“Yeah, babe, wanna come meet her? Shelly loves making new friends.” Turtle smiled, and the girl rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling good-naturedly.
“Does that line work on all the girls?” She laughed, and Turtle chuckled, shrugging.
“Some of them.”
She snorted and shook her head in amusement.
“I’m Blake.” She smiled, reaching out a hand to shake. Her wrist was covered in those colorful friendship bracelets made of thread and knots, and I smiled. Blake seemed cool.
“Hey, I’m Finn, this is Turtle.”
“Oh, I know whoyouare,” she informed me, her bright blue eyes shining with curiosity. “You’re the kook that bought Jake Whittling’s old place.”
Huh?
“Who’s Jake Whittling?” I asked dumbly, and Blake’s eyebrows rose.
“You’re telling me you bought that place without learning anything about it first?” she asked, sounding shocked.
Turtle and I exchanged a confused look, and I shrugged.
“I dunno, it was right on the beach and a sick price. I just snatched it up.”
“Oh my god, dude. You didn’tsnatchanything up. No one’s bought that place for a reason.”
My good mood was quickly evaporating and being replaced with a small twinge of doubt. I had been so excited about buying that place. The last thing I wanted was to learn that I had wasted all my mom’s money on some shack that was condemned and full of black mold or something weird like that.
“What? What do you mean?” I yelped, hating the high-pitched squeak my voice seemed to have taken on.
Blake gave me a sympathetic look before reaching out and giving my arm a comforting squeeze.
“Jake Whittling was, like, a local surfinglegend.He died last year surfing Leviathans.”
Turtle squawked next to me in shock. “What!? Dudedied?”
Blake nodded, her eyes shining with what I could have sworn were tears. She swallowed so hard I heard it.
“Yeah. It was awful. EveryonelovedJake so much. He was such a rad person. No one’s bought his spot because I think it hurts too much, you know? Like, that’shisplace. It has been for as long as I’ve lived here. He was one of the original guys who discovered Leviathans. It’s messed up that the beach that made him famous is what ended up killing him.”
Guilt welled up in my chest at the real pain in Blake’s eyes as she told me about the tragic death of someone she’d clearly really cared about.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I croaked, gripping the T-shirt she had given me tighter in my fists.
She shook her head gently as if trying to brush the painful memories away. Her bleach-blonde ponytail swished behind her in the early sun.
“It’s not your fault, Finn. Just… don’t be surprised if you get a little pushback over buying his place. People around here have this weird thing about it. Like only someone worthy of it should live there or something.”
“What, like, only another Leviathans’ rider?” Turtle asked the question I had already been thinking.
“Something like that.”
I brightened slightly and gave Blake a reassuring grin.
“Well. Good thing it’s my plan to shred Leviathans this winter. That’s why I’m here.”
Blake barked out a laugh, then seemed to realize I was being serious. The second she took in the earnest look on my face, the blood drained from hers.
“What? No! You can’t! Leviathans will eat you alive, Finn.”
