Resurface: Chapter 1

Emily (mle4ever) and I are doing collaborative story- Resurface. Emily wrote chapter 1 and I edited some of it and took the pictures. I'll be writing chapter 2. Enjoy!

A gentle breeze blew through Tegan Kovela’s hair, tickling her ears as she munched on her hot dog thoughtfully. Turning 10 is something to celebrate and that’s what they’re going to do today; it’s her tenth birthday and the whole family is going to the beach to celebrate, before having cake of course. While Tegan and her mother sat on the picnic blanket that July morning, she thought of what happened earlier that day.

 “Better not go in the water today. Double digits…” her older sister Debbie said. She clicked her tongue and went on, “you are getting old. Gee, you might drown or something!”
“Deborah! Shush and finish packing, and Tegan, she’s joking. I’ve been a double digit for almost thirty years now, and I never drowned!” her mom said in that “please-don’t-argue-today" mom tone.

 “Tegan!” her mother exclaimed, “for the sixth time! I said, would you please pass the ketchup!” Tegan apologised sheepishly as she passed the nearly empty bottle.
“Sorry. I was thinking of what Deb said this morning. Do you really think I’ll be able to swim today?”

 Her mother seemed concerned, “Babe, that’s silly. You’ll be able to swim no matter your age! If something were to go wrong, this is a public beach. Someone will help you if you have a hard time swimming. Okay?”

 “Okay, I guess,” Tegan mumbled. Her mother pecked Tegan’s cheek, smearing mother make-up on it. Yuck! She thought as she swiped her hand over her face. She was about to ask if she can go in the water when she heard a commotion on the shoreline.
She curiously approached the expanding ring of people. She tapped the shoulder of a woman holding a toddler.
“What happened?” she asked.

"They found a girl face down in the water!” she explained, “They’re attempting to revive her!” Tegan gasped and thanked the lady for helping, before nudging her way to the front of the crowd. When she reached the front she realized there are things in this world you can’t un-see; things that will always haunt you, for the rest of your life. What she saw there was one of those things; it was Debbie, unconscious on the warm beach sand.

You can find the forum version here.