The Golden Heart

"Have you ever been this excited to see something be destroyed?" Huli asked Kai, as they gazed upon a sinking luxury ship, freshly filled with various expensive and rare jewels, free from humans who had previously been evacuated.

Both of the girls were filled with different emotions. One felt a deep tug around their heart, easily disguised with a mask of excitement, while the other looked around uncertainly with knitted eyebrows, not bothering to hide any hints of confusion. The sun shone as bright as ever, as Kai squinted to view the final section of the ship still above water, slip into an endless, blue abyss, with the sound of wildlife making the moment much more dramatic. Looking over at Huli's old smile and shining heart locket that glittered in the sunlight, she shivered as a sudden rush of memories came flashing back to her.

They were chasing each other around the sea village, with child-like smiles and eyes full of wonder as the violently swam around other creatures, stopping only to hide behind random stores and vendors.

Huli wasn't too fond of hide and go seek, Kai remembered, but had went along with it at the time, since it was Kai's favorite game. Naturally, following the leader was natural for her, especially with all of the shy and kind tendencies she received from her father, so Kai tried her best to not accidentally be mean to her. It was just the two of them, having been odd friends as their hobbies and interests were different from everyone else's, but the few similarities they shared held them together as the fine rope from a wooden bridge.

"Look at what my Dad got me," Huli had said with glittering eyes and a thousand-watt smile.

It was no secret that she was closer to her father than her mother, Makuna, due to circumstances neither of them could've began to understand at that time, especially since Huli assumed it was their conflicting personalities, or her mother's decision about her future. Being young children allowed them to be exposed to plenty of areas in the ocean by themselves, but there was a limit on where they could go, as well as knowing what they want to do with their lives, since that's already decided by the mothers of their village right after they are born. Getting gifts was nothing too special in their village, but there was something off about it that she had to observe. Playing with the clasp, they tossed and shook the necklace around, until Kai suddenly stopped, causing Huli to react in the exact same way, as that was something she had begun to do more of, at the time.

"What is it?" Huli asked curiously, the usual large smile slowing fading, until there was just an indifferent face left, feeling odd and foreign on her face.

The necklace was till tightly clasped around her neck, though it has significant differences from the first time it was received. Necklaces like hers weren't too hard to come by, but Kai quickly realized what had made her necklace special from all those years ago. The picture inside of her necklace was the kind of family Kai still has, but at the time, wanting to feel like her family was special and the best one there was made it hard to be close friends with Huli. Pushing her away gradually became natural, until they were no longer close. The silence shared between their interactions after that was deafening and was filled with tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

The waves splashed against the rocks they were gracefully sitting on, with the surrounding water moving at a gradually faster pace, swallowing up the final parts of the ship. Kai realized almost a few years ago how badly she had treated her old friend, especially due to the disappearance of her father not too long after the necklace was given. The final noise of the ship was gone, as was the sounds of the nearby wildlife, filling the air only with the sound of the waves, and that deafening silence Kai despised so much. She scrunched up her nose, and turned to face her friend once more, deciding to kill the silence, and play another game of I Spy, Huli's favorite game, and it is the best way to enjoy the view land rocks provides them with.