Depths Of Paradise Preview Chapters 1 to 4

Chapter 3

                                                                                                                                                  4:43 PM 4/8/2021 HST

Mya Kendig nervously stood near the baggage claim belt of Kahului Airport. When her flight landed, she had received a text from her sister Jade stating she was going to be late picking her up from the airport. That was the last thing she needed. This was her first time flying, and her first time traveling alone. Thoughts started to fill her head as she waited for her suitcase. She had no idea where to go or where Jade was going to meet her. To make matters worse, Jade was not responding to her return texts. She hoped this was because she was driving to the airport. She spotted a large black suitcase with a stuffed dragon tied to it. She reached over and grabbed it off the rack.

Mya Kendig was in her mid-twenties. She had long dark brown hair, with large streaks of it dyed purple. She had a thin build, with pale skin. Mya scanned the crowds of people, hoping to locate her sister's face. Mya checked her phone again; still nothing. Still nervous about the situation, Mya took a deep breath and headed for the airport entrance. After a short walk, Mya sat at a bench near the entrance door and anxiously waited for her sister. The half hour that went by felt like an eternity to Mya.

What if she forgot I was coming? Mya thought, staring at her phone. Finally, her phone's ring tone went off.

"Jade," Mya said.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I'm late. The diving tour took longer than expected and then the traffic was terrible."

"It's fine," Mya replied in relief. "I'm just glad to hear your voice."

"Where are you?" Jade asked.

"Sitting at a bench right near the airport entrance."

"Did you go outside yet?" Jade asked.

"No," Mya answered.

"Good; don't go out until I get there. Criminals wait around to grab unsuspecting tourists."

"What?" Mya asked nervously as her eyes scrutinized the crowds of people.

"I'm kidding," a voice said next to her. Mya jumped up, startled only to see her older sister standing a few yards from her. Jade was a few inches taller than Mya and in her late twenties. She had long light brown hair and matching brown eyes. She had an athletic build, and what some would call perfectly tanned skin. A smile formed on Mya's face as the two sisters hugged. "It's so great to see you! Over a year is too long," Jade said.

"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too!" Mya replied.

Jade released the hug and said, "How are you holding up?"

Mya put her head down. "As well as can be expected," she replied, trying to hide the pain in her voice. A few seconds later she perked up and said with a smile, "But I'm in Hawaii for a week and ready to have fun!"

She noticed Jade was keeping one hand hidden behind her back. "Jade, what are you hiding?" Jade leisurely brought her arm forward and placed a bright pink Hawaiian Lei around Mya's neck. Mya looked at it with an annoyed expression, which made Jade laugh.

"Welcome to Hawaii!"

"Just what I always wanted," Mya said sarcastically. "Can I take this off now?" she asked.

"Not until we get to the car," Jade replied. "I want you to get the full Hawaiian experience. How was your flight, anyway?"

"After a six-hour flight, I'm jet lagged and hungry. When can we go eat?" Mya asked.

"You're such a dork," Jade said. Lifting up the small green dragon on her suitcase, she pointed to the black shirt with multiple Chinese dragons on it she was wearing.

"That's puff, my traveling buddy from Legendary Quests and Creatures." Jade rolled her eyes, never understanding why Mya preferred fantasy adventures to the ones in the real world. Mya pulled the handle of the suitcase up and started to wheel it across the floor.

"I can take that. You had a long flight," Jade offered.

"Thanks," Mya replied, handing it off to her. When the two sisters exited the airport, Mya took a deep breath as she was introduced to the pleasant Hawaiian temperature for the first time. In front of her, she saw the waves from the crystal blue ocean crashing against the shore. She turned and saw several forest-covered mountains with clouds hovering over their peaks. "Wow." she said softly.

"I wanted to be with you when you saw it for the first time. Don't worry; we will be seeing all of that," Jade said, moving her hands across the mountains in the distance. She and Mya walked over to her newly bought blue convertible.

"I still cannot believe you bought this car," Mya said, taking off her backpack and placing it next to her suitcase in the back seat. Instead of opening the car door, Mya put both hands on the door and leaped in.

"Mya! Do you know how much this car cost?" Jade asked, surprised.

"More than I could ever afford," she replied. "What's the plan for today, anyway?" Jade started the engine and began to drive.

"Today, we'll go home and get you settled in. Tomorrow is when the adventure begins," Jade replied.

"How long of a drive is it to your house?" Mya asked.

"It's about half an hour drive to Makena. We're drop your stuff off at the house, then go out to eat."

"Sounds good," Mya replied in a generic voice. Her full focus was on the scenery surrounding her. "What did you have planned for tomorrow?"

"My gosh, Mya, you're still wearing the Lei!" Jade said. In the excitement, Mya had forgotten about the ugly pink flowers around her neck. She pulled them off and tossed them on the floor.

"Anyway, about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we are getting up very early and going to spend the day scuba diving!" An excited looked formed on Mya's face.

"Really? Where at?" she asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow," Jade replied.

"Now I'm going to be up all night wondering. Just promise it's not some kiddie pool for new divers."

"No, we're going to a magical place you will never forget," Jade answered. Mya leaned back in the car seat and smiled.