Sera drummed her fingers against the cool glass of her drink, gazing out at the rolling waves and the sun dipping low over the horizon. She had flown all the way to Hawaii with her family—a rare splurge, given their usual budget. They had rented a cozy beach house, and she was surrounded by the scent of saltwater, the laughter of her younger siblings playing on the sand, and the lazy warmth of the setting sun.

She sighed, brushing a few stray locks of her dark hair away from her face as she glanced down at her nearly empty glass. Despite everything, she felt a quiet restlessness building inside her, an itch she couldn’t quite scratch. Is it just me? she wondered, tilting her head thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on the fading pinks and purples in the sky. Why do I feel like something incredible is about to happen? Like... I’m waiting for something without even knowing what it is.

As her family laughed and joked around her, she felt a twinge of guilt. She knew how rare this trip was for all of them. After all, vacations like this didn’t come often, and she should be savoring every moment. But a strange, electric anticipation coursed through her, humming at the edge of her consciousness. Maybe I’ve been reading too many adventure novels, she mused, half-chuckling to herself. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling like some grand event is about to unfold.