Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Kanani Makua was conflicted about moving. She wanted something new, but this felt like too much. Yet, with reluctance on her side, she had been told two things: to pack her things and to say goodbye to her home. She felt resentment all through the process of moving, on the airplane, in the airport, and even now, in the back of the car heading to her new home, she still felt it.

She knew that they were heading to a place that her brother had dreamed of living and worked hard to achieve, which was why she had hidden her disappointment the best that she could. Although she supported her brother, she couldn't pretend that she was content. Honestly, she just longed for her home. She couldn't even look at him, as she knew that once their gazes met, she would admit how she felt.

Instead, Kanani looked out of the window of the car at the scenery around her. All of which was unfamiliar, and she didn't bother to give it a chance. She had done enough traveling as a kid for a lifetime. Her brother, Keanu, seemed aware of her silence. He looked at her through the rearview mirror. A concerned look passed over his face. He sighed. "Nani," he said sympathetically. Kanani bit her lip and held her tongue. "What?" She asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

"You know, the place isn't bad. We're living by the beach. Do you want to go for a swim before we unpack?"

Kanani felt a twinge of sadness. She did want to swim, but she wanted to swim on the shores of Kaua'i, not the Gold Coast. "No, I'm good." She said indifferently.

"Ah, come on?" Keanu asked. "Please?"

Kanani shook her head. "Maybe later, let's just go by the apartment first.”

Keanu sank into his seat in disappointment. "Okay."

The two continued down the road in silence. Kanani felt bad and Keanu wanted to make her feel better. But both were worried that they could make things worse, and so neither tried to help.

After what seemed like forever, they finally made it to the apartment. When she saw it, Kanani, for the first time since they had landed in the Gold Coast, felt a familiarity with her new surroundings. The apartment complex was just like it was back home. It was a humble complex, but from the palm trees that lined the entrance to the townhome layout of the apartments and even the oceanic decorations of the patios, she felt a sense of belonging and relief.

Keanu pulled the car into the complex. "Welcome home." He said as he parked the car.

Kanani shot him a look. "It's not home forever."

"No," Keanu unbuckled his seatbelt. "Just until I'm done with all my studies."

"So we're stuck here forever?”

"No, that would be if we left when you stopped complaining." He opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Thanks for that." Kanani said, annoyed.

"You're welcome. Oh, I gotta get the keys. Stay here until I do."

"Not like I have a choice…”

Keanu shut the door and walked away. Kanani looked around at the complex and at her surroundings. She had been to Australia when she was very young, but she only remembered bits and pieces of the trip. She didn't know what Australia would look like, and was surprised that it wasn't what she expected. She thought it would be dry and barren; and perhaps it was further inland, but where she was, she didn't hate it like she told herself she would.

As she began to warm to the idea, she thought about swimming. And she felt comforted by the idea. It had almost become her safe word. She knew that when she needed to feel better, that's what she would do.

Knock. Knock. Kanani jumped. She turned to the noise. Keanu opened the door. "I got the keys." He said, jangling them in front of her.

"You didn't have to scare me!" Kanani exclaimed.

"I kinda did, though, lolo.”

Kanani jokingly shook her head as she stepped out of the car.

"Alright, it's apartment 208." Keanu said.

"Where is that?”

Keanu opened the trunk and grabbed his suitcase. "It's the second one on the bottom.” He pulled her suitcase out and rolled it to her. "Here, take this inside.”

Kanani grabbed the suitcase. Keanu tossed her the keys and she caught them.

"208, right?"

"Yep, that's the one.”

Kanani nodded and turned to go. She walked up to the apartment and put the keys in the lock. She prepared herself as she opened the door. To her surprise, their furniture was already in the apartment. She was happy to see that he hadn't gotten rid of their things. It needed to be arranged, but it was there. She looked around at the apartment. She mapped out the living room, the kitchen, and the bathroom. She looked over and saw two rooms on opposite sides of the apartment. Just then, Keanu came inside with multiple boxes in his hand.

"Let me help." Kanani said. She grabbed the boxes and carried two of them for him.

"Thanks, Nani." He said. “Put these in that room.”

“Okay."

And once they had finished, they carried on with the rest of the boxes. When they were done, they sat down on the couch and stopped to rest.

"That's everything." Keanu said.

“What didn't we pack?" Kanani asked jokingly.

"Right? So...which room do you want?"

"Hmm..." Kanani looked over at the two rooms. She thought it over for a second. "That one, it's got the best view."

"Ah, no way." Keanu said. "That's on me for letting you choose first."

"You should know better." Kanani joked.

"No kidding." Keanu shook his head. “Hey, uh, I do need to talk to you about something though."

"Uh oh." Kanani crossed her arms. "Last time you said that, I was on a plane before you finished talking."

Keanu looked over at her in annoyance. "I need to tell you about the schedule. You have school in the morning same time I do and you get home when I'm getting ready for work. So I won't be here most of the time except my breaks. That means no trouble, you got it?"

"Ah, come on, you don't trust me?"

"Hmm, no, not really, Nani."

"So you can't take me to school?”

"I can this week, but I probably won't be able to after that."

"So it's the same as before? Well, can you at least be here on Saturday?"

"That's my one day off, I'm not going anywhere." Keanu looked at her assuringly.

Kanani smiled back. "Well, what are we going to do now that everything is in the apartment?”

"Unpack, arrange furniture, and then eat cause I need good food soon.”

"Let's do it."

It took the rest of the day, but they finally got all of the furniture organized and ate a grand meal of a delivered pizza. Of course, they couldn't enjoy it for long as both of them sat down on the couch and almost instantly passed out. Both enjoyed their rest, though, because they knew that they only had three days before they had to settle into their new life; a fact which scared both of them. And before they knew it, they were on the last day. Kanani couldn't complain about the last two days. They had gone hiking, boating, diving, and explored what felt like the whole of the Gold Coast. Even still, she was determined to make her last day of freedom as fun as could be. So while they were visiting the local spots, they decided to take a break for lunch.

"What is this place?" Kanani asked. She wasn't sure where Keanu had taken her, but it was a break from the downtown restaurants and stops they had visited. It was a small, quaint shop with an outdoor patio and laid back vibe.

"Uh, it's Rikki's." Keanu said, pointing to the neon sign above the building.

"Ha ha." Kanani said sarcastically. "Has anyone ever told you you should be a comedian?"

Keanu grinned. He began to walk to the entrance and Kanani followed. "It's got good reviews.” He said. “It's smoothies and sandwiches, I think. I thought we should try something new."

The two walked into the building. The inside of the store was interesting to Kanani. It was modern, but not expensive, and had a mature feeling to it at the same time that it seemed like a fun hang out spot. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a small stage with instruments.

