 
### OKAWII

Published By T.K. Byrd at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 T.K. Byrd

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For T, R, and K

Chapter 1

The letter had arrived. Mina was going to find out the truth. For years, David Young had protected his daughter from the facts surrounding her mother's death.

But what was a husband to do when his wife died under unspeakable circumstances? Daily life had to go on for the sake of the baby. What David did was lock the memory of the event into a vault in the far recesses of his mind and throw the key into the Grand Canyon.

Accessing that memory ever again would cause too much pain.

"That's not your usual driver," 16-year-old Andrew said, adjusting the heavy red brocade curtains to let more of the late afternoon light onto his music stand. "Whose car is that?"

He looked at Mina Young who was standing across the newly updated rec room with her long boat-rope thick hair and striking dark brown eyes, and tried to push his feelings into the back of his head. She had always been called exotic. The contrast between her dark skin and light hair confused people, who were always asking where she was from. Mina would smile and say, "Tucson." She had once told him, "It's none of their beeswax that I'm half Pacific-Islander."

Andrew had known her forever. There were pictures of them together at the playground at 3 years old, at the lake at 5, and ice-skating at 10. In recent years, their friendship had morphed into a deep affection, and then love. Well, at least on his end. Andrew was not sure if she felt the same way about him. He wasn't sure about much about her these days.

"It's my dad's new car. Fancy, huh?" Mina said, joining him at the window. "I wonder why he came. I didn't even know he knew where I went after school."

"Beats me," Andrew whispered, his heart caught in his throat. Her arm was only 3 inches from his. Before he could decide whether or not to make a move, she walked back to her guitar stand.

Andrew Lanza was brown-haired, average looking, with average grades. He didn't really like team sports; it was hunting and fishing that he was into, or at least that he tried to be into. His dad was a big fisherman and hunter and Andrew had been dragged along on countless expeditions. Once, when he was 11, they went deer hunting on his uncle's property in Colorado. He stood next to his father, ever-vigilant for the first 4 hours. Simon, his father, who was looking the other way on the stand, didn't notice him doze off. Then Simon looked over onto his son's side, only to see a white tail scampering off. He shoved Andrew awake, "It was a huge buck—at least a 9 pointer! It was yours for the taking and you missed it." Andrew swallowed and his eyes stung. He resolved to try harder next time, to succeed in pleasing his dad.

It was really music that he was into. As a 9-year-old, he was dragged to a soca concert by his uncle and was mesmerized that such sounds could be produced by human hands. He begged his mother for music classes after that, and she dutifully chauffeured him first to piano lessons, then trumpet, then drums, then saxophone. By the time he was in high school, Andrew had a working knowledge of seven different instruments, and spent his free time experimenting on rare ones (harpsichord, mandala).

Andrew and Mina were typical teenagers. Except that they weren't. What was unusual about these two friends was the size of their parents' fortunes. Their dads worked together running Young Bank. He and Mina had gone unnoticed their freshmen year at East Mountain High, but their sophomore year when they passed their driver's test and showed up in brand-new luxury vehicles, heads turned. Suddenly, the formerly mousey-looking guy and his mixed-race friend were invited to all the parties.

The luxury cars were just their ticket at the door to the in-crowd. Once in, they made the most of it and quickly became two of the most popular kids at school.

A big reason was the band that he and Mina had started. It was her idea, of course, but he was the one who ran with it and found other band mates, wrote songs, and scheduled rehearsals. He grew out his curly brown hair into a soft, frizzy fro in order to better play the part of rockstar. Mina had less of an interest in the band than Andrew and he had a suspicion that this was another bogus way to annoy her dad. Nevertheless, Water Salad quickly took off, winning two garage band competitions in its first year.

Still, Mina had been acting strange in the past few months. Though it was only the end of junior year, to Andrew's huge surprise, she had quit her club swim team and had firmly decided not to do the school swim team their senior year.

Mina had been serious about swimming since forever. As kids they had spent every summer day in a pool, with Mina remaining in the water diving for pennies and pushing off the wall long after little Andrew got out to sit in his towel with his blue lips shaking. At the public pool the lifeguards had dubbed her the little fish. In high school, she was 3-time state champion in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, and the first freshman in Arizona history to win both. Division 1 colleges had been scouting her since sophomore year, and this year there had even been whispers of the 2016 Olympics. Then, abruptly after the state championships this year, she announced her decision to quit. Andrew knew it had something to do with her dad.

"How are your college plans coming? Are you going to work on early admission applications over the summer?" asked Andrew, seeing that band practice was over and eager to share the new developments in his own college plans.

"I don't know, probably not."

Although she was apathetic about almost everything these days, her answer confused Andrew. "But you were so set on Ivy League. What happened to biology and then med school?" Mina had always known her own mind and usually planned goals years in advance. Before the last couple months, she had consistently told Andrew that she was Ivy League-bound.

"Eh, I'm not so into it any more. You?"

"I decided to try for Dartmouth, you know, my dad went there. I know my grades aren't stellar, but I'm going to retake the SAT, and with the right recommendation letters and Dad's legacy standing, the guidance counselor said I might have a chance."

"Go for it." She flopped onto the couch. "I wish I still had that same drive."

Andrew saw his opportunity and sat down next to her. Then he saw that she was clutching a pillow in front of her and fingering her shell necklace, something she always did when she was nervous. There would be no smooth moves today. He wished he had the courage to ask her how she felt—or even to declare his love for her. Until she had quit swimming a few months ago, things had been progressing nicely between them. They had been spending more and more time alone together apart from the rest of the band and had even held hands a few times, but then she abruptly turned cold.

David Young pulled into the Lanza's extensive driveway to pick up his daughter. Although he had ridden this way a thousand times, he had never noticed all the fine details because he had always been chauffeured and on business calls the entire way. Rows of bushes appeared to be braided on either side of the driveway, and weeds dared not disturb the alternating patches of red and purple flowers. The most conspicuous detail was the long fountain between the two sides of the driveway, complete with jumping streams of water, set by sensor to follow along next to any car. This impressed David, a rich man himself. New ideas in luxury always caught his eye.

Is that a new statue? he thought to himself, getting out in front of the grand entrance. Looks like an original piece. Apollo with his lyre, maybe?

David paused for a moment, leaning on his pale blue Bentley. Nothing about this visit would be pleasant, except for the drink he was sure to be offered. It was true that Simon was more than just a colleague. He had turned into an old friend over all the years they had worked together and obviously, their children were best friends. David's relationship with Mina was on the rocks and he wasn't looking forward to the conversation he had to have with her on the way home. He was a timid man by nature, avoiding conflict and preferring to let things work themselves out rather than face problems head on. This strategy had worked for everything else in his life, except Mina. He took a deep breath and walked to the door.

She had been so difficult around him lately. Mean, even. David knew he hadn't been the best father, but he had done what he could while bearing the psychological burden of his wife's death alone. He wanted nothing more than to be a good father to her—to have a good relationship, to share a common hobby, to laugh together while watching a favorite show. His mistake was that he thought this type of relationship would evolve naturally, based solely on the fact that he was her dad, that they shared DNA and a house. David had given Mina everything she could possible want or need, every luxury to go along with every necessity, but he didn't realize that this type of connection only comes from honesty and communication—the two things he was unable to give her.

Mina had approached him a few times over the years asking about her mom, but David refused any information, saying only that "it was an accident." He knew she was curious about her culture on her mom's side; sometimes he had found Wikipedia pages on the South Pacific left open on her screen. But that was part of the reason he never got over Eva's death. David had refused all psychological help because he knew too much about her culture and didn't want to compromise the secrets of Eva's people.

The butler answered the front door and led him through the two-story foyer and into the elegant sitting room. David winced, glancing up at the exotic animal heads ringing the room. An elephant head, recently acquired, was in the place of honor above the fireplace, with a pair of baby leopards on either side. Strange, small-horned animals were interspersed with large zoo classics: giraffe, hippopotamus, and lion. The fish were in another room altogether.

Simon Lanza walked in confidently. "Sit down for a minute."

"Thanks." David looked up again. There was no seat in this room where he'd be safe from the glare of the hunted.

"So that buyout is set to go through for First Tucson Bank, but you got the memo on that I'm sure."

Simon's winning smile had no sympathy for that poor bank that had worked so hard for the better part of a year to remain independent, only to have to sell at the last minute due to a minor tax oversight. It was mostly Simon who was responsible for the deal. Simon always had to win, had to be the best. To help the deal go through, Simon had hired some "special" people to look into the finances and tax history of the small bank. David remembered asking him if it was legal, which, of course, it was, according to Simon.

Simon pushed a button and a housekeeper entered.

"Teresa, we'll have 2 Manhattans, hold the ice in David's and make mine a double. On second thought, make them both doubles, with no ice. And something to munch on—I didn't have any lunch today."

His fast talking confirmed his New York City roots. Simon settled in Tucson in his late 20s after getting into some trading trouble at an investment firm. David's father had given him a second chance at Young Bank, and he had proven himself a valuable and loyal employee. Though he longed to be at the top, his past would not allow it, so he settled for second under David. David knew that it was his own timidity and unwillingness to take charge at kept Simon happy in his position.

A few minutes later Teresa walked back into the room carrying a tray with two crystal glasses perched precariously on top of it. Simon passed a drink to his boss.

"When's your next hunting trip?" David knew that Simon had gotten more and more involved with the hunting clubs he was in. He was always jetting off to unusual locations and the animal heads on his wall kept growing in number.

"Sometime soon." Simon flashed his charismatic smile again, not wanting to go into any more detail.

Mina sat down in the car wordlessly. Andrew was on her mind. She knew he liked her and she liked him, too, but she wasn't sure she was ready to date him. He was the nicest person Mina had ever met. He was genuine and polite, and put everyone at ease. Since the band started going well and since he grew his hair out, he became one of the most sought-after guys at school. Girls were always fawning over him, and he treated them all like gold—not actually dating them, of course, but letting them come to band practice and not sending anyone away. Eventually, though, the girls realized he was in love with Mina and drifted away.

"So, uh, how's the band?" David asked awkwardly.

"Whatever."

Their relationship had always been a little forced. Her dad had relied on a stream of au pairs while working under his father and later, after taking over as head of Young Bank.

Then relations had turned hostile a few months ago, when Mina was invited by her friend Liz to go on Spring Break with her family to Florida. She had not yet been to the ocean, and the swimmer in her had always longed to jump into that vast expanse of water. As a child, she had asked to vacation at the ocean, but her father had just taken her to Lake Powell instead. This time her father had flat-out refused to let her go with Liz. Even after Liz's mom came over to see him and explain that it was a fully-supervised family vacation and there was very little danger of anything happening. To Liz's mom he cited her commitment to the club swim team. Later that evening Mina listened in from behind his office door and heard him tell someone on the phone, "I just can't let her go to the ocean, not the ocean."

At that point, Mina decided that enough was enough. She stormed into his office, put her finger on the switch and disconnected his call.

She screamed in his face: "Enough already! Enough with the secrets and super-protectiveness! Mom died—that's a fact. That doesn't mean that I can't live my life the way I want or even visit my own grandmother if I want to! Oh, and I quit swimming." She knew her swimming made him proud and at the moment it was the only thing she could think of that she could take away from him.

The memory of that incident was enough to reignite Mina's anger as she sat next to him in the car, although, she did somewhat regret quitting swimming. She felt a freedom and openness while moving through the water that she didn't feel anywhere else in her life.

David interrupted her thoughts. "Have you been thinking about colleges yet? It's almost senior year, we could schedule a couple of visits. It's not too late to go back to swimming, you would get some great scholarships—go wherever you want."

Mina waited a moment, then turned to him with blank eyes. "I don't think I'm going to college. I want to work on the band and see where it goes."

He sighed, knowing she was doing her best to hurt him, and sad that it was actually working.

She turned back to the window, pleased that she had pissed him off.

"A letter from your grandmother arrived today," he said, trying to sound cheery. He hadn't spoken with his mother-in-law in 15 years—not because their relationship was bad, there just wasn't a telephone in her village, let alone Skype. She had, however, been consistent in writing to Mina twice a year on her birthday and at Christmas.

She turned slowly and looked at him questioningly. "It's not my birthday."

"No, it's not."

Mina's mind started going a mile a minute. Her grandmother was always affectionate in her letters, and she longed to know her, to gain something of a mother figure from her. For her birthday wish when she turned 8 years old, Mina asked her dad if they could visit her grandma on Okawii. Her dad turned cold and walked out, leaving a room full of party guests and freshly smoking candles on the cake. Mina's aunt quickly took control of the situation, cutting the cake and focusing Mina's attention on the gifts, but even at 8 she knew it was not normal to not be allowed to visit her grandma.

"Why? What does she want?" Mina's curiosity was greater than her desire to irritate her dad with silence.

"She you wants you to go live with her for the summer," he exhaled.

"On Okawii?!" Mina's excitement was growing.

"Yes."

"And you'd let me go?"

"Yes, your grandmother and I made an agreement after...," he paused, "that you'd go back when you're 16."

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier, or ever?" she asked. "Wow, Okawii. When can I leave? Do I have to wait until school's over or can I leave tomorrow?"

In her excitement she almost forgot that she was mad at him, then she saw her father blinking back tears, and remembered her anger. She had every right to be angry, especially after this revelation that she could go to Okawii and that he knew she would be going over all these years. Had he only told her this years ago, she could have planned for this psychologically and maybe not be so melancholy about never being able to get to know her grandma.

"You leave next week the day after school ends."

Mina barely noticed rest of the ride home. She ran into the large kitchen. The room was mostly just a passageway to the house for her. Hers was not the family that gathered in the kitchen pouring wine and swapping old stories. There were just two areas with which she was familiar in here—the cabinet containing her snacks, and the fridge stocked with her beverages. Everything else was a mystery to her. She had thought about asking Rosa to teach her to cook—something—anything—toast—pasta, but somehow there were always more important things to do.

"Rosa! Where's the letter?"

"It's here in my office," said her dad, coming in behind her.

She followed him into his spacious, wood-beamed office and nervously stood behind one of the couches. As a child she had never been allowed in here. Her first nanny, who had been with her until she was six, once told her that her father saw important people in there, and couldn't risk having them sit on a raisin in their expensive suits. At the time Mina remembered thinking, "Why won't the cleaning lady just get it?" She didn't realize that any raisins, light or dark, would completely disappear into the pattered upholstery.

David walked over to his desk, shuffled some papers around, and handed her the letter. She ran up to her room with it.

Mina's room was the one place in the house she felt truly comfortable. It was the only room in which she didn't feel like if she lingered too long she might break something, or worse, get it dirty—like the sofa in the sitting room. The countless times she had been reminded how expensive it was or how hard it would be to clean had just served to alienate Mina from her own sitting room. Probably exactly what the adults had wanted in the first place, she thought.

But her room was different—and the excitement a couple years ago when she was told she would be allowed to pick the colors and the décor! The pale lilac color on the walls screamed 6th grader, but it still made Mina smile when she walked in. A large blow-up palm tree left over from a tropical-themed party from 7th grade stood in a corner, and her heroes, Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps, and Ryan Lochte smiled down at her from the walls.

The Summer Olympics last year had had a huge impact on her. She had almost convinced her dad to buy tickets and take her and Andrew to watch them live, but they had waited too long and everything was sold out. She also would have missed club swimming practices, and two swim meets. She was disappointed, as a girl used to getting everything is bound to be, but in the end she was glad she didn't go: seeing the world stars on TV only motivated her to train harder at the pool, and in the month after the Olympics, she shaved 3 seconds off of her 100m. After watching the women's races, Mina realized that her times weren't that far off and that she might actually be able to make it in swimming. Plus, her doctor said she still might grow a few inches.

All that was over now. Her dad had seen to that. Or rather, her dad had forced her to quit with his unreasonableness. A small part of Mina wanted to whisper that she was only hurting herself by quitting swimming, not her dad, but whenever a hint of that thought threatened to bubble to the surface of her consciousness, she slammed it back down with her anger at all the things her father had kept from her: details about her mother and her grandmother, and visits to her grandmother.

Mina threw her stuff on the small cream loveseat just inside her bedroom door, ran to her queen-size bed, and unfolded the pages. She kicked off her shoes to achieve maximum comfort for this big moment. The letters were written on the same lined paper her grandmother always used. Barely 6 inches by 8 inches and yellowing from age, Mina liked to imagine they were torn from a notebook that her mom had used in school.

There were actually two letters written in her grandmother's almost indecipherable cursive.

Dear David,

I hope you are well.

I am writing to remind you of your promise to send Mina to Okawii when she is old enough. I believe that time has come. I know she still has another year of school left, but I would like to introduce her to the island before she completely grows up and before the needs of college and her choosing a career suck her up into her own world. Therefore, I propose that you send her for the summer, and, hopefully, with your support, she will choose to come back to visit in the future.

Know that you, too, are welcome on Okawii for the summer, if you so choose.

-N

Mina jumped up. Are you kidding!!?? Of course I want to go back and visit! Her grandmother had no idea how badly she had waited for this moment: the chance to see where she really came from.

Mina was ecstatic that she might be allowed to go to Okawii whenever she pleases. Of course she would go—she'd be 18 in 2 years and then she could do whatever she wanted. Her trembling fingers opened the second letter.

My dearest Mina,

By now you have found out that a long time ago your father agreed to send you to me on Okawii when you are old enough. We are a very small community and do not live in the luxury you have come to expect. I am afraid we lack many of the things you have come to see as normal, but we have what we need and we have love enough. There are many people here who are very curious about you. I must admit that I, too, want to know what became of my Eva's little one. Please come and spend the summer with me. It is time for you to find out who you are.

Love and kisses,

Your Grandmother

Mina read the letter several times, and then smelled it, looking for any other physical sign of her grandmother she could have right now. Nothing.

She had a box where she kept all the letters from Okawii. Her grandmother had sent the box, along with her shell necklace that she wore everywhere for her 8th birthday. "A very special birthday on Okawii," she had written. Mina still didn't understand why. Eight years old is far from being an adult, even in a bar-mitzvah-type of way. She figured that it was because she had lost all of her baby teeth.

"It must have cost her a fortune to send that, and it made the journey intact!" exclaimed Mina's aunt after seeing her open it at the party.

The box was about one foot by one foot square, and five inches tall. Pale pink cowry shells lined the entire top of the box, and the sides were decorated with a thin golden twine wound into different motifs. The tops of the shells were tiny, and a layer of dust was visible in the crevices between them.

This box, along with the necklace and an old picture of her mother and grandmother, were her only connection to Okawii. These were her greatest treasures.

After alternately staring out the window and pacing up and down, she walked over to her dresser and placed the letter, already almost fingered into nothingness, into her special box.

Andrew sat down in the sitting room in the same seat that Mr. Young had just vacated. It was still warm. He wanted so badly to be seen as worth something in his father's eyes, to be treated like a grownup by him. The band was his way of attempting this. Andrew knew that the things his father valued more than anything in life were money and success, and he figured that if his band took off, he could become a rock star and have all the money and success he would need, with enough left over to impress his dad.

He wished he could be more like Mina, who was unafraid of everyone and everything. And so charismatic. When she turned it on, she could charm a room full of parents and teachers alike.

After admiring David's new Bentley, Simon came back in for his drink.

He looked at his son, sitting there with his big hair and ripped rock-band t-shirt, and turned to walk out of the room. This blatant lack of acknowledgement should have hurt Andrew, but he was used to it. Anyways, he had good news for his father.

Andrew ran his hand through his large curly hair, trying to channel Mina. "Uh, sir?"

"Yes?" Simon turned.

"Uh, sir, I, uh, wanted to tell you that I saw the guidance counselor today. He thinks I might have a chance at Dartmouth—if I retake the SATs."

"Good." Simon's eyes brightened and he smirked as he sat down, trying to concern himself with his son. If his son did manage to get into Dartmouth, then he'd finally have something to talk about with him.

Andrew saw that he had pleased his father and was delighted.

"But you'll have to join some more respectable clubs—that multicultural club isn't going to cut it. You should do debate club. Or student council." Simon sipped his drink. It had been his wife who had wanted kids, really. Only after David, Sr. informed him that the majority of millionaires were family men did he finally agree to have one. Their agreement was that she would raise the child, and, by all other accounts, she was doing a good job at it. But to Simon, his son just seemed so. . . average.

Andrew's shoulders sagged at the advice. He and Mina had been founding members of the multicultural club and he was proud of the work they had done raising money for the Somalian refugees in their town.

"Yes, sir." But Andrew had expected this, and was prepared. "I plan on joining as soon as school starts—I was thinking maybe Lincoln-Douglas debate."

"L-D, huh? That was my event. One of the hardest events in debate club." Simon never did realize how many times he had told his son this.

Andrew knew he had pleased him, and hurried on to his next piece of good news.

"Sir, I also wanted to tell you that my band got a gig at the Curly Cue. It's next Thursday." The Curly Cue was a local bar, popular with the college kids. Andrew's strategy was to develop a following among that demographic, who were always trying to impress their peers with knowledge of ever more obscure groups.

"Good, that will look excellent on your application." Simon smiled. He didn't know the kid's band was anything more than just noise to bother him. Kudos to him for trying to take it somewhere. Maybe he had misjudged his son. Maybe the boy had some get-up-and-go in him in the end. He finished his drink, stood up, and patted his son on the back.

Andrew was feeling on top of the world. He was able to present his father with 2 pieces of news that Simon appreciated and even won a smile from him.

Chapter 2

Hector Orr gripped the podium confidently with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, his missing three fingers a testament to his bravery in the wild. Of all the places in the world, this is where he felt most at home, among his fellow hunters who understood his attitude. At 42, Hector was the youngest president of the exclusive, secret club Venatus. They met formally every year at a ritzy resort in Switzerland; informally the members hunted and fished together throughout the year.

"Remember, my fellow hunters," he finished his speech in his Texas drawl, "An animal is an animal." The crowd cheered. "As they told me in Kenya last month when I took down my baby lion," he was interrupted with a whistle from the crowed, "Furaha uwindaji, happy hunting for the next year, until we meet again."

The polite applause lasted only a minute; everyone was ready to hit the bar where the real stories were swapped. They would never admit this aloud, but most of these hunters would technically be considered poachers. They thought of themselves as keepers of the ancient tradition of hunting that was not slave to seasons and permits. These men, and they were all men, hunted the most exotic creatures on the planet, most of which were on the endangered species list. Just to get into Venatus one had to have bagged an elephant, as well as have the recommendation of three other members. Needless to say, the members were fabulously wealthy. In exchange for their $25,000 yearly membership fee, the hunters were able to hunt on each other's properties located throughout the world, learn how to avoid local authorities, and, most importantly, exchange tips on the locations of the most fabulous prizes.

"What a great speech," Simon Lanza turned to the man next to him.

The man nodded. "I'm inspired." They rose together to head to the cocktail party.

This was Simon's first time at the Venatus meeting, having only gotten his elephant a few months ago, and he was thrilled to be rubbing elbows with these sorts of people. Status and money had hypnotized him since a rich uncle took him to New York City as a child. He stayed at the Waldorf Astoria and ate lobster and steak, while tagging along with his uncle to various business meetings and trying to understand the language of businessmen.

This secret society was everything Simon had ever dreamed of: money, power, and hunting. He fit right in with his well-tailored suit and gold watch, and looked for an opportunity to introduce himself to Hector.

Simon joined the group of people around Hector at the bar, who were listening to him tell the story of how he lost his three fingers.

"...and they had just left me, all alone out in the bush, me, an 11-year-old. As I was sitting there waiting for them to come back for me, I heard a rustle in the bushes. When I turned, I found myself face to face with a croc, about 2 yards long, and she looked mad. A few paces back I noticed her nest and before I knew it, she grabbed my shoe."

Some of the guys standing around Hector smiled, having heard the story before.

"Now, I was unarmed and had nowhere to run. I shimmied out of my shoe and leapt on top of her shoulders, thinking I would choke her, but she put up a fight. I wasn't prepared for how powerfully she would swing her body and she threw me off her like a piece of fuzz. The next time I was prepared for her. I jumped on her back again and she's a-wagging and a-whirling and after she snapped off my digits, I got really mad and just grabbed her neck and held it. When my pa got back after realizing he'd left me, I was sitting on top of her, a changed man."

"You mean changed like minus three fingers, right?"

"No sir," Hector shook his head with a hardened look on his face. "I mean changed like I'd never let a beast get the better of me again. An animal is an animal." Those listening to his story all knew that the seriousness on his face when he said his catchphrase meant trouble for any creature he might come across.

Nukuluve stood on the dock on the island of Okawii, looking out to sea. She squinted with her wrinkled hand held to her wrinkled forehead, the products of 70 years of tropical sun.

Scanning the horizon, she turned to her neighbor. "How is Tommy doing in school?" she asked the woman standing next to her. On Okawii, many high-school age kids went off to St. John's, an island not too far away that was big enough to support a high school. Nukuluve knew the other parents thought it strange for her to be on the dock waiting for the boat. She had no grandchildren away at St. John's and one did not usually await the boat in anticipation of a letter. The post could not be counted upon to deliver anything in a timely manner.

"He is well," Tommy's mother answered, "he said he might make straight A's this semester." The young woman ended her sentence and looked down demurely, out of respect for her elder.

Nukuluve was one of the most esteemed seniors on the island. Her gentle manner encouraged everybody to come to her with their problems, and her wisdom kept them coming back. Also, her soup was legendary. She was weekly sought out by a young woman who wanted her famous turtle-soup recipe. They would spend the afternoon with her, patiently watching every step of her process, only to be slightly saddened that it was the same recipe their own mothers used, no doubt also learned from Nukuluve. Nobody could figure out what made her soup so much better, or maybe nobody thought to count in the love that she put into it.

Nukuluve sat quietly and listened to the other parents talk about their children. Nobody said it out loud, but everybody knew that high school was usually when Okawiians found their husbands or wives, whether they be from the island or not. Most of the parents hoped their children would find Okawiian mates, but nobody could argue against the benefit of new blood for the island.

"My Ana has become quite the student, and she is a good leader as well," chimed in Josephina.

The others murmured and nodded. Not all of them understood what Nukuluve did: that Josephina was trying to pair Ana up with the most eligible bachelor on the island, the handsome Keoni, who was nephew of the Chief.

Then one gentleman jutted his chin out toward the ocean. The others looked out and saw the large sails of the Aquarius billowing in the wind. It zigged and zagged toward Okawii's single dock and finally pulled up, the expert crewmen leaping out and tying her down.

The Okawiian teens filed off while the crew unloaded a few crates and a box of sea-worn envelopes. Last off the boat was a light brown-haired girl in a thick ponytail that nobody had seen before.

Nukuluve recognized her son-in-law's face and her daughter's eyes immediately. She stepped forward, tears in her eyes, and said, "Mina."

