Chapter 71: Shark Attack

I RAISED MY HAND as they drew near, and then shaded my eyes as I peered out into the waves, panic beginning to bubble up inside me.

"Nice ride in, Tru," smiled Isaac, his eyes glinting with appreciation.

"Where's Ruthie?" asked Phoebe.

"I don't know," I said, breathing fast. "She was right next to me."

"Is that her board out there?" asked Isaac, pointing to a red spot far from shore.

A bodyboard bobbed, like it was being pulled down, its end tipping all the way up.

"Holy crap!" I screamed. "That's her!" It looked like something was pulling her under.

We ran into the water.

"Maybe she's stuck in a riptide!" I cried, fear for my friend choking me.

Isaac and Phoebe swam so fast that they outdistanced me in no time. Then they dove under just as Ruthie's head bobbed up. She sucked in a gulp of air before shrieking in terror, her arms crawling toward us. A dark fin poked out of the choppy water near her. My heart stopped. That is no riptide, I thought before she went under again.