Page 4 of Guided by the Stars (Creating Destiny #1)

When she catches up to me I notice that we have swam out further than I thought, unable to touch now, but the water is still so clear beneath me.

The fish are swimming below us, seeming to ebb and flow with the current, having no worries in the world besides finding food or seeking shelter from predators.

“Wow, I can’t believe how far we swam out. How did you get so fast, anyway?” she asks. That is a good question. “Do you think we should head back in? Last time we came out this far...well you know what happened.” A shudder courses through her body.

“I don’t know. I didn’t notice any difference,” I say.

Though I could see better, which was weird because last night the salt water had stung my eyes.

Today I felt like I was just gliding along.

I look around, noticing there are not as many people this far out.

I point back towards shore, and Nora nods her head.

I see her swimming and that’s when a fin pops out of the water.

Panic grips me and I call out to her. She doesn’t hear me.

I swim faster towards her. I fear I won’t reach her in time.

I would rather get eaten by a shark than her.

Nora is goodness and that is something so hard to find in this world.

Before I even get to her, I hear her laugh. I stop and see her with a dolphin. I swim closer, and she runs her hand along the dolphin’s head.

“Look who came to say hi,” she says. Smiling, I shake my head, relief coursing through me.

Dolphins are social creatures, but I’ve never really seen them just come up to people. Nora plays around with the excited dolphin. It’s making all these clicking noises at her and she’s bobbing her head up and down as if she can understand it.

The dolphin finally makes one last noise, throws water at us, and swims off. I look at her. “That was crazy, right?” I say.

“No, he just wanted someone to play with,” Nora says and swims off back to shore. I keep up with her easily and leave the topic alone. I mean, she’s always been more in tune to others than I have, so maybe she just knew?

We reach the shallow area and start walking toward the beach. “That was weird, A, like I knew what it wanted. Like this instinct or something took over in my body.”

“I thought I was the one who hit my head last night,” I joke and nudge her with my shoulder.

She nudges me back and I drop it because I am not sure what is going on or how to explain it, but it seems something weird is happening to both of us.

Not knowing what to do about this feeling, I keep my mouth shut.

The rest of the afternoon passes by without incident and we decide to head out. I throw on my lace cover up and put on my flip-flops and we agree to hit the shops along the beach before going to the hotel.

We enter a general goods store, I grab a small basket, and start filling it with all kinds of snacks to keep in our room.

We have way more food than we’d ever be able to eat in the two weeks left of our trip.

Then again, we love having snacks while we get ready or when we watch tv, so they might all be gone by tonight.

Up ahead there is a small souvenir shop.

Deciding to pick up some stuff to take home, we make our way inside.

It’s a small shop filled with t-shirts, key chains, shot glasses, and a million other touristy things.

Nora calls to me from the other side of the small shop, and I head toward her. She’s standing in front of a tall jewelry case with several necklaces in it.

My eyes immediately zero in on a package she has in her hand. They are best friend necklaces, a crescent moon and a sun. “They’re perfect for us,” Nora says.

Funny, we are so close, but so different.

I am more of a night person and she is more of a day person.

Nora has a warm complexion, a carefree smile, long, wavy golden-brown hair, and she has these soft blue eyes.

Whereas I have porcelain skin, long, bright red hair, and my eyes are also blue, but deeper, like the purest blue ocean.

She is more down to earth and I am more loud and unfiltered.

“Yes, let’s get them and grab dinner so we can head back to the hotel. I am exhausted,” I say and she nods.

At the cash register, the girl explains that the necklaces are aromatherapy necklaces and we each get to pick a scent to go with it.

“I’m getting this one,” Nora says, showing me a bottle with the word lavender on it that fits her perfectly. She loves that scent, it reminds her of her mother.

I look through the bottles and pull out one that says jasmine. The scent of jasmine has always been my favorite.

We pay for the necklaces and walk out. I crack open the energy drink I bought and down it quickly.

“Let’s change and go to eat at that fancy looking restaurant.” I nod happily because I love going out and food is a passion of mine.

I bounce on my heels and wrap my arms around her. “Yes! Who knows what kind of trouble we could end up in?”