Mina saw her grandmother's tears and broke down as well, burying her head into the old woman's shoulder. Her grandmother's tropical, coconut-oil scent permeated her. Mina sighed, and, realizing they had an audience, collected herself. Her grandmother looked exactly like she did in her picture at home, only with a few more wrinkles.

During this scene, the other adults made eyes at each other and couldn't wait to get off the dock and away from Nukuluve so they could discuss it. One of the negatives of being in a small, insular community was the extent of the gossip.

The old woman understood this and took the opportunity to introduce the girl. "This is Mina. She is my granddaughter and will be here to visit for the summer."

Tommy's mother turned to Josephina and whispered, "I wonder if hers will be golden like her mother's."

"That would certainly shake things up," Josephina answered, raising her eyebrows.

Mina pretended not to hear them, but wondered what they were talking about. She picked up her bag, and Nukuluve took it from her, presumably to help, and promptly dropped it.

One of the men immediately saw what was happening.

"Filipe! Carry that bag to Nukuluve's hut," he ordered a short, skinny boy.

As Filipe bent over to pick up the bag, he glanced at Mina and gave her a toothy smile.

The dock slowly cleared and the two women were left alone.

"This place is so beautiful," Mina said as they walked down the beach. To her left, palm trees swayed in the late afternoon breeze, and to her right, small waves washed up on the beach in a steady rhythm. "So this is where my mom grew up."

"Yes, my dear. It is my hope that Okawii will become home to you as well over the course of the summer."

"Grandmother, how did you know which boat I was on?"

The old woman chuckled. "The Aquarius is the only boat that docks at Okawii, besides our own fishing boats. It comes only every two weeks. If you did not come today, I would have known you were delayed and would have simply come back in two weeks. Do not think I have been on the dock every day waiting."

Mina's mind started analyzing quickly. "Only every 2 weeks? How do you get mail? Aren't there bills to be delivered and paid and..."

She looked over at Nukuluve, and when she saw the old woman smile, realized she had more to learn about her new surroundings than she thought.

They walked along the beach for a while and Mina noticed many paths leading into the tropical forest on her left. Nukuluve suddenly turned onto one of them, and then stopped at a hut.

Her grandmother spoke to the woman outside the hut for several minutes in Okawiian, and, as Mina couldn't understand a word, she took this time to take in her surroundings. A fire pit was just off the path, and behind it was a clearing with two small huts. Mina wondered if her grandmother's hut was this small as well.

Nukuluve switched over to English. "I will stop by later with some soup. This is my granddaughter, Mina. She is here for the summer. Mina, this is Irene, one of the islanders."

Irene smiled, "Welcome."

When they were back on the beach and out of earshot, Nukuluve explained. "They are recently married—about a year ago. Michael, her husband, is not from Okawii. It turns out he is a sickly type. He hasn't been out fishing for a week. Irene's mother, who is my old friend, is worried they will not be able to have children. She asked me to stop by."

"Why? Is your soup medicinal?" Mina asked.

"I would not call it medicinal per se, but I do believe in the power of a good broth."

They returned to the beach and walked further along. Mina wondered which path they would turn on and began to be afraid she'd get lost on the island.

"Okay, I get that maybe the mail isn't the most important thing in the world," the girl said, "but why is there nobody else here? Where are all the visitors and tourists? The other islands that the Aquarius stopped at were full of tourists and people selling their cultural things."

"You are sharp," noted Nukuluve with smile. "Okawii is one of the few islands in the Pacific that has been blessed with a 'culturally protected status.' It is illegal for unexpected people to step foot on the island. You are expected here, so do not worry."

"Yes, but how did you do that? I mean, why did Okawii get protected status and the other islands didn't?"

"In the 1930s we were able to get some Okawiians into high positions on the Island Council."

They turned back into the woods; Mina was impressed by the agility of her old grandmother, avoiding roots and low-hanging branches. After they had walked through the forest and past several huts, Nukuluve stopped and Mina recognized her bag in front of the fire pit. Behind the pit were two small huts, identical to the ones they had passed. One hut was noticeably newer than the other. The fronds on the roof were a darker green and its framing poles fresher.

Nukuluve suddenly bowed. Mina hadn't noticed the large man seated next to the fire. He stood up and nodded to Nukuluve in return. His bare chest prominently featured a necklace with a single golden cowry shell. It was a simple necklace, yet elegant enough to proclaim the high status of the man. He stepped toward Mina and grabbed both her forearms.

"Welcome to Okawii. I am Chief Akolo. I hope you will be comfortable on our island, on your island."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sure I will." The usually confident Mina could feel the perspiration under her arms. Should I bow? Or curtsy? Oh my God, how does a curtsy go again? How am I supposed to act around a chief?

Wrinkles appeared in the corners of his eyes and the Chief's smile immediately put her at ease.

"Sit down." He gestured toward one of the logs by the fire pit as if he were the host here. "It is not every day that one of our own comes home and at the same time visits for the first time. Well, almost the first time. You must know that you were here 15 years ago as a baby."

Mina nodded and cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm sorry I don't remember that visit."

"Things were different on Okawii then. Your grandfather was chief, and people expected great things from your mother, Eva. Unfortunately for Okawii, she married your father, an outsider who did not share her dreams of settling down on the island."

Mina was surprised at the information. She had no idea that her grandfather had been chief and that her mother was the daughter of a chief. Also, the feelings of anger toward her father that she had forgotten over the excitement of the trip began to resurface. How dare he pull her mother away from this island paradise? Was his bank and that luxurious lifestyle back at home so important to him?

She looked at the chief, not knowing how to respond. Thankfully he continued on, apparently not wanting a two-sided conversation.

"Of course my situation is not ideal either. Because we could not have children, the best I can hope for is that my nephew will succeed me."

Nukuluve looked at Akolo, but was silent. Then she went into the hut on the right and came out carrying a pot of food. She rekindled the fire and set the pot on to warm.

"I will not be staying to eat, Nukuluve." He turned back to Mina. "It is such a shame about what happened to Eva. A tragic and rare accident, and to someone so young, and a new mother. But do not worry, such accidents do not happen here very often."

Mina felt her heart stop. She wanted him to go on, to give her some detail of the accident that had shaped her life, but he was silent on the topic. And she didn't feel it was her place to ask the chief any more.

The scent of the fish stew arose as it heated up.

Akolo pointed to the pot and said, "I am afraid our cuisine is not what you are used to. One thing I cannot help you with is to get you a," he paused, looking for a word, "...a Snickers if you get a craving."

He smiled, pleased at his cultural reference.

"I'll be okay, I'm not a picky eater." Mina appreciated his comment; it seemed to show that Akolo really did care, even after his weird reference to his nephew succeeding him.

The corpulent chief stood to go. "If there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable here, do not hesitate to ask. Nukuluve, make sure you take her to Vai Place soon."

"Tomorrow, after she has slept."

"And Nukuluve," he had a twinkle in his eye this time, "When will you tell her?"

At this question the old woman smiled and blinked both her eyes at the chief in answer. Mina had a feeling they weren't referring to her mother's death this time, but the jet lag had caught up with her and she didn't have the energy to ask.

After he had gone, Nukuluve served her the fish stew that had been warming on the fire. It was the tastiest thing Mina had ever put into her mouth, and her body soaked it in, having been sustained on airplane and processed travel food for the past two days.

Nukuluve led her into the newer hut on the left where she collapsed and slept better than she had in years.

Chapter 3

Mina woke up at noon the next day completely refreshed, and full of questions.

She got dressed, breathing in the smell of the freshly chopped wood of her abode and was surprised to find that she could not stand up completely in her hut: it was about ¾ her height. The poles of the hut were neatly lashed together, giving the roof a very tidy appearance. Looking around, she noticed a small ledge opposite her bed on which her suitcase had already been placed, and two shelves, one empty, and the other with a framed picture of her mother as a teenager. She studied the picture and thought she was able to see some of herself in her young mother.

When she stepped out, Nukuluve motioned for her to sit one of the logs.

Feeling energized, Mina jumped right in with her questions.

"Did my father force my mother to move away from Okawii?"

"Good morning," Nukuluve smiled as she assembled breakfast.

Her grandmother sat down next to her.

"Chief Akolo is a good man," she started, "but he is misinformed about a few things regarding your mother. Eva loved David very much, and what they had decided together was that they would live abroad for several years, make sure you were educated well in the States, and then return after your education was completed. Those years would also give your father some time to groom a successor and to orchestrate an effective hand-off of his family bank before they moved to Okawii permanently."

"So he didn't make her move away?"

"No, Eva wanted to go for those years. She had a real desire to travel and see the world, and was looking forward to the challenge of making a life so far from the island she loved. But she did always intend to return."

"What did the chief mean when he said they expected great things from her?"

"Well, your grandfather was the first chief in living memory not to have a son to succeed him. It was questionable whether Eva, as the only child, would succeed him and become the first woman chief of the island. During your mother's childhood, the elders had many, many meetings discussing this unusual situation. There were some who wanted the Chiefdom to pass to Akolo after your grandfather. He was your mother's third cousin, and your grandfather's closest living male relative. But throughout her childhood, and especially in her high school years, your mother proved herself."

"How?"

"She was an outstanding student, the best on the island in her generation. And she was charismatic and eloquent—had a real gift with words. When she was invited to speak at the elder's council in defense of her position, it was quite clear that the island would be in good hands with her. The council decision was unanimous to let her succeed. Eva also intended to use her years in the States to broaden her worldview and gain some international experience before succeeding your grandfather as chief."

Nukuluve handed her a plate with breakfast. The dried fish surrounded by fresh tropical fruits looked strange to Mina, but she found everything delicious. Her beverage was a large coconut with a straw in it.

"Today we will tour the island," said Nukuluve after Mina had eaten.

They went back out to the beach and headed toward the dock.

"As you might have noticed yesterday, the paths from the beach lead to groups of huts. These groups of huts go all around the island, except for the north side."

They approached the dock and a gaggle of barely-dressed kids ran by, almost knocking them down. One of them threw a ball further up the beach and they all went after it at full speed.

"The island is round, roughly, and there is a coral reef surrounding it—about 100 feet out. The only opening in the reef is here at the southern end, just south of the dock. It is the only place boats can enter our waters. We are completely protected by the reef otherwise."

Mina looked out and scanned the sea.

"Grandmother? Where are the fishermen? Look, there is only one boat out there. I thought everyone here lived off of fishing."

Nukuluve looked at her. "You don't miss much. Hold that question—I think you'll understand more by the end of the day," she answered mysteriously, and then added, "Also, we like to do our fishing a little further from the island. That way we do not to deplete the fish populations in our reef."

Just north of the dock, back in the forest was a large pavilion. It had two rows of eight posts each supporting a roof structure covered on palm fronds. Mina saw a few old men sitting there on the benches, talking and laughing.

Mina admired and took pictures of the lashings that held it together. They were the same as in her hut, but more photogenic here in the open sunlight. She thought about how different the furnishings here were from those at home. In her circles in Arizona, this type of 'native' art was often emulated, but presented in an elegant, expensive way. She thought that this original "shabby-chic" was far more cool-looking.

Nukuluve grabbed her elbow and gently pulled her away. "It's called the main lodge, but apart from feasts and meetings, it is usually only used by the men," she whispered.

They walked along the shore and off the east side of the island Mina noticed a huge rock not too far off shore.

"The kids must love jumping off that rock," she said to her grandmother.

"Not really," replied Nukuluve. "Jumping off it would cause them to jump onto the reef. They do most of their jumping at Vai Place."

They visited the three canoe houses on the island as well. Each held about four boats, and they were all full, except for the third canoe house, which was missing a boat. Mina figured it was the one she had seen out at sea earlier. After they had seen all of them, Mina said under her breath, "Twelve boats for the entire island. Shouldn't each family have a boat?"

Nukuluve led them further into the island. The paths were well worn, and the main ones had been cleared of all roots. They walked past the huts until they came out of the forest in Okawii's interior.

There rose a gently sloping mountain that peaked toward the middle of the island. It was on these slopes that families had their plots on which they grew taro root, breadfruit, yams, bananas, and everything else they needed. Mina saw women and their small children in the fields, and asked where the men were.

"Here on Okawii there is a division of labor: generally men fish and hunt, and women tend the garden and cook."

Nukuluve noticed Mina's surprised face.

"I know it is not what you are used to, and actually the younger generation is starting to come out of that. A few weeks ago I saw Michael helping Irene in their garden." She paused. "I do not think there is anything wrong with it, but there are some who attribute his illness to this break with tradition. I disagree, though. A number of the younger husbands have been helping in the gardens, and some of the wives go fishing with their men without any illnesses resulting."

Mina raised her eyebrows. She wasn't used to illnesses being attributed to anything else besides germs and viruses.

They continued their tour and ended up at the north side of the island. There, a second reef starting from the beach created a large lagoon. Mina had never seen water this clear and blue before. The bottom of the lagoon was of smooth and inviting sand. It was perfectly pristine: not a fish or human broke its flat surface.

"This is our lagoon," Nukuluve gestured with her arm. "You will be spending a lot of time here swimming with the others. The north part of the island is also considered a community area, and the young people spend most of their time here."

"Oh yes, this is definitely going to be my favorite spot," Mina breathed, amazed at the beauty of her surroundings. The entire lagoon was surrounded by palm trees, giving it some shade in the hot, tropical sun.

But the gorgeousness of the lagoon paled in comparison with what she was about to see next.

"Where is everybody?" Mina asked. "It's the middle of the day"

"They're all at Vai Place, I assume," answered her grandmother. "Come, I will show you. It is the last stop on our tour."

They heard the laughter and splashing at 50 yards away. The same gaggle of kids from the beach blew past them through the bushes, still chasing the ball.

Vai Place was where the steep backside of the mountain came down and met the gentle slope coming up from the shore. Several waterfalls flowed down the mountain and there, some acting like showers, some slowly carving the rock out into natural waterslides, and all flowed into a perfect pool that then formed a river and flowed past the lagoon into the Pacific.

Mina gasped when she caught sight of it. Lush foliage and brightly colored flowers vied for a space near the water. Teenagers good-naturedly shoved their unsuspecting peers down the rock slides, and some of the younger boys showed off by scampering among the vines 25 feet in the air. The laughter and sounds of people jumping into the water periodically pierced the constant din of the waterfalls.

"Now this is paradise," she breathed, wondering why her mom would ever want to leave here.

The people at Vai Place were having the times of their lives while doing what was obviously something ordinary to them. Mina simultaneously felt a jealousy of the Okawiians who could come here every day, and a gratefulness for her chance to be there at all.

On the other side of the main pool there were three smaller, shallow pools in which toddlers splashed around at the feet of their vigilant parents. A younger guy who was looking out for a 3-year old boy immediately caught her attention. He was shirtless, with a flawless form that glistened from the drops splashed up by the boy. His still-boyish face smiled at the boy lovingly.

She felt a twinge of jealousy toward the little boy's mother for landing such a good-looking guy. The mysterious guy looked up at her, and she glanced away, praying he didn't see her staring at him. As Mina looked all around at her surroundings, at everything but the guy, she willed herself to remember Andrew. On the night before she left for Okawii she was feeling so happy about her trip that she had kissed him. There hadn't been time to discuss it after and she didn't know if they were now dating or not. Either way, she owed it to him not to fall for someone else on her first day.

"Come," said Nukuluve. "I will introduce you to your teacher."

Mina followed her grandmother all the way around the pool right to the hot guy!

"Good morning, Keoni. I would like you to meet my granddaughter, Mina. She is the one you will be teaching Okawiian. Mina, this is Keoni, one of our brightest. He just finished high school this past year, so you two are about the same age."

"Keoni! Come play!" the little boy interrupted, tugging on Keoni's shorts.

The boy squealed as Keoni threw him up in the air. "This is my little brother, Taha."

"Nice to meet you, Taha," Mina blushed at her relief that Taha wasn't his son. "And you, Keoni." Mina realized that she had never blushed because of a boy before, and then blushed again at that thought. She reached up to her neck and started fingering her shell necklace, reminding herself again that at home she had the attention and affection of Andrew, the most popular boy in school, whom she also liked.

As Keoni walked away, she noticed a tattoo near his left hip of a small, tribally-stylized bird. The tiny tattoo served to accentuate his perfect figure and Mina caught herself staring again. She suddenly could not wait to start her language lessons with this boy whom her grandmother had also called 'bright.'

Two other teenagers approached them—a girl and a boy.

"Hi, I'm Ana, and this is my brother, Filipe," said the girl, extending her hand. "Welcome to Okawii." Ana's smile seemed slightly judging, but Mina still hoped they could be friends.

The boy turned out to be the same short 14-year-old who had carried her bag from the dock the day before. He showed her the same double-tooth-rowed grin and said, "I'm Filipe."

Mina needed an excuse to get herself away from Keoni. "Nice to meet you all. If you don't mind, I'd like to get wet—it's torture just watching."

"Go! Jump in," urged Nukuluve.

After kicking off her tennis shoes and testing the water with her foot, she quickly got in up to her neck to acclimate to the water. Then she came out and started the climb to the top of one of the water slides.

The other kids around her stopped and stared, unused to having strangers among them.

"Hi, I'm Mina, I'm new here. Hello. Hi." She nodded and greeted everyone she met on her way up, not caring how ridiculous she came across, only wanting to try out that slide.

She sat down at the top of the rock shoot. It was quite worn and almost comfortable. After taking a mental snapshot of the moment, she pushed herself off and zoomed down into the clear, cool water.

The rock slides occupied her for a while until she gathered up the nerve to try the vines. The younger boys would leap off from one side of the pool and change vines in the air, sometimes several times. They either landed on the other side, dropped to dive into the water, or hung out on the vines to try to knock each other off the vines into the water so far below.

Mina climbed up onto a ledge that wasn't as far up as the boys and tentatively reached out to grab the closest vine. It was about 1 ½ inches thick. A strong tug established that it wouldn't fail her on her swing out. She looked out for another minute, eyeing the vine that she wanted to change to, and took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff.

The rookie swung perfectly to the vine she had picked out, but her inexperienced hands betrayed her and she couldn't get a good grip on the other vine. Before she could re-grasp her original vine, Mina felt herself falling, arms and legs flailing in the air. She landed in the water with a huge belly-flop.

The sting of her pride matched the pain she felt in her midsection. At the edge of the pool, a hand reached down to help her out. Mina looked up and was embarrassed to find herself face to face with Keoni.

"We've all been there," he said, pulling her out. "It takes a couple tries to get it right."

He turned and walked back to the kid's pools before she could thank him.

Then she heard a girl's loud, derisive laugh. Ana had appeared out of nowhere and was smirking.

"Can't even do a hand change," she said loudly. "A real Okawiian."

Mina was stunned. This? From the girl she had assumed would be a friend? Ana knew she was new to the island and Mina was upset that she embarrassed her by calling even more attention to her mishap. She wondered what she had done to get on this girl's bad side so quickly. She looked at her speechlessly, wanting to defend herself, but at the same time not wanting to make an enemy on her first day. Before Mina could decide on a response, Ana walked away toward the kiddie pools.

"Don't worry about her," said Filipe, gesturing to his older sister. "She's just jealous because of Keoni. You know, him helping you out right then. He's usually pretty oblivious to things like that. Also that you're going to have language lessons with him. Ana's considered him hers since forever."

"Are they dating?" asked Mina.

"No, Ana wishes they were. I've got to run though—coral-collecting expedition. Catch you later!"

Filipe walked out toward the lagoon, leaving Mina with more questions. Keoni weighed on her mind—was him helping her really out of character for him? Could it mean anything? Also, she didn't understand where Filipe went. She had always thought that coral reefs were protected. Why would Filipe be collecting them? And why would he be leaving this late in the day? It seemed like an odd thing.

She sat down to watch the activities at Vai Place for a few more minutes. An overwhelming feeling of being home washed over her, and she reddened again, embarrassed at the thought of calling Okawii home so soon, especially when she couldn't even change vines. She had an intense desire to fit in with the islanders, for them to accept her as their own.

To this end, she turned to a woman with there with her two small children, she asked, "Why is Filipe collecting coral? Isn't it protected here, too?"

The woman looked surprised at the question, like she had just been asked why birds fly. Then she smiled and cryptically said, "Go home by way of the lagoon."

In the late afternoon sun, the lagoon's surface was dark and it was impossible to see the bottom like she had been able to that morning. It was a lovely sight: the sun was setting through the trees and all was quiet, except for the occasional person walking home from Vai Place. Another feeling of appreciation for her surroundings enveloped Mina. There was no sign of Filipe, and she didn't understand why she had been told to come this way.

All of a sudden, a giant fish tail appeared at the surface. A few yards away, one of the Okawiian kids appeared with just his neck out of the water.

That's weird. I didn't see any fish in the lagoon this morning, certainly not any fish that big.

Then, on the other side of the lagoon, another giant fish tail appeared. She wasn't sure in the faint light, but it seemed like this fish was a different color than the first. It dove back down, and again a few yards from it one of the Okawiians surfaced. She recognized Filipe and waved, but he didn't notice her and dove back down.

Ewww! They're not grossed out swimming with these giant fish?

The scene continued to fascinate Mina. She counted five different fish-tails, each a different color, and recognized five Okawiians, including Filipe, swimming with the fish. The same woman she had talked with at Vai Place was passing with her children.

Mina took the opportunity to ask her, "Where did those huge fish come from? They weren't here this morning. Is there some underwater passage from the ocean into the lagoon?"

The woman took pity on her. "Honey, they are the fish. Filipe, Maria, Paul, and the others: they are the fish."

Chapter 4

At the resort bar, the crowd around Hector dissipated after he finished his story, and Simon was left alone with him.

"What kind of business are you in?" Simon desperately wanted to network with these people and get his name out there as a banker of importance, and Hector seemed to know everyone of prominence. Simon's last name, Lanza, was actually his mother's maiden name. He had gone by Simon Haight until he was 25 years old. On Wall Street he had been a rising star, but he got caught defrauding his company. After being fired and almost prosecuted, he turned to his old college roommate, David Young, whose father had a successful bank in Tucson. They hired him as Simon Lanza and agreed to keep his secret. Simon quickly proved his worth making Young Bank the second largest bank in the area in only five years, but he was worried about that dirty incident coming back to haunt him. Though he had long sought membership, it was for that reason that he had taken so long to go get his elephant and actually apply to Venatus: he was afraid there would be someone in the club who would remember him and ruin him. That was not an option. Having grown up in Appalachia the son of a coal miner, Simon lived for his wealth and the sheen of success. After tasting the good life in the Ivy League and on Wall Street, he would never settle for anything less, and he knew he was lucky to have found the Youngs who forgave him so easily and trusted him.

Hector turned his back on Simon to talk to the person on his other side.

Simon quickly changed strategies. "I got my elephant in Sri Lanka."

"Is that so? Mine was just African," said Hector, turning to Simon. "I've never hunted in Sri Lanka. What region were you in?"

"In the Southern Province. Peterson knows a guy there," Simon nodded over to his friend who had provided one of his recommendations to the club.

They discussed the ins and outs of Sri Lankan fauna and after another scotch they began discussing business—on Simon's prompting, of course. Hector, who was the biggest developer in Texas, knew some folks on Wall Street, but most of his contacts were in the Southwest.

Tapping his glass with the stubby part of his left hand, Hector asked, "So you work for Young Bank in Tucson, eh? Now where do I know that name Young?"

"They're a big family in the area. My boss made waves a while back when he married a girl from the South Pacific instead of one of the local belles his mother had picked out for him."

"Oh that Young family. Yes, I do remember the gossip." Hector's eyes grew narrow, thinking about a near miss he had 15 years ago. In the 31 years since his incident with the croc, he had never missed an animal, except one. "Where was the girl from again?"

"Okawii," Simon replied without hesitation. There was a picture frame that he saw in David's office every day with the island's name laid out in small twigs.

"Okawii, huh. Not one of the more well-known places in the South Pacific." Hector stood to go. "It was nice to meet you, Simon." He scribbled a room number on his card and handed it to Simon. "I'd be much obliged if you'd join me later for a nightcap."

Mina stood next to the lagoon stupefied. She fingered her shell necklace and watched the fish-people for a while longer and realized the lady was right: they were the fish. That is, they were actual mermaids.

The march home was a blur to Mina. Three sentences repeated over and over in her head, until they became almost a song: how is this possible, this isn't happening, it can't be real; how is this possible, this isn't happening, it can't be real.

When she arrived back at their huts, Nukuluve was waiting with dinner.

"Here," she said, handing her granddaughter a plate. "You must be hungry after swimming all afternoon."

Mina looked at her grandmother inquisitively.

"What is going on here?" she asked, as if the old woman was a witness on the stand.

Nukuluve nodded. "I am sorry I did not tell you earlier, but this is something you needed to experience. And it is something more easily believed with your eyes. Sit and eat, and I will tell you."

"Who are the mermaids?"

"We are, we all are on Okawii. You are, too."

Mina sat in stunned silence.

"Let me explain. There is a special type of coral in the Pacific that we have a unique biological relationship with. We just call it White Coral. It grows in long, white, finger-like tendrils. We harvest the tendrils, dry them, and cut them up into little disks. Then, if we want to turn into a mermaid, we eat the disk, and it allows us to transform if we immerse ourselves in water at least up to our necks. The coral acts in two ways: first it gives us the fish tail, and second, it allows us to acquire oxygen from the seawater."

"Can anybody be a mermaid then if they eat the coral?"

"No, many centuries ago our people developed this connection with the coral, and now it is genetically based. If one of your parents has the ability to transform, then you do, too."

"Why didn't I see any mermaids at Vai Place?"

"The coral is effective only in salt water. The water flowing down the mountain that feeds Vai Place and the river that flows from there is fresh water. But the lagoon is salt water."

Mina sat silent, digesting what she had just heard, then slowly turned to Nukuluve.

"So you're telling me that if you, my very wise, and, um, timeworn grandmother, walked into the ocean right now, you'd become a mermaid?"

Nukuluve smiled.

"If I walked in right now? No. The coral is only effective for about 24 hours. So, once you take it, you can come in and out of the ocean and change your form as many times as you like in the 24-hour period, because it is still in your system. Most people change only once or twice in that 24 hours, typically because they have got to do a specific task in the ocean, like hunting or going coral-collecting trip."

"What do you mean, 'change forms'? How do you get rid of the tail once you have it?"

"There are two ways to get your legs back. You can pull up onto shore, and allow your upper body to dry off. The coral only works on a wet body. Or, if you have been out in the Pacific, you can swim up the river that flows from Vai Place, and, as the fresh water washes the salt water off you, you will get your legs back."

"So I am really a mermaid?" Mina whispered.

"Well, you have the ability to be, with the help of the White Coral."

