Horror dawned with understanding. “You’re insane. You’re talking about triggering a major volcanic eruption, aren’t you? One that would wipe out just about everything? And the people? What about them? The children? The families? Homes, villages, everything? You would just have them all wiped out – for what – so you could go back to the ‘old ways’?”
Nafanua waved her hand impatiently. “No, we wouldn’t erase everyone and everything. Just the main town and the industrial zones. The commercial leaders and main government sector, freeing up a power vacuum. Those in the rural areas will be more likely to turn to their traditional leadership then. Which would of course involve a return to their spiritual healers and fanua worship. It would bring about a greater closeness with their earth mother. And we telesā would be honored as the intermediaries with that earth.”
As swiftly as I had summoned it, I switched off my flames. Standing there naked in the afternoon, I shook my head at the woman who – I realized with dreadful certainty now – was a complete stranger to me. “So this was your plan all along? This is why you came and got me from Aunty Matile’s home? This is why you wanted your daughter back? Why you’ve been teaching me how to use my powers, getting me to buy into all this telesā sister crap? Nafanua, I don’t know you. And you really don’t know anything about me. What makes you think that, for a single moment, I would even consider the possibility of doing what you’re asking? Hear me now, I will never use this ‘gift’ this ‘curse’ – whatever it is – to take part in your insane plan.”
I turned and walked up the steps of the verandah, daring her with my back to strike me. To cut me down. Anything. I didn’t care. “I’m leaving. There’s nothing left for me here.”
There was no response. In the house, I quickly dressed, packed my things, and, within minutes, was heading out to the car. Nafanua was sitting on the verandah sipping tea as I threw my bags in the back of the jeep. She spoke, “We are not done here, Leila.”
I did not answer, simply climbed into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine. Over the roar, I thought I heard her say, “Don’t say that I didn’t warn you, daughter.”
I did not look back as I drove off down the driveway, my eyes on the road but my thoughts on the future. What is a telesā without her sisters? Where does she belong?
Terminator ran up eagerly as I alighted from the Wrangler. I knelt to hug his scruffy self, a grin of relief on my face. At least someone was happy to see me! At the door, I took a huge breath before knocking. What would Matile say? Would there be a place for me here? I wouldn’t blame them if they told me to get lost.
It was Uncle Tuala who opened the door and his smile chased away all my doubts. He turned to hastily call over his shoulder, “Matile, look who’s here?!” He took my bag from me and beckoned me in eagerly as Matile came from the kitchen, wiping her floury hands on a tea towel. Another smile of greeting. This one somewhat tearful.
“Ah, Leila. Come in. I knew you would come back” she corrected herself, “well, I hoped you would come back.” A frown of concern. “Are you alright? Your … mother, she is alright?”
I smiled weakly, the warmth of their greeting was making me emotional. “Yes, Nafanua is fine.” I took a deep breath before plunging in, “I was hoping I could stay with you. Just for a little while. It’s no longer possible for me to stay at Nafanua’s. We’ve kind of had a disagreement and I’m going to go back to the States. Not right away though. I’m waiting for a few things to get settled first. So I wondered if I could stay here until I go back. Please?”
I needn’t have worried. Both of them rushed to assuage any misgivings I may have had about my reception. My room was exactly as I had left it and Matile immediately set to work in the kitchen preparing a huge meal for dinner. As she bustled about, Uncle Tuala regarded me with pensive eyes.
“So. What really happened with you and your mother? Are you alright? Did she hurt you?”
I shook my head, grateful for his concern. “No. There’s nothing she could do to hurt me. I’m fine. Honestly. We just disagree about what path I should take. She has plans for me that I don’t agree with and so I thought it best to move out. If it’s alright with you and Matile, I’d like to finish up the last three weeks of the school term and then go back home to the US.”
“Of course. You know you’re always welcome here. But Leila, are you sure that you’re alright? Is there anything else that we should know?”
For a moment, I thought about telling him everything. About pouring out the whole story of who Nafanua really was, what she had done and what I really was. But one look at his worried face and I knew that I couldn’t. Not when I kept seeing the image in my mind of Nafanua’s lightning rage and hearing her threaten to harm the people I cared about. No, I could not tell Tuala and Matile what had happened. I shook my head again and plastered a smile on my face. “No Uncle, that’s it. I rushed into the whole idea of having a mother and it didn’t quite turn out to be the happy family that I thought it would be. I’m disappointed but I’m okay. I’ll finish up with school and then head back home.”
Tuala patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. “I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you. I know how important it was for you to know your mother.” He smiled. “But we are certainly happy to have you back with us. Matile has missed having you to cook for! Now come, let’s go eat.”
