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of Buzzy’s.
    Kai put his board down on the sand and kneeled beside it. It was one of those days when he wasn’t in a rush to get into the water. The waves were small and sectiony and Kai didn’t mind staying on the beach a few moments longer than usual, taking his time as he rubbed wax onto the deck of his new board.
    He heard a car door bang shut. In the lot on the other side of the boardwalk, he could see the top of Bean’s head. A few moments later Bean, Shauna, and Booger crossed the boardwalk. Old #43 was too heavy for Shauna to carry all the way from her house each day, so Bean was keeping it in the hearse for her.
    Booger sat down on the sand and slipped his fins on. “Where’re we surfing today?”
    â€œI’m surfing Screamers,” Kai answered. “And you guys are welcome to join me.”
    The others didn’t say a word.
    â€œI can pretty much guarantee you Lucas and his crew will leave you alone,” Kai added.
    â€œI’ll stick with Sewers, thanks,” Boogersaid, heading for the water with his body-board.
    Bean and Shauna waxed their boards. Being a beginner, Shauna was probably better off in the slower, softer waves at Sewers. As far as Bean was concerned, it was obvious that no matter what Kai said, he was still uncomfortable with Lucas and his crew.
    â€œCan you guys help me with something?” Shauna asked. “I keep having this problem. Sometimes I try to pop up and my hands slip off the rail.”
    â€œWax helps,” Bean half teased.
    â€œI wax the rails and that helps for a while,” Shauna said, “but then they get slippery again.”
    â€œLet’s see the wax you’re using,” Kai said. Shauna handed him a half-used white rectangular bar. Kai scraped it with his thumbnail.
    â€œIt’s probably too soft,” Kai said, handing it back to her.
    â€œIt was fine last week,” Shauna said.
    â€œThe water temperature’s gone up a couple of degrees, and with how hot and sunny it’s been getting, you’re probably rubbing this stuff off faster than you think.” Kai handed her the rest of his bar. “When you finish surfing today, let the sun melt the old wax off. Then try thisstuff It’s a bit harder and shouldn’t come off as fast.”
    â€œThanks.”
    Kai stood up and tucked his board under his arm. “Sure you guys don’t want to come over to Screamers?”
    â€œWhy don’t you surf Sewers with us today?” Shauna asked.
    Kai raised the tip of his board. “On a day like today Screamers is the only place where I’ll get any kind of ride on this thing.”
    â€œWell, have fun.”
    Kai walked down the beach to the channel along the jetty and paddled out. When he got outside, neither Lucas nor Buzzy nodded or said anything. Instead they focused on Lucas’s surfing. Today he was working on something that involved going backside and doing a tail slide, with Buzzy urging Lucas to keep trying no matter how weak the wave. The more Kai saw of Buzzy, the more he saw a man who insisted on having everything his way.
    Kai caught a few waves, but found them weak and mushy. Sets were coming in less and less frequently. For no particular reason he decided to paddle farther out, well past the breaking waves, to see what Sun Haven lookedlike from the water. He got out into the blue water and turned around. While neither Buzzy nor Lucas would look at him before, both now shot him curious glances, as if they couldn’t figure out what he was doing out there.
    Meanwhile, Kai began to see what Curtis had meant about Buzzy Land. The whole shoreline was private houses and, except for the Driftwood Motel, fancy hotels and resorts. Kai didn’t doubt that Curtis was serious when he said his was the only motel within a hundred miles that charged less than one hundred and eighty dollars a night during the summer.
    Just then something black appeared in the water