"Is it hard? I mean, swimming like that?"

"It is awkward and a bit odd at first, but once you get used to it, it is the most natural thing in the world. Like a fish in the sea." Nukuluve quietly chuckled at her joke.

After she had processed this bizarre information some more, Mina quickly jumped to her feet.

"Can I have some please, grandmother? You do have some coral here, right? I have to try this."

"It's too dark now, my child. Tomorrow is a good day to start."

"I guess. Can you tell me where this ability to change came from?"

"I can tell you a story. These are our mythological origins; no one knows what really happened historically. Legend says that a long time ago, 25 generations ago, or about 1000 years ago, Siyok had just arrived at an uninhabited island with his pregnant wife, Sira. Through a series of unfortunate events, Siyok lost his boat and soon the pair consumed most of the island's resources. Unable to provide for the pregnant Sira, Siyok despairingly waded out into the ocean and attempted to catch fish with his net, then, when that floated away, with his hands. He looked up to the sky and said, "I wish I could swim like the fish in order to provide for my family." The god Au sent him a dolphin who beckoned him to follow. Siyok followed him down deep into the ocean until he could not hold his breath anymore, then the dolphin showed him the White Coral, which he consumed. He turned into a mermaid and swam back to the island. On the way home he found he was able to easily catch fish and brought these home to Sira. When Sira's time came, she gave birth to five boys who scattered to found the five colonies that now have mermaids today--Okawii, Ipona, Beluu, Lilo, and Otto Island."

Mina ran to the lagoon at first light, followed by Nukuluve. After yesterday's unfortunate fall from the vines, she didn't want anyone seeing her first attempt at being a mermaid. Especially not Ana or Keoni.

The coral Nukuluve had given to her looked to her like an oversized Tums with tiny holes all over it. It had no smell, and she licked it first, then popped it into her mouth. Its texture was chalky, and it had a slight, but distinct flavor to it. Mina wasn't in love with the flavor at first, but she figured it would grow on her.

Once she swallowed it, she looked down at herself, to see if gills would grow out of her elbows or something, but nothing happened. Then she remembered that she needed to be immersed in salt water for the coral to work, so she jumped into the clear blue lagoon.

The water's coolness surprised her, and she shivered involuntarily. Suddenly her legs gave out from under her, and her head sank below the water. Her natural reflex was to clamor toward the surface with her arms, but she was unable to stand up. Her mind started panicking about not being able to get to the surface in time, but her body found itself not needing the oxygen. It was assimilating it from the water.

She awkwardly maneuvered to a low-hanging branch near the side of the lagoon. Man, this is harder than I thought.

Hanging from the long branch by her arms, Mina looked down at her new form and gasped. Her large tail was a golden color that tapered down to her two-lobed caudal fin. She reached down to touch the upper part of it and found the tiny scales to be very smooth. There were two small slits where her hips would be and she realized that they were her gills.

About ten minutes later Mina had succeeded in gaining some control over the movements of her tail. She let go of the branch and felt herself slip under water, this time remembering to allow her gills to work. A swift kick sent her forward through the water, and she swam around in a small circle, ending the exercise by kicking herself back up to the safety of her branch. Encouraged by that small success, she did a few more circles. Underwater near the edge of the lagoon, Mina saw five orderly rows of tiny white plants, which, upon closer inspection, proved to be White Coral. After her fifth circle she found herself exhausted and barely able to hold onto her branch.

"You should come out and take a break," Nukuluve said from the shore.

Mina didn't have the energy to argue, and used her arms to pull her along the branch to the shore, her tail feeling as heavy as lead.

Her grandmother assisted her out of the water and handed her a towel. The transition back to her two-legged body happened swiftly as the salt water was wiped off.

"That was more work than I thought it would be."

"Do not worry, tomorrow you will begin your lessons."

"You mean language lessons with Keoni?"

"No, those begin this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, and every morning for the next four weeks, you will be here in the lagoon with the children for mermaid lessons."

"What children?"

"On Okawii, we allow children who have turned eight years old to learn how to use the coral. Lessons are held every year for the new crop of students, and, once they complete them, they are free to use the lagoon as they wish. Once they are a little older they can go out between the reef and the island, but only 14 year olds can go out into the open ocean. It is too dangerous for the young ones."

"Oh." Mina thought back to her presents from her grandmother for her eighth birthday. This must be what she meant when she wrote that this was an important birthday on Okawii.

They walked on in silence for a while, with Mina particularly enjoying the use of her legs, whose muscles did not hurt.

"Grandmother? I was under the impression from watching Filipe the night before that all mermaid tails were green and blue."

"You are referring to your golden tail."

"Yes."

"Everyone's tail color is as unique as their fingerprint. You are right in that for the most part the tails are shades of green, blue, brown, and other sea-like colors. Pinks and reds do appear, but are a bit more rare. Your golden color refers to your ancestry."

"What do you mean?"

"Golden tails typically appear in the chieftain line. Your mother and grandfather both had golden tails. It is very helpful, actually, in determining the next chief because if a chief has more than one child, only one will have a golden tail and it is usually that child that has the best qualities of a chief."

Chapter 5

David Young had always wanted to go to Fiji. As a child, he saw pictures of the white beaches and deep blue waters in a National Geographic magazine and carefully clipped them. So when his father, David, Sr., asked him where he wanted to go for his 25th birthday, there was no hesitation. He didn't mind traveling alone. Sure, it would have been nice to have a wife, or even a girlfriend to take along, but he had always been an introvert, and he looked forward to these two weeks to clear his head and forget all about the banking industry.

His blond hair and blues eyes earned him stares on Fiji, and he had a natural innocence about him that attracted the sellers of tourist-wares. And he bought from all of them without fail, too nice to deny any of them the tiniest portion of his family's fortune.

On the fifth day of his trip, David had returned from a scuba diving tour and was excited to add sea turtles and the ruby snapper fish to his list of things to research when he got home. There were plenty of other types of fish his guide had mentioned, but that was the only one he remembered. The shower behind the scuba shop was warm, and he lingered longer than his allotted three minutes. Sneaking out somewhat guiltily, he caught sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walking between the snack-tables toward the beach. She had jet-black hair and olive skin, obviously a Pacific islander.

David followed her to the beach, but she had disappeared.

The next morning he was enjoying breakfast at a small restaurant when the same woman walked in. He almost spit out his coffee in surprise. David watched her for a full two minutes before he realized that this was fate. Normally a timid man, David wasted no time inviting her to sit with him. She obliged, somewhat warily, but ended up having the time of her life with this white American.

He asked her about the local dishes on the menu and made her laugh by pretending to be squeamish about seafood. Her lilting accent and giant brown eyes captivated him, and she was taken with his pleasant manner.

They were inseparable for the last week of his trip, and when it came time for him to go, it was the most natural thing in the world to discuss next steps.

Eva had to go back to college; she was on her senior year spring break, and he had to go back to the bank in Arizona. He offered to meet her on Okawii after she finished college, but she explained that it was impossible because of all the paperwork and visas to get through the culturally protected status of the island. They made plans to meet in Hawaii after she finished school. During that second trip together, they got to know each other a lot better and both of them were falling deeper in love with each other. On the morning of their second last day together, Eva took him to a small, secluded island. She asked David if he could keep a secret. He answered 'of course,' and she told him that this secret was really big, that she was trusting him with her island's way of life. Then the White Coral was consumed and she showed him her alternate form.

David was in shock, unaware, like most people on the planet, that this could actually happen. She spent the day explaining her childhood and the Okawiian way of life. At first her tail was grotesque to him, but as he watched her move effortlessly through the waves, he was enthralled. He immediately got over his suspiciousness when she brought up two lobsters out of the waves, proceeded to dry off and get her legs back, start a fire, and cook the best, freshest meal he had yet tasted. Watching the whole process from under his umbrella, he saw that she was truly at home doing all this and her natural confidence made him love her even more. The next evening when they parted, she told him to watch his mail carefully in the coming weeks.

Two months after his return to Tucson, a package from Eva arrived. It was a pile of stamped, official forms allowing him to travel to Okawii. At once he called his travel agent to make arrangements.

His first trip to Okawii was one of the most interesting journeys of his life. Eva's parents, Chief Konala and Nukuluve were cool toward him at first. They put him in the hut farthest away from them on the island, and when he showed up for Eva, Nukuluve would wordlessly hand him his food, refusing to sit with him as he ate. But Konala and Nukuluve watched how he treated Eva, and how they looked at each other, and how polite he was to everyone. They got a sense of his innate goodness and calmness, and began to trust him. He learned that he was now one of three outsiders in the world who knew the secret of the mermaids. The other two were an Island Council ally, who was an old friend of Chief Konala, and Rosemary, wife of the Okawiian Lepolo, now living on the island. It was made clear to David by the Chief that now that he knew, he and Eva could not break up; he was expected to marry her. This did not faze him as that was what he had intended to do since that first breakfast in Fiji.

Thus David's visit was consumed with plan-making. The fact that Eva was the daughter of the Chief greatly complicated things, and he understood that he could not just marry her and take her away. At the same time, he also had an obligation to his father, the "Chief" of Young Bank. Since the day he was born he had been groomed to take over the bank from David, Sr., whose own father had founded the bank. Dutifully David majored in finance and joined the firm after college. In three years he worked his way up to branch manager, and was proving himself at every level.

The two sweethearts decided to live in Tucson for the first part of their marriage, and to move back to Okawii for good when their kids were ready for high school. For some reason it was important to Eva that the kids live on Okawii during high school. For the safety of the islanders, however, they decided that they wouldn't visit until it was time to move back. They couldn't risk the any of their children accidentally revealing the secret in a "what I did last summer" project.

Eva had a huge falling out with Chief Konala over these plans. When he had told David that he was expected now to marry his daughter, he had assumed that David would just move to Okawii like Rosemary had. The Chief was not used to things not going his way, and he refused to legitimize this foreigner suitor's other life by acknowledging that David had a family or even a family business. She finally was able to persuade her father that it would be better for the island in the long run because she could learn a lot more about the large world out there, and would be better suited to lead Okawii into the future.

Standing in his dark home office, David lingered over his wedding picture, smiling at his younger, naïve self, adorned with a crown of white flowers. He remembered his wedding day with both fondness and awkwardness. It truly had been the best day of his life, up until the birth of Mina. The Okawiian ceremonies and feasts would have made any anthropologist drool and David, still reading his National Geographic magazines monthly, appreciated every minute. The awkwardness stemmed from the fact that his parents had not been allowed to attend. He told them about the culturally protected status of the island, and they immediately got on the phone with their senators and high-powered friends to get the paperwork pushed through. His well-connected parents were not used to being excluded from high-profile events, and they never expected to be denied access to their own son's wedding. Finally David had to tell them a little white lie: that the presence of outsiders in an Okawiian ceremony would nullify the proceedings. He was able to somewhat appease them by promising that he and Eva would have another wedding at their country club for all of their friends.

As he held the picture, his phone rang; it was an unknown number.

"Dad?" A muted, far away voice asked.

"Mina? Is everything okay? Are you okay?" He had purchased a satellite phone for her in case of an emergency; however, with the way things had been left between them, he didn't expect to hear from her until she called from the Tucson airport to be picked up at the end of the summer.

"Everything's fine, Dad. Why didn't you tell me I'm a mermaid?"

David sank into his dark leather couch. "Honey, what was I supposed to do? Telling you was too risky for the other islanders. Even though you're one of them, you were still an outsider until now."

Mina didn't respond right away. She badly wanted to fit in with them, and it hurt for someone to say out loud that she was an outsider.

"Why didn't we just stay on Okawii, you know, when Mom died?"

"There were a lot of reasons, Mina."

"Like what? Please tell me. Please."

David was so used to anxiously guarding his secrets that it was difficult for him to let his guard down. Fifteen years ago he had locked all things about Okawii in a mental vault and hadn't thought about them since, let alone talk about them with someone else.

"Well, first of all, I couldn't live on Okawii without your mother. Technically I might have been allowed to stay, mostly for your sake, but I could never be a full man on that island, as you now know. I couldn't provide for you by fishing with the others in the ocean, not the way they fish. I couldn't be a part of that way of life. Next to your mother, it would have been different. She was the light of my life and I would have lived in Antarctica if that's what it would have taken to be near her."

"I guess."

David was amazed at this answer from her. He couldn't remember the last time that she seemed to understand things from his point of view. This encouraged him to go on.

"Also, the way your mother died was so harsh and such a blow to the island that I just couldn't stay after that. It would have made me even more of an outsider than I was already. People would have whispered behind our backs all the time, and I wasn't ready to deal with raising a baby alone in a hostile environment like that. Plus, I promised your Grandpa Young that I would give him some more years at the bank."

After her encounter with Ana, and having endured the whispers and stares that come with being new on Okawii, Mina had no trouble imagining the hypothetical situation her dad was describing. Again, her dad's allusion to her mother's death stirred her curiosity.

"Dad? How did mom actually die?"

The line went so quiet that Mina thought she lost the call.

"Dad?"

She heard nothing for a minute, and then heard him blow his nose.

"It's fine," she finally spit out, exasperated. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

The secret of her mother's death annoyed her as much as it intrigued her. And she still didn't understand why nobody would tell her more about it, especially since she now knew about the mermaids.

Keoni stood in front of the main lodge with a notebook and pen in hand. He rolled his shoulders, stretching his muscles after his long swim in the ocean that morning dragging back lobster and small fish. He didn't mind having to provide for his mother and baby brother. It kept him busy and he found that most of the adults and elders respected him more for it.

When Nukuluve had asked him to give Mina language lessons, he hesitated at first, citing his need to be available for his family should they need him. "Young man," Nukuluve had replied, "Your mother asked me to ask you. She thinks you are available for them too much." He knew they were right. And although fishing could be a challenge, he had missed school and exercising his brain since graduation last year. Trying his hand at teaching was just the thing he needed.

Keoni smiled at Mina as she approached the main lodge. He knew that it must be hard to be new to such a small and unique community. Trying to fit in anywhere was difficult, without the added challenge of wrapping your head around two impossible facts: that mermaids exist, and that you are one of them.

Mina pointed at the elders in the far corner of the lodge. "Can we be here? I thought this place was only for the men."

"It's fine," answered Keoni, sitting down on a bench inside. "Anyways it would be a lot worse if we were somewhere else alone. This is a pretty conservative community and supervision is standard for, uh, unmarried people."

Mina raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Oh my god! He alluded to the fact that we're not married kind of awkwardly. So embarrassing! Could it mean anything?

Keoni opened his notebook. "So I thought we would start with basic nouns and then work our way into verbs and conjugating them."

They worked for over an hour, with Keoni correcting her pronunciation as needed and diligently writing out the words they went over in case she was a visual learner. He was impressed by her quickness and authentic interest in learning the language.

Toward the end of the lesson Mina leaned in so the elders wouldn't hear her. "I'm sorry, but I'm just going to be indiscreet. What happened to your dad?"

Keoni looked up at her. Nobody had ever asked him this before. Nobody had ever needed to because they were so isolated and everyone on Okawii knew everyone else's business.

"When Taha was still a baby, my father didn't come home from a routine fishing trip. He had sailed to a nearby island with three others; they had anticipated being gone for 6-9 days, depending on the winds and the availability of the fish. When he did not come home after twenty days, they began to wait the requisite fifty days before declaring them dead."

"Oh, I'm so sorry I asked," Mina said earnestly. She mentally kicked herself and vowed to be more careful with her curiosity. God, I hope he's not mad at me for asking. Stupid, stupid, I could have just asked Grandmother...

Mina looked down at the notebook of Okawiian words to try and get away from the topic.

"It's okay, really. Anyways, if anyone knows what it's like to lose a parent, it's you." Keoni hadn't spoken about his father's death with anyone since it happened, and it didn't feel as bad as he had expected. It was almost a relief to tell the entire story to someone who didn't know about it.

"I will also be indiscreet." Keoni surprised himself with his own pluck. "Is it true that your tail is golden?"

Mina blushed. "It seems word does travel fast here."

"Small island," he smiled as they stood out and walked out of the lodge. He like her boldness in asking what was on her mind and looked forward to tomorrow's lesson with her.

On her way home, Mina kicked at the roots on the path. He was so nice, and so good-looking. She had done a good job of forgetting about her attraction to Keoni during the lesson and hoped she had impressed him with her intelligence. But then she ruined everything by asking about his dad. She couldn't help herself, though. She was curious, and used to speaking what was on her mind. Keoni just seemed so perfect to her. Then again, she forced herself to think of Andrew. He was perfect too, sort of, he just wasn't a mermaid, and he couldn't be blamed for that. It wasn't as if that was a personal fault.

After things had died down at the resort bar, Simon knocked on Hector's door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He was excited about this sudden budding friendship with the leader of one of the world's most exclusive clubs, but didn't exactly understand Hector's interest in him. His hunting experience was limited compared to most of the members', and he didn't own any land in exotic continents. While Hector had discussed a little business with him down at the bar, Simon got the impression that he was just being polite. Why would the mention of his boss and Okawii suddenly interest him? Simon figured that he was looking for new fishing grounds in the Pacific or something similar.

"Come in."

Simon entered and found Hector sitting at the table with his tie loosened. The two scotches on the table each had two halfway-dissolved ice cubes.

"I took the liberty," he gestured toward the drinks with his disfigured left hand, "take a seat."

"Thanks," said Simon, sitting down across from him.

"So, Simon Lanza. I asked around about you. Simon Haight, was it?" Hector picked up his drink with his left thumb and forefinger and leaned back crossing his feet.

Simon's eyes widened and then closed slowly.

"Now don't worry, I'm not here to accuse you or bring you down or anything like that." Hector's drawl really came through when he had the power position in a conversation such as this. "I just wanted you to know that I know."

Simon knew he was in this man's control now. "What can I help you with?"

"Now who said I wanted anything? I asked you up here to tell you a story."

Simon sat rigidly, unable to relax. This was the first time since he had moved to Arizona that anyone had alluded to his past transgressions.

"Just calm down now, have some more of that drink," Hector said, refilling both their glasses.

The Arizona banker let his shoulders drop and leaned back, sipping his scotch.

"That's better. Now I know you're no fool and you probably figured out that Okawii is not some unknown dot in the ocean to me. What I'm about to tell you is top secret, and I have to ask you to keep it to yourself as well."

Simon nodded, wondering how he had earned this man's trust so soon, especially when he knew about less trustworthy past.

"Good. I've been hunting and fishing for 31 years now, and only one time," he paused for effect, "one time has a beast of the earth or sea ever gotten away from me. It happened 15 years ago when I was on my yacht fishing in the South Pacific. I was gazing out at the water when I saw a strange fish near the surface. Now, normally you can't see a fish under the surface of the ocean out so far from land, but this one was different: it had a large golden tail that dazzled and made it visible close to the surface. I followed it all the way to a small island," he nodded at Simon, "Okawii."

"So you want to go back and pursue this golden-tailed fish?"

"Well, sort of." Hector smiled. "It's a little more interesting than that. Now bear with me, this is some unbelievable stuff here. It turns out that the fish wasn't a fish. It was a mermaid. And there were others in the area with it."

"Come on," scoffed Simon.

"I swear on my momma's grave, there were mermaids," he drawled. "They disappeared and I hung out a while hoping they'd come back, but I was driven away by the Okawiians, who didn't want an outsider there. They have some special protected status or some nonsense. So I stayed in the area a little further away and happened to be scuba diving at a nearby island when suddenly another mermaid appeared. I shot my harpoon at this one, too, but missed again."

Simon raised his eyebrows and took another sip.

Hector leaned in. "Now here's the thing. Those islanders were protecting them, I know it, but I couldn't get near the place after they threatened to call the Island Council to force me away. I eventually did call their bluff, and naval forces were indeed deployed. Obviously I left before any kind of conflict occurred."

"So you think the mermaids are still by Okawii"

"If they're not, I think the Okawiians can point me in the right direction. But again, I can't go near the place."

"You want me to go to Okawii and ask?" asked Simon, still unsure about his role in all this.

"Not exactly. I'm really just curious if your boss knows anything about it, seeing as he was married to an Okawiian and all. If there's some way you could ask him, while still being very discreet..."

Simon felt uncomfortable doing this, but he had no other choice seeing as Hector knew all about his past. Still, he was determined not to come out as a complete lackey in this deal. This was something Hector wanted badly, and Simon wanted to get something out of the deal.

"Fine. But only if I can come and get one, too." Something like this could seal his friendship with Hector and raise his standing in the club a hundred-fold.

Hector smiled. "Good man." He appreciated Simon's small renegotiation and passion for the hunt, and was elated at the thought of getting his White Whale, or, his Golden Tail. "I have a trip planned for the South Pacific in a few weeks." He removed a business card from his wallet and wrote a number on the back. "You can reach me at this number if you find anything out."

Chapter 6

Mina stood at the edge of the lagoon with ten other 8-year-olds, slightly self-conscious about her age, yet excited to learn all there was to know about being a mermaid. Eagerly she had arrived before the others, forgetting about what she had come to refer to as 'Okawiian time,' namely, that nothing on the island ever began on time, and that staying up late and waking up late in the day was the norm.

As the others had trickled in, she heard a voice on the path.

"Who's the tall one in the middle?" Ana asked loudly, obviously referring to Mina.

Mina turned red and looked around herself to see how others were reacting. Nobody else seemed to notice.

"Knock it off, Ana. Come on, let's go to Vai Place," said Maria, who was walking with Ana.

Maria was one of the other teenage girls about Mina's age on the island. They had met a few days before, and she had been kind enough to invite Mina to hang out at Vai Place with her and her boyfriend, Paul. Maria had shown up in Mina's life just after her falling incident, and she was grateful to find someone her age who was sincere and nice.

"All those who are not a part of this class will please proceed to Vai Place," said a large Okawiian with a deep voice, obviously the instructor.

His name was Halapua. He was a large man in his mid-thirties who had twin sons in the class this year. Although he wasn't very book-smart (he didn't make it through high school), he was the best swimmer on the island, and had an innate sense of the sea. It was rumored that when he was 19 he anticipated a shark attack by two great whites while on a fishing party far from any land, and was able to just save his companions by ushering them into an underwater cavern.

"Okay, kiddos, some basic information before you taste your first bit of White Coral."

He spoke in accented English as a kindness for Mina, who would be unable to understand the nuanced instructions in Okawiian yet. The 8-year-olds didn't mind; they learned English in school and were more proficient than their parents.

"First, for the next few weeks you are not to change your form outside of this class. The Coral will be in your system for the next 24 hours, so after class you are to avoid the shores of the island and this lagoon. If you usually go out and throw shells into the sea with your kid sister as your afternoon activity, find something else to do. If you do go into the sea, you will not be allowed to attend lessons anymore and you may return next year as the only 9 year old in the class. Second, being a mermaid uses muscles you have never used in your lives. It is very tiring until you can build those muscles. So, today's class will only be 30 minutes, tomorrow's will be 40, and we'll work our way up like that to about two hours. Once you are 10 years old, you may go out into the sea, staying between the island and the reef. Only those 14 and up are allowed outside of the reef into the great Pacific."

Halapua passed out the Coral and instructed them to jump in and hang onto the edge. Mina swallowed the chalky nub and once again felt her legs disappear in the water. She hadn't seen any mermaid tails in full daylight besides her own and was delighted to see the all of the colors of the fish tails in the lagoon. Halapua's jaw dropped when he saw her golden tail for the first time—a golden tail hadn't been seen on Okawii for 15 years, but he quickly composed himself and led the class in their exercises.

For the next 30 minutes they practiced staying underwater for minutes at a time, to let their gills breathe for them, and hanging onto the ledge and kicking their fins. Although she felt like a toddler in a learn-to-swim class, she was dog-tired at the end of the lesson.

The next few days were full of the same: kicking along the shore to build up their muscles. Halapua didn't say much about their progress so far, showing his approval with a grunt, and his disapproval with a somewhat sterner grunt.

On her fourth day of class, Halapua again addressed the class. "Some more rules: the rows of White Coral growing on that far edge of the lagoon are the island's backup supply. You are not to touch it without express permission. You will obtain your Coral from your parents, who will distribute it to you as they see fit. Also, as you know, the Aquarius comes every two weeks on Thursday. It is forbidden to change your form on boat day. That is why tomorrow we will not be having class. Today we will be practicing fishing."

With this, he dumped a bucket of colorful fish, all about the size of an adult human hand, into the lagoon and instructed them to 'go fishing.'

Fifteen minutes later nobody had caught a fish. Mina had come close a couple times. She quietly pursued a bright blue one but it slipped out of her hand twice.

Halapua gathered the students. "Mina was the only one who almost caught one. You cannot just dash after a fish, you have to stalk it silently. Once you are in range, dart your hands out and squeeze like you want to suffocate it."

That had been Mina's problem, she hadn't been squeezing the fish hard enough.

The weeks went by quickly for Mina. As she became stronger, her confidence in her new sea-body grew and she felt like she now knew what she was born for. Although she knew it was dangerous, she couldn't wait to dive into the ocean and just swim for as long as she could. To her great delight, she discovered that even as a novice mermaid she swam like lightning compared to swimming with legs. As a former competitive swimmer, she loved the feeling of the water rushing against her face so much more rapidly.

For the last day of class, Halapua took the class to the shore.

"Today will be the second-to-last time you will be in this part of the ocean as a mermaid until your 10th birthdays. Your last time will be next week when we take our class field-trip."

He passed out short spears and nets and again told them to 'go fishing,' but to stay within the reef. This time they were more successful. Everybody returned with something to bring home to their families for supper.

As the class dried off on the beach and got their human legs back, Halapua addressed them for the last time as part of the class.

"You have done well, and I look forward to watching you practice in the lagoon for the next two years, and to going fishing with some of you in six years. Pay attention, because this next thing I teach is the most important thing you need to learn. This is a safety issue. You know that the dock and the entrance to our reef is the on the south side of the island, and the river is to the north. You know that our gills can sustain us for hours at a time underwater before we need a breath with our lungs. When you are 10 years old, there is something you all will need to practice: swimming from the dock all the way around the island to the river while holding your breath. As you may have noticed, when our gills work underwater, we emit bubbles. The way to stop the bubbles is to 'hold your breath,' which takes the same muscle power you would do if you were holding your breath on land. That effectively stops your gills from working and emitting bubbles.

"Right now it is probably about a 30 minute swim for you from the dock to the river. You will get stronger over the years and that time will decrease to about 22-25 minutes. You will need to learn to either swim faster, or to hold your breath longer. You will not be allowed out of the reef to go hunting when you are 14 if you cannot complete this safety maneuver. This is not something often used, but it has to be learned in case of emergency."

"Come," Nukuluve grabbed Mina's shoulder after her last mermaid class, "I will show you how to make my spicy fish stew, a favorite dish here on the island."

