PoraBora

Chapter Forty

Part 3

Below deck was a wooden table, crafted of fine koa wood and polished until she could see her face in it. Pe had salivated to look at it. She could still see it now, when she closed her eyes. It was perfect. Wide, thick, and long enough to use for her steering board. She couldn't have asked for anything better.

But something more accessible would have been nice.

It was in Noikoa's quarters.

"Which version of Tota do we get today?" grinned a warrior in passing.

Pe forgot to respond. She was busy thinking about how she was going to get to the table.

The warrior chuckled. He'd gotten his answer.

Ikaika had been furious that Noikoa had allowed the two of them below deck, but had to make do with venting his frustrations above deck when he didn't think his chief would hear him. He kept an especially close watch on Pe after that.

Even now he was watching her. It was why she was at the bow, as far from the manta as she could get.

Well, she thought, I'm certainly not going to be able to carry it around myself. There was no way Iumili would be able to, either. She was eight. Short. Weak. Smart, maybe, but smart couldn't get a koa wood table up and out the hatch without anyone noticing.

Could it?

It's too big. It would never fit. What about without the legs?

She tried to remember how big it was exactly. The next time the hatch came up, she looked. If she slid it through crossways...maybe? Pe growled to herself. She should have measured the table when they were suffering the storm inside.

Could she prepare it inside? Find a room nobody frequented and cut it to size and shape? Of course, she'd need something to cut with. And a hammer and nails, still. She'd probably have to take something into the water, too, to do the repairs, but how she was going to get herself into the water she hadn't yet figured out.

Nice girl, Pe, she thought. It would be the only way. But just thinking about it salted her blood, so the first smile she gave didn't work.

"What was that?" asked Iumili.

"Shut up."

"Hui wouldn't appreciate it," sniffed Iumili.

"I wasn't trying to mimic Hui," Pe growled. Iumili leaned onto the bow's rail with her, looking down into the water. The wind caught her hair, which still had her piece of soft coral.

"Maybe you shouldn't try with your boat. You seem to have better luck that way."

Pe didn't like that she seemed to be rubbing off on the girl.

"Speaking of..." Pe glanced towards Ikaika.

He was coming closer. The man didn't stop until his shadow dropped over them.

"Don't you have--"

"Blood," interjected Iumili. "When I woke up. It was...I think I'm...." She looked over at Ikaika and froze.

"Do you mind?" Pe growled. "This is private."

To his credit, after opening and closing his mouth several times, Ikaika backed away.

"Did you get a chance to wash off?" Pe asked.

Iumili shook her head. "They won't let me back below deck, and I don't...I don't want to up here."

Ikaika went to one of the warriors.

"I can't believe he bought that," said Iumili. "I'm eight."

"The table," Pe whispered. "Find out how big it is. How it's attached to the ship. And I need tools. A hammer, nails, and something to cut with, like a saw. And if there's no saw...." There would be. A ship like this couldn't be without. Even if it was metal? Iumili would find out. But it wouldn't matter. Pe was sure she could smack off the legs with a hammer alone.