Kidnapping on Kaua'i (featured by Wattpad 2014)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tuesday

After school, Pano, Malia, Chad and I met to show off photos of our new bumpah stickah finds. "We've got two awesome ones so far," Pano boasted, tilting the screen of his game player.

-Keep honking. I'm reloading.-

-Jesus is coming. Look busy!-

Chad cracked up. "Those are good, but check out the ones Malia and I found."

-I child-proofed my house, but they can still get in.-

-Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?-

-What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?-

I couldn't stop laughing, especially at the third one. Pano shot me a look, and I shrugged my shoulders. "Come on, you know those are funny!" I said. He finally started laughing too.

The four of us argued about whose stickers were better for a while, then Chad had to leave for the football team try outs. Malia pulled on my arm before I could head home. "You have to join the hula troupe with me," she said, her face shining with expectation.

"I don't know...I'm not a great dancer."

She gave me a pleading smile. "Pleeease, Lani-we'll have fun, I promise."

I hesitated. "But Sofie's gonna be there, and I don't feel that comfortable around her. She always stares at me like she hates me."

"Sofie's really nice, I swear. You just have to give her more of a chance. She suffers from R.J.S. syndrome."

My eyebrows shot up."I didn't know she was sick!"

Malia laughed. "R.J.S. syndrome is short for 'Resting Jerk Face Syndrome', dummy."

"What?"

"Tutu should really let you use the Internet, so you can keep up. Resting Jerk Face Syndrome has been a thing for like, six months. It's when someone naturally looks stand-offish or angry, even when that person's face is expressionless. Sofie doesn't mean to look at you in any particular way, it's just the way her face is made. If you get to know her, you'll see she's alright."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll give Sofie a chance, and I'll join the hula troupe," Malia was so excited, she didn't seem to notice that my feet still dragged as she pulled me by my hand over to the side of the schoolyard.

"Miss Nance, I got a new volunteer," she called out to the hula teacher.

"Perfect!" Miss Nance said. She waved at me from the hula stage, which had been painted with vines and flowers in an effort to make it look more natural. "Welcome, Lani. Take a seat."

Malia and I sat down in the cluster of students along the stage. Sofie was already there, sitting front and center.

"Hula, as you know, is not just a dance," Miss Nance began. "It is the soul of Hawai'i expressed in motion, a cultural treasure that has survived two thousand years. Many believe the first hula was performed by a god or goddess, which makes it a sacred ritual. So, when you're dancing the hula, you may be performing the same movements as someone ancient. Can anyone tell me why we think hula has survived for so long?"

Sofie's hand shot up. "Ancient Polynesians had no writing, so they used hula and chants to tell their history to the next generations."

Miss Nance looked impressed. "That's right. In order to pass on these stories, every movement in hula has a specific meaning, and every expression of the dancer's hands has great significance. These movements might represent certain plants, animals, or even war."