. Hazel just listened as Eva lectured to her.

     “The bottom floor contains the seahorses, flamingoes, jellyfish, most of the small, tropical fish, eels, and crabs.” Eva pointed to the divided sections of the animals. “The jellyfish and the seahorses have the biggest exhibits down here.”

     “Okay, I have a question,” Hazel piped in all of a sudden.

     “Yes?” Eva raised an eyebrow.

     “Why are all the jellyfish’s tanks different from other tanks? Aren’t they all round instead of squares?” She wondered.

     “What kind of a question is that? We weren’t even talking about the different kinds of aquarium tanks,” Eva laughed at her random question. “But, if you must know, its because jellyfish are very different from other types of everyday fish. Jellyfish usually need a water filter that has a gentle wave to it since that’s their main way of transportation. They have never encountered an artificial environment before either, and in a regular four-edged tank, there is a possibility that they get stuck in the corners.”

     “Oh, I see,” Hazel said, looking at the distant, glowing circle in the wall.

     “Now, lets go upstairs.” Eva announced and started to march up the light blue steps. Hazel followed behind. “This is the first, main floor.”

The aquarium hadn’t opened yet, and people were still walking around to get ready. A few people were already waiting outside to buy tickets.

“Now, the main floor is our biggest floor out of the three. We have the information desk to the center from the entrance,” She pointed at the large desk with a humongous blue whale sculpture above it. “To the left hand side, is your ticket sales area, and to your right, is the gift shop. There are bathrooms around the corner behind the gift shop and the cafeteria is beyond those glass doors.” She pointed behind the information desk to a set of clear, transparent doors. “The main floor is the usually made the most exciting since its our first impression. This floor contains­""“

“Wait, wait, wait.” Hazel interrupted and looked around. “I think I might know some of this.” She cleared her throat, “The main floor contains many different types of specimen, including sea lions, walruses, sea turtles, manatees, stingrays, sharks, and many types of other fish,” she said with a broadcasting voice.

Eva smiled, “Look at you,” she put her hands on her hips, “Looks like you know your stuff.”

“I only remember it because I spent most of my time on this floor.” Hazel laughed. Eva nodded with a smile in response and took her around the area.

“As you can see, this area has extremely large glass…” Eva was abruptly interrupted by a young, black haired employee.

“Eva! There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I think one of the penguins is sick, can you come take a look?” She had a desperate sound in her voice. Eva looked at Hazel and nodded at the black haired girl, who was fidgeting around with impatience. “Alright Scarlett, just give me a minute.” Eva looked around the hallways and spotted another employee walking by idly.

“Lucas!” Eva shouted across the main lobby. Her commanding voice echoed throughout the whole three floors and shook Hazel’s eardrums because of her close proximity. The blonde boy jumped and looked up, startled. She made the motion to come here, and he jogged over quickly.

“Lucas, I want you to meet Hazel.” Hazel looked up at him and smiled slightly with a wave. He caught her eye responded with a “hey.”

     “She will be working here, or training first, and then working here.” Eva corrected herself with a pat on Hazel’s shoulder. “I was showing her around, but now I have to go do something, can you do me a favor and show her the rest of the main floor and the upstairs?”

     Lucas nodded, “Sure, I can do that,” he smiled; flashing his straight, white teeth.

     “Alright,” she turned to face Hazel, “I will see you in a little bit,” she said and went away with the Scarlett.

     “So, Hazel, right?” Lucas said, reaching out to shake her hand. Hazel nodded and took it, feeling the warmth from his palm.

     “Are you new around here?” He asked her as they started walking around the area. They headed to the sea turtle section. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

     Hazel thought about how to respond. “Well maybe, I guess, sort of yeah…” She trailed off and was confused, herself.

     Lucas raised an eyebrow, “Interesting response, its usually a yes or a no, but I guess that works too.” He laughed. “By the way, Lucas is what my mom calls me. I go by Luke instead,” he said with a smile.

     “Luke, okay. Well, I guess I moved here a month ago, does that count as new?” She replied and looked up at him with her hazel eyes.

     “Yeah, your definitely new,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “People in this town grow up and pass away here. They spend their whole lives here sometimes, never leaving it. Only living here for a month is considered to be relatively new.” He explained.

     “Oh, I see. Okay, well then,” she cleared her throat. “Hi, my name is Hazel Dieu, I am eighteen years old, and I am new here.” She said with a smirk.

     “Alright eighteen-year-old-new-Hazel, I am Luke Roye, nineteen years old and a pretty normal local around here,” he laughed back in response.

