The water splashed her face in spurts, leaving her mouth with the taste of salt. The sand crunched in between her toes, and sharp shells whose beauty had been ruined by the power of the ocean stabbed her feet. Her piercing green eyes matched those of her brother. They did everything together -- they were twins and had never been separated for more than three days. He was the more courageous of the two, always taking risks when everyone said he shouldn't. Eliza was more cautious, always making sure there was no chance for danger before doing anything. She sat on the beach, writing in her journal as she watched him surfing the waves. The sun had just barely woken up, creating a fiery reflection on the ocean's surface. This was the tradition since their freshman year of high school -- wake up and watch the sunrise, and if the waves were nice, her brother would surf. It was calming to them both to come to the beach before the rest of the world woke up. She looked up just in time to watch her brother fall off his board, the waves crashing down on him. She giggled, anxiously waiting for his head to appear above the water again. She looked down at her watch, 6:45, almost time to go to school. She glanced over at their two bikes, laying down in the sand, and then up at the pastel colored houses that lined the beach, and noticed storm clouds forming.
"Hey Jason, there's a storm coming, we should head to school", she yelled, but the loud crashing of the waves drowned her voice. Nothing but the board, the reflection, and the seagulls' call answered her. She looked up again. All she saw was the choppy waves, and the board floating into the distance. Panic filled her stomach. She double checked. Nothing. She triple checked for her brother's sandy blonde head bobbing in the waves, and noticed something unusual. His electric green board, which stood out against the calm blue of the ocean, had bite marks. She immediately scoured the area for sharks. She failed to remember hearing anything in the news about shark attacks occurring on this beach. She rummaged through her backpack for her cell phone, but it wasn't there. She then looked for Jason's, but didn't find it either. No phone, no one awake, and her brother had been under the icy blue waves for over five minutes. She screamed for help, repeatedly yelling at the top of her lungs, until her throat felt dry and sore. She didn't dare take her eyes off the spot where her brother had disappeared, so she stuck a toe in the water. Then her foot, trying to get a better view. She walked until the water was up to her waistline. The water was crystal clear, and she could see the board drifting farther. Suddenly, she was able to see the blood that surrounded it, coloring the blue of the ocean to a grimacing red. She gagged, looking away, and ran back to the safety of the sand. She had barely reached the sand when she saw a shadowy figure glide across the spot where she had just stood.The sharp and jagged fin pierced through the surface of the water like a blade. "Oh my god," she said under her breath, shocked at the beast only feet away from her. She was in awe of the animal -- its anatomy had always been fascinating to her -- but the trail of blood in its wake snapped her back into focus. Think Eliza. What can you do? You could take your chances at out swimming a shark, but that's unlikely. You could run and get help, but by then Jason might be dead if he isn't already, and the board would be beyond sight. She stood paralyzed, not knowing what to do, and watched the surf board and all memory of her brother drift away.
