Young Blood
Arabelle and Lily decided to go to the beach to check it out. They still have the whole day until tomorrow before leaving for the Invisible City. Since they are already there, might as well enjoy it. Arabelle didn't have a swimsuit so she just wears a tank top and shorts. When Lily shows up, she's already wearing her skimpy red swimsuit. She even has a hat and matches it with a pair of sunglasses. It looks like she really prepared for this trip afterall.
“Where's your swimsuit?” Lily asked her.
“I didn’t have one so these will do.” Arabelle replied.
“I have other pairs. Do you want to borrow?” Lily offered.
“No, I'm fine. Let's head to the beach.” Arabelle resists since she doesn't have Lily's confidence.
“Okay, suit yourself. Let's go!” Lily seems to be happy with her reply.
The two women headed to the beach excitedly. Lily looks like a model with her outfit. When they reached the beach, there were a comfortable number of people out there. Almost everyone there turns their heads to look at Lily with admiration. She has a nice body and also pretty so it's no surprise people will at least glance at her. Arabelle noticed most of the women are also wearing their swimsuits. It's the beach after all but she didn't care.
“Let's take a dip!” Lily said and ran towards the water but didn't wait for her.
“I hope Ralph is okay by himself.” She turned her head to the direction of the cottage.
Arabelle thought that he could take on anything so she didn't have to worry. Ralph didn't want to go with them since he needs to sleep. Even vampires don't exactly get tired, they still sleep when the sun is out. She follows Lily to the water and enjoys it. It's one of her dreams to be on the beach and have a vacation. At least she gets to do that before her quest. This is her chance to unwind first before going on a trip again to find the Invisible City.
“Come here, Ara!” Lily called out on her.
“Don't go too far, Lily.” she reminded her.
“There's nothing to be scared of. Common!” Lily insisted.
“I don't think we should go that far.” She noticed that the water was now on her waist.
She stopped on that point when she remembered that she didn't know how to swim. Lily seems like she's really enjoying the water. Although Arabelle started to feel scared because the waves seemed to be getting stronger. What if it pulls her too far and ends up drowning? She can't take that risk just to enjoy. Her mom's life is in her hands now. She decided to go back to the shore while hearing Lily keep on calling her. It's not worth it.
“That little bitch!” Lily murmurs to herself.
Lily feels annoyed when she saw Arabelle suddenly turned around to get back to the shore. It's the perfect place for her to take Ara's essence and let her drown. Unfortunately, she's being very sensible and careful. Lily can't just grab her with all those people around. When she heard Ralph tell Ralph she didn't know how to swim, an idea sparked in their mind. Maybe it's not the right time today so Lily decided to get back to the shore as well.
Arabelle can't help but to feel suspicious with Lily’s intentions. She's now sitting on the shore looking at her so-called friend coming towards her. In her current situation, she can't afford to get into an accident. Maybe Lily just wants to have fun. Although if it seems to become dangerous, she can't be a part of it. She needs to be careful all the time. This is an unfamiliar territory where anything can happen. She decided that she can't trust anyone during this trip, even Lily, who seems friendly.
“Hello! Are you enjoying the resort?” a young man's voice cuts off her thoughts.
“Sure, it's a beautiful place.” Arabelle replied and smiled at the stranger.
“Not as beautiful as you. By the way, I'm Justin.” he said and offered a handshake.
“Ara. My name is Ara.” She said feeling shy.
“Did you come here alone?” Justin asks, trying to look as charming as possible.
“No, I came with my friend.” She pointed in Lily's direction.
To her confusion, Lily is nowhere to be seen anymore. She was just looking at her as she walked towards the shore. Maybe she saw that a guy was talking to her and decided to leave her to deal with the stranger. Although Justin seems to be a nice guy. She didn't feel the need to be defensive. That's why she decided to just talk to him and just deal with Lily later. Justin seems to have a lot of funny stories to tell so she decided to enjoy his company.
It's been a long time since Arabelle talks to someone her age. She almost forgot what it feels like to talk to someone about new things. In the past few years, she seems to be around older people more. That's why she keeps on giggling with Justin's jokes. They ended up going to the juice bar to have some refreshing drinks. It looks like she will miss that interaction after today. She has to continue her quest tomorrow. For now, she will enjoy being young and deal with responsibilities later.
“My friends and I are going to see if the Invisible City will show up tomorrow night. Do you wanna come?” Justin decided to trigger her with that.
“How do you know about the Invisible City?” Arabelle was surprised he would bring it up.
“It's a famous myth around the island. Maybe we can meet some elementals there.”He replied innocently.
“I'm not sure if I can come with you cause my friends and I are also going there tomorrow night.” she informed him.
“Perfect! We can see each other there then.” Justin feels excited to confirm her plans.