Beyond The Sea (Open)

Simply put, Cam went wherever the job took him. He had never had roots in any one place; he was an unlikely nomad in that sense, so he went wherever he was needed, or wherever he was told to go. As a child, he had never had a choice, and he was glad to exercise his free will now, going to Green Ridge not because he felt an obligation to - though that was a small part of it - but because he wanted to. He enjoyed assisting Gunner, and couldn't think of a man more suited to the job if he were to resign his post. Besides, what sort of man would he be if he chose to stay in New York? He was too loyal to do that, and he had no ties there to speak of, so the decision was simple. Cam would stay on as Gunner's assistant, and secretly, he was glad to be living nearer to the ocean. Being the son of a Naval officer, it was what he was used to. Phoenicia was one of the few places he'd lived where he'd been completely land-locked, and the feeling had been unsettling. Surely the opposite was true for many of the people making the move - in the end, how one felt about it came down to one's upbringing, nature or nurture or some combination thereof. If you'd grown up in a small town hours from the ocean, the sight of all that open water was bound to be a little disconcerting. It was common sense, and yet, as he inhaled a lungful of salty ocean air, Cam couldn't imagine feeling so uncomfortable around water. He knew why it made others uncomfortable, knew that the mystery of what lurked within its depths made it so much easier to fear, but to him, the idea of living in a dry, barren wasteland was much more frightening than that of living on an island. Water was crucial to life; surrounded by it, at least they knew they would never go thirsty.

The first few shifts at St. Christina's were a bit hectic as everyone got settled in. Cam's office was an unforgivable mess for a couple of days; there was so much to unpack and organize that four straight hours of work the first morning did little to alleviate the stack of boxes dumped in the corners of the room. His progress was also hindered by his continuous flitting between his office and Gunner's, and from their offices to the staff lounge for coffee until he found his own machine buried in the cardboard rubble. Thin ribbons of sweat, following the curvature of his spine, plastered his shirt to his skin at the end of the day, but by the time the week came to a close, everything had a place...in his office, at least. His home was a different story, and Cam groaned inwardly as he thought of the vast amounts of unpacking that still awaited him there. A man could only do so much in a week's time between the office and home, but he tried his best to make sure each environment was as tidy and tolerable as possible. It gave him a sense of purpose, and putting things in order made him feel good even if he wasn't looking forward to it.

The weekend was largely spent dusting and organizing, but when Sunday came, Cam felt in need of a break. A run into the center of town the day before had seen his cupboards fully stocked, and it was nice to prepare breakfast, the routine of mixing pancake batter and frying eggs familiar and satisfying in a way a quick bowl of cereal could never be. He wished he had someone to share it with, and briefly considered contacting Julie for such a purpose, but surely she was busy with her own household tasks, too preoccupied by her own concerns to make time for him. He didn't want to bother her, even if he was desperate for company, and he didn't know where she lived besides. Gunner wasn't an option either. He had a family to look after now. It was as strange for Cam as it was for the doctor, perhaps. For as long as he'd known the man, he'd been alone, as solitary and unyielding as the rock they now lived on. Cam, in his infinite naivete, had always assumed that that was just the way he liked things. And maybe that had been true for a time, but whatever the reason, he had new-found status as a family man, and that made him even less accessible than before.

Cam was jealous, in a way. He had never been able to imagine himself with a wife and kids, but that didn't mean that he never thought about it. It might be nice -- well, if he ever found a woman who could tolerate him for more than a month, anyway. He had a lot of emotional maturing to do before marriage became a possibility, let alone children, and he had to date a woman for a substantial amount of time before marriage even became a viable option, let alone one he felt passionate about. He regarded it now with a wistful sort of curiosity. What would it be like to live with someone else? Could he do it without scaring the other person away? Cam had only ever lived with his parents, so he had no idea how an outsider would react to the way he lived, including his various quirks and peculiarities. Could a woman love him for those things, enough to want to live with him, enough to eventually marry him? He wasn't getting any younger, and as the years progressed, he thought about it more and more. He wasn't in a hurry to turn those thoughts into reality, but he wondered if he should be. He was worried that his lack of urgency meant he would always be alone. Then again, Gunner was fifty, nearly twenty years older than him. Maybe it was never too late for a family. Either way, it still seemed too early for him to be thinking about one. It certainly wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He didn't have any prospects and doubted his situation was going to improve on the island. Julie was...well, he liked her quite a lot, but he was sure she only viewed him as a friend, nothing more. He was far from the romantic hero most women wanted, and he wasn't even sure he'd know what to do or how to react if he suspected she was looking at him as potential boyfriend material. Once that happened, there were expectations to be met, and he didn't quite know what those were. Well, he had some sort of idea what was expected of him as a partner, but not enough to fully understand the way romantic relationships and their myriad intricacies worked.

