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

by Nuckels, Courtney

  "Well, I'm glad you two are okay. You need to be careful though. You can't just be wandering through caves and stuff. The Night Marchers aren't the only thing scary on this island." He says.

  We both nod in unison.

  “So were you able to find anything out today?” I ask, changing the direction of the conversation.

  Tristan shakes his head. “No, sadly. Well, nothing I didn’t already know anyway. The book was old and in Pidgin, but from what I can translate, it's basically a generic history book with nothing more than advise about not looking Night Marchers in the eyes. That we've already learned first handedly.”

  "So what's the plan then?" Kaylee asks trying to lighten the mood.

  Tristan thinks about it for a moment. "I guess it's not safe here tonight. We don't have enough daylight left to pack up the site though. Why don't we just grab our things and I will get us a hotel room nearby."

  Kaylee literally jumps up for joy at the word hotel room. She runs quickly to the tent to start packing. I roll my eyes and then ask Tristan, "We will be coming back right? Tomorrow?"

  "Yes, we will. I'd of course rather you stay in the hotel, but I know you won't have that. So, we’ll come back." He says reluctantly.

  "Good." I say with a smile.

  I turn to head towards the tent to pack my stuff but Tristan grabs my arm pulling me to him. He gives me a hug and then whispers in my ear, "Boyfriend, huh?"

  My heart starts pounding at the question. I don't know what to say. "Um..."

  Tristan pulls out of the hug and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm just messing with you Emma. I know she was just razzing you."

  "Yeah." I say a little unsurely and then give him another hug trying to add that reassurance that I do really care for him. Even if I can't call him my boyfriend, I do really care.

  He brushes a quick kiss on my lips, which makes the butterflies dance in my belly. I blush and then head to the tent to pack.

  An hour and a half later we pull in to a small cozy hotel. Kaylee and I wait in the Jeep while Tristan goes in to get us a room.

  He comes back a few minutes later and says, "Sorry girls, they only had one room left. Not that I could afford it if they had two since it was two hundred dollars for a night. Anyhow, we got two double beds."

  Kaylee jokes, "Well, isn't that cozy. Don't get any ideas though Tristan, we aren't gonna be cuddling up tonight."

  We all laugh at that. I'm grateful that we can still be lighthearted after a day like today. Tristan, the gentleman that he is, grabs our bags and we all head in to find our room.

  For two hundred dollars I would have thought the room would have been bigger or have a Jacuzzi or something in it. It was just a run of the mill hotel room though. We order a pizza for dinner then take turns using the shower. I know I only roughed it for one night, but I didn't realize how much I missed clean hot running water.

  Feeling refreshed, Kaylee and I jump into one of the beds while Tristan takes the other. We stay up a little while longer watching re-runs of Friend's episodes on Nick at Night until finally we’re able to fall asleep.

  Chapter 7

  I wake up to the sound of Kaylee's ringtone playing out 'Tough' by: Kellie Pickler. The song is fitting for Kaylee's character. She doesn't seem to stir at all so I kick her lightly trying to wake her up so she can answer it. She just groans and pulls the covers up over her eyes. When the phone stops ringing, I contemplate going back to sleep but decide against it when I catch sight of the bedside clock. It's already eleven in the morning. I've been accustomed to getting so little sleep lately, that getting a whole ten hours actually left me feeling groggy.

  The phone starts ringing again. This time I climb over Kaylee to grab her phone off her nightstand. I look at the display and it says: Mom. Oh crap! My heart starts racing as I think about how she might have found out we are gone! We haven't even thought to check in or anything over the past two days. I elbow Kaylee hard this time. "Kaylee, it's your mom!"

  She opens her eyes quickly at that statement, grabs the phone and answers it groggily, "Hello."

  I listen to the one sided conversation.

  "Yes, mom. No, I was taking a nap."

  Kaylee is a smart cookie. If she had said, I just woke up it would have alerted her mom that something was wrong since it's three p.m. in Texas.

  She continues, "Oh, yeah, sorry mom. We were just catching up and I forgot to call." She pauses and then looks at me concerned. "Um, we spent the night at Annie's. You know, it had been a while since Kaylee saw her."