Mina's eyes brightened. She had always wanted to learn to cook, and now her own grandmother was going to show her.

"First, you get the fire going. The cooking fires here are lit often, enough that you only have to put some coconut hair here, see, and wave a palm leaf."

Mina didn't know the first thing about cooking, but she knew that at home the stove's fuel never ran out.

"Do we have enough wood?" she asked, glancing nervously at the four pieces of wood in her grandmother's pile.

Nukuluve smiled. "On Okawii it is always the woman's job to pick the wood. You are right to look at the pile. This wood will be enough for now—I will show you how to use it sparingly—but while the stew is cooking I will let you go pick more wood."

She said this in such a loving, gentle tone that Mina wanted nothing more than to gather enough wood to last her grandmother a year.

"I'm so sorry I never noticed before," said Mina, hopping to her feet.

"It is fine. I wanted you to concentrate and save your energy for your lessons, but if you like, you can be in charge of the firewood from now on."

Under Nukuluve's tutelage, Mina chopped and sliced onions, vegetables, and garlic while her grandmother eviscerated the fish.

As the aromas of the stew began to rise, Mina's emotions got the better of her. "Oh, Grandmother," she sighed tearily, "I wish I had grown up here."

Nukuluve touched her arm. "I sometimes wish that, too. But your education—so much better over there. And your soul is that of a true Okawiian—I can tell that."

After lunch Mina went into the woods to gather more wood for her grandmother's fire. When she returned, Keoni was sitting at the fire pit chatting with her grandmother. The past few weeks of language lessons had been heaven for her. It was a thrill just to have the opportunity to spend time with him alone, well, almost alone. The elders were always there at the other end of the lodge.

Once, Ana walked by the lodge during their session. Mina was sure it was on purpose because nobody had walked by the lodge before that and there were plenty of other routes from the people's houses to the hangouts on the north side of the island. Ana pretended she didn't see them sitting there until she was very close, and then hopped up the step and asked with a huge smile, "What are you guys doing?" Mina smiled right back at her and answered, "I'm learning Okawiian."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Ana had replied absent-mindedly. Then she came up next to them to see 'if they needed any help.' Mina was mad. She knew that Ana just wanted to find another opportunity to make fun of her and to subliminally remind Keoni that she really wasn't from Okawii. Unfortunately, Ana succeeded in doing just that by correcting Mina's pronunciation twice. Keoni was polite to her but after the second correction he made it clear to her that they didn't need her help.

Secretly, Mina was pleased that she was pissing Ana off just by having language lessons with him. There had been no sign at all that Keoni liked her especially, but still, if the lessons were enough to make Ana jealous, that was good enough for Mina. She still hadn't forgiven her for making fun of her for falling from the vines on her first day.

Still, her language skills were improving, and Keoni offered enough motivating smiles at her to make her wonder if maybe, just maybe, he did like her as more than a friend.

"Is something the matter?" she asked him. "Are we not meeting at the lodge?" Her classes in Okawiian every afternoon had been going well. She could now pick up almost all of what was being said around her. Speaking the language was a different matter. She was embarrassed around the islanders to practice her broken Okawiian because she felt that if she was Okawiian, she should speak it well. It was Nukuluve with whom she practiced most often, as well as the kids in her mermaid class, who made no judgment of her, and were mostly in awe and curious about this American-Okawiian.

"My mother sent me with a recipe question," he responded, "Also, just as a heads up, our lesson will be a little different today. The elders have requested that we practice conversation with them."

As she followed him on the jungle path, Mina watched the muscles in his calves contract. Again, she forced herself to think of Andrew. Is he muscular like this? I can't remember. It was thoughts of Andrew that kept her awake at night. At home in Arizona she truly felt like they were meant for each other. But she was here now. She had two worlds now. Andrew could never fit in here, and, as she guiltily thought, Keoni couldn't really fit in at home, either.

A group of five elders had already assembled at the main lodge. Keoni deferentially waited for Chief Akolo to begin the conversation.

"We have all met Mina Young, daughter of Eva, daughter of Konala. We requested that you have your Okawiian lesson with us today." Chief Akolo smiled. "Forgive us, but we are old men with little entertainment, and your progress is of great interest to us. It is very rare that someone learns our language and we are curious how you are coming along."

Chief Akolo omitted the most important thing. The elders weren't actually interested in her progress in the language, but as older men who were contemporaries of her grandfather and remembered her mother Eva, they were curious about her character.

"How are you liking Okawii?" One elder asked in Okawiian.

"I like it very much here," Mina responded. "It feels...like home to me."

The elders nodded.

"And the cuisine?" Another asked. "Are you getting used to the food?"

Mina smiled. What was it with these men and their cuisine issues? She thought that they all must secretly swim to a nearby island and sneak Doritos.

"It's fabulous. I've always loved, um, fish." She couldn't remember the Okawiian word for 'seafood.' "And my grandmother's fish stew is the best thing I've ever tasted."

They chuckled. Konala often had them over for a discussion over a meal, and no leftovers ever remained.

The conversation about general topics continued for the next half hour. Mina held her own and when she stumbled over a word, she smiled confidently and tried to talk around the word that had eluded her.

Afterwards, Keoni escorted Mina out of the lodge. Uhila, one of the oldest elders, turned to another elder and whispered out of the Chief's earshot, "Yes, I think she'll do quite nicely."

Mina returned home after her conversation with the elders a little confused.

"How did it go?" asked her grandmother.

"Fine, I think, but I didn't really understand it. We talked about the weather and fishing and they asked about my grades in school."

Nukuluve smiled. "You have the golden tail. They wanted to see you and get an idea about how you carry yourself."

Mina shrugged her shoulders and turned toward her hut. She didn't want to think about the fact that because of her tail color and heritage she might be expected to take over as Chief someday. It was enough trying to master use of said tail, and Okawiian verbs, not to mention sorting out her feelings for Keoni and Andrew.

As she entered her hut, she sat on her bed and smiled to herself, putting all of her worries aside, she consciously took note that she had spent another day here in paradise.

She swung her legs up onto her bed meaning to take a quick power nap when she realized her legs were crunching something. Her eye squinted and she picked up an old, brown piece of parchment and unfolded it. Unable to see it clearly in the dimly lit hut, she went outside.

"Grandmother? What is this?" she asked, then looked up and saw that Nukuluve had gone from the area.

Mina sat down on a log and rubbed the parchment between her fingers. It was coated in a sealant of some kind that clearly made it water-proof. She slowly opened the parchment and was surprised to find it covered in circles, lines, and odd shapes. She studied it for a few minutes, not understanding its importance, when she made out some tiny letters in the middle of the paper next to largest irregular shape spelling out the word 'cave.' Then she realized it was a map. To the lower right of the cave was a small square with an outline of a shell in it. The shell looked familiar to her and she took off her necklace and laid it on the outline. It was a perfect match.

Keoni walked uneasily toward Chief Akolo's hut. He had always been reserved, but since his father died two years ago he had become even more quiet. The burden of providing for his mother, Maili, and Taha, fell squarely on his shoulders now and he accepted that, but he also had other dreams for himself and didn't know how to reconcile the two. Since Mina had come to the island, he had been thinking more and more of his other plans. It was her confidence and openness to the larger world around them that inspired him to seek out his uncle.

"Good morning Keoni!" Akolo's wife, Sela, greeted from beside the fire.

"Good morning, Aunt. Is the Chief in? I would like a couple words with him." His fingers squeezed his net pulsingly and he made sure not to let his words waver.

"Sit down, Keoni," his uncle's booming voice instructed. "Have some coconut milk. What can I do for you, nephew?"

Keoni looked around at the forest around them, seeking some form of guidance, and, after not seeing anything to fixate his attention onto, he decided it was just better to spit it out.

"I graduated high school last year at the top of my class. At the time I only thought about college in passing because of my family situation, but in the past few weeks I've been thinking more about it, and I'd really like the opportunity to attend college."

"Oh?" Akolo's piercing dark eyes demanded more of an explanation.

"Yes, I would like to study political science. My dream is to eventually become a representative for Okawii on the Island Council."

The Island Council existed to serve all of the nations in the Pacific. It was formed in the 1930s and acted as a sort of United Nations for the Pacific islands, with laws governing fishing and resource use as well as a standing army to defend its member nations. All five islands that had mermaid populations, Okawii, Ipona, Beluu, Lila, and Otto Island, were members of the Island Council. These five islands, along with a handful of islands populated by 'regular' humans, enjoyed culturally protected status.

Keoni looked hard into the fire, avoiding his uncle's eyes. It was never discussed openly, but from what he had picked up from the adults around him, Chief Akolo had cut off Okawiian contact with the Island Council when he first took over as chief, not long after the big accident of Mina's mother many years ago. Chief Konala, it was said, died of a broken heart shortly after his daughter. Effectively, Konala had been the last Okawiian chief to have a standing relationship with the Island Council. Keoni did not know this, but the elders had tried to dissuade Akolo from this decision at the beginning, but Akolo had the support of the people, who were scared after Eva's death and wanted greater isolation from the outside world.

"I see. I did not expect this. I was hoping you were coming to ask about a match between you and Ana."

Keoni raised his eyebrows. "No, Chief." It was true that he had Ana had dated in the past, but that was long over. This comment by the Chief made him realize how impossible that would be. He hadn't admitted it to himself until now, but he liked Mina. He liked that she didn't grow up so isolated from everything like he did. She was smart, as evidenced by the fact that the language lessons had been going so well, and nice, and pretty. Her lighter hair made her stand out from everyone else on the island. Keoni hadn't really felt this way about a girl before. He had dated Ana because everyone expected them to, but he had never felt very deeply about her. Something about Mina just attracted him. Keoni didn't know whether she would choose to spend her life on Okawii or elsewhere, and he didn't care. If she wanted to stay on Okawii, he wanted to stay here with her. If she wanted to go elsewhere, he wanted to go there with her. The one thing Keoni did know was that if he hoped to have a chance with Mina, he would have to go to college. She was a smart girl from America and was surely bound for college herself.

"And what is it you hope to accomplish on the Island Council?"

"Uncle," Keoni addressed him familiarly as he looked up to meet his gaze, "Although we preserve our exceptionality because of what we are, I think it is important for us to maintain contact with the outside world, and the Island Council is a place for us to be heard. The world is changing fast, and our culturally protected status may not always be a given. It would be good for us to have one of our own on the Council, to protect us and speak for our interests."

Akolo glanced over at Sela.

"That is a very intelligent observation. Truthfully, Keoni, since we were not able to have children we have always thought of you when considering our future and Okawii's future. Specifically, we had hoped that you would take over for me as Chief of Okawii when the time came for me to leave this world. You are only 18, and have only recently entered the world of adults on the island. In order for you to be a good chief, you need to stay on Okawii and become more familiar with our ways. It is for that reason that I deny your request to go to college. You may go."

Chief Akolo then rose and walked away, leaving Keoni alone with his aunt.

"But Mina...and her golden tail..." Keoni said in a halting voice, looking questioningly at Sela.

"I understand," his aunt said. "But you know him, there is no changing his mind about anything."

He walked back from their hut astonished. Mina's presence on the island had changed everything. It was her boldness and drive that had shaken him from the stupor he had been in since his dad died. Also, her golden tail, which, in addition to being gorgeous (he had made a point of walking by the lagoon during one of her lessons), made her the obvious heir on Okawii. While the weight of providing for his family would never go away, in his mind, the nuisance of his inheriting the Chiefdom had vanished with the appearance of her golden tail.

Chapter 7

David was in his office early, as he had been every day that week. The acquisition of First Tucson Bank wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped and he was trying to sort through the mess by coming in at 5:30 am while his mind was fresh and before the everyday distractions began. Although it had been several years since he had taken over for his father, he still didn't feel like this was his office, and he felt like an imposter as a bank president.

Simon, who had also been coming in early to work on the deal, knocked on his door one morning when it was still quiet.

"Hey David, you got a minute?"

"Sure thing, what's up?"

"This is kind of awkward, um," he hesitated, not wanting to bring up unpleasant memories for his boss at this delicate time in the Bank's year, but he had promised Hector.

"Sit down, what is it?"

"So you know I joined this hunting club recently, the one I went to Switzerland for a few weeks back."

"Yeah, I remember. If you need some time off to hunt again, I don't know if we can swing it until this deal goes through..." David ran his hand through his hair.

"No, it's nothing like that. So, this is kind of weird, but this guy I met at the club had previously fished around Okawii, and he wanted to know if you knew anything about any extraordinary fish in the area."

David looked up at his colleague. "What do you mean by extraordinary?" he asked, probing whether Simon knew anything about the mermaids. That would be a disaster for the Okawiians. If the secret was out, he'd have to find a way to tell them, especially if some sort of hunting group were on to them.

"He mentioned something about a golden-tailed fish. When you were at Okawii, did you ever hear about anything like that?"

"No," replied David sharply. "I've got to get back to work."

It was clear to Simon that the conversation was over, and it was even more clear to him that his boss definitely knew something about the unusual 'fish' that lived near Okawii.

Simon left and David stood up and walked toward the window. He stood there for a long time, holding the picture of Eva and baby Mina, and ignoring his secretary's attempts to go over his day with him. At 8 am sharp he walked back to his desk, opened his contact list, and called his travel agent.

"I'd like a ticket to Okawii, please. For tonight, if possible."

The field trip planned for the last day of mermaid lessons was an annual island event. The class of new mermaids was taken on a swimming trip to a nearby island, Luta, and all of the parents came, as well as all of the teenagers and whoever else was old enough to go. The grandparents stayed on Okawii with the children under 14 not in the class and not allowed outside of the reef.

Luta played an important part in the lives of the Okawiians. It was their closest neighboring island, and, as mermaids, it only took them about an hour to swim there. Because the Okawiians' main source of sustenance was the sea, it was important for them to have another hunting ground so that they didn't deplete their own reef. Luta served this purpose. The island itself was uninhabitable. It lacked a permanent source of fresh water, but over the years the Okawiians had built a few huts there in which they kept some water and supplies, and in which they could spend a few nights if necessary.

About 50 Okawiians gathered at the dock on the morning of the trip. All of the adults had spears in hand. Mina was excited about her first swim in the great Pacific, and was curious to see how she stood with the other adults strength-wise. She had been comparing her mermaid swimming to the 8-year-olds' so far. She had packed her satchel that morning with a waterproof camera (she'd never been to an uninhabited island before) and her map that she now brought with herself everywhere, just in case.

Out of habit, she looked around to see if Keoni was there. He wasn't. Her feelings were neutral about this: on the one hand she wouldn't get to see him all day, but on the other hand he wouldn't be there to see if it turned out that her swimming wasn't up to par.

"Hey! How are you?" Maria greeted her with a bright smile.

"Great! I've been looking forward to this swim for a while." Mina's friendship with Maria was developing nicely. Maria had invited her over a couple times, and they got along great. She felt comfortable enough to ask her elementary questions about the island, which Maria answered courteously.

"Hey!" Paul nodded, coming from behind them and grabbing Maria's hand.

Ana sauntered over. "Good morning, guys." She stepped between Mina and the hand-holding Maria and Paul and put her back to Mina.

Ugh, she's so horrid! Mina thought to herself, walking around to Paul's other side to stay in the circle. But there was no way she'd let Ana know that she got under her skin. She wondered if anyone else noticed that Ana pretty much ignored her when they hung out at Vai Place with the others. Asking Maria what Ana's deal was out of the question. As practically the only girls their age on the island, they'd been best friends since childhood, and Mina knew better than to try and get between them.

Ana looked over at Halapua and said to Mina with a smirk, "Looks like your class is gathering. You should go join them. Looks like they're having a lot of fun."

Mina looked over and saw that the 8-year old boys were shoving sand down each other shorts. She rolled her eyes and stayed with her peers.

Finally Halapua stood on the top step of the dock and addressed the crowd with his deep voice. "Welcome to our annual trip to Luta. Our eleven graduates are ready to go beyond the island's reef and learn about the open sea. As usual, I will ask that we stay in pod formation. Women in front, new graduates in the middle, and men spread out on the sides and in the back. I don't anticipate any shark attacks at this time of year, and even if there is a straggler, our pod will stay tight and it shouldn't come near us."

The islanders consumed their White Coral and they waded into the water near the dock. Mina had long gotten over the Coral's interesting taste and texture, and now a unique reaction took place in her body: whenever she knew she was going to take it, her body began to crave it—like her mind knew that the mermaid form was coming and wouldn't give her peace until she took the coral. Although she expected the end result of fifty people taking the coral, it still overwhelmed Mina to see the sheer amount of mermaids all together at once. The unique colors of the tails twinkled in the sunlight like a rainbow. Her golden tail drew stares, especially from those who were too young to remember her mother and hadn't thought that this tail color could exist on Okawii.

The Okawiians were already in formation when they exited the reef via the opening south of the dock. They stayed pretty close to the surface, only about 15 feet down, as they headed southwest toward Luta. Mina and her classmates were amazed to see the slope of the Pacific floor go deeper and deeper down into oblivion below them. No unwanted intruders bothered them; the pod only swerved once to avoid a few jellyfish. The volume of sea-life fascinated Mina. She knew that there were entire ecosystems under the sea, but to see them undisturbed and watch creatures so unafraid of the mermaids they had become used to was a great experience. Mina's spirits soared when she saw a small group of seahorses below her, each about 8 inches long.

Before long, the coral reefs were appearing below them again and the pod shrunk in closer to maneuver under and around the corals. Mina was so busy exploring what was below her as she swum that she didn't realize that Luta was only a few meters away.

Because Luta did not have a river like Okawii, the mermaids beached themselves and laid in the sun for several minutes to dry off and get their legs back.

As she lay in the sand, Mina reflected that this was the best day of her life so far, and how remarkable it was that on Okawii, every day seemed better than the last. Then she heard a familiar voice that grated on her ears: Ana's. She was talking with Maria and apparently didn't see her a few people over in the sand because they were still wallowing with their tails.

"I really wish Keoni would have come today. How romantic it would have been for him to be in the group of guys guarding all of us."

"Yeah, but it was nice of him to stay behind to watch Taha while Maili came instead."

"I just hope that new girl Mina isn't trying to sink her claws into him. Everybody on the island knows we're meant for each other."

"My, my, Ana, it sounds like you're jealous," said Maria.

"Not of her! I can swim circles around her," Ana replied, annoyed that her jealousy was so obvious to her friend.

"Then you're jealous of her spending all that time with him learning Okawiian. Do you think he still likes you? I mean, it's been years since you guys dated."

"I have no doubt that he still likes me," said Ana, ignoring Maria's comment on her being jealous of the lessons. "My mother had his family over for dinner last week and he flirted with me the entire time."

To her surprise Mina felt a burning in her eyes, but widened them and remembered that she was to show no weakness when it came to the topic of Keoni. So Ana and Keoni had dated in the past, so what? At least that explained her coldness toward Mina.

Ana continued, "Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing dating the one I want to marry when we were so young. Looking back, I should have waited. Oh well."

Mina silently dug her fingers into the sand. The idea that Keoni had once dated Ana depressed her, but she reminded herself that she didn't know the details. Why would she say that? She can't know that I like him. I've shown no sign at all to the outside world that I am remotely interested in him. And I'm not really, right? I have Andrew back at home. And I have to go back home at the end of the summer, it's not like I'm here to stay. Then we'll be off to college and I'll have a career. Unless I want to spend the rest of my life on Okawii. Actually that doesn't sound too bad. This island really is paradise. Why go to college at all? Stop it, what am I talking about, even my mom went to college. College is a must.

Then Mina noticed that some of the Okawiians, having dried off completely, were walking around. She felt her legs return, but didn't want to get up for fear that Ana would see her and think that she heard them. A few minutes later Ana and Maria got to their feet, thankfully focused on something on their other side.

Mina quickly stood up and hurried away, unaware that Ana knew she had been lying there and said most of it for her benefit.

Chapter 8

On Luta, the Okawiians scattered to do various chores. Some gathered firewood and lit small fires on the beach, while others dove back into the water. Mina inhaled the fragrant sea air, crunched her toes in the sand, and got out her camera. She watched the scene unfold in front of her with curiosity and took a few shots of some palm trees. Unexpectedly, Maria appeared in her viewfinder.

"Come on!" Maria beckoned Mina back into the water.

"What are we doing?" asked Mina. She didn't understand why people would go back into the water right after their swim over to the island.

"We're getting lunch," answered Maria. "Come on, I'll show you."

Mina put her camera back into her bag, stood up, and shook out her legs. Maria had already waded in up to her hips, and Mina didn't want to lose her. After they had gotten their fish tails back, Maria gestured to Mina underwater to follow her. Mina cruised next to her friend just above the seabed. Suddenly, Maria darted her hand out and grabbed a large, crimson lobster. She pointed to her right and Mina saw another one scurrying away. She grabbed it before it could get away and they swam to shore with their lunches.

Almost everyone had caught their lunches and was out of the water by the time they came ashore. The islanders who had built the fires promptly roasted the lobsters on the coals and everyone devoured them with great relish.

After the picnic on Luta's beach, Halapua again addressed the group.

"We had a great trip over with no complications, and a great lunch. Now is the time when we usually introduce the newest class to the traditional events of the Mermaid Games." Halapua's twin sons high fived and all of Mina's other classmates smiled widely. "As you all know, we hold the Okawiian Island Games sporting competition every year, and whoever wants to can compete in any event."

Mina looked up from her lunch in amazement. Nobody had told her about any kind of mermaid sporting competition. As a former competitive swimmer, this type of thing excited her.

Halapua started to wade into the ocean and waved his hands at a few adults on the side. "Come on in guys."

Three women and three men joined him in the water, including Paul and Ana. "My assistants here will demonstrate six of the seven events, the seventh is a fishing competition that we will let everyone participate in after the demonstration.

"The first event is a simple swim race. There are three distances we measure, 500 yards, one mile, and two miles. Alolelei here won the last Mermaid Games in the 500 and she will demonstrate."

Alolelei swam out a little ways from the island and bobbed there looking at Halapua for the signal. Halapua's hand was in the air, then he abruptly brought it down, slapping the water. Alolelei took off, swimming faster than anyone Mina had seen in her life.

"The second event is similar to the first in that it is also a timed race, but there are obstacles involved. A series of hoops are set up underwater and racers must zig and zag through each hoop. We call it the ring race. Again, whoever is fastest, wins."

Eloni waved his hand from the water.

"Eloni will demonstrate," boomed Halapua with his deep voice. A number of Mina's class raced to the water and stuck their heads in to watch him. She soon realized why: Eloni's demonstration took place completely underwater and she missed it.

"Third is the high jump," continued Halapua after Eloni had emerged 100 yards later. "We are not set up here, but at the games there is a bar set up, and contestants must leap straight up and grasp the bar so they are hanging from it. Paul will demonstrate the main idea without a bar."

Paul waved his hand so the crowd could see him, then sank down about 20 feet to the floor of the ocean. When he had composed himself he swam straight upwards and leapt vertically out of the water about 13 feet high with both hands extended up to grab onto an imaginary bar.

"Wow, they can get that high?" Mina asked Maria.

"He's gotten to 15 feet before," Maria replied. "But the world record is something like 18 and a half feet."

Halapua again stepped forward. "Our fourth event is the long jump. Here horizontal distance is measured in a jump instead of vertical distance."

Pekelo waved his hand, and swam back several yards. He sank down underwater, swam forward quickly, then leapt out of the water, launching himself some 20 feet forward before hitting the water in a perfectly formed dive.

Mina was impressed and wanted to try this one herself.

"The next event is spear throwing." Halapua looked over at the 8 year olds in his class, "This also takes place underwater." The class again ran to the shore and put their heads in the water. Mina joined them this time, not caring what people might think of her running over with the kids.

When she put her head down she saw Ana underwater with a quiver of spears on her back. Mina didn't see any fish in the area and wondered what Ana was aiming for. Ana pulled her spear behind her head and aimed it out toward the coral reef. When it hit, Mina was able to make out a small black ring sticking out from the reef that was about three inches in diameter. Mina squinted and saw four other small targets like the first, and Ana easily threw her spears through the targets, each of which ranged from 20 to 30 yards away.

"The last event we will show you is show jumping. Competitors jump into the air performing various tricks and the judges then award points based on form. Hiva will demonstrate."

Hiva waved to her audience on the beach, then proceeded to leap out of the water 5 times. She completed a front dive, a backwards dive, a dive on her side, a flip, and a double flip. The other Okawiians clapped and whistled; this was clearly their favorite event to watch.

"As I mentioned before, the seventh event is a fishing competition. For those who would like to practice that event, a barrel of fish will be released over in that area in about 10 minutes. Now the ocean is open to those who would like to practice any of the events. Remember that the Island Games will be held next Monday, a week from today, and that anybody over 8 may compete in any event."

All of the kids ran toward the ocean and dove in, changing their forms immediately to begin practicing the events. Some of the adults and teens also entered the water, but those who didn't plan on competing in anything stayed on shore to clean up after lunch and enjoy the beach.

Mina waded into the water, not knowing if she wanted to compete in the Games, but definitely wanting to try some of the events. The high jump and the long jump both required great tail strength, which she knew she didn't have yet, but she tried them both anyway. She was only able to go a fraction of the distances of Paul and Pekelo, but she felt that with the right training she could eventually work up her strength for these events. She wished she didn't have to go back home so she could stay and train and perhaps compete next year in those events. A part of her wished she could compete in spear-throwing in order to beat Ana, but she never had been any good at throwing and aiming things.

The fishing competition didn't interest her much, but she caught sight of some people practicing show jumping and was mesmerized. The kids mostly belly flopped, but the adults and teens who would be competing gracefully leapt into the air doing various tricks.

For her first jump she decided to try a regular front dive and promptly belly-flopped. The same thing happened on her second attempt, but as she fell she realized which tail muscles she had to use to launch herself into a perfect arc form. Her next dive was very good, and the fourth time she did it perfectly.

"Wow, nice job!" Maria said, swimming up next to her.

"Thanks," answered Mina. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time. I can't wait to try some of the other moves. Are you going to compete next week?"

"Yeah, I usually enter in the ring race. Last year I got second place and I've been practicing all year."

Mina went back to her practicing and, after a few hours, was able to execute all of the moves she had seen in the demonstration, if not perfectly. In fact, the training went so well that Mina thought about potentially entering the Games, if only for the thrill of competing in something again.

As she caught her breath, she watched a few mermaids leaping back and forth over the coral reef and decided to try it herself, now that she was sure she wouldn't belly-flop onto the reef. After a few dives, she paused at the side of the reef to rest and looked down.

Something looked familiar to her. Mina bent down close to the reef and looked hard at it. Two tiny fish swam in and out of some hollows in the reef. Then she realized what had caught her attention. The pattern on the reef looked exactly like what she had seen on her map.