In order to get his mind off his ticking internal clock, as well as the foreboding sense that he should be doing something more with his life, Cam decided to go out. Breakfast was consumed quickly and without much enjoyment. It was hard to savor the meal when his thoughts were overrun with various worries and insecurities. But the food filled his belly either way, and he carefully washed the dishes and wiped down the kitchen counters before ducking into the bathroom for a shower. He wasn't sure where he meant to go, but walking around town was a start. He wasn't overly familiar with the layout of the place, and it would be better learned on foot than in the back of a taxicab. Besides, he could use the exercise. With all the excitement of the past couple of weeks, he'd forgotten to make time for his usual morning run. It had become something of a habit back at Hadley, one that had been sorely neglected since the whole operation went belly up. He wrote a reminder on a stack of Post-It notes, peeling the top one away from its brethren and sticking it to the refrigerator, where the black Sharpie stood out in bold contrast to the yellow paper it was scrawled on: Morning run. Find new course, get back in the habit. He could scout out new locations on his walk, find the best place to jog. He wasn't sure if traffic was heavy in the mornings on Treasure Chest Road but he wanted to try and avoid it if at all possible.

A plain gray t-shirt and pair of blue jeans were as casual as Cam got outside of his home - barring his running shorts on those early runs - and that was what he was wearing as he locked the door behind him and started down the street. His path took him down Park Loop, where he swung a right onto Hollow Trail, away from the center of town and out towards Anwyl Beach. It was a beautiful day, and when he arrived, he wasn't surprised to see a few families lounging on the sand with beach towels and coolers and giant umbrellas meant to ward off the harsh glare of the sun. A little closer to Cam sat a young couple taking turns rubbing sunblock into each other's skin. He was surprised to feel a twinge of envy as he looked the other way, fixing his eyes on the sparkling water instead. He was sure it looked more inviting than it felt, but he rolled his pant legs up to his knees anyway and stood in the low surf, letting the waves break around his calves. The water was cold, but the heat from the sun countered the chill. Beyond the sea was where he'd discarded his old life, and he hoped his new one started soon.

And down the rabbit hole we go...

The more the curious blonde searched around the island travelling in her bright red convertible the more she became convinced that she was in wonderland. There was something so surreal about how perfect this place was and yet went she looked to the cold, imposing building of St Christina’s she felt the nape of her neck prickle at the eeriness of the place. Alice wasn’t really afraid of much, in fact when she had gotten a fear she took it upon herself to do anything to conquer it. She loved the feeling that a fear gave her, that stirring in the roots of her hair and her stomach and the fierce beating of her heart. Once she had conquered her fear it had lost the charm of feeling scared and instead was replaced by a feeling of accomplishment. One day, she would conquer that feeling the facility gave her... whatever it was.

That wasn’t to say she was prejudice against the people inside. Oh no, she knew exactly what she had been signing onto here and she doesn’t regret it either, Alice had been surrounded by many people in her life, some completely sane and some completely insane. Alice had been drifting around in some form of middle ground her whole life; she had never really been completely sane in her mind. Her mindset was wired too different; she was too hyperactive and inattentive than was usual for any other person. One may think she were too wild and exuberant... her mother’s words, not hers. Alice had to sigh when she thought of her mother; she died an unhappy woman, pushing everyone in her life away until she had succeeded in tearing her bonds with her own children. But still Alice went to her funeral, because if anything the blonde truly wasn’t done pissing her mother off just yet. She had done it her whole life so why should it stop just because her mother’s ended?

