Crystal's P.O.V
"Mornin' munchkin," my dad exclaims, as I waddle down the stairs.
The smell of bacon permeates the air, and I can taste the buttered toast on my tongue.
I sit at the table while my father dishes out breakfast, and my mother comes down soon after.
Awkwardly, we eat our meal, then my dad picks up his briefcase, kisses us goodbye, and rushes off to work.
"Sweetie, will you be going to the beach again today?" My mother asks, smoothing my hair.
"Yes," I reply, then scoot out of my chair, picking up my beach bag.
"Be safe, ok?"
I nod.
But what my mother doesn't know, is that I am my worst enemy.

Rhys' P.O.V
I sit in the living room playing Clash of Clans, while my sister naps. I glance at the clock. It's a little after 1:00 pm.
Suddenly, Arelina cries out. I rush to her side.
"Arelina, wake up! It's just another nightmare!" I shake her urgently.
She wakes with a start. Sobs wrack her chest, and I hug her tightly.
"It's been like this, ever since..."
Ever since Talon, that scumbag.
Without realizing, I scowl.
"I wish I could have stopped him," I tell my sister.
"You need to stop blaming yourself, he would have hurt me no matter what you did," Arelina consoles me.
"That's not true," I mumble.
"It was at school, ok? You don't have telepathic powers, so you couldn't know!"
Despite all things, a wane smile finds my face.
"You're only 13. You shouldn't have to deal with this," I mutter.
Arelina looks at me, her eyes looking older than her years.
"Well, I am dealing with it, so let's make the best that we can out of it."

Crystal's P.O.V
I sit on my towel, munching on a hot dog, but despite how normal I look, my inner turmoil still lives on.
I scan the beach, noticing two toddlers throwing sand at each other. I stifle a giggle, as their mothers rush over to intervene. My eyes hone in on a rowdy bunch of teenagers near the hot dog stand. I watch them as they play a game of keep ups, but quickly look away when I notice a girl glaring at me.
I hear footsteps approaching, and look up to see the girl's glaring face right in front of me.
"We're you eyeing my boyfriend?" She utters in annoyance.
I stare at her, shocked.
"I- no! I don't even know who your boyfriend is!"
"Yeah, well, I think you were looking at him, so keep your greedy little eyes off of him!" She snarls.
"I promise you, I wasn't looking at him!" I protest.
"Don't talk back to me, 'cause I know you were!" The girl flips her blond hair and sashays away, giving me the stink eye as she goes.
I sit there for a minute stunned, then shake myself out of it. I glance up again, only to find the nasty girl still glaring at me, so I decide to go home. If I stay, it'll be an unpleasant rest of the day!
I trudge home, to find my mom baking cookies.
"Mmm, smells good!" I comment.
My mother smiles and keeps mixing batter.
I go upstairs, and take a shower. The hot water is like a balm, washing everything away, but it isn't strong enough, and I end up crying, a keening wail, to pierce my very soul.

Rhys' P.O.V
I decide to take Arelina out for ice cream, so we drive to Dairy Queen. My sister dashes out of her seat, and to the door in no time. I start to walk towards the store, but I see Arelina's knees trembling, and hurry towards her.
"What's wrong?" I demand worriedly.
"He's in there," Arelina sobs, pointing inside the store.
I look over her shoulder, and the sight fills me with horror.
Talon and a bunch of his friends are laughing, enjoying their ice cream.
A friend tries to poke Talon's light hair with his ice cream, but he swats the hand away.
Then his cold blue eyes lift to meet mine, and the 14-year-old smiles, a wicked, dangerous smile, as icy as his heart.
I swipe Arelina right off her feet, and buckle her into the car.
She's still sobbing, and I try to find a classical music station to calm her down.
I drive around for a while, then I see a Wendy's, and scoot into a parking spot.
"You up for some Frostys?" I ask, trying, but failing, to smile.
Arelina gives a quivering smile, then nods her assent. We walk to the Wendy's, hand in hand, as if nothing ever happened.

Rhys' P.O.V
At home, Arelina rushes to her room and slams the door. I see my mother's horrified expression, and almost laugh... Almost.
Arelina has always been the quiet tempered one.
I explain what happened at Dairy Queen, and my mom shakes her head sadly. Tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, and I try to console her, but she scampers away, locking the door to her bedroom, leaving me alone in the entrance.

Later that night, I hear Arelina having another nightmare.
"No! Please, don't hurt me! Why are you taking my sweater?! No! Let me go!"
I barge into the room, to find my parents already there. They shake Arelina awake.
"It was Talon..." She says, tears streaming down her face.
"Ssh," my mother soothes, stroking my sister's golden hair. "He's not going to hurt you anymore.
If only I could believe that. The look I saw in Talon's eyes told a different story. If I could pulverize him, I would, but according to the school, justice had already been served.

Tysm for reading! 😋