FOURTEEN
It was almost as if I had never left. And so it was all too easy for me to push my deadlock with Nafanua into the darkest closets of my mind. Matile shook her head sadly at my tattoo as she muttered about the sacrilege of desecrating one’s body, the holy temple of the spirit. But she was thrilled to find that I was the taupou for Culture Night. She was a woman with a mission as she worked to make me the “most amazing, most authentic, most beautiful taupou in the history of the school.” (her words, not mine)
A piece of siapo was acquired, which she reverently cut and sewed into a strapless shift, one that ended mid-thigh. Again, I despaired of ever understanding this culture where mini-skirts were frowned upon but a taupou with a malu was SUPPOSED to not only wear the shortest skirt possible but also hitch it up even further during her dance and slap at her tattoo to better accentuate its beauty. (Never mind that her butt would be peeking out the back at the same time.) There were coconut wood bracelets that would sit like arm cuffs, shell anklets that would help announce my arrival, a ruffle of fuchsia-dyed feathers that would belt at my waist, and a glorious jutting necklace made of boar tusks. (Mental note to self, don’t trip over and accidentally stab self in the eye on pointy pig tusks).
Pride of place, however, belonged to the tuiga – the elaborately ornate headdress I would balance precariously and try not to topple as I gracefully dipped my head during the dance. Matile explained that, in olden times, light-colored hair was prized as it bespoke of the progeny of the gods (who were supposedly white skinned and bringers of light). Women with light-colored hair were made to donate their locks via regular haircuts and the pieces were woven together to make tuiga. I had never dressed up for a school ball like other girls, nor had a mother to help me get ready for such an event, so it was a novel experience. One that was beginning to be a little tiresome though, as every day that week I came home from school to find Matile waiting for me to try on the outfit “just one more time” to check if another alteration and additional enhancement worked or not. But then it seemed as if everyone at school was just as hyped up for Culture Night as my aunt.
Simone was aflutter with designs for his puletasi. He was dancing with the other girls and deviously planning 101 ways to make sure that his requisite uniform would still manage to outshine the others. A slit up to the thigh, a handful of sequins artfully sewn on the green elei fabric “to catch the light,” and, of course, a full self-applied manicure and pedicure the day of the event. He was envious of my upcoming role, but preened with satisfaction that my performance would make Mele choke with envy. He even came over to the house
twice after school to check that my costume would be suitably impressive and he and Matile hit it off surprisingly well, like fashion cohorts and schemers.
I was beginning to get frustrated with all the time and effort that was getting sucked up into this taupou thing. It kept getting in the way of my meetings with Jason as he made good on his promise to help me. I did not want to have to explain Jason to Matile and so I arranged to meet him after school while she and Tuala were at work. Three times now he had picked me up in the red truck. Simone’s eyebrows had danced suggestively the first time he had seen my tanned, blonde visitor, but I had waved away his teasing by explaining that Jason was a scientist working on a project with my mother and he had to be content with that.
“Jason, I’d like you to meet my friend Simone. He’s been my life saver here. Simone, this is Professor Williams. He’s leading a research team that’s monitoring the volcano Matavanu over in Savaii. I’m giving him a hand with some of their work.”
If Jason thought it odd that my best friend was wearing more makeup than I ever have – he didn’t show it. “Hi Simone, it’s nice to meet you. You’ll have to come with Leila sometime when we take the chopper out to Matavanu. That is, if you’re interested in volcanoes.”
Simone batted his eyelashes and gave an alluring smile. “Oh yes, I’ve always been very interested in hot things.”
I rolled my eyes at him but Jason laughed. “Well Leila, shall we get going? Simone, do you need a lift somewhere?”
Simone was regretful. “Awww, no, I’ve got a netball game. You two go ahead. See you tomorrow, Leila. And don’t forget, we have costume alterations to work on in the afternoon. Your Aunty is expecting us at the house tomorrow for your final fitting.”
I grimaced at him as Jason took my schoolbag from me and easily hefted it into the truck before opening the passenger door for me. He waited for me to get in before shutting the door. I smiled my thanks and, over his shoulder, I saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the main drive to the school. Staring right at us with an unreadable expression. Daniel. Before I could even begin thinking of what to do, he turned. And walked away.
Beside me in the truck, Jason asked, “Ready?”
I nodded silently. Jason started the engine and we drove away. I looked back but couldn’t see Daniel.
The first day, Jason took me to the hospital lab where I had blood work done – samples that he then had sent to his friend’s lab in Los Angeles. The second time, we went back to the rental house he was sharing with his team. It was empty though as they were all on camp at the Savaii base. In a ramshackle shed in the backyard, he had carefully hooked me up to a complicated string of wires and I had tried, equally carefully, to erupt into flame without incinerating all his equipment. It had not gone so well. Poor Jason had done lots of shouting as I charred a very expensive pressure gauge and set fire to an entire set of volcanic lava thermometers.
