Alpha Beach

The Report

As it turns out, news travels as fast as the offshore wind.

Michelle found herself at the underbelly of the lifeguard’s main observatory, of which they called the shack. It was anything but. They had everything up there, but it was all in a name. At any rate, Michelle agreed to stay out of sight in the First Aid booth underneath the unit, on the sand, instead.

There she caught the news that reporters all over the internet had posts about their find. The newest big wave surfer just shut down the beach. Some were way off, claiming she had recklessly sabotaged the rest of the Alphas in attendance. Others claimed she hadn’t been seen after and hope that she turned up soon.

Matthew’s report is the cleanest, but not even he has all of her details.

At least no one really knew what happened, she told herself. If no one knew which meant that the story would die off. She could lay low. It would be hard, not being in the waves, but if it meant that she could work on being free again, Michelle welcomed it.

The thought of being off the beach seemed foreign though. She wondered where she would go, what she would do...

Shane came up in her mind again but talking to him seemed like it would be harder to do now, especially after the way he looked at her and the way he left her.

“Stop thinking so loud,” Briana quipped as she maintained the facility, restocking it with essentials from the storage room.

“How do you even know…”

“Alpha, remember?”

“Yeah, but doesn’t that apply to only whoever my mate will be. I mean, no offense…” Michelle grimaced at the implications that she made. “I don’t mean… ah, gods, I can’t…” she growled at herself.

“Can’t what?” Briana asked, amused.

“I can’t talk to anyone without sounding like a jerk. I snapped at Shane and now you…”

“Those are just hormones. If you actually listen to yourself, that is.”

Michelle grumbled at that too.

“I don’t want to listen to myself. She has awful things to say.”

Briana barked out with laughter. Truth be told, Michelle isn’t sure if she ever saw Briana do that.

“Mine was particularly bad for a while before my clarity came,” she nodded.

“What did you do about it?”

“I told her to shut up,” Briana grinned as if she won the battle. “But I’m all Alpha, which means I can control what I deal with.”

“Which is why you work as a guard, isn’t it?” Michelle asked.

“Yep. It’s also why I know where I’m going after this.”

“To your chair?”

“No, no… after this point in my life. This job is great and the perks are too, but my Alpha tells me I want something more. The only right thing to do is go chase it.” Briana replied. “It’s the same reason Lana is the way she is, and when applied to Shane, well, all of our reasons are different…”

“But?”

“Our paths are just different.”

It was the most Briana really ever said to her. Our paths are just different, it seemed like a message she would find in a fortune cookie.

At her nod, Briana finished putting the new bandages away and took a handful of hip pouches filled with gear and hung them up on the rails to be received by the next crew to go out to relieve the guards in the chairs. It was an endless cycle but kept Briana close for the rest of the day at least.

Most of which was quiet.

Michelle fidgeted with her short fingernails and did her best to scrape the light blue paint off of the tops of them for hours until she had to move for a victim. Lifeguards hauled the individual in easily as they were trained to and sat them on the bench to be cared for. It looked like they skinned their torso on the shell gravel coming in but what did she know?

The conversation between the guards and the patient had gone seamlessly through the incident report to their care and how they expect the person to continue out their day given their injuries as she makes her way out of the booth. Michelle can feel Briana’s eyes on her and so she doesn’t go that far, just far enough to give the man space. Shell gravel sucks and being ripped up by it is like dealing with a small shark attack minus the intrusion of a hungry animal.

What also sucks is feeling threatened by her own body and everything else that has put her in a funk for the rest of the day.

What doesn’t? Well, seeing Shane again. Briefly at least. He was still there. He didn’t split and leave after the whole ordeal… but something was off. He was off.

“Excuse me,” a male’s voice called her attention just past the first aid booth and onto the sand, away from Shane. “Are you that girl?”

Michelle wanted to roll her eyes at the sound of his question.

That girl has gone through a lot today, so maybe try being specific, rolled through her mind but not off her tongue.

Instead she simply replied, “Maybe.”

Michelle could feel Briana’s praise which ignited her own intentions of how this conversation would go. She had to own her own choices, Michelle pushed herself to do so.

She took in the surfer’s under assuming form given his average size and girth.

“Uh,” he replied, unsure of himself.

“Sorry, it’s been a day,” Michelle felt the need to apologise. “What’s up?”

“I’m Tony, one of professional surfer Sebastian Murnar’s teammates and I was curious if you’ve ever considered joining The Circuit.”

The Circuit was the only name pros ever gave surfing a long list of beaches surrounding the countries all over the world. It was called this because it literally went in a chain to save in traveling costs. A lot of which was done by vehicle, where top Alpha surfers like Sebastian had the capability to fly. It said a lot about him and his sponsor’s reach to do it.

Michelle shook her head, no.

“Would you think about it?” he questioned politely.

Tony went on to talk about all of his experiences and what he does while he’s on The Circuit in terms of online classes for college. He assumed she could do the same, that was the case at least, until he learned that she was fourteen. He then lit up wondering if he could speak with her parent or guardian, of which she had none.

The first name that came to her that was any kind of close was Mr. Skyran. It was a long shot but she felt that if they knew she was an orphan girl, they would have moved right along. At least, that’s what that little voice inside herself keeps telling her.

“Liam Skyran is the manager here. He’s been like an uncle to me and is more aware of pro surfing than I am. He’s the better person to talk to if you want to sell an idea. I’m just in it for the rush I get and the freedom to just be in my element,” she said as if she was answering questions for an interview, of which, this would be the second one.

His returning response is enlightening. There isn’t a shred of a doubt that what she introduced him as is even kind of off. And as she watches him climb the stairs to request a moment with Liam himself, Michelle can’t help but try her damnedest to listen in.