Heartbeat Point

"I'm not there yet!"
 This page contains ***major spoilers*** for the series. If you're not caught up, stay back! Av's not gonna be too thrilled if you react to spoilers prematurely...

## Media Information

### Appears

*Winter's Tales*

**Heartbeat Point** is a fictional beach in California that appears in *Winter's Tales*. It is where Winter's biological parents, Edwin and Lorelei, first met and married, and plays a significant role in Winter's life.

## History

### *Winter's Tales*

#### *Birth of Snowlight*

Winter mentions that at the age of five, she would embark on a trip to Heartbeat Point, one of the most influential memories of her life, and she immediately launches into the story. After a few days of driving, the McCormicks' journey ends when they finally arrive at Heartbeat Point, and Winter's father parks the Subaru on a cliffside. Winter inhales the air, finding it salty and startling herself for a second before reading a sign introducing Heartbeat Point that says to let your heart be your guide and to let the waves carry you home. She is confused by the symbolism and naming, asking where they're going, and her father points her to the beachside, telling her that her sandals won't be necessary, adding to her confusion. However, upon stepping foot onto the beach, the symbolism clicks with her - the beach is colorful and the sand is warm, giving her pleasure. The main highlight of the beach is the expanse of blue she saw earlier, but this time, it's closer and glittering in the sunlight. Edwin welcomes her to Heartbeat Point, introducing the blue as the ocean, where he first met her mother and later married her. Her eyes refuse to leave the ocean, and the brevity of how special it is to her parents and now her sinks in.

Winter watches the ebb and flow of the tides, following their every move, and something in her changes. She tunes the world and everything else out, the ocean's waves reflecting in her ice-blue eyes, and she is gravitated into a sense of calm by the ocean and its surrounding atmosphere. She heeds the ocean's call to her, feeling welcomed in the sunlight, and to her, nothing else in life matters but the ocean and the ever-present message it's giving her. Her heart thumps, and she finds everything to be beautiful and natural with every flow of the tides. Everything was meant to be this way, and the ocean was always meant to call out to her, given a distinct shine from the sun. The blues are infinite and something right out of a dream, but it's real to Winter, who is determined to make her mark, her heart thumping harder. With everything perfectly constructed and her energy built up to its limit, Winter lets everything go and takes off across the shoreline, her sundress and hair cascading behind her as she runs.

She fills with glee and vindication embracing this new spirituality in her, believing it has been her destiny all along. She runs on, hearing the wind whistle and the beat in her heart, refusing to catch her breath. She leaps onto a slippery black rock, and a wave crashes into it, soaking the lower half of her body with water. Winter wonders what's beyond the ocean, her heartbeat out of control. She feels like she and the ocean are connected, the energy she had released still a part of her. She prepares to dive into the tide, causing her father to warn her to be careful, but it falls on deaf ears. She jumps right into the wet sand, relaxing and running with the tides, becoming one with them and following the rhythm in her heart she needs to survive. She doesn't care about being soaked by the ocean's water, focusing on sparkling in the sunlight and playing with nature. She is confident she's found the rhythm of nature, deducing that Heartbeat Point's name is derived guided her into letting go of her energy stored within her, leaving her in peace. Edwin approaches her, picking her up in his arms and admitting that she concerned him jumping off of the rock. She asks him what he thought she would do, such as get eaten by the ocean, and he stresses that she could have been sent to Japan via rip currents. Although she doesn't know what Japan is and doesn't understand what he means by the ocean being dangerous, Winter dismisses his concern, believing that it is harmless.

Edwin tells her that she'll learn later - now, she needs to dry off and eat lunch. Winter then realizes that she is hungry, rubbing her stomach, and her father mentions a place up on the shore that has food. She licks her lips in anticipation, and her parents head to an outdoor grill cooking fruits, vegetables, and meats on a grill. Winter, smelling the cocktail of food, murmurs that it looks yummy. She gets a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with sushi on the side, and her father also gets sushi as well, sprinkling too much ginger on his. Before long, the day is fading into night, and the sun sinks into the depths of the ocean; Winter knows it'll return the next day. Her parents have packed up the beach set and are heading back up to the cliffside, and she is about to say goodbye and prepare for the long trip camping and traveling back to Pineshadow. Her mother shouts for her, and she is about to follow when she stops, her gaze immediately drawn back to the ocean. Winter feels nothing but serenity, calling Heartbeat Point her second home, and as the ocean's waves lap at her feet, she inhales. Her mother calls her name again, but Winter ignores her and steps closer to the ocean, which pulls at her ankles. She kicks sand into it, and the waves return a pile of sand on her feet. Believing she isn't paying attention, Edwin shouts her name and makes a move toward her, but in her heart, Winter knows the ocean needs her for just one final time.

She feels her heart wiliding, sparks of electricity formulating in her and building up until her father reminds her that it's time to leave. Letting the energy soar, she splashes water onto him, and a wave crashes over her, drenching her in water. Edwin opens his mouth to rebuke her, but is immersed in the magic of Heartbeat Point and instead plays with her, splashing in the waves. Lorelei, snorting at them, joins in, and together, the three play on the shoreline until the last of the sun sets, the hues no more than a memory. As she leaves Heartbeat Point that day, Winter's heart wells with pride with what she has learned - without a doubt, she is connected to nature, and when bound to it, there is nothing holding her back. She vows to fill every chapter of her life and follow the rhythm, repeating the phrase to herself a moment later.

#### *Dawn Will Bring Us Death*

Lorelei reveals to Winter that she's been mulling over asking Edwin for another trip to Heartbeat Point. Fondly remembering the trip to the beach, Winter is elated and urges her to ask him, hoping the beach hasn't changed since her last visit. Later, when Lorelei is hospitalized, she and Winter talk about Heartbeat Point briefly. Following Lorelei's death, Edwin and Winter both jointly can the trip to Heartbeat Point, instead heading to Rye Lake.

#### *Betrayal of Blood*

Winter remembers following the rhythm at Heartbeat Point after she turns eleven and again when her life flashes before her eyes.

#### *Only in a Waking Dream*

Winter follows the stars in the Piney Woods, noting them as being different from following the rhythm at Heartbeat Point.

#### *The Foxes and the Hounds*

Winter returns to experiencing the atmosphere and feelings she first felt at Heartbeat Point.

#### *Dance of a Thousand Eyes*

When one of the girls mentions Winter going to California, she wonders if she knows of Heartbeat Point, but denies it.

## Trivia

* Heartbeat Point is heavily inspired by the real California city of Dana Point, which Av visited back in 2016. The wide beachshore, roaring tides, cliffsides, and ocean around Heartbeat Point are meant to mimic Dana Point and the atmosphere Av felt when standing on the beach.
	+ Besides Dana Point, it is also heavily inspired by the WRLD song *By Design*, which plays as Winter plays along the beachshore.
	+ Another California inspiration that served as inspiration for Heartbeat Point is La Jolla, a seaside community in San Diego that Av visited in 2016 as well as in 2018.