He huffs. “I saw the flyer for the beach cleanup inthe kitchen this morning,” he says. “I had a feeling you’d be here.At first I thought, ‘Cool, Lani’s helping clean up the beach, beingall environment-friendly,’ but then I got here and I saw himand I knew better. Why are you doing this? You’ve seen the news.You know the story better than anyone. Why would you even beginmixing yourself up with him?”
I whirl my plastic bag around in my hand, barelymissing my brother’s leg. “You don’t understand,” I snap back. “Youwere never around. You were Keiko, the cool guy,the surfer dude with all the friends who went to all the parties. Iwas the pre-teen sister who you never had time for. You always hadtime for Kalani, but there was never enough time for me. Not fromyou anyway. So stay out of this.”
I stomp away in the opposite direction of Kale. Ishouldn’t lash out at my brother. It’s not his fault that he waseighteen and headed off to college when I was only twelve andtrying to grow into my looks. Keiko has always lived in a differentworld because we’ve always been at different stages in our lives.Now that I’m eighteen and he’s twenty-four, it’s different. We’resort of on the same playing field, and neither of us knows how tonavigate it.
“Lani!” he calls out, rushing up behind me. “I’msorry, okay? I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I know, I know– I’m getting all ‘big brother’ about it – but I don’t wantanything to happen to you. Please just promise me that you’ll stayaway until this all blows over. Maybe after the trial, after allthis is over, you can try to help him out. Just keep your distanceuntil then. Please?”
“Fine,” I say, even though I know it’s alie. “I’ll hang back…for now.”
Chapter Five – Kale
I retreat to my room immediately afterdinner, avoiding conversation with my grandparents because there’snot much to say after a day of picking up other people’s garbage.It’s a routine. Wake up, community service, shower, dinner, sleep.Lather, rinse, repeat. Today was different, though. In the middleof the chaos was beauty – in the form of Leilani.
I didn’t even realize how much I’d missedher until I saw her today, but then it rushed back over me like atidal wave. We used to sit outside on that very sand, watching thewaves come into shore and swim back out to sea. We’d collectseashells and pathetically attempt to build sandcastles, and thenwe’d sneak out at night to see if the light of Hina was showing.Childhood stories said she was the goddess of the moon, but it waslike our own little language to reference the moon as herlight.
Leilani’s eyes would light up, as if theywere holding the stars, and upon the first silver glimmer acrossthe ocean, she’d perk up and wait to see if the water rippled orremained a sheet of dark glass. So many times, she swore there wasmovement, that the Starlight Colony was active and awake. We’d runthrough the wet shoreline, muddying our feet along the way, untilwe could see the caverns in the distance.
It’s a tourist attraction now that they’vefound the waterfalls hidden within, but those caves were Leilani’streasures. She knew without a doubt that mermaids lived there, andif we were super stealthy, we could find them – or at least a traceof them.
Standing on the beach today, I felt like myown siren had come onto shore and was singing a song straight intomy soul, luring me away from everyone and everything, pulling meinto a world of starlight and moon dust. But as quickly as sheappeared, I pushed her away, just like the pirates and sailors wholonged for a mermaid’s song but knew better than to listen for morethan two seconds.
But I’m not the one at risk this time. I’mnot a pirate or a sailor or a lovestruck crewman on a massive ship.I’m the one with the poison of a siren, and she’s the one who needsto escape before my ‘song’ pulls her beneath the waves for alleternity.
When I can’t sleep later in the night, Imake sure Nanna and Kapuna are asleep before sneaking out onto thedeck for fresh air. I’ve been warned to stay inside because theydon’t trust the surf media not to stake out a hiding spot and snapphotos of me breathing, but the cabin fever is setting in, even ifI’m outside nearly every day picking up trash.
Life would’ve been so different had I notmoved to Horn Island. There were times when I missed Hawaii sobadly that I would’ve given up knowing Shark and the Hooligans, andthen there were moments when I was thankful to have left home andseen more of the world and met the people I met. Only now do Irealize how many awesome opportunities I had and just how badly Ifucked them up. I lean against the railing and look up at thestars.
If I’d never left, would I still be here inthis house? Would my parents live here with Nanna and Kapuna,always wishing for something more? Or would they have bought theirown home down the street? Would I have always been an only child?Would I have dated Leilani? What would life be like if everythinghad been different?
I exhale like I’m breathing into the breezypalm trees, making them sway against the night. And then there’smovement next door. She glances back over the patio chair on herdeck, and this time, I can’t run from her.
Chapter Six – Leilani
It’s now or never. I inhale and decide towave to him first because I don’t want him to run away like ascared little boy. I don’t want a repeat of today at the beach,leaving me feeling all stupid and useless in the sand. When hewaves back, I decide to take the chance – against my brother’swishes. The sand is silent beneath my feet as I walk from my deckto the one behind his grandparents’ house.
“You may want to keep
