The Heart's Content

It was 2:45 when Beth remembered her brother was supposed to be home by 3:00. She had planned to return to the house and dry off by 2:00, but she had been having so much fun with Charlie that she lost track of time.

"Crap!" She exclaimed. "If Alastor comes home to find me soaking wet, he'll know I've been swimming."

"Don't panic." Charlie said. "Just dry yourself off."

"There's not enough time. I won't be able to dry my hair well enough to avoid suspicion, and—Aw man! There's also the smell of saltwater. What am I going to do?"

"Would he believe you were just bathing?"

"Bathing? Bathing! Or course! That's it! I'll jump in the shower, and he'll never suspect a thing. Thanks for the idea!"

"You're welcome. But remember, Beth, you can't tell anyone about me. Not a soul."

"Don't worry. I've seen enough movies to know what happens when people discover the supernatural."

"Movies? What are movies?"

"I'll explain another time, but right now I really have to go. But can I see you again?"

"As long as you don't tell anyone about me."

"What about my brother? Can't he know?"

"Absolutely not."

"But I tell him everything. We've never kept secrets from each other."

"It's too risky."

"He won't tell anyone."

"How can I trust him? I don't even know him and do you honestly believe that he would react well to discovering a being like me exists?"

Beth wanted to say yes, but she wasn't entirely sure. Alastor had always been a logical person, dismissing fantasy and the paranormal as frivolous notions. He often believed the world would be better off without such ideas. People with that mindset rarely responded well when confronted with the reality of what they didn't believe in.

"Okay, you have a point. I won't say anything to him."

"Good."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Charlie swam away, and Beth headed back to the house. She quickly changed out of her wet swimsuit, hopped in the shower, and scrubbed herself until the scent of saltwater and any lingering sand were gone. By the time she finished and got dressed, Alastor had already stepped through the door.

"Hi, Al." She said, drying her hair off with a towel.

"What have you been up to all day?" He asked.

"Not much." She fibbed. "Just reading, watching TV, and I ran a bath a little while ago. But really, nothing eventful happened today. How did the audition go?"

"I got the job, and I start tomorrow night."

"That's great! I knew you'd do fantastic."

"Thanks, but I want to apologize."

"For what?"

"For leaving you alone all day on your first day of vacation."

"It's fine. You getting that job is way more important."

"Still, I don't want it to be like this the whole time we're here— you sitting alone while I go to work. I took this job so you wouldn't have to spend the summer like that. On my way back, I saw where they're offering that class you wanted to take. I spoke to the instructor; he seemed responsible, so I signed you up."