Redemption (Night Marchers #2) Written by: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels (2 page)

“I am home dad!” I yell loud enough to make a
few people turn and stare. “This is my home now.” I say a little
quieter, embarrassed for having caused a scene.

“Emma, you are better off in Texas. I’ve
arranged for you to stay with Kaylee and her mom. They will be
waiting for you when you land.”

“No.” I whisper. My spirit deflated.

My dad grabs my shoulders in earnestness.
Looking straight into my eyes he says, “You must go Emma. You are
all I have left. I love you too much. I
cannot
loose you
too…” He barely chokes out the last words as tears rim his
eyes.

He’s talking about my mom. We lost her when I
was three. She disappeared and was never found again. My hand goes
to my jeans pocket reflexively. Thankfully I transferred my
mother’s picture into it. I carry it with me everywhere; it’s my
only reminder of my mom, a picture of us at the park on my third
birthday.

“I love you.” My dad says and pulls me into a
hug more powerful than any we have shared in a long time. I quietly
sob in his arms. My heart aches. We stay locked together, my dad
just holding me close into him, smoothing his hand over my head
again and again in a comforting gesture. It takes me several
minutes to stop crying and to pull back.

I brush the tears away from my eyes and say,
“I love you too dad.” We just stare at each other for another
minute allowing our souls to speak what words cannot express. Then
I gently pluck my ticket from his hand, take the handle for my
carry on suitcase and walk towards the security line.

Chapter 2

Sitting in first class doesn't hold the same
excitement as it did a few weeks ago when I was on my journey to
Hawaii for the first time. After all, eight hours of sitting still
can't be healthy for the average human. It's too much time for the
mind to run rampant when there is nothing else to do. I wish I
could numb my thoughts or just check out. The events of the past
few days weigh heavily on my heart. How can my life have been
flipped upside down in only a matter of a week? I thought I knew
who I was, what I wanted in life, what the world was like. Now all
I know is that I know very little about life, about this world and
most importantly, about love.

Last night was anguishing. I went to help a
friend and quite possibly may have hurt one in the process. I still
don't know how I feel about Tristan, who knows if it's love? With
my feelings for Kai it can't be, I don't think. You can't
intimately love two people at once, right?

Trying to process everything seems
impossible, but I allow my mind to wander to the events of the past
twenty-four hours, which started off with my visit from Paul.

Yesterday, Emma's room around 9p.m.

It had been a long and emotional day. My
heart aches for Mrs. Kealoha who just shared with me that her son
Noa had been pulled into the ranks of the Night Marchers. He had
struck the curse by looking a Night Marcher in the eye and was not
as fortunate as me to escape with his life intact. I wish I could
have given Mrs. Kealoha some comfort or closure. I'm determined to
help Kai and if I’m able, I hope to be able to help Noa in the
process. There must be a way to undo this curse and return them to
their human state.

Kai took my place; I should have been the one
cursed and forced to walk among the night wandering spirits for
eternity, not Kai. I just can’t move on with my life and pretend
like all of this did not happen. I
will
find a way to save
Kai. I will not stop trying ‘till I do. It makes my heart ache for
all the people that I have inexplicably dragged into this mess;
it’s horrible and unfair.

I bow my head, close my eyes and pray
earnestly to God for Noa, for Kai and for my Mom whom I lost all
those years ago.

Opening my eyes I register a movement in my
peripheral vision on the patio. It was so quick and slight; I
wouldn’t have seen it had I opened my eyes any later. My heart
starts racing as I head towards the door to investigate.

At first I don’t see anything but when I get
closer I see that the person on my patio is half the size of a
normal human. It’s a Menehune! My heart starts returning to normal
the moment I realize that there’s no threat. Menehunes, pronounced
meh-neh-HOO-nehs, were the first natives of the Hawaiian Islands.
They are a small and private race who usually only grow to be a
mere three feet tall. They built most of ancient Hawaii themselves.
They are extremely skilled builders who use their speed and
teamwork to build structures in the astonishing span of a single
night. Many Hawaiians only know of the Menehune's through legends
yet they are believed to be extinct. However, I know better, they
are far from extinct.

