Walkin' In The Surf [OPEN]

[elizabeth rose hamilton]

Elizabeth woke up early, turning over in her bed to look at her alarm clock she saw that it was hardly six o' clock. Not to mention the fact that it was a Saturday. Normal people didn't wake up this early, though Ellie never really was the normal type. Slinging her blankets off of her, she stretched and got out of bed. It was never really a bad weather day in North Carolina, so she figured it would be an amazing opportunity to go the beach for the first time in her life. She didn't quite know what to expect, but she assumed it would be a lot like it was in movies she'd seen. Putting on her bright yellow bathing suit, pulling on a pair of ripped up jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt, she was out the door in a flash, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she walked barefoot down her dorm hallway.

The university was virtually uninhabited, unsurprisingly. Ellie made her way across the lawns and towards the road where she walked happily along the sidewalk, a bounce in her step. For it being six in the morning, she was extremely happy. A feeling in her gut told her that today would be a good day. The sun had already began to rise, and it shone directly in her eyes- she swore for not bringing any sunglasses, but she didn't mind. The sun was in no position to ruin her day, because the sun made her feel happy. At least the sun had risen and she'd lived to see another day. Then again, she hadn't thought the same way a few years ago, and she wouldn't have lived to see this happy day if she had continued thinking that way. Subconsciously, Ellie reached down and tugged the sleeves of her hoodie over her two scarred wrists.

The beach was coming into view, and Ellie picked up her pace, excited to see it in real life instead of being portrayed on a movie screen. She could hear the waves crashing against the sandy shores, and it made her smile with anticipation.

Reaching the beach at last, Elizabeth couldn't contain her excitement. She rushed into the waves, getting the bottom of her jeans were completely soaked. A new sensation surrounded her feet- sand. The feeling of sand wasn't what she had expected; it was better. A smile the size of the panama canal spread across her face while the sun continued to come up and Ellie played in the rolling ocean waves. "This is so amazing!" she shouted, knowing no one was nearby to hear her, and not caring how loud she was being. The early bird gets the worm, and Ellie was getting the best experience she'd ever had in her life. The ocean smelled of fish and salt, but it was a wonderful aroma. "I wish there was an ocean in my dorm..."

[/color] she said, thoughtfully to herself. Knowing it was impossible, of course, but she still daydreamed happily about being in the ocean 24/7 while she waded a few inches into the sloshing waves at her feet.

Words; 524 !

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[derker kipp harriston-tramen]

The sun shone through Derker's thin curtain, and he sat up the moment he woke up. He looked around for a moment, searching for his alarm clock. I need to stop moving that damn thing! he thought to himself, glancing around frantically. Finally, he found it in the corner of the room sitting on the ground next to the door. 6:02... A little earlier than usual. Derker was used to waking up early- he hated sleeping in. The mornings were peaceful and undisturbed; everything was picturesque. Mornings were his favorite, though he usually got up about an hour later than he woke up today.

Derker got up with a shrug and stood up with a stretch. After making sure the alarm wouldn't go off and wake up the people in the surrounding dorms after he was gone, Derker sat on the edge of his bed for a moment and looked out the window, trying to decide where he wanted to head this morning. Finally, Derker decided that he was in the mood for the sound of crashing waves and an empty beach. The idea of soft sand between his toes prompted him to stand up, change into his swim shorts, and jog to the beach.

He had almost reached the beach before he stopped jogging, slightly out of breath but not badly enough to hinder him from moving. He arrived at the beach with a content, soft grin on his face. The newly risen sun danced in a reflection upon the water, and the sound of the waves falling softly upon the sandy shore was almost completely undisturbed. Derker shoved his hands in his pockets and walked slowly down the beach along the water's edge. After about five minutes, he noticed that he wasn't the only one who had woken up early today.

An oddly familiar looking girl stood in the water, talking to herself and quite obviously enjoying the water. Derker could only see the back of the figure, and he stood for quite a long while studying it. For some reason, the moment that he saw thisgirl a relieved calm fell over him, as though he recognized her from a plesant dream. He waded slightly farther into the water until he could see a small part of the girls face. For a moment, he stopped and searched his memories. Then he smiled a wide, bright smile.

"Miss Elizabeth Rose Hamilton!" he said with surprise. He was only about ten feet from her and he was sure that she could hear him. He waded closer to her and stood, now only about three feet from her. "I don't know if you remember me.." he began with a crooked smile. "I most definitely wouldn't blame you. I had been a good six years." he chuckled and looked into her eyes. Of all people from his past, she was the last person that he expected to see again. He almost blushed, not sure if he should introduce himself or not. But he supressed his color in his cheeks. "What on earth are you doing in North Carolina, Miss Hamilton?"

