by Terri Farley
Megan and Ann gave her such accusing stares, they were plain to read by moonlight.
“What?” Darby asked.
“It didn’t look all bad down below,” Ann said.
“Well then, why—” Darby’s frustration rose, but Megan cut her off.
“We came back for you!”
“Why?” Darby demanded. “What were you thinking? You had a safe—okay, relatively safe—way out of that”—she searched for an appropriate word—“I don’t know, firestorm, that was behind you. Why would you walk right back into danger when I was okay?”
“We weren’t sure you were okay—” Megan started.
“I don’t like my friends to put themselves in mortal danger,” Darby interrupted.
“We weren’t in mortal danger,” Ann said in a humoring tone.
“Of course we were,” Megan said, then she rode Biscuit into Navigator’s path and held Darby quiet with a stare. “The last time Ann saw you, you were on foot and we didn’t know what would happen with Hoku. You love her. You might have taken some risks to protect her.”
“I mean, she’s wild. What were the odds you were going to jump on and ride her bareback, with lava at your heels?” Ann asked.
Hoku whinnied and the girls laughed. Then the mustang tossed her flaxen mane and gave an even longer neigh.
“She’s a smart girl,” Darby said, smooching at the sorrel filly.
Seeing another horse getting attention, Sugarfoot pranced, bidding for Ann’s praise.
“Of course, it was all Sugarfoot’s idea. He saw you follow that white stallion into the lava tube and he had to go chase him.”
“What?” Darby asked. “We didn’t follow the white stallion. I haven’t seen him since he jumped over us up there.” Darby gestured in the direction of the stone pulpit where they’d hidden to watch Black Lava and his herd.
Ann was shrugging, as if she didn’t want to start another spat, when a voice boomed out of the darkness and a mounted silhouette cut its way down a sand dune.
“You girls done playing with fire? Decided to come back on home and let the old folks quit worrying?”
“Jonah!” Darby shouted. She tapped Navigator with her heels and the other girls rode beside her until they drew rein in front of Kona.
“You girls all right?” her grandfather asked. “Horses come through that okay?”
“We’re fine,” Megan said. “We managed to sidestep the whole thing.”
Ann made a half-strangled sound of disbelief.
“Well, okay, maybe not the whole thing,” Megan amended. “But none of us have anything worse than crispy hair—”
“From the sparks,” Ann explained. “Except Sugarfoot’s knee, but I’ll just clean that up and put a little salve on it.”
Jonah seemed to notice that Darby hadn’t said anything since she’d shouted his name.
“How you doing, Granddaughter? Trip to Two Sisters all you hoped for?”
Megan and Ann were laughing when Darby blurted, “I rode Hoku.”
She hadn’t meant to say it.
It was quiet for a long time, except that hooves hit sand and waves searched the shore. Darby imagined Jonah’s face changing colors as he tried to keep his temper under control.
“How’d she do?” Jonah asked at last.
“Perfect. It’s like she understood I had no choice.”
Darby winced at her own words. That had definitely been the wrong thing to say. It sounded like she hadn’t been in control.
“I always knew that Three Bars breeding would shine through when it counted,” her grandfather said.
But this time Darby was too proud of her horse to let Jonah’s comment go.
“Not to mention her mustang instincts,” Darby said.
“Could be,” Jonah shrugged, and Hoku chose that moment to snake her head out and snap toward Jonah’s stirrup. “Remind that broomtail of yours who pays for the hay she loves.”
“Hoku,” Darby said in a scolding tone, but then Jonah changed his mind.
“Never mind. Actions speak louder than words. Animals get that sooner than people. She’ll come around to tolerating me, after a while.”
Hooves splatted on the wet beach. They rode for another minute before Jonah glanced at the glowing display of his cell phone.
“Oh, I bet my parents are out looking for me!” Ann said suddenly.
“Them and Kit, Cade, and Kimo. Cathy’s holding up her end by going crazy and sayin’ she told me so,” Jonah said.
“But I bet she’s on the lanai with binoculars,” Megan said. She made a huge waving motion and yelled, “Hi, Mom!”
When Sugarfoot and Hoku shied, Megan said, “Sorry!”
