Kidnapping on Kaua'i (featured by Wattpad 2014)

Chapter 5

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I should've known I'd have no such luck. A mere twenty minutes later, emergency personnel confirmed the building was safe, and school resumed. On my way to class, I stopped by my locker and ripped off the 'Go Organic' button Auntie had pinned on my backpack. I shoved it under some books and slammed my locker door shut.

There was quite a hūhū in the hallway over this morning's spectacle. As I walked to class, passing voices buzzed with theories: "Who do you think did it?...the seniors of course, it has to be a senior prank...I dunno, don't they usually just string toilet paper in the trees out front?...Well, I think...-"

It didn't seem to have occurred to anyone except me that the vandalism might have been a silent protest against the scheduled presence of a Sanbello executive at the school this afternoon.

"I didn't think you'd be here today," Malia whispered when I sat down at my desk. "Did you tell your Auntie and Tutu about the presentation?"

"No way. Are you crazy? I don't want them coming here."

Malia nodded. "Wise choice."

We both laughed at the imagery of what would happen if they knew: both of them storming into the school, large and angry, with their muumuus all aflutter.

Sofie walked in the classroom, and I pretended to busy myself at my desk. After she sat down, I snuck a look at her. She was done up extra prim and proper today, wearing a lace skirt and closed-toe shoes, with her hair curled in long ringlets. No board shorts and rubbah slippahs for that girl.

When Miss Haka bustled in, I thought she would address the incident at the school doors, but she didn't mention it at all. Instead, she seemed entirely consumed with fitting in our lesson plan before the presentation. She led us at a furious pace. Despite that, I must've looked up at the clock every single minute, watching with dread as the day progressed.

At 1:45, Miss Haka called me up to her desk. "Lani, I can't accept your seat work. You'll have to redo this at home tonight," she said, handing back one of my papers. "You usually do better than this."

I looked down at the red marks covering the sheet in frustration. I hate it when I originally pick the right answers and then change them. Miss Haka looked at me over her glasses, and I hung my head. "Yes, ma'am."

After I sat back down, Miss Haka erased the white board and straightened her floral skirt. "Class, it's time for the presentation from Sofie's father, Mr. Gerald Lee, the general manager at Sanbello Farms. Let's give him a warm welcome."

Gerald was waiting out in the hallway, and we clapped politely as Miss Haka brought him in. He looked like an older version of Jasper, but with a clipped mustache. He was dressed in an aloha shirt so oversized, it must have been borrowed. The sleeves hung loose off his shoulders, and when he waved at us, I could see a pale half-moon of skin.

"Aloha kids! Please call me Gerry," he announced. "I'm so happy to be here today. As you know, I work at Sanbello Farms, the largest employer on Kaua'i. Sanbello is thrilled to be such an important part of the economy here on the Garden Island."

Gerry pulled the screen down over the whiteboard. "First, I'm going to show you a short film about our work at Sanbello. After the film, we'll have some question and answer time, and then I'll present an exciting gift."

Whispers filled the room. "A gift!"

Gerry pressed play and the film started. I recognized the narrator, a Muy-Thai fighter from O'ahu named Joel Waiko, who has become a local celebrity on the islands. Standing in a green field wearing overalls, Joel fixed the camera with an energetic smile. "Sanbello understands that youth are the future of the agriculture industry," he said. "With a growing population and a demand to feed nine billion people by year 2050, the agriculture industry needs talented, driven and passionate youth willing to make a commitment to agriculture. That's why Sanbello invests in today's youth by providing opportunities for scholarships, awards and internships, so they have the opportunity to learn and develop the skills necessary for America to remain world leaders in agriculture."