Word Count 518[/size]

[elizabeth rose hamilton]

Ellie sloshed around in the surf, kicking her feet up and sending sprays of water onto the sandy shore. Her feet sank into the wet sand beneath her feet as she walked, and her feet were surrounded with water as the waves that had receded finally came back to crash along the beach. Ellie was sure this was the best place on earth. She'd lived in freezing cold with snowy mountains, scorching heat with no trees or rain, but this was paradise. This was the perfect temperature, warm but not hot, and there was the magnificent ocean just a few blocks from where she slept at night. It was wonderful. It was heaven.

Wading deeper into the water with a bright grin on her face, she swished her hands on the surface of the water and sent more water in every direction around her. Her clothes were soaked, but she was happy. Happier than she'd been in quite some time. Elizabeth was enjoying the ocean when she heard a voice from behind her call out her name. She turned suddenly, and jumped a little in the water to avoid getting pushed over by the oncoming waves. Squinting in the rising sun, she saw a familiar figure. One she never thought she would see again, though she could hardly remember his name. She'd never been the best with remembering, and it had been over five years since she'd seen him. Ellie waded back towards the beach, closer to the figure.

A happy smile flashed across her face. She remembered now. "Derker! Derker Harriston!" Ellie squealed. She sloshed out of the waves and skipped over to him, giving him a giant water logged hug. She didn't remember if they'd ever even been close enough of friends to hug. But it was so nice to see a familiar face, she just couldn't help but hug him. She pulled away, and smiled apologetically. Her hoodie was soaked, and now Derker was too. "Oops. I'm sorry." she said sheepishly, laughing lightly.

Ellie wasn't sure why she was so happy to see someone from her past. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Derker had never had a part in making her feel like a worthless piece of shit, like most others had. It was nice to see someone who had actually been nice to her, as there were only a handful who fell into that category. Derker had been a good friend, no matter how little they had ever spoken. Ellie couldn't quite remember if they'd been close friends or not. Her mind had blocked out most of her past, as it wasn't exactly pleasant. To her at least. She subconsciously pulled down her soaking hoodie sleeves over her wrists.

"What am I doing here?" Ellie repeated, smiling at Derker. "I'm getting away from everyone back home, and going to school!" she mused, beaming as another wave crashed upon the shore. The sun had risen significantly since she'd arrived now, and the day was getting warmer. "And, it's nice here. Not too hot, not too cold. With an added bonus of a beach! A real live beach!" she squeaked, her eyes wandering from Derker back to the salty spray of waves. It was amazing how excited she got over a large body of water and some sand. It was almost ridiculous how happy she was over a beach. She turned back to Derker, beaming. "I could ask the same of you, though. What on Earth are you doing in North Carolina? You never struck me as the type to like the beach." she said, hoping to not somehow offend him. Derker had always seemed like a cold weather type of guy. Then again, Ellies judgement about everything was always a bit off.

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Words; 624 !

[derker kipp harriston-tramen]

Derker stood stationary, enjoying the pull of the current; swaying slightly as the waves threatened to take his balance. He watched this girl, the one who he had known at a much younger age, splash around happily. He was shin deep in the water, until the occasional wave disturbed his comfort by rising up to his knee. He would have preferred to wade much deeper into the water, but it would have disturbed the chances of being able to talk to this girl, considering it would have been much deeper for her than it would bee for him. Derker had a tendency of running hot, and the cool water put him back into his comfort zone. It was the perfect temperature- he had decided this shortly after he moved here.

As Ellie came closer to him, Derker's smile broadened. He had run into other people from his past at the college here, such as Xak and Caridee, but he had never expected, of all people, to see Ellie. Derker could tell that she was still trying to understand who he was, but it was to be expected. After half a decade, it made sense that some names and faces would be forgotten. And Ellie and Derker hadn't ever been best friends. Still, Derker remembered her very well. He remembered that he had felt differently around her than he had around all of the other girls. She had been different than all of the other girls, and he had always been left with an air of impressed curiosity after talking to her. He continued to smile as he took a few steps forward to meet her.

He was relieved when Ellie recognized him. He was surprised and stumbled back slightly at the force of Ellie's hug, but after the immediate shock, he hugged her back tightly. When he stopped hugging her and took a step back, he was soaking wet, but at her apology, he simply laughed. He was only wearing swim shorts, and he had neglected to bring a shirt all together, so it was only his skin that was wet. Though he hadn't gone incredibly deep into the water, his front was now slightly wet. He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Water's never hurt me before." he laughed.