"Whoa, Keen," she said, pointing to the instruments. "They've got live music."

"Ha, I might have to brush up on my ukulele skills." Keanu joked.

"I'd like to see you play Eruption." Kanani joked back. 

"That might be a little beyond my skill set.”

The two sat picked a table after they ordered their food, picking a table in the corner of the room nearby the instruments.

"Nani," Keanu teased. “We're in a new continent and you order a cheeseburger?"

Kanani laughed. "Oh, come on!”

Keanu shook his head. "I can't be seen out in public with you anymore. You're a walking stereotype."

"Hey, I didn't see kangaroo on the menu!”

Keanu smiled and shook his head. "This has been really nice. Since when do we get to just hang out?"

"Don't get all sentimental on me. Every time you do, you hit me with bad news."

"Only bad news is that I have to do nothing but work and school for the next four years, starting tomorrow."

"Keanu. You don’t have to do that…I know that Dad would—”

Keanu immediately shook his head. "No, no way. We'll be fine. It just won't be as fun when I don't get to hang out as often."

Kanani held back from saying what she wanted to. Instead, she sighed and shook her head. "This was fun, wasn't it? Ah man, can we at least dive on the weekends?"

"Absolutely!”

"I'll hold you to it.”

“You'd better."

Kanani smiled, but held back from how she felt. She knew, from what their life had been like back home, that he would never have the time to do that. Truth be told, she was worried that she wouldn't make friends and that she would spend the whole year alone. But she pushed that thought away and just enjoyed the free time that she had. But for another patron of the café, relaxation was not an option.

"That's it!" A girl across the room exclaimed. “I will never understand this."

The boy in front of her smiled. "You've lost it already?" He joked. “We're not even on the second page."

"I don't think I'll survive the first page. I hate this class."

"It hates you too.”

"No kidding." The girl sighed angrily and pushed the paper away from her. "I'll finish it tonight."

"Don't you mean google will finish it tonight?”

"Oh come on, that doesn't sound like me.”

"Whatever you say.”  

"Yeah, yeah, anyways, when are we—?"

"Hey, Penny, Levi." Another voice said. The two looked up at the voice. Standing above them was a girl from their class. 

"Oh, hey Hana." The girl, Penny, said. The boy, Levi, waved to Hana.

“Hi." Hana waved back. She turned back to Penny. "Glad I ran into you, Penny, I wanted to ask you about the science project?”

Penny held back from rolling her eyes. She had a tough week already and she had completely forgotten about the project. "Oh..? What about it?"

"Can you bring the vinegar and the baking soda for tomorrow? I already have the slides done, but I need those ingredients."

"Oh, that's all? Sorry, it's been a rough week. I'll bring it tomorrow."

"No worries! I was just making sure, thanks! Bye guys!" She waved goodbye as she walked away. 

"Later." Levi said. 

"Bye." Penny said, waving goodbye. 

"Dude," Levi said once Hana was gone. "That was painful."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked, confused.

"You guys talk like you're stuck in an elevator. Weren't you soul sisters back in the day?"

"Uh, when we were 10." Penny looked over her shoulder at Hana, who was standing at the cash register. It wasn't that she didn't like Hana; in fact, they had been good friends when they were younger. But they had simply grown apart as they got older, and she didn't quite connect with Hana the way that she had before. She felt that talking with her was awkward, especially given how their only interaction was their lab partnership in science class.

Penny turned back to Levi. "It doesn't matter. So how do you feel about the surf meet coming up?"

"Ready." Levi said. "I'll totally win this year."

"Ooh, I kind of placed a wager against you." Penny said. "Sorry, guess you'll have to lose."

"Haha. Guess you'll be out of money then, 'cause there's no way I'm losing."

"Weren't you going to win last year too?”

"Hey, I've got it this year, Penny, trust me." Levi said, leaning back in the booth. When he did, he slipped and fell slightly before catching himself.

Penny laughed at him. "Oh wow, what a great day to have eyes.”

"Hey! You can't laugh, remember when you fell off the ladder?"

Penny opened her mouth in joking surprise. She threw a crumbled up napkin at him. "Not funny!” The two of them laughed as they continued their conversation.

While they talked, Hana had come back to the register. "Hey, Jenny." She said to the waitress.

The waitress smiled and looked up at her. "Hanako, you're back. Was the food rotten?"

Hana laughed. "No, delicious as always. But I was wondering, is the owner in today?"

Jenny shook her head. "Ah, no, not today, sorry."

"He used to be here all the time. I hope he's okay."

"He has ten of these stores open, he's doing fine. Why do you want to talk to him?"

"It's for our school paper. I have a photo journalism project due soon and I would love to include him since he went to our school."

"Mr. Bennett went to South Coast? Huh, I never knew."

"He did! Well, I guess he won't be here tomorrow, either?"

Jenny shook her head. "I haven't seen him since the new store opened up downtown. You could try there."

"Thanks, but I don't think I have time before the project is due."

"Well, what's the assignment?”

Hana pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened her phone and scrolled to her assignment document. "Here." She said, holding out her phone. Jenny picked it up and looked over the page. 

"Create an article that conveys success and perseverance through photos." Jenny handed the phone back to Hana. "He would be great for that."

"Right?" Hana said. "He saved Rikki's from bankruptcy and opened up all the new locations! Oh, well, I guess I can figure something out."

"Hey, maybe it doesn't have to be about a person.”

Hana thought it over. "Hmm, good idea. Maybe it could be about success through... nature?"

"Hey! What about how the marine park just cleaned up the reefs? The coral there was in a bad state before they did."

"That's a great idea! That was near Mako, right? Awesome, I can take pictures there."

"Oh, be careful. That place is a danger hotspot."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. I'll let them know now. You're the best!"

"I do what I can."

Hana opened her phone and replied to the email.

I will be taking pictures at Mako Island tomorrow after class.
-Hanako

While Hana was planning her trip and Penny was talking with her friend, Kanani was heading home. She had enjoyed the weekend she had and the food at the café, but she knew that it was coming to a close. So for the rest of the day, she enjoyed every free moment that she had.

Because before she knew it, she was in the car again on her way to school.
The scenery rolled past the windows and slowed down. And when it stopped completely, they were in front of the school. "Hey," Keanu said. "Not a bad campus."

"It's a maximum security prison." Kanani said sarcastically. "That's my stop, Keen."

"Hey, you might like it."

Kanani looked at him in joking annoyance. "Yeah, sure. Cause I've always liked school."

"Even if you don't like it, I gotta get to school too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kanani reached for the car door. She hesitated. She looked out of the window at the students. She wondered if she really would like it. She never had much luck with making friends, much less friends that didn't act like her or talk like her. Truth be told, she was a little scared. 

