Familiar Streets

Mariza kicked a pebble down the sidewalk, her turquoise necklace catching the morning sun. The half-heart pendant felt heavier today, just like it had every day since the accident.

"Mariza, breakfast!" her mother called from their house.

She turned back, but her feet felt stuck to the pavement. Three months ago, she had walked these same streets with Luca, planning their next adventure. He had always been different from her—his clothes patched and worn while hers came from expensive stores. But none of that had mattered when they were together.

"Coming!" she shouted back, though she didn't move.

The neighborhood looked exactly the same as before her father's pirate expedition. Same white fences, same red mailboxes, same Mrs. Garcia watering her roses. But everything felt hollow now.

Her phone buzzed with a text from her cousin asking about weekend plans. Mariza stared at the screen, then shoved it back in her jacket pocket without answering.

The Bus Ride

Mariza finally walked inside, where her mother handed her a plate of scrambled eggs. The kitchen smelled like vanilla candles, but the food tasted like cardboard in her mouth.

"You barely touched dinner last night," her mother said, sitting across from her. "Maybe you should call someone. What about your cousin Emma?"

Mariza pushed the eggs around her plate. "I'm fine."

Her phone buzzed again. This time it was Emma herself, asking if she wanted to go to the beach today. Mariza's stomach twisted. She hadn't been to the ocean since the accident.

"Actually," Mariza said, standing up suddenly, "I think I will go out."

Her mother smiled. "That's wonderful, sweetheart."

Twenty minutes later, Mariza stood at the bus stop, her heart pounding. She had lied. She wasn't meeting Emma. She was going to the beach alone, to the place where her father's ship had left three months ago.

The bus pulled up with a loud hiss. As Mariza climbed aboard, she touched her turquoise necklace. Maybe seeing the ocean would help her remember Luca better, or maybe it would finally help her forget.