Redemption (Night Marchers #2) Written by: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels (22 page)

Nearby Menehunes gather closer around the
box; some of them skim their hand across the top. Eve kisses her
hand and places it affectionately on the lid near where Adam's
heart would be. She takes a deep breath then looks up, “Now, lets
get this party started!”

My eyes grow larger than my face as some
Menehune's break out their instruments and strike up a happy beat
and others begin to dance joyfully. Across the beach I hear the
corks pop simultaneously on several bottles of Champaign. The
humans that are standing around me are not sure what’s going on; I
can see it from their faces...They have the same look as I do.

Paul wanders over to where we’re standing and
holds his hand out to Kaylee, “My lady, may I have this dance?” He
bows at the middle like a proper gentleman and straightens back up
looking at Kaylee intently.

I stifle a giggle and wait for her response.
“Oh, why not.” Kaylee replies and takes Paul’s hand in hers. But
instead of Paul leading her to the dancing area, Kaylee is in the
lead almost dragging Paul along.

I feel Kai’s arms wrap slowly around my
middle as he turns me towards him. “Emma,” Kai breathes in my
ear.

“Yes Kai,” I barely manage to say. My heart
is hammering in my chest at Kai’s proximity.

“May I have this dance?”

I simply nod my head in response. He picks me
up and holds me close as he twirls me around once then sets me back
down on my own two feet.

I smile up at him still encased in his arms.
“I love you Kai.” I say knowing that in this moment, everything is
right in the world. He leads me to the dancing area, a
not
so makeshift wood dance floor. At first I'm surprised to see it
here in the middle of the beach, like it materialized out of thin
air. Then I remind myself that the Menehune's did what they do
best: build speedily without anyone noticing.

Kai expertly twirls me around the other
dancers on the floor. Holding me tight he begins whispering in my
ear things meant for me and me alone to hear. I melt in his arms as
the energy I have grown to love encircles us. While this is unlike
any other ‘funeral’ I have ever been to, it is most certainty the
most memorable. I nestle my head on Kai’s chest and let all my
cares and worries melt.

We spend the night dancing under the stars
and I bend Kai's ear telling him all about how my dad sent me to
Dallas and Kaylee and I sneaking back the following day. I find
myself kind of enchanted watching Kai's face run through a gambit
of emotions as I tell the story of my mission to save him. I see
love, admiration, pride and anger, sadness and a bit of shame. He
lets me know that the latter feelings were due to him not being
able to save
me
.

Later that evening, as the party dies down
the musician’s take their place by Adam’s casket again. Eve joins
them at the head of the group. Kai excuses himself so he can stand
at Eve's side. He drapes his oversized arm across her tiny delicate
shoulder as everyone lines up to take their turn saying their final
peace. Instead of heart wrenching goodbyes each person recalls a
joyful memory of Adam. No one cries or seems distressed; they are
accepting what is and allowing life to move on. I listen as they
regale times of engineering adventures and talk about arguments
regarding who has the best glass smashing skills. With each story,
Eve's face lights up a little more. When it's my turn I share about
how Adam had to throw a mini life preserver to me when Kai and I
showed up in the middle of their town canal. Boy was I surprised at
the size of that 'arm floatie.' Eve enjoyed the story and when I
was done she grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side so that now
Kai and I were surrounding her. I can't help but feel honored that
she wants me to be at her side during this time.

When everyone is through sharing, Eve says as
if talking directly to Adam himself: "Do you remember how you
always called me ‘Woman’? It used to get under my skin and drive me
crazy. It's funny how the things that annoyed you the most are the
things that you will miss when they are gone." She smiles halfway
then bends over the casket and rests her arms over both sides
hugging it like a small child. She holds onto it for a few seconds
and then she places a small kiss on the top.

As she stands up the four Menehune's who
carried the casket pick it up and begin heading for the water. They
wade into the water until it is up to their chests, then lay the
casket in the ocean and gave it a small push. We all watch as the
coffin is set afloat, being carried out to sea by the waves of the
vast ocean.

“Bye Adam. You will be missed.” I whisper
into the wind.