“Try to call them again, please,” Ann urged Jonah.
“The news is saying this is a minor eruption, just the hot sister lettin’ off steam,” Jonah said.
Darby felt relieved. Even though it had felt like a hellish inferno to her, maybe her mother wouldn’t be too worried.
She was swaying comfortably on Navigator’s bare back, feeling proud of her horse and herself, when she caught Jonah watching her.
Embarrassed and hopelessly empty of things to say, Darby opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“That’s got it,” Jonah said, but he’d stopped looking at Darby. He was pressing a button on his cell phone.
First he called Aunty Cathy to let her know they were riding home. Next, he called Ed and Ramona Potter. Then he made a third call.
“Hey, Kit,” Jonah shouted as if he could communicate to the other side of the island by volume alone. “Yeah. All of ’em. Called you first, but you can tell Kimo and Cade”—Jonah glanced over at Darby and gave her a wink—“the can-do keiki is back in the barn.”
Darby’s Dictionary
In case anybody reads this besides me, which it’s too late to tell you not to do if you’ve gotten this far, I know this isn’t a real dictionary. For one thing, it’s not all correct, because I’m just adding things as I hear them. Besides, this dictionary is just to help me remember. Even though I’m pretty self-conscious about pronouncing Hawaiian words, it seems to me if I live here (and since I’m part Hawaiian), I should at least try to say things right.
ali’i—AH LEE EE—royalty, but it includes chiefs besides queens and kings and people like that
‘aumakua—OW MA KOO AH—these are family guardians from ancient times. I think ancestors are supposed to come back and look out for their family members. Our ‘aumakua are owls and Megan’s is a sea turtle.
chicken skin—goose bumps
da kine—DAH KYNE—“that sort of thing” or “stuff like that”
hanai—HA NYE E—a foster or adopted child, like Cade is Jonah’s, but I don’t know if it’s permanent
haole—HOWLEE—a foreigner, especially a white person. I get called that, or hapa (half) haole, even though I’m part Hawaiian.
hewa-hewa—HEE VAH HEE VAH—crazy
hiapo—HIGH AH PO—a firstborn child, like me, and it’s apparently tradition for grandparents, if they feel like it, to just take hiapo to raise!
hoku—HO COO—star
holoholo—HOE LOW HOW LOW—a pleasure trip that could be a walk, a ride, a sail, etc.
honu—HO NEW—sea turtle
‘iolani—EE OH LAWN EE—this is a hawk that brings messages from the gods, but Jonah has it painted on his trucks as an owl bursting through the clouds
ipo—EE POE—sweetheart, actually short for ku’uipo
kapu—KAH POO—forbidden, a taboo
lanai—LAH NA E—this is like a balcony or veranda. Sun House’s is more like a long balcony with a view of the pastures.
lau hala—LA OO HA LA—some kind of leaf in shades of brown, used to make paniolo hats like Cade’s. I guess they’re really expensive.
lei—LAY E—necklace of flowers. I thought they were pronounced LAY, but Hawaiians add another sound. I also thought leis were sappy touristy things, but getting one is a real honor, from the righ
t people.
lei niho palaoa—LAY NEEHO PAH LAHOAH—necklace made for old-time Hawaiian royalty from braids of their own hair. It’s totally kapu—forbidden—for anyone else to wear it.
luna—LOU NUH—a boss or top guy, like Jonah’s stallion
menehune—MEN AY WHO NAY—little people
ohia—OH HE UH—a tree like the one next to Hoku’s corral
pali—PAW LEE—cliffs
paniolo—PAW KNEE OH LOW—cowboy or cowgirl
pau—POW—finished, like Kimo is always asking, “You pau?” to see if I’m done working with Hoku or shoveling up after the horses
Pele—PAY LAY—the volcano goddess. Red is her color. She’s destructive with fire, but creative because she molds lava into new land. She’s easily offended if you mess with things sacred to her, like the ohia tree, lehua flowers, ‘ohelo berries, and the wild horse herd on Two Sisters.
pueo—POO AY OH—an owl, our family guardian. The very coolest thing is that one lives in the tree next to Hoku’s corral.
pupule—POO POO LAY—crazy
tutu—TOO TOO—great-grandmother
Darby’s Diary
Ellen Kealoha Carter—my mom, and since she’s responsible for me being in Hawaii, I’m putting her first. Also, I miss her. My mom is a beautiful and talented actress, but she hasn’t had her big break yet. Her job in Tahiti might be it, which is sort of ironic because she’s playing a Hawaiian for the first time and she swore she’d never return to Hawaii. And here I am. I get the feeling she had huge fights with her dad, Jonah, but she doesn’t hate Hawaii.
