Free Burned by Rick Bundschuh Page B

a thing. Bethany glanced at Malia and saw that her lips were trembling a little. Del and Hank looked relieved and grateful that their idiotic cousin had finally done something smart.
    Then Malia walked over to Liam and gave him a hug.
    Liam blushed and lowered his head. A small tear escaped from the corner of his eye, and he brushed it away quickly.
    â€œAll right, that’s enough of the spotlight for you Liam!” Hank called out.
    â€œLet’s eat!” Tim said.
    â€œCome, sit with us!” Malia added with a grin.
    Liam piled his plate even higher than Malia — no small feat, but Bethany guessed his apology had allowed his appetite to return. She had been there herself, after all.
    Between bites, Bethany whispered to him, “I’m sorry about your mom. That must be really hard.”
    Liam nodded his head, smiled weakly, and forked up another bite. He glanced shyly at Malia.
    â€œDo you eat like that all the time?” Malia asked with a teasing grin.
    â€œYeah,” Liam admitted with a small grin of his own. “Sometimes a lot more than this.”
    Bethany chuckled. “Tim has met his match!”
    As soon as breakfast was out of the way, the general consensus was that it was time to get back to the business of surfing. Pod had announced that the swell had peaked overnight and returned to a playful size. A short time later, their gear was loaded and they all climbed back on the boat with Pod.
    Malia was the last to climb on board. She carried a waterproof bag slung over each shoulder. One contained a video camera and the other a still camera.
    Noah and Tim had made her the official photographer for the rest of the trip and had given her a crash course in how to use their equipment.
    All morning long, Malia recorded the images of her friends, Liam included, getting great tube rides, floating over crashing sections, and, in the case of the younger surfers, getting some air.
    That evening, Noah hooked up the camera to the camp television, and the whole crew gathered around and watched the movies and stills Malia had shot. They hooted for each good ride and laughed and played backward any wipeout.
    Afterward, everyone complimented Malia on her video and photography skills.
    Every day for the rest of their trip, Malia sat in the boat again, cameras ready, batteries recharged. She even bugged Pod to move his boat around so she could shoot from different angles.
    Little did Noah and Tim know, but their idea to include Malia was the start of something big for her. She discovered shooting movies was not only fun but something she was good at — a fledgling filmmaker was born.
    On their last day in Samoa, Bethany talked Pod into taking her and Malia out for one final surf session. She made sure it was early enough so that the adults wouldn’t be there to remind Malia about doctor’s orders and other precautions.
    The girls watched the sun come up over the Samoan jungle and turned and smiled at each other.
    â€œHow ya feeling?” Bethany asked.
    Malia laughed. “After that sunrise? Great! I thought the salt water would sting some of my cuts, but they must be healed enough to handle!”
    They threw their boards in the water and dived in. Bethany broke the surface and waited for Malia to come up.
    â€œOkay. Here’s my gift to you: You can have any wave you want today!”
    â€œIn that case, I want them all!”
    â€œDon’t be a wave hog!”
    Malia started snorting and paddled for an oncoming wave at the same time. She was still snorting like a pig as she sailed past Bethany.
    Bethany laughed, wishing she could’ve taped Malia like that — somehow freeze-frame the moment forever. It would be another memory of Samoa that she would keep in her heart for the rest of her life.
    The flight back to Hawaii was scheduled to leave midafternoon. Del, Hank, and Liam were outbound on a ten p.m. flight.
    After lunch, the Hamilton family busied themselves