“There you are.” Alec sits beside me, a smile on his handsome face and a twinkle of curiosity in his eyes. “Living on the edge, I see.”
I let out a light laugh and look back out over the water. “Hardly. I was going for a run and got distracted by this—” I search for a word unsuccessfully. “Anyway, why does everything in this town seem so different?”
Alec shrugs. “Ask your grandmother. But my guess is that a lot of heart went into developing this town. Everywhere you turn, there’s a piece of history embedded in what you see.”
I frown. “It sounds like my grandparents have done a lot for this town. I mean, Rose clearly loves it here.”
Alec cocks his head to the side. “Why wouldn’t she?”
Heat rises in my cheeks. “I just mean that I don’t understand why there are people in this town who don’t approve of the work Rose is doing. Bettering the environment, enriching the businesses and services already local to this place, and minimizing the overcrowding that comes with tourism. I feel like I’m missing something.”
Alec stares at me for a long time before finally speaking. “I don’t think it’s you who’s missing something, Kat. Some people in this town are…” He releases a smile as he looks down at the rock and runs his finger along a small crack in its surface. “Greedy, neglectful, selfish. I could go on.”
He lifts his brows at me, and I smile. “Rose says the same thing.”
“So, Summer Girl, what do you plan on doing this summer, besides contemplating the fortress your family built?”
I don’t miss the abrupt change in conversation, but part of me is grateful for it.
“School,” I say. “Virtual school, to be exact. I still have a few classes to finish up so I can graduate. Rose insists I get it over with.”
“Ah, that’s a bummer if that’s how you’re going to spend your first summer here. You’ll have to find some time to get away and hang out with us.”
I nod then look back at Alec, realizing I have no idea how old he is. “What about you?”
“I just graduated. I’ll be starting at the private college in the fall.”
“The School of Gaia?”
Alec nods. “The one and only. You’ll be going there in the fall, right? I figured with you being a Summer and all…”
When I was bored last night, I looked up the School of Gaia just to see what it’s all about. From what I read, its focus is on environmental science, engineering, and medicine, but there are arts programs as well. While it’s all fascinating, I haven’t put much thought into what I would study in college. I don’t think I would have ever considered something like oceanography, atmospheric chemistry, or any of the topics of study found on the long list I looked over.
“I don’t think I’ll be attending. I might not even be in Apollo Beach for much longer.”
I hate how my heart grows heavy when I see the disappointment on Alec’s face.
“What? Really?”
I shrug as a strange feeling of guilt snakes through me. I’m not sure why. It’s not like I have any sort of connection to this town, but even as I think that, I know it’s not totally true. “I don’t know. If I left, I don’t even know where I would go.”
“Stay.” It’s a simple word, but the force behind it hits me straight in the gut. I look up to see Alec’s gaze grip hold of mine. “You have to stay.”
I want to ask him why, but deep down, I already know, so I suck in a deep breath instead. “I should get back to my run.”
He helps me stand, and I can’t help but stare at his dimpled smile one more time. “Can I join? I need to see if you’re as good at running as you are at pool.”
I laugh. “Okay, fine. Just do your best to keep up.”
He chuckles, and we take the rocky pathway carefully before landing back on the beach. I let Alec set our pace—a light jog farther along the coastline.
I’m fully aware of the fact that he seems to be holding back. “You can go faster, you know? I can handle it.”
He meets my gaze with a challenge then nods before taking off with more force. We zoom in and out of the small neighborhoods around the own. It’s as if our path is tracing out the shape of a star. When we’re turning around at the marina, I realize just how amazing I feel. My legs feel stronger than ever. Every muscle, large and small, expands and contracts with each motion. The deep breaths I’m able to pull in as I run is as impressive as my need to go faster.
The only thing that slows me down is the view of the seemingly abandoned area of town as we approach it. It’s as if Apollo Beach is split into two—north and south, new and old. Even the sand in the volleyball area appears to be abandoned as weeds grow between its grains in the shallow spots. All that’s left are crumbling exteriors and overgrown lawns the color of dried mustard. A strange feeling takes hold in my chest, like there’s a history here I’ll never understand.
When we get close to the start of a wooden walkway with a sign that points to a “Nature Trail,” I slow alongside him and look over for the first time since we started our run. He’s sweating and breathing heavily. I assume I should be just as tired, but my energy isn’t exhausted.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he says while sucking in sips of air. “How do you have so much energy?”
I twist my lips into a hesitant smile. “I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t run in weeks. It must be all that built-up energy from staying in so much lately.”
Alec shakes his head. “That would make it harder, not easier. We just ran five miles, and you haven’t even broken a sweat. You are a superhuman, woman.”
I laugh at his strange compliment then step forward onto a concrete path that eventually turns to dirt and rocks. We walk the rest of the way, and tropical wildlife begins to spring from the ground on either side of us. As the walkway narrows, exotic leaves and flowers on either side brush my arms.
Alec is apparently a wealth of knowledge. He describes what I’m seeing around me—tidal creeks where the mangroves grow, providing a habitat for large coastal birds, oysters, crabs, and fish. We move up a small hill, round a corner, then travel back down to an empty semi-enclosed beachfront. I look up to find a large building with the same smokestacks I remember seeing upon my arrival to Apollo Beach.
When we finally reach a clearing at the top of the trail, I get a better view of the energy plant as it looms before me. Tall cylinder structures attached to a rectangular building overlook the water, with a fenced-in yard of gravel surrounding all sides of the facility.
My mom once mentioned that my father worked at an energy plant after high school. This must be the one. The thought creates a heaviness in my chest—an unwelcome weight that I’ve always tried to avoid. Being here, at the birthplace of my father, the place where my parents fell in love, it feels impossible to escape.
Sadness tries to dominate my memories of her, but this time, I won't allow it. I’ll never stop missing my mother, but I refuse to cry every time I think of her. Instead, I focus on the good times we shared. A smile plays across my face as I immerse myself in a nostalgic place where time no longer exists.