Alice had always been a strong-minded young woman; she had always done what she had wanted in her life from a young age. Her philosophy was carpe diem and she lived it in quite a literal sense, in her mind she only had such a short time on this earth to spend it unhappy so she would live today as if she had no tomorrows. If she saw a guy or girl she liked she would flirt, if they turned her down then it was simply whatever will be will be. But Alice would probably flirt anyway just for the fun of it, she was such a friendly being, perhaps too friendly was the problem but she doesn’t see any trouble in harmless flirting and that was probably her problem. Even when her advances were rejected she still slipped up from time to time but she could only fight her inner nature for so long after all. Despite that she knew what she was truly here for, and that was for a new tomorrow and a new adventure. She had bought herself the toy/candy shop to own and run and she had pretty much stolen her best friend to help her with no intention of giving him back. Hell she would steal James Cartwright any day, of all the relationships she had in her life he had been the most stable and for her to say that she was attached to him was an understatement. Alice quite literally loved him in all senses of the word, even though she could never truly picture herself being tied down to anyone in any way. There were too many options out there in the world and too many things to focus on.

While most would never think it she actually did have a businesswoman mindset in her, she knew how to strike up a good deal and appease unhappy customers and such. Apparently it was something she had inherited from her grandfather, they called it the Starling Instinct but whatever it was Alice was grateful for it. Everyone had a calling in their life and apparently running a business was hers, she knew how to get down and get serious once it was truly needed and she saw potential in a toy/candy store as she knew both categories fairly well. Hell she was turning twenty-five next month and she still played video games, she just supposed that a part of her will always be with her childhood, but who said that she was too old for video games anyway?

A quick swing by to do inventory checks and see if she needed any errands to be run is what she would do before she returned back to her home. As the blonde returned to Hollow Trail she decided that she would do a quick stop off at the beach. One of the reasons she had picked this place to live in was because she loved the beach, she had practically lived on it for her whole life and was a true Cali girl at heart, with the blonde hair and accent to match. She thought about quickly donning her swimsuit for a quick dip and decided she would put it on underneath her shorts and top before grabbing her cooler and beach towel and she was off.

Making her way down to the beach Alice set herself up a place and rolled out her towel on the sand. She sprawled out on it her sky blue eyes scoping out the crowd for something, or someone that caught her eye. That was the issue with her short attention span like hers; it took someone really unique and different to catch her eye for extended amount of time. It was only as she went to reach for a coke did she realize that she had gone and forgotten to get her sunscreen. An audible groan escaped from the blonde as she frowned “damn it,” she could always get up and go get some but it seemed like too much of a hassle and so instead she decided she would try bugging someone else for some. Her eyes spied a lone man in the water and Alice jumped to her feet to approach “hey, hey you! Handsome, dark and average-sized...” she made her way over to him in some sort of cross between a skip and a jog. Alice always seemed to have a spring in her step “I don’t mean to bother but do you have any sunscreen I could steal? I went and forgot mine like an idiot...”

Cam sometimes felt that same prickle on the back of his neck when he looked too closely at St. Christina's and the Pleasantville-like strangeness of the island...well, Pleastvantville if they'd been peacefully cohabiting with the residents of an insane asylum, anyway. Okay, insane wasn't a fair assessment. Most of those kids truly weren't crazy. They were just dealing with bad upbringings in a really convoluted, complicated way, and if they didn't come from a bad upbringing then they were just trying to have a good time. It was all teenage behavior to him. The kids were more normal than they thought they were, but they kept being told that they were different and strange and needed to "change" or be "fixed". Cam knew that wasn't true, knew he was living proof that you could be a bit...off...and still be a decent, productive, contributing member of society.

