Free Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret Page A

caught up to him, he was a strong swimmer. He’d be okay, and tomorrow he could tease Kyle about being a scaredy-cat who ran away from a foot-high wave. Daren liked that idea.
    He looked at his watch again. Five-twenty-four. Only six minutes until the tidal wave was supposed to arrive. Daren turned away from the smoking hotel and hurried down the wooden stairs that led to the beach.
    Someone had started a small driftwood bonfire. Four people stood near it, gazing out toward the water. Two others gathered more wood and tossed it on the flames.
    Their voices buzzed with excitement as they took turns calling out the exact time.
    â€œFive-twenty-five!”
    Daren walked past the bonfire and stood as close to the water as he could without getting his feet wet. He felt daring, and brave.
    â€œFive-twenty-six!”
    What a day! Daren had never had so many exciting things happen. He had been in an earthquake and a hotel fire, and now he was standing at the edge of the ocean during a tsunami warning.
    He looked toward the horizon. None of the approaching waves seemed any higher than the waves that had splashed the shore all day. The bellhop was right. The officials were frightening people for no reason.
    The sun was a red basketball as it slid toward the horizon.
    Tiny white lights twinkled far out to sea. Daren wondered if the lights were from the Elegant Empress.
    â€œFive-twenty-seven!” the voices shouted.
    Daren kicked off his sneaker and waded into the water. He wished Kyle could see him now. When they talked about this tomorrow, Daren would make Kyle look like a baby.
    Someone shouted from the top of the wooden steps: “Hey! You people on the beach! There’s a killer wave coming! Get away from the water now!”
    Daren froze. Killer wave sounded a lot worse than tsunami. What if he wasn’t being brave by staying in the water? What if he was being stupid?
    Kyle and BeeBee were not here now; they wouldn’t know whether Daren stayed or ran. He could still brag tomorrow that he had waded in the water while they ran away.
    The shout came again: “Run, you fools! A killer wave’s almost here!”
    Daren bolted away from the water. Two of the people who had been watching the bonfire ran after him, ignoring the jeers of their companions.
    Daren took the steps two at a time. He reached the top and was racing toward the burning Totem Pole Inn when he heard the voices on the beach yell, “Five-thirty!” A cheer rose from around the bonfire.
    Daren kept running.

9
    â€œI need to rest,” BeeBee said. “I have a crick in my side.”
    â€œWe’re almost to the top of the hill, honey,” Norm said, “and it’s nearly five-thirty. Keep going just a little longer.”
    â€œWe made it this far,” I told BeeBee. “Let’s try to reach the top before five-thirty. Then we can sit down until it’s safe to go back.”
    â€œMy feet hurt,” BeeBee said. “I burned my ankle when we crossed the lobby.”
    â€œWe’ll soon be there,” Josie said. “I see the park bench where we always wait.”
    I saw a sturdy bench ahead, the kind with iron legs and wooden slats for the seat and back. When we reached the bench, Norm and Josie sank down on it, clearly worn out from the long climb. Pansy sniffed the grass beneath the bench.
    â€œThis is as high up as we can get,” Norm said. “We could keep walking farther inland, but there’s no path—just trees and undergrowth that would be hard to get through, so we always sit here and wait until we hear the ‘all clear’ signal.”
    Josie scooted over close to Norm. “There’s room for all of us on the bench, if you don’t mind being cozy.”
    BeeBee sat on the bench beside Josie. When Josie draped her arm around BeeBee’s shoulders, BeeBee rested her head against the woman’s plump figure.
    â€œI’ll sit in the grass,” I said. I