"POW!" The starting gun started the race with a bang. Anna Mckay bolted out of the blocks and sprinted down the track. Faster and faster she ran as the end of the track caught her eye. Her dark brown hair flowed behind her as she put on the afterburners and soared into first place, crossing the finish line just before the other runners. Constant cheers were surrounding her. She looked up into the stands to see her best friend Leona Marks cheering the loudest. Anna smiled at this. But that wasn't the only reason. She had just qualified for the high school state track competitions.

"Great job Anna!" Leona shouted as soon as Anna stepped out of the locker room after the meet. Leona ran up and gave her friend a big hug.

"Calm down Leona. I don't want any ribs broken now that I've made State," Anna stated.

"Sorry." Anna smiled. Leona clung to Anna constantly. Anna didn't care. Leona was her first friend when she moved to California from Africa twelve years ago. They had been best friends ever since.

The suburbs of San Diego were unusually quiet, especially for a Thursday afternoon. Anna and Leona began walking toward Anna's house to tell her dad the great news. "Hey dad!" Anna exclaimed, as they walked into the house.

"Hello Anna and Leona," he replied back from the couch.

"Guess what Mr. Mckay? Anna made state cuts!" Leona burst out.

"That's incredible!" he exclaimed, "and I told you Leona, you can call me Matt. It's ok."

Anna could not hold in her excitement. She ran up and gave a death hug to her dad. Matt returned it. Life had been hard on Anna in the past. Matt was not her real dad. She had been adopted when she was very young. It was noticeable to everyone, seeing that Anna was African and Matt was Caucasian.

Anna stepped back, tears running down her face. Tears of joy. She never thought she'd be at this moment. But it was finally coming true.

The next day:

Anna's fist slammed down onto her alarm clock as it blared out into the morning. She sat up, exhausted. She had hung out with Leona all night until she left at 1 a.m. Apparently athletes have school too, She thought. An hour later, Anna was fully awake and ready for school. She walked outside, ready to face the new school day. Leona walked by and Anna started off after her. It only took a few feet for Anna to catch up, catching Leona off guard.

"Still sleepy?" Anna asked.

"unnhhhh…" was the only reply. Leona looked as if she could fall asleep on the stage of a heavy rock concert. Her eyes were drooping, and she was barely shuffling along the sidewalk. That's when Anna tricked her. Anna pulled out a water bottle, and she dumped half of it onto Leona's head. That sure woke up her. "WHY YOU LITTLE!" Leona yelled as she ran after Anna. Anna let Leona catch her, and Leona tackled her onto the grass. They smiled, then burst out laughing. "Thanks for waking me up," Leona chuckled.

"No problem."

The rest of the way to school went by without another incident. Multiple people congratulated Anna on her amazing performance and the track meet. She had to slip through crowds of people to avoid being surrounded with questions. She and Leona escaped, and they made it to first period biology, just in time for the bell. They sat down in their desks, satisfied for being on time.

Then, the principal walked in. "Welcome class," he said.

"Welcome principal Garson," we returned in respect.

"First," he started, "I want to congratulate our very own Anna Mckay on qualifying for State yesterday." A loud and obnoxious round of applause insued, as they all clapped for you. "Also, I would like to introduce to you an new student in this class. Please welcome Fallon Hale."

A shy-looking girl walked into the class, trying to keep her head up. Anna was surprised. Fallon was an incredibly good looking girl. Anna was feeling a little jealous. She wasn't the only one who noticed either. She looked around and saw that all the guys' mouths were dropped to the floor. This made Anna feel even more jealous.

Leona was feeling the same way too. She had always been one of the better looking girls. She's not even wearing makeup! She thought.

Fallon quietly walked over to the desk the teacher had assigned, right in front of Anna. Fallon sat down and faced the front, her long red hair flowing down to her middle back.

"Now," the principal continued, "I would like someone to come up and be Fallon's personal guide through out the school." Anna turned and looked. Sure enough, Leona's hand was up. Anna knew Leona was jealous of Fallon's looks, but Leona could never back down from becoming a new friend to anyone. That's what happened with Anna.

"Thank you Ms. Marks. I will now leave you to your schooling." And, Mr. Garson strode out of the room to attend to his administration. Anna turned and looked at the board. The teacher immediately began discussing DNA codons with the class, but Anna couldn't understand it all. Her mind just kept going to Fallon in front of her. She was beautiful, yet she hadn't acted like she was. I'm going to find out about you Fallon, Anna thought to herself.

The next three periods went by quickly, and soon Leona and Anna found themselves at lunch, eating at their usual table. Fallon walked up. "Hi," she said in a sweet, kind voice, "can I eat with you?"