     “Its nice to meet you,” Hazel replied. She turned away with a small smile on her face. She saw her reflection on the glass window of the aquarium display.

     “Same to you.” He slightly paused. “This area, obviously, is the sea turtle display, and right across from it, are the stingrays.” He pointed to the large clear glass that had a magnificent winged swimmer, slowly flapping around in the water.

     “They’re beautiful.” Hazel couldn’t hold it in and suddenly whispered it aloud. She slowly walked over and put her hand on the glass. She flinched them off suddenly as she remembered that she was leaving rude fingerprints on the glass. Luke made his way over and stood besides her.

     “So…what brought you here to Haven Shore? You have the same last name as Eva,” Luke trailed off into his thoughts and they both stood there, staring at the graceful stingrays.

     All of a sudden, Hazel felt self-conscious and didn’t know how to respond. She never thought she’d be in this situation where someone asked where she was from and what she was doing here. 

     “Um…I…” Hazel started. “My memory isn’t that good, but I moved in with Eva about a month ago from elsewhere, and I’ve been liking it here. She’s a distant relative of mine, and now that I’m eighteen, I can do whatever I want, so I came here.” She said, not looking at him, but instead, at the stingrays that were swimming lazily.

     “Oh I see, rough past huh?” He asked back.

     “You could say that,” she said carefully, still not looking at him. She started playing with her fingers and fidgeting around. “Anyways, aren’t you going to show me the rest of the aquarium?” She changed the subject.

     “Oh yes, lets go upstairs now.” He turned around and Hazel let out a silent breath of relief since he didn’t press any further on the subject. She followed him up the winding, blue stairs to the top platform.

     Although Hazel had been at Haven Shore for a month, she hadn’t socialized much with other people. She’s met others briefly, but they never questioned her about her past. Most people just assumed that she was just somehow related to Eva, and let it pass on with a warm welcome. The only person she has ever told was Connie, and that was voluntary.

     “On the second floor, we have the interacting part of the aquarium. Things like the petting place, dolphin shows, penguin exhibit and show and kids activities are all on this floor.” Luke informed Hazel as they walked through the area. The people at the petting area were setting up and doing some last minute cleaning before the day started. Soon enough, they would be teaching people about starfish, sea anemones, and stingrays. 

     “How long have you been working here?” Hazel asked, suddenly curious.

      “I’ve been here since I was about sixteen, so nearly three years now. I started out as a volenteer, but when I turned eighteen, I got offered a real job.” he estimated as he squinted his eyes. Hazel nodded and listened. “I actually wanted to work as a lifeguard before,” Luke said and laughed as he reminisced.

     “Oh really? Why did you change your mind?” Hazel asked. They were taking a break and sitting on a bench now.

     “Well, I did about two weeks of training, and to tell you the truth, it wasn’t very fun, at least not for me. Some people love it, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I think I’m more of an animal person than a saving people kind of person.” He paused on his story to catch his breath and then continued. “So when I found out there were job offers at the aquarium, I signed up right away and started a few weeks later.” Luke’s light blue eyes lit up as he spoke.

     “I get it, yeah, I’m more of an animal person too.” Hazel replied.

     “Really? That means we have something in common then,” Luke looked at her and smiled. Hazel’s heart flickered and she smiled back.

     “Surprising enough, yes,” she grinned.

     “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, crossing his arms.

     Hazel only laughed and got up off the bench. She walked over to the doors that led to the balcony area where the dolphins performed. Luke rushed over and opened the door for her.

     “Why thank you Luke, so kind of you,” Hazel said sarcastically. They both stepped outside and the wind was blowing a little harder. Hazel’s hair was blowing in every direction and she tied it up to tame it.

     “Your welcome,” he replied and he leaned against the railing.

     “I don’t think I ever asked you,” Hazel said all of a sudden. “What do you do here?”

     Luke laughed out loud and looked down. “I’m an aquarist assistant. I work on the main floor with the sharks.”

     Hazel’s eyes grew wide at the thought. “Really?” She was surprised and wanted to know more.

     “Yeah, I help out my supervisor, Jonas. I feed the sharks, clean their tanks, make sure they don’t get stuck anywhere, and check their health. I need to make sure the water circulation is right and that the water quality is normal. There’s also a bunch of other small things, but I won’t bore you.” 

     “Wow, I am surprised,” Hazel replied, pronouncing every syllable.

     “And why is that?” Luke asked.

