Dear Risa,

  My food turned out exceptionally edible. No one barfed it up. I am proud of myself.

  Also, Cali told Echo she really doesn't mind cooking for everyone, and to please just let her.

  So yeah. Edible.

  Anyhow! We got to the beach! And holy crap Risa, the ocean is beautiful! It’s so big and blue, and it goes on forever! And it smells good. I can't believe no one really talks about how good the ocean smells.

  We haven't gone swimming yet. We’re waiting for Echo to get some surfboard fins, then we’ll take a day off and she’s going to teach us all how to surf. I genuinely can't wait.

  Meanwhile, Luke is scrambling, trying to figure out how to control ocean water. Apparently it’s different from controlling rivers or rain. He says that usually, water only goes one direction. So to control it, all you have to do is introduce a wall, and boom, water is going in another direction now. Or to stop it, just grab it and push in the opposite direction. Easy.

  With the ocean, he says there’s water going in like three different directions at all times. So to stop it you have to push in like six directions. To make it change direction, well, he phrased it like “suggesting politely” instead of “ordering”. It isn't truly controllable, so when we stop the tsunami that’s coming, we’ll have to redirect it instead of forcing it to stop.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  You, Risa dear, will be reading this in the future, after everything is over and we obviously did a great job and you know we’re heroes.

  So I can admit that, right now, I’m a liiiiitle nervous. Luke, the expert, completely freaked out about having to stop a tsunami when he saw the ocean. As a good girlfriend, I had to tell him it was fine, and there was nothing to worry about. But… he has very good reasons for being scared. He explained them, and I’m scared now, too. Yeah, high-level magic is one thing, but I use fire. I don't know how to control water! And the guy used to controlling water isn’t sure what we’re supposed to do is possible!

  This does not bode well, as your dad says. Or, said at least once. In one of the six conversations I ever had with him.

  …In case I haven’t brought it up yet when you’re reading this, how are things going with your dad? I mean, now that you’re working in the same building as him, do you see him more? Do you only talk business, or are you able to have real conversations? Unless you just don’t want to talk about it, then you don’t have to say anything. I get it.

  Instead, we can talk about how beaches are different from one another. Like, one beach will be all nice golden sand, and the next one over will be made out of mini seashells. And then the next one will be black sand. It’s weird. The variety is super interesting. I always thought sand was just, y’no, sand. But nope! I kinda hope there’s a beach somewhere made out of gemstones. I’d end up filling this whole wagon with rocks.

  And hey, if I bring you a bag of rocks as a present, you’ll know I found one!

  Rocky Regards,

  Maeve Zee