1 Father's Death

6:30 in the morning.

I saw the great bright sphere slowly rising into the dark morning sky. The sky shifted from a bright yellow to a more intense color, blending in with purples and breaking up the previous night's darker shades of blue.

The sun turned the clouds brighter as it went up into the sky. The trees, power lines, and the homes were like shadows in the tri-colored rainbow sky. There has been a new day born.

*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*

*Door opens*

"Oh! You're already awake" Mom said.

I just smiled. Officially, summer days began, splashing in the water, playing volleyball on the beach, drinking cold drinks, and feeling the beautiful sunshine. Summer has never been boring.

"Yeah. Well, it's summer, who doesn't get excited in summer?" I said.

Mother goes in and sits with me in bed and sees the huge window, then she asked me, "You alright, Sam?"

I looked at mom, smiled... and said, "I missed him".

Mom started to comfort me, wrapping her arms and putting my head on her shoulder, she said, "Oh, Sam, I know. In the summer of the past three years, I get why you're down. And your dad, Sam, I miss him so much. I remember he promised you to take us to the Cayman Islands last summer, three years ago... but unfortunately... he died ".

I smiled at mom and without saying something, I went into the kitchen to get some water.

AT THE KITCHEN

As I was about to enter the kitchen, I saw father preparing bacon and eggs, and he greeted me with, "Our one and only princess, good morning! I have a present for you!".

From what he said, it lifted my spirits and made me so excited, and as a result, I immediately remembered my father taking me to the sunflower field and a museum every season, and never fails to impress me.

"Is that true?! I can't wait to see it!" I said.

He asked me to take over the kitchen as he went to get the gift since I'm a great cook.

"Hello there, princess!" Beck said as he gave me a bouquet and greeted, "Welcome home!"

Dad arrived with another bouquet as I was receiving the roses saying, "Oh, no! I had no idea Beck was going to get you roses... if that's so, then here's another one for you."

"Can you tell me why you're giving me flowers?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Sam, that flower I gave you, is... what we give to your father today, we're going to him!" Dad said.

"Really?! You guys are going with me?" I asked.

"Of course, Sam! Where going to Seattle, I mean, why not right?" Beck said.

"What do you mean we're going to Seattle?" I asked.

"Wait, it's in Seattle, right?" Beck asked.

"No, silly! It's in California" I said.

"Oh, I didn't know that... I thought it was in Seattle" Beck said.

"Well, he wants to be with his mother," I said.

I raced up to them both and hugged them, saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! This means the world to me".

Mom said, "Looks like you guys are having a good time there."

"Greetings, mum! Father and Beck just sent me roses, and now we're going to meet him!" I shouted, jumping up and down with delight.

"Well, that's very kind of you two," Mom said to Beck and dad.

"Well, I just think that before we start another summer without Nikolai, we should give him a visit," Dad suggested.

After enjoying a good time in the kitchen, we ate breakfast and prepared for a brand new summer day.

AT THE CEMETERY (CALIFORNIA)

We landed in California and remained in a hotel until the morning, then we proceeded to the cemetery...

"We'll leave you alone, okay? We'll be just at my brother's" Mom said.

"Okay, I'll catch up with you guys" I replied.

I was alone in my father's grave, looking at his name and mentally reading it, "Nikolai Shay"... and I saw people standing, weeping, praying, and talking to their loved ones, as well as myself, I suppose...

I remember sitting silently, hunched over, and with such a strong sense of loss that my muscles refused to respond to commands. My face felt wet, as though I were standing in a blowing gale. My heart, felt like it had been torn out of my chest. I was in a state of despair with no light at the end of the tunnel. As I laid still on the bed, an awful weight dropped across my shoulders. It was as if a huge rock had fallen on me and I couldn't get out of it.

People told me that it would be fine, and I smiled back, knowing that they would assume I was perfectly fine. That's my father who died, and I'm the daughter who knows it, me and my other half-brother, Nathan, cried like it was the end of the world... he stopped crying in the following 3 days, as I was not feeling well, like I had no energy in the whole week, not be able to accept it...

I sat in front of him, placed the flowers and my tears were starting to roll and I said, "While you're gone, can you take care of me in the following journey ahead of me? It's been 3 years, dad... I missed you badly".

After we finished visiting Dad, we gathered outside the cemetery, where mom, dad, and Beck hugged me tightly and gently patted my back, with mom saying, "It's okay, dear."

Mom broke the silence in the car by suggesting, "What about we go to the beach and have a good time? At least, someone needs to let go of her emotions right now".

