D2: The Mighty Ducks Novel

A DAY OFF, AN OFF DAY

     Most of Team USA decided to spend their Saturday at Venice Beach.

     They were awestruck as they approached the beach from a bicycle path. Los Angeles was such a weird place. It seemed as if people spent all their time in bathing suits. All around them were skate boarders, people playing volleyball, and, out on the waves, surfers.

     They were walking along a bike path when they looked up and saw a fleet of Rollerbladers with hockey sticks headed right toward them.

     "Jump!" shouted Luis.

     They leaped out of the way. The skaters whizzed by without stopping. All except one. It was that kid who had been showing up at the games. The one who had been taunting them since they first arrived.

     "Yo, Team USA," he called out. "Hope the hockey isn't interfering with your vacation!" he wise cracked. The kid skated away, laughing. The players exchanged bewildered glances. Who was this guy? And why was he wherever they went? The kids found an empty spot on the beach and rolled out their blankets. Connie and Julie worked on their tans.

     Ken, Luis, Charlie, and Guy pulled out a flying disk and began throwing it around. There were a few tosses and some acrobatic catches. Then Guy sailed the disk way over Luis's head.

"You did that on purpose," shouted Luis. He knew Guy was still upset because Connie had smiled at him.

      "You go get it."

      "Go get it yourself," retorted Guy.

     Ken shook his head wearily and jogged after the disk. He wanted to play, not fight over girls. When he bent down to pick it up, however, he was tackled by eight Vikings. They had been jogging along the beach in their uniforms when they blindsided Ken. One of the Vikings then deliberately smashed his knee into Ken's face. Ken slumped to the ground, his nose dripping with blood.

     Charlie, Guy, and Luis ran over to help as soon as they saw the attack. But by then the Vikings had trotted farther down the shore.

     "Hey, you stupid jerks!" Charlie shouted after them.

     The Vikings kept jogging.

     "You better run," warned Luis. "Come back We'll kick your butts! COWARDS!"

     The Vikings did a sudden about-face,

     "Uh-oh," said Charlie nervously. "There's more of them than us," he said, "and they're bigger." He did some quick mental calculations. "I say we-"

     "RUN!" Ken, Luis, and Guy sprinted off. Charlie brought up the rear, kicking up sand as he went. They did everything they could to lose the Vikings.

     The kids darted in and around a maze of sunbathers, dashed under volleyball nets, and jumped over some benches. They raced past a group who were filming a movie on the beach. Nothing could stop them. Nothing... except maybe the dead end as they entered a pavil ion.

     Before they had a chance to correct their mistake, the Vikings players were on them.

     "Who's the coward now?" bellowed Olaf, the team captain. The huge Icelandic players moved in on the boys.

     "Good question," came a voice from behind them. It was Fulton. Portman was at his side. Now the odds were a little more even. For moment it was a stalemate. Nobody moved. Not the Vikings. Not Team USA. Suddenly the balance of the Vikings team arrived. The Vikings smiled. Team USA cringed.

     "What's going on?" asked Coach Stansson.

     "They interfered with our workout," complained one of the Vikings.