When he looked at that model though, he wasn't quite sure where he fit in, or ever had. His upbringing hadn't been particularly pleasant, but it hadn't been terrible, and he'd always been too anxious, too trapped in his own head, to think about looking for a good time. There was a sliding scale to the model of strangeness, he supposed, and knew he must stick out like a sore thumb on it. He was too normal, his life too seemingly perfect, for him not to be suppressing something, and he struggled hard to keep those somethings from coming out in plain view. People could speculate if they wanted, but he'd give them nothing to go on - not outwardly, at least - and he wouldn't let them close enough to get a decent glimpse of the inside view. Already, he'd let Julie too close. They barely knew each other, but she knew enough of him to sense his strangeness already, and it would drive her away sooner rather than later. Cam dreaded it. He liked her so much, but he knew that something he said or did was bound to scare her away in the not-too-distant future. He was too big of a burden for a person to bear, so he had to carry his weight alone and deal with his demons the best he could. He could never ask anybody to do it for him, or to even share in the load. It would be too much, considering no one had any idea how damaged and defective he was. He hid it well, that was true, but if someone got close enough, the cracks in his composure would start to show. The charade would be over then, and the disappointment would be more devastating than if he'd made a clean break of it in the beginning, before his flaws could come to light and things ended messily. He wanted a woman, but he was cursed in his luck with them, so at one point, he'd simply stopped pursuing them altogether.

All this in mind, Cam was properly flabbergasted when he was approached on the beach by one of the most beautiful young women he'd ever seen. She couldn't be talking to him, could she? When it came to the art of flirtation and romance, he was still a naive teenage boy in many ways, never quite confident enough to take a stand on simple matters like is she flirting with me or not? He lived in a suspended state of hopefulness, mostly, hope that there was something more than the mundane trivialities day-to-day life had to offer. As a child, he'd heard love promised to him by his mother, and he supposed that was the ultimate goal. In his own way, despite the relationships that had flopped horribly, Cam was a bit of a romantic. The fact that he had no idea how romance worked didn't deter him from it. It was an inherent quality that he supposed had come from his mother, because it certainly hadn't been passed down his father's side of the family. They were the least romantic people Cam had ever met.

Either way, Cam wasn't thinking of romance with the blonde. He was just curious as to why she'd chosen to approach him, of all people. Maybe it was because they were both on their own, and a lone woman approaching a lone man was much less awkward than a lone woman approaching a couple or a family. It would feel like interrupting their quality time together somehow. When someone was alone, however, you could never feel too guilty for interrupting their thoughts. They came and went like the weather. If you lost one, another came and took its place. You were never without them. Family, however, was fleeting and irreplaceable. Cam nodded to himself, deciding that made sense. She'd chosen him because he was the first single person she'd come across. Had to be. A woman like her would never be interested in him otherwise. They seemed to sense his romantic ineptitude before they could get too close. Julie was an exception, an enigma, and he liked that about her. For some reason she kept coming around, and he still hadn't figured out why, always expecting each time they saw each other to be the last. But there he was, his thoughts going off on a tangent again...

The blonde asked him if he had any sunscreen, and he shook his head sadly, brows knitting together in a look of dismay. "I'm sorry, I can't help you out," he answered honestly, not once considering the possibility that perhaps sunscreen wasn't what she was really after. He was still that innocent. Wait...handsome? Had she called him handsome? Cam blinked rapidly, staggered by the compliment and how casual it had sounded spilling from her lips. She did this a lot, obviously, so there was no reason for him to feel special or get all worked up. Licking his lips, his eyes skipped back to the couple on the sand about fifty feet away from them. He might not be able to help her out, but he could at least be helpful in some capacity. "Perhaps you could ask them?" He lifted his arm to point the happy couple out. "They were covering each other with sunscreen not five minutes ago. I actually had no idea I was coming here today, so I didn't bring anything with me." He shrugged apologetically. "I'll have to plan ahead next time." He genuinely felt bad saying no to the woman, even if he had an all-too-legitimate excuse for being sans sunblock. It was in Cam's nature to feel guilty if he wasn't being useful in some way.