I was so happy when mom suggested going to the beach, it's the place where I go after meeting dad. But since I'm with the part of the family, I guess this is gonna be a long day...

"Is it okay if we go to Malibu? Lia and the other girls are there to meet you "Spencer said.

I was surprised when Spencer mentioned a person named Lia, and other girls? That are gonna meet them... Am I the only one who doesn't know anything about this? "Lia? Who's that?" I asked.

After I asked my question, no one answered me until Spencer decides to, "It's none of your business, Sam,". How annoying is that?

"Okay..." I replied. I'm not surprised. More if no one's gonna answer my answer, that's how crazy this family is, you don't even wanna be a part of it if you know what this family really like. So, stop wishing you're like us... joke.

"Spencer... can you at least talk to your sister, that's mean," Mom said. I felt different after what mom said, it's too late. And, yes... I'm disagreeing with them right now. I annoyed, okay?

"No, mom... It's okay, I understand him" I said. Even though it's not. Beck began to smack Spencer, and I started to feel uncomfortable since I'm in between Spencer and Beck. I know, right?

I've never enjoyed hanging out with them, particularly with mom, who can be overprotective at times, and Spencer, who refuses to speak to me. Except for Beck, the others just want to speak to me when they are lonely or forced... I like him because he reminds me of Nathan.

"It is indeed Malibu," Dad confirmed. Okay, Malibu's a great place, I've been there all the time... but with the fact that we're going to - I mean, they're going to meet their girlfriends' family, that's okay, at least, I'm alone.

AT MALIBU, CALIFORNIA

WE ARRIVED!

"Sam, would you like to get some fresh air while we wait for them?" Beck requested.

"Sure, let's go! That is why we have come here" I responded.

The waves crash into my knees as I walk down the beach. My hair is rustled by a soft sea wind. The quiet, peaceful sea reaches out ahead of me for as far as the eye can see. The aroma of fried steaks and hamburgers on a stove. Ohh, I'm hungry right now...

People rested in the grainy sand while admiring the ocean view. Any people get sunburned instead of getting a tan. And kids making the best sandcastles they can, flying kites side by side, diving, and tossing water at each other.

A boat sailed by the pier, leaving a wake of massive waves that swept across the sand; it rocked back and forth as the waves collided. The brightly colored wooden houses line the white sand. The coconut palms rustled with a soft wind. Rainbow colors bounce off the waves as the sun and the ocean merges.

"So tell me, what do you think?" Beck asked.

"Think of what?" I asked back.

"Well... Spencer?" He asked.

I brought up my feelings about Spencer, which took a long time because of his unexpected question, and I hadn't thought about it before. And when Beck asked his question, a lot of it collided in my head... they're a lot more than I anticipated.

"Beck, I'm not sure. He treated me in a way that I don't think older brothers should treat their younger siblings" I responded.

He said, "Yeah, neither do I, it's a little over."

Little... how shocking.

Spencer came by on a jet ski, splashed us with seawater, and my feelings toward him began to change gradually. This is too much.

*DING!*

- MESSAGES -

Ari: Greetings, Beck! We're at a hotel, which we can't visit because our parents prefer restaurants to resorts...

Beck: Hello, oh, well... have you told the others yet?

Ari: Lia already texted Spencer, I'll see you there, love you!

Beck: I love you too! I'm looking forward to meeting everybody.

--

"Um, Sam?" Beck called as he was turning off his phone. He was smiling when he called me, so I think I'm going to expect some good news.

While I'm having fun kicking the sand, I looked at him and said, "What are you gonna say? Is there any exciting news?"

"I don't know, but the girls want us to meet at the restaurant," he said, looking down and checking the time on his watch.

Oh, I didn't expect that; I was expecting them to meet them here... "Okay, that's great. I'll be okay here, don't worry" I responded.

"No, you're coming with us," Beck said, squeezing both of my shoulders and facing me in his direction. He is concerned after everything I said, as though he doesn't want me to be lonely... as if of how he defended too late in the car... what's the real deal?

"No way... I'm going to be fine here" I responded as I moved away from his grip on me and kept walking. I'm fine; I'm not planning on attending and they just want to see each other's parents. It's their family, and I'm just a small part of it.

BECK'S POV

After such a walk with Sam, I certainly felt different when she told me she wasn't coming with us, which I didn't want. And as a result, I disliked Spencer even more; Sam has always been like this; it began when she was seven years old... how tragic.

But something changed as we arrived at the parking lot to get into our car...

What happened?