"Nani," Keanu said. "You'll be okay. Call me whenever you want." 

Kanani hesitated. She hoped he would be right. She nodded. "Thanks, Keanu. I'll see you tonight.”

"You got it, lolo."

Kanani opened the door and stepped out. She took in a deep breath and walked into the school. Maybe he was right. Maybe things would turn out okay. Or, at least, she hoped so....

Across the school that morning, Penelope Watkins was not prepared for the school day. She had one of those mornings where everything had gone wrong. As she rushed to her class, she tried to fish through her binder for the paper with no luck. And, as her morning luck would have it, she wasn't watching where she was going either. Before she knew it, she had collided with something and dropped her binder. 

"Whoa!" Penny tried to regain her balance. She felt a wave of disappointment hit her when she saw her binder, and all of its contents, on the ground. But that disappointment quickly changed to apologetic once she saw that the something she had ran into was actually a someone. "Oh my god, I am so sorry!" She knelt down and quickly began gathering the papers. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." The girl said. "It's no problem."

"No, it is a problem." Penny shoved the papers into her binder. On the ground, she noticed a phone. She picked it up and held it out for the girl. "Oh, is this yours?”

The girl picked herself up. Penny jumped to her feet. She held the phone out for her.

"Oh, yeah, that's mine. Thanks." The girl took the phone. 

Penny smiled and nodded. As she looked at her, she realized that she hadn't seen this girl here before. She noticed immediately that there was something different about this girl, something that caught her attention. Penny was intrigued by her uniqueness, as the clothes that she wore were fun and fashionable, and her long, curly black hair complimented her tan complexion perfectly. She seemed to be from a different world and a different time.

"Hey, are you new here?" Penny asked. "I've never seen you here before."

"Oh, yeah," the girl said. "It's actually my first day here."

"Your accent! Is it your first day in the country too?"

"No, but I've only been here for three days, so I'm not quite an expert yet."

"That's so cool, where are you from?”

"Uh, Kaua'i, Hawai’i. And I'd really love to keep talking, but I need to get to class, I'm almost late."

"Oh, oh, of course, I'm so sorry again.”

"It's all good. Thank you, though." She smiled and walked away. 

"You're welcome!" Penny called back. Once she was gone, Penny let out an angered sigh. She hit her head with the palm of her hand. She couldn't believe how distracted she was to run into her.
"Stupid." She muttered aloud. 

"Hey, what did I do?" A familiar voice asked. Levi stepped up next to her.

Penny grinned. "Nothing. I was talking to myself, Levi. I knocked over the new girl. She probably thinks I'm making fun of her."

"Ouch, what in introduction." Levi said. 

"Yeah, no kidding." Penny said. "She's not even been here for a week and that's how I greet her."

"Ooh, why don't you tell her that's how we say hello here?"

Penny hit him on the arm. "Not funny, it's her first day." Penny looked down at her binder and sighed. "And it'll be my last day if I can't find my homework." She started to walk to her classroom. Levi followed after her. 

"Oh no, that's it, it's over and done with. Which homework?"

Penny held out her binder. "Algebra. I know I had it in here and it's gone now."

"Oh, you mean, this homework?" Levi opened his own binder, and inside was a sheet of paper with her name on it.

Penny's eyes widened. "No way!” She realized where she had it last and hit her face with her palm. "Oh no, I must've left it at Rikki's when we were studying yesterday."

Levi chuckled. "Yeah, you did. Lucky for you, I kept it. And did it for you. You owe me now."

"Oh, yeah? What do I owe you?"

"I'll save that check for later. Something will come up for you to pay me back."

"Yeah, don't count on that."

They finally reached the door to the classroom. Levi opened it and held it open for her. "With you, Penny? Oh, come on, you know I'll cash that in at some point."

"Whatever, you know you—"

When they stepped inside, the entire class, including the teacher, turned to look at them. The teacher stood with her hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face.Penny stood there in speechless surprise.

"Looks like the bell already rang." Levi said.

"Yes, Levi, it looks like it did." The teacher said. "Take your seats now."

Penny looked down at the ground and rushed over to her usual seat. She sat down and put her bag next to her. She turned over and shot an embarrassed smile over to Levi, who smiled likewise to her. 

"Now class," the teacher began. Penny turned back to the front. The teacher began to introduce the lesson. Penny opened her notebook to a blank page. Buzz. Buzz. Her phone buzzed from inside of her pocket. As discreetly as she could, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and checked her messages.

Hey, did you get the ingredients for the project?
-Hana

Penny closed her eyes in frustration. In the craziness of the morning, she had completely forgotten to get what she needed. Maybe she could sneak out during lunch break...

I got it sorted out! She replied. Hopefully, that would be true by the time their project was ready to be presented.

For the rest of the lesson, she sat in boredom. She understood the material and always did well on tests, but she just didn't like being in the classroom. She had much better things to do. She was relieved when the bell rang and she got to talk to Levi. It was the only interesting part of her school day most of the time.

Today was no exception. The second that the bell rang, she immediately gravitated to Levi.

"Hey," she said as they walked out of the door. "Do you have any baking soda?"

"Baking soda?" Levi, asked, confused. "Oh, yeah, I carry around with me at all times."

"Oh come on, you know what I mean?"

"You mean do I have the ingredients for your project?" Levi shook his head. "I don't think so, Goldie."

"Ugh, what am I gonna do?" Penny groaned.

"Maybe your homework on time?”

Penny shot him a look. "Thanks a lot for the wisdom."

Before he responded, Levi spotted someone ahead of them. He looked at the person curiously for a moment. “Hey," Levi pointed to the girl at the end of the hall. "Is that the new girl you knocked over?"

"It was an accident!" Penny followed his gaze. Sure enough, the girl was at the end of the hallway. She looked down at a piece of paper in her hand and then around at the hallways. "Yeah, that's her.”

"What's her name?”

"Oh, it's..." Penny immediately felt guilty. She hadn't even bothered to ask for her name. "Ah, no way. I completely forgot to ask."

"So you knocked her over and you didn't even ask for her name? That's mean, Goldie."

"I was distracted! Let's help her, come on."

Before they could, the girl walked down the hallway. 

"Oh, I think she found what she needs." Penny said. 

“No thanks to you."

"Hey!"

Levi looked back at the girl again. He stood for a moment as he thought something over. "She seems cool.” He said finally.

“Is that your way of saying you think she’s cute?” Penny teased.

Levi was surprised for a moment, but quickly looked at her in annoyance.“Anyways,” he said, changing the subject. “She doesn't look like she's from here, do you know where she’s from?" 

