candle on the water (Audrey)

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Ulyssus sometimes needed to get out of the city and off on his own. Living in a family with as many kids as his did, there was no privacy. So, he had set off, on his bike, and had ended up at the Beach. Uly loved the beach. The sun was setting now, and alot of people who had been there were now going home. Ulyssus was alone, or at least almost. And that was the way he liked it.

Dyslexia. That was the word his parents used when they wanted to excuse his stupidity. All that meant to Ulyssus was that he was stupid. He hated being stupid. It was no fun being a boy that was almost eighteen, and was still in 9th grade. Why couldn't someone else be dyslexic? Like JJ? Ulyssus smiled at the idea. JJ deserved Dyslexia! What did Uly do to deserve it? He was nice to people! Sure, he picked people up but hey, so did his dad!

Ulyssus sighed and looked around, when he noticed the form of a girl. He smiled and waved but then sat down on the sand. It wasn't like she was going to want to talk to him. Girls never did. The response was usually "ew, get away from me!" So, Uly didn't try to talk to her. Instead, he dug his feet in the sand and looked up at the stars. He wondered if his stepmom was up there. It had been four years since her death, and Ulyssus still missed her.

[Audrey Yorke]

Audrey was near the water, but not close enough to wind up wet. This time of year, the water was never warm. It was cold as the north permitted the Great Lakes to be. As the sun set, she pulled her jacket tighter around her body, letting her arms fold as she watched the water quietly. It was peaceful and to the rhythm of the guitar bursting through her earphones, the girl found herself in a little piece of heaven right there. Of course, the boy on the beach didn't go without her notice and when he waved at her, she smiled and waved back. She didn't know him, but he seemed nice enough. She glanced back to the water momentarily, but then turned and started to approach him. Since he was seated, she plopped down in the sand beside him, her boots crunching sand as she did so. "This seat taken?" She asked, knowing it was such a silly question to ask. She didn't want to interrupt him if he wanted to be alone. She hadn't come with anyone either, but she was social enough to just waltz up to someone and greet them.

Besides, it wasn't like she knew too many people in the city. She had barely met anyone that she could talk to on a daily basis. In fact, she talked very little to the people that she met. And it wasn't because she was shy... Oh no, far from it. Audrey might be considered too talkative in some circles. She constantly had something on her mind or something that she could go on about. It was easier for her to connect, she just hadn't managed to do it all that well. Audrey figured if she gave it time she would. A part of her was still stuck back home, but she was adapting and moving on quickly. Toronto was kind of exciting.

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Ulyssus looked up at her as she sat next to him. Asking if the seat was taken was nothing silly to Ulyssus. He took her question seriously. He looked around and back at her "Nobody's claimed it." His deep voice came out as he looked at her. He bit his lip and looked down. What was he supposed to say? Maybe he should start with his name. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea!

"I'm Ulyssus," he informed her. "Some jerks call me the Jolly Green Giant, but I really like my name." In other words, he preferred to not be named after the broccoli guy. After all, he wasn't even green! He gazed back at her. "Who are you?" The question was not meant to be rude, nor was it asked in a rude tone. It was quizzical. He was trying to make conversation. It wasn't his fault he wasn't the best at it. When you grew up with a brother who didn't really hang out with him, and seven four year old siblings who adored him but were really too young to carry on a conversation, it tended to be hard to talk intelligently.

He looked over at the girl again "Are you really supposed to be talking to me?" Again, he was not trying to be rude. But the only other girl who really talked to him more than once was Nesse, and that was just because she was trying to help him not be so stupid. He really thought it was useless, but she was devoted to the cause. Ulyssus wasn't too sure when he turned into a cause, but somehow he had.