"Hmm? Right about what?" Gully asked. "Ooh, you mean how palm trees are really portals to alien societies? I'm surprised it's taken you so long. I've know for ages."
"Uh, no, not about the palm tree portals. About my fading sight and family trying to warn me through my dreams," I reminded her.
"Oh." There was a long pause. "No, I don't remember that."
"It was only a few weeks ago, Gulls," said Gus, slight frustration in his voice.
"Nope, still can't recall. But I am sorry I was right. I'd like to be less right sometimes?but not about palm tree portals and aliens."
I couldn't help but giggle. Gully wasn't the most focused person, but she was as loyal a friend as you'd ever find.
"That's it," grumbled Gus. I felt the bed move as he sat beside me, stroking my long black and magenta-streaked hair. "Someone is targeting you especially, Maile, trying extra hard to kill your talent, and whoever it is won't stop. They've already taken your day vision. We've got to get you out of here. Tonight."
I flipped my head to face him?or the boarded up window?or the trash can. At this point, my sense of direction pretty much sucked. "You're crazy! No one has ever escaped an Imperia institution. It's not possible!"
"Oh no, it's possible," trilled Gully. "Gus can get us out. He's been working on it for months."
"But?how?" I asked, astonished, my eyes wide?and probably staring at Gully's earlobe or temple.
Gus squeezed my hand. "The particulars aren't important. Just leave everything to me. Pack a small bag and be ready by eleven o'clock tonight, when everyone's asleep. I'll pick you up while Gully keeps watch."
"The doors will be locked. Don't tell me you figured out how to pick an electronic lock," I grumbled.
"Something like that." I could hear the smirk in Gus's voice. "Tonight, we save our own lives."
Eleven o'clock. I fidgeted with the fraying strap of my tatty blue bag, anxiously waiting for Gus. Everyone around me was fast asleep-a day full of needle-laden torture would knock anyone out?except me. In fact, the only way I made it through Draining Day was by focusing on this very moment. Not only were we about to attempt the impossible-break free from institution hell-but with nightfall came one very big bonus: my eyes sprang back into full night-vision power. I could once again see everything around me.
Amidst the snores and wheezes, the creak of a floor and shuffling of feet just outside the room caught my ear. Soon, the wall to the right of the door quivered, turning oddly blurry, as two figures suddenly appeared in the room; one was my boyfriend, Gus, flashing me an 'I told ya I could do it' grin. The other figure was a resident I knew very well-we bonded in the basement of the institution while sifting through scraps of discarded clothes, determined to find, design, and craft something better than the horrible gray and brown uniforms we were assigned; of course, anyone we made clothes for had to hide our fun, handmade garments and only wear them at night or during free hours.
She was known as Wall-Walking Wanda, for her talent was quite literally the ability to walk through walls. She was basically a living ghost, for lack of a better description. Wanda was a slight girl with ghostly pale skin, thick yellow-rimmed glasses, and shoulder-length, cherry-red hair. Her clothes were always wildly mismatched. Tonight was no exception: teal top, lime green skirt, bright yellow tights, and pink sneakers.
Gus made his way to me while Wanda waited beside the wall. Upon reaching me, he whispered, "How are your eyes?"
"Night vision is still working. I can still see at night."
Gus exhaled. "Thank God. I was hoping it wasn't too late. Ready to get outta here?"
"Lead the way."
Taking my hand in his, holding it tightly, Gus and I swiftly joined Wanda, who immediately pivoted around, turning her back to us.
"Hand on shoulder," Wanda instructed flatly. Gus and I did as directed. "Keep a firm grip. You don't want to get stuck between the walls. Very uncomfortable, little smelly."
Shooting Gus a wary glance, I took a deep breath and followed Wanda through the wall. The sensation was different than I imagined-what I expected was more akin to slamming my head against a brick wall. Instead, it was sort of like maneuvering through a giant stuffed Thanksgiving turkey. And I have absolutely no idea how or why my brain reached that particular description, but there it was in all its bizarre glory!