"Sure," Anna replied, wanting to also be nice, just like Leona.

"Thanks," Fallon said back.

"So, where are you from Fallon?" Leona blurted out.

"Aspen, Colorado," She said, "My family and I moved here when my Dad got a promotion. He was asked to work here in San Diego."

"That's cool. I'm Anna by the way," Anna put in, realizing that she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"Thanks," Fallon said again.

"Hey babe," a guy interrupted from behind, his comment obviously aimed at Fallon. Fallon blushed with embarrassment as the guy continued on.

"Some guys are just idiots," Anna reassured her, "Don't worry about it." But, Anna noticed something else. The guy she didn't think was a jerk. Nolan Walker. Anna had had a crush on him ever since she could remember. He was a track star and sophomore just like Anna. He wasn't the cutest boy in the world, Anna had decided, but he was definitely good enough for her. His lightly tanned skin was ripped with lean muscle, and his sandy blonde hair fell perfectly.

"What are you staring at Anna?" Fallon asked.

"Nothing. So, wanna hang out with me and Leona after school?" Anna rambled, eager to change the subject."

"Sure."

"Great! After school, meet me and Leona on the far side of the Marina."

"We're gonna take my boat out for a spin," Leona said, picking up were Anna left off.

"Cool. See you then," Fallon said.

Four hours later, Leona and Anna stood at the end of the Marina when Fallon showed up. They smiled at each other before they all climbed into Leona's small boat for a run. "Watch this," Leona bragged as she hit the throttle. The boat shot forward at breakneck speed. The lack of seat belts caused the girls to get thrown back into the engine. The boat continued, heading straight out to sea.

"Stop this boat!" Anna yelled above the wind. Leona crawled forward slowly, fighting the resistance the wind was giving. She finally reached the throttle. She smiled as she began to pull it back. But, the throttle jammed. Leona pulled back and "SNAP!" The cheap plastic throttle broke off completely in her hand.

"We're Doomed!" Fallon yelled.

Ten minutes later, the boat slowly decelerated and finally came to a stop. The gas needle heavily rode on the letter E. "Great Leona, we're stranded now!" Anna barked.

"I'm sorry Anna, but it wasn't my fault."

"Wait, what's that?" Fallon interrupted. Leona and Anna looked where Fallon was pointing, and a small island caught their eye.

"That's Tiburon Island," Anna said, not impressed.

"Ok. Let's go," Fallon said as she began paddling toward it. Anna and Leona looked at each other and shrugged. Then, they helped Fallon paddle.

They soon reached Tiburon Island, and they pulled the boat ashore. "No phone service," Leona stated bluntly, "Let's go inland to see if we can get better reception." Fallon and Anna didn't object. After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a clearing at the base of a volcano. Two big rocks created a waterfall for a small stream cascading down the gleaming rocks.

"Be careful," Anna called to Leona who was leading

"I'll be fi.." Leona called back as her voice suddenly cut off as she disappeared.

"LEONA!" Anna yelled as she and Fallon clambered up the rocks to where she had just been standing. A small hole in the ground was all they saw.

"I'm ok!" was the answer that soon came from the tunnel. "Come down." Anna and Fallon glanced at each other. They decided to follow her, even though it was dark and the stars were out. They both jumped down the hole and screamed as they slid fast through the darkness. They landed harshly in the bottom.

"Hey guys," Leona smiled. Anna looked around. The cave they were in was surprisingly well lit, despite it being night. A small staircase looking column of rock led up into a different chamber. The three girls followed it and gasped. A small pool, eight feet across, filled one side of the room, as the volcano shown directly above it.

"Wow," Fallon whispered, "and I thought the caves in Colorado were amazing."

The girls, unfortunately, were not looking where they were walking. All three tripped and fell face first into the waters of the pool. They gasped as they emerged.

"Great!" Anna exclaimed sarcastically. Leona and Fallon snickered. They went silent as soon as they looked up. The full moon shown brightly through the cave. The water around them soon began to bubble. Small sparks of light rose out of the pool toward the moon. Then, it finished. The moon went away.

The three girls stared at each other. They all agreed they were amazed in their silence. "Let's get out of here," Anna stated. They laughed and swam through the opening they found in the moon pool. It only took ten seconds, and soon they were on the outside of the island in the middle of the ocean.

All of a sudden, a spotlight shown brightly on them. "This is the US Coast Guard. Please make your way to the ladder," a voice came on a megaphone. The girls listened. Fallon looked back on Tiburon Island one last time as she boarded. Something wasn't right. And she knew it.