The next few days were cloudy, but the rain stayed away and the weather was warm, so they were able to compete in several outdoor contests. Sione easily kicked everyone's butt in Tuesday's silly race day where they had to run to various stations around the estate and complete random tasks involving balloons, marshmallows, horseshoes, and ladders. He came in third on Wednesday's cornhole. Today was the badminton tournament, and based on last week's practice matches, Jarrett and Hannah would be his only real competition.
Skipping passing league and football camp to come here was well worth it. He really could win this whole thing! And he already knew how he would spend the $25,000. Half of it would buy him a decent car. The rest would go to his parents.
For a long time, they had been talking about getting new costumes and equipment for Talavou, their Polynesian performing group. His parents, three older siblings, and a couple of his cousins performed music and dance in the group as a side business to help pay the bills and the unexpected expenses that always popped up. They'd had the same music equipment for ten years at least, ever since Sione could remember. And they had been piecing together, recycling and reworking the same costumes and accessories for nearly as long. Upgrades were definitely past due.
He would fight hard to win.
Elizabeth was upset about something. On their way down to breakfast just a little bit ago, everything seemed normal. She chatted like usual with him and Jarrett. But as the meal went on, she seemed to shut down more and more.
Sione was assigned a spot with Jarrett on one side and Hannah on the other. Elizabeth was on the opposite side of the table. Using gestures and mouthing words across the table, Jarrett tried to ask if she was okay, but that seemed to upset and irritate her even more.
Since there was nothing they could do about Elizabeth's issues until after breakfast, Sione figured it would be best to act as if nothing was wrong. So he went on talking with Hannah and Jarrett.
Elizabeth asked to be excused before breakfast was over, claiming she had a headache. Immediately after the meal, he and Jarrett tried to go up and see what was wrong but Miss Haversham shooed them away, insisting Elizabeth was in good hands and would be fine.
They had no choice but to go outside with the others. She didn't come out for the tournament.
The final badminton match came down to him and Hannah. On game point, he swung the racquet a little too hard and that birdie flew away. He wanted to chuck the flimsy racquet after it, but instead he smiled through gritted teeth and congratulated Hannah on the win. Second place was better than third place, which was what Jarrett got.
When all the equipment was put away and they were on break, Jarrett asked if he wanted to go with him to check on Elizabeth. Sione felt like he should encourage him to go alone, to tell him it would be a good chance to start overcoming his shyness around her.
But "sure" was what he said instead.
They headed upstairs.
She took her time answering her door. When she finally did, the coldness in her tiger eyes could've given Sione frostbite. Had either he or Jarrett done something to offend her?
"Wait for me in the loft," she said icily.
Sione chose the armchair instead of the couch, partly out of respect for that promise to Jarrett, but mainly because of Elizabeth's chilly mood. Let Jarrett sit next to her and take the lead in dealing with that.
He noticed that his castle picture had already been matted, framed and hung in a prominent spot between the two windows. Jarrett's was off in the corner, barely noticeable behind a desk. He made a mental note to give Jarrett crap about it at a more appropriate time.
Elizabeth came in and sat down in her usual spot, right in the middle of the couch. She folded her arms and kept her eyes on her feet.
"Are you okay?" Jarrett asked her in a hesitant, squeaky voice. "What happened?"
She tightened her arms across her chest. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"Oh, okay." Jarrett looked like a deer in the headlights. "But, I thought, like, you know, when we saw you at breakfast, it seemed like. I don't know. We thought something was wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong."
Total disaster. Sione had no choice but to take charge of the conversation.
"Something is obviously wrong," he said firmly. "You know you can talk to us. Did someone say or do something to you at breakfast to upset you?"
Elizabeth finally turned to him. Her eyes were blazing but still gorgeous. "I'm surprised you even noticed, because you seemed very absorbed by other things at breakfast."
Sione's back flattened against the chair. His conversation with Hannah? Was she jealous because of that? And if she was jealous, did that mean she liked him and not Jarrett?
He shook it off. No. Just wishful thinking. Elizabeth would never be jealous of Hannah. That girl was almost like one of the guys. Athletic, competitive, sports-minded.
She probably just didn't like that he ignored her when she was upset.
Jarrett asked her if she had gotten another note from the stalker. She immediately buried her face in her hands.
