The sea was the barrier that stood between them. It loomed long and dark between their souls, a vast, icy expanse that neither was yet fierce enough to traverse. The waves lapped gently onto the rocky shore, shaking her from her silent reverie. The lonely sound provided a somber reminder that she had no choice but to be away from her beloved. Her constant. Her forever. Anguish began to bloom in her chest as she pressed on along the never-ending line of the shore.

The smooth stones of the shoreline felt cool and refreshing beneath her feet, she paused at the water's edge. She knelt and picked a single stone from the rest. Despite its solid nature, the surface was silky, soft almost, to her touch. She peered to the millions that accompanied it, no different than her. Billions of people lived, do live, and will live on her homeworld. She was one of them, and yet, an unearthly huge burden had been laid on her shoulders. She glanced back to the stones, desperate for an anchor to bring her back to earth.

They had been worn smooth by the constant ripping and pulling of water over them, they had had no choice in their forming. She tried to discern how constant battering could smooth the stones when the same done to her had only seemed to make her more rough and calloused...opposite the stones. They had been made more beautiful, more inviting--whilst she had suffered a far different fate. It baffled her as she let the single stone drop with a gentle flick of her wrist.

The white foam of the rising tide suddenly pricked her toes with bone-chilling force, it nearly took her breath away. But she didn't mind. She had had her blood run cold before. From fear. From anger. A little cold water was of no consequence to her. Not anymore.