     “You look more like…” She squinted at him and saw the details on his face. His few light brown freckles on his nose stuck out in the light. “You look more like a dolphin guy,” she concluded with a nod

     “Dolphins? Really? What is this, the new cat or dog question?” He laughed and scratched the back of his head.

     “No, no, its nothing bad, I was just observing,” Hazel said, feeling bad now. “I think I’m more of a shark person too.”

     “That’s more like it,” he replied excitedly. “Although, you don’t look it…” He trailed off and now was observing her the same way she was observing him.

     “What? What kind of person do I look like then?” She posed and waited for him to respond. The wind blew her hair in her face, and she made a face when she brushed it aside.

     He smiled and looked away. “A seal person or something.”

     “Hmm…I think I can live with that, I like seals. At least I’m not a dolphin,” she smirked at him. He smiled back and shook his head.

     “Are you like this to everyone?” He asked with his hands in his pockets.

     “Like what? Sweet, nice, and adorable?” She grinned.

     “Like a pain in the"“ He started returning her grin when the balcony door opened. They both turned around to see Eva.

     “Ah, I finally found you guys,” Eva said,

     Hazel stood upright, “What happened? Is the penguin okay?” She asked, sounding worried.

     “Yeah, no problem really. Just a little case of malnutrition, that’s all. We gave her some fresh food and vitamins, she should be fine.”

     “That’s good then…” Hazel leaned back on the railing again as she got a satisfying answer.

     “So, has Lucas been showing you around?” She asked.

     Hazel nodded and looked up at him. “Yes, of course I have, what kind of a person do you think I am?” Luke joked. Eva smiled in response. Hazel made a slight motion of a dolphin swimming and Luke nudged her in the arm.

     Eva raised an eyebrow in interest but ignored it. “Great job, are you ready to learn about some animal care?” She asked, crossing her arms and looking at Hazel.

     She nodded in response, eager to get started. Luke, who was standing besides her, muffled his laughter with his hand. Hazel followed Eva towards the door when Eva said, “Why don’t you come along with us Luke? I don’t see you doing anything productive.” Without saying anything, he nodded and followed behind Hazel.

     Inside, people were coming in through the main entrance and children were beginning to explore the area. There was a scattered crowd of voices as employees directed visitors to certain areas of the aquarium. The three headed towards the penguin area and went through a back door that read “employees only,” around the corner.

     There were cages around the entranceway, making a very cramped alleyway. Hazel could feel Luke right behind her and she looked forward, keeping her concentration on not knocking over everything and embarrassing herself. Once they past the doorway, there was open space for each of them to move around and shuffle on into their own personal bubbles.

     “You’ll have to excuse the mess at the door,” Eva said with a wave of her hand. “Ben was supposed to clean that up a week ago.”

     Hazel followed Eva to the large rectangular table with papers stacked on it. She could see the penguins move about through the door window to her left. A wave of excitement trickled through her body and she shivered with anticipation.

     “Eva! How did you know I wanted to work with penguins?” Hazel asked, her eyes sparkling. She thought about her rescuing the sick penguin.

     Eva just smiled and gave a sigh of laughter. “Oh, call it intuition.” She excused herself into another room to grab something for Hazel.

     “Don’t you need to be at your station or something?” Hazel asked curiously. She looked at him with a sideways glance.

     He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “The sharks can wait a bit. I think Eva wants me to hang around here for a while.” He shrugged and pulled up a stool to sit on. The chair made a scraping sound against the ground.

     The door opened again and Eva came back out with a bucket. Hazel jumped over to her with energy and a smile on her face.

     “What’s this? Some kind of medicine?” She peered inside the bucket and a confused expression appeared on her face.

     “Very good Hazel, you’re learning already. This here,” she motioned inside the wet bucket, “are anchovies, also known as food.” Hazel just stood there, still confused.

     “Here, go feed the penguins.” Eva said in the most caring voice she could muster up. Luke was grinning widely on his stool, his arms crossed, observing the scene.

     “But I thought you were teaching me animal care,” Hazel said and looked into the smelly bucket of fish.

     “I am, lesson one of animal care: nutrition.” She handed the bucket over to her with a smile. “After you finish this, I’ll teach you about jellyfish nutrition, stingray nutrition, seahorse nutrition… you’ll catch on. Have fun!” She then turned around and left the room with the closing of the entrance door.

     Hazel stood in the middle of the room, still holding the bucket with a frown on her face. “That’s not fair…”

     Luke got off his stool and stood next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He followed her gaze and peered into the bucket, “Life isn’t fair, sweetie. Welcome to the crew,” he patted her back with a triumphant smile and left the room with a thump of the door.

