I waited until Lyn was inside before I prepared to drive away. My chest was tight, my insides twisted. Lyn filled practically every thought, and while tonight had gone just the way I’d wished for... there was a pit in my stomach. 

Clenching my jaw I revved the engine, about to speed off back to my dorm when I saw two familiar figures jostling at the corner of Lyn’s street. I drove slowly to the corner, the sound of drunk shouting getting louder as I saw a wasted OIiver clinging onto the girl I had seen staring at me before picking up Lyn… The same girl that had witnessed our fight. 

‘It’s a small town,’ I thought to myself, gritting my teeth as I tried to shove away the thought… Were they stalking Lyn? Stalking me? 

I heard the girl yell something, clearly trying to push Oliver away from her. 

I sped up, braking hard in front of the couple as I quickly parked the bike and got up to stand beside her. I didn’t care if he was harassing her verbally or what was going on, I didn’t even care she was a stranger; it was obvious she wanted him to stop and that he was in no state of mind to do so. “Back off!” I said firmly, ready to step between them. I kept my helmet on but lifted the visor so OIiver could see just who had stopped him. 

He turned to look at me with a scoff, listing a little as he took a step toward me. “This isn’t your problem- if you know what’s best for you, you’ll-” Oliver paused, a slow blink sluggishly giving way to a deeper anger. “You,” he snarled, taking another wobbling, drunken step toward me. He raised his fist, no doubt meaning to be threatening. “Just when I thought my night couldn’t get any worse.”

“Oliver!” The girl jumped forward, latching onto his arm, her dark eyes unreadable as she tried to pull him back.

Oliver shoved her back without looking, or noticing how she winced and grabbed the arm he’d smacked at. “Shut it, Claire. Your cold feet got us in this mess to begin with.” 

I held my arm out in front of her, much like I had protected Lyn from this same violent idiot. “Think it’s time you take a walk in the other direction there, mate.” My eyes were sharp, words seething. I glanced the short distance away to where I had dropped off Lyn, hopeful he wouldn’t hear the commotion and decide to intervene as well. 

Claire glanced between me and her infuriated companion before slowly shifting behind me; it only served to enrage Oliver further. He stepped back with a muttered curse. “Damn it, Claire, don’t fall for their witchcraft.”

“I’m not falling for anything. You need to sober up, Oliver- somewhere else. Let me take you home, and-”

“No!” His interruption was loud, making Claire flinch. “I’m not leaving just because one of the freaks thinks he can bewitch you, too,” he hissed as he glared at me, venom dripping from the words. 

I exhaled deeply, trying to de-escalate the situation by staying calm. “Look, you’ve had a lot to drink. I get it, that’s cool. But you’re scaring your friend here. Let me call you a taxi, I’ll pay for it, and I’ll make sure your friend gets one, too. Then you can both leave together and no one needs to get upset. What do you say?” 

“Go to hell,” he snapped. Oliver nearly fell over as he lunged forward, grabbing Claire’s arm to yank her out from behind me. “Come on, Claire, we’re not listening to this shit.” Oliver pulled her toward him; she whimpered, tears welling in her dark eyes as Oliver tightly squeezed the arm he’d already hurt. 

I seized his wrist, twisting it and bent it painfully behind his back so he let go of the girl he called Claire. I shoved him into the brick wall of a nearby building, gripping his hair and tilting his head back. “Don’t make me call the fucking cops.” 

Oliver groaned, and I could hear his teeth grinding as he tried to shove himself off the bricks; he spat curses at me as his struggles only made me tighten my grip on him. “Have the coppers in your back pocket too, huh? I knew you were like that filthy witch! Always squirming out of trouble, hurting whoever you want- you’re both monsters!” 

I felt my anger rise, wanting to scare him so he’d leave Lyn alone. I snarled a whisper into his ear saying, “You’re right. So you better watch what you say, or believe me, you’ll regret it.” 

Oliver’s face blanched, and the fight began to drain out of him. “You… one day, you’ll get what’s coming to you,” he muttered against the bricks. I could feel Claire’s gaze heavy on us as Oliver shook his head. “Let me go. I’ll leave, damn it, and you can keep the girl for all I care. Just get your filthy hands off me.” 

I let go, surprised how sober he sounded. I watched him carefully, waiting for him to walk away, drunkenly stumbling into the darkness. Despite his behavior, I hoped he would make it back to campus safely. I turned to Claire, removing my helmet and tucking it under my arm. "Hey, are you alright?" 

At first my words didn’t seem to reach her; she was staring after Oliver, her hands balled into fists and her face unreadable. Claire dragged her gaze away, a sigh shaking out of her as she attempted to smile at me. “I’m fine- I’m pretty used to this kind of behavior. This isn’t even the worst he’s been.” She laughed, trying to make light of it, but her eyes were flat. “You wouldn’t believe the kinds of people they let wander around here."

I glanced in the direction Oliver had disappeared into. "Funny, he and Collin were some of the first people I met. Thought Oliver was alright, now Collin's missing. Weird town." I shook my head. "Sorry, just thinking out loud." 

 “One of the bastards goes missing and the rest lose their damn minds,” she muttered, glaring in the direction of campus with a sour frown. “But I guess you and your friend know that better than anyone.” 