“Leila! You’re doing it again. Watch it!”
“I’m sorry Jason, but it’s a bit tricky to set my whole body on fire while at the same time, keeping two little spots turned off so your gadgets can take readings. I’ve only been doing this for a month now, you know. I’m not a fire genius.”
It had been a frustrating afternoon. One that Jason spent muttering darkly while I muttered equally darkly. Not until the third visit did he finally get some decent measurements. Measurements that had him shaking his head and looking at me in disbelief. A look that didn’t escape me, even as I quickly wriggled back into my clothes from behind the makeshift screen he had erected to give me a bit of privacy.
“What? What is it? You look freaked out. Tell me.” I demanded.
He didn’t answer. Just furrowed his brow in concentration as he walked back to the main house, with me following behind.
“Jase. Talk to me. Please?”
Jason sighed. Turned and looked back at me in the overgrown yard. “Leila, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to freak you out. I just … I just didn’t expect readings like this.” His shoulders slumped and he sat down tiredly on a rickety garden bench. He looked worried. Really worried.
“What do you mean? You knew I exploded into flames, you knew I would be hot. What’s the surprise then?”
He gave a wry smile. “Yes, I knew you were hot. Just not this hot. You’re registering at over 1200 degrees Celsius.”
I shook my head impatiently. “So? So what does that mean?”
“You’re not just catching on fire, Leila. You’re not just something burning. Wood burns at about 500 degrees Celsius. That’s hot. But you? You’re raging at temperatures of molten lava flow. Temps that a volcano reaches when it blows. It’s nuts. This is nuts. I don’t know how this can be happening.”
I gave him a sad smile. “You and me both.” I walked over and sat down beside him on the bench. “But I believe in you and I know that you can figure this out. And figure out a way to make it go away. You’re the smartest, brilliantest volcano professor I know. Right?” I peered at him hopefully.
He rolled his eyes at me and flashed the golden easy smile that I loved. “I’m the ONLY volcano professor that you know, you dork.”
“No, I know Blaine. And he’s super smart. And if you’re thinking about quitting on me, then I’ll have to bewitch him with my bimbo act so he can help me,” I teased, but there was a note of desperation underneath the lightheartedness.
I was rewarded with another smile and his faked look of aggrieved shock. “Blaine?! You would take Blaine’s brain over mine? No way. You take that back, right now.” He started tickling me mercilessly, which had me squirming and jumping off the bench, grabbing his hands trying to get him to stop his attack.
“Stop it. Stop it! I give up, I give up. Okay, okay Blaine’s nothing compared to you and I would never ever even think about replacing you with him, o great scientist researcher. Spare me! Stop it.”
Breathless with laughter, we both tumbled off the seat onto the grass and I landed half on top of his broad chest. The laughter faded as our eyes met. I could feel the rise and fall of his breathing, the warmth of his body under the length of mine. His lips were a heartbeat away and for one taut moment, I considered what would happen if I leaned forward and met his mouth with mine, if I tasted him. My pulse accelerated and instantly I pushed myself up and away from him so that we were lying side by side underneath a fading blue sky. No longer touching, but still connected. By invisible electric wires of something I couldn’t understand. I battled a swirl of inner confusion. I didn’t know what I was feeling with Jason. But I knew I liked feeling it. I liked being here with him. For a few quiet minutes we lay there in the grass side by side. Comfortable. And then I spoke.
“You’re not, are you Jase?”
“What?”
“Thinking of quitting on me? Am I a lost cause?”
He turned and propped himself up on one elbow so he could gaze down at me. There was no more teasing in his eyes. “Leila, I would never quit on you. We’re going to figure this thing out. I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”
He leaned forward and I tensed against an embrace that didn’t come. Instead, he gently blew a loose strand of my hair away from my cheek before leaving a quick kiss on my temple. Then he was up and offering me his hand.“Come on. We better get you home before your aunty Matile sends out the sniffer dogs.”
Together, we walked back to the truck. I was relieved nothing had happened. I thought back to Daniel’s stony gaze at school and my insides twisted. I couldn’t have the boy I loved. But I could have Jason. As long as he stayed a friend. Gently, I slipped my fingers from his and went to my side of the truck. “Thanks for everything, Jason. For today. For trying to help me. I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, I’m a mad scientist remember? We love studying incendiary mysteries.” A shrug. “I just wish we were back home where I would have access to all sorts of far more advanced gear. Hey, that’s an idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” He looked excited. “We’ve go
t another week or so before we wrap up the Matavanu project. Before we head back to collate our results. Why don’t you come with us?”
I was taken aback by the unexpected turn of the conversation. “Go with you? Back to the States?”
Telesa - The Covenant Keeper Page 41