***

 

            A few hours and fish-filled buckets later, Hazel sighed a breath of exhaustion and sat down on the bench in the employee’s lounge. She opened a bottle of water and took a swig, only to spit it out. “Everything tastes like salt!” She exclaimed and set the bottle on the table.

     “Its all in your head Hazel.” Luke was sitting on the table, a few feet away from her. He opened a can of sprite with a crack and sizzle and took a few gulps. “The sprite isn’t salty,” he noted with a smile.

     “We’ll you’ve been doing this for three years!” Hazel reminded him, crossing her arms with a pout on her face.

     He cocked his head to the left. “Two and a half actually, not quite three yet.” He raised his finger to remind her.

     Hazel just ignored him. “What was it like on your first day?” She asked him.

     He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again. He thought better and started again, “I don’t know if I should tell you that,” he thought aloud.

     She turned her head towards him. “No, tell me. You have to tell me now that you’ve said that,” she insisted. She pulled her chair closer, as if it were story time.

     Luke smiled, “Alright fine.” He shifted sitting positions on the table and leaned in. “On my first day, I was given the same assignment. Feed the animals. Simple right?”

     “Easier said than done,” she muttered, stifling a yawn with her inner arm.

     “Exactly, well, I had to feed the flamingoes, and to be honest, I’m not exactly a bird person.”

     “Yeah, you don’t look like one,” she agreed with him, rubbing her chin, as if she were putting deep thought into it.

     He smirked and continued. “Well, there I was, with a bucket of shrimp, not really sure what I was doing. The worst thing was that it was a business day, meaning everyone was watching.” He shook his head. “Today, you got lucky, the aquarium just opened when you started your job. It was the middle of the day when it was my turn.”

     “Oh no, what did you do?” Hazel asked, already sensing her friend’s downfall. Her hands were holding up her head and she was leaning in, waiting for his answer, as if she wanted the story to be embarrassing.

     “Are you waiting to laugh at my story?” He asked with a strange expression.

     Hazel sat back up with a surprised expression. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She held her hand up to her heart and pouted. “Oh, no, what did you do?” Her voice was filled with sarcastic pity.

     “Everything was going fine until one specific flamingo started pecking at my leg. I jerked away and then lost my balance since it was extremely muddy and slippery. I slipped and fell face first into the mud.”

     Hazel looked at him with amazed wide eyes then suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. She covered her mouth with her hands, but she still couldn’t stop. He nodded with a knowing smile and waited for her to stop. He rested his head in his hands in embarrassment.

     Finally, she wiped her eyes and listened on. “The shrimp went everywhere, my face was in bird poop and mud, and the flamingoes were fluttering everywhere over the chaos.” He shuffled his hands together. “And yeah, that was my first day on the job.”

     “Luke, thanks, I feel a lot better now.” Hazel laughed again, bending forwards in her chair.

     “Hey, I did not tell you that story to make you feel better,” Luke pretended to be offended. “I was deeply traumatized by that experience.” He dramatically put a hand over his heart.

     “I’m just messing with you, I’m sorry that happened,” Hazel still had trouble keeping in her laughter. “No, but seriously, I’m sorry.” She finally calmed down and put a hand on his leg and gave it a pat.

     He laughed a little and replied, “It’s okay. At first, it was embarrassing to even think about, but after a while, I laughed at it.”

     “That’s good. It’s good to move on, isn’t it?” She had a sad look in her eyes, but only barely. Luke was going to comment, when the lounge door opened.

     “Hey, Hazel. Luke,” Eva nodded at them both. “Hazel, I need to remind you about your appointment,” she looked at her watch that read 11:30am.

     “Oh right,” Hazel got up off her chair and looked around for her bag. She had already changed back into the pair of jean shorts and tank top she had brought. She found it under a chair and made her way towards the door.

     “Luke, sorry, I got to go,” she said, looking at her own watch. Eva had left to go to her meeting already.

     “It’s cool. When will you be back?” he asked, standing up.

     “I’ll be training on Mondays and Wednesdays,” she replied, her hand was resting on her bag. “What about you?”

     He nodded, “I work here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.”

     “Okay, we’ll be seeing each other a lot then. Even if I’m not working, I’ll be here visiting,” she smiled at him. “I’ll catch you later though, okay?”

     “Yeah, see you. I have to get back to work anyways,” he waved and she opened the door to go outside. She walked out the front entrance and into the sunlight. Some people were skateboarding down the block and others were walking their dogs, big or small.

