Kidnapping on Kaua'i (featured by Wattpad 2014)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tuesday

The second day of high school is supposed to be smoother than the first, but it was obvious even from the main road that something was wrong at the school. Instead of splitting off to the junior high, Pano came with me to check it out. When we got closer, we both stopped short to stare. A crowd of students and teachers had gathered at the steps in front of the entrance doors, which were still closed. Principal Aihue was standing in a wide stance before the steps, with his back to the crowd and his closed fists on his hips.

"What's going on?" Pano asked. Without waiting for me to try to answer, he shoehorned his way into the crowd. I tried to follow, but I made slow progress in the thickening group. "Excuse me, sorry, excuse me," I mumbled.

When I got near the front, I saw Pano's hand snake backward around the person in front of me. He grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and pulled me through."Why'd you take so long?" he hissed. "Check it out."

Now I could see what was causing all the commotion; someone had piled up ahūs in front of the doors, blocking access to the school. The ahūs were made of smooth, almost polished-looking rocks that had been fit together perfectly without the use of mortar-exactly like the ones we'd seen on our secret path. The largest pile sat in front, and was topped by a wooden tiki of Kono, the Hawaiian god of war. Its carved expression was a stern reminder of the dark, distant past, making the tiki's stony disposition hard to look at, and even harder to look away from.

"Menehunes built these," Pano said, crossing his arms. "They're sending us a message."

I opened my mouth to argue, but then realized there's no arguing with conviction like that.

Principal Aihue turned toward the teachers. "Let's take these down as fast as possible," he ordered, picking off a rock from the top of an ahū on the side. My heart clenched as I watched him; according to legend, dismantling an āhu will anger the gods and bring bad luck. Superstition, I chided myself.

Ten minutes later, all of the ahūs had been removed, except for the one in front with the tiki on it. The principal wrapped his arms around the tiki to test its weight, and then he hefted it up and off to the side. When he turned back around, I saw the tiki had left a long reddish-brown stain on his shirt. The principal didn't seem to notice; he dusted off his hands and threw the school doors open with resolve.

As soon as the doors opened, a strange fluttering sound came from inside. The unlit hallway provided no clue as to what it could be. Just as the principal turned his ear toward the hall, a swarm of black witch moths poured out of the open doors like a black cloud. Each witch moth was the size and shape of a bat, with purplish-black wings and grasping antennas. They circled the principal with blind, frenzied movements. He stumbled backward with his arms up, and then the swarm of moths became so thick, I could no longer see his face in the black, winged mass. After a few seconds, the moths lifted and disappeared into the sky, leaving in as sudden a manner as they'd arrived.

Principal Aihue stood on the stairs coughing like he'd been in a cloud of smoke. The teachers rushed to his side, but he recovered quickly and addressed the crowd in a stern voice. "Students, I'm going to have a safety check performed at the school. If we get an all clear, this day will commence as normal. Also, if anyone has information about who committed this act of vandalism at our school, please see me immediately."

Pano looked up, interested.

"Don't even think about it," I warned, imagining him racing to the principal's office to share his theories on Menehunes.

"No worries. Even I'm not that lōlō," he said. "Hey, it sounds like we might have a free day!"

My heart soared at his words, thinking about the double possibility of freedom and missing the Sanbello presentation.