  Kaylee puts her hand over the phone muffling it and says to me, "She sent a friend to check on us last night!" She uncovers the phone and answers her mom, "Yeah, we were going to spend the night again tonight. Is that okay?" She nods to me letting me know that her mom is okay with it.

  Kaylee finishes up her conversation with her mom and promises to answer the next time she calls. I guess her mom had tried to call a few times yesterday but we didn't get any signal out at the campsite. When Kaylee hangs up I tell her, "You’re a quick thinker Kaylee. I totally forgot about calling your mom."

  "Yeah, me too! I don't think she suspects anything though. I told her we were at Annie's because she lives in the boondocks. My mom knows that we often have problems getting a signal out there." She picks up her phone and then tells me, "I better call her and ask her to back me up just in case anyone asks."

  "Good idea. Thanks again Kaylee. I know you don't like lying to your mom, but I appreciate you helping me out." I say sincerely. I’m sure her mom would hit the fan if she knew where we were.

  "That's what BFI's are for honey." She says with a smile before picking up the phone to call Annie.

  I get up to head to the restroom allowing Kaylee time to have her conversation. I catch a sneak glance at Tristan who looks like he's peacefully sleeping, undisturbed by our panicked conversation. I make it two steps from my bed when Tristan darts up pulling me down onto his bed playfully. "Hey!" I yell a little too loud.

  "Got you!" He said laughing.

  "Yeah, you play dead real well Tristan," I say while playfully jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow since he's holding me down in front of him. He loosens up just enough for me to sit up and face him. Man, he looks good with his bed head in the morning.

  "Yeah, we learn how to do that when we are young in Hawaii. That's what they say you should do if you see them, the Night Marchers, you know. Play dead." He looks at me seriously.

  "Really? They teach you that?" I ask believing him.

  He smiles slyly then answers, "No, us kids just talk about it when we tell our ghost stories. Many Hawaiian's believe it's just a legend. Perhaps, they should teach the warning though since they are anything but a mere legend."

  "Yeah, perhaps they should." I say solemnly thinking about Noa's fate. Kai made his choice to save me, but Noa didn't really have a choice. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Kaylee interrupts our conversation by loudly clearing her throat. We turn towards her.

  "Sorry to interrupt love birds, but I've had enough PDA over the past two days so, let's get to business. What's our plan?"

  Tristan and I both blush at her comment. I'm not sure what the plan is so I just look to Tristan referring it to him to answer.

  "Well, I was thinking you could both stay here. Maybe get a manicure or something while I go and investigate the cave."

  Kaylee and I simultaneously throw a pillow at him attacking him from both sides.

  "Ow! Okay, okay. Then I guess, we should pack up and head back to the campsite." Tristan says pretending to rub his head in the spot where the pillows hit him.

  "Sounds good to me," I chime in.

  Kaylee nods her approval and we both start getting ready and packing our things. Before we head out, I make a quick phone call to my dad. We have a brief conversation in which I tell him that I'm fine and that I forgive him for sending me to Kaylee's. I keep it really short because I despise lying to my dad, so the
less I say, the better.

  Twenty minutes later, we hop in the jeep and head to the campsite. We stop to pick up some burritos from Red Hot Momma's along the way, which makes my stomach flutter reminding me of our first kiss. I can tell by the look in Tristan's eyes, that he is reminded of the same moment.

  With our stomachs full, we drive to the waterfall and head off on the short hike to where we set up camp.

  "What the!" I hear Tristan yell out in front of me. He had stepped into the clearing first.

  When I get close enough to view the scene, I gasp in horror. The campsite has been ripped apart. Equipment and food strung out all over the place.

  Kaylee sees it and asks, "Maybe an animal? A bear perhaps?"

  Tristan shakes his head and answers, "There are no bears in Hawaii. It's possible that a wild pig could do this damage, but I don't think that's the case." He walks up closer to the campsite examining the destruction. "No, I think a human did this."

  "Who would do that?" Kaylee asks.

