The Number 8

by Joel Arcanjo

  Chapter 23

  “Where are they? I told them to meet us right here.”

  “They’ve probably been and gone,” Asmir pointed out.

  “Mmm,” Dante agreed.

  They sat with the group and ate. The food wasn’t great, but it was edible, so they filled themselves up before heading back to the bus. It was time to move on. Dante was especially pleased. He had made a point of researching Rotorua. It seemed an interesting place with a great deal of history. But he was keen to experience it.

  This time it was Annie and Becki that were last to appear. Well, them and Ben who had taken his time finishing his food.

  “Right. Time to go!” Mel bellowed just as they strolled onto the bus.

  No one had decided to sit next to James. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all. Dante didn’t blame him. He knew how James felt. His Uncle had also been his friend but there was one big difference. Dante hadn’t had to stay on a trip meant for both of them by himself. Constantly receiving sympathy and looks of pity, while all the while having to continue on a trip that was meant to be fun. Dante could only imagine. He would make a point of talking to James in Rotorua. Not about Viktor. He just wanted to make the guy feel normal again. Have a normal conversation with him, without mention of the traumatic events of the past few days. He also wanted to try to understand his and Viktor’s relationship, because Dante thought there was more to them than the over-the-top bravado and tattoos. After all, all this grief could just be an act. He had been in the second group in the caves. He could have been the killer.

  “All right, we’re here,” Mel said about thirty minutes later. “We’ll drop off your bags at the hostel and then you have the afternoon free. Those who want to go on the Maori trip this evening we will be meeting at the bus at six pm. Please, do not be late. We will leave without you.”

  The passengers piled out frantically. They wanted to get to the hostel desk and get the best rooms. Dante didn’t have to worry about that since Asmir had booked the rooms all the way through the trip. That would definitely be a weight off his mind this trip.

  “So, we’re going on that trip?” Dante asked.

  “Oh for sure. You’re pumped about it aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, apart from bungy jumping this is the one I’m most excited about, Az.”

  “Maoris, the haka, native food cooked underground, what’s not to love?” Asmir smiled.

  They let everyone pile out first while they hung back. Then, to make a point Asmir jumped into the seats in front and lay out full stretch.

  “Ah this is nice,” Asmir said.

  “Don’t be a bastard,” Dante said slapping his feet off the arm rests. Dante got up and joined the back of the queue.

  “Spoilsport!” Asmir yelled after him.

  All the passengers were queuing just inside the doors of the hostel. Dante wasn’t really sure what to do. He stood at the back as each person got a key and went to find their rooms. But then Asmir came striding through the crowd towards him.

  “What are you doing?” he said, confused.

  “Waiting, like a normal person.”

  “That’s where you went wrong,” he said rounding the queue and speaking to the shocked lady at the counter. She looked at her desk, nodded and gave him a key. He looked back at Dante and gestured at him to follow suit. So apologetically he made his way through the crowd. With his lateness earlier and now this, he could tell that he wasn’t making many friends.

  “You aren’t helping us by doing stuff like that,” Dante said just as he got to Asmir.

  “Oh, relax. Let’s go see our suite for tonight,” he said jingling the keys.

  Their room was just round the corner. Once again they had lucked out when it came to position. They had a corner room, which was much needed when there were three large bags on the floor. It was the same style as the last hostel but without a balcony. But on the upside there was a hot tub heated by the geysers that littered Rotorua.

  “Open a window, Az. It’s hot in here.”

  Asmir did as he was asked. He stuck his head out and took in a large lungful of air. He instantly regretted it.

  Coughing and spluttering he said, “That is disgusting. What is that? It smells like a stale fart.”

  “It’s sulphur. Didn’t you smell it on the way in?”

  “No I didn’t. Why is there sulphur just hanging around in the air?”

  “It’s from the hot springs. That’s why they call this place Sulphur City.”

  “I think I’m gonna pass out.”

  “Stop being so dramatic. You’ll get used to it pretty quickly,” Dante said unpacking a couple of outfits, one for the evening and one for the morning.

  “I’m just glad we’re only here for one night.”

  “Barely even that. We’re gonna be spending all evening in the Maori village so just unpack what you need to and let’s hit the hot tub.”

  Asmir wagged his finger at Dante. “Very good idea.”

  Five minutes later they were neck-deep in the hot tub. The smell was just as strong but the bikini-clad girls had sufficiently distracted Asmir. But Dante had his eye on a different beast. James was alone just inside. He was reading something or at least pretending to. Dante had hoped that their first meeting wouldn’t be when he was half naked and soaking wet, but he may not get another chance this good. So he jumped out of the hot tub and dried himself off before making his way inside.

  Just as Dante got near James looked up at him and said, “Just don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” Dante asked, confused.

  “Come over here and tell me how sorry you are about Viktor and if there’s anything you can do. There’s nothing any of you can do.”

  “Um, well actually I was just going to ask you if you want to join us?”

  James looked up at him, shocked, but also slightly relieved.

