Approaching the break Cruz grasped the sides of his surfboard He pushed the nose underwater in a smooth duck dive and the swell passed over him Surfacing he paddled out a bit farther and cut a 45 degree turn that put him parallel to the beach Lining himself up with the end of the long pier he sat up and straddled his board legs dangling He liked the take off zone It was the calm before the ride as Lani liked to say Bobbing like this he could think about anything or nothing The choice was up to him On his last day at home Cruz didn't want to think He wanted to feel He wanted to feel every sensation And remember To his left beyond the crescent shaped inlet rose the emerald peaks of the mountains on the northern shore In the fading light it was easy to pick out the white waterfalls cascading down the creases of the hills Cruz spotted his dad walking through the parking lot geez sailboats 20 miles offshore could probably see that crazy bright yellow and blue zigzag shirt His father would be headed back up to the Goofy Foot their surf shop to close for the night Cruz glanced right into the deep orange sunset It was as if the glowing orb had rolled out a carpet of light across the ocean for him just to say good bye He was sure going to miss this place You don't have to go you know Lani had said last spring when he'd told her he'd been accepted into the Academy Her words stung Lani was his best friend the one who always found the silver lining Not that he blamed her They had both applied to the school yet only Cruz had been accepted It had come as a shock He had thought Lani surely would have been chosen over him she was so much smarter and more creative But then the certified letter had arrived For him It was impressive with its fancy parchment paper and shiny seal gold
Dear Cruz Coronado EXPLORER ACADEMY Congratulations The Society is pleased to extend to you this invitation of admittance to our elite Explorer Academy Upon acceptance you will be inducted into the next class of young explorers and given the rare privilege of learning firsthand from a faculty of the world's most renowned scientists explorers conservationists photographers and journalists as you travel to historic and majestic locations around the globe We select only those candidates of the highest caliber for this prestigious honor We ardently await your response Cordially Regina M Hightower Ph D Explorer Academy President Cruz's aunt Marisol who taught anthropology at the Academy said they only accepted 25 or so students per class from around the world It was quite an achievement to be admitted Still Cruz wondered had he earned it His aunt had likely pulled a few strings to get him in Or it could have been offered out of guilt Cruz's mom also once worked at the Society she had been a neuroscientist with the Synthesis its sci entific arm Seven years ago there was a bad accident in her lab It had taken her life Another Synthesis scientist Dr Elistair Fallowfeld had
also died in the tragedy That's all anyone would tell Cruz and his family That and his mother had been in the wrong place at the wrong time Cruz hated that saying Isn't everyone who accidentally dies in the wrong place at the wrong time I thought the plan was for us to go to the Academy together Lani had said to Cruz Yeah but Aunt Marisol thinks Of course your aunt wants you to go now She's going to be there What do you think Cruz knew Lani had wanted him to say he would ask the school to let him wait a year That would give Lani another chance to apply He wasn't sure that was a good idea Cruz was afraid if he didn't go this year they'd never invite him again There was something else too A feeling No it was more than a feeling He couldn't explain it he only knew he had to obey I think His breath had caught I think I want to go now Lani had thrown her hands up That's it then Fine Go Don't be mad We'll still be able to see each other whenever we want even when I go aboard Orion She'd raised a suspicious eyebrow Right Like you're really gonna call me from the explorers ship halfway around the world Why not I'll have Mell They're letting you take your MAV Mell was Cruz's honeybee drone a micro air vehicle MAV no bigger than his thumb It was a gift from his dad last year after Cruz had sprained his knee so that he would still be able to see the surf even if he couldn't feel it Turned out he'd only missed a few days of surfing Uh huh Cruz had given her a smirk See it won't be so bad I can give you the scoop on what it's like so when you get in next year you'll be set All we have to do is pretend you're in your room and I'm in mine instead of Half a world away she'd said wistfully yet she had been twisting her hair a sign surrender of
Come on Lani he had pleaded I need your support Okay okay but you'd better stay in touch or so help me I will track you down all the way to the North Pole if I have to She wasn't kidding If Cruz had learned anything it was that when Leilani Kealoha said she would do something she meant it Absolutely he'd said Easy as Dad's guava pie She had folded her arms You know I hate pie Girls There Cruz spotted his wave Dropping his chest he flattened him self against the board As the swell rolled in behind him Cruz turned for shore and paddled hard His strokes were strong and deliberate Timing was key Pop up too early and he'd miss the crest Go too late and he'd wipe out Cruz could feel the surge growing behind him Almost time Just a few more seconds When he felt the tail of his board begin to lift Cruz arched his back pushed off with his hands and planted his feet under him right foot in front and left foot in back in goofy foot position Most right handed people surf with their left foot in front but not Cruz Slowly he lifted himself into a low crouch The moment the wave broke under him he let go of the board and rose arms out for balance Cruz felt the famil iar smooth glide of success He'd hit the crest perfectly Woo hoo he yelled angling the board inward Mist sprayed his face as he made a sweeping S pattern through the curl of water Cruz shifted his weight skimming left then right then left again to ride the swirl as fast and as far as he could Surfing made him feel powerful Free Invincible If only the feeling lasted longer than a TV commercial Cruz rode the wave inland until it dissipated into foam Reaching for the Velcro strap on his ankle that tethered him to his board his hand hesitated It hadn't been five minutes had it Maybe one more run Charging back into the foam Cruz tossed his board into the water hopped on and paddled out past the break As before he scooted upright to straddle his board Cruz was lifting his left foot