Cade—fifteen or so, he’s Jonah’s adopted son. Jonah’s been teaching him all about being a paniolo. I thought he was Hawaiian, but when he took off his hat he had blond hair—in a braid! Like old-time vaqueros—weird! He doesn’t go to school, just takes his classes by correspondence through the mail. He wears this poncho that’s almost black it’s such a dark green, and he blends in with the forest. Kind of creepy the way he just appears out there. Not counting Kit, Cade might be the best rider on the ranch.
Hoku kicked him in the chest. I wish she hadn’t. He told me that his stepfather beat him all the time.
Cathy Kato—forty or so? She’s the ranch manager and, really, the only one who seems to manage Jonah. She’s Megan’s mom and the widow of a paniolo, Ben. She has messy blond-brown hair to her chin, and she’s a good cook, but she doesn’t think so. It’s like she’s just pulling herself back together after Ben’s death.
I get the feeling she used to do something with advertising or public relations on the mainland.
Jonah Kaniela Kealoha—my grandfather could fill this whole notebook. Basically, though, he’s harsh/nice, serious/funny, full of legends and stories about magic, but real down-to-earth. He’s amazing with horses, which is why they call him the Horse Charmer. He’s not that tall, maybe 5'8", with black hair that’s getting gray, and one of his fingers is still kinked where it was broken by a teacher because he spoke Hawaiian in class! I don’t like his “don’t touch the horses unless they’re working for you” theory, but it totally works. I need to figure out why.
Kimo—he’s so nice! I guess he’s about twenty-five, Hawaiian, and he’s just this sturdy, square, friendly guy. He drives in every morning from his house over by Crimson Vale, and even though he’s late a lot, I’ve never seen anyone work so hard.
Kit Ely—the ranch foreman, the boss, next to Jonah. He’s Sam’s friend Jake’s brother and a real buckaroo. He’s about 5'10" with black hair. He’s half Shoshone, but he could be mistaken for Hawaiian, if he wasn’t always promising to whip up a batch of Nevada chili and stuff like that. And he wears a totally un-Hawaiian leather string with brown-streaked turquoise stones around his neck. He got to be foreman through his rodeo friend Pani (Ben’s buddy). Kit’s left wrist got pulverized in a rodeo fall. He’s still amazing with horses, though.
Megan Kato—Cathy’s fifteen-year-old daughter, a super athlete with long reddish-black hair. She’s beautiful and popular and I doubt she’d be my friend if we just met at school. Maybe, though, because she’s nice at heart. She half makes fun of Hawaiian legends, then turns around and acts really serious about them. Her Hawaiian name is Mekana.
The Zinks—they live on the land next to Jonah. They have barbed-wire fences and their name doesn’t sound Hawaiian, but that’s all I know.
Tutu—my great-grandmother. She lives out in the rain forest like a medicine woman or something, and she looks like my mom will when she’s old. She has a pet owl.
Aunt Babe Borden—Jonah’s sister, so she’s really my great-aunt. She owns half of the family land, which is divided by a border that runs between the Two Sisters. Aunt Babe and Jonah don’t get along, and though she’s fashionable and caters to rich people at her resort, she and her brother are identically stubborn. Aunt Babe pretends to be all business, but she loves her cremello horses and I think she likes having me and Hoku around.
Duxelles Borden—if you lined up all the people on Hawaii and asked me to pick out one NOT related to me, it would be Duxelles, but it turns out she’s my cousin. Tall (I come up to her shoulders), strong, and with this metallic blond hair, she’s popular despite being a bully. She lives with Aunt Babe while her mom travels with her dad, who’s a world-class kayaker. About the only thing Duxelles and I have in common is we’re both swimmers. Oh, and I gave her a nickname—Duckie.
