Prologue

                                    

                                          
The soft sounds of the waves comfort me as I sit in the sand, surf board by my side. I routinely glance back up at the house, to make sure no lights have come on. The inky black water gleams like liquid obsidian in the darkness. The moon reflects on the surface of the water like an iridescent pearl.
                          
I step into the water and glide out into the calmer sections of the bay and lie there on my back in the salty cool water. I look up at the sky, stars shining brightly. The bright pinpoints of light reflect onto the water and I am completely happy, for the first time in a long time.
                          
After about thirty minutes, I flip around and slowly paddle back into shore, the cool salt carving indents into the palm of my hand.
                          
The sand sticks to my feet as I walk up the beach to where I left my shoes. I pull on my tank top and hitch my surfboard over my back. I go into the ‘surf shack’ as my dad likes to call it and stumble around in the dark for the shelf that usually holds my board.
                          
I push the back screen door open quietly and tiptoe into the house. It’s dark and shadows creep across the walls. I pull off my shirt and shorts and untie my bathing suit. My iPhone goes off on my nightstand and I shut it off. I glance at the clock. 4:00 AM. This is a bad habit. But it doesn’t really matter because tomorrow’s Saturday anyway.
                          
The salty water has dried on my golden tan skin. It really itches. I grab a towel from the shelf in my bathroom and step out onto the area where our outdoor shower is. The wind rustles through the tropical trees that surround our property. I reach into the wooden structure and turn on the hot water. Steam rises in the early morning air.
                          
As the water runs through my hair and down my back, I breath in the smell of the newly blooming hibiscus flowers and the faint smell of cooked fish. There's a diner down the road a couple kilometers. The workers have come in early again, as they do every Saturday, to prepare for the busiest day of the week.
                          
I step out of the shower, water pooling around my toes. I glance over to the ocean and see the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. It stains the morning sea a vibrant orangey-pink. I wrap a towel around myself and head back indoors to change. I can hear the half asleep stirrings of my parents as they begin to come out of their slumber.
                          
Once I'm back in my room, I pad silently over to my leather chair. It faces the window that faces east. While the rest of the house gets to enjoy the sunsets, I can enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian sunsets. I can't imagine living anywhere else but here. I doze off, into a peaceful slumber, thinking thoughts of surfing and ocean waves.