LAGOON→ JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

1. sunny side up

The sun was high, the waves were wild, and Sunny Adler couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so free. Her bare feet dug into the sand as she ran toward the water, her surfboard under one arm, a grin already spreading across her face.

The Outer Banks was a place that felt like it belonged to her—untamed, unpredictable, and exactly where she needed to be. She shoved the board into the surf, hopping on with practiced ease, the cool ocean spray hitting her face as she paddled out.

The waves were bigger than she'd expected, but that didn't bother her. If anything, it made her want to push harder. It had been a while since she'd been this far from everything—no plans, no responsibilities—just the ocean and her. She loved how the waves didn't care who you were. They just came at you, raw and relentless.

She saw him then—some local guy, probably a Pogue, his board already carving through the water. He was good, no doubt about it, but Sunny wasn't interested in just keeping up. She was going to show him what it meant to own a wave.

The guy noticed her as she paddled toward him, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You sure you can handle this?" he shouted over the crash of the waves.

Sunny shot him a wink. "Just try to keep up."

She turned her board into the next wave, timing it just right, and shot forward with a burst of speed. The wave carried her effortlessly, her body in sync with its rise and fall. She looked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the guy still paddling to catch up.

She leaned into the turn, the edge of her board slicing through the water, and shot across the face of the wave. By the time she reached the end, the guy was still struggling to stay on his board, wiped out and floundering in the foam.

Sunny laughed, the sound light and carefree, as she paddled back out for another round. "Maybe next time," she called out, as she caught another perfect wave.

Sunny paddled back out, the saltwater stinging her skin as she positioned herself to catch the next wave. She was in her element, the rhythm of the ocean syncing with the beat of her heart. The sun beat down, the air warm, and her mind was empty except for the waves—exactly how she liked it.

She spotted another set coming in, bigger than the last. Perfect. She wasn't done showing off yet.

A few quick strokes and she was on it, her board cutting through the water like a knife. The wave surged beneath her, propelling her forward, and she grinned—she was on fire today. She popped up smoothly, balancing effortlessly as she carved across the wave, leaning into turns with ease, the wind in her face and her heart pumping with the thrill.

"Watch this," she muttered to herself, giving a teasing glance over her shoulder at the boy from before. He was still struggling, fighting the waves like they were his enemy.

Sunny pushed harder, riding the wave all the way to its peak before launching into an ambitious spin, her board angled just right.

And then, in the blink of an eye, everything went wrong.

The wave shifted, a rogue curl pushing her too far to one side. She didn't see it coming—one second she was cutting through the water, the next, she was tumbling head over heels, the surfboard disappearing beneath her. The world turned upside down as she was swallowed by the next wave, tossed and tumbled like a ragdoll.

She fought to break the surface, gasping for air, but the ocean had other plans. The waves seemed to crash from every direction, pulling her under again and again. Panic crept in, her heart hammering as she fought to find the surface.

But then everything went black.

When Sunny finally came to, her head was pounding, and the world felt... off. She blinked against the bright sunlight, squinting at the sky as she tried to sit up. Her body felt like it had been dragged through a blender.