My grandmother used to tell me there was magic in the islands. As I gazed out into the edge of the earth, taking in the air as grains of sand stuck almost knowingly to my face, I never believed it more. The sun was starting to set, the burnt oranges and reds faded into vibrant purple hues as the reflection of the water mixed the colors together like an artist's-stained paintbrush would in a cup of water.

Furiously, the wall of waves slammed into the earth, the water reaching out its fingertips to my sandy feet. With each wave that came, I heard my name in the noise the water made when it rose and then collided back down again. Julian. Julian. Julian.

"Forget it. The water is too active," the reasoning voice came out of my best friend Sergio's mouth. Always the reasonable one.

So, in awe of the water, I swam in every day, I failed to acknowledge the dark clouds, and the rumble of the sky. Sergio and my not so reasonable friend Axel had already made their way into the water. They didn't need to take it in like I did. To feel the sand, and listen to the water before they dived right in. I had to savor it, appreciate it. No matter how many times I returned to these waters, before I got in, I acted as if it would be my last because that's what appreciating something was.

Another round of thunder ensued, the water jerking around the bodies of Sergio and Axel viciously. Eventually they retreated.

"God damn storm came in quick," Axel says, shaking the water from his hair like a dog, splashing Sergio and I in the process.

My surfboard was freshly waxed, and I was itching to get into the water, but deep down I knew it was too dangerous with a storm quickly stirring up the waters.

"Julian, do I need to haul your ass away from the water or are you going to listen for once?" Sergio. I slide my eyes over to him adjusting my board under my arm.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just standing here." I knew exactly what he was talking about.

There were many times Sergio had to drill his voice of reason into my head when it came to surfing, and I could tell by the way he had his eyebrows ever so slightly raised that he didn't believe me. It felt like I was a dog sitting in front of a strip of beef jerky and was told to leave it. And I was going to leave it, I was going to listen, until the voice of the devil started speaking.

"You boys scared of a little rain?"

Ryder. My nemesis, and my biggest competition. Being under his scrutiny caused all reasoning to disintegrate. I couldn't let him see me back down, it didn't matter how many times I beat him or how many times he beat me in return. I would never stop reiterating that I was better. Win or lose. That I wasn't scared. He had this strong pull over me. It was the fact that he wanted me to fail, genuinely.

I tucked my board tighter and charged into the water. My name came out in protests from Sergio and even Axel's mouths. The water was strong, but for a couple of minutes I could be stronger. I fought against the pressure and positioned myself on my board. I pulled my necklace from under the hem of my wetsuit and planted a kiss on it.

My grandmother gave it to me when I began having panic attacks, she told me that there was nothing I couldn't do without my necklace, nothing to worry about with it in my presence. And I wouldn't dare test and see if that were true or not. As long as I had my necklace, I could dominate the biggest waters, the biggest crashes into the earth. And the biggest assholes.

The water rumbled; I placed my hand in and knew at that moment this was it. For me it was never enough looking for the right wave. I had to feel it. And this one I felt deep in my bones. My eyes lit up with awe.

"This is the one!" I shouted over my shoulder. I didn't bother looking back. I knew Ryder was watching, that's what he spent all his time doing, watching me. Sergio, Axel and I fought over waves constantly but no protests left their mouths as I paddled further into the water.

"He's not going to do it." I heard Ryder say. Which at the distance I was away from them, would be classified as a scream.

"I think you should get the hell out of the water!" Sergio demanded.

But I was already paddling, I hopped up on my board, easily gliding through the wall of water. I saw the opening loop as I maneuvered my board to keep me steady with more force than I usually have to use but I was doing it and it felt like pure magic. Close. I was so close to being able to see the dumbfounded look on Ryder's dumb fucking face.

"1.." I counted as I made my way towards the exit of the wave. "2...," I was almost there. The water rumbled, and so did the sky. That three was supposed to come easily. I was supposed to glide out of the wave and hop off my board, cheering and hollering like I did every time I tackled a wave. That feeling of magic never goes away, never falters. But that three never came.

Before I got to it, everything changed in a split second. The world started moving at a faster speed than normal, as heavy pressure knocked me off my board and into the angry sea. My instincts kicked in, I knew how to swim, and I was damn good at it, but I was no match for the riled-up water. In that moment it felt like the one thing I knew was betraying me, the pressure of the water was so great, I couldn't get out.

It covered me like a weighted blanket, comforting and heavy all at once. So, I sunk. I felt my muscles give out and my heart rate decrease as I became an artifact of the ocean, just another story deep within its depths. That wave did exactly what I should've believed it could do. It swallowed me.