Chapter 83

When I see a vast expanse appear on the horizon, I almost had a heart attack. This may seem odd, but after a few hours of travel, seeing anything other than moving Shifters and dead foliage is a big surprise. At this sight, my stomach starts to rumble furiously, probably more ready to reach the ocean than I am.

We continue to travel, our steps pounding in unison. But now that we can see the end, we seem to be running at an increasingly slow speed. I find myself getting impatient, and I speed up, the rest of the group following easily. The ocean grows larger and larger with my excitement.

It finally crawls over us, and we can finally slow down to a steady walk. The others clap next to me. Ray seems especially excited, jumping up and down with his backpack in his hands.

Xavier looks at me, and we make eye contact. His face is twisted into a hesitant smile, and it's easy to notice that he may be a little apprehensive about the whole thing. "What is it?" I ask softly, not noticing that my