  Realization dawns on me, "Kao." I say his name with all of the venom I can manage.

  Tristan wheels around quickly staring at me. "Who is Kao?" He asks forcefully.

  Crud! I wasn't planning on telling him about Kao. We even went so far as to leave his name out of it when we told Tristan about the cave. "He's the Night Marcher who tried to kill me."

  "You know its name! Emma, why in the world are you just now telling me about this? You can't just keep me in the dark and expect me to help you!" I can hear the hurt in his voice.

  "I'm sorry Tristan. I don't like to talk about him, about any of it... He is evil and he is out there somewhere. He could have done this!" I say gesturing to the mess and pleading to Tristan with my eyes for him to forgive me. I feel like all I have been doing lately is screwing up and then apologizing. Rinse and repeat.

  "Frankly Emma, I don't give a crap if you don't like to talk about him. You withholding information from me is just as bad as lying!" He runs his hands through his hair and pauses mid hair stroke. As if he just caught on to what I had said, he looks at me dumfounded and asks, "What do you mean out there somewhere?"

  The emotion in Tristan's voice makes me flinch. I realize I never told him the part about how Kao became human once Kai took his place as a Night Marcher. Looking at Tristan I see the pure frustration and concern in his eyes. Even further down I can see how much he cares for me, loves me. Instant guilt washes over me as I think about how I have semi-purposely withheld information from Tristan. "When Kai stepped in to save my life, Kao and him switched places. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like something crazy happened and all of a sudden they switched roles. Kai turned into a Night Marcher and Kao turned human again."

  Tristan just stares at me blankly but I can tell that his mind is trying to process what I just told him. I'm sure he's thinking about Noa. I hadn't even thought about it before now, but if what happened to Kai and Kao happened to Noa, then who knows... The Night Marcher who turned Noa, could be out there somewhere! "No, that's impossible Emma," he says, not quite believing his own statement.

  I just shake my head and whisper back, "Nothing is impossible." It's hard for me to see Tristan hurting. I'm sure that my information just added a whole new slew of worries to his plate. To top it all off, I kept this from him. At first I just didn't tell Tristan about Kao because I didn't want to explain the whole story. It was too much to relive. I wasn't intentionally trying to keep things from him. But then, when we ran into Kao in the cave, I purposely didn't tell Tristan about it. I didn't want him to worry or make us leave. Or worse of all, tell my dad, because then this whole jig would be up and I'd be sent back to Texas. I couldn't take that chance.

  For whatever reason though, it wasn't right. I should have trusted Tristan and been completely honest with him. I decide to start off right now. "There's more...We saw him, in the cave." I say nervously.

  "You saw who?" Tristan says tight-lipped.

  "Kao."

  "What! He was here? Seriously Emma? Did you think maybe that I didn't need to know that?" He furrows his brows and pure frustration overcomes his face. "I just don't know what is up with you lately. It's like I don't even know you Emma!"

  I wince at Tristan's angry tone, his words cutting my heart. I've really messed it all up now. I move closer to him and put my hand on his arm trying to calm him down. "I'm sorry Tristan."

  He pulls his arm away from me as if my touch burned him. He turns his back to me and walks away.

  Hurt and pain washes over me bathing me in a bath of self-guilt. Tears sting my eyes as I turn to do what I do best, run away. I run past Kaylee who had sat there quietly through the whole scene. I run past the beautiful waterfall and into the woods. I don't know when I became so fond of running, but it's the only thing I can think to do.

  I run through the brush, dancing around obstacles on the forest floor. At first there are footsteps behind me, but I push myself harder and faster until the footsteps I once heard vanish. I keep running and I find myself relieved that I can be alone with my thoughts. Why did life have to get so confusing, so complicated? Just a few weeks ago I didn’t have a care in the world. Now, I don’t even know if I will be able to graduate, find Kai, Adam and Noa, or if I can avoid breaking Kai’s or Tristan’s heart. It seems like everything that was ever important to me is being taken away. To have Tristan openly reject me like that hurt me to the core of my being. He is my rock, my calm in the storm, and now I don’t know where to find my balance. All the feelings of the last few weeks come over me, weighing on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. At first silent tears come, and then the sobs begin. I can’t stop, nor do I want to. I just want to be alone for a moment, in private to let myself morn for everything that has happened and everything that may happen. I cry for my mother, and for Noa, and for Kai, and for Adam. I just let it all out. I eventually stop running and I allow my body to drop like a ton of bricks. I curl up into a ball on the hard forest floor hugging my knees to my chest. While the tears continue to flow, I close my eyes trying to release every last thought and fear. Total exhaustion flows over me, my tears spending the final ounce of my energy.