“Uh, she's definitely American..." Penny tried to remember what she had said. "Oh, she's from Kaua'i."

"Kaua'i?" Levi asked, impressed. "Do you think she knows Nalu Kahuna?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you can't just ask her if she knows an obscure surf pro just because she's Hawaiian!"

"First of all, Nalu Kahuna is not obscure. Second, she's not just a tourist, she's a legit Hawaiian, he's probably her uncle."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."

"It's not that crazy."

"Whatever, racist." The two continued on their way. But while they were happy and joking, there was someone else who was the exact opposite.

All that was on Hanako Mizuki's mind was the project that was due in the next few hours. She had done her part, but she wasn't confident in her partner's input. But while she was thinking about the circumstances, she spotted her usual table in the lunchroom. But, to her surprise, someone was already sitting there. Sitting at her table alone was a girl she hadn't seen before.
She had her headphones in and was reading a book. Hana had heard that there was a new student, and she took it upon herself to properly introduce her to the school. 

Hana smiled and walked over to the girl. "Hey!”

The girl looked up. She pulled out her headphones and paused her music. "Oh, hi." The girl said. 

Hana sat down in front of her. "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, it's my first day."

"Oh, you're American?"

"Technically, I'm Hawaiian."

"That's so cool! Which island?"

"Kaua'i."

"I've been there! It's my favorite island for sure."

"You've been to Kaua'i? Have you been to the other islands?"

"Only Kaua'i and Maui, but I want to see more. My name is Hanako, but you can call me Hana."

"I'm Kanani."

"So what are you doing all the way out here?”

"Oh, my brother got a scholarship to college here and couldn't let me stay at home and have fun."

"Your family came out here because your brother got a scholarship? Why didn't your parents stay at home?"

"Oh, well, I'm staying with my brother, they're still in Hawai’i."

“Oh.” Hana thought that the arrangement was odd, but she didn't question Kanani. "Well, welcome to the Gold Coast.”

“Thank you! It is a change, but I like it so far."

"That's good. Hey, what music are you listening to?”

And they began a conversation. Hana was surprised to find that their conversation went so smoothly. She felt like she had connected with her, and had almost seen Kanani come out of her shell. She was shy, but as she continued to talk, she found that she enjoyed her company, even if they're just getting to know each other. She had barely noticed that much time had passed as they began to move from standard niceties into real conversation. But as they continued to talk, Hana spotted someone in the lunchroom, someone that she couldn't ignore.

"And that's about it for the plane ride here." Kanani said. 

"That's a long plane ride!" Hana said. "And hey, it was great to talk to you, but it's almost time to go to class. Can we talk later?" 

Kanani nodded. "Sure! Thanks for stopping by."

"Of course! I'll see you later!" Hana stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder. "By the way, nice to meet you!"

"Sure thing. And nice to meet you too."

"I'll see you around!" Hana smiled and waved goodbye. She began to walk toward the other person. "Hey, Penny!"

"Oh, hey Hana." Penny said. She turned to the other girls. "I'Il just be a second. I'll meet you guys later."

"Okay, bye Penny!" They said.

"Bye, guys!" Penny said back. She waved to them as they left. She turned back to Hana. "What's up?”

"I just wanted to ask you about the project." Hana said. Penny's smile dropped. "Oh, yeah, that... what about it?"

"Did you get the ingredients…?”

Penny laughed. "Hana, I already told you, I got it sorted out."

"What do you mean by that? Penny, this is worth 20% of our grade, and—"

"Hana, chill. It'll be alright. Yes, I have the baking soda." 

Hana looked her over. "You really do?”

"Yes," Penny said, annoyed. "Just don't stress. I got it figured out."

"Okay. Just please don't ruin the project."

"I won't. I promise."

Hana sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be annoying about it."

"No, I get it. But I do have to go now. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." Hana said. Penny smiled and walked away. Hana watched her uncertainly as she left.

She hoped that she was telling the truth. Penny, as she knew her, was not always like this. She was one of the most popular girls in school, but she was kind to everyone. Hana always admired how she included everyone in her conversations and how she wasn't ever a bully, but she also knew that all of the admiration she received went to her head. If Penny cared half as much about her grades as she did how much she was liked, she would be an honor student. To be honest, she missed the girl that Penny used to be. They were good friends before she had given up their friendship for her popularity. Hana shook her head and walked away.

The bell rang out through the lunch room. Hana wanted to ask her more, but she had to get to class. She went over her presentation in her head on her way there. When she got to her class, she spotted Penny. Of course, Penny was sitting next to a friend laughing and talking. Hana walked over to her. 

"Hey, come over here." She said. She nodded her head towards their usual spot. 

"Okay, be right there." Penny said. Hana walked over to their seat and put her bag down beside her. Penny sat down next to her. Hana pulled their project to the center of the table.

"Okay, so when I tell you, you'll put the baking soda into the volcano."

"Got it." Penny said. "You did put vinegar in here, right?"

"No," Hana said. "You were supposed to do that." 

Penny's eyes widened. "No, you were supposed to."

Hana's heart dropped. She sighed in frustration and held her face in her hands. "Penny." She said angrily. 

"You only told me about the baking soda, I thought—"

"No, you know what, let's just—"

"No, wait." Penny said. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a bottle of soda. 

“Penny, what does that have to–?"

"Look, Levi got these at the servo when he got the baking..." She trailed off. Hana glared at her in disbelief. "Um, anyways," Penny laughed nervously and opened her hand and held out a container of mints. Hana felt a wave of relief hit her. "Oh thank God." She said. "This could work. Here."

"Alright, presentations will start in just a moment." The teacher said. 

"Hold onto those, put them in the bottle when I tell you." Hana said. Penny nodded. "Okay."

Hana opened the soda and put it inside of the volcano. "Before we begin," the teacher said. "We have a new student in the class."

Hana looked over at the new student. Sure enough, it was Kanani, who sat in the center of the room. She sheepishly waved hello to the teacher and all the eyes that were on her.

"What's your name?" The teacher asked. 

"I'm Kanani." She said. "Oh, that's a beautiful name." The teacher said. "And where are you from, Kanani?"

"Kaua'i, Hawaii."

"Oh, that's amazing! Well class, welcome Kanani to Australia."

"Welcome, Kanani." They said together. 

"Speaking of Hawaii," the teacher began. "I do believe we have a volcano project for our presentations."

Hana tried her best not to look disappointed. She had a feeling that this project wouldn't work out, but she hoped that she was wrong.

"Penny, Hana, you're up."