  “Look man, for what it’s worth I know just what you’re going through and I know that the last thing you need is for someone to come over and remind you that you’ve lost your best friend in the world. I know that you just want to be alone with your thoughts. But I’ve done that and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nowhere good anyway. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to treat you like a normal human being and invite you to join us. No sympathy, no pity, just some conversation. What do you say?”

  James thought about it and against his better judgement, he accepted. Dante had no intention of telling James that he thought Viktor may have been murdered. That would not help the situation. Dante knew that if he found out he would go immediately to the police, there would be an investigation, the bus would be stopped and they would be questioned rigorously. What he did want to do was to get James talking about Viktor which he thought would be difficult, but it quickly became clear that that was all James wanted to talk about. It helped that James was already incredibly drunk. Over the next hour they were treated to stories about Viktor which barely seemed real. He had done some very illegal stuff which Asmir enjoyed hugely. Another startling revelation was that James was actually two years younger than Viktor. But somehow that was not the most shocking news of the afternoon. In his inebriated state James told them that Viktor had to leave his first foster family because of an incident involving a friend at primary school, who had been found face down in a nearby lake. Viktor had been blamed.

  Chapter 24

  “Viktor always said it was an accident, but he never liked to talk about it. There was something weird about that case that had him scared,” James said.

  “Case?” Dante asked.

  “Yeah, it went to court. The kid’s family wanted him locked up but there was never enough evidence.”

  Asmir caught Dante’s eye. Dante knew what he was thinking. This could have been the reason he was killed.

  “So what else you know?” Asmir asked.

  “Not much. Like I said, he never talked about it. All I know is he moved far, far away from the area. I don’t even know where it happened. Som
ething really had him freaked out.”

  “What?” Dante asked.

  “Enough of the questions. It’s nearly time to go to this village. You going?” James asked.

  “Yeah,” Dante replied.

  “For sure,” Asmir chimed in.

  “I’m going to take a shower. See you guys on the bus,” James said as he climbed out of the hot tub. “Oh, and thanks for…this,” he said without turning around. Dante got the feeling he wasn’t very good at emotional sentiment, so they let him leave without another word. Asmir looked around at the others then at Dante. He tilted his head towards the door and opened his eyes wide. Dante got the message.

  They said goodbye to everyone and dried themselves off before heading inside. They waited until they were safely in their room before saying anything.

  “Duuuuude, do you think that his death is related to that case?” Asmir said, excited.

  “Not sure, but it’s our first real lead.”

  Asmir stood up straight and crossed his arms. “Look at you. You’ve got the terminology down-pat haven’t you?” Asmir joked.

  “Terminology, that your word of the day? Eleven letters, that must be some sort of record.”

  That wiped the smile right off Asmir’s smug face. He grunted and headed for the bathroom. They only had twenty minutes to get ready for the Maori village. Time to get a move on.

  Dante made a point of being the first one on the bus. He was not getting good vibes from most of the group and somehow he needed to change that. Being on time was a start. Asmir, not so much. Everyone was on now, except him. He arrived five minutes late and looked a mess. But he was still not the last to arrive. Mel was and she looked flustered and a little upset.

  “Sorry everyone, time to go,” she said sitting down.

  There was a collective cheer. It was half sarcastic, half excitement. The village was twenty minutes away and they had some decisions to make.

  “I need someone on this bus to volunteer to be our ‘Chief’ for the night. You will get special treatment all night…”

  That was all it took for the hands to fly up. Almost everyone had their hands in the air.

  “You didn’t let me finish. There are a few things that the Chief should know. Firstly, you have to stand still while they welcome you with the haka. Secondly, remember not to look into their eyes or be disrespectful in any way. They will take it as provocation. Lastly, do not start a fight. I promise you, you will lose. So who is still up for it?”

  One by one, the hands dropped until there was no one left.

  “So? Anyone?” Mel asked with a smile on her face.

  “How about him at the back? The one who keeps making us late?” Carl said looking back at Dante.

  “Nah, I’m good, thanks for offering though,” Dante replied.

  “We insist,” said Richard Smith AKA Dick.

  “Give it a rest, Dickie boy,” Asmir said, jumping to Dante’s defense.

  “You know what, I’ll give it a shot. How bad can it be?” Dante said.

  “Pretty bad, I reckon,” Dick chimed in.

  Asmir got really annoyed by this. “Dick, do you know what a rhetorical question is?”

  Asmir got onto his feet, his blood boiling. Dick responded in kind.

  “Sit down, boys,” Mel said standing in between them. “There’s not going to be any fighting tonight.”

  Reluctantly both guys sank back into their seats, eyes still fixed on each other. Dante didn’t really mind taking one for the team. This was the chance he had been looking for to get back in their good graces.

  Mel turned to him. “Dante. Are you OK with that?”

  “Yeah, why not. New experience and all that.”

  “I think you will be pleasantly surprised, I kind of undersold it,” she said and winked at him. This made him feel uncomfortable, but he knew the intention behind it was playful.

  So, as they arrived at the village, they spotted another two buses full of people pulling into the car park. This got the passengers excited. They had only been together a few days but already it had felt like they hadn’t seen an outsider since they had first sat down on those not-so-comfortable seats.