From behind me a hauntingly beautiful song in
a language I've never heard before is sung melodically by all of
the Menehune's. A flame catches my eye and I turn just in time to
see an archer pull a flaming arrow onto his bow. He releases it and
the crowd follows it's path until it hits the casket. We watch as
the light of the fire overtakes it until it sinks to become one
with the ocean.

When the flames in the Pacific are no more,
an older gentleman Menehune with silver hair calls the crowd to
attention. He holds his hand out to Eve who accepts it. He says to
her, "The Elders and I have been turning the pages for days now
trying to find a name suitable enough for you."

I look to Kai who has a sad yet understanding
look on his face. He quietly whispers to me, "Without an Adam,
there would have been no Eve."

Still not understanding I look at him then
back to the Menehune gentleman and Eve. The man continues, "If you
wish to accept it, we have chosen your new name," He pauses then
says, "Tabitha."

The crowd oohs and ahs as if it is one of the
most prized names of all. I try to figure out who Tabitha was in
literature. The Menehune's have a standing tradition to choose a
name that coincides with a figure in literature.

"An Emblem of beauty." Eve says a tear
running down her cheek. "I am honored, thank you."

The crowd breaks out in a loud ongoing round
of applause.

I continue trying to place the name in my
head. Then a light bulb goes off as I remember the Bible story of
the widow Dorcas whom everyone loved. She died but her friends
believed that God could bring her back. They sent for Peter and
told him all about the ways that Dorcas had helped all of the
widows and believers. Peter heard them and got down on his knees to
pray. Then he said, "Tabitha get up." She opened her eyes and sat
up. God had restored her to life. Peter took her by the hand,
helped her to her feet and presented her to her friends. Dorcas was
considered beautiful in God's sight. Her love and good deeds that
she did for others did not go unnoticed. With that she was bestowed
a new name, Tabitha.

I smile realizing what a befitting and lovely
new name that is for Eve. All of the Menehunes begin gathering
around Tabitha to congratulate her. Tabitha glows from all the
attention; she looks at peace now.

Kai and I stand back and watch the
celebration from a distance. Kaylee, Tristan and Noa come up to
stand next to us. We hadn't seen much of them during the party and
the ceremony. I think Paul must have been occupying Kaylee, or the
other way around. I had noticed Tristan and Noa sitting at the edge
of the beach off in the distance for most of the evening. I'm sure
they had a lot to catch up on. Tristan is the first to speak.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that we need to get you girls home.
I guess the question is, which home?”

Kaylee and I share a quick glance both hoping
the other has an idea. None come to mind and we end up standing
there looking dumbfounded. We hadn't even thought about what we
would do once we completed our mission. My heart soars knowing that
we did, we completed what we came here for. I can't deny that there
was a huge seed of doubt in the back of my mind; I had not pumped
myself up for success. Now is the hard part. Telling my dad,
because if I don’t tell him, someone else will.

Kai ends up breaking the awkward silence. “In
life, nothing is better than the truth. Emma, I think first things
first. You need to find your father and come clean about what
happened.” He takes my hand in his for reassurance. “I will
accompany you if you’d like.”

I conveniently ignore Tristan's rolling eyes.
I appreciate how well he took me telling him that I love Kai, but I
certainly can't expect that he would be okay with our PDA. I smile
at Kai and give his hand a small squeeze. “I think you’re right
Kai." Tristan makes a gagging sound so I punch him semi-playfully
and semi-seriously on his shoulder.

I turn to my silent partner in crime.
"Kaylee, what about you?”

Kaylee bites her fingernails, “Who, me? Oh,
I’m good. I’m just gonna try and get home before my mom notices
I’ve been gone.”

Tristan speaks up, “I can give you a ride to
the airport if you’d like.” Kaylee smiles in return.

“Well,” I begin, “I guess we can all fit in
Tristan’s jeep. You did bring the Jeep, right?”

Tristan laughs playfully. “Yes, of course I
did. We just might have to walk a little to get to it.” With Kai
leading the way because of his newfound night vision we slowly make
our way to the Jeep.

It seems like hours, if not days of hiking in
almost complete darkness before we reach the clearing where
Tristan’s jeep is parked. I don’t care though, I’m still elated at
having Kai’s hand in mine.

I watch as Kai stands there staring at the
Jeep with a look of bewilderment on his face. Then it dawns on me.
I don’t think Kai has ever been in a vehicle before.

