Chapter Three
Beach Party
"Ah, I should have known I'd end up buried in sand," Ralph muttered. "At least my head's still free, so I can breathe."
His head was the only part of him still above ground. Vanellope had seen to that. He turned to watch her, standing proudly beside a massive sandcastle she'd just finished building with Rancis.
"Hey Ralph," she called. "Check this out."
Ralph clenched his fists and pushed the sand off of his torso with several forceful blows. Sitting up, he turned to see Vanellope and Rancis standing beside a pile of sand, dejected looks on their faces.
"Where'd the sandcastle go?" Ralph asked.
"That took two hours to build," Rancis said in a forlorn voice.
"Whoops," said Ralph. He brushed the sand from his legs and stood up. "Sorry. The sand must have hit the castle and…"
His voice trailed off.
"Sorry," he said again after a few moments.
"Yes, well…" Vanellope began. She smiled. "We can still surf." She seized a surfboard lying nearby. "Come on, Ralph!"
"Whoa, I don't know about that," said Ralph. "I'd better stay on the beach."
"Party-pooper," Vanellope taunted.
"I'd probably break the board," said Ralph.
"You know," said Rancis, "Ralph's probably right."
Vanellope looked Ralph up and down. "I guess you're right," she said. "Want to take one of the boats instead?"
"Okay," said Ralph. "I'll go check with the lifeguard, see if I can use one."
"No need," said Rancis. "I already rented one for the night."
"Wait- how did you…?"
"Being a leader has its perks," said Rancis.
"You didn't pull the 'I'm President' card, did you?" Ralph asked.
"Look, if it helps, I took an oath on a dictionary to keep it in good shape."
"Okay, Rancis, okay," said Ralph. "Which boat?"
Rancis pointed towards the dock. "See that one?"
"The little white one?" said Ralph, gazing at a small, unadorned speedboat. "That'll do nicely."
"No, not that one," said Rancis. "The one beside it."
Ralph turned his gaze upon the next boat down. It was sleek and shiny, with an orange lightning bolt emblem along each side that contrasted sharply with the black paint. Closer to the front, the title S. S. Awesome was painted above the waterline in bold, white lettering.
"Had to pick the best one," said Rancis. "I couldn't settle for less."
"I can understand that," said Ralph. "Anyway, thanks." He headed down the beach until he arrived alongside the dock. Stepping out onto the wharf, he approached the S. S. Awesome. He looked it over one more time.
"The name's fitting," he said as he stepped into the boat. Settling into the pilot's seat, he eyed the various controls.
"I guess this one starts it," he said, activating the engine. He backed the boat out of dock…and straight onto the sand. Frowning, Ralph sent the boat back into the water, only to crash straight through the wharf. He winced at the sound of splintering wood. The wharf regenerated as soon as the boat had passed, however, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Gazing about, he saw several figures on surfboards, flowing through the water with apparent ease. He spotted Vanellope and steered the boat towards her until it was cruising beside her board. Hearing the sound of the motor, Vanellope turned her head.
"Wanna race, Stinkbrain?"
"I'd win," said Ralph. "I've got an engine."
"You certain of that?" said Vanellope. "Watch this." She rode her surfboard up onto the top of a wave several yards ahead.
"Not bad, huh?" she called. "I'm queen the waves, I'm-"
The wave collapsed, sending Vanellope tumbling from the board and into the ocean.
"Vanellope!" Ralph called. "I'm coming! Grab onto something."
Vanellope reached for her surfboard, but it bobbed away out of her reach. She tried to swim for shore, but the waves sent her crashing under. Seeing this, Ralph increased his speed, heading towards the spot where Vanellope had vanished. Taffyta was already there. She'd seen the accident and had steered her board straight for Vanellope. As Ralph reached the spot, he heard Taffyta frantically calling their friend's name.
"She's not there," Taffyta said as she saw Ralph. "I tried to catch her, but…"
Just then, Vanellope rose to the surface. She'd lost her hair ring, and her hair was now splayed about the water, floating gently. Her eyes were shut, and she looked as though she wasn't breathing. Beside the top of her head was a large grey fin.
"Sh…shark!" Taffyta stammered. "Shark!"
The shark raised its head above the water. "I'll have you know I'm the friendly sort when there's not a quarter alert," it said. "Anyway, better take this kid. She's swallowed a ton of water I reckon."
"Thanks," said Ralph as he hauled Vanellope into the boat.
"No problem," said the shark, diving back below the water.
Ralph piloted the boat back to shore quickly. He leaped out of the boat, Vanellope in his arms. The lifeguard, who had rushed out as soon as he saw the accident, saw Ralph's action and turned back towards the shore. Arriving at the same time as Ralph, he laid Vanellope down on the sand and began the process of reviving her. As Ralph watched anxiously, he saw Vanellope spit out seawater, and then cough. She opened her eyes.
"Wha..what…happened?" she asked. "Was I showing off again?"
"Yes," said Ralph.
"Oh dear," said Vanellope as the lifeguard helped her into a sitting position. "I'm sorry. How did I get afloat again? The last thing I remember is blacking out."
"A shark," said Taffyta, who had just arrived back at land. Carrying her board, she approached Vanellope. "A shark saved you."
"I was on the back of a shark?" Vanellope smiled. "That's cool."
"Anyway, you'd better stay out of the water for a bit," said Ralph. "Take few sips of something, relax."
"Come with me," said Taffyta, taking Vanellope by the arm. "Let's go get a snack."
"No caffeine for her," Ralph mouthed at Taffyta.
"Got it," Taffyta mouthed back.
As Vanellope and Taffyta rejoined the other racers, who had just arrived back at the beach, Ralph thanked the lifeguard. This done, he got back into the boat, started it again, and steered it back into the dock. He stepped onto the wharf once more and then back onto the sand.
"Guess I could use a soda myself," he said aloud, heading back towards the racers. "Anyway, good thing we got her back safely. The rest of this party should roll smoothly now."