I set the kings down when we reach the cave that held the lightning bugs. They flitted and landed on the rocks, glowing despite the afternoon sun. I gently scoop one up and pull the bread from my bag, along with the butter and jellies. I brought a lot of flavors.
"So how does this work?" Brady asks. I take a slice of bread and slather butter across it, then bring it outside.
"Uh, Mikayla told us not to take those out of the cave." Boomer reminds me.
"But Mikayla isn't here." Brady mumbles to his brother and follows me. I set the bread on my knee and hold the lightning bug above it. I would show the kings a seperate way later, but this way was faster, despite the fact that I couldn't get hurt by an element I could occasionally control. A storm cloud brews above me.
"Malia, look out!" Brady shouts, but the lightning hits the bug, unharmed from the shock, and the bread toasts nicely. I cup the bug and take the toast back to the cave, giving it to Brady, who was halfway out and reaching for me. He looks at his toast, but shrugs his shoulder and takes a bite.
"Hmm. Needs jelly." He comments. I point back where I set them down and he walks over to them.
"So how did you figure that out?" Boomer asks.
"I know a lot of secrets of this island, and not just the things already known. Glowing crabs appear on the east beach once a year. A meteor landed and is big enough to build a house inside. There is a rare species of bat that look like sockmonkeys." I say and Brady walks over, face covered in jelly.
"Oh dude. I want one." He coments and licks his hand, strawberry jelly covering it.
"So when are we going to go back?" Boomer asks, peeking through the cave. I let the lightning bug go free and pack up my stuff, handing a jar of jelly to Boomer as a snack.
"Now. The festival is probably set up, and I need to get into costume." I say.
"What kind of costume?" Brady asks.
"Please tell me you aren't dressing up like the moon." Boomer comments.
"No. I perform a dance with another group of people. It's traditional, and I need to make sure my outfit still fits."
"Oh, so there's going to be dancing girls." Brady says, getting a sly look on his jelly covered features.
"And guys." I say and push past them, leaving the cave and brushing aside the leaves that get in my way. I hear the kings scramble along behind me, yelling at the plants that hit them. We burst out of the foliage and by the doors before the courtyard, only a few people talking. I creak open the door and the kings stumble past me, out of breath.
"Can you walk any faster?" Boomer asks.
"Sorry. I didn't know I was tiring you." I say and look at the decorations. Woven garland was hung up on every wall and doorframe, with peeping wildflowers mixed in. Blue stones were beaded in the decorations, and when we walk into the throne room almost everything was covered in the beads. Mason waks by, stops, then walks to us.
"Great timing. I owe you." He says and faces the kings.
"So, when do we partay?" Boomer asks, doing his dance again.
"Tomorrow afternoon. As soon as the moon rises and turns blue, the festival begins." He announces. My blood suddenly runs cold as panic sets in. I still haven't found my stone, and without it I don't have enough power to light the moon. People will know something is wrong, and most likely blame the kings. So far their reign hasn't been the best we've ever had, and possibly the worst. No, the beginning of the darkside may have been the worst. Mason keeps talking about what they are to wear and I see Lanny walk by, evilly looking at the kings, then sneaking away. I follow him silently, staying behind the rock wall when he stops outside the courtyard, pulling something from his pocket.
"But there won't be a blue moon, because I have this. And then everyone will think it's the king's fault, and demand they be removed." He mumbles to himself. The object in his hand was my stone, a sight for sore eyes! He examines it, but puts it away again.
I need to get it back.
Okay, attend his room when he isn't there or sleeping, steal stone back, power up again before ceremony. Okay, good plan.
I pop away from the wall when he walks away, back to the castle. I pretend to help a person tie up the fallen garland piece, but keep my eye on him at the same time. When he enters the castle I stop the helping and follow him, heading into his room when he does. Lanny looks over some scroll and then throws it aside, pacing. He suddenly storms out and I climb the wall to the ceiling, out of view. He doesn't notice me at all and I softly jump down and get away from his room. I had no business here knowing the stone was in his pocket, and would have to wait until later.
"Malia!" Mikayla shouts from the throne room.
"Coming!" I respond and rush down, meeting her there.
"How is your performance coming?" She asks.
"The same one as every year. It's memorized clearly." I answer.
"Good. I don't know why, but I feel like something big is going to happen tomorrow." She says.
"Yeah, me too." I state and walk away to try on my costume. As soon as I get to my quaters I grab it from the drawer and hold it up. A simple white tunic with a teal blue sash. I designed them myself a while ago, when they first came up with the festival. I just wanted something fun to do for my birthday.
I try it on to make sure it fits and take it off, bringing it to Mikayla so she could put it away with the others. Night creeps along the sky and I retreat to the castle to steal back my stone, walking into Lanny's room as he throws his old clothes aside.
"Ah, a maid. Take my clothes down to wash, along with this. I want to be nice and clean when I become king." He says and hands me another pile of clothes. I nod my head and silently leave the room, hoping he left the stone in his pocket. Knowing Lanny, he probably didn't, but I could wish. I quickly take them to the washing room and tell another person his orders, checking his pockets.
No stone.
I almost punch someone, but sneak back upstairs. His breathing was still lively, so he wasn't asleep just yet. I silently climb his walls and press myself against the ceiling, so I could stay longer without being told to leave by a passerby. Minutes tick by, and yet he did not sleep. There was a chance he was trying to use the stone to get power, like others have wanted, but it doesn't work on people, only me.
Sure, there was the fact i could be controlled by it. But no one has acomplished that before.
I wait him out, consentrating on his breathing. After a few more minutes I hear his frustrated groan and something hitting the floor, my stone. His footsteps move and he hits his bed, his breathing getting in a pattern after a long time. I slip down and run down the hall, then out to the beach. Many stones were out here that looked like mine when it got dirty, I just needed to find a similar one and swap it out. They were too round, or too lumpy. The vibrant blue rocks never seemed to be the correct shape, but I finally find one close enough and hold it to the light. The blue rock was beautifully patterned with spirals of green, and it was long enough to pass off as the original. I tuck it away in my pocket and limberly scamper back to the castle, nodding to the night guards and sneaking up the wall into Lanny's room. He stays sleeping, and his fish couldn't see me. I didn't trust that thing, he seemed familiar in a way. My stone lies under an end table, and I swap the two out, feeling the sweet familiarity of my own stone again. I quickly flip out of the room and down the wall, tucking my stone away in my pocket and marching to my room. I would put on a show, waiting until the correct moment to light the moon up.
