Raging Seas [pjo au] || 1

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"You see, I did the responsible thing, unlike you who left my two children alone for over fifteen minutes. I would expect even someone dumb enough to flunk out of school to know better than to do that," he said.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she repeated, and ignored the jab at her terrible grades. It was what last night was about. She didn't want a repeat. "I had to take the trash out. They're picking it up in the morning."

"So what I'm hearing is that trash is more important than my kids?" Ralph asked, and finally looked at her.

Ralph Beaumont was tall – six feet, maybe a little taller – with tons of muscles. Back in Hawaii he had been a firefighter but ever since New York, he now worked as a construction worker, unable to get a firefighter job. He had soft features; Auli'i said he got them from his Polynesian mother while everything else came from his European father, both deceased so none of the kids had ever met them. Truly, he sometimes looked kind. Kali kind of thought of as a human bear: kind and soft looking, but very capable of hurting others.

In this moment he looked nothing but scary. No softness in sight.

Kali's 4'8" skinny and lanky stature was completely dwarfed by him.

"No, that's not–," she tried, but he cut her off.

"I don't have time for this and your bratty excuses," he snapped. He turned back to fixing his food. "You're lucky I even leave you alone with them after what happened with Auli'i."

Immediately, Kali scowled. She wanted to snap back and remind him for the millionth time that Auli'i's death wasn't her fault. But she held her tongue. The other two were still watching her, her cheek stung and she didn't know if it was phantom pain or real, and she didn't want another fight. So she stayed quiet.

"Now get the hell out of here. The weird guy from that stupid camp you like is waiting in the parking lot."

Relief flooded her. Not a lot, because she would much rather be leaving Naia and Makoa with Ruby, but the feeling was still there.

(She did her best to ignore the guilt that swelled because of the relief.)

She began to walk away to her room to grab her things when Ralph added, voice raised so she could hear him, "And if you have a brain up in your head at all, you won't come back!"

Kali just ducked her head and hurried to her room. Naia and Makoa followed when she passed them.

"You will come back, right?" Makoa asked in a small voice once her bedroom door was closed.

Kali sheathed her dagger and tucked it back where it had been. Neither Naia nor Makoa questioned it, whatever they saw because of the Mist. She smiled reassuringly the best she could. "Of course I will," she said. "Always. I'll always come back for you two."

Naia frowned. "Why? You said the camp allows people to stay year round. Daddy doesn't hurt us as much as he does you. Don't you want to stay away?"

It was Kali's turn to frown. "I'm your big sister. It's my job to protect you. I may like camp but I hate leaving." She paused as she pulled out an already packed suitcase and backpack from under her bed. "I'd stay here if I could, but I have to go. I'll be back by the end of summer."

"Promise?" Naia asked.

Kali turned back and stuck out both of her pinkies. "Promise." They linked their pinkies with hers, and she smiled, which grew a little when they hesitantly returned it. She shook her hands to wiggle their arms and grinned triumphantly when Naia and Makoa both giggled quietly.