I narrowed my eyes at her, tilting my head. I wondered how she would know that but rumors about Lyn seemed like widespread knowledge at this point. Still, something about her made me think about her comment. “I’ve seen you around a lot,” I said, realizing how often her face had stood out to me… and now she and Oliver were here, so close to Lyn’s notorious apartment. In fact it had been Oliver who had warned me to stay away from his mother’s shop… “I’m surprised to find you so close to the residence of a so-called ‘witch’.” 

Claire’s gaze shot to the familiar red door, but she looked away almost immediately. “Oliver was leading the way, I’m not sure how we ended up here,” she said, rubbing at her arm and wincing. “It’s a small town, though, not a lot of streets to wander. And the campus is even smaller. It’s not surprising to see the same faces often.” She smiled again, but it was rigid.

I raised a brow, a feeling of dread rising up from the pit of my stomach. “Really? So drunken Oliver decided it would be a wise idea to roam down side streets all the way to a few doors down from the infamous Weir residence?” I scoffed, looking at how sober she seemed. “And you let him? Thought you guys were locals, surely you knew where you were going.” 

“You saw how he was acting- it’s not like I would have been able to stop him. It’s hard to reason with a drunken idiot,” Claire said, shifting away from me. “But you’re right, I shouldn’t be here… and neither should you. It’s getting late, and the streets haven’t been safe at night lately.”

I smirked at her, my back straightening. “You of all people should know that I’m not afraid of Lyn.” 

“Maybe he’s not the thing you should be afraid of,” Claire met my gaze for a moment, eyes dark and unreadable, before she turned away with a shake of her head. “Watch yourself out there, Ethan- wouldn’t want your face on the next missing persons poster.” 

I swallowed; there was a dangerous aura coming off of her. “That sounds like a threat,” I snarled, narrowing my eyes at her. Was I being too defensive? I felt angry and agitated. I didn’t trust Oliver or this girl, Claire, and I desperately wanted to protect Lyn.

“Just a warning, not that you’ve listened to anybody so far,” Claire muttered, retrieving her phone from her pocket. “Feel free to stand here all night if you want- but I’m going back to campus. See you around, Ethan.” She had her phone to her ear, calling for a friend to pick her up, as she walked away from me. 

I debated it for a moment, standing guard outside Lyn’s flat, or rushing back to tell him what happened. Truth was, I was probably just reading into things. She was right, it was a small town, we ran in similar circles. I could tell Lyn tomorrow or message him when I got home if it came to it. But, I didn’t want to worry him. There was probably nothing for him to worry about…

I didn’t wait to watch her get into a car, it seemed like overkill somehow. 

Begrudgingly, I put on my helmet, and rode back to the dorms. I crept through the halls rather quietly, glad I hadn’t run into Oliver but equally paranoid that I would. The first thing I did after rushing into my room and locking the door behind me was message Lyn. “Get in okay?” I mumbled to myself as I typed it, sending it off hurriedly. 

I sat on my bed, my knee shaking as I waited for his reply. It didn’t take long before my phone buzzed, lighting up with Lyn’s message. ‘Safe and sound, despite my mother’s attempt to scare me to death. Remind me to lock her up next time.’ Another message popped up before I had the chance to respond. ‘I hope you got back to campus safely.’ 

Sighing, I lay down on my bed, on top of the covers, looking at the ceiling. ‘Yup. In bed.’ I looked down at the phone, realizing how harsh I sounded. I didn’t mean to come off that way, I was just so nervous; worried about him. I groaned, putting my head in my hand as I stared at the message. ‘Hard to leave you tonight when you look so beautiful.’ I blushed before hitting send, letting my phone rest on the bed beside me. 

It was a much longer pause, and I could imagine how much I’d flustered him, his familiar wide-eyed look of embarrassment. ‘Then we’ll have to go out again soon. I’ll look forward to it.’ 

I left the message on read, swallowing a lump in my throat. I remembered what Lyn had asked me, about where I came from, why I moved. I placed my arm over my eyes as I felt my chest tighten. 

‘Don’t cry,’ I thought, taking deep, slow breaths. 

I was the one that moved here. I was the one that wanted a fresh start. I was the one that asked Lyn out. 

Picking up my phone, I went to my photos, scrolling all the way back to the first one I had taken. I felt the tears in my eyes, making the bright picture blur before I blinked away the tears. I looked at myself, grinning in the tropical sun, the waves an azure blue behind me. My skin was darker in the summer, my blond hair tangled by waves. Painfully, I looked at the boy I had my arm around. His lips were planted to my cheek, arms around my waist. His blond hair was brighter than mine, a pure, pale, radiant blond. Though his eyes were closed, I knew they were the same color as the ocean. 

I looked at his bare chest where he wore a shark tooth necklace. Reaching under my pillow, I pulled out the same one in the photograph, pressing it to my lips. 

“I miss you, Mason,” I whispered, turning over. I imagined the waves crashing on the beach, the warmth of his skin... The ocean rocking me to sleep. 

~~~

I woke up before my alarm to the noise in the hallway; people--a lot of people--sounding like they were in uproar. Is there a fire? I wondered, stuffing the necklace I had fallen asleep with in my hand, back under my pillow. No alarms, though.

I opened my door to everyone in the dorm standing out in the hall, talking amongst each other with shocked faces. I grabbed a guy’s shoulder, standing nearest to my door. “Hey, what’s going on?” I asked, sleep still thick in my voice. 

He looked up at me, surprised. “You haven’t heard? Oliver’s missing.”