"That's it, isn't it?!" Jarrett said, way louder than necessary.
Still covering her face, she nodded.
Jarrett hit his chest with his fist, to show Sione how proud of himself he was for cracking through the ice.
Finally, the story spilled out. That morning when Elizabeth was in the shower, someone had gone into her room and slashed some of her clothes, dumped out her makeup bag, and emptied an entire bottle of perfume. Elizabeth thought they may have also stolen some of her jewelry.
"No note this time," she said. "But the message was clear."
They urged her to tell Haversham or Auntie Allora, but she shook her head.
"I will not let the bitch know she's getting to me." Elizabeth laid her gorgeous hands on her knees. "I just needed to vent. I already feel better now, just telling you guys."
"Any idea yet who it is yet?" Sione asked.
"Or who it's not?" Jarrett added.
Sione watched Jarrett start to put his arm around her, but he hesitated at the last second and just patted her on the back instead. He then clasped his hands together and stuck them awkwardly between his legs. Poor Jarrett! What a disaster. He was never going to get anywhere with Elizabeth. Sione tried not to be happy about that.
As she often did, Elizabeth twisted a strand of her silky hair between her fingers. "It could be any of them," she said with a light shade of anger. "They all hate me. That's why it hurts me so much when I see you guys talking to them."
Ah ha! That explained it.
Sione almost said that Hannah didn't seem like the stalker type. But he paused and realized that he didn't really know Hannah at all. Some of the worst people were outwardly nice.
But in any case, if he wanted to stay in Elizabeth's good graces, he would definitely have to crank down his friendliness toward the other girls.
Jarrett was thinking along the same lines. "Don't worry. We're one hundred and ten percent on your side. Right, Maui?"
"Right."
Elizabeth's full, soft lips curved into a smile. "I love you guys so much! Help me take my mind off it all. Come with me to see the horses."
Sione and Jarrett both agreed to go out to the stables.
They stopped in the kitchen to grab some pears and strawberries from the fruit bowl on the island.
Out near the stables, Elizabeth leaned up against the wood-slat fence that separated the pasture from the rest of the estate. She whistled and a sleek, brown horse came running over to her. Elizabeth stroked the horse's nose. "Brought you a treat, love. Here you go."
While the horse enjoyed a large strawberry, Elizabeth glanced around and seemed to be looking for someone.
"No one's gonna mess with you while we're around," Sione told her.
"For sure," Jarrett confirmed.
She laughed. "I'm not worried about that right now. Watch."
Elizabeth climbed over the fence. She patted the horse. "That's my good girl, Duchess," she said soothingly. She grabbed its mane and in one swift motion, slid up and onto the horse's back. Without a saddle, bridle, reins, nothing! She walked Duchess along the fence line. The whole time, Elizabeth was talking lovingly to the horse. She clicked her tongue and Duchess started to trot, then jog.
Sione and Jarrett climbed up and sat on the top of the fence to watch as Elizabeth rode around the field.
When they rounded the west end, Elizabeth slid off Duchess' back just as smoothly as she had gotten on. She gave the horse some more affection and returned to Jarrett and Sione glowing with satisfaction. The horse followed right behind her.
"Wow! Too bad for you there's not any horseback riding challenges in this competition," Sione said, but he was secretly very relieved. Elizabeth obviously didn't care that much about the competition, so her easy win would just be a waste of points.
"You are amazing." Jarrett's mouth hung open. "I've never seen anyone ride like that before."
"Thanks." She leaned against the fence post. Then she got a sly look in her eyes. "Okay guys, your turn."
She brought the horse over to them and patted its neck. "You want to take these boys for a little ride, don't you, love?"
"Let's go!" Jarrett hopped off the fence and pulled Sione with him.
"You first, Jarrett. I've eaten horse before but never ridden one. Doesn't look all that difficult, though." Sione was just joking, giving Elizabeth a hard time. He had no intention of getting on that horse. He might get injured and not be able to finish the competition. The risk wasn't worth it.
"Wait, wait, wait. I must have misheard." Elizabeth wiggled her fingers in her ears dramatically. "For a second, I thought you said that you've 'eaten' a horse."
