Friend or Foe? (Open)

Celia Ostberg



It has been rather warm out, and since it a weekend we don't have school. Today my working shift is in the afternoon, giving me the entire morning to myself and. . . the beach. I didn't even bother putting on shoes this morning, anticipating to spend the morning down by the ocean.

The beach is smooth, without people's foot prints all over it. More importantly, the children haven't had a chance to come out to build tunnels, booby traps, and the sort yet. This one of the great wonders of the beach in the morning. You don't have to watch where you step as much, as long as you're keeping an eye out for jellyfish washed up on the beach.

I am the first one at the beach today, beside potential fishers and shrimpers out at sea. I stand by the water, closing my eyes and letting the waves lap at my toes. There is just the right amount of wind, pleasantly blowing my hair in my face but not enough for it to cause extra tangles. It's hard to imagine what life would be like without the wind, always there to keep me comfortable. If I am to die in the Hunger Games, I should at least hope for a windy climate.

When I open my eyes again, I have company. It's a girl a few years older me. The stunningness of her eyes makes me suddenly jealous, but something about them tells me that she isn't just the stereotype mean-girl-with-blue-eyes-and-blonde-eyes.

"Hello," she says, "It's such a nice day for a swim, isn't it? I'm Chelsea by the way." She sounds too friendly; either it's just her personality bleeding through, or she is playing it out and planning to later totally turn on everyone who thought she was their friend. That's why I don't trust anybody. Nobody except for my parents.

I answer Chelsea anyway. "I'm Celia Ostberg. And yes, it is a nice day for a swim." You have to admit, it's true. I take off my top layer of clothes, revealing my bathing suit. I toss them a few feet away from the tide, and then walk in to mid-calf deep water and beckon Chelsea to follow.

Celia Ostberg



The water feels even better than I thought it would be. I've been over working so much lately that I haven't gotten much beach time. I curl my toes over the familiar wet sand beneath the water, taking in the pleasant tickling sensation. You can't just go to the beach in water shoes. It isn't the same. Every District Four resident knows that, but I can certainly imagine a resident of One replulsing to the sand, not knowing better than to think it dirt and mud.

"It's really nice to meet you, Celia. This water is so nice and cooling. It's the perfect way to start the day," Chelsea says, cheerfully. She submerges herself in the water, and all I can do is follow. Her bathing suit is sea green and her body is awfully. . . scarred. I find myself really wanting to know what happened to her.

Now the water is above my waist. She dips her body in so that it's up to her neck. "This water is so amazing. It's much better to be in it than on it, for once."

"I see what you're saying there." I sigh. There's so much work to be done and so little free time, really these days. You know?" I look out to the sea, where the morning ships are out and catching food for the Capitol. "Um, may I ask where you got that from?" I say, gesturing toward an extremely large scar on her left leg. "I mean, just curious," I rush. I really don't mean to offend her.

I had been out all night casting my nets desperate for a good catch but I wasn't so lucky because the heat had driven most fish further away from my usual fishing grounds and I didn't want a quarrel with any of the other fishermen who owned those better spots.
The fact that I can home with only half of my usual catch left me sleepless for the biggest part of the morning hours that I usually use to get my rest.

Instead I found myself listening to the sounds of the waves and seaguls that are circling above my boat in hopes for some left over fish heads. For a while I just try to sleep in my cabin on the boat but finally give up and get up groaning loudly. Another one of those seering hot days. Even now a shirt seems too much clothes so I pull it off and fling it in the corner with the rest of my dirty clothes. A nice pile has formed there so I'll have to go and wash the soon.

Padding over to the small gas stove I put a kettle on to brew myself some coffee. At least that will wake me up so more. For a moment I think about what to do with my spare time now. Through the small glass I see a few people paddling and swimming a little further over. Maybe I could try some body boarding. I've seen other guys do that. They simply use flat, thin sheets of wood, painted with some water resistant paint and float on the white water on top of the waves.

Sure enough I soon find one of the other guys at my dock who is willing to lend me his board and make my way over to the nearest beach with some surf. The sun of this long summer has left many freckles on my shoulders and a deep tan all over my body. I feel the sand tickling in between my toes as I run towards the waves and throw myself into the cool salt water. It embraces me with it's cold fingers and leaves me refresh and wide awake.

It doesn't take long for me to catch my first wave and how much fun is the speed when I rush toward the beach on my belly. Over and over I try and am having a blast until I almost knock some swimmer in the head with my board. At first I get whirled around by the wave but soon pop up to look into a bewildered face. "Sorry! I didn't see you!"



OOC: Who wants to be hit by a board ??

Against my expectations the guy I almost smashed into doesn't yell at me to look out for swimmers but gives me a friendly smile. What's even stranger is that he offers me a handshake and his name here in the water. It makes me laugh but I grab his hand while I hold on to the board with my other one and shake it. "Nick. I swear I didn't aim for you. Just didn't see you before plus I have no idea how to change direction on this thing. First time today." I explain in self defense.

Next to the young guy I see a girl and offer her a smile, too.
"I'll open my eyes from now on so I don't hit your friend in the head anymore."
With that I pull my board closer and try to get back on it. But the water is too deep here so I swim further out towards the beach and call out loud. "Nice meeting you two. I'll see you around."
For sure because I plan to spend my whole time off today down here and figure body boarding out because it sure as hell is a lot of fun.
The next wave carries me to the beach where I sit down on the sand near the water for a moment to catch my breath.

When I let my eyes scan the water I can see two heads among the sparkling reflections. It must be the two I almost ran over.

While I sit and relax I keep a close eye on some of the other riders. The long surfboards they stand on actually look like they would be even more fun that mine. I make a mental note to borrow one of those next time. The two i ran into are still in the water talking and swimming. Maybe I should join them. They seemed friendly enough and it's not like I have a bunch of friends here in coastal district 4. My work keeps me a way from decent comapny and around fishermen only.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice a girl walking in strange patterns. Is she walking towards me or not? Or maybe she's drunk making such a serpentine. Finally she comes to a halt next to me providing some shade but with the sun behind her slender body I can't see her face.
Her words are even stranger than the path she took to get to me. I guess my boarding must have impressed her.
So I look up and smile but instead of acknowledging who she is I ask. " Did you initially want to come over here?" The thought makes me smile. She must be shy and I'm putting her to the test. How mean.
"Sit down, you're taking my sun."
Finally I state. "I'm Nick." Then my blue eyes are on the water again where a young man catches a wave and rides it all the way to the shore. "Wow, did you see that? That's me in three days. Ever tried surfing?"