"Ready to go to the beach?" Mina asked me. 

I take a straw hat and my sunglasses. I put on a burgundy short jean and a black top made of light cotton that show my shoulders. My swimming suit is under. No frilly for Mina, but a simple dress, tied on the neck and the colour of a pretty light pink. 

We share the room together and she left me the bed close to the window. I didn't look and pull the curtains. I want to see the sea for the first time with Shawn. 

We leave the room and see Lisbeth. She sighs while looking at her phone. 

"Let's synchronize our watches, girls!" announced Lisbeth. 
"Phones, you mean?" Mina corrects her. 
"Exactly. It's 6:45 PM! My number is saved in your phones (the second number). You can call me if there's a problem!" 
"And you too," smiles Mina, "call us if there's a "problem"?" 
"Thomas is a problem, should I call now?" says the pretty assistant. 

We laugh. She's very elegant: really high heals, a tight black and grey dress that could pass work dress, but is a little bit short if we compare it to her usually clothes. 

"You made an effort?" says Mina, surprised. "I thought you didn't want to go take a drink with the recruiter?" 
"I only have one word! To make a detour here, I accepted this dinner with Thomas. But I won't lose!" 

She tightens her fists and nods. I have the impression that she is making a promise to herself. 

"Lose what?" I ask 
"My pride! You don't how much Thomas can be... annoying! I'm scared that he will take revenge. Last time, I refused to marry him and today, having to work with him complicates things a bit." 
"You.. refused to marry him?" screams Mimi. "Kyaaaaaaa! Tell us! I love gossips!" 
"In fact, we are childhood friends." 

I listen attentively. Shawn is my childhood friend and now my boyfriend. Maybe she has advices? 

"We grew up together. And then, our families saw us as a couple until I decide that it didn't suit me anymore." 
"I don't understand?" 
"I wanted to leave my village and be independent. Dream and grow up. Becoming a strong woman and an adult by myself. I was scared that Thomas would keep me away from that. I really loved him but... I felt trapped in this place a bit oppressive. I had the impression that life was already traced and... that it was slipping through my fingers. At twenty years-old, and after my studies, I left everything to join a marketing agency in London. I was working at the same time at the training of the futures Grannies. Thomas didn't take my decision well. Maybe he thought that I would be by his side forever. However, it wasn't enough for me anymore." 

I think. Shawn too is always with me. I never thought that I could slow down is future. He's my hunter and I was supposed to be his riding hood. Now, I'm becoming an apprentice Granny, what will I do? What kind of future can I hope for? And Shawn? Am I keeping him from evolving?" 

"Does Thomas still love you?" I ask. 
"I don't know. I was named recruiter assistant for this year. Sometimes, our Villages superiors ask us to give time to our cause. I didn't have a choice. However, I didn't know it would be with Thomas. I don't even know if he knew. We go along with it since a few days. This dinner is a bit... strange from him." 
"Hihihihihi! I'm sure that it will be romantic. You will have to tell us everything!" 
"We will see!" says Lisbeth while putting back hair behind her ear. "Go have fun, girls." 
"Let's goooooooo!" 

Mina pushes me toward the hotel entrance and takes my hand. She smiles and hops: 
"The sea, the sea, with my BFF!" 

We walk along a stone path, at the end, Shawn makes me sign. The smell of the sea makes me shiver. I'm excited. At a few meters, I stop. See the sea, I had some many good expectations that now, I'm scared to be disappointed. 

"Diane, is something wrong?" 
"Yes..." 

Shawn suddenly takes my hand.
"I'm here!" he said. "Don't be afraid to make your dreams come true, Diane." 
"But I've been waiting for this for so long. It seems a bit stupid, but i'm scared of being disappointed. And once the dream came true: what do we do?" 

Shawn's warm hand hold minds. His face leans towards me. His grey eyes softly look at me. 

"Diane, when our dreams come true, we are happy. And then, we have other dreams. I know that you have other wishes and you have the power to make all of them come true." 

He kisses the inside of my wrist and I smile. 

"Yes, I have so many." 
"So... let's go?" 

I nod. Shawn understands me. He encourages and supports me. I don't feel trap in his arm. His soft presence reassure me and gives me wings. But I have to stand without him to grow up. Can I live without him? Can I evolve with him? Lisbeth chose her own path by rejecting Thomas. How about me? 

I walk towards the sea. I let go of Shawn's hand. On the top of the hill, the wind and the blue immensity of the water hits me right in the heart. I can't hold in my heartbeats and a a sigh. 

The sea! Immense! As far as the eye can see. 

I run down the sand hill, throwing my sandals away. The sand is warm. The feeling of the little burning grains is new. I laugh. I'm not disappointed. I want to fly with the white birds that I see far away. I feel free. No one can really understand how much I wanted to. Here, there's no tree hiding the sky, no barriers or limitations. Just the sky that meets the vast blue expanse of shining water, until you can't see the limits of the sky and the earth. 

I run again. My legs get in the warm water. I throw my short and my top away. I dive in. It's the first time that I run without being told that it's forbidden and the first time that I swim outside of a swimming class. 

I swim. My heart oscillates between laughing and crying. I'm so happy. Is that what making your dreams come true look like? Shawn is right: I want to make other dreams come true. 

From the beach, Shawn smiles and Mina is making signs to me. Wold is on top of the hill and looks at me in a funny way. I probably look crazy to him. The wolves don't like water and the ones from the Big North are horrified by heat. He probably thinks I'm strange, but it doesn't concern me. I'm living my dream. No one will forbid me. 

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To everyone going back to school, I wish you a good school year. Study hearts and be proud of your hard work!