Behind every smile is a reason to fake it//kire

It had only been a few minutes since school had ended, (and the wonderful relief that came from exiting those doors had given her energy that she hadn't had before.) The beach called her name, the whisper of the waves and the wind that rolled along their tops drawing her towards the endless water. Breathing deeply, she smelled the crisp and salty scent of the ocean and sighed as she relaxed. There was no place she enjoyed more, (except maybe beside her brothers on their father's boat.) They rarely went out together anymore and she missed it.

Before she stepped onto the sand she had already stripped off her shoes and socks, walking in bare feet now that she was no longer required to have footwear. (The sand felt warm under her feet, enticing her to walk yet further to the water.) For a moment she walked forward in silence, listening to the waves as she closed her eyes and just followed the sound. When she felt the sand beneath her feet start to grow heavier, being somewhat wet from the spray, she opened her eyes and tossed her backpack to the side, her shoes and socks and belt following. Even though it was a colder day she still didn't mind. The water was her place of life, and even in the winter she would swim in it.

Today wasn't even that bad, and she undid her hoodie and jeans, sliding them off, (her shirt following as she stood there in underwear that anyone watching would mistake for a bikini.) With no care for what clothing she still wore, she walked forward into the water with little more than a soft gasp at the temperature. When she had gone far enough she lifted her hands over her head and dove forward, submerging herself completely under the cold water. Staying under until she couldn't hold her breath any longer, she broke the surface of the water with a laugh of delight. (Oh how she had missed the water's caress while in the dry building of school, now she was at ease.)

Satisfied, and feeling refreshed, she walked out of the surf and back onto the beach. She hadn't brought a towel or anything to dry herself off with, so she substituted with wringing out her hair and flicking as much of the water off of her as possible. (What would made her cold wasn't the water itself, but the air that hit her now that she was out in the open.) Feeling she was as dry as she could be, she grabbed her clothes and pulled them on, starting with her jeans before putting on her shirt and tucking herself deep into her hoodie. (She muttered about the wind being cold, but still didn't regret going in for that dip.)

It wasn't until she made her way over to one of the trees near the edge of the beach that she noticed the shape of the boy laying there. A moment's hesitation - (had he seen her?) - kept her from going over to him but eventually she forced herself to keep walking forward. From the look of it his eyes were closed anyway, (an after school nap perhaps,) so he probably hadn't noticed. Only when she was a few feet away did she realize that his eyes, now open, were red and slightly puffy. (Had he been crying, and why?) Nevermind, it was none of her business. Silently, she took up a seat a few paces from him, huddling into her hoodie against the cold, once more cursing the wind. Wryly, she smiled to herself, if he had seen her he must think she was insane for swimming on a day like this. Well, she supposed she was a little crazy, but isn't everybody?

She could feel his eyes on her, (a gaze full of curiosity and questions he probably wasn't going to ask.) It was fine, (let him stare,) she was confident enough that she would be able to knock some sense into his head if he did anything stupid. As for what stupid counted for, well that was something he was going to have to figure out. She heard him sigh, (like the release of thoughts,) and glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. He sat with his head raised, looking at the ocean, though she had no idea what his thoughts might be.

Turning her gaze away from the boy, she breathed a deep breath of the cold, salty air and sighed. A moment passed where her eyes were closed, just drinking in the sound of the waves and the feeling of the sand beneath her. When she opened them she noticed it had grown darker even in the mere minute that she had covered her vision. (There were faint stars appearing in the sky and the moon was almost perfectly visible.) A shiver passed through her as the wind blew harder than it had before, slicing through her hoodie and making her wet hair become freezing cold.

Movement in the corner of her eye made her look over at the boy, who now had turned his head to look at her. She noted that his eyes weren't as swollen, even if they hadn't grown any less red. "Hey, what's your name? I'm Austin." She turned her head now, looking straight at him instead of from the side. Instead of replying, she let the silence sit as she waited for him to fill it. (Maybe he would give her a better question to answer.) "You alright? Isn't it a bit cold to be swimming today?" (Well, it was another question, even if it wasn't any better than the first.)

She supposed she should answer him, before he thought she was rude or crazy or mute or something. (Oh wait, he already thought she was crazy, scratch that one off the list then.) Her gaze full of a somewhat mysterious light, like she was putting on the effect of being enigmatic, she replied. "My name is Siren. I'm quite alright, and if you must know the water was actually quite nice." She paused a moment, her voice becoming very quiet as she muttered, "It's just this damn wind that's cold." Not knowing if he had heard her or not, she looked away to gaze at the ocean again and began to rock side to side in time with the waves that started to smother the beach. Even as she did, her gaze was still on the boy beside her, (waiting to see if he was going to ask her another stupid question.)