In Alice’s mind everyone was a fairly bit insane, no one could completely say they didn’t have any sort of quirk or fluke that detracted from usual social norms. Which really made the expectations people put on society relatively unfair in the blonde’s mind, she wondered if people weren’t so stickler for how a person should compose themselves in public, would half these people really be in facilities? Alice didn’t see what was wrong in living in your own personal little wonderland as long as you weren’t causing serious harm to yourself or others but her views weren’t really ones that were shared with most people and most people didn’t exactly agree with her lifestyle and the way she chose to live. But those people could simply kiss her sweet ass in her opinion, don’t agree with her then fine but if you try to push your beliefs onto her you can simply bet that her short attention span will just flit away from you within seconds.

As a child and adolescent most would probably describe Alice as a little bit of a wild child. She was the little girl who mutilated her Barbie dolls, chopping off their hair and tearing their body parts off just because she got a little bored of their aesthetic perfection. As she got older she only got worse, a true party girl she became and a bit of a misfit in the otherwise so-called “in-crowd” of her high school. But simply because she lived by the rule that no one should be excluded or shunned for whatever reason and she took to flitting from group to group talking to anyone and everyone who she deemed as a cool person. But Alice was quite an easily satisfied individual, she approached new things with the awe and excitement of a kid in a candy store but she often got bored easily, moved onto the next thing and discarded the other. It sort of made it hard for her to cultivate any real talents apart from the ones that had been ingrained into her from when she was young. Like maths, you would never think it of her but she was always in the top fraction of her class where maths were concerned and when her mother finally joined her father in eternal rest it was up to Alice to step in and take care of the finances in her family. That day Alice had grown-up in many ways in that sense, she didn’t want to be the poor little rich girl who had suddenly been thrust in reality with no one to fall back on and lean on for support and she wasn’t going to give people the satisfaction of letting them view her that way. When her father died when she was so very young, her mother had withdrawn from her and her sister Amy for the most part. The only time she paid attention was to criticize and make sure their basic needs were catered to, Alice stepped in as the parental role that her sister needed, she wasn’t always a good one but unlike her mother she was always there.

Flirting was no big deal to Alice; it was almost like second nature for the blonde to start flirting with any guy or girl that crossed her path. But it certainly helped if they were attractive, which this guy certainly was and Alice wasn’t truly aware of how awkward she was already making him feel. But she didn’t think she would stop flirting with him if she had been aware, the awkward ones were always fun to tease in her mind, like scared little rabbits, she almost giggled at the thought. Upon hearing that the man had no sunscreen Alice let out a disappointed sigh and shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, a little tanning never hurts now and again,” she gave a light chuckle, though her skin was already a golden colour courtesy of living in California. The man pointed out the couple a few feet away and Alice’s bright blue orbs followed the direction of his arm. “It’s worth a shot,” with that she skipped over to the couple and after a few moments of conversing she managed to get some dabs of cream to apply to her arms and legs that she could rub in. Alice bid them thanks and then made her way back over to the guy with a triumphant grin “success!” she did a little bounce on the balls of her feet “thanks for that little tip-off” she ran her tongue over her lips “so I couldn’t help but notice that you’re alone, so am I, as a matter of fact. Perhaps we can keep each other company? Nothing like a friendly conversation with a cute stranger I gather, no?” A mischievous smirk crossed her lips as she gave him a wink. “So what’s your name stranger?” She began to rub in sunscreen into her arms to give him a chance to speak.

Cam figured he probably should get some sunscreen if he was going to make a habit of coming to the beach. As he looked out over the water he knew very well he might have found the new place for his daily run. He could easily imagine jogging the beach at sunrise or sunset, the most peaceful hours of the day. Everything was still at sunrise - a few people were starting to stir in their homes, getting ready for work, but the town as a whole was still sleepy, restful, soft golden light spilling across the horizon like honey. Sunset was similar, except everyone was starting to wind down by then, enjoying quiet dinners with their families or having a beer with a friend, watching their favorite programs, getting ready for bed. The work day was over and you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief going 'round. Cam was most clear-minded at these times of day. It was when he did his best thinking. Hardly no one else was about, and if they were, they were other runners, so he didn't have to worry about being bothered. The beach was busiest during midday, choked with children building sandcastles and people sprawled out on colorful beach towels, like now. When the sun wasn't as high in the sky and the breeze off the ocean blew cooler, everyone started packing up and retreating to their cars, sunburned and exhausted. Cam smiled. He found he rather liked the idea of having the beach nearly all to himself in the mornings and at night. Yes, he'd have to try running here and see how he liked it.

