There was silence around her other than the noise of the endless
dark ocean ahead. It was almost Sunset at the lost coast. The sky, partially cloudy,
was exploding into colors of bright red, orange and yellow. It somewhat bit
chilly but it seemed to not bother her. And as she stood there watching the
waves wash ashore, she could vividly remember the days when she and he bother
used to run through the sand with their dad. And they’d splash around the water
to annoy him. She missed those days badly. Her heart ached when she thought of
him. Her brother Matt Clayton was in his senior year at Ferndale high school
when a classmate from his year went off the wall and murdered ten students in
the fiction writing class. He was a brilliant athlete and the valedictorian of
the graduating class. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye because of
her final year at Stanford.
Sarah Clayton, 22, was majoring in Political sciences. Her
parents separated when she was 12 and her father got custody of both the
children. She had blonde hair and a curvy figure. Her light blue eyes were ever
glazing. Her sweet and calm voice cast a spelled on whoever heard it. Her
courage and naivety made it impossible to resist from engaging with her. Shortly
after graduating with a dazzling GPA of 3.8 she was recruited by the CIA as a
policy analyst. She worked in Berkeley and later asked for a transfer to Los
Angeles thinking maybe it would give her peace but it was another dead end in
putting her endless bizarre feelings to rest. She couldn’t make acquaintance of
anyone at work. It was a windy Friday evening, the sky had gone murky. Sarah
was the only one in the office except the two senior agents from Madison who
were working with her on a case they were assigned by the director himself. She
had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was pretty disheveled. She looked
as if she’d faint that very moment. ‘You should call it a day Clayton’, said
Agent Clark handing her a water bottle. ‘Yeah I guess I have to, wrap it up soon
and let me know if anything turns up’ she said in a weary tone as she headed
towards the elevator. On her way back home in Westlake, she stopped her old
black SUV at a grocery store and got some pasta for the dinner and a lot of
cartons of milk. Her dad called her a milkaholic to tease her. He was a
professor of History at California State University. After his son’s death she
was the only family he had left and they both helped each other go through the
grieving. He loved his daughter dearly and was proud of her serving the nation.
As she pulled the car in the garage he greeted her and helped her get the
things into the kitchen. ‘I’m starving kiddo’ he said hugging her. After
heating the pasta, pouring her dad a drink and herself a glass of juice, she
cut some fruits and mixed them in whipped cream for dessert. They ate the
dinner while watching the final game of the season between LA Lakers and Detroit
Pistons. As Steve Nash scored the last basket bagging the title for his team
Mark Clayton led out a shriek and started jumping on the sofa with pleasure. An
hour later when they both were done with the dishes her dad told her about
James’ call. Her friend, James White, who was a detective at the California
Police department, had invited her to his thanksgiving party over at his beach
house this weekend. At first she thought of not going but it had been a long
while since she had met him. His brother had died with Matt and they met at the
memorial service for the victims at the high school. They both became friends
and since then, he had always been there for her when she needed to let it out.
He was like a brother to her. His jokes always lit her up in the worst of
times. And he helped her on various cases every now and then which brought them
more closer.
After wearing the silk chiffon Wineberry sheath she had
bought from J. Crew last week, she wore the necklace her mom had given her on
her 18th birthday, and put on some make-up. As she drove off the street she got some
flowers for James. The beach house was covered with golden and red lights. There
were flowers all over the living room. Probably from the guests she thought. The
hallway which led to the beach was lined with different kind of foods. Ribbons
of vibrant colors hung from the ceiling like snakes. She picked up a lemon tart
and a lemon daiquiri on her way out. She was almost blinded by the bright
lights outside. A small fire was lit not far away and James was sitting beside
it with his fiancée Lisa and some friends. Soft upbeat music was playing. Lisa walked
over to greet her; she was looking lovelier than ever and wore a sequined
silver cocktail dress. She worked with James at California Police department. Her
family lived in France but after college she decided to stay here. James waved
them to come over. Both hugged and she gave him the blueberry enchilada with
vanilla and caramel sauce she had made for him as an engagement present. ‘Looks
like you and Liz are definitely going to get me fattened up before the wedding
eh?’ he blurted out after sipping his coffee. Matt went inside to put it and
Lisa went to entertain some of her friends. Sarah went near the waves to see
them wash ashore. ‘I wouldn’t do it if I were you’. A guy dressed in jeans and a
Beatles shirt emerged out of nowhere almost making her trip. He was carrying a
black leather jacket. ‘Oops scared you, sorry’ he said after lending her a hand
to gain balance. She told him she wasn’t intending of doing what he had in his mind.
‘My bad’ he called out. They chatted a bit and went for dinner after a while. Alex
Wharton in his mid twenties was a tech analyst at the Interpol and was here for
vacations. All said grace and plunged into the feast that laid before them.
Almost everybody had left except Sarah, Alex and a few other cousins of Lisa, who
were staying the night at James place. She kissed Lisa and James goodbye and
went out towards her ride. It didn’t start. She tried again but it didn’t work.
‘Hey, let me give you a ride. Where do you live?’ said someone from behind. It was
Alex. ‘Oh no, I don’t want to bother’ Sarah let out in a quirky tone. ‘Come on,
where’s your place?’ Alex insisted. ‘I live Far east in Westlake. You sure it’s
okay?’ ‘Yeah, hop in.’After she got out of the car she thanked him for the ride
and as she was about to enter her house. She saw Alex come out of the car. He
went near the door and said ‘I was wondering if we could go out for coffee
ice-cream tomorrow?’ In speculation she agreed and he told her he’d pick her up
near six tomorrow. (To be continued because I am gonna pass out any moment now :P )