"For real!" Sione said. He put a hand on the horse. "Please don't be offended, Duchess, but your cousins are sometimes served at my family parties. Special dish. Ho'osi. Mmm, really yummy. "
Her expression was stone cold. "Cretin! I hope you suffer a slow and painful death."
Sione laughed. "Whoa! That's harsh! My dad is straight from the islands. Don't hate on the culture."
She tilted her head sideways at him. "Well, to make up for your family's sins, you should totally take a ride. Like you said, it's not hard at all. Super easy. Try it!"
"I was kidding about that part. Really. I know it's not easy to ride a horse." He started to climb back over the fence.
"But it is, though! You'll see. Try it." Elizabeth tugged at his shirt and pulled him back toward the horse.
"Nah. I'm good." Sione suddenly felt like an idiot. Without meaning to, he had dug a hole for himself. Now he just wanted to climb out, fill it up and move on.
Jarrett sensed it too. He laughed nervously. "Yeah. Wouldn't be fair to the horse! This dude weighs like 600 pounds. Poor horse's back would break."
Elizabeth wasn't having it. She stomped her foot. "Get on this horse! I'm not leaving here until you ride it."
How could he say no?
Elizabeth comforted and stroked the horse's neck while Sione attempted to jump onto its back. It was actually far more difficult than it looked, and took him four tries.
No sooner was he on, then Elizabeth clicked her tongue and smacked the horse's behind. The horse took off at full speed.
"Good luck!" she called sweetly after him.
With terror coursing through his veins, Sione twined his fingers in the horse's mane because there was nothing else to hold onto. He squeezed his legs around the horse hoping he wouldn't fall off. The scenery flashed past in a blur of greens, blues and browns. Sione clung for dear life to the horse's neck.
They tore through the pasture. Shockwaves of panic crackled throughout his body. He begged the horse to stop.
They were coming up fast to the big tree at the far east end of the field. Sione braced himself for a head-on collision. He was vaguely aware of a flash of white past his face and a whirring of wings near his ear. He was too scared to pay much attention.
Another bird darted past. They zipped and swooped and zoomed back and forth just inches from his head. They were chirping, filling the air with the purest, clearest notes of any bird he had ever heard. Maybe they were not birds but angels coming to take him to heaven.
Suddenly, everything was going in slow motion.
A moment later, he realized it was the horse that had slowed down, not time. He loosened his grip on its mane. When it came to a complete stop under the tree, Sione jumped off and landed on his hands and knees in the grass. The horse trotted away.
Sione didn't get up immediately. His legs were trembling too badly to hold him. He dropped his head, closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths.
Up in the treetops, he heard a chirp. What kind of birds were those? In the back of his mind, they had registered as hummingbirds by their size and the way they darted and hovered. He wondered why they flew around him and the horse like that. Maybe they had gotten too close to their home in that tree. Perhaps their dive-bombing had stopped the horse and saved his life.
"Are you okay?" Jarrett shouted. He and Elizabeth jogged toward him.
Sione staggered a little, but managed to get his limp spaghetti legs underneath him. Jarrett reached out to help steady him. Elizabeth stood back, with a hint of a smirk on her lips.
"Thanks a lot for trying to get me killed. And over a traditional cultural dish too. I feel marginalized."
"Oh please!" Elizabeth laughed.
The farm bell clanged throughout the estate.
"Lunch time!" Jarrett kicked a stray pinecone lying in the grass, it went flying. "Glad you're okay. Let's go, I'm hungry! I wonder what we're having?"
Jarrett and Elizabeth started back across the meadow. Sione scanned the branches that were covered in green leaves and little white flowers.
High above him, something moved. He circled around for a better view but the leaves were too dense. He could only see part of a blue wing.
He whistled. The bird zoomed away. It moved so quickly, he only saw it for a split second. He wasn't sure if it was the sun's glare or his eyes playing tricks on him, but it looked like a tiny human with wings.
"You coming? Or are you just gonna stare up at the tree all day?" Jarrett threw a pinecone at him and missed.
"I know who I won't be picking for my dodgeball team," Sione called, and jogged to catch up.
"What was that you were saying again about being good at everything?" Elizabeth said.
"Okay, okay, so maybe not everything. It is a very short list of things I am not good at. But I'll add 'horseback riding' to it. Right underneath peeling boiled eggs and cutting my own hair."