The blonde shrugged his words off with good grace. She didn't appear to be upset, which made him feel better, but then he didn't see why she would be when the couple with the sunscreen was only a short jog away from them. He was overthinking things, as always. He made an effort to relax as she approached the couple, taking a few generous dabs of sunscreen and rubbing them into her skin as she made her way back over to him. He tried not to watch her too closely, but there was something captivating about her seemingly boundless energy. Cam didn't begrudge St. Christina's patients their listlessness, but it was nice to be in the company of someone who didn't shuffle around like a zombie. If he was honest with himself, he didn't expect her to return to his side for a more in-depth conversation, but she seemed to have that very thing in mind as she asked for his name. Again, he was taken aback by the liberal nature of her speech. Yes, she was definitely flirting with him. How was he going to get out of this? It wasn't as if he could complain, but he knew that as far as flirting was concerned, he fell short. Some men were skilled at it, giving as good as they got, but Cam hadn't been born with that ability, nor had he picked it up over the years. A faint pink blush spread over the saddle of his nose as he tried to think of a way to respond to her. He supposed his name was a start, since she'd asked for it.

"I'm Cameron, Cameron Novak, or Cam if you'd like. What's yours? Have you been here long? I've been here for about a week. I was with the Hadley Institute for Troubled Youth in New York, but we relocated to St. Christina's. It's nice, the island, don't you think?" There, that wasn't too bad. The fact that she'd called him cute made him want to stammer and run away like an embarrassed schoolboy, but so far he was doing alright, his feet still firmly planted in the sand. Did she expect him to return the compliment? He supposed it would be better if he didn't try, because surely his words would fall horribly flat. Besides, it didn't seem appropriate to flirt with this young woman when he had another on his mind. "If you'd like to keep me company for awhile, I wouldn't mind. Would you like to sit? I could buy us a couple of beach towels if you're worried about the sand." He glanced in the direction of a nearby kiosk, and as his eyes roamed over the wares on display, he saw that they carried towels, swimsuits, and, naturally, sunscreen. It only seemed polite to offer. He didn't know how she felt about it, but it was hard to shake sand out of his clothes and it would get all over his new washing machine to boot, so he was thinking about buying himself a towel either way.

Alice was someone who pretty much lived in and lived for the beach... or any sort of warm or tropical type of area. Mainly because the blonde was sort of like a little ray of sunshine herself, even now in the sunlight her blonde locks seemed to radiate, framing her delicate features in a golden halo. And her personality was not much different, at the most she was very vibrant and full of life and excess energy, most times this made her very fun to be around other times it made her very obnoxious and silly. Almost as if she was drunk off of her own energy, that was a high and giddiness that could not be matched by any drug and she had tried ecstasy before. But there was some form of comfort she sought in sunny areas that she simply couldn’t adjust to grey and gloomy areas. The first time she arrived and it was all grey and gloomy Alice couldn’t help but feel greatly depressed and disappointed. She had expected better of a remote island, after all. But then the sun came out and just like that Alice sprung right out of her mind rut... perhaps she was just addicted to that vitamin D that was proven to help depression. Maybe she should see someone about that.

