the shout from the boat. They glanced over to see âPod,â with his iPod headphones glued to his ears, waving them forward. Soon, all the boards were loaded on the twenty-foot Zodiac boat. Captain Pod eased her off the berth and slowly turned up the engines as he guided the boat out across the shallow reef passage.
After safely navigating the sandbars and other obstacles, Pod gunned the engines as the boat headed into the channel.
Bethany and Malia made their way to the bow, hanging on tightly to the gunnels as they laughed with delight every time the boat bounced over a swell.
About a quarter of a mile off the shoreline, a crisp aquamarine wave could be seen rising up from the sea, zipping along and spitting spray from the hollow chamber as the wave ended.
Everyone on the boat hooted with excitement at the sight â everyone except for Liam.
Within minutes, Captain Pod was dropping anchor in a waveless reef pass as the surfers busily scratched one last coat of surf wax on the decks of their boards.
Bethany stood up first and tossed her surfboard into the crystal clear water. A moment later, she leaped in, headfirst. As she broke through the water, she saw bright rainbow-colored fish quickly dart out of her way.
The water was awesome. Bethany sucked in a huge mouthful and then squirted it out like a fountain. The ocean seemed to wash away her hurt and anger, and she felt the excitement of the day well up inside.
âCome on, Malia!â she called as she reached for her surfboard leash and slipped it around her left ankle.
Malia dove in, and soon the boat was surrounded by bodies and boards that splashed into the ocean. Bethany slid her board under her and started paddling for the waves looming up a hundred yards ahead.
As she approached the waves, she realized they were bigger than they appeared from the distance of the boat.
Awesome!
Bethany quickly stroked into the medium-sized wave and felt the bottom of the wave drop out as it moved over the shallow reef. Racing across the crest of the wave, she saw the section ahead of her was rearing up. She quickly tucked down into a ball and grabbed the rail of her board. The wave, hitting the coral studded reef, suddenly hurled over her head, placing her deep inside its pocket.
Everyone hooted excitedly as she rode the backside tube like a pro.
Bethany shot out of the barrel, stood tall on her board, and whooped as she flipped off the board. She laughed as she came out of the water and headed back for the lineup.
It felt a little crowded in the lineup, but she didnât mind. The California guys, including Liam, were decent surfers. Del and Hank displayed a bit of aggressiveness at first, paddling hard to get waves, but after a few rides they seemed to relax and share the fun with rest of the Hamiltons and Malia.
Hank and Del had known who she was when they first saw her at the camp. But watching her catch waves and leap to her feet with one arm absolutely amazed them.
âThat chick is incredible,â Del said to Hank.
âItâs insane!â Hank replied. âCan you imagine trying to surf with one arm?â
As the morning wore on, Bethany found that Del and Hank were not only giving her waves but also offering low-key encouragement.
âNice wave,â one would comment to her after a ride. âYouâre ripping,â another said.
But while Del and Hank found themselves admiring Bethany and warming to the Hamiltons, Liam, on the other hand, seemed to be hardening and getting more aggressive, especially toward the girls.
When a swell made an appearance and Bethany or Malia started to paddle for it, Liam would put himself in gear as well.
While he had talent, so did Bethany and Malia. And the thought of being outsurfed by two girls from Hawaii infuriated him.
Bethany and Malia usually ended up first to the takeoff spot and initially they tried to take turns with Liam. But they soon realized that he wanted every wave. The
Learning to Kill: Stories