The Menehune's took Kai in a long time ago
when he befriended Adam who is one of them. I laugh silently to
myself when I think of Adam and his wife Eve, such a loving and
lively couple. Kai brought me to them when we were running from the
Night Marcher. He knew that his best friend would be able to help.
I am the only other human who has ever gotten the privilege to see
the Menehune city that is hidden deep within a cave. The Menehune's
took me in and to me they are like family now.

I step outside hoping to see Adam; hoping to
hear news that he knows how to help Kai. Instead I find Paul. Paul
is one of the Menehune's messenger boys. He helped send messages to
my father when I was in hiding. It’s extremely dark outside so I
flip on the patio light switch to get a better look at him.

I gasp! I couldn’t tell in the dark but now
in the light I can see that he’s hurt. He looks like he’s been
beaten! He’s standing on my patio shaking like a leaf covered in
scratches and contusions and he has a black eye beginning to form
on his right eye.

“EEeemma....” He says, shaking and
stuttering.

“Paul, are you okay?!” I ask freaking
out.

He starts shaking his head back and forth
wildly. “Nooo... He’s ggot hiiim. He...liiike Kkkai bbuttt nnottt
liiikke Kkaii.” I can barely understand him he’s stuttering so
badly. “He won’ttt sstop till hee hass it...”

“Got who? Has what Paul?” I’m starting to get
angry, not because I can’t understand him, but because something,
someone, did this to him. An innocent Menehune boy!

“Tthe Chhieefs bbbones.” He says and then
looks at me with tears streaming down his face. “Hhee hhas
Aadamm!”

I suck in a quick breath. “No!” Nausea wells
up in my stomach as feelings of despair set in. "Adam? What do you
mean he has Adam?"

"Iii ddonnt knooww. I meeaan heee hass
hiimm." Paul is shaking so hard that I fear he may fall down and
begin seizing or something.

"Okay Paul, it's going to be okay. You’re
safe now. Here, sit down." I gesture him to a patio chair. He sits
down but it doesn't seem to be helping. I jump when I hear someone
walking up the steps to my patio behind us. Looking around for some
sort of weapon to defend off any ‘would be attacker’ I grab a broom
that's perched against the railing and turn around. Relief washes
through me when I find two Menehune's ascending towards us. I
recognize them, but I don't believe we have formally met. Their
faces are filled with concern and uncertainty as they brush past me
hastily towards their friend.

"Paul! Oh my goodness, Paul, what happened?"
One of the Menehunes with reddish brown hair exclaims. The other
Menehune with bright white hair just stands there staring at Paul
wide eyed. I'm sure they are not used to seeing any Menehune's
hurt. The Menehune's seem like such peaceful people.

I can see that Paul is having a hard time
trying to communicate so I speak for him. "He's hurt pretty badly.
He said that someone has Adam and I think whoever that someone is,
hurt Paul."

"What do you mean someone has Adam?" The
Menehune that had been silent up until now spoke up.

"I think he said it was Kai, or someone who
looked like Kai. I believe it may be his twin brother. I don't
know." I reply. Kai's twin brother Kao is the Night Marcher who
tried to kill me. Kao may look nearly identical to Kai but he's
nothing like him. He's pure evil through and through.

"I know who you speak of. Kai has told me the
story of his brother. He is a very dangerous man, not one to be
taken lightly. We must get Paul back immediately and bring this to
the attention of the Elders." The white haired Menehune says.
Without waiting for my response they both pull Paul to his feet.
Paul puts his arms around each of their shoulders ready to head
home. He looks so frail and small as he starts hobbling off towards
the exit from my patio to the beach.

"Wait!" I yell at them. The white haired
Menehune turns his head towards me. While I have his attention I
ask, "Aren't you going to go after Adam? We can't wait, we need to
go now." I say insistently.

His look is mixed with understanding and
sadness. "I wish I could go in search of Adam, we just don’t have a
definitive location as of now. I must consult with the others. You
see that we are a small race. It wouldn’t do any good for us to go
up against a man such as Kao alone, if we were even able to find
him that is. Kai has told us that he was a mighty warrior as a
human, but now, as a Night Marcher, he will be even more powerful.
We need a plan of attack. We would be of no help to Adam if we
ended up like Paul or worse yet, dead."

