Me, Myself, and Spies

Chapter 2

We arrived at the beach. Uncle Jack glanced at me briefly, then looked out his window. He had that light in his dark eyes, like he was waiting for something. Something spectacular. Something unexpected. Something terrifying. A chill went down my spine in defiance to the California heat. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, but stopped as I knew he wouldn't tell me. If he noticed my hesitance to speak, he didn't say anything. We got out of the truck, but before I remind him again that I didn't have my swim gear, he handed me a brand new surfboard and wetsuit.

"In honor of your first day of school." He smirked and fear swept over me. My uncle never just gave me something. There was always some sort of catch. As I tried to voice my thought, he spoke.

"I expect you to use your new gifts to complete my latest challenge for you," I followed his gaze, which pointed, not to the safe waters littered with tourists and surfers, but out towards the sheer cliffs across the coast where large threatening waves crashed against the rocks. My jaw hit the floor as he continued.

"Suit up."

Unsurprisingly, the suit was a perfect fit. I placed my White blouse and blue plaid skirt with my blazer in my bad. Tiptoeing across the hot sand, I was soon engulfed by the cliffs great shadow. The sea breeze sent a chill right through the suits thin material. When I reached the meeting point, John was already waiting. He began his lecture.

"Okay Jas, today we'll see just how much you've really learned about surfing in the six years I've taught you. We go out together and when I find a suitable wave, I'll give you the signal to go. Get to the shore without fail, and the board is yours." I really should have seen this coming. Everything I have ever received, I earned. Even my very first cell phone took me a black-belt degree in karate to finally get! The waves we dared attack would be some of the tallest we'd ever see. Was my life really worth a surfboard of my own? Would this mean that I would never again have to flirt with the young surfboard rental clerk to get cheap deals? I even get a new wetsuit after mine was tragically destroyed in a Great Barrier Reef accident. Even though I lived in a place where most everyone loved surfing, out of everything I've done it was somehow the scariest. No respirators or parachutes. No emergency backups whatsoever. Just me, the board, and the water.

It was time. I held the board at my side as we charged through the water. When the water surpassed my knees, I lunged forward and threw it beneath me. Swiftly, I began paddling out to sea. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jack slowly drifting a few feet behind. Then, we waited. Time seemed to slow as I waited for the signal. What was he waiting for? We had ducked and avoided wave after wave. Each one looked perfect to me. My tensions turned to annoyance. But I still couldn't relax, not when my wave was out there. Waiting for me as I was for it. I wanted to shift onto my back and just soak in all the still beauty around me. The seagull cries and the sound of waves hitting the beach started to gently rock me to sleep. But then something made me jump to attention. Suddenly I was overcome with an awful, sinking feeling. It felt like the seconds of calm before I was attacked by a shark last summer in Australia. I searched the waves for my uncle's face. When I found it, I froze. Though his face was as calm as before, his eyes had changed. Their sharp fearlessness had become filled with alarming realization. When he noticed my gaze the look left as suddenly as it had appeared. His eyes shifted about for a second. Then he lifted his arm and pointing forward he mouthed out 'there'. I turned my head to find the biggest wave I had ever seen. It must have been at least 30 feet tall! Was this really my wave? There was no time to argue. I prepared to intercept the wave. The board turn around and was soon swept up by the wave. I stood up and posed in a tight stance I had trained into my muscles. Soon enough, I was surfing. Were my feet in position? Was I balanced enough? How would I get to shore without getting ripped to pieces? All these questions melted away in the blissful ride. I was gliding- no- flying over the water. As the wave twisted around me into a tunnel, I reached out and sliced my hand through the water. But then I saw something. Something past behind the wall of clear blue. It was moving fast. Leaving behind a trail of sea foam in its wake. Was it a speed boat? I thought I heard the sharp crack of a gunshot, but there was no time to think more on it. This was my wave, and I was gonna ride it to the end.