  Outside was a scantily-clad Maori man tattooed on about 40% of his body. He stood about 6’3 and, if he wasn’t already intimidating enough, he carried a large spear. Mel looked over to Dante and beckoned him forward. Against all his instincts, he walked towards her.

  “You’re our Chief. Lead us out,” she said.

  He did as he was told. He walked down the steps taking extra care not to trip in front of this huge man. His face was tattooed which accentuated his sneer tenfold.

  “You are the Chief?” he asked in a suitably deep voice.

  “Um, I guess so,” Dante stuttered.

  “My name is Rongo. Welcome to our village,” he said spreading his gigantic arms wide. “We will welcome you officially, with the other Chiefs. Come, you are the last to arrive.”

  It was clear they took this procedure very seriously and Dante respected that deeply, so he followed Rongo to the entrance of the village. He didn’t wait for the rest of his bus. If he had to endure the bad things about being the Chief, he would sure as hell savor the good things.

  “Here are the other Chiefs,” Rongo said pointing to a pale, sickly-looking Englishman and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Australian girl. Both greeted him with a nervous smile very similar to the one that adorned his face at that moment. “You can get to know each other inside, but first, we must welcome you. The three of you will stand together while our greatest warrior Pio welcomes you with a traditional Maori dance. If he deems you worthy to dine with us, he will let you in.”

  “And if not?” The pale guy asked before Dante could.

  “Then you will leave our village,” Rongo said, his voice deeper than ever. “The first thing you need to know is that you should not look Pio in the eyes. This can often be perceived as disrespect. Next, never ever laugh during his performance, once again it is seen as disrespectful. Thirdly, once he has finished his performance, he will place an offering on the floor in front of you. One of you will pick it up and the ritual will be complete. You will be welcomed in.”

  “Which one of us picks up the offering?” This time it was the Australian girl who asked the question on everyone’s mind.

  “Whoever Pio leaves the offering in front of. It could be any one of you, so be ready. Now follow me.”

  They did as instructed. Rongo led them to a circular courtyard with wooden awnings on each side and large rocky steps directly in front of them. They waited in the center of the courtyard as members of their buses made their way in. Asmir and the rest of Dante’s bus kept to his left whilst the others went right. Once everyone was in, the hushed whispers died down and then an uneasy silence fell over the courtyard.

  Rongo had disappeared. Dante could not see anyone else from the village anywhere nearby. Then, the music started. A low bass drum played out four bars of the same beat. Then a snare. Then maracas. Then came the singing, throaty but so naturally tuneful. The sound bounced around the courtyard hypnotizing the onlookers. Then, as if by magic, the source of the percussion appeared from the left and settled on the bottom row of steps in front of them. Big men, similar builds to Rongo and with equally as many tattoos. The male part of the harmony entered, shooting the Chiefs wary looks and flashing the whites of their eyes. Finally, from the right came the women, each one singing a unique part, that when harmonized formed something so beautiful that Dante was just staring, his mouth agape. Then, out of the shadows came Pio.

  Chapter 25

  Much like the others he was wearing cloth over his private parts and not much else. Over his shoulders there was a shawl made of woven straw and, just like Rongo, he was holding a large spear. He was nowhere near the size of Rongo physically but had much the same presence. He strode in, his eyes fixed upon the three Chiefs. He clearly hadn’t heard the rule about eye contact because, every time Dante looked up, Pio was staring
right back at him. One side of his face was delicately covered with tribal tattoos, the other side had nothing. Pio came to a stop right in front of them. He turned slowly. By this point the music had stopped and once again he was stood face to face, eye to eye with them. Dante was doing his best not to stare but also not to look afraid. He never let his eyes catch Pio’s for more than two seconds. It wasn’t just the Chiefs that had been stunned into silence. The entire audience was staring on, not a whisper between them.

  Then, as if choreographed to perfection Pio jumped high in the air and landed in a wide squat with his arms crossed in front of him. His left hand held the spear and the thumb on his right hand was touching his neck. The music started again, louder this time, more furious. Pio began to perform a version of the haka, not one Dante had seen before. He guessed that the one the All Blacks performed before a rugby match was a war dance and this one was more to do with welcoming guests. But when a guy is flashing the whites of his eyes and flicking his tongue at his guests, all the while moving his thumb menacingly across his throat, it doesn’t feel very welcoming at all.

  Pio acrobatically threw himself around the circular courtyard, speeding up and then slowing his movements at will. The crowd was in a trance watching this performance. It was majestic, yet primal. A combination that is rarely found in the modern world. A ritual that may have been performed for centuries or longer. Dante felt uniquely blessed to be here. Even more so when Pio finished and laid the leaf of a fern at his feet. This meant that he had been chosen to accept the offering. Just to confirm, he looked over to Rongo, who nodded at him to proceed. Dante stepped forward and slowly picked up the fern leaf. He glanced at Pio and half bowed. It was instinctive, he hadn’t been told to. But he was pleasantly surprised when Pio nodded back. The ritual was complete.

  Rongo strode into the center of the courtyard. “Welcome to our village!”

  A loud roar went up and then some howls from the guys.