The pool is about six feet deep, but there are ice chunks floating throughout. Normally, the pool would be completely frozen and serve as the platform at the bottom of the tunnel. Her aunt must have thawed it while Hika was waiting for her to come back up. Hika pulls her sled out of the pool before scrambling out of the icy water herself.

She hurls the sled onto the conveyor belt and starts up the passage with a scowl on her freezing face. Hika is so cold that she can't even summon up a feeble candle flame to warm herself up. Once she reaches the top, her aunt silently hands her a steaming cup of cocoa. Hika takes it gratefully, despite the fact that she is still glaring at her aunt. Then she buries herself under every blanket in the room to begin the thawing of her body.

Once Hika's body is no longer numb with cold, her aunt speaks, "What were you so excited to tell me in the first place?"

"Makuahine is letting me go see the world and the rest of the 'ohana!"

Poli'ahu looks at Hika skeptically, "Your makuahine, Hi'iaka, your very protective  makuahine is letting you go traveling before the age of sixteen?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then."

'"Anakē Poliahu!"

She smiles. "I'm just messing with you Hika, I'm happy for you. But you know who you have to tell next, right?"

Hika gulps, "'Anakē Pele?"

"Yes, you have to go tell Pele. Go on now."

Hika runs back to her own house and tugs the front door open. She takes a single step inside and yells down the hallway, "I'm going to go see 'Anakē Pele!"

Hika grabs the keys off the table in the hallway and runs back out to the car. She drives it down the road and stops it at the shoreline, keeping it well away from the water. She runs down to the edge of the water and kneels down in the black sand, looking out at the sea.

"'Anakē Nāmaka? Can you help me? I need to get to the big island."

There is a gentle ripple and her aunt surfaces, still standing up to her chest in water. "Why do you need to go to Hawai'i, Hika?"

"I have to go tell 'Anakē Pele something."

She scowls. "Why do you need to go tell my pōki'i that you're going to travel all over the world to meet the rest of the 'ohana?"

Hika just stares at her, her mouth open and gaping. "How did you know that?"

"Hi'iaka told me, silly keiki. But do you really have to tell Pele?"

Nāmaka bitterly says her sister's name, which isn't that surprising considering they hate each other. Hika nods, her voice soft. She doesn't want to upset her aunt with this, but it will be worse if Pele isn't told.

"Yes, 'Anakē Nāmaka. I do have to tell her. At least if I tell her instead of her finding out on her own, she'll be less likely to blow up Kilauea. And I can help calm her down if she does try to blow up the volcano. Will you help me get to the big island now?"

She laughs, bright and clean. "Yes, I can help you get to Hawai'i."

She lets out a piercing whistle. About five feet away, a small head breaks the surface of the water. It crawls onto the beach, and Hika is able to see that it is a baby turtle.

"Umm. 'Anakē Nāmaka? How is a baby turtle supposed to help me get to Hawai'i?"

Hika's aunt looks down at the turtle and laughs loudly. "Moana, you need to make yourself bigger now. Hika needs you to take her to the big island."

Hika's aunt has barely finished speaking before the turtle begins to grow in size. She quickly reaches the size of a normal turtle, but she doesn't stop there. She keeps growing until she is big enough for Hika to sit on her back while Moana is in the water. Even when Moana is in the water, Hika won't have to worry about getting wet. She'll have plenty of space between herself and the water. Namaka looks back at Hika.

"Considering how often you travel between the islands, I really should have given you our own method of transportation long before today. But now you can call on Moana whenever you need to travel instead of calling on me. I do have work, you know."

She says the last sentence sternly, but she has a smile on her face. Hika hugs her. "Mahalo, 'Anakē."

"Go on now, Hika. You don't keep Pele waiting."

Hika's smile drops momentarily. She is not ecstatic about telling her aunt, especially with the temper she has. Hika follows Moana down to the edge of the water and climbs onto her back. She gently pushes off from shore and into deeper water. Hika glances back to wave at her aunt. Namaka is smiling as she waves back from the surf, the water up to her shins.

Hika looks forward again and watches as Moana smoothly cuts through the water. If Hika needed any further evidence that Moana isn't a normal turtle, it's right here. Moana is moving faster than a dolphin, which is quite a feat for a turtle. After about ten minutes, Hika leans to the side and skims her fingertips along the surface of the water. A moment later, she submerges her entire hand. She marvels at the feeling of water rushing between her fingers, it tickles.

She pulls her hand out of the water and summons a small flame to run just beneath her skin. Steam curls off of her hand and into the air as the water evaporates, leaving Hika's hand clean and dry. She sits back on her heels and watches the distant island, which is getting noticeably closer every minute. Once they arrive, Moana crawls onto the sand of a beach and waits patiently for Hika to slide off.

—————————————————————————-
'Alua= 2, when you are counting
'Anakē= aunt
'ohana=family
mahalo= thank you
keiki=child
pōki'i= little sister

What do you think of this? What's going to happen when she talks to Pele? What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess Of Fate, signing out.