The two looked at each other uncertainly. Then, Hana picked up the project and carried it to the front of the classroom. Penny followed after her. Penny smiled at Kanani when she got to the front. Kanani looked surprised for a second, then she smiled and nodded back. Hana cleared her throat. "Well, we decided to do our project on the science of volcanoes. Now,"

And as smoothly as she could, they went through the presentation. Luckily, she and Penny managed to pull off the first part without issue. But Hana had a feeling that things wouldn't work out towards the end.

"And," she said, reaching the conclusion. "This reaction will cause the volcano to erupt." Hana leaned in towards Penny. She looked at her and nodded. Penny nodded back. She opened the mentos and dropped them into the soda. "No, Penny, not that many—"

Instantly, the soda fizzed and exploded. It shot a big stream of bubbly soda right on top of Hana. She cried out in surprise as it covered her. Penny stood there frozen in absolute shock. The soda began to fizzle out as and fall down the side of the volcano. Laughter echoed through the classroom. Hana stood there in embarrassed surprise. She looked over at Penny with a pained, hurt expression.

"Oh, Hana." The teacher said. "Hana," Penny began. "I'm so-"

"Hey, all of you stop laughing unless you want detention." The teacher said. The laughter quieted down. "Here you go, Hana." The teacher said. She handed Hana a small towel. Hana, with teary eyes, took it and began to wipe down her face. "Hana, that was an excellent presentation. I don't think there's more needed from you today. Would you like to go home?"

"Oh, can I?" Hana asked. The teacher nodded. "Yes, you're excused. I'll write your note tonight."

Hana rushed to grab her bag.

"Hana," Penny began. "Sit down, Ms. Watkins." The teacher said. Penny shut her mouth. She watched in regret as Hana rushed out of the door. Penny begrudgingly grabbed the project and took it back to her seat. She felt awful about what had just happened. She truly didn't mean to do that to her. She had to make it up to Hana. But how?

Penny held her phone out under the table.

Levi, 

Meet me on the beach after school

She sent the text. Maybe he can help her make it up to Hana.

After school and away from their troubles, there was nothing that Kanani liked better than to sit by the beach after a long day. It was cathartic and relaxing. She felt at home.

"Ah." Keanu said, sitting next to Kanani. He took a drink from his beer can. "This is nice." 

“Aren’t you 19?”

“We're not in the USA anymore, Nani.”

“Whatever. That'll give me an advantage when we race."

"Oh, you know you can't beat me."

"You know I can."

Keanu leaned back into the sand. "So," he asked. "How was school?"

"Well, I got pushed over on accident and then I met some people and a volcano erupted on a girl, but that's about it."

"Just a normal Monday, huh?"

"Yep. Nothing new."

"So what happened with the volcano?"

"Man, I feel bad for her. A girl from class made the explosion land directly on her, and she was embarrassed in front of everyone."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, and some people were laughing at her and she was crying. Luckily, the teacher let her go home."

"Nah, they shouldn't laugh at her for that." Keanu took another drink of his beer. "Stupid kids."

"How was your day? Any volcanic eruptions at college?"

Keanu shook his head. "No, unfortunately not. Just studying and reading and more studying and reading."

"Sounds boring.”

"A little bit, but we'll see how work goes. That'll be boring."

"I bet."

The two sat there for moment, just taking everything in. The salty sea air, the sound of the waves crashing on the surface, and the laughter of people on the beach. They just enjoyed the noise and the feel.

"Do you want to get in the water?" Kanani asked, breaking the silence. 

“Ah, I'd love to." Keanu said. "But I have to get to work.”

"But you just got back."

"That's being an adult, kiddo. But we can hang out for a bit."

"Come on, you don't want to even try to break Dad's record?"

Keanu laughed. "I don't think I could ever do that." He traced the rim of the beer with his finger. "I don't think I want to do that."

Kanani noticed his tone instantly. Concerned, she looked over at her brother. She would see Keanu do this. He would go into these quick states of pained thinking and completely turn himself off from everything around him. He would freeze in place and not respond. And like he always did, he would snap out of it, laugh and change the subject like nothing had happened.

"Ha." He took another drink. "So did you make any friends?"

"Keanu," Kanani began concernedly. "Where did you just go?"

"Answer the question."

Kanani looked away and shook her head. Then, she spotted two people walking along the beach in their direction. To her surprise, it was the girl who had run into her earlier. She was walking along the beach as she looked out to sea. What was she doing out there?

"Nani?" Keanu asked.”What’s up?” 

"Well, that's the girl who ran into me earlier."

"Her?" Keanu pointed to her. "Want me to beat her up?"

"Ha, no. You know I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself."

"Got that right. But, I do have to go.” He stood up and brushed the sand off of his shorts. "Here, let me take you home."

"Can I stay for a bit?"

Keanu bit his lip. "Ah, I don't know, Nani, it'll be dark soon and you don't know your way around."

"No, I do." Kanani assured. “The apartment's not far from here. I just want to walk around the beach. And I've got my phone."

Keanu thought it over for a second. "What's your battery at?"

"87%."

"Fine. But let me know when you get home."

"I will, I will." Kanani joked.

Keanu walked away and waved goodbye. "Aloha!"

"Aloha!" Kanani called back. She turned back to Penny. She was curious; what was she thinking about? Hopefully about how she can make things up to Hana. Kanani couldn't believe that she had done that to her. How rude! But she didn't want to be involved in their problems. Instead, she decided to get into the water. It was the best way to let go of all of her worries.

But to Kanani’s luck, Penny was in fact thinking about how to make it up to Hana. Further down the beach, she had met up with her friend to go over what had happened.

"I swear, Levi." She said. "I didn't mean to do that. God, she looked so hurt. I feel awful."

"But it was an accident." Levi said. "She must know that."

"That's beside the point. She was already frustrated because I didn't do the project right, and now it looks like I did this to embarrass her. She must think I planned all of this out. What do I do?"

"Penny. Everything you just told me, tell her."

"She'll never believe me. Especially not now."

"Well, maybe she will if you go talk to her outside of school."

"Go to her house?"

"Yeah, talk to her in person."

"She won't talk to me."

"I bet you she will if she's on an island alone right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Levi took his phone out of his pocket. He opened it and pulled up his email. "Here, the photography project. She's probably taking pictures of tide pools."

"Maybe she is. Ah, but where? She could be at any beach."

"She's at Mako." Levi said.

Penny looked at him, confused. "How do you know?”

"Because she replied to this email saying I'll take pictures at Mako."

"What?" Penny grabbed his hand and pulled the phone towards her. Sure enough, at the bottom of the email was Hana's reply. "Well let's go to Mako then."

"Okay, let me just use my teleportation powers to get over there." Levi said, rubbing his fingers against his temples.

Penny smacked his arm. "Don't you have a boat?" 

"No," Levi began. "My dad has a boat and he hasn't let me touch it since I almost sank the last one."

