Thanks to Ally R. Swan for reviewing.

Hello, I just wanted to let you know that since I updated last I have finished three stories, What goes around comes around, shake it out and You are the best thing (that's ever been mine) so those are three stories down.

I have also started one because I wanted to try one new fandom. It's called "We're coming home" and is written for flight 29 down. So if you know those series, you could check out if you like the story.

I have also tried to figure how many chapters are left of this one. I'm not sure but I think it's about five or so, so not much. I'm going to miss writing this story though, I've really liked it. And I hope you've liked reading it and that you'll like the rest of it.

"Here you go…"

To say the least both of the boys were in unbelieve pain after that fight. But somehow we managed to get ourselves home anyway and the boys quickly placed themselves ast each side of the kitchen table.

The nearest we had painkillers were Aspirin's. But I still got two of them and laid each in front of the boys along with each glass of water.

At last I slumped down on one chair in between the boys, none of us said anything for a long while before I finally spoke up.

"I won't blame either of you for the fight that broke out. I said at last, calmly and making sure I had no trace of anger in my voice. "I just want you to tell me what happened? I met Jimmy, he seemed so tense towards you Seth, so I followed him outside. And suddenly we heard screaming and bangs from inside and I ran back… Now, what happened during the short while I was outside?"

"They…" Seth began carefully, as if he couldn't speak up properly. "…They're blaming me that Marissa's gone…"

"And they're making no sense." I said when Seth didn't continue. "Seth. There was no way either of us could have foreseen what happened. And what happened can never be anyone's fault…"

"I was just so excited about going and then people wanted to go too." A tear rolled down Seth's cheek. "I-I-I… wish we could move back to Berkeley."

I tried to force a smile but it ended more of a half- hearted grimace. And whatever it was for I did not know.

"I know Seth… And sometimes I wish we could too… But we can't."

"I know… But I can always dream." Seth sighed deeply. "And I dream about getting away from people who blames me for killing someone… I dream about somewhere further away from the ocean and the monster itself… I dream about getting away from here and to somewhere I can just start over."

The monster itself.

I guess I couldn't have said it better myself.

That the water had turned into a monster on that dreadful day…

We were all interrupted when we heard a knock on the door and I got up.

"I'll go take it."

Before I reached the hallway Rosa had been there to open the door and in came a dark- haired girl I easily recognized.

"Summer?"

The girl nervously fingered with the shoulder strap of her bag. At first she seemed to even look at me then she slightly turned, but had her bangs more turned towards me than her actual vision…

"Can I talk to Seth?"

Do you too want to blame Seth for anything else or give him a lecture…

"Yeah." I let go of the door without saying anything at first. "Come in."

I showed her to the kitchen, I could only imagine what Seth would have said about Summer Roberts coming here six months ago- he would have been over the moon with Summer even knowing his name. Now he just glared back at her and turned away his head.

"Do you want to blame me too?"

The silence was so thick I could have cut through it.

"No."

I raised an eyebrow at her answer. Was eleven year old-s supposed to go against everything their friends seemed to say?

Seth flinched as if she had startled him, his hand fell to the table as he lifted his head from his hand and turned.

"What?"

"I know that's what Luke and everyone says… I just wanted to say. I don't agree with Luke and the others. I don't think you killed Marissa."

For once in his life Seth didn't say the first thing that came to mind. He hesitated for a long while.

"Why not? Everyone else does."

"I know. But I'm not everyone else and I'm Marissa's one and only best friend… Marissa was really excited that she'd be going to Thailand too. She told me all about how warm it would be, and how much she would be tanning in a sun chair by the pool. How someone would be serving her fresh fruit and she wouldn't have to lift a finger…"

Summer paused and I could tell this was hard for her to talk about, even though she clearly wanted to say it…

"So she went there before Christmas. I was counting the days until she would come back home and tell us all about it… She never did… Then came the news about what had happened. About the tsunami and everything. And I called her- and called and called and called. But that was because of the wave. Never because of you."

"But if it wasn't because of me then Marissa wouldn't have been there in the first place."

"She was really excited. She was so happy… and who would I be to be angry with anyone who made her so happy? And it wasn't just Marissa who were going to go. Mr. And Mrs. Cooper heard it from your parents and I'm pretty sure… I actually think they wanted to impress someone by going themselves. Just like Marissa wanted to impress Luke and Holly and everyone else. And they were the ones who decided they would be going…"

Knowing the Cooper's. Summer was very right. Quite a big percent of what they were doing in that family was to impress someone and making the world a better place for themselves.

"It was probably more important that Mrs. Cooper wanted to go. And if she hadn't wanted to and talked Mr. Cooper into it they wouldn't have gone."

The whole house was absolutely quiet for several seconds.

"You really don't think it was my fault?"

"It wasn't. No matter what Luke and his friends say that's true… That's all I had to say. Bye…"

Summer hadn't stopped fingering with the shoulder strap of her bag since she came but as she turned towards leaving this house she finally let go.

"Wait." Seth got up from his chair. "I'll show you out."

I had to smile, much was to say about my son but at least he was polite to the girl that he liked.

"Are you alright?" I asked Ryan. "Do you need another pill?"

"No." Ryan shook his head. "It helped…"

"I know I am hungry since we never got to eat anything where we were supposed to… and you boys probably are too. There's just something I have to do before anything else."

Without waiting for an answer I got up and left the kitchen for the patio, ever since we came home from Thailand I had avoided coming out here. But it was just like I needed to do it now…

Letting my glance run over the ocean as far as I could towards the horizon, it was like a feeling inside of me told me that if I stood here long enough the water would be rising far away, then rising and rising into a wave that grew bigger and bigger before it reached us.

Just like it had that day in Khao Lak before it trapped all of us in its roaring water…

"You can see it too. Can you?"

I suddenly heard Ryan behind me, being so gone in my own thoughts I hadn't heard him coming up.

And even though he hadn't told me what I knew what he meant.

"Yes." Ryan came up the whole way to me. "Yes I can."

The thing with Ryan was that while Seth could talk a lot, Ryan didn't. And while we both looked towards the ocean none of us said a word, it could have been for two minutes or two hours or two days- I didn't count.

At last Ryan sighed out loud.

"I'm sorry Sandy."

"Huh?" I had to think for a moment before I even understood his words. "Sorry? For what?"

"I know why it was that you can't just move back to Berkeley. And I know you all want to. But even though you didn't say it, it is because I'm here. And none of you… none of us really know what will happen… if it wasn't for me then you could move. Like Seth said, back to Berkeley where you used to live, away from the ocean… And you could go there, away from these people who are blaming him for killing Marissa…. And he… and you of course, could just start over."

This time it was my turn to sigh deeply.

How was I supposed to explain this?

"It's not that simple Ry. And I'd rather be here with you, than further away from the ocean without. You have nothing that you should feel sorry for."

The silence fell in between us again.

"Is there something else worrying you Ry?"

"No. What would that be?"

I couldn't answer that question…

But even though Ryan was just the best liar I just had the strangest feeling there was something he wouldn't tell me that he probably should.

Random fact

There's some Seth/ Summer for you all, but I'm not sure if there will be any more.