After lunch, Mili woke up in her hotel room, where she was staying for a few days in New York.

  She still wondered if what had happened that morning was just a dream—his eyes, his smile, his openness, and that magic he’d brought into her life…

  The girl felt something special between them, something elusive.

  Getting up from the massive bed, Mili put on a loose black top, a denim jacket, and gray shorts with white sneakers.

  Then she headed downstairs and walked to the nearest coffee shop.

  Back at the hotel, she climbed into her Ford—but couldn’t start it. “Damn it! Again?”

  Breakdowns with her red beauty weren’t uncommon, so Mili had learned to fix them with ease.

  She stepped out and popped the hood.

  While she was dealing with the latest issue, two guys around twenty quietly approached her from behind. A whistle rang out behind her.

  “Check out that ass!” the tall blond pointed at Mili.

  She rolled her eyes and emerged from under the hood, turning to face them.

  “Whoa, she’s a total babe!” the brunette in a leather jacket stared wide-eyed.

  “Wanna have some fun with us?” the blond winked.

  “You fix cars so sexy.” The guy in the leather jacket grinned widely.

  Mili took a step toward them. “Oh, I love fixing things. I could take a look at you too…”

  Their lecherous grin disgusted the girl.

  “We’re not against it,” they answered in unison.

  Mil pulled out a black butterfly knife.

  She began spinning the knife in her hands at a furious speed.

  Then… suddenly froze, like a statue.

  The blade rose to her neck, and the dull edge slid across her skin.

  A chilling smile played on her lips, and her head tilted to the side—like a doll whose eyes had been taken over by madness.

  The guys swallowed hard and froze.

  “I patch things up masterfully. You’ll love it,” she spoke in a sultry, syrupy voice, licking the tip of the blade like a predator.

  One more step—and she was barely a meter away from them.

  “So? You in?” She flipped the knife to her other hand.

  The guys spun around in panic, trying to back away, but tripped over the curb and fell forward.

  “C-crazy…” They scrambled to their feet and bolted.

  “She probably escaped from a psych ward!”

  Within seconds, they had vanished around the nearest corner.

  With a single flick of her wrist, the girl folded the knife and slipped it into her pocket. Mili closed the hood and, sighing, sat down on it.

  “I’m so sick of these disgusting guys and their filthy fantasies. Thank God I didn’t run into a real psycho or pervert. That kind would only get turned on by something like this.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  She suddenly giggled. “But those terrified faces! That was worth seeing!” Mili burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.

  Grabbing a couple of croissants and a coffee from the bakery across the street, Mili got into her car and sped off toward the ocean.

  The Ford flew down the highway, slicing through the wind as the world blurred into streaks of color.

  The music pounded in rhythm with her heartbeat, pushing everything else aside.

  Pulling up to the shore near a lighthouse, she stepped out of the car and walked toward the water.

  The waves blanketed the shore like a soft quilt, leaving only foam behind.

  Mili sat on the sand, gazing out at the gray horizon.

  “Mom, Dad…” she greeted her parents with a smile.

  “I’ve almost fulfilled your dream… I watched the northern lights in the C?te-Nord region. Went to the ?les de la Madeleine, where you first met. It was… unbelievably beautiful!” Tears slipped down before she could even blink.

  “And in the small town of Tadoussac, I saw so many whales… Oh, how magnificent they were! And this week, I released paper lanterns with your names at the Water Lantern Festival.” She tried to wipe the tears with the back of her hand, but they stubbornly kept running down her pale cheeks.

  “I tried Dad’s favorite pizza in New York… Tasted your favorite cheesecakes, Mom…” The girl carefully wiped the salty streams that refused to stop.

  “Now, there’s only one last place left on our journey, the one you planned for your twentieth wedding anniversary… Tomorrow, I’ll go to Massachusetts, where you celebrated Mom’s pregnancy.” She sobbed softly. “I remember the phrase you repeated on every one of my birthdays: 'I want our child to hear the ocean for the first time where the giants swim.' Dad… You said Mom spoke it on the day she found out about me.”

  “And on that slope, our trip will end. I’ll finally… be able to let you go.” She let out a tiny sob again, her body trembling, but not from the cold. “I really tried…” She snuffled, and as if defying her own tears, straightened up, looking straight ahead—stubbornly, childishly, yet so vividly, as if trying to hold onto the whole world slipping through her fingers.

  Milly broke into a sob—sharp, hoarse, as if torn from her very depths. The sound spread smoothly across the empty beach, dissolving into the roar of the waves.

  …

  She wiped her tear-soaked cheeks. Got up from the sand and lazily brushed off her shorts.

  “It’s time to go. I love you…”

  Six months ago, she scattered her parents’ ashes over the ocean.

  That’s why she always returned—to visit Mom and Dad.

  Miliana smiled faintly, her face still wet, her eyes red and slightly swollen.

  Casting one last glance at the vast expanse, she climbed into the back seat to calm herself before the drive.

  After several endlessly long minutes alone with her thoughts, she drifted into sleep.

  ***

  About ten years ago. Chicago.

  “Daaaad, Moooom, hurry up! How long are you gonna take?”

  A nine-year-old girl stood beside a red Ford Mustang, clutching a pink, fluffy blanket. Her waist-length hair was braided into two thick plaits. Sweet, snow-white face with rosy cheeks was scrunched in irritation.

  When her parents came out of the house with a woven picnic basket, they saw their daughter in a light sky-blue sundress.

  Her mom, Lucy, wore the same dress and white sneakers—just like her daughter.

  It was clear the girl took after her mother. She was also an albino. Only her white hair was cut into a bob, and her eyes were brown. Mili’s eyes, though, were from her father—the same sky-blue.

  The head of the family decided to match the color palette his girls had chosen and wore a blue polo with white shorts and flip-flops.

  Tem, Mili’s dad, had red hair slicked back and a neatly trimmed Van Dyke beard.

  “Finally,” the girl sighed.

  “Sweetheart, we were packing the food!” Dad smiled.

  “Fine, I’ll forgive you if you let me drive at the pier.” She clasped her tiny hands together, showing how serious she was.

  “Ahaha, you little schemer.” Dad set the big basket down beside the car and tossed the girl over his shoulder, spinning her around.

  “Aaaah, put me down!”

  “Ahaha.” Mom couldn’t hold back her laughter.

  “Mom, attack Dad!”

  Lucy tickled her husband, and he set Mili down. Daughter and wife chased Tem around, tickling him. Laughter filled the whole street.

  “Okay, okay, I surrender!” The girls hugged Tem, and all three burst into joyful laughter.

  The smiles on their faces were the purest proof of their happiness.

  …

  Mili’s eyes snapped open. “A dream… Just a dream!”

  The lighthouse was already piercing the darkness with its bright beam.

  Miliana slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled onto the road, lit by rows of streetlamps.