"Can't you just ask him to borrow it?" Penny asked.

Levi thought about it for a second. "Dude, he might kill me if I ask."

"Better you than me.”

"Come on, let's go ask." Levi said. He turned and started to walk away. "At least if you're with me, he might let us go for a pity ride."

"Glad I could be of use." Penny said, following after him. Luckily, Levi lived very close to the beach, and it wasn't long before they got to his house.

"If he says no, we're swimming there." Penny said. 

"Who's we?" Levi asked. 

"Hey, you're a part of this now, too.”

"I'm only slightly invested." Levi opened the door and walked inside. 

When they did, hearing the door open, a man walked out from the other room with a smile on his face. "Hey, you two, back before curfew?" He asked. "Hmm," he said, looking at them inquisitively. "That must mean you're about to ask for something?"

"Maybe we just wanted to say hi." Penny said. 

"Yeah." Levi said. "But coincidentally, we also wanted to ask for something."

“Hmm, what is it?" His dad asked.

"We have this project we have to do for photojournalism." Levi said. "We need to take pictures of the reef. Can we take the boat to go to Mako?"

His dad's demeanor changed from enthusiastic to stern. "No, you can’t.”

"Ah, come on, Dad." Levi said. "We'll be careful."

"Yeah," Penny said. "If both of us go, then—"

"No." His dad said sternly. "I'm willing to let you use the boat with supervision, but you can’t go out to Mako, not tonight."

"Why not tonight?" Levi asked.

"Levi," his dad said. "It's a school night and you need to keep up your grades to stay in the surf meet."

Penny thought it was odd how he answered; he almost seemed to make up an excuse on the spot. She felt that there was more to his reasoning, but she didn't want to get in the way.

"But we need to take the photos for the class." Levi said. "To keep our grade."

"Not tonight, Levi." His dad said. "I can take you tomorrow on my boat, but you're not going by yourselves. You know how dangerous Mako is."

"Come on, Levi." Penny said. "I think he's right."

Levi scrunched up his face in disappointment. "Fine, we'll just go back to the beach then for the assignment."

"Good." His dad said. "But do take those photos."

"We will." Penny said. She turned to Levi. "Let's go." 

Levi nodded. "Okay, we'll be back."

"Be back by 9:00." His dad said as he headed back to the kitchen. Levi and Penny walked to the door and stepped outside of the house.

"Ugh, what happened?" Penny asked once they were outside.

"He's always been annoying about going to Mako at night."

"I get that there's sharks, but what's his problem?"

"Who knows?”

"Wait," Penny said. "Isn't tomorrow a school night too?"

"Good point, but he won't care. Either way, we're stuck here."

"But what about Hana?"

Levi shrugged. "I guess you'll have to wait. I'm sorry, but I don't think we're getting anything from him."

"You're no fun."

"Yeah, maybe. I'm going to Rikki's, do you want to walk with me?"

"No, I'll just go back to the beach. I'll see you at school."

"Later!" Levi turned and waved goodbye. Penny let out an exasperated sigh. What was she going to do now?

Penny began to walk back to the beach. She wasn't sure what to do, but Hana's look of betrayal was frozen in her mind. She felt awful for causing her to feel that way, even if they weren't close anymore. Maybe she could stop by her house.

As Penny walked along the beach, up ahead, she noticed someone in the water. When she looked closer, she noticed it was Kanani. She knew that it was a long shot, but it was worth a try. Hana needed an apology from her. Penny walked up to the shore. "Hey!" She called. 

Kanani looked up at her. She rolled her eyes. She laid back and tread in the water. "What is it?" She asked, annoyed. 

“Hey, what's wrong?" Penny asked.

"Are you gonna embarrass me in front of everyone, too?" Kanani asked. Penny stood there in regret for a moment. 

"Kanani, I didn't mean to do that. It was an accident."

"Was it really?" Kanani stood up in the water and walked to the shore. "Cause it didn't seem like it." She crossed her arms and looked at Penny intently. 

Penny met her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes, it was and I feel awful. I just want to apologize to her. And I know it's a long shot, but she's on Mako right now, and I need a boat to get there. Do you have one I can use?"

Kanani looked her over. Her expression changed and she softened her defense. "Well, if you really are sorry. But what's Mako?"

"It's an island off the shore from here. No one goes there unless they're forced to, which is why I'm going. Do you have a boat?"

"Well, no. Well, yes, but I'd have to ask my brother."

"Ugh, okay." Penny said, disappointed. "It's fine, I just really want to make it up to her. God, I feel awful."

Kanani thought about it for a second. She knew that Keanu wouldn't be happy with her for using the boat, but she also had piloted the boat many times before. It wasn't new to her, and she doubted that she would damage it. And she had misjudged Penny. It seemed like she really did want to say sorry. 

"Well, I guess I could take it. He would say yes anyways."

Penny's eyes lit up and a bright smile crossed her face. "Thank you so much Kanani!”

"It'll cost you though.”

Penny nodded. "You got it!"

"Come on, the apartment's this way."

Kanani led her over to their apartment dock. "Come on." She said, gesturing for Penny to follow.

"Alright." Penny said. She stepped onto the boat and sat down. Kanani took her keys out from her pocket and started the boat. 

"Do you know the way?" Kanani asked.

"Sort of." Penny said. 

"Hmm. That's a challenge. Let's do it."

"That way for sure." Penny pointed ahead of them. Kanani turned the wheel and the boat took off into the water. 

As the salty air raced past their faces, they both felt a sense of fun that they had been craving. They laughed and cheered as they continued down the sea.

“How fast can we get there?" Kanani asked.

"Faster than this!" Penny exclaimed. Kanani laughed and amped up the speed.

"Wooooo!" Penny cheered.

The water hit their skin and their hearts raced with the boat. And as they did, they began to talk. Just as she had with Hana, Kanani found that Penny had a natural charm to her that she immediately connected with. They complimented each other, and had fun with every comment and remark.

She knew nothing about Penny besides the few things that she had seen, but Kanani could hardly tell. It felt like they'd been friends for a long time. Too quickly, they could see the outline of the island up ahead. When they did, Kanani slowed down the boat. "Alright, we're almost here. Let's try to conserve some fuel so we can get back.”

"Ah, but that was so much fun!" Penny said. 

"No kidding! Let's just get to the shore. We always have the trip back."

Kanani pulled the boat close to shore. On the beach, she could see another small boat docked on the sand. She jumped out and Penny followed. The two pulled the boat to the shore and into the sand. 

“Alright," Kanani said. "She's still here, so she's probably further inland." 

Penny nodded. "Okay." 

