Bet your friends back home are jealous that you’re wearing shorts and T-shirts all year Dad said They’ll be all bundled up in parkas right now Brrrr Dad fake-shivered and sipped his coffee The truth was that Alex liked having seasons that changed It made every few months feel like a new beginning Mom had put their winter clothes in storage including Alex’s favorite navy blue V-neck sweater saying You won’t need that where we’re going The waves crashed against the shore Drew raced back from the waves as though the water touching his feet were hot lava A sign posted along the beach said Preserve Our Natural Landscape Please Leave All Lava Rocks and Other Natural Elements Where You Find Them Alex picked up a black rock carefully holding it between her index finger and thumb She jogged over to her dad who was smiling at the beautiful colors spread across the sky Look at this She showed him the lava rock Tiny craters covered its surface their 5
edges rough like charcoal against her skin His smile disappeared Alex the sign says Leave rocks where you find them Besides it’s bad luck Remember what the guide said You mean the guy in the Hang Loose tank and flip-flops Is that the best news source Alex asked The locals know what they’re talking about her dad said We need to respect their traditions I thought you weren’t superstitious Mr Science Alex kidded him Then look it up on your phone he said Mom shot him a dirty look and he added When we get home They had moved because Alex's dad Michael Reyes was invited to be a visiting professor in the marine biology department at the University of Hawaii Mom was a writer for a test scoring company that let her telecommute which meant she worked from a table in a coffee shop The Reyes house had always been bookish and a bit Big Bang Theory nerdish so anything the slightest bit 6
paranormal usually ended in arguing and Googling for evidence Dad Drew said I can see the Philippines He pointed toward an island in the distance That’s not the Philippines you dork Alex said rolling her eyes Alex don’t call your brother names Mom said Yeah Drew stuck his tongue out at Alex The Philippines is a little farther away Dad said You said it was close enough to visit Grandma close enough that we might be able to see it Drew said Okay I think I exaggerated a little on that one What’s that then Drew asked Must be Kauai Dad said We’ll get there sometime soon What about Grandma Drew said Yep We’ll see if we can get over there too It’d be a shame not to visit when we’re this 7
close She would probably never forgive me if we didn't Dad said Alex turned the lava rock over in her hand Why can’t I keep this What’s the big deal Her dad folded his arms across his chest Better safe than sorry honey We’re visitors The beach doesn’t belong to us The rock felt light the weight of a quarter or even a dime though it was more the size of a golf ball Alex listen to your father Mom said She was applying sunscreen to her fair-skinned nose and arms Alex stared at the rock in her hand How could a tiny rock be bad luck Alex Alex jumped and dropped the rock Fine she said Dad shook his head Mom got up and shook the sand out of her beach towel Are we going to see a real volcano Drew asked distracting Dad Maybe Dad finally unfolded his arms When we get a free day we could fly over to the Big Island 8