Mina swam back to shore, dried off, and took the map out of her satchel. She opened it and saw that the map was indeed a map of a reef somewhere. Her heartrate increased as she stared at the parchment in her hands. She knew the reef on the map had to be Okawii's.

Mina diligently practiced her show jumping every morning just off the shore of Okawii. Every day she trained at a different area around the island, looking for any part of the reef that might match what she saw in the map. The coral depicted on the map was not the same type of coral that made up the majority of Okawii's reef, so she had to look for small patches that were different. She always packed her satchel with the map in it and a waterproof flashlight just in case.

A few days after the field trip to Luta, when Mina was jumping around the area of the large rock, something caught her eye in the reef underwater. About 15 feet down from the surface there was a flat, shelf-like area in the reef on which grew a strange patch of shells. Looking closer she realized that they were exactly like the one on her necklace.

She grabbed her satchel and opened up the map. Above and to the left of the patch of shells she saw a small opening in the exact shape of the one labeled 'cave' on the map. Her heart was pounding as she took the flashlight from her satchel. Peering into the darkness she saw nothing but a thin tunnel that a person or mermaid could barely squeeze through.

Mina looked behind her, and, sure that she was alone, got out her flashlight. She slowly started into the tunnel with her both hands in front of her, unable to fit with them at her sides. The tunnel gently sloped upward for a ways before it opened up into a small cavern the size of two Okawiians huts.

Most of the cavern was underwater, with about two feet of air at the very top. At the bottom of the cavern was something that looked like a giant beehive. Mina swam down with her light to see what it was and found rows and rows of large clay jars, sealed with wax. She tugged at one and it came loose in a cloud of dust. It was heavy and unwieldy, but she put it in her satchel and continued to explore with her flashlight.

At the top of the cavern, above the waterline, was another shelf formation. A line of cylinder containers were on the shelf, so small that she could fit at least 10 in her hand. These, too, were sealed with wax. Mina shook one in her hand and heard nothing, but when she shook a second, she heard a faint rattling inside. She broke the wax seal and poured the contents into her hand: four tiny orange balls, a little smaller than tic-tacs. They appeared to have the same consistency as the White Coral, so she smelled them and then stuck her tongue out and touched one.

Immediately she dropped everything in her hands onto the shelf and fell into the water. She realized she wasn't getting oxygen and tried to kick up with her tail, but found that she had legs instead. Kicking up to the shelf, Mina grabbed on and steadied herself, astonished at her immediate transformation.

"Whoa! Nobody said anything about these little things on the island," she said aloud to nobody. "I wonder if the others know about these."

Looking down at the underwater entrance to the cavern, Mina realized it would be difficult to get out with her legs. She would have to hold her breath for several minutes while trying to maneuver through the tight tunnel carrying her bag, now bursting with the large clay jar.

As she was resting holding onto the shelf, she saw the three other orange balls scattered. Curious, she picked another one up and put it in her mouth, wanting to understand its full effect. Again, she instantaneously changed forms and found herself a mermaid.

"Weird," she said to herself.

She ate the last two orange beads and respectively got first her legs back, and then her tail back.

Mina put a few of the unopened small cylinders into her satchel and, satisfied that there was nothing else in the cavern, swam out the way she came.

Out on his expansive, blue and white yacht, the Veni Vidi Vici, Hector Orr spent his days in the South Pacific scuba diving and fishing while waiting for the phone call from Simon Lanza. One of his favorite things to do was to wait silently underwater for a half an hour near a coral reef until he became part of the normal scenery. Then, when an interesting fish appeared, he would unexpectedly swing out his net and catch it. Back in Texas his guests were always amazed by his aquarium full of exotic fish not in any of the catalogues.

Ever since his conversation with Simon, Hector only had Okawii on his mind. He knew better than to go too close, but he was always within a day or two's reach of it and wherever he stopped, he got his bearings and always knew what direction Okawii was from there. A few times he had even made a pass by the uninhabited island close to Okawii where he had almost made his catch 15 years ago.

Finally the phone call came.

"Hector? It's Simon Lanza from Venatus. I talked to my boss."

"And?" Hector asked impatiently.

"I think you're right. He didn't come out and say it, but his body language screamed that the Okawiians know something about the mermaids." Simon was glad he had good news for Hector. He knew that Hector was already in the South Pacific and didn't want to disappoint him.

"Excellent, fine job." Hector looked out at the calm sea and half expected to see a mermaid leap out in front of him. This was good news.

"I'll meet you by Okawii then," said Simon. "I can be there in less than two weeks."

Hector had almost forgotten Simon's stipulation that he get one, too. "Okay, right."

Sitting next to her fire pit, Mina examined the contents of the other tiny cylinders. Each had four tiny orange balls like the first. Then she brought out the large, heavy jar. Picking up a stick from the ground, she started scratching at the wax seal until it popped. Inside were layers of dried food, including fish, seaweed, coconut, banana, and sugarcane.

"I see you found the cavern," said her grandmother, coming up behind her.

"Yeah. What is this stuff?" Mina asked. She was surprised that after the great mermaid revelation the island could still hold some secrets.

"The large jugs hold food for emergency situations. In the past there have been tsunamis and years when the crops fail or the fish are scarce."

"Hmmm," replied Mina. In her world those obsessive people who stored food were considered fodder for reality TV shows. "And these orange balls? How do they make you change forms instantly, regardless of the presence of salt water? Is it some other type of coral?"

Nukuluve smiled. "This was sort of a pet project of your grandfather and I. He was interested in the mechanics behind the regular White Coral and wanted to isolate whatever it was in it that made us change forms, so we experimented with it: pulverizing it, boiling it down, etc. One morning, after we left a trial to cool overnight, we awoke to find these orange balls in the pan. Your grandfather picked one up, smelled it, and put it in his mouth. He turned into a mermaid right here on land." Nukuluve chuckled. "It was funny to see his tail flopping around in the dirt and him trying to avoid the fire pit, which was still warm. He laughed and said, 'Let me see one of those again.' I gave him one and he put it in his mouth again and got his legs back. We worked some more on it and perfected the recipe, then hid some in the cavern for emergency situations."

"Did you tell the others about it?"

"We were still debating it when your mother passed away. I thought we should share it with everyone; he didn't think it was wise to disrupt the status quo on the island. Konala was afraid of abuse and thought that its instantaneous effect might cause us to be discovered more easily by outsiders. After he died, I thought it best to respect his wishes. I had forgotten all about it until just before you came—I was cleaning out your mother's old hut to make room for yours when I ran across the map among her things."

"Does anybody else know about the cave? It didn't look like it had been disturbed recently."

"No, the last person in there was your mother. Knowledge of the cave has been a part of the chiefly lineage for at least a hundred years. Nobody else has found it yet simply because there are other more interesting things to do when one is a mermaid than to explore the coral reef with a magnifying glass. As you could tell, it's pretty well camouflaged. Your mother created the map for herself so she wouldn't have to spend ten minutes looking for it every time."

A tear formed in her eye as Mina looked down at the items in her lap. A minute ago they had just been interesting things she had found, now they represented a precious link to her mom.

Chapter 9

Apart from her early morning mermaid practice sessions and her language lessons, Mina spent her days with her peers at Vai Place. She had become quite skilled at changing hands on the vines and had explored every corner of the pool. While all these activities were the coolest things she could think of to be actively doing, the highlight of her day was when Keoni arrived with Taha at the kiddie pools for an hour before lunch. She enjoyed watching him with his brother, but was very careful to hide that from Ana, who had warmed up to her slightly since she showed no signs of 'taking' Keoni.

Although she had had a crush on him since she arrived, somewhere in the third week of language classes, she had had a sudden epiphany that she loved Keoni. As soon as she had understood that, she realized that she had been emotionally off-balance about something, but didn't know what it was. Defining this love seemed to settle her down.

Since her revelation, every time she saw Keoni she had a pit in her lower stomach and compulsively clenched her calf and thigh muscles until she got into the lesson enough that she could focus on the language. Thankfully, he seemed to have no inkling about her secret love. While remaining stoic herself, at every lesson she searched his face for any sign of his returning the feeling. He smiled often enough at her, and one time when they were laughing together about her poor pronunciation of a word, he touched her arm. These little things, though probably nothing, gave her hope. She dared not express her feelings to anyone around her, partly because the feelings came on so suddenly that she didn't expect them to last within herself even, and partly to avoid the wrath of Ana.

A few days after Mina found the cave, Chief Akolo appeared at Vai Place. After watching his people play for a few minutes, he approached the teenagers.

"Paul, Maria, Ana, Filipe, Keoni, and Mina. Come here please."

Mina was nervous—she had never been summoned by the chief before.

Akolo addressed them only briefly.

"The Island Harvest Feast is coming up in a few days. I would like you six to go on a fishing trip for this feast. Tuna would be preferred, but they have not been seen in our waters for months. Damn commercial fishing boats. Keoni, Ana, Maria, and Paul, you are the senior folks here as you have all been on long fishing trips before. I would like you to teach Mina and Filipe in this fine art. You are to leave after the games, so on Tuesday morning at first light."

Mina rushed home to her hut to pack. She couldn't believe her luck: she, having just graduated with the 8-year-olds, was invited to go on a big trip with the others!

Mina rushed around her hut looking for the things Keoni had told them to bring, but found that she had none of them.

"Grandmother!" she panted, "I need some things because I'm going on a fishing trip."

"Slow down, when are you leaving?" Nukuluve asked, coming out of her hut.

"Tuesday morning, after the games the Monday. I need some gear. I don't have anything."

"What do you need?"

"Keoni said I need a spear, some nets, a knife, and a water gourd."

"I have everything," she responded, going back into her hut. A few minutes later she emerged with her arms full.

"These were your mother's fishing things. The strap is to tie the knife to your arm, and this larger satchel is for holding the nets and the water gourds. Here, take some extra gourds, you never know when you will get a chance to refill them."

"Why do we need water gourds? Don't our mermaid bodies assimilate water from the ocean?"

"Not as well as you would think. Also, do not forget you are part human, too. You will get thirsty from all that exercise—swimming all day—even though your body may not need it, the cool fresh-water will taste good going down your throat."

On Monday morning Mina woke up with a familiar elation: her practicing had been going so well that she had decided to compete in the show jumping event of the Island Games. As the Okawiians gathered on the beach on the west side of the island, Mina noticed a large, ornate chair, obviously meant for the chief, set up with about 10 chairs on each side. In front of the chairs was a long block with seven places, each one with a flower wreath draped over it. Mina figured that these were for the winners.

"Where will the rest of the people sit?" she asked her grandmother.

"Usually the young people watch from the water where they can easily see both the underwater and above water events."

"What about the kids under 8?"

"They sit in that shallow area over there and duck under to watch when they want to."

Mina gulped. She realized that everyone would see her, and that the Chief and elders sitting on the beach would only see three of the seven events, including her event. The other Okawiians lined up on the beach facing the island with their heels in the water, and she joined them.

Chief Akolo stepped forward. "Welcome to the 157th Annual Island Games." The crowd clapped and splashed their feet in the water in good cheer. "Those who have decided to compete may swim out to Halapua, who will direct you to your stations."

About half of the islanders dove into the water and made their way to Halapua, who served as director and announcer for the Games. Mina was glad she had decided to compete; from the looks of it, everybody under 30 competed, including all of the children, as well as those adults who were dominant in one sport or another.

In the waiting area for show jumping, Mina found herself in a group some of the kids from her class, Hiva, and, to her great chagrin, Ana.

"I thought you usually competed in spear throwing," Mina said to her.

"Yeah, I compete in two events." Ana tied up her hair and gave her a fake smile. "Spear throwing is after this, so I'm lined up here first."

When she turned away, Mina clenched her fists. She had just managed to learn the moves that Hiva had demonstrated on Luta: front dive, backwards dive, a dive on her side, flip, and double flip. Now that she was up against Ana, she really wanted to win, but didn't really have a plan.

Nervously she watched the first few events. Paul easily took the win in the high jump, as did Pekelo in the long jump. A few islanders she only knew in passing won the regular races, and she watched Maria line up to take her turn through in the ring race (Mina privately called this "the slalom"). They were timed individually for this event, and the winner wouldn't be announced until the closing ceremony.

"Next will be show jumping. Will the contestants please line up here." Halapua announced.

The kids from her class went first. Each one could successfully do the front dive, but had various levels of success at the other jumps. Halapua's twin boys were the best their 8-year-old peers, doing fabulous back dives and flips.

Ana went next, surprising the judges and everyone in the audience by replacing the flip with a double flip, and the double flip with a triple flip.

Mina's jaw dropped; she didn't know how she could outdo that. Thankfully Hiva was called next and she had another few minutes to try and think of something. Hiva's jumps were the same as she had performed on Luta, but they were more perfectly executed than Ana's.

Halapua nodded to Mina and she took her place at the start.

As she prepared to begin, she suddenly thought back to her diving class. She had only done it for about a year before competitive swimming took over all her time, but she learned a couple things there that hopefully would translate nicely to her mermaid body.

She successfully completed her first few jumps, and then took a deep breath before attempting her unpracticed surprise move. Swimming forward, Mina abruptly flipped onto her back and propelled herself into the air, completing a double back flip. As she landed, she knew she had accomplished the move, but didn't know how her form had been. If she succeeded, it would be a close call between her, Ana, and Hiva.

After her turn, Mina stayed to watch the spear throwing competition. Ana easily won by throwing her spear through all 15 rings placed at different distances and angles from the throwing box. Two other competitors each hit 14 of the 15 rings.

Mina swam toward the beach after the spear throwing, not really interested in watching the fishing competition, when Keoni passed her in the water.

"You're not going to watch me fish?" he asked her earnestly.

"Oh! You're in that?" she asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm giving it a shot this year."

"Sure, I'll watch you," she said, turning to following him back out, and wishing she had said something less stupid on the way.

Keoni was unfortunately not the best fisherman on Okawii when it came to fishing by hand. He caught 17 fish in the allotted time, which turned out to be just average, especially compared to the 32 caught by the winner.

After the fishing, all of the Okawiians in the water flopped out onto the shore, rolling around in the sand until they got their legs back. Then they once again lined up with their heels in the water.

The five clear winners took their places on the block, and everybody clapped for them.

Standing next to the winner's stand, Halapua raised his hand and the island fell silent.

"The official times are in for the ring race." Everybody looked at Eloni, heavily favored to win. "The fastest in the ring race this year is Maria, who completed the course in 1 minute, 44 seconds."

Although this was clearly an upset, the Okawiians clapped and hollered for Maria just as they would have for Eloni. It seemed that unsportsmanlike conduct was either unknown or untolerated on Okawii. Mina smiled as she clapped, proud of her friend.

"We also have the results for the show jumping competition," said Halapua.

One of the judges stepped forward and whispered something to Halapua, who nodded.

"This was difficult to evaluate, but our judges have decided to award first place to Ana for her perfectly executed triple flip."

Mina applauded with the others and tried to smile as Ana took her place on the stand to receive her flower wreath for her second first-place finish. This outcome was, of course, to be expected. As a new person on the island, Mina hardly could have assumed she could beat the natives, and especially not ones as athletic as Ana. Still, the result was a letdown for Mina.

Halapua held his hand up once more for silence. "However, this year the judges have decided to send two jumpers to Lilo for the Mermaid Games. Also representing Okawii will be Mina, for a previously unseen jump: the double backflip, with the stipulation that she practice it and make it perfect for the Greater Mermaid Games."

Everyone turned toward Mina clapping. Her eyes widened. No one had told her anything about representing Okawii at some other Games. She was surprised and delighted that she had placed in a sport she had only just learned about a few weeks earlier. It would be a great honor to be able to represent Okawii, but she was worried that she would have to go home before the Mermaid Games would be held. Then Ana effectively would have won by getting to be the sole Okawiian representative in show jumping.

She looked over at her grandmother, who nodded and blinked both her eyes at her to show how proud she was. A quick thought popped into her head that she should ask her grandmother which events her mom had participated in.

Halapua nodded to her, "Go up."

She looked at the winner's block. The spaces for each winner were only about 2 feet by 2 feet. Ana had a foot in the last two spaces for the two events she had won. Mina, urged on by Halapua, climbed up into the last space. Any normal person occupying two spaces would have moved over, but Ana stubbornly refused to move her left leg. Finally Mina positioned herself awkwardly in front of Ana's leg, at the front edge of the block. She smiled and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Chief Akolo stood from his chair. "Congratulations to our winners who will represent Okawii at the Greater Mermaid Games."

The winners hopped off the block into the sand. Ana gave Mina the slightest shove off the front edge, and then jumped off next to her and ran over to hug Maria.

As Chief Akolo had requested, on Tuesday morning at dawn the six young fishermen gathered at the dock, gear in hand. It was a perfect morning. The Pacific was calm and a few lone clouds dotted the sky.

As the oldest of the group, Keoni took charge. "We won't be able to talk to each other for a while, so listen up. We stay together in a tight pod the entire time. We'll do the V formation. Filipe, you're in front, Mina and Maria, you're next, and Ana, Paul and I will be in the rear. It's going to be a long swim, so we're just going to go at a steady pace. Tonight we'll rest at Tuka," he turned to Mina and Maria, "It's a small island about a day's swim away. The tuna fishing waters aren't far from there. Our goal is to bring home two or three large tuna alive. They will swim home with us in our large nets to be slaughtered immediately before the feast for maximum freshness. Any questions?"

Filipe stepped forward. "So I assume the spears and knives are for other dangers?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, just for safety. They're not to be used on the tuna. We're not dragging dead or wounded tuna home. Plus, the trail of blood would draw the attention of sharks."

Then Ana spoke up. "Just one last question. I don't want to be a hater or anything, but are we sure that Mina has the swimming skills necessary for so long a journey?" She turned to Mina. "I mean, I know you're good and all, but this is the big time, and someone not strong enough for the trip would just be a danger to the group."

Mina blushed and started, "I, uh..."

"She will be just fine for the journey," interrupted Keoni. "Chief Akolo and Halapua think her swimming is adequate, and that's good enough for me. In case of extreme fatigue, for anyone," he looked around at them, "There are a few uninhabited islands along the way we can rest at."

Ana pouted and rolled her eyes.

Grateful that Keoni stood up for her, Mina was now more determined than ever to prove herself as a real Okawiian. She sent a sidelong look toward Ana, but Ana smirked and looked only at Keoni.

Mina took a deep breath to subdue her growing anger. She decided to take advantage of the fact that the others were there to say something to Ana about her behavior. Ana surely wouldn't make a scene in front of Keoni.

Mina sidled up to her and whispered, "Hang on a sec."

When the others had left to start wading into the ocean, she continued, "Enough already. Stop picking on me."

Ana snorted. "You don't belong here, and I can't wait until you leave." Then she turned her back on Mina and headed toward the water.

Filipe sent Mina a sympathetic look.

The first day of swimming was uneventful. They made it safely to Tuka, and Mina swam so well that after the first hour or so the others forgot that she wasn't a native Okawiian.

That night, next to the fire, Keoni told them more about the next day. "So after we find the school of tuna, we'll break into two groups of three. It'll be me, Mina, and Maria in the first group, and Paul, Filipe, and Ana in the second."

Mina saw Ana make a face in the firelight, obviously displeased that she wasn't in Keoni's group.

Keoni continued, "The way we usually do this is that two people with spears shepherd the tuna into a large net held by the third. Typically the strongest person holds the net—in my group it will be me, in the other group it will be Paul. The tuna we're going after are not small creatures. Hopefully we'll find bluefin tuna, which can get huge, but we'll be going for ones between 1 and 2 yards long, and about four to five hundred pounds."

"How the heck are we going to get 500 pound tuna to swim home with us in our nets?" asked Maria.

Paul answered this time. "Tomorrow, before we find the school, we'll fish for a few smaller fish and squid, hold them live in our smaller nets, and when we catch the tuna, we put the smaller fish in the large nets with them. They to swim home with us in the nets without a problem if they have some food to keep them company along the way."

"Plus, as you all know, we're a lot bigger and stronger in our mermaid forms than as humans," added Keoni. "The six of us should easily be able to handle 2 or 3 large tuna."

"That's a lot of fish," said Mina. "Even at a large feast, all of the Okawiians couldn't possible eat over 1000 pounds of fish."

Ana snickered. "We preserve it for later," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Every family will get a good amount to smoke, and the island has a large supply of emergency food that is buried for dire emergencies," said Keoni, smiling in an effort to not make Mina uncomfortable that she asked such an elementary question. A few hours swim from here are spawning grounds that they return to every year at about this time. If they're not there yet, we'll swim north from there and hopefully run into the school as they're on their way south to that spot."

The next day, having taken another dose of the White Coral and armed with small nets of fish and squid, the six Okawiian youth were about a half hour away from the tuna spawning grounds. Mina saw the reefs and realized they were near an island. She motioned to Keoni. He nodded and she heard his answer of 'uninhabited' in the muffled sounds of water-speak.

Filipe, who was again at the front of the pod, spotted the tuna first. It was just a small group of about 10 fish, but they were the right size that the mermaids were looking for. They broke into their groups, with Keoni, Maria, and Mina pursuing a fat, dark skinned tuna, and Paul, Ana, and Filipe going for a longer, bluish fish.

Paul quietly removed his large net from his satchel and parked himself about twenty meters away, while Filipe and Ana got their spears out and tried to direct the chosen fish toward him. Ana, being two years older than Filipe, was taller, and thus slightly bigger as a mermaid as well, so the tuna kept trying to escape on Filipe's side. He guided it back toward Ana again and again, waving his arms in the water, but the tuna kept veering away from them.

Frustrated, Filipe finally prodded the fish a little too enthusiastically with his spear. A spot of blood appeared on the tuna that got larger and larger as more blood spilled out of the wound.

Paul saw the blood in the water, and dropped his head. This tuna was now no good for them. They couldn't drag a bleeding tuna back 200 miles without attracting other unwanted predators. Paul's group would have to go back to the group of tuna and start from scratch, that is, if they were still there. More likely, they would have to swim on toward the spawning grounds.

Meanwhile, Keoni, Mina, and Maria were successful in catching their tuna. Mina found it easier than Filipe to guide the tuna toward Keoni and his net. Once they got it to Keoni, Mina and Maria grabbed parts of the net to surround the fish while Keoni tied it off, throwing in a couple small fish for it for the time being. Not far off, Keoni caught sight of a large rock underwater, and he motioned to them to help him drag the tuna toward the rock. It was evident that he wanted to tie the net to the rock so they could go back and potentially catch a third fish.

Just as Keoni was tying the net to the boulder, they heard Paul's muffled shout. Looking over, they saw the blood in the water and realized that this fishing trip wasn't going to go as planned.

Keoni swam toward Paul's group to help get them out of the situation if need be, and Maria and Mina, not understanding the significance of what was going on, followed.

On Keoni's signal, all six mermaids again got into their pod formation as they swam back toward the caught tuna in order to drag it away from the bloody scene, but it was too late. A pair of tiger sharks had smelled the blood and were approaching the area. Mina heard them tear the wounded tuna to pieces and threw up a little bit in her mouth. The small school of tuna had long dispersed, and although the pod of mermaids was swimming away as fast as possible, the sharks, egged on by the taste of the tuna, spotted them as their next prey.

The tiger sharks were gaining on the mermaids. Keoni thought fast, and looked around for any available options. He finally spotted a small opening in the ground ahead that the mermaids could fit into and the sharks could not. Maria, Paul, and Ana, as more experienced mermaids, were doing the same scanning as Keoni and also spotted the hole and quickly swam down into it. The sharks noticed them break away from the pod and chased them down, but they were able to escape into the cave just in time.

Filipe and Mina were too busy trying to outswim the sharks to think about looking for places to hide. Mina's heart was pounding and her tail was moving faster than it ever had. She and Filipe split up, and so did the sharks. Now both had one shark behind them, eager for the taste of their blood.

Keoni tried to point out the cave to them, but they weren't paying attention. Out of habit he swam down after the others while the sharks swam over his head after the two they had deemed lesser swimmers. Right before he got to the cave, his sense of duty kicked in and he refused to leave the other two to their fates. Propelled by adrenaline, he swam upward and was able to spear the shark chasing Filipe just in time to save him.

Mina was still swimming strong, but her shark was gaining on her every second. She saw a large rock ahead of her partly sticking out of the water. Without thinking, she leapt out of the water onto the rock. As she was pulling herself into the middle of the rock, the shark jumped after her, but overshot and fell into the water on the other side. This move by Mina gave Keoni the extra few seconds he needed to catch up from behind and spear the second shark.

When she saw the pool of blood emanating from the shark, she slipped back into the water and followed Keoni to the cave where the others were hiding.

After the others emerged, the five native Okawiians immediately noticed a giant shadow above them in the telltale shape of a ship's hull. Maria pointed up to it for Mina's benefit, and they immediately got into pod formation and hastily swam away. The nervousness of the others was palpable to Mina. It took her a second to figure out what they were worried about. Then she realized: there was a chance that somebody on the boat had seen her when she leapt out onto the rock to escape the shark.

Oh my god! What have I done? Mina clenched her fists as she swam. This is really bad and it's all my fault. She knew she had no other choice but to jump because of the shark, but still, she had compromised the safety of her friends. The mermaids swam on and she looked around at them. Nobody caught her eye, except for Ana, who smirked and shook her head. Mina blushed and looked back down at the sea floor.

Hector Orr was on his yacht looking out at the horizon when suddenly a girl popped out of the sea and landed on a rock about 50 yards away. A tiger shark jumped into the air next to her, and he swore the streak of gold he saw was a large fish tail on her, but when he turned for his binoculars she had slipped back into the sea. Hector figured he was hallucinating, but intently watched the smooth Pacific surface just in case. Sure enough, the bubble pattern emerged. He had learned 15 years ago that the mermaids emitted a specific pattern of bubbles when they were breathing underwater. It was sort of like Morse code with a line of bubbles that was small, small, big in the direction the mermaids were going.

"Mike! Jim! Pull up the anchor! We've got to move fast!" Hector couldn't believe what he had just seen. In the past 15 years he had scoured the Pacific for any sign of these bubbles. Until he had met Simon at Venatus, he had almost given up hope of ever tracking a mermaid again.

Hector's crewmen jumped to his orders, mindful that any delay might bring out the monster in Hector. It was with this in mind that Mike timidly approached his boss. "Sir? We're working on it, but we're not going to be able to leave for 20 minutes. There are some long lines out that we need to reel in, and the anchor is pretty deep."

"Twenty minutes?!" roared Hector. "By then it will be too late! Hurry it up!"