And with that, the two made their way onto the island. However, neither of them were aware of Hana's true location. And as it would turn out, neither was Hana.

She had no idea where she was. She had gone inland to look at more animals, but now she was just lost. She had been down this same path multiple times. She was walking around in circles. She couldn't be there when it got dark; she would freeze or be eaten or worse. Hana was beginning to get really scared. As she contemplated all of the possibilities, something unexpected happened. The bushes behind her began to rustle. Hana turned to it fearfully. She prayed that it wasn't a boar or another animal that would eat her. She closed her eyes as she saw something come out of the bushes. 

"Hana!" A voice called out. "There you are!" 

Hana looked at the voice. When she saw who it was, she wished that it was a boar. 

"Hana, I'm so glad you're okay!”

"Go away, Penny." Hana said. She turned and started to walk away. 

"Hana!" Penny called back. "Hana, don't—"

"Leave me alone!" Hana trudged through the dirt. Even though she didn't know where she was going, at least she was headed away from Penny.

"Hey, Hana!" Another voice called. Hana, in confusion, turned to the voice. Kanani stood behind Penny.

"Kanani?" Hana asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story." Kanani called back. "But we—"

"Well, I'm sorry," Hana continued. She turned around and kept walking through the dirt. "But I have to go." She jumped up from the dirt onto some rocks. 

"Hana, we just—" Penny began.

"AHHH!" Hana, before she knew it, was falling. She slid down and landed on the sandy ground.

She looked up at the dark ceiling, confused. It was made of solid rock. She sat up and rubbed her head. Above her, there was an entrance to the outside. Where was she?

A head popped up outside of the entrance. "Hana? Are you okay?" Penny called.

Hana rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm okay. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Whoa!" Penny slid down the entrance and landed in front of Hana. She looked around in awe at her surroundings.  "What is this place?"

"Penny, why'd you come down?" Hana asked, annoyed. Before she could answer, another voice called out from above. 

"Guys? Are you down here?" Kanani called.

Penny and Hana looked at each other fearfully.

"Yes, but Kanani, don't—" Hana began. 

"Oh!" Kanani slid down and landed beside the two. They looked at her in disappointment.

"You just had to come down, didn't you?" Penny asked. 

“You did too!"Kanani said defensively. "There's no way I could've pulled you up, anyway."

"Well, regardless," Hana said. "I want to see more of this place.”

The three looked around at their surroundings. "I think that there's more to this tunnel." Kanani said. She stood up and walked to the edge of the tunnel. The other two followed. To their surprise, there was more than just rock. It was a grotto of sorts, with a large, round pool of water at the edge of the tunnel. The walls were molten rock and waterfalls. When they looked up at what should've been a ceiling, there was instead an opening that looked into the orange sky. It was beautifully mesmerizing.

"Are we in a volcano?" Kanani asked.

Hana shot a look towards Penny. "You would know a thing or two about volcanoes."

"Hana, it was an accident, I'm so sorry!"

"Penny—"

"Hana, it's true." Kanani said. "She came all the way out here to say sorry."

Penny nodded. "Really. I did. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm so sorry."

Hana thought about it for a second. "That's really why you're here?"

Penny nodded. "Yes, and you were right about the project. I should've done it right the first time. If it makes you feel any better, I got 10 points off and added it to your score."

"Ah, Penny." Hana smiled and shook her head. "You're forgiven. Thank you for going to all that trouble. And the score doesn't matter, I'm just glad you apologized."

"You're welcome, of course." Penny said. 

"That's nice, really." Kanani said. "But we should be getting back now. My brother's gonna go crazy if I'm not back."

"Well," Hana began. "I don't think we can get back from the tunnel. It's too steep."

"So what?" Kanani asked. "We live here now?"

"No, we can totally get out through the tunnel, we just need to climb." Penny said. "But how cool is this?" She asked, gesturing to the pool. "Let's swim."

"Let's do it!" Kanani said. 

"Wait, guys." Hana said. "I have my camera and my phone and I don't even have my swimsuit on. Can't we find another way?"

"We can, but let's swim." Penny said. "Come on, Hana, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, come on." Kanani said. She threw her phone and shirt into the sand and jumped in the pool. She laughed as she pushed her wet hair out of her face. Penny smiled. She did the same and jumped into the pool. 

"Well, you guys do that, I'm not getting wet." Hana said.

Kanani and Penny looked at each other and nodded. "Okay." They said together. 

"Hey, let's try to get to the bottom." Kanani said.

"Let's do it!" Penny said. 

"Wait, you—" The two dove underwater. Hana shook her head. "Immature children." She muttered. 

After a while, the two popped up and took a deep breath. "That's a far dive!" Penny said.

Kanani nodded in agreement. "Not bad. Hey, Hana, I think this connects to the ocean. We can swim out through here."

"Yeah, right into shark territory."

"Who made you queen of negative?"

"I'm just saying that we should be careful.”

"Or we could have fun." Penny suggested.

Kanani drifted to the edge of the pool and leaned back. "You're right, Penny, this is like a hot tub."

"Right?" Penny replied. She also leaned back in the water. Hana began to contemplate getting into the water. 

“Well, maybe we can get out of here on our own." Hana said.

"You know you want to get in." Kanani said. "Come on, leave your phone and camera over there." 

Hana smiled. "Okay, maybe just for a minute." She took off her camera and gently put it in the sand with her phone. She stepped into the pool and sank into the warm blue water. The three sat in the water for a moment and relaxed. 

"I don't know what this place is, but it's really nice." Penny said.

"It might not be that bad." Hana said. 

"Did you just admit you were wrong?" Kanani asked jokingly.

"I'll give you a pass for that because you're new." Hana said with a smile. Penny splashed water towards her. 

"Hey!" Hana splashed water back.

"Hey, Hana," Kanani said. "Try to reach the bottom, trust me it's fun!”

"Hmm, I'll see if it is." Hana said. She dove into the water, and the other two followed. They swam to the very bottom of the pool and then back to the top. For the next couple minutes, they relaxed in the pool and swam around. Although all three knew better than to leave through the exit, they tried to chart the space of the pool. They talked and laughed and swam, and things felt right. The final time they came up from the water, they came to the center of the pool and tread water. 

"Bet you I can hold my breath longer." Kanani said.

Hana laughed. "You're on!" She took in a deep breath and prepared to go underwater. Then, something unexpected happened. Hana and Kanani let out their breaths and continued to tread water in the middle of the pool. And as they laid there in the water, it began to bubble and glow. Surprised, the three began to look around in confusion. Light shone down on them from above. The big, bright full moon illuminated the pool as golden bubbles floated to the cone of the volcano.

"What is this?" Penny asked.

"I have no idea." Hana responded.