I don't correct him and tell him that Kao is
not a Night Marcher anymore. Or that Kai switched places with him,
becoming a Night Marcher himself. Instead I nod, understanding that
what the Menehune says is wise and makes sense. Even though I don't
totally agree, I think time is of the essence and we must go after
Adam now, wherever he might be. After all we don't even know if it
is Kao that we are dealing with. Paul might mean that the person
who has Adam is a human like Kai, as opposed to a Menehune. Who
knows, with how distraught Paul seems. I hear him moan loudly and
instead of arguing with the Menehunes I allow them to carry their
injured friend home while I remain helplessly and silently
behind.

I watch them hobble across the beach and into
the forest. It only takes me a few minutes to make my decision. If
they can't go after him now, then why can’t I? I know it's
reckless, but I don't care. I need to do something!

It doesn’t take long for me to pack a small
backpack with basic essentials: a flashlight, a bottle of water, a
few snacks, and a pocketknife. I quietly move through my room
changing out of my pajamas and into jeans and a t-shirt. I press my
ear to the door to verify that my dad isn't awake to hear my exit.
Putting my backpack over my shoulder I take a deep breath and step
over the threshold of my patio door into the pitch-black night.

Following the footpath down the short trail
to the beach I stop just short of the sand. What am I doing? I
don’t even have the slightest clue where Adam is, but I have an
idea of where to look, Kai’s tree house. Adam helped him build it
and maybe if he got away from his captor somehow, he might be
hiding out there. I might, or might not be right but I can’t simply
sit here and watch on the sidelines. If the least I can do for Kai
is help his best friend Adam, then I have to try. The tree house is
where Kai took me on that fateful night when I first looked into
the eyes of the Night Marcher. I'm not certain as to where the tree
house is located though. The only recollection that I remember is
the dense forest and how close it is to the beach. I also remember
Kai pointing to the woods beyond this beach when he told me he
lived nearby the first time we met. I take a deep breath of salty
ocean air and steady myself to do the impossible.

Looking ahead at the murky tree line, I pull
the straps of my backpack up and set off down the long stretch of
beach. It's eerily quiet tonight and I try to keep myself from
getting freaked out as I near the tree line. I don’t get too far
when all of a sudden two hands wrap securely around my mouth! I let
out a muzzled scream while my heart starts racing painfully in my
chest. As I ready myself to fight back I hear a familiar voice
whisper in my ear. “Shh, Emma, it’s just me. Calm down. It’s me,
Tristan.” He slowly releases his hands from my mouth and I turn to
stare at him wide-eyed. Reaching my hands up I touch his face. It
is very dark out here and for my sake I need to make sure it really
is Tristan. I’ve made that mistake before and I don’t plan on
making it again, especially under these circumstances.

Tristan brings his hand up to his face and
places it over mine. “Emma, what are you doing out here?” He
whispers furiously to me.

I quickly withdraw my hand and gawk at him. I
know he can’t see me very well in the dark, but a look of utter
shock splays across my face. “What am I doing out here? I think the
question is what are
you
doing out here?” I place my hands
firmly on my hips. I don’t know why I am reacting this way to his
presence, but to me it feels like he’s been spying on me, and
that
is an invasion of my privacy. Ever since I got back
after those three days that I was missing I have been under a
microscope. It’s like I can’t even go to the bathroom without a
chaperone!

“I’m so sorry Emma, I just can’t help it. I
have this deep pain in the pit of my stomach when I try and lay in
bed at night. I feel like I failed at protecting you the first time
and I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. I’ll admit, ever
since you came home, I have been checking on you each night. I
wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t. Then when I saw you leave
with the backpack on your back, I couldn't let you go without
finding out why you were running away. I just have this eerie
feeling that you are going to leave and never return.”

I see his face drop in the dark shadows
displayed by the moon. All the anger and animosity that I had felt
just a few moments earlier subsides and in its place a feeling of
peace and sincerity fills me. "You watch me every night?" It’s the
only words I can get out of my mouth. We both stand there for a few
moments as the silence fills the air. I don’t know what else to
say.