Hector remained engrossed with his binoculars as his crew prepared the Veni Vidi Vici. After what seemed like an eternity pulling up the lines, he gave the order. "Head in that direction, not too fast though. Go about five knots." He didn't want to tell them what it was exactly he was looking for, not yet at least, but he did want their help in looking. "Keep a lookout for any weird fish near the surface."

The mermaids swam away from the boat as fast as they could while shepherding a 500 pound tuna. Keoni was in the lead this time and he directed the group toward Tuka. As much as he would have liked to swim straight through to Okawii, they needed to rest for the night and it would give them a chance to talk things through.

For the first 20 minutes they made good progress away from the yacht. The fact that some long fishing lines coming from it were being reeled in, however, worried Keoni. Then the mermaids heard the boat sputter to life and slowly come after them.

Keoni knew their bubbles would give them away to anyone in the know, but they had no choice but to press onward toward Tuka. Six mermaid's bubble trails were too obvious for someone looking for them. The blue and white yacht stayed a good 50 feet behind them, but did not move off their tail.

Mina felt worse and worse about leaping out onto the rock. It had been an act of self-defense, but still, she had endangered her entire group. She knew in her gut that the boat was after them—and she was to blame.

When they arrived at Tuka, they tied the large net containing the tuna off on the reef and Keoni motioned to the others to hold their breaths to stop the bubbles. On his count of three they held their breaths and swam after him around to the back of the island away from the boat where they jumped onto the beach and rolled in the sand, trying to dry off as fast as possible. Once they regained their legs, the six teenagers ran into the forest to wait until dark. The yacht anchored in front of the island where their bubbles had stopped.

The island of Tuka was quite a bit smaller than Okawii. It had no mountain or river, like Okawii, but it was big enough to have a few large freshwater ponds fed mostly by rainfall. The Okawiians were able to stay hidden, watching the boat circle the island many times looking for any sign of their bubbles.

As night fell, Mina shivered and drank again from her gourd. They were able to refill from the ponds and go fishing, but any chance of cooking the fish over a warming fire was out of the question.

"Why is that anchored boat so obsessed with this island?" asked Filipe naively, while fileting a small white fish for his supper. "Whatever they're chasing could be miles away by now."

Keoni looked gravely at him. "I think they're chasing us. They probably think the mermaids are living in the reef. There is no way they know that we have legs, too, so we're going to have to be very careful tomorrow."

"So what's the plan?" asked Mina nervously.

"The plan is to leave before sunrise and get as far away from here as possible while it's still dark. With an hour or two head start, we should be far enough away that they'll never be able to find us."

"Psst! Wake up!"

Mina felt herself being shaken awake and was disoriented. She wasn't in Tuscon or on Okawii. The sun was shining in her eyes and sand was pressing uncomfortably on her neck. Then she sat up suddenly, remembering their precarious situation on Tuka. Keoni was waking the others.

"Get up, get up! We're late, the sun's up!"

Chapter 10

In addition to the celebrations for marriages and births, seven major feasts were observed on Okawii every year. This particular holiday was for the good harvest of breadfruit, yams, and taro. Mina and her fishing party were not welcomed back with all the glory of a typical hunt, but then, they had only brought back one tuna, which meant that there would not be a lot of extra fish to be smoked for all of the islanders, and they had brought back a strange yacht now parked outside their waters.

As twilight approached, Mina counted at least twenty fires around the main lodge. Three were large bonfires, meant to give light and affect the mood, ten were smaller fires meant to be gathered around for conversation, and the rest were for food preparation only. People weaved in and out of groups, but in general, the older women stayed by the food preparation, and the older men stayed with the elders talking around the fire closest to the main lodge.

Mina was happy to be back home after the long, nerve-wracking swim home; however, her anxiety about the yacht prevented her from fully enjoying the traditional dancing going on around her. She sat staring at one of the fires for a long time, telling anyone who asked what was wrong that she was tired from the journey. They all believed her, each one thinking back to his or her own first long fishing trip. The only thing that was able to pull her gaze from the dancing flames was a fire dancer who was juggling torches right in front of her.

She gave him a fake smile and watched him for five minutes before he finally left her alone. What Mina wanted more than anything was to tell her grandmother what had happened, from beginning to end, knowing that she would have some sort of good explanation or at least be able to soothe her worries. Unfortunately, Nukuluve had been busy with the feast preparations all day and was now with the other older women preparing dishes from the tuna they had brought in that morning. After reviewing the events over and over in her head, Mina decided to pull her grandmother away from her peers no matter how rude she seemed.

As she walked over to her grandmother, she heard bits and pieces of several conversations, all of them related to the boat anchored outside the reef. She made eye contact with Maria on her way, and Filipe waved at her and motioned her over to him.

"What's up?" she asked him, her cool face hiding her uneasiness.

"Come on." He waved her after him as he headed to another fire a hundred yards away.

She wove through the crowd to get closer to the fire. There sat Keoni and the elders around the fire. Chief Akolo, dressed in full regalia and with ceremonial staff in hand, was standing next to Keoni, and many of the adults were there listening as well. Keoni had just finished telling the story of their past two days.

"...and so there they are anchored outside our reef. I have no idea who they are and have many questions." Keoni looked around at the elders. "Has this particular yacht been seen before? Although they seemed to follow us here, is there any way they are here totally by accident? Other boats have wandered into our waters accidentally in the past. Could it just be another case of a stray fishing boat?"

For the first time in his life Keoni felt like a man. He had the full attention of the elders and adults at the fire and had comported himself well.

Akolo looked at the elders and in particular at Uhila, who was the most senior elder on the island. At 92 years old, Uhila's mind was still sharp. He had been responsible for voting Akolo in as Chief when Mina's grandfather suddenly passed away. He had been Akolo's sharpest critic for not maintaining contact with the Island Council. Ultimately Uhila quieted down, knowing that discord for a chief at the beginning of his reign, especially a chief with no real relational ties to the Okawiian chiefly line, could be disastrous for the small island.

Uhila spoke. "It could be a coincidence, but we cannot deny the fact that Mina leapt out of the water and showed herself."

Mina felt her cheeks flush in the firelight and blinked back tears. As much as it was her fault, she didn't want the whole island to blame her. She hoped they understood that jumping out of the water was her only defense against the shark.

Akolo spoke. "Uhila is right. We do not yet know their purpose here. We should treat it like any other case of a stray boat until we find out for sure, but we should take necessary precautions."

The other elders nodded.

Mina whispered to Filipe, "What is normal procedure for a stray boat?"

"The chief and an entourage, dressed ceremonially, go out in a small boat, ask permission to board the intruding vessel, and explain to them our culturally protected status. So far there hasn't been anyone who denies the wishes of a real live Polynesian chief," Filipe whispered back.

Another elder spoke. "Although there has been word from our friends of hunter sightings elsewhere, Okawii has not been exposed to this kind of danger in 15 years."

Others murmured in agreement. Mina's ears pricked up. Fifteen years ago was when she was last at Okawii with her mother and father.

She turned to Filipe and whispered, "What happened fifteen years ago?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I wasn't born yet and they don't talk about that incident very much."

She wondered whether or not her mother's death had anything to do with this, and filed it away in her list of questions to ask Nukuluve.

After Keoni's story, all seriousness was forgotten and the Feast really took off. People ignored the danger as the coconut liquor began to flow. The dancing was marvelous to watch, and Mina wavered back and forth between desperately wanting to join in, and being afraid of making a fool of herself.

Out of habit, Mina kept an eye on where Keoni was. She was always looking out for the accidental opportunity to be near him, but he didn't move from the fire, staying to discuss the situation further with the elders. Mina went to find her grandmother, and stood next to her to help prepare the next few courses. Unfortunately, being surrounded by other older women preparing breadfruit, she didn't have a chance to talk with her. After a while she joined Maria, Paul, and Filipe around a fire with a few other teenagers. She took a sip from the coconut when it was passed around to her, but didn't say much and mostly gazed into the fire thinking about her mom.

As Mina was ruminating, Ana stumbled over to the group, reeking of coconut liquor. She draped her hand over Maria's shoulders and slurred, "Hi guys."

Maria sent Mina a look that said, "Wow."

One of the guys in the group asked Ana, "Are you okay there?"

Ignoring him, Ana stumbled over to Mina and asked loudly, "What do you think you're doing with Keoni? Huh?"

Mina froze and tried not to pay attention to the drunken Ana. She turned her gaze back to the fire, but Ana gave her a light shove.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! I know you're trying to take Keoni away from me! Well you need to stop. We're meant for each other; we're the only ones on the island for each other." Ana's eyes glowed with hatred.

Mina looked around to make sure Keoni was nowhere in sight. Her head was swirling with a million thoughts, but she kept her cool. "Relax, Ana. There's nothing going on between us." She was grateful for the dim firelight that hid her blushing. There truly was nothing going on between them, but that doesn't mean that Mina hadn't occasionally dreamed of him holding her hand.

"He's mine. It's a done deal," slurred Ana vehemently.

Mina silently put up both hands and slowly shook her head in protest. Filipe pulled Ana away from her, and led her away from the fire.

Maria approached Mina. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Um, I don't want to get involved or anything, but I do want to tell you that she's sort of right," Maria said.

Mina's stomach flipped. She was sure she hadn't been obvious about her crush on Keoni. She never sought him out, never exhibited any sign, and had been careful to hide her joy at being near him. Did everyone else seriously think she liked him and was actively trying to steal him from anyone?

"What do you mean?"

"Just that she's right about the 'only ones on the island for each other' thing she said. You might not know, but there are strict rules on Okawii about who can marry whom. Otherwise there's a danger of incest on such a small island. Those who don't want to adhere to the rules have to find a spouse from an outside mermaid group—or marry a plain human like your mom and Lepolo did. Keoni's mom is one of 9, so he is cousins with almost everyone on the island. Those he's not cousins with are all married or too young for him, except Ana. It's kind of hard to explain. Ask your grandmother, she can explain it better."

"I guess that makes sense," said Mina, in order to say something at all. She didn't want to lie to her friend and say she didn't like Keoni, but she did think often enough of Andrew back at home not to be completely sure. Mina realized that she missed Andrew very much at that moment. Just having him near her gave her such a feeling of safety, a feeling she needed now, on this island full of people she had just met.

Maria added, "Look, I don't know if you like him or not, or whatever. Just be careful of Ana, she can be pretty cruel."

"So I've learned," said Mina wryly.

The feast slowly wound down in the early hours of the morning. Mina was so upset that Ana had embarrassed her that she forgot about talking to her grandmother about the fishing trip. The others who were talking by the fire slowly left for bed until only Mina, Maria, and Paul remained.

Keoni approached their fire and sat down next to Mina. The four of them chatted for a while about the food and entertainment at the feast, all of them avoiding the topic of their spoiled fishing trip. Finally Maria and Paul retired and Mina was left alone with Keoni.

"Hey," she said, resting her head on her knees. "I'm so sorry about jumping out like that. I ruined it for everyone."

"It happens," Keoni said warmly.

"I just—"

"Mina," Keoni said, cutting her off. "I like you. You're not like any other girl here."

Her heart was pounding as she looked into his deep, brown eyes. She could not believe what she was hearing.

Unable to answer, she nodded. Keoni gently picked up her hand.

Mina finally found her voice. "I really like you, too."

He leaned in and softly kissed her on the lips. Mina's stomach was churning. Until now she hadn't admitted the passion toward him that had built up inside of her. She breathed him in deeply and closed her eyes to relish the moment she had been dreaming of all summer.

Keoni pulled away and looked at her, still intrigued by her vivaciousness. "You're openness to the world opened me up at a time when," he paused and looked down, "when I thought I'd just be stuck here running in circles."

This struck Mina as peculiar. "What do you mean 'stuck here'? This is paradise!" After the amazing weeks she'd spent on Okawii, she couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be stuck here.

Keoni smiled at her. "I'm glad you feel that way. But I had wanted to go to college before the accident. I guess I've been in a funk since...my dad, and your arrival made that a possibility for me again. Both your attitude toward life and your golden tail." He purposely didn't mention his conversation with Akolo. While it was true that the authority of the Chief on Okawii was supreme, he refused to accept this outcome. He planned on waiting a few more weeks and then bringing it up again with Uhila.

She looked up at him sheepishly. "Maybe we could apply to some of the same schools?"

Keoni grinned and embraced her.

"I heard about what Ana did earlier," he said. "I'm sorry."

"So you guys dated?" Mina asked, trying to act indifferent about it.

"Yeah, it was a few years ago. I broke it off when my dad died. She wanted a serious commitment that I just couldn't give at the time." He paused and picked up Mina's hand. "Looking back, it was for the better."

Keoni escorted her back to her hut and paused to give her a quick kiss before leaving. Mina was grateful that her grandmother was snoring in the next hut, completely unaware.

In her hut Mina was unable to fall asleep. She couldn't believe the difference between kissing Andrew and kissing Keoni. With Andrew it had been a comfortable kiss, but it didn't have the underlying passion that she always imagined these moments should have. At least not on her end. With Keoni, though, it was... wow. It made her feel crumbly inside and at the same time made her view of the world crystal-clear.

Mina realized that if she could choose right now between the two boys, she would choose Keoni. He understood the Okawiian world whereas Andrew would always be an outsider. Until now, she had had no idea how Keoni actually felt about her. But now Keoni had been honest with his feelings. And it changed everything for Mina.

But still, she felt some guilt. Oh my God, what about Andrew? Am I a cheater now? I am NOT the cheating type. No, of course this wasn't cheating. With Andrew we were never actually going out, we just kissed one time. This is going to be ugly to explain when I get back, I do not want to break his heart.

Chapter 11

Hector walked into the main cabin of his yacht in the South Pacific waters feeling more alive than he had in a long time. If he could bag his mermaid, the beast that got away, his collection would be complete. After his accident when he was a boy, he hadn't been able to shake the feeling of having to conquer, to dominate the animals who were not made in God's image as man was. He felt that with the vanquishing of a supposed mythical creature he would have accomplished complete supremacy over nature. Not to mention gaining demigod status at Venatus.

He returned to the deck with a tray carrying two drinks. His luck on this trip had been fabulous. First he had succeeded in tracking the mermaids all the way back to Okawii, and now he had managed to lure an islander onto his boat for a discussion of the 'fish' in the area.

He handed his guest a drink with his disfigured left hand. "You may remember that I was here fifteen years ago. I saw what I saw and my goal hasn't changed."

Hector's visitor shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"We've discussed the money, is there anything else you want?"

"Yes," the islander said ardently. "I want you to promise that if you get your prize, you'll leave and I'll never have to see you again."

Hector thought this was smart. If his fellow Okawiians found out he sold one of them out, no doubt he'd be exiled forever. Then he remembered his promise to Simon that he would get one, too. Oh well. Simon wasn't here yet and the early bird gets the worm.

"Yes, just one and I'll leave you in peace forever."

"As I said before, the money must be in place, as well as the other things we discussed."

Hector smiled and passed his guest a drink. "You shall have it all. Thirty million dollars will be wired to your relative on Hawaii tonight and all of my political contacts will be at your disposal."

"And of course my name is never to be mentioned in connection with this little incident."

"Of course."

"I don't know how good your maps are of this area, but there is a small, uninhabited island called Luta a few miles southwest of here. After I hear that the money is secure, I will arrange it so that there is a mermaid around Luta next Wednesday morning. That is all I can do."

"Don't worry about my hunting skills," Hector said, tapping the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. "There had never been an animal I couldn't handle," he smiled, his confidence hiding the fact that actually, he did miss a mermaid fifteen years ago.

After what happened with Keoni after the feast, it was natural that Mina let her imagination run and she thought about a potential future with him. However, what Maria had told her at the Feast about the strict marriage laws on Okawii bugged her. It was all very strange to her: here the teenagers were thinking about who they would marry while at home her peers were only worried about dates for the prom. Back in Arizona she had secretly thought that Andrew would eventually be a good husband and father, but it was never something she would have admitted to anyone. In her world, the topic of marriage was only to be discussed after college.

"Grandmother, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, my dear." Nukuluve was sitting by the fire in a rare moment of inactivity.

"Back at the feast Maria mentioned something about marriage rules on the island. What is that all about?"

"There are indeed such rules on Okawii," said Nukuluve. "Our community is too small otherwise. I am your grandfather's second cousin, for example. Second cousins are allowed to marry under any circumstances on Okawii, first cousins are slightly more complicated. Here you can marry your cross cousin, but not your parallel cousin."

"What's the difference between a cross cousin and parallel cousin?" asked Mina.

"Your cross cousin is the child of your parent's opposite-gender sibling. So if your mom had a brother, your cross cousin would be your mom's brother's son. Your parallel cousin is the child of your parent's same-gender sibling."

"So it would be my mom's sister's kid, if she had had a sister."

"Exactly."

"Doesn't anybody here go to college? It just seems like the teens here are too young to be thinking about this."

"College is indeed a rare thing here. Some have, and have gone on to do great things. Some go away to school and after a short time, find that they miss our way of life." She smiled. "There is no White Coral at college, you know."

"But my mom went, right?"

"Yes, your grandfather was insistent on that. She was too bright and the world was changing too fast for her not to have gone."

"Am I affected by any of these marriage rules? Not that I'm looking to get married," added Mina hastily. "I'm just curious."

"No. You don't have any cousins on Okawii because your mother was an only child. And anyways, you can marry anyone you want on the island because your father is an outsider and so you have fresh genes."

"And anyone can marry anyone else from any of the other mermaid communities?"

"For the most part. We get together yearly with people from the islands of Ipona, Beluu, Lilo, and Otto Island for just such a purpose."

"You mean aside from the Mermaid Games?" asked Mina.

"No, it is the Mermaid Games that serve that purpose."

Mina suddenly pitied Ana that she had grown up in such a closed system. It was hard to imagine only being allowed to marry one person, and all throughout childhood knowing who that person would be. What was worse for Mina, it appeared that Ana truly did like Keoni.

For a moment, Mina thought that she should give up on Keoni completely. Then she shook herself out of it. She really liked Keoni and Keoni really liked her, and it wasn't as if Ana couldn't marry someone from another one of the mermaid colonies. Mina decided that as sad as the marriage situation on Okawii was, she would let life happen as it happens, and not try to deny her feelings for a girl who never showed her any kindness.

David approached Okawii in the Aquarius and felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes. The last time he had seen the island was when he was leaving with 1-year-old Mina the day after Eva was buried. Dabbing his eyes, he told himself that this entire trip would be filled with emotional moments and it would only be appropriate to control himself.

Nobody met him at the dock. High school was not in session at the moment and only one other Okawiian got off with him. David knew that Okawii was a culturally protected zone, but when he had left 15 years ago, his father-in-law told him to come any time. He assumed he would be welcome.

David stepped off the dock and turned right toward Nukuluve's huts, amazed that after all these years he still had a decent grasp of the island's layout. Along the way the sight of the palm trees and the scent of the tropical flowers permeated him, and, overcome with emotion, he stopped more than once to dab his eyes. How different his life would be now if Eva had lived. They'd be living on Okawii by now, no doubt, and his daughter, having grown up in this environment in a family that was whole probably wouldn't hate him so much. He didn't know where Mina was on the island, and hoped she wasn't in the sea right now. Something was going on with Simon and his hunting club that he didn't understand yet. There was one yacht he saw not far from the island, and he didn't know it's purpose or origin, but he wanted to be here to protect Mina if necessary.

He came to Nukuluve's fire pit and saw her kneeling beside it stirring something. The widowed banker couldn't help but think back to the last time he saw Eva in a similar position, preparing something tasty for him.

The old woman heard his footsteps and her eyes widened when she saw him. "David! Please sit down. The soup is almost ready." She wondered what on earth he was doing there, if something perhaps happened at home and he had come to fetch Mina early. She thought that it was poor timing for him to come when that yacht was parked outside the island.

Sitting on one of the logs, he asked, "How are you, Nukuluve?"

"Very well, thank you." The happy-creases in the corners of her eyes showed that she was telling the truth. "Thank you for sending Mina to me, it has been wonderful to get to know her, and to see a bit of my Eva still alive in her."

She passed him a steaming bowl of her turtle soup and from the first spoonful it seemed to imbue him with a calmness and peace.

"How has Mina been?"

"She is very well. She has made friends and is very comfortable with the language now, and...," Nukuluve looked at him with a twinkle in her eye, "...she has asked me about the marriage laws on the island which makes me think there someone she has her eye on."

That surprised David. Mina was still a baby to him. Plus, he had never thought about her settling down on Okawii before. College was a must, of course, but if she were to decide to come back here for good, David would probably follow her to be with the grandkids.

"How much does she know?" asked David.

"You mean has she discovered the Coral yet? Oh yes, she's swimming with the best of them. She completed a long-distance fishing trip with her peers a couple weeks ago and she wowed the judges at the Island Games with her show jumping."

"No, I mean about Eva, about her mother."

"I have not told her everything yet. She suspects something. At first, she was asking people about it, but they respect me and know that it is my job to fill her in at the right moment."

"Mina!" David put down his soup bowl as his daughter ran into his arms. He hugged his daughter tight, hoping that being in this atmosphere had given her the power to forgive him for being unable to be honest with her all these years.

"Why did you come here?" she asked him.

"I needed to make sure you were okay," he said quietly.

"Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm finally here, finally where I belong."

"Nothing, never mind. I just think that as your father I should be able to protect you if necessary."

"From what?" she asked, pulling away from him.

"Forget about it. How are you doing?"

"Fine." She looked over at her grandmother. "Dad, can you tell me how mom died?"

David and Nukuluve exchanged glances. "Honey, why don't you tell me about your fishing trip instead?"

Mina gave him a cold look and stormed into her hut.

It took a few days, but as David spent more and more time on the island, he began to relax and fall under its spell. Everything he needed was here, and the luxuries he was used to in Arizona seemed like nonsense on Okawii.

One morning as they were eating breakfast, he nodded to Nukuluve. She understood that it was time.

"Mina," he started, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first got here—I needed to process being here again without your mother. But now I'm ready for you to know how your mom died."

Mina's mouth fell open, then she shut it and sat down, her entire attention fixed on her father and grandmother.

David began. "When you were a year old, your mother and I brought you to Okawii for your first visit, and probably your last visit until you were old enough to keep the secret of the islanders. Eva was glowing with happiness and eager to show you off. The 3 weeks we spent here were wonderful."

He stopped, not knowing where to continue.

Nukuluve broke the silence. "You should know also about Moko. Moko is an Okawiian man, about the same age as my Eva. Poor Moko was in love with Eva from the time they were very little. According to the marriage rules, there were only two boys her age who would have been allowed to marry your mother, and Moko happened to be one of them. Now, he was a sweet boy, and while I hesitate to use the term 'village idiot' to describe him, he definitely was not the sharpest spear in the satchel. Eva, of course, was brilliant, and unfortunately not attracted to Moko in any way, but they were friends. When Moko heard that Eva was going to marry David, an outsider, he was completely distraught. He did not even go to the wedding. Later he felt bad about that, so his mother told me, and wanted to be there to properly congratulate Eva when they visited with you."

David continued. "So toward the end of our visit, your mother and I went out for a 'date', leaving you behind with your grandparents. We took a sailboat to Luta where Eva wanted to show me the turtles hatching. Moko, still not completely over his rejection by your mother, changed forms and followed us all the way to Luta without consulting anyone. We don't know exactly what he was doing or what he hoped to accomplish.

"At the island, we didn't know that we weren't completely alone, besides Moko. By chance, someone had parked a yacht at the backside of the island where we didn't see it. He happened to be scuba diving that day and he caught sight of Moko. As luck would have it, the yacht owner was a big hunter or fisherman or whatever and wanted to get Moko. Without anyone noticing, he slipped back to his boat, and returned with a few harpoons, intent on bagging Moko. He tracked Moko carefully and figured out the bubble pattern that we emit. At the end of the day when we were disembarking toward Okawii, the hunter decided to make his move before we left the safety of the reef.

"Your mother and I were gracious about Moko's presence on our date. We were talking and laughing, when suddenly his shoulder was hit by a harpoon. Eva, hoping to stop the hunter, jumped in the water without thinking to protect Moko.

"Luckily she didn't have any White Coral in her system, so she didn't change when she hit the water. She swam over to Moko just as the hunter was throwing his second harpoon, and it hit your mother instead."

David closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Mina felt herself blinking back tears as well.

"I jumped in after her and brought her back to the island."

"It was devastating," said Nukuluve. "Your grandfather was heartbroken—he had lost his little girl and his heir. Only two months later he, too, passed away. After Konala died, Akolo was made Chief. In an effort to better protect Okawii from the hunters, he proceeded to cut all ties with the outside world, including the Island Council. For several years after the islanders were very careful in the sea, fishing only close to Okawii."

Mina's head was swirling. Finally, after all this time, she knew the secret of her mother's death. And, finally, she realized why it had caused her dad such great pain. What a horrible tragedy to have had to keep secret all these years.

After a short pause, Mina collected her thoughts a little and asked, "What ever happened to Moko?"

"He survived the injury," responded Nukuluvle. "After the incident he swam away from the boat and was never seen on Okawii again. A few years later he showed up at the Mermaid Games. Apparently he married someone from another mermaid tribe and now lives on the island of Ipona."

The sadness in Mina subsided, and in its place anger arose. Who was this Moko to have robbed her of a mother? If she saw him at the Mermaid Games, would she be able to forgive him?

"Did anybody ever catch the guy who threw the harpoon? How did he just...get away?" Mina asked with fire in her eyes.

David rubbed his fingers anxiously. He was not enjoying reliving this moment. "All I could think about was your mother. Maybe I should have gone after him, I don't know, but I was too intent on getting Eva back to the island for medical care." He looked down at his hands. "But I was too late," he whispered. "By the time we got back to Okawii, she was gone."

Nukuluve put her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "After David returned, a group of men went to Luta to chase off the harpooner. When they got there, both he and Moko had vanished."

On Monday morning Chief Akolo made his way to Vai Place. As he watched the youth frolicking about, he felt some regret that he would never have any grandchildren of his own. These were the cards life had dealt him, however, so he didn't dwell on it too long. Akolo, like most of the older people on the island, didn't change forms very often anymore. He used the White Coral a few times a year for official ceremonies and every year for the mermaid games. He had an island to run and a lot of business to attend to make sure his people were happy and healthy. The young people who went out a lot as mermaids were happy to help him with chores outside of the island.

"Mina and Filipe!" the Chief called to the youth. "May I speak with you a minute?"

Filipe made a face at his friends and followed the Chief to the side.

"I need a favor from you two." The gushing sound of the waterfall made it hard to hear him and Filipe and Mina leaned in closer.

"Sure thing, Chief Akolo," replied Filipe. "How can we help?"

"I need you two to make a quick trip to Luta and check on the status of the turtle eggs. See if they have hatched yet and do a quick count of how many there are. I want Mina to go along to learn how this is done."

