Song of the Sea

Ch. 4

Weeks have gone by, and Genesis has solidified friendships with Jackie, Zach, Eric, And Kayla. Together, the five of them planned on taking a hike that the locals planned to show the newcomer. "So, why this trail?" Genesis asked while they walked.

"Nice view." Kayla replied shortly.

"Some pretty good climbing." Eric responded from an athlete's point of view.

"The pill boxes." Zach said which confused Genesis.

"Pill boxes?" She asked in confusion.

"Small military sheds. They're called pill boxes." Jackie informed Genesis.

"They're abandoned, don't worry. There won't be any military personnel. Maybe some tourists, though. It's a pretty famous tourist trail." Zach added.

~

After a while of hiking, the group finally reached the pill boxes. They were small cement structures that were covered in graffiti- beautiful pictures, quotes, and bright colors. Genesis looked closely at each piece of artwork and heard her name get called out from above her. She looked up and saw Kayla smiling down at her from the roof of the building. "How'd you get up there?" Genesis asked.

"There's a ledge and some rocks on the other side." Kayla explained and left Genesis' vision. Genesis hurried over and saw Eric helping Jackie onto the ledge. He had already gotten up and he offered his hand to pull Jackie up. The ledge was about four feet up from the ground but the rocks below it provided a step up.

"You want some help getting up?" Zach asked Genesis. He was the only other person who hadn't gotten up yet. Genesis looked up at the ledge and judged the distance.

"I think I'll give it a shot first." She replied confidently and stepped onto the rocks. She pressed her hands to the top of the ledge, planned to push herself up and swing her leg up. She was unable to get her leg up onto the ledge. When her leg came down, it hit the corner of the ledge. She hissed in pain and dropped back down to the rocks. She immediately felt a tingling and a pressure around her.

"Careful!" Zach exclaimed as soon as he heard her pain, and he ran to help her. He held her waist to keep her from falling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. But maybe I need a little help." Genesis admitted after ensuring that her leg wasn't bleeding. He nodded and smiled, happy to help. "Just try to push me up so I can get my leg up." She told him and he nodded in understanding. He held her securely by the waist and lifted her while she pushed up onto the ledge with her hands. She was able to swing her leg up and made it all the way up onto the ledge.

"Can you help me up now?" He asked with his hand outstretched. She centered herself and reached out. She pulled him while he climbed up. 

Once they were all up on the roof, Genesis got a chance to admire the view. "Wow." She breathed. A smile tugged at her lips as she took in the view that she was experiencing for the first time. She could see ocean for miles and the greenery of the island was so vibrant. It amazed her to see the difference in color of the deeper water versus the water closest to the shore. She also spotted two small islands that she hadn't seen before, since they were on a different side of Oahu. "What are those islands?"

"Good canoeing spot, but there's nothing over there." Jackie replied.

"I think one of them is federally owned. No one is allowed to go." Kayla added.

Genesis walked to the edge of the roof and sat, taking it all in. Zach went to sit next to her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked.

"Definitely." She agreed and smiled while still looking out.

"What's your favorite part?" He asked.

"All the colors. It's all so vibrant. And the water, it's amazing that it can be two different colors like that." She replied, expressing her awe of the scenery. Zach smiled, proud of his home and happy that she liked it.

"I think it's even crazier how every body of water can be a different color, despite it all being connected." He spoke.

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah." He nodded, truly amazed by the fact. "New Zealand is pretty close to us, and even the water is a different shade of blue over there." He explained.

"That is pretty cool. I wonder why that is." She responded.

"Gotta pay attention in science class." He joked. She nudged him slightly in response. "Careful, you'll send me over the edge." He said. Then she looked down. It was the first time she had done so, and she regretted it.

"Woah, we are really high up." She spoke.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We're safe." He assured her. She began to scoot back from the edge and she slowly stood back up. "Are you afraid of heights?" He asked in concern.

"Not entirely but that is kinda scary." She admitted. 

He stood up as well and walked up to her. "I can help you back down if you want." He offered. She nodded.