4 What the hell?

I WOKE UP startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "No, get off me!" I shouted. My body shook like a leaf as I scrambled to the corner of my bed.

"Ani, sweetheart it's me, Mom. It's okay. I'm here, it's me, Mom. I'm here."

"Mom." Before I could react, she grabbed me and pulled me into a tight embrace. She placed her hand on the back of my head and snuggled it into her shoulder.

"Ani, what's wrong? You were screaming very loud." Very gently, Mom ran her hands down my back. I do believe human touch can remedy all kinds of maladies. I began to relax. She released me from her embrace when I finally calmed down, maintaining her grasp on my shoulders at arms' length to examine me.

"I'm sorry, I just had a bad dream." My voice was all too quiet.

"You can tell me. It's okay." Mom tucked a string of hair behind my ear.

"It's okay Mom, I can't even remember it," I said fidgeting with my fingers.

"Your friends are downstairs."

"Please tell them I'm coming. Thanks, Mom." I smiled and hugged her.

Mom nodded and stepped out of my room.

I could never have a good night's sleep. I sat at the edge of the bed, my head in my hands.

Mom knocked. "Ani?"

"Coming."

I gathered my hair in a ponytail, put on my rash guard and sweatpants, grabbed my board and went down.

I found my friends downstairs — Paris, Deidre, Lance, Alex, Kylie, and Daisy, Alex's sister.

"You ready to teach me some pretty impressive tricks?" Daisy asked and walked over to give me a hug.

"Say no more Daisy. I'll have you doing flips in no time."

"Try not to pass out today, Ani or you'll get drowned," Kylie said.

"Let's drown that bitch later," Daisy whispered in my ear and pulled back from our hug.

"When I catch the wave, I ride on it. I don't dive underneath it." I looked at Kylie and thought of slapping her face for having a big mouth.

"Aw," Kylie flinched as she held her cheek. I didn't realize I was staring at her.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"I don't know, suddenly my face hurts. My tooth, I guess."

"Oh girl, that's bad. You can't surf like that. Don't worry there's always next time," Paris told Kylie.

"I can still hang around the beach."

Bitch, I hope your tooth falls out of your big mouth, I thought.

Kylie opened her mouth in a scream, but nothing came out but a gust of air. She was holding her jaw and a tooth fell out. Blood pooled in her mouth.

My eyes went wide in surprise.

"Eww," Paris exclaimed. "Go see a dentist!"

She spat some blood on her handkerchief and said, "I have to go, sorry."

She stormed out of the house and Alex followed her.

"That was weird," Lance remarked and we all fell silent.

Alex came back with his brows furrowed.

"How is she?" Paris asked.

"She'll be fine," Alex answered nonchalantly. His unreadable gaze bore into me.

"So...I guess, we're all set?" Deidre asked to break the silence.

After a short drive, Alex turned into the parking lot of the beach and we hopped out. I led the way to an empty spot and set my board down.

The morning surf crowd was a handful of unfamiliar faces. Oblivion may be a small town in Southern California but we do have the biggest waves.

As the sun broke the horizon and the beach was bathed in warm rays, I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty air. The crash of the waves against the shore was like music to my ears.

I watched a girl fumble with her wetsuit and then drop her board not once but twice before she reached the water's edge. Clearly, she is a kook. She can ruin a good session and can even end up hurting herself or other surfers.

"You guys ready to ride some waves?" Paris asked.

"Yeah!" We shouted in unison.

The feeling of sand moving under my bare feet, the feeling of walking on water and the feeling of catching a wave and surfing it, never ceases to amaze me. I remembered two years ago, standing up and riding straight all the way to the beach. I knew at that moment that this was the sport for me.

I waxed my board, stripped down to my bikini and ran into the water. I lay down on the board and slowly started paddling toward an area where the wave was sure to hit nicely.

No one can catch me when I am surfing; I feel like I am in the sky, and I am above anyone's reach and no one can harm me here.

As I got to the perfect depth, I spun around and waited for the perfect wave. I didn't have to wait long. A perfect wave came only seconds after I got into position.

I started paddling to catch the wave. When I felt the momentum of my surfboard flow faster than my paddling speed, I firmly grasped each rail and pushed up quickly on a regular stance.

My feet firmly on my board, one foot near the tail and one foot just above the center, I crouched down, kept my arms out, eyes looking forward and balanced my way through the waves.

I swerved my board to the left, then tried to jump off my board and switched to a goofy foot stance. It was hard at first but now I can ride almost as good both ways, definitely an advantage and it's a lot of fun.

Paris, Deidre, and Daisy cheered.

"That's awesome! You nailed that trick!" Lance whistled.

"All right, the next wave is mine," said Alex. He was strangely aloof.

Another huge wave around 6-7 feet came. Alex paddled through and stood up. He pointed his surfboard to the crest of wave, preparing to do a backflip. He launched off the wave, propelling himself into the air while holding his surfboard. He held it tight while he barreled through his backflip. He made a perfect landing after completing the trick.

"That was awesome, Alex!" Daisy exclaimed in excitement when the wave subsided.

"You're a pro, bro!" cheered Lance.

"One of the best airs ever!" shouted Paris.

We paddled out and rode some waves in a couple more times. However, one particular aggressive wave threw me off balance. My board swept out underneath me and I hit the water. Hard.

I lost my sense of direction as the current flipped me over and over.

"It's okay, I've got you." A voice whispered in my ear. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by fish-like people with webbed hands and tails covered in shimmering scales. Their skin was grayish, their eyes were big. They have flattened small nose and with small nostrils. Their gaping mouths that larger and longer were lined with razor sharp teeth.

I felt like my body was being dragged and manipulated against my will despite my best efforts.

Someone grabbed my hand that caused me to whirl around and gasp in surprise. A blinding flash of light blurred my sight. I felt as though I'd been transported into another world.

I was hit with a wave of dizziness and swayed on the spot.

"Argh, my head," I moaned. Blinking, I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright light that assaulted me. I was limp on the ground, chest heaving, and head pounding.

The air was rich with the fragrance of damp leaves and loam. I took in all the air my lungs will hold and expelled it slowly. The sound of running water has the hypnotic quality as music.

The dead leaves crunched under my feet. Thick, smoky mist swirled and sprawled as I stood up, walked around and took in the surroundings. The water seeped from the path over my toes with each step.

I recognized the place almost instantly. I had a map of this place carefully stored in my head. I had been here many times before. This was the place where the rapidity of my thoughts stabilized. Here, the passing of time goes unnoticed.

I could see mermaids and other creatures swimming to and fro in the nearby swamp.

"Are you okay?" A voice resonated from behind.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed when I turned around, gazing at the creature in shock. His long black wings spread as he landed on the ground.