Jessica awoke with a start, her body trembling and slightly damp with perspiration. She sat in her bed, shivering and cold, her eyes darting furtively around her room. Wrapping her arms around herself consolingly, she rocked her body back and forth. Trying to squelch the fear which gripped at her heart, Jessica whispered �You�re alone. She�s not here.� The sound of her own voice sedated her slightly, although she could still feel the tremors coursing throughout her body.

Jessica took in large gulps of air in attempts to calm herself down. She sighed dejectedly as she carefully laid her head back on her soft fluffy pillow.

This wasn�t something new. It happened practically every night. Sometimes, like tonight, it was especially traumatizing.

Every night, after hours of confused contemplation, Jessica would miraculously drift off into a restless, uncomfortable sleep, only to be awakened by a nightmare a few hours later. Her dreams always followed the same pattern. She would see herself quietly sitting in her room, innocently minding her own business. A smile would be plastered across her face as if she were reminiscing about the few happy times she had experienced in her life. In the next second however, her mother would barge angrily into her room. Jessica�s smile would fade quickly and her lips would begin to quiver. Her mother�s eyes would flash deviously and she would start by hurling insults and accusations at Jessica. Soon, her mother�s temper would take over and she would start hitting Jessica. Even in her dreams, the beatings were ceaseless and painful.

With a shake of her head, Jessica tried to erase thoughts of her dreams from her mind. She closed her eyes, still very much awake but yet somehow hoping that miraculously she�d fall asleep again.

Lying there silently, her mind began to wander and drift. No matter where she went or what she did, thoughts of her mother were always on her mind. Even when she was thinking about something else, she could still hear her mother�s voice screaming at her from the back of her mind.

Jessica soon found herself desperately trying to remember a time when something besides her mother occupied her thoughts for longer than five minutes. The only time she could think of was last night at the beach. When she had looked into his eyes, the world around her had momentarily faded. Her mother hadn�t been important for those few moments.

His eyes had been so enthralling that they had managed to sustain her interest throughout the day. Wherever she went, whatever she did, it felt as though his intense eyes were watching over her. Strange as it sounded, somehow she felt protected picturing him before her.

With a wistful sigh, Jessica propped her head up against her pillows. Suddenly, an idea entered her mind. Her heart began to beat faster as she contemplated it. It was completely ludicrous and she was slightly appalled at herself for even thinking of it. It was a long shot, but one she knew was well worth it. Anything was, if it would take her mind off her mother.

Nick sat upon the warm sand staring pensively out at the water before him. His right hand grazed the sand gently as he allowed the grainy sand to sift through his fingers. The night darkness served as an amazingly breathtaking background for the sea of stars which illuminated the sky. The stars seemed to twinkle magically as Nick gazed raptourously at them.

Suddenly, his hand accidentally grazed an object. Feeling about in the sand next to him, Nick retrieved a smooth, flat rock. He picked it up, brushing his fingers over its cool, smooth surface. Releasing some of the tension and confusion which occupied his body, he powerfully hurled the rock out towards the water. It skimmed the surface, skipping a few times before it plunged into the water's deep recesses. Nick felt around carefully for another rock. Finding another one, he launched it again, this time with more strength than before. Nick continued to do this for a while. With each rock, he could feel the tension and confusion slowly slipping away from his body.

Eventually, his arm became sore and cramped so he resorted once again to staring aimlessly around at his surroundings. The mere fact that he was near the water was in itself therapeutic for his nerves.

Nick sat silently allowing his eyes to drink in the world around him. The way the trees seemed to sway in the breeze, the dancing of the waves and the whispering of the whirling wind was all so fascinating to him. So fascinating and intriguing that he was completely oblivious to her inquisitive blue eyes.

Jessica stood a mere few feet behind Nick, her face amassed with awe and wonderment.

She had known it was a long shot, but the feelings she had been unwillingly experiencing all day had been too intense for her to deny.

On the way over to the beach, she had questioned her sanity more than once. She had forged on though, desperately seeking any means at all to distract her from her mother.

She had known then that it was next to impossible that she would find him here again, but she also knew in her heart that if she didn�t at least try, she�d never forgive herself.

As she traced his muscular build with her eyes, a small shiver of anticipation raced up her spine. Standing right before her was the person who had single-handedly changed her life forever. Because of this complete stranger, she had begun to view life in a different light.

Jessica watched with silent enthralment as he powerfully launched rock after rock towards the black waters. Without forewarning, she suddenly felt her heart plummet to the ground. A sinking feeling replaced the rapture and wonderment quickly as a realization dawned upon her.

This is a mistake. I shouldn�t be here, she thought guiltily. What was I thinking? she berated herself. She didn�t even know this guy and he didn�t know the first thing about her. Jessica was certain that if he did, he would have fled faster than he had last night.

Thinking back to last night, Nick�s eyes had been a dead giveaway to his own emotional turmoil. Jessica was well aware that the last thing he probably needed was someone like her around to complicate maters. Someone who was as angry, as emotionally drained and betrayed as she was could only serve to complicate matters in anyone�s life.

Her mind reeling, she took one last forlorn look at him. Hastily, she turned on her heel and began walking away from the only person who�d ever made a difference in her life. The only person who had ever showed any signs at all of caring.

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