1 The day of the disaster dawned the same as every other day in Hawaii perfect That’s what Alexandra’s dad had called it when he told her that they would be moving there Perfect temps perfect beaches and perfect weather A perfect paradise But perfect Hawaii didn’t have Alex’s school her friends or her home Spending her senior year of high school there also meant Alex wouldn’t get to graduate with her class Instead she would be going to school on Oahu Hawaii’s third-biggest island with a bunch of strangers But Alex had no say in the matter so now here she was with her family in paradise 1
Alex sifted sand between her toes Would you look at that view Dad said Alex glanced over at him but said nothing Her digging toes caught a strand of seaweed left by the tide as it rolled out into the Pacific Ocean Alex and her family had walked down to the beach to watch the sunrise their new routine before Mom and Dad headed off to work each day Have a bagel Alex her mom said She spread cream cheese on a bluish roll and walked it over adding You like blueberry right Yeah Thanks Alex took the bagel and bit into it Mom sat down again on her towel facing the sunrise and sipped coffee from a mug with Aloha written across it in big cursive letters Can I have some coffee Alex asked Nice try her mom said You don’t need all that caffeine You can have some orange juice Yuck Alex took another generous bite of the bagel Alex Drew yelled Come over here 2
Her younger brother was running along the beach playing tag with the tiny waves that crawled inland Alex ignored him and pulled the phone out of her back pocket She texted Simone her best friend back home in Minnesota with one hand as she finished the bagel in her other hand Simone and Alex both had the day off and Alex hoped they could talk later Hey ALEX Waiting Waiting Waiting SIMONE ALEX Waiting Waiting Waiting SIMONE ALEX SIMONE Hey What’s up No school Going 2 movies w Chase You Beach Perfect weather here He’s here Gotta go A pang of jealousy struck Alex as if she had been punched in the stomach Chase was a guy they both liked She closed the text window 3
and shoved the phone back into her pocket She had only been gone from Minnesota for a month and Simone already had a boyfriend Alex felt like she had hardly met anyone Well that wasn’t exactly true She had made two friends on the island Sienna and Maia But they already had a history together so even though they tried to make Alex feel at home she was still the new girl She didn’t get any of their inside jokes and she didn’t know any of the places or people they talked about They just kept saying Sorry and You’ll go there sometime or You’ll eventually meet so-and-so Alex Mom called Get off your phone You’re in Hawaii Alex pushed up off the ground She dusted the damp sand from her legs and shorts before wandering down to the ocean’s edge The blue-green water was clear enough to see coral and the sun reflected orange and yellow off the waves farther out Seagulls swooped and cawed The air was warm and balmy It would be another perfect day in Hawaii 4