     The beach was filled with people, some playing beach volleyball and others were running towards the water, with their surfboards tucked under their arms. In the sky, there was a pair of parachuters, gliding gracefully across the cloudless sky. Hazel slightly smiled at the freedom she saw in front of her.     

The sound of wheels against concrete filled her ears and she turned around to see two young boys, riding their silver scooters in her direction.

     “Hurry up Dylan!” The older and taller boy shouted at the one behind him, struggling to keep up. They both had jet-black hair that turned bluish in the sunlight.

     “That’s not fair Tommy!” The younger boy shouted. The top of his head barely reached over his scooter handles. His lips were pink from the heat and his cheeks were a shade darker. Dylan slowed to a stop when he reached Hazel.

     “Hi Hazel,” Dylan said. He waved and had to look up to see her face. Hazel looked down and smiled.

     “Hey Tommy, what are you two up to?” She asked and waved at Dylan, who came panting up to them.

     “Tommy won’t wait for me!” Dylan whined and crossed his arms. His tiny lips formed a pout.

     Hazel bent down to look at the sad little boy. “Do you know why he won’t wait for you?” She asked.

     “Because he’s mean!”

     She let a small chuckle escape her throat and shook her head. “Maybe, but don’t you think he wants you to catch up? He wants to see if you are as good as him,” she told Dylan. The little boy just stood there and listened on, nibbling on his finger.

     “You can be better than him can’t you?” She whispered with a small smile appearing on the corner of her lips.

     He immediately nodded, furiously shaking his head up and down.

     “Well then, you have something to prove,” she said with a pat on his head. She stood up again and turned around to face Tommy.

     “We’re going swimming!” Tommy answered back as soon as Hazel had stood up.

     “That sounds like some fun,” she said excitedly. A strange expression appeared on her face. “But I thought that Dylan didn’t know how to swim,” she remembered once hearing from someone in town; their father maybe.

     “I want to learn!” Dylan shouted and ran up to stand next to his older brother. He stood about half way to him.

     “I’m going to teach him,” the taller boy said and ruffled his little brother’s hair.”

     “That’s sweet Tommy,” Hazel replied. “You guys be careful though okay?”

     They both nodded and waved goodbye as they got back onto their scooters. “Bye Hazel!” Dylan shouted with a turn of his head, and they were off again.

She smiled and began walking down the block and decided to pull out her cell phone. Hazel dialed a few numbers and held the small device up to her ear and waited

     Ring…"ring…"ring…"ri"Hello?” A voice said.

      “Hey! Connie!” Hazel said in a happy voice. “What are you up to?”

     “Hey Hazel, I’m just about to start my morning class,” she replied. There was some shuffling of papers on the other line.

     “Oh okay, sorry I’ll make it quick. I have an appointment right now with Dr. Vulger, but afterwards, do you have time to maybe grab lunch?” She asked, hoping her friend did have some time.

     “Mmmmm…Yeah, I think I can do that,” Connie replied after a long thoughtful hum.

     “Okay great!” Hazel said with a smile that Connie couldn’t see over the phone. “When do you get out?”

     “I think I’m free around 1pm?”

     “Great, I think that’s perfect. Meet me at Breezy Sammie’s around that time!” There was an ‘ok’ on the other line and she hung up. Hazel smiled as she put the phone back into her roomy bag and she walked on.

***

 

     Dr. Vulger’s office was medium sized and had a grey couch and a dark brown desk in the middle of the room. The walls were painted dark red and there were dim, warm, lights hanging from the ceiling. There were a couple of plants sitting in the corners of the room and some posters on the wall. There was a wall length bookshelf behind the desk and was completely filled with different kinds and colored books. Overall, the room had a cozy feeling to it. It almost felt like a living room instead of an actual doctor’s office.

     Hazel was sitting crossed legged on the couch. Her shoes were neatly placed in front of her on the ground. She pulled the sleeves of her beige sweater down to her fingers to keep warm since a chilly breeze blew through the room.

     “And how are you today?” A man asked. He was sitting in a black chair that was pulled up in front of the desk. He was a tall man, even when sitting down, and had dark framed glasses that fit his face well. The man was well into his late forties and early fifties. His dark hair had random strands of graying hairs and his eyes wrinkled when he smiled or laughed.

     “I’m good, Dr. Vulger. Did I tell you? Eva gave me a job, I now work at the Seashore Aquarium starting today,” she said with a big smile on her face.

     Dr. Vulger leaned forwards as he listened to her talk. “That’s great news Hazel. You sound a lot happier this week.” He brushed off a piece of loose cotton on his white coat.

