The sun was high and shone on the beach. It was hot, but not scorching. The water was cold, but not freezing.
And Katie and Tiff were busy not doing anything at all. They wore bikinis and sunglasses and laid on towels under umbrellas. Trish was nearby, her book reading interrupted by the flirtations of a nearby lifeguard. Eugenia and Oscar were playing in the water, the sunlight glinting off of Eugenia's glow as she playfully kissed the muscle-strapped nerd. Oscar's swim trunks barely fit him, but nobody seemed to mind.
"This is the life," Tiff said.
"Yep," Katie said. But then, she turned to Tiff and said in a worried tone, "But is it our life?"
"What do you mean?" Tiff asked.
"Were we meant to be here?" Katie said. "I mean, this is all the result of the House. What if we never went to the House, never saw it, never even knew it existed? Would we still be in school, flat-chested and picked on? Would I still be called 'No-Cans'?"
"Why?" Tiff asked. "Why does it matter? We did go into the House, it did happen, and a person would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to call you 'No-Cans' now."
"But," Katie said, "if the House exists in all realities, then there has to be a reality somewhere where we never entered the House."
"Yes," Tiff said, "but that's not this reality."
"But," Katie said.
"Shhhh," Tiff said, holding her finger up to her mouth. "No more talking about other realities or other uses. You remember what Professor Hobbes said: what only matters is what happens next."
"What does happen next?" Katie asked.
"I don't know," Tiff said. "But I read a quote a while ago. From Shakespeare, I think. 'Journeys end in lovers meeting.'"
Katie thought about this and then smiled. Then she laughed and Tiff joined in and then they both leaned forward and kissed. The kiss went on for quite a while and when both broke away, Katie said, "Are you still into muscley girls? Cause I know where we can find some more serum."
And Shakespeare was right.
Thu Jul 28 11:54:18 2005