Chapter 27: Koa goes topside

Chapter 27: Koa tried to focus on the scenery as they moved on rolling wheels down a road she knew as well as her own trail through the kukui grove; but from here in the hunter’s truck, moving faster than she could go even on Star’s back, everything was overwhelming.

Koa gasped as they drove into the first of the three sections of the river they would cross. The way the river parted, splitting open like an axe had struck the water—was frightening.

The sensation—of sliding, of floating, of the tires catching—was unfamiliar.

The hunter glanced over at her. "Sorry about the speed, but I've got to get some momentum to get through this section. There's a drop-off..."

"I know. Ella told me it helps keep the tourists out." That, at least, was familiar.

Koa kept her hands clenched on the open window frame, watching as they bumped up the bank on the opposite side from where they’d descended. Dangling red hibiscus flowers brushed over the windshield. Ferns reached their fronds to caress the sides of the truck as it rocked along, like being in a boat. Light patterns from the shadows of trees played over them, too fast to process.

She and Ella had spent time in Kimo's aluminum dinghy when she was young; he’d kept it hidden on the bank down near the ocean, where the fishing was good. On calm days, he had taken them out into the bay, rowing with a pair of oars as she and Ella trailed their lines in the water.

The truck was like a boat that moved on land. The rapidly changing scenery outside was as if they cut through water. She didn’t have to try to analyze and notice everything; it was impossible. She could just let it flow by.

Now that Koa had a way to understand the experience, she let go of the window frame and relaxed, leaning back against the cushioned seat.

They crossed two more rivers and passed the mighty waterfall. Koa mentally bid the towering falls goodbye; it was a favorite sight when she passed this way.

She’d hiked back into its steep canyon once, but there was nothing there of any use. She’d learned the hard way that she had to conserve strength; every exploration must be planned and paid for with food, rest, and carrying boiled water. She had to have a good reason to go places in the Valley.

But with a vehicle such as this, exploring the world just to see what was there was an option; a new way to think.

Kent glanced at her. A line had appeared between the angles of his dark brows. Those crinkles of concern were back at the corners of his eyes. "You're awfully quiet. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I am now.” Koa smiled. “It’s like I’m in a boat, and the world passing by is like the water we’re going through. I don’t need to slow it down to see all of it right now. I can pass through, and just let it be whatever it is on either side."

“Good.” Kent’s face was so different when he smiled. “That makes sense. I’m so used to driving I don’t think about it any more.”

His warm expression gave her that shivery feeling; made her want him to smile more. Strange how he affected her.

They turned onto the road leading up and up that ended with the topside viewpoint overlooking the Valley.

Kent did something with a lever between them attached to the floor. The engine slowed and growled, a sound that, even though Koa was unfamiliar with, she recognized. "The engine sounds like Star does when I asked her to take me topside," she said.

"You took her out of the Valley? You've ridden her that far?” His question was sharp. Something behind it prickled the hairs on her neck.

"Only once," Koa said. Not true, but she didn’t owe him the truth yet.

“Recently?”

“No.”

The hunter seemed to relax, his hands loosening slightly on the steering wheel. "Look! There’s an ‘io hawk.” He pointed out his open window.

The red-brown native hawk drifted on the wind beside them as they rose. Its grace, its freedom, was a contrast to the loud roar of the straining engine, the hot smell of it, and the way the boat they were in teetered, bumped and ground upward—clumsy. Earthbound.

One more beat of its wings, and the hawk dove out of sight.

For the first time, Koa wished they could stop, turn around.

Wished that she never had to leave the Valley, ever, and know the things she would learn today about the world outside.

She was comfortable in the place she’d been all her life. She knew every hidden gully, cove, and cave in the Valley, and they yielded up life-giving treasures to her.

Koa shut her eyes and bit down on rolled-in lips to keep from begging to go home.

No. She could do this.

They crested the last switchback out of the valley, and coasted slowly, passing an open grassy area with a cement walkway and a parking lot filled with cars.

This was the overlook, a place where, from the stony beach, Koa could hold her hand up against the reflection of the sun and see people, tiny as ants, looking down at her from behind a railing.

Before she could blink they were past the parking lot, past the people leaning against the rail, gazing down into the Valley as they always seemed to be doing.

Koa felt the longing in their postures, the wonder; Waimalia Valley was special in all the world, and she was one of the few who called it home.

The truck picked up speed. Koa couldn't process the images of the things she saw any longer; trees blurred into a river, and the wind cut her face. The sound of the air passing was a roaring like surf in her ears.

Suddenly, a clear glass barrier began to rise, cutting her off from the overwhelm. The door’s window closed.

Koa sagged back against the seat, her arms tight around herself.

"It seemed like it was getting to be too much for you," Kent said. "But if you want, I'll roll the window down again."

"No.” Even though she missed the feeling of being able to put her head out, he was right. It was too much. She shut her eyes.

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