     “Yeah, I feel happier. I feel like my life is getting back on its track.” She replied and looked at him.

     He scribbled some notes onto his notepad and nodded. “That’s good, there’s improvement. Now let me ask you again this time. Have you remembered anything? Even if it’s a weird feeling you get when you walk by someone or something?”  He pushed the glasses up to keep them from falling.

     Hazel bit her lip. “I don’t think so…” she trailed off and thought hard. “I’ve been feeling nothing unusual lately. Everything seems normal I guess.” She replied with a shrug.

     “That’s okay, no problem,” he reassured her in a soothing voice. “How about dreams or any nightmares?” He asked.

     Hazel shook her head, “No, I don’t think I’m having strange dreams lately…” She looked up at the ceiling and searched through her collection of memories. “Wait, actually, I think I have been having dreams.”

     Dr. Vulger raised an eyebrow. “Is it possible to recall those dreams in any way? I know how hard that can be sometimes.” He waited for her response.

     “Well, I don’t remember much, but I think…” She crossed her arms and rubbed her chin in thought. There was a long pause and silence that filled the room.

     “Take your time, no worries,” he said, leaning back in his chair. Hazel nodded and concentrated.

     There was definitely something, if only she could put her finger on it. She could feel her head tingle as her memory was working. There was some kind of problem. The only thing she could remember at this point was the loud alarm ring that woke her up this morning.

     “I think I was in the dream.” She finally said. “I don’t think the dream was about someone else.”

     “Okay, that’s good. We have something to start with. What were you doing?” He started writing on his notepad again. His pen was scratching against the paper, making small scribbling sounds.

     “Well, I think,” Hazel started but cut off short since she really didn’t know. “I don’t think I was doing anything with big motions. I don’t remember anything dramatic movements or action or anything of the kind.” Dr. Vulger nodded and waited for her to continue on her own speed.

     Hazel closed her eyes and concentrated. She blocked out all sounds in the room: the turning ceiling fan, the outside cars driving by, and Dr. Vulger’s short scribbling. She suddenly saw it before her eyes. She was on the ground in her dream since her point of view was looking up towards the sky.

     “I was lying on the ground, looking up at the sky,” she said, her eyes still closed. “And, there are orange things on the ground. I don’t know what they are because I didn’t seem to be able to make them out. But that’s not what I noticed.” She opened her eyes after she saw everything.

     “Do you need a break?” Dr. Vulger asked, scratching his rough chin. Hazel shook her head.

     “I might forget everything if I do.” She replied and continued. “I was lying on the ground, and there were white things falling everywhere. It wasn’t snow, since it was sunny, but it fell like snow did. I think they were feathers,” she paused briefly. “No, it was definitely feathers.”

     “I see,” he nodded in response. “Is that all that happened?” He looked up from his notes. “Don’t get me wrong, you are doing wonderfully,” he encouraged.

     “I think there’s more,” she replied. “This is going to sound crazy though,” she looked at him guiltily as if she didn’t want to continue.

     “Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most craziest,” Dr. Vulger quoted. He smiled and waited for her to go on.

     “Well, if I remember correctly, in the dream, I tried grabbing one of the feathers, but my arm wasn’t moving. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it. Then all of a sudden, the feathers started falling heavier and heavier. They started to feel heavier too. I had trouble breathing after that and it felt like I was being suffocated.” She looked out the window. “Then after that, I woke up.” She looked back into the room and sighed.

     “How long have you been having these dreams? Is it repetitive?” He asked.

     “I think it’s the same dream over and over again, but I think it just recently started.” She replied.

     “What do you think it means?” He asked her and set the pen and paper down on his desk.

     “I’m not sure. Does it have to have a meaning? Couldn’t it have just been a random weird dream?” She asked, standing up to walk around the room.

     “Of course, but some people believe that there are meanings in everything, even though it might not be apparent.” He replied and remained in his chair.

     Hazel went to the bookshelf and browsed around as she thought about his response. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t think I see a meaning though. I’m not stressed or anything.” She picked out a blue book and skimmed through the pages.

     “Do you think it could mean that you aren’t under stress but under pressure? Pressure to remember who you were and where you came from?” Dr. Vulger brought up the point and pulled out two apples from his desk. He offered one to Hazel, but she kindly declined. He put one of them back into his desk drawers and bit into his green apple with a crisp crunch.