Once we were on the other side of the wall and in the darkened hallway, Wanda said, "Gully's waiting around the corner, keeping watch. I can get you all through the front door and front gates-it's the best way to go. After that, you're on your own. I'm certainly not sticking around to face any night marchers, or aren't you all aware of those guys?"
A cold chill ran up and down my body. "I'm aware of them."
Looking from Wanda to me, Gus, his brow furrowed, asked, "Uh, what are night marchers?"
Wanda glared at Gus. "Don't you ever pay attention to island folklore?"
"No," replied Gus. "I put my energy into avoiding the crazy ass doctors and administrators who spend their days trying to rid us of our powers."
"Night marchers," I began, "are warriors who still roam the island."
Gus waited a moment for me to expand, which I so wasn't ready to do. "And the big deal would be?"
Yeah, I wasn't prepared to tell Gus about night marchers?for a couple of reasons. "You know what? We'll worry about them later."
"Ha! Understatement of the century," Wanda bellowed, before a thought obviously crossed her mind. "Night marchers wouldn't like me, since I have ghost powers without actually being a ghost."
"Huh?" Poor Gus. He was going to be so ticked at me for keeping him in the dark.
"Wanda?why don't you leave? I mean, with your talent, you could leave whenever you want," I said. "There isn't a wall on this planet that could contain you."
Wanda dropped her head. Moving the toe of her sneaker across a small rip in the carpet, she meekly whispered, "Because I'm waiting."
"For what?" asked Gus.
"Just?waiting." It was clear she wasn't comfortable talking about this any further. "Follow me. We need to move fast. The guards will be on hall patrol in ten minutes."
"I can hide us from the guards," Gus informed her strongly.
Rolling her eyes, Wanda snapped, "Yes, I know, human chameleon dude. But wouldn't it be nicer if we could wander the halls without the threat of any run-ins?"
"Okay, point well-made." Gus grinned mischievously.
"Let's go. Be as quiet as you can, especially on the lower levels." Wanda took off jogging down the hall. Gus and I were quick to follow.
When we rounded the corner of the long, seemingly endless hallway, we found Gully patiently awaiting our arrival.
"Come on, Gully," Wanda demanded.
"Do we have to run? I don't really like running. Makes my hair come loose," said Gully with a disappointed sigh.
"We're only going to run for a little bit." I took Gully's hand in mine and pulled her along.
We continued through the halls and down several flights of stairs until we reached the main entrance hall-a vast, immaculate room made entirely out of bamboo; the arched ceiling made it feel almost magical?if only that were the case.
The front doors to freedom were merely steps away. Just as we were about to cross the grand hall, a loud clamor from a nearby office stopped us cold. To our horror, Headmaster Akalonna was exiting his office.
"It's the headmaster!" I frantically whispered.
"All of you-grab hold of me," Gus demanded.
Gus wrapped his long arm around me and Gully, pulling us close, while Wanda jumped into his free arm; with us all against him, he swiftly swiveled around and slammed our backs against the wall. The thud alone would have awakened the night marchers.
"Who's there?" shouted Headmaster Akalonna, his large, intimidating figure charging toward us.
Stopping directly in front of me, Headmaster Akalonna surveyed the room with his emotionless eyes. Soon, his mean gaze landed right
on us. But thanks to Gus, all our headmaster could see was a bamboo wall. Gus was a hider, or as Wanda called him, a human chameleon. He could make himself and anyone in his grasp take the form of nearly anything.
"Humph!" groaned Headmaster Aklalonna. "Must've been the drums of the night marchers." He then twiddled off to his private quarters, which were rumored to be embarrassingly luxurious-far cry from how we lived.
Once the headmaster was out of sight, Gus peeled us from the wall.
"Nicely done, hider," I murmured to Gus, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Puffing out his chest, Gus replied, "Yeah, it's the most effective way to keep you locked in my arms." I couldn't help but giggle.
Wanda scowled at us. "Oh. My. God. Are you flirting? There's no time for flirting! Unbelievable! Please, kindly bury the flirt and let's move our butts." Once we were standing before the front doors, readying ourselves to pass through, Wanda added, "You know the drill-grab hold of me, we ghost through, and then Gus takes over. Hider, we'll need you to camouflage us in order to get past the ring of guards and to the front gate. Clear?" We all nodded.
