Dive In

Chapter 2

"Ella, I'm bored," said Derek, standing in front of the sun so his head was illuminated like a heavenly figure.

"And that's my problem why?" sighed Ella, sitting up on her beach towel.

She had come down to the beach to relax while her aunt was doing her morning patrol. Maria had promised to take Ella for a driving lesson when she got back, but for now Ella was content with sunbathing on the beach. It was late in the morning, but the air still contained a slight chill from last night. The sun shone through a cloudless sky, drying up the sand and making the lake sparkle like a million tiny diamonds.

There was a reason why it was called Mirror Lake, when you looked down into it you could see a near perfect image of yourself. When the sun was high in the sky, the lake reflected all the surrounding trees so perfectly it looked like a gateway to a different world that mirrored her own.

Sometimes, the lake even took on some etheral qualities. When the day had been hot and the night had been cold, the next morning steam would rise from the lake and blanket it with a wispy cloud. Once Ella had got up early to wade through the enchanted waters, letting her fingers fan out through the fog. Even though she'd only gone knee deep, she came back to the cabin damp all over.

"Because. You were born to entertain me, duh," he snorted, plopping himself down on the sand beside her.

"I think it's the other way around. I was born first, after all," she said.

"Be honest with me: would you like me better if I was a girl?" he asked, tunnelling into the sand until he reached the wet stuff that was ideal for building a sandcastle.

"Honestly? I probably would. If you were a girl, you wouldn't be nearly as disgusting and immature," she sighed, laying back down.

"Yeah, but you would be bored. Did you see my charger? I lost it. I'm worried I left it at home," he grumbled. Without his charger, Derek would have nothing to do for the next two weeks. Which meant he would spend his time tormenting Ella.

"Um, nope. Last time I saw it was on the dinner table right before we left. If I remember correctly, you were already in the car. You probably left it at home," she said. Ella had an exceptional memory, she barely ever had to study and she never used a calendar to remember her schedule.

"Great. Knowing you, you're probably right. Do you think mom or dad would bring it out for me?" he asked, creating a mound out of the wet sand.

"Do I think they'll drive three hours just so you can play video games? No, I don't. Besides, if you ask you'll get dads 'be one with nature' speech," she giggled.

"Him and his stupid obsession with nature," pouted Derek, kicking over his pile of sand.

"You definitely take after Tracy," Ella said with an eye roll.

"She's your mom too. Why do you call her Tracy?" asked Derek accusingly, his grey eyes boring into hers.

"She's not my mom," Ella sniffed, looking away.

"Well she's a better mom then yours is. It bugs her, can't you tell?" he asked, standing up.

"I don't care," Ella said harshly. This was a sensitive subject, not one that should be discussed with her insensitive brother.

"Whatever. She's gone Ella, gone for good," he said, storming off across the sand.

Ella took a deep breath and tried to restore her peaceful thoughts. They wouldn't come back. Growling frustratedly, she checked her phone for the time. Her aunt would be getting back home soon, so she gathered up her things and headed back to the cabin. She ran over what she'd learned from the drivers manual one last time in her head, then sat out on the swinging chair. Her aunt pulled up in the jeep, bumping along the gravel road.