     Hazel looked up from her book and nodded in agreement. “Yeah that would make sense. So it tells us that even though I’ve tried moving on with life, deep down inside, I’m still troubled by my unknown past?” She suggested.

     “Yes, precisely so. It’s perfectly normal to do that though. What person is comfortable with not knowing their past? One of mankind’s weaknesses is curiosity.” Dr. Vulger said. “Instead of trying to repress your past, let it come to you gradually, when it’s ready,” he suggested after swallowing a mouthful of apple.

     Hazel put the book back onto the shelf and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try,” she said.

     He threw his apple core into the trashcan under his desk and wiped his hands on a napkin. “I think that will be all for today,” he said.

     “Okay, sounds good,” Hazel replied and went back to the couch. She slipped her shoes back on and got her bag.

     “You did really well today, Hazel, and I want you to know that you are not alone,” he said with a smile. “If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know.” He said with a pat on her shoulder. Hazel nodded and thanked him. “I will be giving Eva a call later to tell her about our progress.”

     “Okay, see you next time, Dr. V,” Hazel replied.

     “One more thing,” Dr. Vulger said as she turned away towards the door. She turned around to listen. “Do you think this was a dream?” he paused and then continued, “or a memory?” There was a silence in the room as the question sank in. “It’s just something to think about,” he said.

     Hazel nodded and waved goodbye. She closed the door behind her as she exited. She took the elevator down to the first floor since she was on the third. She pressed the ‘1’ button and thought about what the doctor had said. Was it a dream or a memory? She repeated to herself. She wasn’t sure. Could it have been both? The elevator doors opened and she stepped out onto the main floor. The time read 12:50pm and she started walking towards the restaurant.

     Something buzzed repetitively in her bag, and she reached in to grab her phone. The caller ID read “Connie.” She flipped her phone over and answered.

     “Hello?”

     “Hey, Hazel, I just got here and grabbed a table for us. Where are you?” Connie’s sweet voice filled Hazel’s ears.

     “Thanks so much, sorry, I’m on my way over right now,” she replied and quickened her pace at the thought of her friend sitting there waiting for her.

     “No rush, take you time. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here,” Connie said.

     “Okay, I’ll be there in about five minutes.” She hung up with a quick bye. As she walked down the block, Hazel wondered if she should mention Luke to Connie. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell her, but sometimes, Connie would be more excited than Hazel when it came to the topic of boys. Something in her just didn’t want to go through the process of filling her in, but then again, who else would she talk to?

     The last thing on her mind was finding a boyfriend. It was just too much work, and she would rather be working or reading. Hazel didn’t exactly know how she felt about Luke. They were just getting to know each other and that friendship is what excited her, although his cute features might have been involved as well. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be more than friends. After all, she only just met him today. Hazel shrugged the subject off her shoulders and closed her mind to focus on walking.

     Her footsteps were the only thing she was listening to and noticed that she dragged her feet when she felt tired. She immediately picked up her feet and walked on properly. Hazel took her time and looked around occasionally, admiring the little town she one day woke up in. The sound of her footsteps hiccupped. Instead of her calm, shuffling she was listening to for the last five minutes, there was a harder, more heavier set of footsteps behind her. She turned around slightly and immediately regretted it.

     “Hey,” a voice called out over the heavier steps. Hazel furrowed her eyebrows and continued walking, pretending she didn’t hear the obvious, and only voice around the area.

     “Hey, Hazel,” the voice was desperate for attention. She finally stopped and turned around.

     “Do I know you,” she pretended to be confused, but it was obvious she knew who he was through the annoyance in her tone.

     “Yeah, oh no. We’ve met before though, sorta…” A tall, blonde boy stuttered behind her and walked closer. “Remember? You swam out on me the other day?”

     Hazel pretended to suddenly remember him and said, “Oh yeah. Dave right?” Her memory flashed a brief recognition of a white motorboat with a nosy lifeguard on it.

     “Yeah, that’s right,” he said. He was wearing a red tank top with black board shorts underneath. His tan rivaled many of the Hollywood stars. “So, you do know me.” He smiled, showing off his complete set of bleached white teeth.

     “No Dave, I don’t know you, and sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have somewhere to be right now.” She was about to turn around and continue walking, but his voice stopped her again.

     “Wait a minute,” he called out. “I didn’t get the chance to apologize,” he said. A confused expression grew onto Hazel’s olive-toned face.

     “I shouldn’t have babied you and Connie like that, I just, wanted to get a chance to talk to you, that’s all.” He swept a hand through his golden hair, showing off his bicep muscles. Hazel suddenly questioned herself how she ever got herself into these kinds of situations. What am I ever going to do about you, Hazel?

