Page 89 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

“I doubt it.”

“Come on, I’ll help you.”

“How are you supposed to help me get over my fear of the ocean?”

“I’m sure I can figure it out.”

“I think you believe you could get to one of the moons if you tried hard enough.”

“With a bit of willpower, anything is possible.”

This new nostalgic feeling I had made me want to consider his offer briefly.

“I think I’m still scared,” I admitted.

His hand landed in mine, calloused and rough from all the labor he did.

“That’s OK,” he said. “We can start slow, and if you really hate it, we can stop.”

His words were reassuring, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready.

“Come on,” he said, gripping my hand. He threw some coins down on the counter and turned us around, out the door and back down the road.

Instead of going towards the dock, he led us left, where the sand from the beach gathered.

When we reached the edge, I paused, unsure if I could even step onto the sand.

Adrian paused with me, not making me go any faster than I wanted to.

The ocean waves crashed against the edge, the loud woosh heard even from over here.

“Ready?” he asked. There was no sense of urgency in his voice, only a genuine question.

I nodded, nervously taking a couple steps forward. My impractical heels sunk into the sand, throwing me off balance. They probably would have tripped me if it wasn’t for Shadowhart being there to catch me. His tail shot out, wrapping around me and keeping me steady.

I used his grip for balance and took off both heels, holding them in my other hand. The sand was so warm against my feet. It sank between my toes, falling into every piece of me that it could. It had been so long I was sure I had forgotten what it felt like, but that same gritty, almost ticklish feeling was one I recognized easily.

We took a couple more steps toward the ocean, until we were about halfway across the beach.

“Want to sit here for a little while?” Shadowhart asked.

That did sound like a good idea. I informed him so, and then laid my skirts so I was able to sit with my knees propped up and my face resting on them. He lowered down next to me. He sat close enough that we were touching, and I let myself lean into the comfort just a bit.

The sound of the waves was more soothing than I recalled. The salty air was especially dense here. I’ve been smelling it for weeks, but in a more muted way from below deck.

“Are you going to ask your question?” Adrian asked.

“My question?” I replied.

“Yeah, a question for a question,” he said. “I always keep my word.”

“That seems to be the case,” I confirmed.

I took a few moments to consider what I actually wanted to ask him. I found I had so many questions, choosing just one was proving to be difficult.

“What’s up with the pocket watch?” I finally settled on.

He obviously wasn’t expecting the question. “My pocket watch?”