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scientist. Dad didn’t get that look on his face unless he was talking about work. Certainly, he never looked like that during lunch with Paul, though Paul was certainly nice enough.
    Out of the corner of his eye, Brandon noticed a guy throwing a Frisbee toward the water, a dog going after it. The guy who threw it winced as the Frisbee glided over into the surf. Probably overthrew it, Brandon thought. Mom always got that look on her face when she overthrew a Frisbee back when we used to—
    Stop thinking about it!
    The guy ran toward the water even as the dog obediently ran into the crashing waves to retrieve the Frisbee—suddenly, the dog turned around and ran out of the water, making little yipe yipe noises.
    The guy met his dog halfway, and knelt down to ruffle its now wet fur. “What’s the matter, boy?”
    Of course, the dog didn’t answer, so the guy looked out to the ocean to see if he could see what the dog saw.
    Curious, Brandon followed the guy’s gaze.
    Suddenly, something poked its head out of the water, just for a second. All Brandon could really see were a what looked like a horn and a pair of eyes. It might’ve been a carnival mask, like the ones he’d seen in New Orleans.
    But carnival masks didn’t usually have scales.
    They didn’t usually blink, either.
    The guy looked at Brandon, his eyes wide. “Did you see that?”
    “Yeah. What was it?”
    “I dunno.” He turned back to the ocean.
    Brandon did the same, but the thing had disappeared, and nothing else poked out from the water.
    “Weird. Maybe it was nothing,” Brandon said.
    “Maybe,” the guy said. “Sure spooked Fred here.” He looked down at the dog, which still looked frightened out of its mind. “Hey, c’mon boy, it’s okay,” the guy said, scratching the dog behind the ears.
    Brandon, meanwhile, went on to the rocks. Maybe I did imagine it.
    Yeah, right. So did that guy and his dog. Still, it was probably just some kind of fish or amphibian or something. Brandon was pretty good at recognizing marine life at this point, but he had hardly gotten a good enough look at whatever it was to identify it.
    He went to perform the task his father had set him and put the creature out of his mind.
    “You’re going out windsurfing? Tonight? What’re you, nuts?”
    Kulani sighed. She had been hoping that her father would work late tonight so that she and Dak could go out without a lecture, but no such luck.
    “I’m not nuts, Pop. Dak and I planned this two days ago, and we’re going.”
    “What about those two girls—”
    “Pop, just because two beach bimbos were too stupid to stay out of a fishing net doesn’t mean Dak and I shouldn’t go out.”
    Pop glared at Kulani. She was worried that he’d try to forbid her from going. It wouldn’t work, of course—Kulani was an adult, and he had no right to control her movements. She was only living with him until she and Dak got married anyhow.
    Finally he said, “They weren’t beach bimbos, they were from Minnesota. And one of them was an experienced diver. It was in the paper.”
    Kulani rolled her eyes. “Pop, they’re just a couple of dumb tourists. I’m a grown woman who’s been windsurfing since I was two, and it’s a beautiful night out.”
    Pop walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. In a much softer voice, he said, “Lani, I just want you to be safe.”
    Her anger melted and she sighed, kissing Pop on the forehead as she said, “Don’t worry, Pop, I’ll be careful.” Then she hugged him.
    A knock came from the front door. “Hello?” It was Dak.
    “Dak!” Kulani broke her father’s embrace and ran to the man she loved. She almost leapt into his arms; she did kiss him. She hadn’t seen him in almost a full day, and she had been counting the moments until she saw him again.
    She couldn’t wait to be married to him so that she would see him all the time.
    “Ready to go?” he said after she finally paused for breath.
    “Definitely.”
    Pop said,