     “Okay, thanks.” She swiftly estimated the time in her head and concluded that it was five past one. “I’ll watch out next time I swim, okay?” She asked and turned around to start walking again.

Dave ran in front of Hazel in a few leaps, stopping her yet again in her tracks.

     “Wait, I’m not done. I really do mean I’m sorry,” he said with his hands clasped together. “Let me take you out to dinner or something.”

     Why? Why? WHY? The one worded question pounded Hazel on the forehead, as she stood there, dumbstruck. “Uh, listen…Dave. I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” she started, unsure where this was going. “But how about asking someone else instead? I’m sure that girl over there,” she pointed in a random direction towards the beach to no particular girl at all, “Would love to go out to dinner with you.”

     “But she’s not you,” he said, as if he were confessing his love to her on one knee.

     “Look, I really don’t think we should. I’m running late" oh grandmother of Jesus, look at the time! Got to run, thanks for the offer though!” Hazel suddenly sprang into action and started running down the block, leaving behind and extremely confused Dave. She didn’t look back once, since she just might have died of embarrassment if she ever caught him staring after her.

     After turning the street corner on her right, she relaxed and stopped to a walk. She stopped fully in tracks for a couple of seconds to catch her breath again. The thought of time made her feel bad since Connie was still waiting at Breezy Sammie’s for her. She picked up her speed and in a few minutes, the restaurant came into view. She saw Connie sitting at an outside table, reading a magazine and sipping on some iced tea.

     “Connie, I am so sorry,” Hazel started as soon as she sat down in her chair. Connie jumped up with a start from Hazel’s abrupt arrival.

     “Oh god Hazel, you scared me half to death!” Connie held a hand to her heart as she tried calming down and catching her breath. It was a wonder how Connie didn’t spill her drink all over the table.

     “Sorry, sorry!” Hazel repeated. Her messy, high bun was falling apart and she was fanning herself with one of her hands.

     “What took you so long anyways?” Her friend asked, fixing her sunglasses on the top of head.

     “Long story,” she replied and set her bag down. She quickly browsed the menu and decided to get the chicken-avocado sandwich.

     “Dr.Vulger?” Connie slightly tilted her head to the left in wonder.

     Hazel laughed. “No, something else.” She debated on actually telling her the whole story. “Dave asked me out.”

     As Hazel said this, Connie nearly choked on her drink and she coughed and set her cup on the table. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Who did what now?”

     “You heard me,” Hazel laughed and took a drink of her ice water. They ordered when a nearby waiter came by to check on the commotion.

     “Tell me what happened,” Connie was sitting on the edge of her seat.

     Hazel shook her head with a small smile. “I was walking over here and he came up from behind me.” She started and rubbed her forehead. “He actually apologized for the other day. He said he just wanted to talk to me and then asked me out to dinner.”

     “Oh my, what did you say?” Connie laughed and listened intently.

     “What could I say? How do you politely decline someone asking you out?” Hazel sighed with a slight roll of her eyes. “I told him that I didn’t think it was a good idea. A few minutes later, I found myself running down the block to the restaurant.” She shrugged.

     Connie’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “You. Ran. Away?” She was in between being on the verge of laughter or giving Hazel a very stern speech.

     “More like, excused myself in a hurry?” She tried justifying her chat-and-dash.  

     “Hazel Dieu!” Connie was now bursting out in laughter. Tears started forming in her eyes and she didn’t bother to wipe them away since they would just come back.

     A short waitress came by with two baskets filled with sandwiches and sides of fries. Connie tried controlling her laughter and took a couple of deep breaths. “Thanks,” she murmured to the waitress who nodded in response.

     “You are too funny Hazel,” Connie said, finally calming down.      “Yes, I know, I’m hilarious.” Hazel took a bite of her sandwich and smiled at the cool flavoring. She sipped her water and sat back in satisfaction.

     “You know,” Connie said after swallowing a bite of her salami sandwich. “You should’ve said yes. To Dave I mean.” She said. “You would’ve gotten a free dinner,” she said in a singsong voice.

     “I’d rather pay a hundred bucks for a five dollar meal than get a free dinner with him.” Hazel said with a smirk.

     “Alright, I get it,” her friend replied. She brushed her hands together to clean the breadcrumbs off her hands. “You just love destroying his pride. You are one tough girl, you know that?” She grinned widely and leaned back in her chair.

     “I know.” Hazel replied, returning Connie’s grin. “It’s one of my best qualities.”