Lulu in Honolulu
Authors: Elisabeth Wolf
Copyright © 2014 by Elisabeth Wolf
Cover and internal design © 2014 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover and interior illustrations © Angela Martini
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Lulu in Honolulu By Lulu Harrison
Act I: Shake It Till You Make It
Scene 2: No More Follow The Leader
Scene 11: Shake It, Don't Fake It
Act II: Big Life On A Small Island
Scene 10: Shooting On Family Time
Scene 14: Getting A Bright Idea
Scene 19: When It Rains, It Pours
Scene 1: The Dawn's Early Light
Scene 6: Getting The House In Order
Scene 9: Akua Of Ohana (The Spirit of Family)
Scene 11: Finding A Big Needle In A Bigger Haystack
To Philip and Emmeline, who make being a mother the most magnificent gift in the world
Lulu's Beginning
ME
Seems like I'm the world's most freckled fish out of water. My mom, dad, and sister suspect that I hatched somewhere far, far away and the stork accidentally dropped me at the wrong doorstep. I'm sure of it. My family is glamorous and fashionable. The Harrisons are Hollywood royalty, even here in Hawaii. The problem is: I'm the coconut that fell far from the tree.
My name is Lulu Harrison, and I'm the eleven-year-old daughter of the massively hot action star Lincoln Harrison and his picture-perfect wife and film director, Fiona. I'm little sister to the cool and trend-obsessed sixteen-year-old Alexis. Of course, I usually live in L.A., entertainment capital of the world, but this summer my address is 1500 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, Hawaii. My mother is directing and my father is starring in a movie called
Seas the Day
. They are filming right here in O'ahu, Hawaii.
I bet you think I'm gonna have the family vacation of a lifetime, right? Wrong! The problem is: I snorkel, and they sunbathe. I comb the beaches looking for shells. They comb their hair looking great for parties. I'm learning to hula. They're learning to hurry in the MOST laid-back state in the whole United States. Are you starting to understand?
MY FAMILY
Here's what it means to be a fish out of waterâ¦
My dad charms everyone, even if they've only read about him in celebrity magazines. So you can imagine how much he dazzles me! He's a mega-cool, real-life Prince Charming. Since we've been in Hawaii, his deep green eyes have greened deeper because his face is all tan and his thick brown hair lightened from the sun. But I have this suspicion that my dad has NO idea what could happen to MY skin in the sun. I'm totally convinced that he has no clue what I do in O'ahu all day or whether I've even made a friend.
My mom stands tall and acts regal. All those Hawaiian queens and princesses would have lots in common with my mother, Fiona. Proud. In charge. Confident. Super busy. Naturally good at giving orders. Being a queen and being a director could be, like, the same job. I don't like being a subject though. I struggle to measure up.
My sister, Alexis, thinks volcanoes must have erupted fifty million years ago just to make the Hawaiian islands for her. Hawaii is a paradise for girls like my sister who look perfect in every cut, color, and combination of bikini ever sold. Her long, twig-sized legs and matching twig arms are baked to a golden brown. She shakes her silky black hair to a seemingly constant rhythm only she hears. People keep asking her if she's a model. She loves that beyond words.
Here's how I look in Hawaii: like a beekeeper. My skin is like a patch of snow with a few sixteen-ounce bags of chocolate chips scattered on top. I have to cover up completely or else my pasty-white skin burns, blisters, and becomes miserable. Once the lobster-red color fades, I'm left with thousands of new freckles. The hot, tropical, salty air has caused my unruly, frizzy hair to double in size. There's no brush that would want to go near it. Alexis says I'm going to end up with dreadlocks if I don't get my hair under control. Personally, I think my pale, freckled bodyâthat has added a few pounds thanks to my delicious coconut milk shakesâwould go great with brown dreadlocks. And, of course, the Hawaiian version of me with the dreads would still have my greeny eyes, curious brain, and real feelings.
THE REAL LULU
In case you secretly believe being a kid in the world of moviemakers can be fun, DON'T! Because here's what being different means:
1.
In a surf store, I tried to buy two bars of lychee nut soap. When the checkout guy asked what kind of board I had, Alexis laughed so hard she almost fainted. What I thought was good smelling natural soap was warm-water surfboard wax.
2.
Alexis commands me to wear flip-flops to the beach or else she won't take me. I can't walk in flip-flops. My toes curl over the tops, and if I'm lucky, I only trip.
3.
When the super-famous, super-skinny lead actress in my mom's new movie came to dinner, there was a Japanese feast and only chopsticks to eat it with. Every morsel I grabbed or stabbed slid everywhere except into my mouth. When a dumpling I thought I had secured went
splat
onto the actress's toe, my mother excused me from dinner.
4.
As soon as I landed in Honolulu, my mom's assistant, who's in L.A., signed me up for stand-up paddle board camp. Problem is: I can't stand up. I fall. I can't paddle on my knees either. I fall. If I sit on the board and there aren't any waves, I don't fall. But, well, there are always waves in the ocean. I changed camps.
Here's what I feel like: the
Pua
'ilima
, a small plant with fuzzy leaves, with a yellow-orangey five-petal flower that blooms on the end of short, green stems. The Pua 'ilima happens to be O'ahu's island flower and grows everywhere from the mountains to the seashore. Even though millions of tourists visit O'ahu, Hawaii's most popular island, none of them would say they come for the Pua 'ilima. They notice the splashy, flashy parts of O'ahu, like the giant waves; white, powdery sand beaches; deep green mountains taller than the Alps; black-brown scratchy lava rocks; and bold red hibiscus. But this summer, the Harrisons are going to realize that tough plant with the orange flowers has something special. Oh, and just so you know, the Pua 'ilima symbolizes LOVE. Perfect-o!
THE NEW LULU
At the end of the summer, my family will pack up and head home to Los Angeles, back to the same old place where you can't see the stars in the night sky, dogs and Frisbees aren't allowed on the beaches, and my parents are too busy making movies to make time to be a family. Well, that's what's incredible about this summer. Family life in Honolulu isn't like family life in L.A. Alexis and I flew to Hawaii with my parents for our first-ever family summer vacation. Here's how it works: my parents spend time with my sister and me every afternoon and evening between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. That might sound crazy, to have your family time scheduled like that, but for me it's HUGE. Small problem, though, is when I need my parents for something not between the hours of four and eight. Ya see, my day camp is trying to win an island-wide hula competition, but it's during the day. My parents will absolutely, positively come watch meâeven if it takes a little eruption to get them there.
Because movies and TV shows are always being made in Hawaii, I'm going to write my story as my own screenplay. Here's the title:
Lulu
in Honolulu
. Geez peas! That has a good ring to it, right? Besides, you'd be surprised how many people in Hawaii say they're writing a script (starting with the Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant on our plane).
So I'm going to write my parents a new screenplay starring people they know and love. And who knows? They may realize I'm a little coconut that didn't fall THAT far from the tree.
So, roll OPENING CREDITSâ¦
By Lulu Harrison
Based on: My Summer Life
Lulu Harrison
1500 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96815
© 2014