The shore is neither the tranquil expanse from her youth nor the deceptive splendor of Shokushu, but somewhere in between, a placid sandbar sheltered from the dark waters that now so dominate her life. It has become increasingly her sole refuge in the school, a dreamscape that dominates her slumber, and there's no confusion as she finds herself in this place tonight, the sun setting over gentle waves, the sand soft and pliant between her squirming toes, no sound but for the soft lap of water against shore. The thick swaths of jungle that flank her go unheeded because she needs only to look forward into the endless freedom of the sea.

An outcropping juts outward in the distance, the sort of rocky shoal where curious and licentious youth find shelter to canoodle and explore one another's bodies, far enough from the shore to elicit notice. Yet, Samantha can see it clearly. There's no disconnect or apprehension about this. It's merely the logic of this place. Two bodies, lean, white and waif-like, soft girlish flesh entwined, their fingers trailing over each other's bodies, leaning gently to whisper in each other's ears as their toes splash in the water, nimbly casual in a way that, if not overtly sexual, at least suggests a free intimacy between them. One's eye squeezes the other thigh as she whispers in her ear and they both giggle. Their eyes wander Samantha with a playful hunger, roaming her form with the same intensity at which she's watching them. The one nymph tips the other's chin upward and takes her in a kiss, her eyes knowingly side-eyeing Samantha, her finger crooked in invitation.