-Sebastian Lightwood:
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the uncomfortable kind of silence that settles in a room when something awkward has been said, but a deep, natural quiet that only places far away from civilization seemed to have. The kind where the only sounds were the ocean breathing slowly against the shore and the wind moving lazily through the palm trees overhead.
I stood there for a moment, letting my eyes travel across the horizon.
Endless blue water stretched out in every direction, reflecting the last golden light of the setting sun. The waves rolled toward the shore in steady rhythms, foaming gently against the pale sand. The air carried the scent of salt and something faintly floral that I couldn't immediately name.
It was peaceful.
More peaceful than any place I had visited in years.
