“Come on, Sierra!”

Seventeen year old Willow Carter calls to her best friend Sierra Willis. Sierra laughs and sweeps her chocolate brown hair behind her ear.

“I’m coming. It’s not my fault you have longer legs.”

Willow grins and turns around to face her breathless friend. Her short blonde hair is curly and unruly. Whereas Sierra is shorter with pale skin, Willow is tall and tan.

“What do you want to do at the beach?”

“Sleep.” Sierra answers.

“Ha, ha. I mean seriously! Do you want to swim? Or hunt for seashells?”

Sierra shivers in the cold Atlantic wind.

“It’s to cold to swim, so why don’t we hunt for seashells today?”

“You’re being a sissy.”

“Hunting for seashells was one of your_ _ideas!”

Willow shrugs and skips onto the white sand. She makes a face.

“The water looks disgusting today. You’re right Sierra. We should look for shells.”

“I thought the mayor put an end to oil dumping.”

“He did. Or at least he tried.”

Willow shrugs and looks around. The beach is littered with objects half hidden in the sand.

“Even the beach is disgusting today. Look at all this junk.”

Sierra grumbles as she gingerly picks up a ruined leather case.

‘What’s this doing here?”

Willow ambles over and looks at the case. With a gasp, she exclaims.

“Sierra! This says Government Property, Top Secret. There’s more but it’s too damaged and faded.”

Sierra promptly drops the case onto Willow’s foot.

“OW!”

“Sorry. But it’s top secret, which means its none of our business.”

Willow’s eyes are alive with excitement and the promise of an adventure.

“Are you kidding? This is the chance of a lifetime! Just think of what could be in there!”

“Willow! We could go to jail for simply just being here! If we look inside, they’ll kill us for sure!”

“But that’s what makes it fun! This is the first and probably last time we’ll ever get a chance for an adventure here in Ocean City!”

Willow picks up the case and starts fiddling with it. Sierra looks around anxiously, watching for government officials.

“Willow…”

“Almost there.”

Sierra groans and kicks the sand in impatience.

“Got it!”

Willow exclaims triumphantly. Sierra sighs and closes her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not looking that way, I won’t get in trouble.”

“You’re such a goody-two-shoes! Come on, Sierra! Live a little.”

Sierra slowly opens her eyes.

“There’s nothing there.”

Part two coming soon