The thing with Alice was that she rarely disappointed or upset easily, she always tried to focus on the positive of things... the eternal optimist she was. And she truly thought life was too short to spend it unhappy, so she did anything she could to make sure she was happy in life, no matter how crazy or unruly. The adrenaline junkie got a high in places herself in dangerous situations; the list of heights she had climbed and extreme sports she had gotten into was endless. Not that she ended up sticking with any of the hobbies she picked up; she was far too restless to commit herself to anything unless she really worked at it or enjoyed doing it. There was a claustrophobia that Alice associated with being tied down, she just didn’t like that feeling... almost as if she were trapped, stuck and Alice didn’t like being contained in anything. No walls. No barriers. She would batter both down with her bare hands before she let something like that happen. Now Alice didn’t know what Cam was thinking but she truly didn’t mind if the guy was a flirt or not, to her this was just an everyday thing, harmless fun... he could either accept her flirtations or reject them. Either way if she didn’t get a clear message she would just continue to act that way with the person, plus she had a dirty little mind that kept making double entendres to her words. Not everyone got it, but she did love it when people didn’t... it made everything that much more fun. Spotting the blush creep onto the other’s man nose made Alice giggle into her hand, she had never made a guy blush before... at least she didn’t think she had. Perhaps she hadn’t been paying attention, but either way the fact that the guy had blushed just reinforced in her mind the image of the scared little rabbit... hmm, she could have fun with this guy and who knew where it would end up? Alice was just playing it all by ear, she never really liked to plan ahead unless necessary, rather let the chips fall where they may.

When he introduced himself as Cameron Novak, Alice cocked her head to one side like a little puppy and mouthed the name, her way of remembering it. Then a grin spread across her face “what about Cammie?” She was teasing of course, but now that was in her head she may accidentally call him that from time to time. “I’m Alice, Alice-Emelia Starling...” she used to hate her double barrelled name, she used to think it made her seem proud and pompous but she had grown to love it. “You know, the book written by Lewis Carroll? I was named after that, well except for the Emelia tacked on at the end, my mother thought she was being creative,” she shook her head and rolled her eyes in good nature. Hearing the name of Hadley made Alice perk up a bit “oh... so where was that then?” she didn’t know much about these things “I’ve been here about... a day or so actually, I’m still new, I own Candies and Curiosities... so Cam, what do you do at St Christina’s, are you a shrink?” She sized him up, not that she knew what to look for after all there were no guidelines as to what shrinks should actually look like. “But yes, the island is lovely... though give me anything with a beach and I’m very easily satisfied,” a dazzling grin spread across her face, setting her face alight. So he wasn’t opposed to her sticking around him that was good Alice didn’t do very well alone, she always had to be around another human presence after a certain amount of time. “Well aren’t you a sweetheart?” Alice gave a light chuckle “but I’m going to have to decline your kind offer, I have a towel just over there,” she gestured over to her spot “I can move it though, if you want... I have some sodas too in the cooler that is if someone hasn’t made off with them while I’ve been talking to you. But I’m not worried about the sand, you could say... I’m used to getting a little down and dirty,” she gave him a sly wink and waited for his reaction... would he stammer or better yet blush again? So many possibilities for such a scared little rabbit, what she didn’t want to do was scare him off yet... she was just getting warmed up. Besides there was a chance he might not even catch the double entendre to her words. “But if you want to buy a towel then go ahead, I can wait, after all... hey maybe you can even buy yourself some sunscreen.” She almost, almost offered to help him put it on if he did. Hold your tongue Alice, you don't want to scare him off too early in the game.

Alice couldn't possibly have met someone as different from her as Cam was. He too loved the beach and being near the water, but that was right about where their similarities ended and differences began. Cam was an energetic young man, but his energy was contained, processed as efficiently as the files that sat on his desk when he walked into work each morning. All of his energy went toward pursuits he deemed safe, favorable, comforting, important, or absolutely necessary. Most of the time it was a combination of all of the above, as with his housekeeping habits and impeccable work ethic. Cam didn't have much time for "fun" in his life and never really had, so it wasn't as if he felt he was missing out on anything. He couldn't understood what motivation drove people toward extreme activities, like skydiving or bungee-jumping. He didn't understand because he'd never felt the kind of rush that accompanied those hobbies. As far as he was concerned, life was supposed to be routine and orderly, and in the event that it wasn't, he panicked. The only rush he needed came from a job well done.