  As if my mind is trying to give my heart some type of peace, the memory of Kai and me dancing in the Menehune’s cave pops into my head. I hold that thought replaying the way he held me and looked at me as well as the necklace he gave me. I take the necklace out from my shirt and hold it to my lips. Stealing all the memories I can from it.

  I can hear Tristan and Kaylee calling for me somewhere in the distance. I don't answer though. I lay still; holding the necklace with my eyes closed; allowing myself to just be.

  Chapter 8

  It’s funny how time seems to stand still while I lie here in a heap. Night has fallen all around me, and I sit straight up in utter shock, disbelieving that I could have fallen asleep on this hard forest floor. I stand up and rub my eyes, as if rubbing them would activate my night vision. The moon is full tonight and I can see bits and pieces of it through the tree canopy overhead. "Hello?" I say in a croaky voice caused in part by sleep and in part by my earlier tears. I clear my throat and yell out louder this time, "Hello? Tristan! Kaylee!" Nobody answers me in return. Crap. What is up with me falling asleep out here at the worst times? Shrugging it off, I decide to get moving and try to head back towards the campsite.

  I stand up and turn in circles trying to remember which way I came from. I shouldn't have run so fast earlier. I shouldn't have done a lot of things, but there's no point going down that road right now. I need to find my friends; I'm sure they’re worried sick. Up ahead, I can see that the trees seem to be getting thinner, so I start walking in that direction. At least I'd be able to see better if I find a clearing and there's always that faint possibility that perhaps by some miracle my cell will find some bars out here.

  Déjà vu hits me strong when I reach the tree line and realize where I am. In front of me is the boulder that Kai and I had hid behind that first fateful night when
I witnessed the Night Marchers procession. I walk over to it and put my hand on the cold, hard stone. The reminder of Kai hunched in front of me, protecting me with his arms like a shield sends my heart fluttering. Visions of memories flash through my head like a slideshow on fast forward. My heart aches when it stops at the last vision of Kai being pulled into the Night Marchers ranks as I ran helplessly after him.

  Caught up in the memories, I barely noticed the approaching beat of the drums. When my brain finally processes that what I am hearing is in the present it sends the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I start looking wildly about for an exit plan while my heart pounds ferociously. The drums near closer and all of a sudden the scenery is passing quickly before my eyes. I hadn't even realized that my feet were moving me away from danger. I run for a few seconds allowing the tree branches to whip against my arms and scratch at my skin as I put distance between what I know is coming and myself.

  Wait! I literally yell internally to myself. I stop just as suddenly as I started, my breath is labored and my mind is reeling. This is what I came for! Why would I run away now? Not when Kai is so close. I turn and start heading back towards the clearing. My body is sluggish and it feels as if I'm trying to walk through mud. It's as if my brain is trying to pull my body back away from the danger yet my heart is pulling me deep into the thick of it. I forget the internal war that my brain and my heart is waging when I see the flicker of the flames through the dense vegetation in front of me. Now I just do an all out run back towards the clearing, towards Kai.

  When I reach the clearing, I see that the procession has started. I move silently over to the boulder keeping my eyes averted. Think Emma! I need a plan for what I'm going to do next. If only I could look into Kai's eyes, maybe somehow I can remind him of who he is. He's not one of them, he's...he's mine! I surprise myself with my last possessive declaration. Keeping my head down I watch as the flames throw shadows against the ground in front of me. I wait, watching the footprints glide across the dirt but I see no feet accompanying them. I don't dare look up, the last thing I need right now is to evoke another curse.