"Is this your first time to...you know?" I
ask Kai.

He looks at me at first seriously and then
breaks out laughing. He leans in so closely that only I can hear
him. He whispers into my ear, "I was here when the first car was
brought onto the island." He gives me a gentle kiss on the ear,
which sends goose bumps spiraling across my skin. He leans back and
smiles unabashedly at me.

I blush and say, "Well then why are you
looking at Tristan's Jeep like it's going to bite you?"

"I don't think it's a snake, I was just doing
the math. There are four seats and five of us." Kai replies.

I look at the cramped space of Tristan's
Jeep. Our bags are packed and placed in the small area behind the
backseat. I wonder when Tristan took the time to grab our
things.

I look back at Kai and say, "Well, I can
always sit on your lap." I smile up at him.

"Not unless you want to get in a wreck when I
have to hurl right in the middle of driving." Tristan says.

I look at him annoyed. On one hand I know I
hurt him and I know he's only coping with it the best way he can.
On the other hand, he's really starting to piss me off with his
snide comments and gagging noises. "Fine, I will sit on Kaylee's
lap." I say to Tristan.

He smiles big and says, "Oh yeah."

"Whatever!" Kaylee decides to chide in and
smacks Tristan on the back of the head lightly. Kaylee and I laugh
as Tristan rubs his head pretending like it hurt more than it
did.

"I will sit in the back with the girls." Noa
interjects while giving a sideways glance in Kaylee's direction. I
can tell that Noa's already smitten.

"Sounds good." Kaylee says in her best
southern drawl. Then she walks towards the Jeep shaking her hips
just enough that I can tell she must be a little taken with Noa as
well. I laugh to myself as we all pile in. Thankfully Tristan has
the top off so the open air makes us feel a little less
claustrophobic.

Tristan glares at Kai as he moves to sit in
the front. I'm sure that if Tristan had the doors on his Jeep he
would have slammed his door loudly to emphasize his unhappiness
with this seating arrangement.

Kai doesn't look too comfortable being in the
front either. He just sits back and stares out the passenger side
window. Thankfully both of them keep their comments to
themselves.

Once I take my seat on Kaylee's lap and we
work the seatbelt across the two of us, Tristan takes off. I forgot
how bumpy his Jeep can be when he's driving off road. I hold onto
the roll bars to steady myself as we drive over the rough terrain.
I know that the trip could be a lot less bumpy if Tristan drove
slower, but he seems like he's trying to get this ride over with as
quickly as possible.

"Kai!" I yell as Tristan takes a turn way too
fast and Kai nearly falls out of the passenger side. Tristan slams
on the brakes, which sends Kai jutting forward. Luckily he has
quick reflexes and throws his hands out on the dashboard to steady
himself before his head has a chance to slam into the
windshield.

"Dude, what the freak? Haven't you heard of a
seat belt? Seriously, you aren't freaking invincible. Buckle up!"
Tristan scolds Kai.

Kai just breaks out laughing and I join in as
well. Everyone else looks at us like we are sharing in some stupid
inside joke. I doubt now is the time to blurt out that Kai
is
invincible. "Sorry, it was just funny. I mean, he almost
fell right out." I say before I realize how it sounded.

On that note Tristan smirks as well saying,
"Yeah, it did look pretty freaking funny. I'm sure if we had a
video of him grappling onto the roll bars like a monkey during that
turn, it would totally go viral." His mood seems to lighten a
little bit. I realize that it's because to Tristan my comment
sounded like I wasn't all out worried about Kai. I'm not going to
correct him though. I've hurt him enough and if this makes him feel
better, so be it. I can tell from the look on Kai's face that he
didn't take any offense, which makes me love him all that much
more.

Kai buckles up and Tristan takes off again.
We remain silent the whole way to the airport.

Tristan pulls up to the departures terminal
and parks in the no parking area. Kai and Noa stay in the car to
make sure it doesn't get towed while Tristan and I escort Kaylee
inside. We luck out big time when one of the airline
representatives says that there is a standby ticket available for a
flight back to Dallas that's leaving in an hour. We purchase the
ticket and Tristan says his goodbyes to Kaylee. He gives her a hug
and then stands to the side giving me a moment alone with my
BFI.