Lorena stared out of the windows at it. Her belly tightened with nervousness, but at the same time her skin tingled with anticipation. Five long days had tormented her as miles of ocean were crossed. She did long to go ashore. But her last experience had been so poor she chewed on her lower lip while the Huntress glided closer and closer toward the gleaming stretch of beach. It was a paradise from some novel. Palm trees stretched up into the sky. The sand on the beaches was a brilliant white. Beyond the shore, there was dense greenery. Trees spread their branches out so all the leaves could face the sun. The sound of the waves crashing came in the windows. The sunlight sparkled off the water like a million diamonds. The water itself was a shade of blue she had never thought the ocean might be. Warm and inviting, it seemed to call to her. The urge to walk on that beach, in bare feet, consumed her. Lady Holly let out an excited chirp. "Up." The parrot spoke the word clearly. Lorena stared at her and Holly nodded her head up and down.