"Very good." Filipe was thrilled. He had never been asked to perform such an important task before, and being charged with teaching Mina about it would give him the chance to prove himself as a real contributor to the island's well-being.

"I'd like you two to go the day after tomorrow, on Wednesday morning."

Mina shifted her weight between her feet. "Chief Akolo?"

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"My father got here not too long ago, I'd really like to spend time with him." She looked down at her feet. It wasn't her intention to refuse the Chief a favor, especially when he was trusting her with something that sounded important.

Chief Akolo smiled. "Don't worry, this isn't an overnight fishing trip. It will just be a quick morning visit to the island. You'd be back before lunch."

Mina nodded. "Okay, great."

Chapter 12

David spent his days wandering the island, renewing old friendships, and trying to strike the right balance between remembering Eva and realizing that what happened was ancient history. Most of Eva's peers were now parents, and he didn't know any of the children. Most of his time was spent at Vai Place, the only place where his lack of a tail gave him a chance at playing on a level playing field with the islanders. He looked over with interest at the mermaid children whenever he walked by the lagoon, but any jealousy he felt toward the Okawiians for their genetic mutation was long gone. Watching Mina's obsession with the water throughout her childhood even though she had grown up so far from Okawii, he knew he didn't have the same longing to feel the sea on his face as she and the others did.

The same morning that Filipe and Mina left for their trip to Luta, David was taking his morning walk around the island. When he got to the dock, he noticed a different yacht not too far from the reef. He paused and looked hard at the boat, and was surprised to find that he recognized it.

He walked back to his hut and emerged with binoculars.

Looking out through them at the dock, he whispered, "Why in the heck?"

David again went back to his hut and rifled through his bag, pulling out his satellite phone. It was turned off. When he turned it on he found that he had no new messages.

"Is something the matter?" asked Nukuluve.

"Maybe. My colleague's yacht is parked outside the island. I know it's his because I saw the tear in the back canopy from a few years ago and his son on deck. It's probably a work issue." David chewed his bottom lip. He knew it wasn't the best idea to leave the bank before the First Tucson deal was done, but he had left the whole thing in the capable hands of Simon with instructions to call if there was any problem. Perhaps there had been a crisis situation and he had been trying to call, but was unable to get through and came all the way out to find him. Simon looked for any excuse to escape to his yacht.

"I'm going to go out and see him later to make sure everything's okay. Maybe I'll take Mina with me so she can see Andrew."

Josephina was the most nervous mother on the island. She suffered seven miscarriages before finally having Ana and Filipe, and was incredibly over-protective of them. When Ana turned 8, Josephina wanted to have her wait until she was 9 before sending her to Mermaid Lessons. Nukuluve talked her out of that. Most people attributed Ana's great sporting success to her mother's overprotectiveness: whenever she was out of her mother's sight, Ana would try the most daring things she could.

"Come and sit down, Josephina. I am just pouring some tea," said Nukuluve, gesturing to the lady nervously approaching her fire pit.

Josephina sat down and accepted the tea gratefully. "I am worried about my Filipe. He has not yet returned from the open sea," she said. "Is Mina back yet?"

Nukuluve sat down next to her and sipped her drink. "No, but there are many reasons they could be late, you know that," she soothed.

"It is his first trip out besides the fishing trip and he promised they would be home by noon at the latest. It is four o'clock and they are nowhere."

Nukuluve was used to Josephina's anxiety and did her best to calm her down. "They may have run into a school of tuna and decided to surprise you with some. You remember how it is out in the big sea. So many distractions."

"Yes, I remember how it is, and that is why I made them promise me not to stop for anything, even if there was a migrating group of hundreds of sea turtles."

Josephina had been quite the swimmer in her youth. This made her over-protectiveness all the more surprising to the Okawiians.

"It is early yet, they will arrive soon."

"They promised me no stops. They promised me," Josephina looked down into her cup, blinking back her tears.

Chief Akolo leaned his staff against the tree by his hut. He felt confident about the island's future. With Mina conveniently 'placed aside,' there was no doubt that Keoni would inherit the Chiefdom. And Keoni would be ready in the next few years. When Akolo had had enough, he and Sela would just retire to Hawaii. They were older now and neither of them would miss changing forms.

"Two children are missing, Akolo." His wife scooped his dinner out from the frying pan. "Mina and Filipe. Josephina is running around the island like a crazy person asking if anyone's seen them."

"I know, Sela." He sat down. "Please bring me some of that coconut liquor." Josephina and her nervousness had slipped his mind. He had to send someone with Mina and Filipa happened to be right next to her at Vai Place when he went to ask her to go to Luta.

"She has been here three times looking for you, and Nukuluve came by once. They want you to send out a search party for them." Sela looked at her husband pointed.

"Mmm-hmm."

Sela brought Akolo a bottle and a glass. He poured himself a tall glass, drank it down, then poured himself another and sat down with it. Sipping his drink in silence, he looked into the fire, imagining a life of luxury on Hawaii.

Mina examined the holding tank she and Filipe were in, for the first time understanding what the sea creatures in aquariums and zoos must feel like. There were giant bolts holding the tank together at the corners, with a good inch sticking out. It would be easy enough to climb down it if she had legs. She thought back to the orange pellets and wished she had some. She could switch to her legs to climb out of the tank, and switch back to her tail as soon as she was in the ocean.

At least she now was sure about what that yacht had wanted that had followed them home and parked outside of Okawii. If only she could warn the others not to go out into the ocean.

The noon sun beat down on them through the water and Mina wished they had put in a few plants to give them some shade underwater. She wanted to discuss her options with Filipe, but to do that they'd have to put their heads out of water and their guard would hear. She didn't want their captors to know that they could talk, or anything more about the mermaids than they already did.

When her guard finally left the back deck, they both surfaced.

Filipe whispered angrily, "This is crazy. I didn't see any boats, did you see any boats? We wouldn't have gone that way had we known there were boats around."

"You're right, there were no boats to avoid," answered Mina, shaking her head. "That net came down on us without warning. It was like they were waiting for us at the reef. How are we going to get out of here?"

"I don't know, keep thinking. Shhh, here he comes," answered Filipe, ducking his head back underwater as the guard reappeared.

David maneuvered the small boat next to Simon's yacht. He had been so surprised when he recognized the boat as Simon's earlier that day. It had to be his—the tear in the canopy gave it away. The blue and white yacht that had been anchored outside the reef had suddenly disappeared.

The Tucson Bank deal concerned David and he was grateful for something to get his mind off the fact that Mina wasn't back yet. He tied the boat to the back of the yacht and climbed aboard.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Mr. Young!" Andrew's hair bounced with his steps. "It's good to see you!"

"Andrew! You must have grown a foot since I last saw you." David clapped the back of the youth.

"Yeah, the sea air agrees with me," Andrew replied, scratching his neck. "I just miss my drums. Dad said I couldn't pack them because I'd scare away the fish."

"Ahh, David. What a surprise," said Simon as he walked back toward them.

"Simon! What brings you to Okawii? Nothing wrong at the bank I hope?" asked David.

"Oh no, nothing of the sort. Just fishing."

David was relieved, but he was still irked that Simon would leave the bank at this critical time after knowing that David had just left.

Andrew added, "I came along because I knew Mina was in the area. You don't suppose I could come ashore and see her, Mr. Young?"

"I'm sorry, Andrew, but I can't make that call. Okawii is a culturally protected zone and it's illegal to come ashore without the express permission of the chief."

The sound of an approaching yacht caused all three of them to turn their heads. It was the same blue and white yacht David had seen parked here earlier.

"Who is that?" asked David.

"We've got to get going here," said Simon, ignoring David's question.

David nodded, understanding that he was being shuffled off. "Can I just use your restroom real quick?"

"Fine," Simon, with a slight air of annoyance.

On his way to the head, David saw something unusual on the front deck. He looked through the window and saw a large tank, full of water but otherwise empty. He thought back to Simon's budding collection of animal heads and figured some poor shark was in for it.

Back on his small boat heading back to Okawii, David looked at the yacht that had just arrived. It was the same blue and white yacht that had been parked there for the past week. Someone was moving on the back deck, and he recognized the dark hair and profile. It was the hunter who had tried to harpoon Moko 15 years ago but had hit Eva instead.

David gulped and sped his boat up, hoping that Mina and Filipe were back on Okawii by the time he docked. This explained Simon's presence at Okawii. He thought back to the strange conversation they had had back in his office, when Simon had asked about any weird fish in the area. Everything was falling into place. David realized that Simon had partnered with the hunter who killed Eva and they were here to get mermaids.

Chapter 13

Mina and Filipe swam around the tank, occasionally coming to the surface to look around, but never when the guard was there. Sounds did not penetrate the thick glass of the tank well, and, except for the knocking on the glass of one of the crewmen (which caused Mina to roll her eyes at Filipe), if they wanted to hear anything around them, they had to surface. It was Filipe who first noticed that the yacht was now anchored off Okawii.

As they swam around, they noticed the guard suddenly stand up and put his book down. The door from the cabin opened and they saw their captor walk in, leading some other people.

Mina swum to the top of the tank, grazing her ear along the surface as she swam, and heard him say in his Texas accent: "Check these guys out. Now that's something y'all don't see every day. The one with the golden tail is exactly like the one I saw 15 years ago and chased back to this island."

As she came back down from the surface, Mina nearly choked when she recognized her captor's guests as Andrew and Simon Lanza. She did her best not to make eye contact with them, hoping that they wouldn't be able to identify her.

Andrew walked up close to the tank and peered in with both his hands on the glass. Then he stepped away from the tank, his face flushed and his mouth open. He didn't take his eyes off Mina for a second.

Mina knew that he knew her, but still refused to make eye-contact with him. She had no place to hide and couldn't stop swimming and just float there. Still, she harbored a sliver of hope that maybe he wouldn't know it was her. But no, as she swam back in forth in the tiny tank, she knew that there was no way he didn't know it was her.

Seeing him also brought back the memory of their kiss the night before she left, and the guilt she had felt from her kiss with Keoni. She wished she had her legs so she could speak with him, and blushed with both excitement to see him and the shame of giving up her ancestors' secret. Then Mina remembered her tail and her own reaction when she first saw the 'giant fish' in the lagoon. Oh my God, he's going to think I'm a freak. Ugh—I wish I could just disappear. He probably thinks my tail is so nasty. There's no way he still likes me now. This thought caused her to blush again. She thought she had gotten over Andrew after her kiss with Keoni, but when she saw him again, she definitely wanted him to still like her.

There was nothing she could do, though. She was in a small, all-glass aquarium, and there was no place to hide.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mina saw the Texan come up to him and clap him on the shoulder, laughing. This shook her back into the reality of her situation. Why would Andrew and Mr. Lanza be here in the South Pacific at all? She thought about Mr. Lanza's growing collection of animal heads and the new club that Andrew told her took him away from the house so often. She suddenly realized what was going on. He's going to make us into trophies and hang us on a wall! We've got to get out of here! A few minutes before she had wished she could hide herself from the Lanzas, but now she swam right up to the front of the tank and swam slowly. If Mr. Lanza could recognize her, maybe he could convince the Texan not to stuff them.

As she swam sluggishly at the front, she finally looked straight at Andrew.

He kept inconspicuously nodding toward the Texan so she would know that he had to pretend to be with them. He was shocked at her form, but at the same time mesmerized by the golden color of her tail. The minuteness of the scales on her tail minimized its fishiness and made her look like she was from a book. At first Andrew thought her tail was oversized and bizarre, but as he watched her swim back and forth, he was mesmerized and began to see the beauty in her new body.

Andrew wanted badly to speak with her but knew it was impossible. Her tail changed everything—and at the same time, it didn't. He still loved her, and this only confirmed what he had known about her since she was very little: that she would never be happy away from the water. This explained her discontent living in the land-locked state of Arizona.

As David approached Nukuluve's fire pit, the silence confirmed what he already knew in his gut: Mina was not yet back. She was either still out in the open sea or on the other yacht in a tank. He sat down and examined his options: he couldn't go out and look for her himself in the sea because he couldn't change forms, and there didn't appear any way he could garner an invitation onto the second yacht to make sure there wasn't a tank there with mermaids in it.

After he confirmed with Josephina that Filipe had not yet returned either, he told Nukuluve his suspicions. "It was the same guy who tried to harpoon Moko and hit Eva. I know he's here trying to get mermaids again."

Together they walked toward Chief Akolo's hut.

"Good morning, Sela. Is Chief Akolo still here?"

"I'm here," the Chief answered gruffly, emerging from his hut.

"Chief Akolo," began Nukuluve. "We believe there is trouble." She looked at her son-in-law and nodded at him to tell the story.

"I went out to one of the yachts today because I know the owner and thought there was a problem with my business at home. I saw a large holding tank on the boat and a second yacht approaching. Mina and Filipe have not yet come back from Luta even though they promised Josephina that they wouldn't dally. We suspect that a similar holding tank on the other boat might have Filipe and Ana in it."

"I doubt that," said the Chief, shaking his head.

Nukuluve looked at David. "If that is the case, you should send a search party out for them to Luta; we would go, but, obviously, we cannot."

Chief Akolo held his hand up. "It is not unusual for people to be late coming in from the sea. Any number of prey could have popped up that they might want to chase down. Second, it is not likely that they are caught by anybody, least of all those people on the yachts. One is your colleague, no?" he nodded to David. "Third, how does a holding tank on one yacht mean that there's one on the other? Unfortunately there is not enough evidence to warrant any action. And I do not want anyone interfering with those yachts; they are harmless."

As they walked away, David asked Nukuluve, "How could he be so unbothered by this?" David's blood pressure started to rise. His little girl was in danger and he was helpless to save her. For not the first time in his life, David wished he had a fish tail.

"I do not know, it is very unlike him," answered his mother-in-law. She had a worried look on her face that David had not yet seen before.

After the sun went down, the guard left again and Mina and Filipe rose to the top of the tank.

"I had an idea," whispered Mina. "I took the Coral last night a little after midnight; I was excited about the trip to Luta and I didn't want to have to think about it in the morning. That means it will leave my system about midnight tonight. I can climb out and get out of here."

"Assuming there's no guard," said Filipe worriedly. "I took mine this morning right before we left, so about 9 am. Shit, that means I'll run out tomorrow in broad daylight."

"They can't know we have legs. If there is a guard tonight, you do your best to distract him and I'll slip out. I promise I'll come back in time to get you out of here."

The door to the cabin opened again and the mermaids sank back down into the water. Mina saw Andrew's big hair in the moonlight. To her surprise, he started climbing up bolts on the side of the tank. He looked down on them and gestured to her to come to the surface. She wanted to ignore him because she hadn't yet told Filipe that she knew him, but he wouldn't leave and she was afraid the guard would come back.

"Mina!" Andrew whispered loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story."

Filipe surfaced next to her and looked suspiciously at Andrew.

"I know him from home," she said, turning to Filipe. Filipe's mouth dropped open. Mina added, "I know, it's really bad." She gulped and realized that, counting the shark episode, this was the second time she had betrayed Okawii in 2 weeks. It's not my fault! She wanted to yell. How was I supposed to prevent our capture or our captor from showing ups to people I happen to know?

"How is this possible?" asked Andrew, gesturing to the tank.

"I can't explain it all right now," deflected Mina, not wanting to give away any more information about her different body. "What did that Texas guy say to you before, when you were looking in?"

"Just some asshole comment about me not being the first human man to fall for a mermaid."

"It's, um, really good to see you," she responded.

Filipe took the hint and dove back down underwater.

"Listen, Mina, I wanted to come visit you on Okawii, but your dad said I couldn't come on the island. It's been really boring at home without you."

"How is the band doing? How did the gig at the Curly Cue go?"

"Great, of course, but it would have been better with you there." He looked down at the side of the tank. "I have to tell you that I'm in love with you. I have been since grade school. I know you've changed a lot since you've been here, with your new, um, skills, and with meeting your grandmother and seeing where your mom grew up. But I had to come and tell you."

"Wow, Andrew, I, um..." She knew about his feelings, but she hadn't expected him to be so open about them. Keoni was on her mind. She always figured that Keoni and Andrew would stay in their respective worlds and that this would eventually help her sort through her feelings. She never expected Andrew to show up here, on Okawii.

"You don't have to answer now," he responded quickly, sensing her discomfort. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you, and I want to be a bigger part of your life. I know you're learning a lot about your past and stuff, but I'm here for you. I'll wait for you."

"That's very lovely, but you may not notice that we're in a bit of a bind here." She wanted to be honest to him about Keoni, but this wasn't the time. As much as she wanted to tell Andrew the truth, Mina knew she couldn't. About anything. She was a completely different person now, and he knew that now that he had seen her, but he didn't know the depths to which she had changed. Still, seeing him hanging from the tank and confessing his love to her despite her awkward new body made her love him even more. Not necessarily the same passionate love she felt for Keoni, but a tender, affectionate love nonetheless.

Andrew looked adoringly at her in the tank. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that we're staying in the area for a few days, something about my dad wanting a fish from the area and Hector offering to help him. Tomorrow I was going to tell your dad that you're here so we can figure out how to get you guys out of here."

She smiled at him and said, "You'd better go, the guard will be back any minute."

Mina swam around impatiently after Andrew left, trying to formulate her plan of escape. Their curiosity had worn off by now and the guard mostly ignored them, so she was able to surface a few times to get her bearings. She could barely make out Okawii in the moonlight and guessed that they were about a half a mile away from the shore. As midnight neared she became more and more positive about her chances to escape: the guard was getting tired and had already nodded off a few times.

At about 11 o'clock, to Mina's dismay, the guard was relieved by someone else carrying a cup of coffee. He was more interested in them and spent his first ten minutes next to the dark tank, watching the shadows of the mermaids go back and forth.

Mina decided the best strategy was to pretend to be asleep, and she sank down into the back corner of the tank. Filipe followed her lead and also sank down to 'sleep'. The guard settled into his chair, watching the tank for a while before turning to his i-pad to play some games. As midnight approached, Mina kept her eye on the guard and prayed that the cloud cover that had appeared would hold. Her nervousness made it hard for her to stay still.

But, in the end she did fall asleep, awakened only by the desperate need for air that two-legged humans had while underwater. Instinctively kicking to the top of the tank to get air, she saw that the guard was engrossed in his game and as quietly as possible started climbing out the back of the tank.

Filipe had awoken to her movements in the water and swam to the front of the tank, ready to do anything to distract the guard if necessary.

As Mina landed on the deck, she saw the guard look up, and she hit the ground flat. In the darkness he miraculously didn't see that one mermaid was missing and turned back to his i-pad.

She crawled around to where the guard couldn't see her anymore and stood at the edge of the yacht. It felt great for her skin to be out of the water after a full day of soaking, and she stood there, wanting to escape but not wanting to jump back into the water. Then she looked back at the guard and knew she didn't have time to think, so she took a deep breath and dove into the water.

At the beginning of the swim, the adrenaline of the escape propelled her forward. It was only a matter of time before they noticed that one mermaid was missing and she hoped that she would be far enough away if they were to put any spotlights on the water. It was only after the adrenaline wore off that Mina realized she hadn't swum so much with her legs since she quit swim team half a year ago. Not that it really mattered, a half mile was only 35 laps in a pool, she calculated, easily completed after a season off.

She made it to shore without any issue, and, after catching her breath, she ran to find help.

Chapter 14

David awoke with a start. With Mina missing, he hadn't slept very well and he heard some rustling in the woods nearby. The noise came nearer. Someone or something was approaching in the middle of the night. He poked his head outside of his hut. He had never been so relieved to see his little girl.

"Dad!" She whispered loudly, glad that she wouldn't have to wake him.

"Mina, what happened to you? How did you get back?"

"Filipe and I got captured. And Mr. Lanza and Andrew are here—they saw me in the tank." Mina bit her lip.

"I know, I went out to see them because I thought there was a problem at the bank. I saw a giant holding tank on their yacht and thought there might be on one the other as well. Did Filipe get back as well?"

"No, he's still on the boat, his coral won't expire for another few hours, about 9 am. We have to get him out of there by then, or he'll change in broad daylight."

Nukuluve emerged from her hut.

"Grandmother, they saw me. I'm so sorry; I've ruined it for everyone," Mina said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Never mind that, Filipe is more important," answered Nukuluve. She went back into her hut and came out with a small bag. "In here are several pieces of White Coral; you never know. They're coated with wax to make them waterproof."

"Thank you, grandmother." Mina stood up, ready to run back to the boat, but her dad slowed her down.

"Just hang on. We're going to need a plan, as well as a few more hands. Don't forget that I can't change forms in an emergency. Go wake up Keoni, Maria, and Paul."

Mina went first to Maria's. She didn't want to risk being seen by someone at a boy's hut, especially Keoni's, in the middle of the night. The culture was too conservative. The magnitude of such a scandal could ruin her, especially if she wasn't even allowed to be with Keoni alone in broad daylight for a language lesson.

She was able to get Mary away from their family's huts without waking anybody up. Together they went and woke up Paul, then Keoni. As always, Mina's heartbeat escalated whenever she was around Keoni, but she had to put aside her feelings in order to focus on the task at hand. Filipe was more important than whether or not Keoni would hold her hand in the dark forest.

Mina filled them in on their way to the dock.

"So Filipe's in a tank on that yacht that was here?" asked Keoni incredulously.

"Yeah," said Mina. "And we only have a couple hours to get him out."

The eastern sky had begun to lighten. On the dock Maria and Keoni stretched to wake themselves up.

"Good morning," David greeted his daughter and her friends.

Paul yawned, still half-asleep. "Okay, so tell me what I have to do."

"We're going out to the yacht and we're going to free Filipe. We have until 9 am before he changes, but if we're not off the boat by 8:30, whoever is closest to him will give him another dose. Here, take these." She passed out the Coral from her grandmother.

"In case something goes wrong, any of us can throw his second dose into his tank for him. He knows he needs a second dose by 9 am. We don't want them knowing the secret that the mermaids are actually humans." Mina closed her eyes for a second, wishing she could forget that Simon and Andrew already did know the secret. "Do you guys all have your own White Coral, just in case we need a fast escape?"

The others nodded.

"My dad's going to row out here on the pretense of wanting to fish with Mr. Lanza, his colleague from home who's on the other yacht. He also has extra coral to give to Filipe if necessary. The plan is that Dad is going to leave first and act as a diversion, while we follow and get Filipe out. Hopefully, the others on the boat will want to do anything to keep Dad from seeing Filipe and won't be around on the back deck where the tank is."

The Okawiian teenagers then watched as Mr. Young, wearing a khaki bucket hat and carrying a tackle box, departed from the dock.

"Hey! Are you guys awake yet?" David asked loudly as he climbed aboard Simon's yacht. He didn't know how he was going to get over onto the other yacht, but this was at least a start.

"David, what are you doing here?" asked Simon, coming out of the cabin with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Well, I saw the tank and figured you guys were going to be doing some serious fishing, so I thought I'd join you bright and early," David pointed to his tackle box. He looked over at the other yacht to see if there was any movement, but all looked silent.

Simon looked back into the cabin to make sure they were alone.

"David, cut the crap. Andrew and I saw Mina in the tank yesterday."

David nodded, looking out at the other yacht. "I knew they were on that yacht. Mina escaped, but the other kid's still there, we need to get him out." David had known Simon since college. He trusted Simon to run his business, but he never anticipated having to trust Simon with Okawii's secret. David worried that his colleague would somehow try to use this information to his own advantage.

Simon slowly widened his eyes, not knowing how exactly to respond to his boss. He had hardly slept with the image of Mina swimming around in the tank on his mind. His conversation with Hector afterward confirmed that Hector had no idea that the mermaids were people with two legs, and he and Andrew hadn't spoken of it. He knew he was privy to some seriously secret information, and he now understood now why David had responded the way he did when Simon had asked him back in Tucson about the interesting fish outside of Okawii. After seeing Mina, Simon no longer wanted a mermaid for himself, despite his deal with Hector. But he still didn't know what he was going to do with this information.

Simon took a sip of coffee. "Listen, I'm glad Mina got out, I really am, but that other kid was captured fair and square." He shrugged. The Youngs had given him a second chance and he was grateful to them, but he knew that in the long run, Hector was a more valuable contact.

"What are you trying to say?" David asked sharply.

"Nothing, never mind," Simon shook his head as Andrew appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Young! I thought I heard your voice."

"Listen Andrew, you need to help me," said David, walking over to the boy. He saw that Simon was wavering and had not yet definitely decided which side of this whole mess he was on.

Chapter 15

Kaho, a mermaid from the island of Lilo, had set out in the open sea a month earlier. He was the official bearer of the invitations to the Mermaid Games. Lilo was hosting them this year and it was tradition for the host island to send an official invitation to the other mermaid tribes that included a poem to be recited.

He visited Ipona, Beluu, and Otto Island first, and had set out from Otto Island toward Okawii a week earlier. At 22 years old he did not yet have a family to provide for and could be spared from Lilo for that period of time. Kaho was one of Lilo's strongest mermaids and was heavily expected to win several events at the Games. It was a great honor to be chosen to deliver the invitations, and Kaho had prepared extensively, carefully mapping out his route and deciding where and when to fish to sustain himself.

Although he had enjoyed his journey, Kaho was excited to finish this long mission and return home. As his thoughts were back on Lilo with his girlfriend as he approached Okawii, he didn't notice the boats parked outside the reef until he was almost under them.

But by then it was too late, Hector, who had been scanning the horizon with his coffee in hand, noticed the bubbles, and couldn't resist the idea of getting yet a third mermaid.

He quickly and quietly removed a harpoon from the side of the boat, put down his coffee, and let it fly.

"Yes!" Hector pumped his fist. "Got him."

Andrew and David, without the aid of Simon, climbed aboard the back of Hector's yacht. When they had departed the Lanza yacht they noticed Hector moving around on the front of the boat, so they knew that at least he was awake.

"What are we going to say if somebody sees us?" whispered David.

"That I left my phone here yesterday that has a sweet fish-finding app and we can't start fishing without it."

David gasped when he saw the large tank and Filipe swimming around it. Although he had seen Simon's large tank the day before, it was jarring to see an actual mermaid trapped inside. The guard was sleeping in his chair, but the sun had just risen and it was only a matter of time before he woke up. They went around to the back of the tank to be out of the guard's immediate line of sight when suddenly they heard a quiet bang on the back of the boat. They looked at each other and shrugged, but when the bang happened a second time, they ducked down to the floor and quietly pulled a tarp up about 3 feet from the ground to block themselves.

The source of the noise presented itself shortly: Mina, Keoni, Paul, and Maria climbed onto the back deck as quietly as four people could in the process. They also ran to the back of the tank to get out of sight and almost trampled David and Andrew under the tarp.