As each of us placed a hand on Wanda, Gully mused, "Flirting. I don't know what that is. Don't think I've ever done it. Pretty sure I have no idea how." Yeah, Gully was oftentimes delayed in her responses and thoughts. Gus and I agreed it was part of her charm. Not everyone felt the same though. Case in point: Wanda.
"Wow. Really?" muttered Wanda.
With wide, blinking brown eyes, Gully whispered, "Really what? Ooh, did I miss something?"
"Did you miss something? No, I just think there's a lot missing there," Wanda said, gesturing Gully's brain.
Gus playfully grumbled, "Hey, watch it. That's my sister."
"Um, what does that mean exactly?" Gully asked me.
"Nothing, Gulls, forget it," I said quickly.
Wanda jerked her shoulders forward. "Yes. Forget it. We're moving." And with that, Wanda moved us through the front doors with hardly a shudder.
In one fluid movement, Gus immediately took Gully and I by the hand; Wanda speedily grasped his right arm. We ran through the night disguised as anything that would get us through the wall of guards: floating bits of pavement or gravel, palm leaves, grass, and even flowers. Admittedly, it was amusing to hear the sounds of our footsteps leaving the guards utterly mystified.
"Did you hear footsteps?"
"You didn't hear drums, did you? 'Cause if you did, we're in real trouble. Night marchers."
"We're safe behind the gates."
"Something moved by me! I think it was flying gravel!"
"Yeah, right, you probably just had too much to drink again tonight. Tell us, how much did you down to impress the little barmaid this time?"
The guards' confused mutterings faded away the closer we moved to the gate. Gus positioned us within the shadows of two large palm trees where the guards wouldn't see us. Wanda once again took the reins, ghosting us all through the wrought iron gate.
Once we were in the clear, Wanda said, "This is where I leave you?or, more accurately, where you leave me."
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" I asked again in the vain hope she might reconsider.
"Maile's right," said Gus. "If you move back through that gate and across institution grounds, the guards will see you. I can't even think about how the headmaster will punish you."
Wanda smiled knowingly. "The headmaster won't punish me because the guards will never see me."
I smirked. "This isn't the first time you've broken out, is it?"
"I have a little hideout where I can watch the waves. I know the schedules of every guard, what hallways are empty and when?I'll be fine," Wanda said, reassuring us.
"Bye, Wanda." I pulled her into a hug. By her delayed return-squeeze, I gathered she wasn't used to someone hugging her.
"Be careful," she said, moving back through the gates. "And good luck."
In the distance, I heard the faint whispers of chanting and the rumble of drums. Staring down the beach, I could even see the flicker of torches. The night marchers were on the move?and they were heading right for us.
"And when I say good luck, I mean about them." Wanda pointed down the beach.
"Night marchers," I whispered, as Wanda slipped within a thick section of shrubbery and disappeared.
"Yeah, is anyone gonna fill me in on the 'Oh holy crap, it's the night marchers' drama?" asked Gus, frustrated. "Why is Wanda so afraid of them?"
I swallowed hard. "Because they're constantly recruiting? If you make eye contact with them, you'll die and your spirit will be forced to march with them for eternity."
"Alright, then, think we need to go in the opposite direction of the night marchers," said Gus, starting down the other end of the beach with Gully by his side.
"I agree with Gus," said Gully.
"Wait," I cried. "I-I can't leave yet. We have to meet them along the shoreline."
Gus tossed his hands up, exasperated. "Have you lost your mind? I know you've lost your day-sight, but don't tell me you've lost your rational brain cells along with it!"
"I have to say goodbye to my parents, my mom. Night marchers are the only ones who can make that happen."
Gus took my trembling hands in his as the sound of drums drew closer and closer. "Maile, your parents live in your heart."
"No, Gus, they're here. Hawaii is all my family has ever known, and I'll be leaving here?leaving them. You wouldn't understand."
"But that means we have to march toward the ghosts," said Gus.
"I know," I replied coyly.
"Ghosts that could kill us," Gus added.
