Surfer USA
Alana spat out salt water. She'd just wiped out, but no matter, surfing was her hobby, not her sport. Managing to relocate her board, she scrambled back onto it. She loved surfing. Loved this island. Loved the creatures that inhabited it.
Alana had moved here with her family when she was eight. That had been a little over two years ago. Wringing out her hair, she nodded to experiment 520, Cannonball. He jumped, and she paddled to the oncoming wave. She stood when she got close enough to ride it, and then coasted awhile before her watch beeped loudly at her, startling her into falling off again.
When she resurfaced, she checked the time the yelled out in surprise. She was late for class. Again. She grabbed her board and swam to shore, upsetting a school of fish along her way. As she reached the shore, she collected her bag and ran, pulling on her skirt over her bathing suit. As she ran, she toweled off her hair, running barefoot through the town.
She ran, unaware that she was being watched. Not knowing that this day would go horribly wrong. Unaware that today her life would change forever.
"One, two, three, four, five…" one of the girls was missing. Moses Puloki pinched the place between his eyebrows. "Lilo…"
"Something wrong?" he looked up. She was actually there. Then… who was missing?
"No, Lilo, you're fine." He looked up and down the row of young dancers. Alana. She was gone again. She was a wonderful dancer; show her a dance once, and she had it down. But where was she?
Minutes later, another eleven-year-old sidled onto stage. She was soaking wet, but at least today she was wearing a uniform. She picked up on the dancing and went with it, following the others' movements. The dance ended, with Myrtle slipping in the water and dragging her friends down with her, leaving Lilo and Alana still standing.
The dance director blinked. Déjà-vu. He approached the girls. "Alana, why are you all wet?"
He was half-expecting an answer that had something to do with peanut butter. "It's my birthday."
"Your… birthday?"
"Yeah. I was surfing. I'm late because I was testing out the board my brother got me, and—"
"Alana," he began. "This couldn't have waited?"
"I like surfing."
"Well, then, happy birth—"
The door opened and a large man in a black suit entered.
"Mr. Bubbles?"
He nodded at Lilo, then turned to Moses. "Is there an Alana here?"
Alana stepped forward. "That's me."
Bubbles looked down at her. "I'm Mr. Bubbles. Would you come with me? That is," he looked at Moses. "If I could borrow her for awhile?"
"Of course."
He gestured for Alana to follow him. She obliged, and he led her to outside.
"Do you live on the southern part of the island with both parents, older brother, and baby sister?"
"Yes, why?"
He got down onto his knees, so his face was level with hers. "Your house it… caught fire."
"What?"
"You're… you're going to have to… you won't see them for awhile."
"They… they were in the house, weren't they?"
"I'm afraid so."
"So they're…they… they died?"
His silence answered her question.
"Why?"
"There was a gas leak. Someone lit a match and…" he mimed something blowing up. She looked down, and then nodded.
Bubbles blinked. "You're taking this rather well, all things considering."
"Oh, no. I'm sure it will sink in eventually."
"I'm supposed to take you to your house. You'll be picked up there."
"By who?"
"I'm working on it."
She nodded again. "I'll go get my stuff, then."