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Shiloh
There’s a kind of nagging echo that bounces off the dark town streets of Hades Hollow. The whispers between the Tiki huts, sandbars, and small coffee shops. No one liked to speak about it out loud. I think, for the most part, everyone here likes to ignore all the red flags within the stories. I wasn’t sure what to believe most of the time. The stories had changed so much I don’t think anyone really knows the truth.
The tales grew around every good thing in this town like poison ivy. Death was a lonely place, but it was silent there. Peaceful.Haunting.
“Shi! Hurry up, baby! Jump!” Ruin calls out loudly from below.
Fucking Ruin and his dumb ideas. I took a careful step closer to the edge until the loose rocks moved beneath my toes. The dark water curdles around the rocks down below, and I hold my breath as I internally count down my options.
I couldn’t not jump. I had done it before, but it was so high every jump felt like a first. I step off the ledge and fall, hitting the placid water with a loud splat. One I knew would leave a mark long after. I try to inhale air, but fill my lungs with water instead, and I curl my hands above my head to swim to the surface. See, Hades Hollow has a secret, and like the bones of our ancestors that live beneath the waters here, it should stay dead.
Hands grab me around my waist, forcing me to the surface as I swipe water from my face.
“Hey…you good?” Ruin asks, tucking his blond hair behind his ear while sitting upright on his board.
“Always.” I’m certain I probably almost died. But it’s The Landing, and The Landing isn’t to be taken lightly. Everyone here knows who I am. They know I bleed saltwater, so I guess none of them expected me to almost fucking die after jumping.
His face splits into a wide smile as he reaches behind himself and pushes my board over to me. I wrap the strap around my ankle, pushing myself up on top while keeping my eyes on Ruin.
“How many times is that now?” he asks, his blue eyes twinkling.
Ruin is cute, but he’s bland. It works for us both since neither of us is ever looking for anything remotely serious.
“Twice.” I lean down on my board, paddling closer to Dani.
Dani is my best friend’s “girlfriend,” and since Cooper—the best friend—isn’t here right now, I know I have to take her under my wing. She’s new to Hades Hollow, and even though she surfs, we figured out pretty early on that she isn’t as experienced on the water as the rest of us. I have to watch out for her.
“I’m heading back in.”
Dani wobbles on her board as she lies back down. “I’ll follow you. Is this what you guys do every Friday night?”
The Landing is a large cave that holds a water pocket beneath it. It’s open above, with a direct view of the sky and a small shoreline that leads you to the large rock that stretches out over the water. It’s high, and when you’re that far up from the water, you notice things. Like how close you are to the sky and how far away you are from the water. I hate coming here for other reasons that don’t involve the jump, but come to make sure no one gets hurt when Ruin is doing dumb jock things.
No one gets hurt…again.
“Don’t worry, baby!” Ruin calls out just as Dani paddles up beside me. “I’ll be back to tuck you in later.”
“Asshole,” I grumble, picking up my pace as we exit through the little entrance tunnel.
Depending on the tide, you could be staying in The Landing until it recedes again. Unless you’re me. I’ve swum out that entrance more times than I’ve paddled out.
“I still don’t understand you guys’ weird little rituals in this town.”
I can see a flicker of light on the beachfront, and I direct my board that way. It’s late, and aside from the panic of sharks lingering, I mainly take my time when I swim back to shore. The Landing isn’t too far, but if it’s a receding tide, you’re working against the motion, so it’ll take you longer. Lucky for us, it’s an incoming tide, so we’re practically riding in.
“That’s because you’re new here.”
I’ve had this conversation with Dani multiple times since meeting her nine months ago. Her father moved her here from Santa Cruz, so technically just up the road. I never asked her why they came, but figured it had to do with the fact that Hades Hollow is ninety-nine percent better than SC. That one percent is the guys there are hotter. At least to me.
“I know. I’m trying to learn, but I don’t think I have caught on,” Dani murmurs just as I paddle into a wave.
Pushing myself up on my board, I ride the pipe all the way through until the wave curves into nothing, and I slip off, landing on the sand. I tuck my board beneath my arm as I make my way up onto the shore. Music spills out around the space where I find Cooper sitting opposite the burning flame with a Solo cup in his hand. The party always starts here, goes to The Landing, and then ends here. It’s almost repetitive, but it’s fun. As much as I talk shit about it, I’ll take any chance I can to get in the water.
He notices me and stops laughing with the people who are around him, pushing up from his chair and jogging to meet us halfway. “You okay?”
“Yes.” I stab my board into the sand, snatching the oversized white shirt that’s near my phone and towel and slipping it over my head. The wind is slightly warm as it curls its fingers through my hair. I start drying it off anyway with my towel.
“Ruin playing games again?” Cooper has been my best friend all my life. Our mothers are still best friends, and since both of us no longer have fathers, we’re kind of like a small family, I guess.
