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“Long distance relationships never work,” Penny joked.
“Wait a minute,” Sylvia said. “Are you human too?”
Rafe grinned and nodded.
“For now,” he said.
“Whoa,” Penny called out. “Kalina wrapped you around her finger quickly.”
“You have no idea,” Rafe said.
The two kissed and Sylvia found it to be the sweetest thing in the world. They weren’t one of those ridiculous couples trying to put on a public display of affection to prove something. They seemed to genuinely enjoy every glance, peck, and flirtatious word from each other.
“I’m trying to convince Sylvia to stick around,” Penny said.
“You feel strange here, don’t you?” Kalina asked.
Her question went straight to Sylvia’s heart. Most girls with Kalina’s natural beauty would annoy Sylvia at first. A question like that might be seen as intrusive or accusatory in nature, as if Sylvia might be here for the wrong reasons or might dislike the island inhabitants, but it wasn’t that way with Kalina. Her voice, her mannerisms, and her overall attitude seemed to exude nothing but tender curiosity and concern.
“Come on,” Kalina suddenly said to her, taking her by the hand and pulling her away from the others.
“Um, what about me?” Rafe called out.
“You hang out with me, Stud,” Penny said.
Before Sylvia could protest, Kalina was tugging her down the beach and over to a giant rock with three kids playing on it. When the kids saw them coming, they ran away, chasing each other as they splashed through the shallow water at the shoreline.
“What is anger?” Kalina asked her as she grabbed hold of Sylvia’s hand and swung it back and forth the way young lovers might do.
“Finding out your fries were left out of your order after you’ve already drove away from the drive-thru,” Sylvia said.
Kalina laughed and stepped closer to the water, burying her toes in the sand, keeping safe enough distance from the approaching tide.
“Anger is an emotion that comes from not being fulfilled in some way,” Kalina said. “It’s about you. No one else. Someone has either let you down or has made you feel unimportant or belittled.”
“Okay,” Sylvia said, wondering where the girl was going with this.
“What is jealousy?” Kalina asked.
Sylvia decided not to answer. It seemed the questions were rhetorical. No matter her answer, Kalina would have a response.
“Jealousy is you feeling inadequate. It’s you feeling like you don’t measure up to someone or something else. It’s high expectations you may never reach.”
Sylvia wasn’t quite sure where Kalina was going with this.
“What is sadness?”
Silence.
“Sadness is feeling alone, feeling like you’re missing out, feeling like you don’t belong.”
“I feel a little like that now,” Sylvia admitted.
“Look at me,” Kalina said.
Sylvia did.
“Now close your eyes,” Kalina advised her and Sylvia obeyed. “Think of everything back home. Was there anything about that life that made you angry?”
