“…The thunder crackled in the distance, carving its way through the damp air. The tidal wave swallowed up the beachfront in front of us, taking out everything in its path. Amber jumped into me, and wrapped her arms around my waist. She burrowed her head into my chest, trying to hide her face from the freezing winds. The wooden porch creaked intermittently, as plank by plank was sucked into the behemoth’s ferocious grip. My arms wrapped tighter around her body. She looked up at me and stared into my eyes. It became silent, almost as if we had stepped into a different time together. I looked back down at her dark, brown eyes with nothing but remorse and regret hidden within them. Her tears froze as they cascaded down her pale cheek. I wanted to whisper those three words into her ear, but something held me back. She put her hands on my shoulders, lifted herself up, and kissed me. I grabbed her and picked her up off the ground, shielding her body from the hail and heavy rain. Jennifer was right; we were going to die here….”