"Cool." Kanani said.

The three stood in silence for a minute and admired the beautiful oddity. "Hey," Hana said. "Let's get out of here. If the moon's out, we should be home by now."

"Oh no, I completely forgot." Kanani said. As the three stepped out, the water had stopped bubbling and the moon was gone from above. 

"What do you think that was?" Hana asked.

Penny shrugged. "Amoeba? Who knows?"

"It could be anything, but it's probably just weird cave lighting." Kanani said.

“Yeah, maybe." Hana said. She shook her head and turned back to the tunnel. The three climbed out from the tunnel and made their way to their boats. 

"Hey, Penny." Hana said. "Thanks again for apologizing. I forgive you."

Penny smiled. "You're welcome. I'm sorry again. And not just about letting you down. Today was fun. Maybe we can hang out again sometime."

"I'd like that." Hana said. "Thanks, Penny."

Penny smiled and nodded. She turned to Kanani. "You're invited too, Kanani."

"Thank you," Kanani said. "And not to sound ungrateful, but I have to get back."

And with that, the three boarded their boats and made their way home; all three unaware of what was to come the next morning.

Kanani decided not to tell Keanu where she had been. He came home from work that night and seemed exhausted. He had barely said hi to her before he went to his room and passed out. She couldn't tell him something that would worry him any more than he already was. So she said goodbye to him when he left for school and that was that. As she prepared her breakfast, she thought about the events at Mako. She didn't know what had happened, but she wanted to go back. The pool was so pretty and was a nice getaway. But she pushed those thoughts away, because she knew she needed to focus on school. Kanani checked her phone on the counter.

Check the crab trap
-Keanu

Kanani nodded. She put the phone in her pocket and opened the back door. She walked to the canal and knelt down into the water. She fished around for the crab trap and pulled it up. But then, something happened. Her legs felt odd—it was a sensation she couldn't quite describe.

Before she could come up with a description, she fell backwards into the water. "Whoa!" Kanani picked herself up. She looked down at her chest. Her shirt was gone, and in its place was an unfamiliar top covered in scales. Her heart began to race. What had happened? She looked down at her legs. Kanani gasped and covered her mouth. In the place of her legs was a long, shiny orange tail. It was impossible! She tried to get away from it, but it followed her. When she moved her legs, the tail moved. She looked around in shock to see if anyone saw her. But luckily, it was still morning dark. She pulled herself underneath the dock and into the sand. She stared at the tail in shock and confusion. What if she was like this forever? What had caused this? Was she awake? Kanani didn't know. She sat there trying to figure out her next course of action. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. What was she going to do?

She laid there under the dock for what felt like forever just trying to come up with a solution.

Then, her nightmare worsened. Someone walked up above the dock. She tried to get away, but she couldn't, not with the tail. She can't be seen!

"Hello?" The person called. "Is someone down there?"

Kanani held her hand to her mouth. The person knelt down and looked under the dock. "Hey, what are you doing down there?"

Kanani looked up at him in confusion. She looked down at her tail. To her surprise, her legs were back. She moved them around in surprise. "Uh..." She climbed out from under the dock and jumped up. "Oh, I was just looking for my cat. He fell down here, um but I think he's at home. Bye now."

"Wait, ma'am—"

Kanani ran back to the apartment. Quickly, she slid open the door and jumped inside. What had just happened? She had a tail. like a mermaid. She went over the events in her mind. What could cause something like that to happen? Kanani didn't know. Without thinking, she picked up her phone.

Text me when you get to school. Good luck!
-Keanu

Kanani thought about texting him and telling him what had happened. But she thought about what would happen if she did. She would have to explain to him that somehow, someway, she had turned into a fish. She didn't know what caused it, if it would happen again, or what he could do about it. She put her phone back into her pocket. Now, maybe she imagined it. She didn't know how she would've, but maybe she did. Whatever had caused it, she was alone in this situation. Or, at least, she thought she was.

Penny had a much better morning than yesterday. She woke up on time, got ready, and was prepared to get to school early. She had almost forgotten about what had happened the night before. She had patched things with Hana and she had made a new friend, and that was her only main memory from the night. Of course, the glowing water was odd to her, but she figured that the water was above a heat source, or maybe it was just the moon light reflecting over the pool. There was definitely a logical explanation, and she didn't think much of it. More importantly so, she needed to make sure that she was ready to go to school. And as she looked at herself in the mirror, she decided that she was definitely ready.

Before she went to leave, she had gone to wash her hands. She flicked the water off of her hands and went to go. Penny felt and odd sensation in her legs. She tried to maintain her balance, but fell forward. She laid there on the ground for a moment. She was scared to look down. But then she realized that her shoulders were bare. What had happened to her shirt? She gathered enough courage to look down at her chest. When she did, she gasped. She had a scaly orange top where her shirt had just been. But if her shirt was gone, what had happened to her legs?

Penny prepared herself and looked down at her legs. "Oh my God!" She said out loud, her hand shooting up to her mouth. She turned herself over and looked at her legs, or rather, her tail. She began to try and explain every possible explanation, every reason why this might have happened. But she could think of nothing. It was quite hard to think of anything when she had a tail where her legs just were. As she was thinking, her tail disappeared and her legs returned. She stared at her legs in shock. She moved them around in front of her. Then, slowly, she stood up. Her legs were no different than they had been before... it happened. Now, she had to figure out what it was—and more importantly, if it would happen again.

Hana, unaware of what had happened to the others, was also preparing for school. Only, she had been ready much earlier than either of them. Having gotten ready and eaten breakfast, she decided to stop by the beach early. She always enjoyed the beach, and found that going there first thing in the morning helped to clear her busy mind.

Hana put her backpack and shoes behind the rocks. She took in a deep, grateful breath of ocean air and walked towards the water. The waves pulled back and forth just up ahead. Hana felt her feet sink into the sand, and she felt at home. But this moment didn't last for long. Hana felt a wave of shock hit her. Suddenly, her legs felt weak. She immediately fell backwards into the sand.

"Ah!" She stabilized herself and opened her eyes. And when she did, she didn't quite know how to react. She stared at the tail in confusion. She tried to move it, and found that she could control it. She looked around and made sure that no one was nearby. Then, she pulled herself away from the water. She laid back in the sand and looked up at the sky. What had just happened, and why had it happened?

Hana looked down at her tail again. She knew this was impossible, or it should be impossible, but what could possibly have caused this? What if it never went away?

Whatever the reason was, she knew, and the others did as well, that they couldn't tell anyone what had happened. Something caused their transformation and it was something that needed to be figured out, but it would be figured out on their own. They couldn't risk anything happening. Unknown to each other, all who thought they were alone, they were in this together.