It had been five years since Derker had last seen Ellie. For the most part, Derker had left the United States and hoped to never look back. He had made an incredible amount of mistakes and had hoped to completely forget his past. But Ellie and Derker, while they were friends, had never been close enough to hurt each other. And Derker had always viewed her as different- more "innocent" than the others. And when he left, she was the one that he had missed. The others had hurt him, and he had hurt them. But his relationship with Ellie was perhaps the only one from his teenage years that should have survived.

Derker laughed. "As opposed to a fake, dead beach?" he said with an amused smile. But he understood. He loved the beach- it made a satisfactory location beautiful. But Ellie was right. He wasn't normally a beach person- at least, not this kind of beach. He preferred the rocky beaches of Alaska- freezing yet still gorgeous. "I'll admit that this wasn't my first choice of locations..." he said with a small laugh. "I'm here for college, though I suppose for the same reason as you. To get away from everyone back home." Goodness, he missed Canada. He hadn't wanted to get away from the people there, he needed to. He missed the vast population of bi lingual people, and the sophistication of his friends. Most of all, he missed his brother.

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Word Count 620[/size]

[elizabeth rose hamilton]

Elizabeth stood happily in the strange currents, her feet squishing deep into the sand beneath her. There was a distant fear that perhaps a shark could swim up into the shallow whirling water around her and eat her legs, but she didn't think too hard about it and wasn't afraid. Though sharks were scary, she doubted that they would want to eat her. Ellie laughed at the thought of a shark with a knife and a fork held in its flippers with a napkin bib around its neck waiting to close in on her and eat her. She giggled to herself as she danced around in the surf.

Memories flooded back to Ellie in a blur. She remembered going to school, the people she'd known but was never really friends with. Ellie had never gotten very close to anyone in her old school, or in her entire town for that matter. She'd only ever made a few friends in her entire life- she'd never even had a best friend. There had been some teachers she'd been close with, and she often considered her brother to be one of her friends. But what normal kid was friends with teachers and their siblings? None. Ellie had been bothered by her lack of friends, as she never had anyone there for her when she was upset, or had exciting news, or needed someone to talk to. Again, she subconsciously pulled down on her sleeves as Derker approached her.

Ellie was extremely happy to see him. It was nice to have a reminder of the past, especially a happy reminder like Derker. He was always nice to everyone, and not many people had ever been nice to Ellie. He was one of few and she appreciated that. She was surprised when he'd hugged back, however. She didn't remember them ever being good enough friends to even hug. But she was glad he had, nonetheless. Ellie took a small step back from him and laughed a little. She didn't feel as bad for getting him wet since he was wearing swim trunks anyways. Those were meant to be wet. She chuckled at his comment. She had to apologize for every little thing- including hugging someone and, heaven forbid, getting them wet.

Ellie giggled. "You know what I mean!" she said, smiling. "I've never been to a real beach before. Well, until today. It's wonderful!" she said, throwing her arms out and spinning in a small circle, almost falling from the force of an oncoming wave. Calming herself down about the beach, she put her hands back at her side and smiled up at Derker. "Not a first choice? Well I'm sorry about that... Why here, then? If you don't want to be here?" Ellie asked, oblivious. She didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to be here. Unless maybe they preferred somewhere else. Somewhere that suited them better than a sunny beach. Ellie didn't care where she lived, as long as she never had to go back to where she grew up, it didn't matter where she went. Though North Carolina was pretty nice, and she did rather like it here. "It's nice to be away from everyone, though. Sometimes you really need a break from it all. And the school here is fantastic. Well, at least I like it here. It's, nice." she mused, smiling into the ocean that was swelling past her knees in an approaching wave.

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Words; 570 !

[derker kipp harriston-tramen]

After a moment, Derker remembered why he and Ellie hadn't been the best of friends. He was a few years older than Ellie, and they had been in different grades. They hadn't seen each other very much because of that. Derker noticed a self-conscious tug at the sleeves of her hoodie, and Derker bit his tongue lightly inside his mouth. It probably wasn't his place to confront her about it, considering it was the first time he had seen her in five years. Still, he remembered those days. Back when he knew her, he did he same thing. He was very familiar with the self conscious tug. He made a note to himself to confront her about it... later.

Seeing Ellie was a weird feeling for Derker. He had been glad to see even the people whose lives he felt he had ruined, or had "ruined" his. Seeing Ellie didn't simply give him a feeling of happiness, but he also felt relieved. Finally he was seeing someone who hadn't been caught up in his sixteen year old drama. Ellie was someone who reminded him that he hadn't completely screwed up: she wasn't repulsed by him even though she probably heard enough rumors to be so. And Derker had never talked to her when he was younger: of all people he didn't want to ruin the beautiful innocence that he viewed Ellie to have. But now Derker had straightened out and turned into a better person. He got his life a bit more together, and now he felt as though he was ready to start a friendship with someone as sweet as this girl standing in front of him. She was a few years younger, but that almost made it better. Derker loved girls younger than him; girls his age all had the opinion that all boys were too immature for them, or that he was crazy. For some reason, Ellie made him feel differently than he had ever felt before, and he couldn't describe it.

