“I wish we knew if the artifacts had been damaged, and if my dad has heard any more from Eva.”
“One way to find out.” He leaned over and pressed the intercom button. “Mano, you out there?”
His brother’s worried face appeared in the round porthole window. “I’m here.” Mano’s voice sounded crackly in the speaker. Annie peeked over his shoulder into the window too.
Bane stared into his brother’s face. He’d never been able to tell Mano or any of his family how much he loved them. Instead, he’d told Mano what to do, criticized his every move, and held him to standards no one could live up to. Mano had never called him on it—he’d just continued to do what he thought was right and to be there for everyone in the Oana family. Bane didn’t deserve a brother like him. Things needed to change.
Bane spread his palm on the window. “Thanks for saving me out there. I love you, man.”
Mano put his hand on the other side of the window. “Hey, I need you around to keep me in line. I love you too.” His voice was husky, and he blinked rapidly.
There was nothing like a close brush with death to see things clearly for the first time. He’d never even been able to tell Leia clearly how he felt. He’d stumbled around like a schoolboy with his first crush. Maybe he could do better now.
Leia leaned toward the window as Mano stepped away. “What’s going on out there? Is this a major eruption?”
Annie moved closer to the intercom. “Not major, no. Similar to Lo’ihi, though not as large yet. The lava is oozing out, so it’s not an explosive event, though it will make swimming and diving in this area very undesirable for a long time to come. Can you tell me what you saw down there?”
Leia shuddered. “It was awful, Annie. We were trapped in a cave when the lava began to pillow over the entrance. It grew so fast, we couldn’t get out. Then Nani found a way through to the higher cave and got us out. She’s the real hero.”
“I’ll let Kaia know her dolphin saved the day. Again.” Mano’s worried smile turned to Bane. “How are you both feeling? Any pain?”
“No. How much longer do we have to cook?”
Mano glanced at the gauges by the door. “Another few minutes.”
“What about my dad? Any word about Eva?”
Mano nodded. “He was here. He got a phone call telling him where to take the artifacts. He’s gone there with them.”
“No!” Leia sprang to her feet. “He can’t go alone. It isn’t safe.”
“We tried to tell him that, but he wouldn’t listen. He lit out of here as soon as he knew you were going to be all right.”
“Where was he going?” Bane curled his hands into fists. He needed to get out of here.
“He wouldn’t tell me. He mumbled something about a fishpond, then he shut up.”
“The cabin near the abandoned fishpond,” Leia said. “I’ve got to go after him.”
“You can’t yet. You’re not done cooking.” Bane put his arm around her. She was trembling, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“We have to go! Something will happen to both of them.” She pulled away and tried to go to the door. “You have to let me out, Mano. Please.”
The desperation in her voice made Bane capitulate. “Let us out, Mano. Surely we’ve been in here long enough.”
Mano was frowning. “I don’t like it. Get back here if you get any symptoms.” He began to twist the handle, then the door creaked open.
Ajax ran to Bane’s side. Bane rubbed the dog’s ears, then they rushed to get dressed. Ron stopped Bane by his locker. “The ship is gone, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so, Ron. The lava got it,” Bane said. A piece of history gone forever, and a lot of money down the toilet.
Ron slammed his fist against the wall and swore. “This project has been bad luck from the start. You’d better get going. You need backup?”
“I think we can handle it. Mano will come with us. We’ll take the boat to the dock in Kalaupapa and get Leia’s cycle. You got a cell phone I can borrow? I dropped mine somewhere.”
Ron dug in his pocket. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Bane pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, then went to the dingy. Leia and Mano were already aboard. “Where’s Annie?”
“Calling the observatory,” Mano said. “They’ll want to send more scientists out to take a look. This is big.”
Bane told his dog to stay on the ship, then Mano started the motor, and the dingy pulled away from the Pomaik’i. Bane hoped they were headed in the right direction. There was no guarantee Akoni had gone to the old fishpond.
Eva stood by the door. Her mother always told her she was too old to cry, but that’s what she wanted to do. Hotshot wasn’t fun anymore. He kept following her around, touching her hair, and she didn’t like it. When her parents or her sister caressed her hair, it felt good. Why did she feel funny when Hotshot did it? Maybe Leia would know. She would ask her when she saw her.