AYDA

The Island of Motunui

I stood at the shore of the reef, my skirt blowing out behind me in the light summer breeze. The Ocean brushed its waves against my legs. I raised a hand and the Ocean spiraled up into a beautiful sculpture, before deciding it had enough of my commands and dropped into it's default form, a small wave floating in midair.

I smiled at the Ocean, reaching a hand out. To my immense surprise, the Ocean pulled back away from me, creating a dry patch of land. "Ocean?" I asked, stepping into the dry patch of land. The Ocean withdrew farther, leaving more dry land. My ice-blue eyes sparkled with intuition as I understood that the Ocean wanted me to follow it.

"Ayda!" My mother, Moana, shouted from the village that I called home, Motunui. The Ocean started, its head-like wave looking up. the wave crashed down on me, sending me spiraling towards the land.

My father, Kae, caught me as I was about to hit the sand. He grinned at me, pulling me to my feet. "Your mother doesn't like you near the ocean." He said, brushing sand off my back.

"I know." I grumbled. "Nobody goes beyond the reef."

"Especially the future Chief." Father nodded. "Being near the ocean is nothing to joke about." He said sternly. It irritated me, how he seemed to acknowledge the Ocean as nothing but the waves pounding the shore. In reality, it's everything about the water, the way the sunlight sparkles blindingly off of it, the fish swimming in spirals and the ocean birds swooping and diving.

"Are you even paying attention, Ayda?" He snapped. I yanked my arm out of his grasp angrily.

"Father, you can't stop me from going to the Ocean!" I said, fuming.

Father and I stood there like that for an instant, his silent rage overwhelming, my loud shout underwhelming in comparison.

"We're just trying to protect you. You are the future of Motunui. Your mother was injured so badly in a shipwreck that she can no longer bear children; you know this! You are the last hope of this village. So suck it up and act like a Chief!" Father said, spinning on his heel and walking back up the slope to Motunui.

I stood there for a moment. If only Gramma Tala were here. She would understand this, she would help me. I started walking home, only to find myself standing on the shore where the boats were kept moments later. I growled quietly.

I made myself stomp uphill to the village, harvesting a few coconuts as I went.