"I know that, too." He wasn't making this easy. Maybe I was being stupid?maybe there was no 'maybe' about it.
"Ooh, ghosts!" trilled Gully, merrily swinging her shoulders back and forth. "I love ghosts! I think we should definitely go say 'hi' to the ghosts!"
Gus dropped his head and groaned. "Maile, how could this possibly result in anything but our immediate deaths and subsequent admittance into the ranks of killer ghosts?"
"I have an idea. I just need you to trust me," I said, my eyes boring into his, imploring him to believe in me.
Finally, Gus smiled slightly. "You know I do."
"Does this mean we get to move toward the ghosts?" asked Gully.
"Yes, Gully, it does, but it also means you and Gus have to listen to what I say and do exactly what I tell you to do. Can you promise me that?" I asked.
"You've got my word," said Gus.
"Thanks," I said, before turning to my best friend. "How about you, Gully?" No answer. Oh dear, she must be disconnected. Again. "Gully? Gully. GULLY!"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'll listen to you," she finally replied.
"And you'll do as I say?"
"Mmm-hmm." I had the feeling Gully wasn't sure she would pay attention long enough to listen, much less do what I say.
I shot Gus a skeptical glare, which he had no problem translating.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she hears and does."
"Thanks." With a giant exhale, I said, "Okay. Let's go face a group of angry, tortured warriors. Yeah. How could this possibly go wrong?"
"I know!" Gully chirped, raising her hand.
"Kind of a rhetorical question," I said.
Gully blinked twice, and muttered, "Yeah, I don't know what that is."
"Think it's best if we just keep moving forward," said Gus. As we made our way to the shoreline, he added, "Maile, I do love you, but I think you're crazy for doing this."
"Well, I love you and don't blame you for thinking I'm crazy?because I probably really am, like in a bad way," I agreed.
My blood chilled as we neared the shore, where the sea kissed the sand. Even the wonderfully warm Hawaiian winter felt the effect of the night marchers' presence as the torches, drums, and chants grew closer.
Once the glistening, foggy figures came into view, I turned to Gully and Gus. "Lie down in the sa
nd. And whatever you do, do not look up, do not make eye contact. If you do?you're dead."
"But I want to meet them," Gully whined.
"No, Gully?these ghosts are not of the friendly variety. Just lay down, now, please," I said.
"Fine," Gully sighed. "But I think it's ridiculous. I don't think they're as bad as people make them out to be. Misunderstood, maybe?but not bad."
"Maile?" The helplessness in Gus's voice broke my heart as he gazed up at me from the sand.
"If this has a chance of working, I've got to risk my life," I said.
Gus was beyond furious. I knew what he wanted to do-he wanted to wrap his arms around me and his sister, fade the three of us into the sand, and let the warriors march on by. He wanted to save me, and I loved him for that. We had to leave Hawaii, I understood that fact; we had to try to find a place where we wouldn't be institutionalized. Truthfully, I was skeptical such a city or town existed out in the world. Still, we had to try and save ourselves. But generations of my family called this island home; I was raised to respect our connection to the land. We were always at one with the island, and no matter how alone we felt, our family would always be there-in every palm tree, every splash of a wave and song of a passing bird. I had to say goodbye properly, and that meant facing the night marchers, for they were my only hope of seeing my parents.
As the night marchers approached, I dropped my eyes to the sand around my feet. Once they had come to a stop opposite me, I emphatically implored them to help me.
"My name is Maile Lahela. I've been institutionalized for being different. I was taken away from my mom and dad. My parents died shortly after I was removed from our home. I'm all that's left of my family. The Lahela family has been part of Hawaii for many generations, but now my friends and I must leave the island and try to escape the brutality and torture we endure in the institution on a daily basis. Before I can leave?I-I have to say goodbye to my parents. According to legend, since you walk both the spirit and living realms, you are the only ones who can bring forth fellow Hawaiians who have passed over. I need to see my parents again?to say goodbye, even if it's only for a second?a half-second. Please. Please help me."
There was a muttering amongst the higher ranked warriors. Without making eye contact, I dared to peek at the chief warrior as he stepped forward.