Cam had skills, of that there was no doubt, but he was socially and emotionally stunted in many ways. Polite and professional were two of the traits he embodied well, but beyond that, he wasn't captivating company. Cam imagined most people would rather watch water boil or plants grow rather than listen to him speak, because it wasn't as if he had much to say. The best way to keep people from finding out too much about him was to stay silent, and he did that well, only speaking when prompted, and never sharing any more than he was willing to. There had only ever been a few people in his life who had broken down that wall, and it was terrifying when he thought about it too much. He didn't want to be seen as anything other than normal, and it was easier to pretend that he was when he didn't let others too close to him. Though Alice was a lovely girl, he felt a small measure of discomfort in her presence knowing that he didn't have the right words to say. She deserved better company than the kind he could provide. He didn't know how to flirt, so if she expected it of him, she was going to be sorely disappointed. Then again, she wouldn't be the first one. They all disappeared when they found out what a social failure he was.

Resolved not to think about that now - because nothing substantial would come of this harmless conversation - Cam blinked at Alice's suggestion for a nickname. He smiled sheepishly, apologetically. "I'm sorry, I don't think... Cam is fine." He was relieved when she moved on, offering her name in turn. "Alice. I like it. And yes, I remember the story. They made a movie of it not too long ago. Well, another movie. I saw Disney's version years ago." Alice in Wonderland was the sort of fantastical tale Cam had trouble wrapping his mind around. He'd enjoyed it, but he had no idea where people came up with such ideas. Suffice it to say that he had never been a very imaginative or creative child. The most creative he ever got as a man was when he was cooking a new dish or rearranging shelves to increase their maximum capacity. Cam had a gift for organization, but it wasn't a point of interest for most people. He understood, and wasn't particularly hurt by the general assessment that he was boring. He knew he was. That had always been the way of it. Cam had a love for poker and cigars, fine wines and expensive spirits, and he even liked a bit of dancing from time to time, but he didn't get to indulge those pleasures often, so they went unnoticed. Though Cam didn't realize it, he had the potential to make an amazing boyfriend or even husband someday, but that wouldn't happen until he accepted his flaws and saw that they weren't half as bad as he imagined. Perhaps someone would show him that someday. As of right now, he still felt silly and inadequate.

He plastered another professional smile on his face as she questioned him about his job, but it faltered a bit, the look turning into one of surprise as she chatted about her place of employment. Candies & Curiosities, the children's shop? Well, that was a surprise. He'd thought he'd already pinned her for a full-time beach bunny, but apparently there was more to Miss Alice than met the eye. Interesting. Very interesting. "Is that so? I'll have to come by sometime," he inserted smoothly, the offer completely genuine. He hadn't been to explore many of the shops in town yet, and though he had no reason to buy children's toys, he had a bit of a secret weakness for candy. It was directly at odds with his healthy living practices, but then sweets in moderation had never hurt anyone before, certainly not him. He laughed softly when she asked him if he was a shrink. "Oh, no, no, no. I am assistant to the head psychiatrist, however, so feel free to be impressed." This last bit was said with a hint of playful sarcasm. He wasn't degrading himself, only being appropriately modest, as he continued: "I'm just the man behind the scenes, I'm afraid. But I enjoy my job very much. It's a perfect fit for me, and I've known Dr. Bjorgen for many years."

At his offer of towels, she gestured to a spot on the sand where her own lay, and he hastily waved away the suggestion that she move it closer to where they stood. "No, please, don't worry about it. I'll come to you." Ever the accommodating gentleman, Cam nearly missed the next set of words that carelessly flew from her mouth. Damn it, what was he supposed to say to that? She was toying with him, and having a fine time of it if the look on her face was any indicator. Nevertheless, now that he knew what her game was, he could begin to relax. He didn't have to worry what it was she wanted from him anymore. He should have noticed it about her earlier, given his above-average observational skills, but he'd been too tongue-tied to do much else but stammer and stare. Now he was a little wiser. Alice could poke and prod at him all he wanted, but he wasn't going to break, and if she thought he was the kind of guy who would helplessly let her take advantage of his innocence, she had another disappointment in store. She was probably wonderful in that capacity, but intimacy only ever led to embarrassment for him. Cam was proud of himself when he didn't stutter or blush again. Instead, he threw her a curve ball by winking, promptly turning his back to her, and heading straight for the kiosk. "I'll be right back!" He promised, waving over his shoulder. "You go get comfortable and we'll chat some more in a minute."