Beneath The Wild Sky

Chapter 5: Dunes and Distance

The dunes shifted underfoot, loose sand collapsing with every step. Sereia shielded her eyes from the late morning sun, camera slung across her back, clipboard in hand. She hadn’t expected to be dragged into a field project on her third day back—but Lira was persistent, and Kaelen even more so.

“It’s just a day,” Lira had said. “We need the help. Besides, you could use the distraction.”

Distraction, sure. If that’s what they were calling Kaelen these days.

Sereia adjusted the strap on her shoulder as she followed the markers along the trail. The volunteer team had already started mapping the tagged nesting sites for the season, carefully avoiding the roped-off areas. Sea turtle tracks crisscrossed the sand like faded calligraphy.

Kaelen was crouched near one of the nests, her braid trailing over one shoulder as she gently recorded temperature data with gloved hands. She looked up when Sereia approached, offering a small, wary smile.

“Glad you made it,” she said, standing. “We’re a bit short on hands today.”

Sereia smiled back, though her throat felt tight. “Anything to save baby turtles.”

Kaelen huffed a laugh. “Still got your sarcasm.”

“Still got your sea obsession.”

They stood in silence for a beat, the wind fluttering between them like a restless thought.

Kaelen handed her a measuring tape. “Want to help mark the perimeter of that nest? We’ll log it in the next data group.”

“Sure,” Sereia said, taking it. Their fingers brushed. Neither of them commented.

They worked in companionable silence, voices drifting back and forth only when necessary. The sun crept higher, heating the sand and the back of Sereia’s neck. Sweat gathered at her temples, but she didn’t mind. Being outside steadied her, and so did the rhythm of motion—measure, mark, record.

Still, every now and then she’d glance up and catch Kaelen looking at her, quickly glancing away like she’d been caught peeking behind a curtain.

Sereia wasn’t sure what it meant.

By early afternoon, they’d finished marking the nests in their section. Kaelen pulled out two water bottles from her bag and handed one to Sereia as they sat on a patch of shade beneath a crooked tree.

“Thanks,” Sereia said, sipping gratefully. Her mouth was dry, throat scratchy from the wind and sun.

Kaelen twisted the cap off hers but didn’t drink right away. “You ever miss it?” she asked after a pause.

“Driftwood?”

“Yeah. This place. The quiet. The sky.”

Sereia looked up. The sky was bright and endless, dotted with slow-moving clouds. A hawk circled high above the dunes. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “But mostly I think I missed… feeling like I belonged anywhere.”

Kaelen was quiet for a moment. “You belonged here,” she said finally. “At least, I always thought you did.”

Sereia turned to her, but Kaelen was looking at the sand, drawing lines with a twig.

“I was afraid to ask you to stay back then,” she said quietly. “You had big dreams. I didn’t want to be the reason you gave them up.”

Sereia swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t have been the reason. I left because I thought staying meant settling. But now I’m not sure I knew what settling really meant.”

Kaelen looked at her. “What does it mean now?”

Sereia let out a soft breath. “Maybe… choosing something on purpose. Even if it’s not flashy. Even if it’s not a big city or a gallery opening.”

Kaelen smiled, just slightly. “Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing this whole time.”

Sereia laughed under her breath. “Saving turtles and pretending not to notice me?”

Kaelen tilted her head. “I noticed.”

Their eyes met. There it was again—that quiet, sparking tension, like standing at the edge of a cliff, wind pulling at your clothes, wondering if the leap was worth it.

But Sereia looked away first. “You’re good at this, by the way. This work. It suits you.”

Kaelen shrugged. “It keeps me grounded. Makes sense, you know? Something to take care of. Something to believe in.”

Sereia nodded, running her fingers over the rim of her water bottle. “I’m starting to wonder if I’ve spent the last decade chasing things that were never going to hold.”

They sat in silence, not awkward, just full.

Eventually, Kaelen stood and offered a hand to pull her up. Sereia took it. This time, neither of them let go too quickly.

The walk back to the parking area was quiet, but different. The kind of silence that hums with what might come next.