Kidnapping on Kaua'i (featured by Wattpad 2014)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Friday

The day of our class trip to the ocean had finally arrived. After a bumpy bus ride to Poipu Beach, I lined up on the sand with the other students and awaited instructions from Miss Haka. The beach wasn't quite ready for its wake-up call; the sky was still pearly gray, and banks of morning clouds squatted on the horizon.

I was still sorting myself out too. At six-thirty, I'd woken from a deep sleep to find my hand in my nightstand drawer. To my shock, I saw I'd gorged on the rest of my fruit in my sleep. Instead of sleep walking, I was sleep eating. Great. Now, my entire abdomen felt like a mass of bubbling jelly and hot bile was rising up in my throat. My stomach rumbled like an eighteen wheeler in a tunnel.

"Lani, are you okay?" Malia asked.

"Why?"

"Um, because you're making gross noises, you're sweating everywhere and your hands are trembling."

I looked down and saw the front of my shirt had a v-shaped sweat stain on it. "Sorry. I think I ate something weird."

I looked up and saw Miss Haka was sweating too. She was agitated because the boat driver for the class outing was an unexpected substitute. The original driver, Eddie, had a last-minute family emergency. The change had Miss Haka completely flustered. "Okay kids, line up," she ordered. Her eyes crawled over us, double-checking for sunblock, towels and all the other items she'd instructed us to bring. "The new boat driver, Mr. Nagahara, is going to give you safety instructions. I want you all to listen carefully."

Mr. Nagahara just stood there with his hands behind his back, staring at us.

"Mr. Nagahara, the safety instructions?" Miss Haka prompted him.

He looked at her. "Eh?"

Miss Haka whispered to him, but we could all hear. "Didn't Eddie give you the instruction sheet to read to the children?"

"Oh, yeah." He dug in the pocket of his saggy jeans and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Okay, children, you must stay with the group leader at all times, and keep your life jackets buckled. There are no restrooms on the boat, so go now or you're outta luck." Finished, he nodded solemnly and shoved the note back into his pocket.

Miss Haka looked at him. I could tell she was trying to think of something to criticize, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then she turned toward us. "As I'm sure you all remember from yesterday's lesson, today we're going to be looking for the honu, the Hawaiian green turtle. Hopefully, we'll be lucky enough to see a few. When we get back to the classroom, we'll record our impressions of the marine life we see on the reef, and learn more about this fascinating ocean habitat."

With that, we all loaded single-file on the Sea Explorer, a clunky touring boat. Everyone took seats around the deck, chatting and staring down in the water. The wind smoothed back my hair as we motored out. Despite the motion, I started to feel better-until we stopped, that is. Then, everyone started to take off their t-shirts and shorts, and I noticed they all had new-looking bathing suits. My stomach turned again when I thought of what I was wearing underneath my clothes. I had on Franny's old bathing suit, the one with a picture of a kitten on the front. The suit is worn and it hangs off my rear. The chest is way too big on me, so Tutu had pinned the back with a safety pin. I was pretty sure it had been handed down to Franny from some unknown older relative. Who knows, I thought, the thing could probably be twenty years old!

I realized one fact with sudden and complete surety; there was no way I was taking my shirt and shorts off. My hand shot up. "Miss Haka? I don't feel good. I don't think I can swim." It wasn't really a lie, because my stomach did hurt.