"Really?" Derker asked in surprise. He was surprised that she had never been to a beach, but then again, he hadn't been to a beach until he was seventeen. The first time he went to a beach was in France, though. Seventeen... How old was Ellie, anyways? Derker knew she was younger, but he wasn't sure by how much. "How old are you now, Miss Hamilton?" he asked curiously. It was a random question, but he didn't know how large their age difference was. The youngest that she could possibly be was 17... It was weird to think that someone that he went to high school with could still be there. It seemed like quite a while ago. "I miss Canada." Derker admitted. "I'm not a huge fan of the United States... Though I suppose if I had to pick one place in the US, it would be here." Even Derker had to admit, though there weren't rocky beaches, and it definitely wasn't Canada, but it was nice here. The atmosphere was much like the one that he found back home. "I'm here because... Because my brother told me to be, I guess." he laughed. It was true. Derker needed to move, and his brother told him to move here. So he did. "I agree. he started after her next statement. "The school here is fantastic." he looked across the ocean and smiled. It was a nice day out, and the ocean was even better. After a moment, Derker backed up towards the shore a few inches and plopped down in the water. He sat, chest deep, as the waves moved calmly past him. Smiling up at Ellie, he jerked his head next to him, asking her to join him.

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Word Count 625[/size]

[elizabeth rose hamilton]

Elizabeth smiled to herself as the ocean crashed around her. A feeling of being free washed over her, just as the waves washed over her feet. Her pants were soaked, and she remembered only now that she had her bathing suit on underneath her heavy sweatshirt and jeans. It was too late now, and she splashed around in the water for a long moment, a large smile on her face. She'd almost forgotten that Derker was there. He was taller than she remembered. The random thought brought another large smile to her face. A smile that years ago would have been so fake you could practically peel it off her face, had finally become real.

It was strange to see someone from so long ago- even though it really hadn't been all that long ago. What were a few years in the past, in the future. Just years. Derker was almost just as she remembered him. Maybe twice as charming now, because of the long absense between seeing him. But that was how she remembered him. He was older than her, she knew that, but she remembered not being able to help but have a stupid little school girl crush on him- and she'd hardly even known him back then. He was always caught up with all of his friends, and she was too caught up in not having any friends. They knew each other by name, maybe they met a few times, but they weren't really 'friends'. Ellie hadn't been bothered by that- it was actually an okay thing to her. Being friends wouldn't have to complicate her liking him in some way or another, she knew that. For he and many of his pretty friends had had 'things' in the past and she was almost sure that none of them had ended well, or on a good note. Though she was blind as to why. Ellie laughed at herself. Then smiled to herself at the memories. It was silly, how some things didn't change with time. It was years later and she still found herself smiling stupidly when she looked away from the water and up at Derker. It was a strange feeling- but she liked it. It could stay as long as it wanted.

"Yeah, really! I've lived in the mountains where it's cold and rainy my entire life. Never anywhere near a beach or an ocean..." Ellie told him, and smiled. It was nice to live somewhere warm and colorful surrounded by a beach for once. Opposed to somewhere cold and rocky and covered in snow nine months out of the year. Ellie laughed. "I'm eighteen." she said. "You're... Twenty or twenty one-ish right?" she asked in return, curious as to how good her memory was. He couldn't be much older, but she doubted he was only a year older than her. There was no way he was only nineteen. He had to be at least twenty something. She felt suddenly extremely young, like a stupid teenager bothering someone who was much older and more intellectual and more everything than her. She turned her head and looked out at the slight curve of blue on the horizon in the distance. "You lived in Canada?" she asked, curious. [**IF RANDOM WAS SET IN CANADA, SCRATCH THAT QUESTION. CAUSE I DONT REMEMBER... **] "Not a big fan of the US, eh? I like it, it's not too awful. But this has got to be the best place here, by far." she said, agreeing with him that if she had to be anywhere in the US, North Carolina wasn't bad at all. Ellie was confused, and didn't try to hide it from her expression. "Your brother told you to, so you did? Why would he tell you to move away?" she asked, looking up at him through her hair as it fell in her face as she jumped over a wave. She smiled. No one ever agreed with her. "I like it, a lot." she said, nodding her head happily. She watched him sit, and took a seat beside him. The water came up almost to her shoulders because she was a bit short. But she sat there, soaked and smiling.

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Words; 686 !