"Ssshhhh!" David held up his hands and jutted his head toward the guard.

Filipe had long been aware of their presence and was awaiting a signal from them of some kind.

It was 8 o'clock and more of the crew were stirring. The guard rubbed his eyes and the six rescuers stayed as still as ice. He got up, stretched, and looked at the mermaid in the tank. For an entire minute he stared at the lone mermaid, then opened the door to the cabin.

"Hey Mike! Come here a second, will ya?"

Mina closed her eyes and turned red behind the tarp, realizing that the guard knew a mermaid was missing, and if anyone caught sight of her with two legs, all would be lost.

"Go, now!" mouthed David to his daughter, and she scurried toward the back ladder while the guard was at the door.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Andrew took David's message as meant for him, and stood up and walked toward the guard with a big smile.

"Morning, Jim!"

"You're not supposed to be here," said the guard, looking curiously at Andrew.

"I know, but I just couldn't help myself, they're just so pretty!" he said, pointing his thumb toward Filipe, still swimming around like he was oblivious to everything.

Squinting his eyes, then closing the door to the cabin, Jim quietly asked Andrew, "When you were here yesterday, were there two mermaids or just one?"

"Honestly Jim, I don't remember," shrugged Andrew. "So much of that visit is hazy to me. I only remember one mermaid." He looked back at Filipe while opening the door to the cabin. "Hey man, did you guys find a phone inside by chance? Could you help me look for it for a couple minutes?"

Jim looked at the tank suspiciously, then back at Andrew. He was sure there had been two mermaids. If one had gone missing on his watch...."All right."

The others knew this was their chance. David glanced at his watch. "It's 8:20; he only has 40 minutes."

Filipe surfaced and looked down at his rescuers. Without consulting the others, David threw up a piece of coral to Filipe and said, "Here, it's Coral, just in case something happens." Filipe ate the coral, aware that he might not have much time above the water line and he couldn't open it underwater because the Coral would dissipate.

Keoni looked up at Filipe. "Can you flop yourself out of the tank? If you get yourself over the edge, we'll catch you and throw you into the ocean."

"I can try."

"Do it, now, we don't have much time."

Filipe pushed up with his hands on the edge of the tank, and swished his tail back and forth, but it was too heavy and he couldn't get it over the side. Paul climbed up the corner of the tank and reached in, grabbing the tail. The others positioned themselves underneath Filipe, aware that the twelve foot drop could seriously injure the mermaid.

"One, two, three," counted Paul, and on three, he hurled Filipe's tail over the edge. Filipe knew this was his only chance to escape, but was still afraid of the drop and didn't let go of the edge of the tank. He hung vertically on the outside of the tank, his tail dangling in the faces of the others.

"Okay, Filipe," said Keoni. "We've got you. Just let go and you're home free."

Filipe shook his head in fear.

"Filipe, if you don't let go now, they will take you home and stuff you, do you understand me?" said David forcefully.

The fear of being stuffed trumped the fear of dropping a few feet, and Filipe let go of the tank. They waddled with him over to the edge of the yacht, and threw him overboard. From the small boat, Mina, knowing how tired and hungry he was, grabbed his hand when he landed and held him next to the boat.

From the front of the yacht, Hector, unaware of the rescue operation taking place on the back of his boat, looked hard at the water, waiting for his prey to float to the surface.

"Get out the scuba gear!" he ordered Mike, not willing to lose his prize to a shark. He continued to scan the water waiting for any bubbles to appear.

Kaho was fighting hard to make it. The harpoon had hit him squarely in the left shoulder. He sank down deep in order to pry it out, then he held his breath and swam hard for Okawii, staying near the ocean floor in order to avoid leaving an obvious blood trail for the hunters to find. Just inside the gap in the reef he was forced to take another large breath—this was the one that Hector saw.

"In there, he went inside the reef!" Hector shouted.

Hector's conversation with Chief Akolo crossed his mind in which he promised not to go inside of the reef. But in the heat of the moment he wanted to get that third mermaid, badly. He assuaged what little remained of his conscience by telling himself that the Island Council wasn't coming if they hadn't come yet.

Everyone on the boat besides Jim was unaware that one mermaid had gone missing. Jim and Andrew entered the cabin to look for Andrew's phone, and saw the commotion of the rest of the crew members.

At this point, Hector and his some of his crew, who were now awake as well, jumped into a small motor boat to go after him. Hector and Mike were already outfitted with scuba gear.

Kaho had been to Okawii only once before, several years ago when they had hosted the Mermaid Games, so he had a vague idea of the island's layout.

He figured that the presence of the yachts accounted for him not seeing any mermaids in the corridor between the reef and the island, and he knew he had to alert the islanders somehow. After he got his legs back in the river at the north of the island, he rushed ashore and shouted, "Help! Help!"

A few Okawiians came running from Vai Place. Some tended to his wound, and others ran around the island, alerting the others.

When Chief Akolo arrived, Kaho handed over the invitation to the Mermaid Games and promptly fainted.

"Take him immediately to the main lodge and tend to him there," ordered Akolo. "The fishermen cannot get a glimpse of his face with their binoculars." Tucking the leather scroll containing the invitation under his arm, the Chief walked after them.

At the main lodge the medicine man on the island tended to him. "He'll make it," he told the Chief, "but he may never have use of his left arm again."

Kaho came to consciousness at just the right moment to hear the medicine man say that. "What do you mean I might not get my arm back? I'm favored to win the spear throwing at the Games this year, I need that arm!"

"Settle down, you're lucky you have your life," said Akolo.

But Kaho was wound up. "How long have they been sitting outside your island like that?" he asked, sitting up in protest. The medicine man gently pushed him back down.

"A few days," answered an elder.

"Why in hell haven't you called the Island Council yet to get rid of them?"

Akolo reddened. "Yes, but this situation is different," he stammered.

Nukuluve stepped forward. "How is it different, Akolo? Why have we not taken steps to rid ourselves of these visitors? In the past, whenever a yacht wandered into our waters, the Chief and a group of elders would go out to them and explain our culturally protected status. We've never had to put up with unwanted visitors like this for more than a couple of hours."

Others nodded.

Josephina added, "And with missing children and you not sending out a search party? Unconscionable."

Chief Akolo held up his hands, "Filipe and Mina are probably fine. They probably got caught up on Luta watching the baby turtles hatch or something."

Nukuluve started again. "Isn't it obvious that the yachters caught them?" She purposely did not say what she knew about Mina escaping and then returning for Filipe. "With Mina and Filipe missing and now with Kaho hit by a harpoon, his sporting chances ruined?"

"Mina and Filipe are fine," lied the Chief, "They are just fishermen, but you are right, I will talk to them today and ask them to leave our waters."

Nukuluve pursed her lips and suddenly the scales fell from her eyes.

Chapter 16

The Pacific was calm and silent as Keoni, Maria, and Paul jumped onto the boat. Mina was holding a limp Filipe's hand in the ocean.

"He's too weak to swim back to Okawii," said Mina. "We're going to have to go slow and pull him home."

"We don't have time for that," Keoni said, pointing outward toward Hector's boat.

The others looked and saw Hector and Mike in scuba gear jumping off their boat into the water.

"How is this possible?" asked Maria. "They can't have found out we left already!" asked Maria.

"It doesn't matter, we have to find a way to get Filipe back before they get to us." Keoni was determined not to lose anyone to these hunter-monsters.

They began to row, but the tide was against them.

"We have to use the engine," Keoni said. "We'll never get back otherwise."

As soon as they started the engine, Hector's other crew members turned and saw them.

Andrew had tried to keep Jim occupied, but Jim shouted from the yacht, "Our mermaids escaped, they have one hanging off that boat!" Jim pointed to their small boat. There was no place for them to hide in the bright morning sun.

Mina hung on tight to Filipe's wrist. "Don't go so fast, we're going to lose him!"

By this time the scuba divers had been alerted to their presence as well, and were close to catching up to them.

"Shit!" shouted Mina. "This is impossible." Looking back and seeing that Hector's crew members were only about 20 yards away, she quickly swallowed some White Coral and jumped in next to Filipe.

"Filipe, listen to me, I'm going to need you to swim. We're not going far."

Filipe nodded weakly.

Hector and Mike were now only 10 yards away, and they were closing in fast.

"Just follow me, don't think."

Mina dove down to the bottom of the reef surrounding Okawii, and, finding a small opening, swum through to the island side of the reef. Filipe followed her. Hector and Mike, with their fins and with Mina and Filipe swimming rather slowly for mermaids, were able to keep up and followed them through the reef.

She looked back toward Filipe and saw that Hector and Mike were still tracking them, now on the inside of the reef. Gesturing to Filipe to stay close, she abruptly turned and seemed to swim right into the reef. Filipe followed her into the tunnel that she had found earlier, and they surfaced inside the cave.

"What is this place?" asked Filipe, breathing deeply. He rested his head on his arms on top of the shelf formation and opened and closed his eyes weakly.

"A cave I found," answered Mina. Then she added, "They won't be able to follow us through the tunnel with all that gear on."

She saw the state he was in and quickly went down and pulled up two of the large jars. Putting them on the shelf above water she opened them and dumped out the dried food. Filipe, his body craving protein, immediately went for the fish.

"Not too much," warned Mina. "You'll get cramps if you eat it all and try to swim fast afterwards. Remember, we may have to outrun them."

Filipe slowed his eating.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Filipe nodded.

"Good. I'm going to poke my head out and see what's going on. Hopefully I'll be able to lead them away from here so you can make an escape. If I'm not back in five minutes, come on after me. That means the way is clear."

Keoni watched Mina disappear down into the ocean with Filipe slowly following her, and Hector and Mike following them, and shook his head. He wasn't going to let the girl he loved dive into such a risky situation without going with her.

He turned to Maria and Paul. "Listen, you two go back for help, I'm going down." He ate a piece of Coral and dove in after Mina and Filipe without a concrete plan. Hector and Mike didn't see him enter the water as they had already turned to follow Mina and Filipe through the reef.

Keoni quietly followed Hector and Mike through the reef to the other side, and saw the glow of Mina's golden tail as it disappeared back through the tunnel. He realized that the scuba divers had seen Mina and Filipe go into the reef-tunnel and would just camp out there until they came out. Swimming quickly and silently, Keoni approached the backs of the scuba divers, who were peering into the tunnel. He gave a quick tug on their tanks to get their attention. They turned around, shocked to see the tail of a mermaid slowly swimming away from them. Not realizing they were being played, they started after him.

At this point Mina poked her head out from the tunnel, and saw the scuba divers chasing Keoni. With a surge of protectiveness, she dashed out in front of them to get their attention away from Keoni. Her golden tail didn't fail to dazzle them, and Hector turned immediately to chase her while Mike stayed on in Keoni's pursuit. The Texan recognized Mina immediately. He didn't know how she had escaped his tank, but there was no way he would let her escape again.

Mina failed to realize how close Hector actually was to her, and she found herself struggling to stay ahead of him. She zigged and zagged in case he tried to harpoon her, but she, like Filipe, was tired and hungry. A couple times she felt his fingers touch the end of her tail fin.

Then suddenly Mina noticed that Hector was no longer right behind her. She turned around to see where he went and saw that he was next to the reef, fiddling with his gear. The scuba air bubbles were no longer being emitted from him. Mina knew she should take the opportunity to go back to Filipe in the cave, but she continued to watch Hector anyways.

Hector's jiggling got faster and more forceful as he realized his equipment was failing him. Finally giving up all hope of ever catching the mermaid, he went to kick off the reef to surface and breathe when he found that his fins were stuck in the reef.

Mina was watching him the entire time. After a minute when Hector still hadn't surfaced, she began to get nervous and fiddled with her necklace. Why wasn't he going up to breathe? As much as she hated him, she didn't want to see him die like this. Another half minute went by as she weighed her options. She decided she couldn't let a man die in front of her when she had the opportunity to stop it.

Seconds before he ran out of air, Hector watched in awe as the golden-tailed mermaid approached him. She looked him in the eye, smiled, and gently took the harpoon from his hand, launching it down to the ocean floor. Then she removed the regulator from his mouth and blew air bubbles into his mouth, effectively saving his life.

She gave him two more breaths of precious oxygen before bending down to remove his fins from the reef. Tears flowed from Hector's eyes as he looked at his left hand and felt a phantom tingling in his missing three fingers. He never expected that a wild animal would ever save his life. Still crying as he kicked to the surface, Hector never even looked back at his harpoon. This beast had saved him. It had saved him from his own certain death, and, more importantly, it had saved him from his own psychological need to dominate the animal kingdom. He was awakened to the natural goodness that existed in nature and vowed never to harm another creature again.

Chapter 17

Keoni knew it was his job to distract the other diver, but he didn't have a plan as to how he would lose him. The diver was well-practiced and in the narrow area between the reef and the island Keoni was unable to really speed up and shake him.

Unexpectedly, Mina showed up in his line of vision and gestured at him to follow her. She swam toward the reef at full speed and disappeared in to the tunnel. Keoni followed her and heard the thump of the scuba diver when his gear hit the edges as he tried to follow them in.

"Filipe! I'm glad you're still here!" exclaimed Mina when she surfaced inside the cave. "How are you feeling?" She saw that he had gotten most of his color back.

"A lot better, thanks. I looked out and saw that the way was definitely not clear with them still chasing you guys around."

"It's still not clear," said Keoni. "The other scuba diver chased us in."

Mina nodded. "The Texas guy swam back to his yacht. Hopefully when the other scuba diver sees that, he'll follow him back."

"How did you manage to lose the Texas guy?" asked Keoni. "I was busy with the other guy and when I looked up, he was heading back to his yacht."

"It's a long story, but it seems like he had a change of heart," she replied.

Keoni looked at her in amazement. Mina saw that she had impressed him and smiled at him. She raised her eyebrows in obvious flirtatiousness, not caring if Filipe saw her or not.

Five minutes later, Keoni went to see if the way was clear yet. He cautiously swam down the tunnel, but as he neared the exit, a hand came swiping in at him, scratching his face in the process. Keoni could taste his blood in the water as he used his hands against the tunnel wall to back himself back into the cave.

"He's still there," Keoni said, with his hand on his scratched face.

Mina looked up in the reef-cave and eyed the large holes. "I have an idea." She grabbed one of the tiny cylinders from the shelf and picked away at its wax seal.

"What are those?" asked Filipe, pointing to the tiny orange balls that Mina spilled onto the shelf.

"Just White Coral that's been processed. It's extremely potent and will cause you to change forms immediately."

Filipe put one in his mouth and instantaneously his head fell under the water line. Kicking back to the surface with his human legs, he said, "Cool!"

"Just hang on a second," said Mina, eating one as well. "Keoni, now you."

"Wait, where are you going with this?" asked Keoni.

"See those holes up there?" she asked. "We're going to climb through one while we have our legs."

"But we don't know where they lead," said Filipe.

"Yes we do," smiled Mina. "You know that giant rock out by the reef? I'm pretty sure that we're just under it and that these tunnels will get us through to the other side."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Keoni, swallowing one of the orange balls and heaving himself up onto the ledge.

Mina grabbed a couple of the small cylinders and then she and Filipe followed Keoni up. They started into the biggest hole in the reef.

"This one's a dead end," said Keoni, backing down.

"Let's try this one." Mina climbed up into the second biggest hole. It was a little higher up than the one Keoni had tried, and she was lucky to find a foothold in the reef. The dried out reef was chalky and scratchy against their skin as they wriggled through it and before long they saw daylight peeping through a one foot by one foot little hole at the end. Keoni took the knife attached to his arm and used it to made the hole a little bigger.

Filipe poked his head through the rock and looked out to sea. "We're going to have to swim by the boats to get to the opening in the reef."

"Perfect," said Mina. "The Texas guy won't come after us, and Mr. Lanza won't either. The only one chasing us is the guy waiting by the tunnel, and he's on the inside of the reef while we'll be on the outside."

The three teens jumped into the water, each swallowing another orange ball on the way down. By the time they hit the water they had their fins back.

David and Andrew stepped off the boat onto the dock. Nukuluve was waiting for them.

"And the others?" asked the old woman.

"They all changed forms and disappeared under the sea," answered her son-in-law. "We waited around until Hector—the owner of the blue and white yacht—came back to the boat. He was crying and throwing all of his weapons into the water."

"And him?" Nukuluve looked questioningly at the big-haired teen. It had been many years since a complete outsider had come to the island. She was reminded of when her Eva had brought back David and wondered if there was anything between her granddaughter and this young man.

"He's fine. He knows. He is Mina's best friend from home," said David.

She nodded. "Come. You must be hungry."

As they walked back to Nukuluve's hut, she filled them in on what happened. "Akolo is no longer Chief of Okawii. His wife, Sela, came forward and told everything. It was Akolo who was responsible for the capture of Mina and Filipe. He told the hunter where to find them. This explains his unwillingness to send a search party, and his not going out to speak with the yachters to ask them to leave our waters which would be the norm."

David shook his head. "Wow. What could prompt him to give up some of his own people like that?"

"Mina's golden tail, for one."

"I don't get it."

"It means that she is genetically predestined to inherit the Chiefdom on the island. Akolo had always imagined that his nephew Keoni would succeed him and the Chiefdom would remain in his bloodline."

"But then why did he betray Filipe as well?" asked David.

"I don't think he wanted to lose Filipe, but he had to send him along because it would be too suspicious for him to send Mina alone. She's too new to the island for such an errand. Also, according to Sela, the yachter had offered Akolo a significant sum of money that was waiting for him on Hawaii." Nukuluve smiled. "It seems that Sela did not want to go to Hawaii after all."

Andrew hung his head in his hands. "So Mina is really the Chief of the island?" He knew that if that were true he would have no chance with her now. She'd stay here and never come home and he could never be a mermaid and join her here.

"No, she is not, and it is not certain that she will ever be. Her tail is only a genetic marker, passed down through the Chiefly line. Uhila is acting Chief now, and the elders will have to meet and discuss this unusual situation."

"Where is Akolo now?" asked David.

"He is in his hut awaiting the judgment of the elders." Nukuluve turned her head toward the woods, hearing footsteps. Sure enough, Filipe, Keoni, and Mina were walking toward them on the path.

"Andrew! They let you on the island!" Mina ran over and gave him a hug.

"Yeah," Andrew nervously ran his hand through his big hair. "Apparently I'm 'worthy' enough now that I know your secret."

David Young quickly filled his daughter in on the happenings on the island.

Afterwards Mina sat and stared at the fire for a minute. "Grandmother?" she asked. "Did Chief Akolo really give me up like that to the hunter? I always thought he was such a nice guy..."

"Yes, Granddaughter," the old woman answered, putting her hand on Mina's shoulder. "Akolo's big mistake was that he sacrificed the future of the island for riches and power today." She looked softly at her granddaughter. "A leader must always consider the future."

Mina nodded. While Filipe and his rescuers finished eating their soup, Mina looked several times between Andrew and Keoni. She was still in disbelief that they were both there at the same time. She couldn't wait to get home to Tucson and play with Water Salad, but she had never felt more alive than on Okawii as a mermaid, and Keoni could understand that. Andrew caused her to feel comfortable, while Keoni caused a knot in the bottom of her stomach that heightened all of her senses. She knew an uncomfortable conversation with Andrew was coming up, and she wondered if Keoni sensed that they had had a history. So what if I kissed Andrew—Keoni can't be mad about that. Plus, he probably kissed Ana while they were dating.

As the group sat there discussing the morning's events, Maria and Paul approached them.

"We were worried about you guys," said Maria with a relieved smile. "I'm glad you made it home safe."

Mina stood up. "Yeah, we'll tell you all about what happened. Come on, I want to show Andrew Vai Place."

"Be careful," said David pointedly.

"I promise not to go into the ocean," answered his daughter in a sing-song voice, "today."

The group of teenagers stood to go and Mina walked with Andrew all the way to Vai Place, painfully aware that Keoni was right behind them on the path.

When Andrew first saw Vai Place, his reaction was the same as Mina's had been: total awe and an urge to jump in and try everything at once. As he stood there taking in the slice of paradise in front of him, Ana approached the group.

"Who's your friend?" she asked Mina smiling, her voice dripping with honey.

"This is Andrew," replied Mina, slightly miffed that Ana suddenly treated her like her best friend now that she had brought a hot boy onto the island.

"Hi," said Andrew, smiling.

Mina didn't know how she should react to this. On the one hand she wanted to warn her friend of Ana's unpleasant nature, but on the other hand, this could work out for her. I love him and he is still my best friend, but I don't love-love him. This would get Ana off her back about Keoni, and alleviate some of her guilt for kissing Andrew before her summer on Okawii.

"Come on, let me show you the coolest rock slide," Ana said to Andrew.

Andrew looked at Mina.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Go," she nodded, "I'll be right behind you."

After Andrew left with Ana, the others slowly drifted away, leaving Mina alone with Keoni. Although she had spent countless hours alone with him, she was nervous. Nobody knew about their kiss after the feast, and they hadn't defined themselves as a couple yet, but they were alone together in front of half the island, including Ana and Andrew.

They sat down on a rock formation and watched the others play.

Mina broke the silence first. "Keoni, that night after the feast—what does that make us?"

Keoni grabbed her hand and looked at her. "I don't quite understand your question, but I love you."

She was hesitant to ask further, realizing that there some cultural difference here, too. At home, 'dating' was something that was defined by both parties. It looked like that was not the case on Okawii.

Their hand-holding drew a few stares and Mina knew that the entire island knew about their relationship by this point.

Keoni continued. "I'm sorry that you have to leave Okawii at the end of the summer, but I want you to know that I will remain faithful to you."

Mina smiled at this confirmation of their relationship. "I have to go to college next year, but I'll visit next summer between school years."

"I didn't tell you this earlier, but Akolo had refused my request to go to college. Now I understand why. I assumed that your golden tail made you the heir, but he did not see that as a possibility and was still counting on me. Now that he's not in the way, I am sure Uhila will allow me to go."

Keoni suddenly stood up. He had caught sight of his mother and brother on the other side of the waterfall. "I forgot—I promised my mother I'd watch Taha today."

As Maili and Taha approached them, Mina wondered if his mother had seen them holding hands, and hoped she would approve of her for her son.

"Remember? You said you'd take him to the beach today." Maili felt bad interrupting, but she had other plans and needed to leave the boy. She smiled at Mina. "I'm glad you're back safe and sound."

Mina watched Keoni go with his little brother, loving that he was so good with kids and so good to his family. Maili smiled at her again before she left, but didn't say a word. Mina understood from the woman's face that she supported their relationship.

After Maili departed, Andrew appeared next to Mina.

"So you're with him, huh?" Andrew asked, sitting down next to her. His puppy-dog eyes told her that he was still very interested in her, despite the good time he was having with Ana.

She looked at him and gave him a sad smile. "Andrew, I love you, I do, but I am a mermaid." She put her hand on his shoulder. "This is who I am, who I was meant to be."

"It's cool," he nodded casually. "You're coming home for school, though, right?"

"Of course, there's no way I'd miss senior year." Mina felt bad about Andrew and hoped this wouldn't impact their friendship. Senior year without him and the band in her life would be unbearable.

"Good." He grinned at her. That meant he still had a chance. He knew the saying about absence making the heart grow fonder, but Andrew knew that that usually didn't refer to high-school summer romances. A few months from now the memory of Keoni's face would fade for her, and he would be there right next to her as always.

"Hey, I'm sorry." She felt guilty about having led him along with their kiss at the beginning of the summer only to have him appear on Okawii to find her dating someone else.

"No worries," Andrew said confidently. "Just know that this doesn't change anything for me. I said I loved you out on the boat, and I still do." He would wait until she came to her senses and realized they belonged together.

The next day there was still a sense of insecurity around the island. The blue and white yacht had departed, but Simon's was still there and the elders had not yet come out of their deliberations regarding the fate of Akolo.

Keoni was busy watching Taha, so Mina was hanging out at Vai Place with Andrew, Maria, Paul, and Ana. After some chit-chat, Paul and Andrew went to climb on the vines and the three girls were left alone. Maria gave Ana a fake smile and a look that said, "Do it already."

Ana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about pestering you about Keoni. You won him, and that's fair, and you won't hear anything else from me about it."

Mina was impressed with Ana's humility. "It's okay," she said. "I hope we can still be friends."

"Fine," said Ana, extending her hand.

Finally around noon the elders came out of the main lodge and made their way to Vai Place to announce their decision.

Uhila stepped up on a rock and raised his staff in the air. The Okawiians quieted down in anticipation of the verdict.

"In light of the fact that Akolo betrayed our way of life to an outsider and handed over two of our own to what could have been a grisly fate, we have decided to exile him from Okawii and forbid him from using White Coral ever again."

The crowd whispered and nodded.

Uhila continued, "David Young's colleague has agreed to drop him off at Hawaii where he has relatives."

After the announcement, Mina and Nukuluve approached the old acting chief.

"Uhila, we have something to show you, in private," said Nukuluve.

He looked at them inquiringly. "Come."

They followed him to the main lodge, which was completely empty.

"What is it?" he asked them, making himself comfortable on a bench.

Mina took out one of the small cylinders she had brought home from the underwater cave. She carefully picked off the wax at one end and dumped the four tiny orange balls into her palm.

"It is White Coral that Konala and I processed many years ago," said Nukuluve. "It is extremely potent, and causes one to change forms immediately, regardless of the presence of salt water."

The oldest man on the island raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Let me show you," Mina said. She ingested one of the balls and promptly fell to the floor with a giant fishtail. Uhila looked down at her, with his mouth gaping open. Then Mina quickly popped another orange ball into her mouth and regained her legs.

"We show you this because we think it might be useful to the people here," said Mina. "If Filipe and I had had some of this in our possession at the time of our capture, we would have easily been able to escape from the yacht."

"That is amazing!" said Uhila. "So you and Konala made these? Can you make more?"

"I think I can recreate the recipe," said Nukuluve nodding.

Later that day Mina walked her dad to the dock. Her plane home was scheduled for the next week, but he was going back with Simon and Andrew.

"So, are you ready to go back to Arizona?" David asked his daughter.

Mina blinked her eyes innocently. "Can I stay an extra month so I can go to the Mermaid Games? They picked me to represent in one of the sports. Please, please, please?"

David looked at her hard. "Let's make a deal. You agree to apply to colleges, and you can stay an extra month."

Mina jumped onto her dad, giving him a big hug.

Epilogue

"Yeah, it's good to hear from you." Simon Lanza closed the door to his office at Young Bank as he turned off the speaker-phone function on his mobile. "Yeah, I did hear about Hector quitting as president....Yeah....Yeah....This is an investment opportunity like no other," continued Simon. "Think of it like a cross between Jurassic Park and swim with the dolphins." Simon paused. "We'll make millions."

THE END