ANIMALS!
Hoku—my wonderful sorrel filly! She’s about two and a half years old, a full sister to the Phantom, and boy, does she show it! She’s fierce (hates men) but smart, and a one-girl (ME!) horse for sure. She is definitely a herd-girl, and when it comes to choosing between me and other horses, it’s a real toss-up. Not that I blame her. She’s run free for a long time, and I don’t want to take away what makes her special.
She loves hay, but she’s really HEAD-SHY due to Shan Stonerow’s early “training,” which, according to Sam, was beating her.
Hoku means “star.” Her dam is Princess Kitty, but her sire is a mustang named Smoke and he’s mustang all the way back to a “white renegade with murder in his eye” (Mrs. Allen).
Navigator—my riding horse is a big, heavy Quarter Horse that reminds me of a knight’s charger. He has Three Bars breeding (that’s a big deal), but when he picked me, Jonah let him keep me! He’s black with rusty rings around his eyes and a rusty muzzle. (Even though he looks black, the proper description is brown, they tell me.) He can find his way home from any place on the island. He’s sweet, but no pushover. Just when I think he’s sort of a safety net for my beginning riding skills, he tests me.
Joker—Cade’s Appaloosa gelding is gray splattered with black spots and has a black mane and tail. He climbs like a mountain goat and always looks like he’s having a good time. I think he and Cade have a history, maybe Jonah took them in together?
Biscuit—buckskin gelding, one of Ben’s horses, a dependable cow pony. Kit rides him a lot.
Hula Girl—chestnut cutter
Blue Ginger—blue roan mare with tan foal
Honolulu Lulu—bay mare
Tail Afire (Koko)—fudge brown mare with silver mane and tail
Blue Moon—Blue Ginger’s baby
Moonfire—Tail Afire’s baby
Black Cat—Lady Wong’s black foal
Luna Dancer—Hula Girl’s bay baby
Honolulu Half Moon
Conch—grulla cow pony, gelding, needs work. Megan rides him sometimes.
Kona—big gray, Jonah’s cow horse
Luna—beautiful, full-maned bay stallion is king of ‘Iolani Ranch. He and Jonah seem to have a bond.
Lady Wong—dappled gray mare and Kona’s dam. Her current foal is Black Cat.
Australian shepherds—pack of five: Bart, Jack, Jill, Peach, and Sass
Pipsqueak/Pip—little shaggy white dog that runs with the big dogs, belongs to Megan and Cathy
Tango—Megan’s once-wild rose roan mare. I think she and Hoku are going to be pals.
Sugarfoot—Ann Potter’s horse is a beautiful Morab (half Morgan and half Arabian, she told me). He’s a caramel-and-white paint with one white foot. He can’t be used with “clients” at the Potters’ because he’s a chaser. Though Ann and her mother, Ramona, have pretty much schooled it out of him, he’s still not quite trustworthy. If he ever chases me, I’m supposed to stand my ground, whoop, and holler. Hope I never have to do it!
Flight—this cremello mare belongs to Aunt Babe (she has a whole herd of cremellos) and nearly died of longing for her foal. She was a totally different horse—beautiful and spirited—once she got him back!
Stormbird—Flight’s cream-colored (with a blush of palomino) foal with turquoise eyes has had an exciting life for a four-month-old. He’s been shipwrecked, washed ashore, fended for himself, and rescued.
PLACES
Lehua High School—the school Megan and I go to. School colors are red and gold.
Crimson Vale—it’s an amazing and magical place, and once I learn my way around, I bet I’ll love it. It’s like a maze, though. Here’s what I know: From town you can go through the valley or take the ridge road—valley has lily pads, waterfalls, wild horses, and rainbows. The ridge route (Pali?) has sweeping turns that almost made me sick. There are black rock teeter-totter-looking things that are really ancient altars and a SUDDEN drop-off down to a white sand beach. Hawaiian royalty are supposedly buried in the cliffs.