Lost Girl 3 by Elodie Short

Chapter 1
     
     
    I wake up while it’s still fairly dark. I can see the first streaks of light from the sun, waiting to come up just below the horizon, coming through the gap of the door that we didn’t close properly last night. I stretch out and give Rick a kiss on his cheek, before getting up. He seems peaceful, lying on the flat airbed with the faintest hint of a smile on his face while he’s sleeping. Quietly I push one of the doors a little further open to let more light in. I quickly search for a t-shirt and some shorts in my sports bag to pull on and then walk outside. I stretch out on the small steps in front of the beach hut. After having a terrible time sleeping and waking up incredibly sore the previous night, I didn’t think that sleeping on the floor would do me any favours, but apart from my slightly stiff back, I’m feeling surprisingly rested. I jog out towards the water, hoping no-one else has picked up the clothes we’d left on the shoreline last night. I let out a tiny sigh of relief when I find everything were we’d taken off last night still lying in the sand. The sea must’ve come inland a little further last night, because when I pick up our clothes, they’re heavy with water. I walk back to the beach hut and hang the clothes on the railing outside to dry, before going back inside to wake Rick.
     
    “Rick,” I whisper while I softly nudge him in his side. “Rick, wake up.”
    “What?” he mumbles without opening his eyes.
    “You should get up.”
    “Why?” he sits up with a shock and looks around. “What’s wrong?”
    “It takes just under two hours to drive back home, you should leave soon or you’ll be late for work.”
    “What’s the time?” he asks while rubbing his eyes then looks outside to see the sun just coming up and raises an eyebrow.
    “It’s twenty to six,” I reply after checking my watch.
    “Oh,” he mumbles again. “It’s Tuesday, I don’t work at the market on Tuesday’s. So it’s fine,” he yawns and lies back down again.
    “Oh,” I whisper back, “okay.” I look around, not sure what to do next, I don’t normally get up this early.
    “Come back to bed,” Rick mumbles with his eyes closed and pats the floor next to him. I shuffle down on the blow-up bed next to him, and he wraps his arms tightly around me. Seconds later I can hear him softly snoring again.
     
    I watch the sun rise from the comfort of Rick’s arms and lie here staring out of the doors until I hear Anna stir.
    “Rick?” she whispers softly from her bed, “Rick, I need the toilet.”
    I push myself up out of Rick’s arms while she slowly she pulls herself out of bed and within a few steps she’s standing next to us.
    “I’ll take you,” I whisper back to her, “we’ll let him sleep for a little while longer.”
    Still in the clothes she was wearing last night, she tiptoes around Rick and confidently walks out of the door. I push myself off the floor and have to rush out to follow her. By the time I get outside, she’s already two beach huts in front of me and I take a little sprint to catch up.
    At the toilets I wait until she’s picked out a cubicle herself and go into the one next to her.
     
    ***
     
    “Can I go play in the sea again?” she asks on the way back.
    I shake my head, “not right now. Why don’t you play with Mick’s cars for a little while? I have to call my brother and your brother is still asleep.”
    “Okay,” she mumbles a little sadly.
    Together we walk into the beach hut. I get my phone out of my bag while Anna picks one of Mick’s cars from the pile she left last night. I watch her for a moment rolling the car up and down on the floor before I quietly walk outside to call Brendan.
     
    It takes a few rings before he finally answers.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi Brendan,” I greet him cheerily. “I didn’t wake you up did I?”
    He chuckles lightly, “I wish. Unfortunately that seems to be Mick’s job.” He lets out a little