Lani Kekoa- Manele, Hawaii

8:30 pm HST

Lani made it to the sand and looked at her brother, who had waited for her on the shore after the small "race" they had. She smiled nervously and tucked her head closer to her chest while she stared at her brother. "Are you ready?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.

Her twin brother hesitated and shrugged before he grimaced and pressed his lips into a thin line. "I don't know," he admitted before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "I want to be, but..." He shrugged and shook his head without finishing his sentence.

But he didn't have to because she already knew what he was going to say...

Lani bit back a small smile, and she slowly nodded because she knew what her brother was saying. "I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "I'm not ready either, but I know that we have to do this, for not only our sake but those that are counting on us, too."

Kai sighed and nodded. "I know," he said before he licked his lips. "Come on. Should we drop our boards off at our house first?" he asked and raised an eyebrow, and Lani shrugged and grimaced.

"I don't know," she replied while she picked up her board, and her brother followed suit and picked up his board. "Let's go ahead and try, but there is a chance that they know we are out of the ocean and are on land."

Her brother sighed and nodded, knowing full well that she was correct. "Ok," he said before he cleared his throat and licked his lips. "Let's take the boards back and get out of these wetsuits. If not, then we can do it later."

Lani pursed her lips in annoyance and nodded before she gestured for her brother to lead them back to their house. "I would appreciate it if we were able to shower before we meet everyone," she grumbled, and her brother bit back a small chuckle and nodded.

Kai started to walk toward their house while she followed him. "I know," he said and bit back a tired sigh. "At least unlike some of the others that we will meet, we do have some idea about what is happening to us." He gave her a pointed look and raised both eyebrows in unison, and she shrugged and grimaced, pressing her lips into a thin line.

"That's true," she said with a small sigh and rubbed her forehead when a headache appeared out of nowhere. She cleared her throat and shook her head, pursing her lips in annoyance. "How do you think the others have been doing?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and her brother shrugged and grimaced while he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"No idea," he said and shook his head, and she hesitated before she slowly nodded. "I don't know how they are doing and do not know if they know what they are capable of doing."

Lani didn't say a word and slowly nodded. She bit the inside of her lip and hesitated, silently praying that they would be ok and would be able to understand what they are capable of doing.

The twins made it to their house without saying another word and saw a car parked in front of their house with their lights turned off and not running. They stopped and looked at each before they looked at the car, and their hearts skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in their chest.

"Well?" Lani asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and looked at her brother while she furrowed her brows and cocked her head to the side while she studied him. "Should we say that we didn't see the car and get changed?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Or are we going to keep the surfboards here and go to the car?"

Kai hesitated before he grabbed his surfboard tighter. "Let's go ahead and try to change into normal clothes first," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "If we get stopped, then we can just tell them that we need to change because I do not think they will allow us to shower."

Lani hesitated before she slowly nodded. She started to walk out of their spot, and her brother followed her without saying another word.

However, she wasn't able to get too far out into the open because her brother grabbed her arm and pulled her back, and she paused, shocked and surprised while she turned to look at him. "Wh-" She stopped talking when he shook his head and pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Let me go first before you start walking again, Lani," Kai said, and she scowled and narrowed her eyes but didn't say a word. He scowled and narrowed his eyes while he stared at her. "Don't start," he warned, "please, Lani. Let me go first, and then you can go after me."

Lani bit back an annoyed sigh and rolled her eyes while she pursed her lips in annoyance before she finally relented and took a step back so that he would be able to walk in front of her. "Ok," she said sarcastically before she gestured toward the path. "Then, you may go ahead and go."

Kai bit back a small smirk and took a deep breath before he released it with a small whoosh before he started to walk down the path, and Lani followed him. His whole body was tense, and she understood because she couldn't help but be tense, too.

As soon as they stepped onto the path, a door to the car opened, and the twins paused and looked at each other before they looked at the car.

No one stepped out of the vehicle, and the twins didn't move from their spot while they stared at the car.

"Do you think they think that we will just go into the car?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper while she stared at her brother's back. "Is that why they are not coming out to greet us?"

"Probably," Kai replied, his voice also above a whisper. "Are we going to do what they want us to do, or are we going to go inside and get changed?"

"Get changed," Lani replied instantly. "We are going to smell like the ocean anyway, so I would like to be in comfortable clothing and not in a wetsuit during this trip to wherever we are needing to go."

Kai bit back a small chuckle and nodded. "Of course," he said, and she could tell that he was grateful that she felt the same way as him. "Then let's continue to go to the house, and you will go ahead and go in first, though."

Lani rolled her eyes and scowled, pressing her lips into a thin line. "How?" she asked and narrowed her eyes while she stared at his back. "You're the one that is in front of me, Kai."

"And I will move out of your way once we are closer to the house," he replied. He started to walk, and she scoffed a laugh while she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in annoyance. "If they knock, then don't answer the door."

"I know," Lani replied coldly while she pursed her lips in annoyance. "We are the same age, Kai. I don't know why you're acting like this."

"Because you are still my little sister, and I will watch your back," he replied. "If you don't like it, then I won't watch your back."

She rolled her eyes and scowled because she knew that wasn't true; he'd watch her back even if he said that he wouldn't.

Kai didn't say another word and continued to walk towards the house with her following him. He kept an eye on the car and watched as no one climbed out of the car to collect them and bring them back to that car.

Lani stopped breathing and bit the inside of her lip. Her whole body was tense, and she watched the car as well as her brother, waiting for any indication of him telling her to run to the house with him behind her.

The young female's heart pounded hard and fast in her chest with an intense thump, thump, thump. She grabbed her surfboard tighter while she continued to watch the car that was parked in their driveway, trying but failing to come up with a plan if something did happen.

Kai hesitated and moved closer to his sister and tucked his head closer to his chest. "Do you want to run the rest of the way to the house, Lani?" he whispered softly, while they watched the vehicle and its supposed occupants.

Lani hesitated before she shook her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. "It'd be suspicious if we did that," she said in a whisper, and her brother paused before he slowly nodded. "Why don't we pick up our pace a little bit so that we can get inside quicker?"

He nodded and did what she suggested while he picked up his pace with her beside him.

Still, no one came out of the vehicle, but they could feel the gazes of someone or multiple people, watching them go closer to the house and not toward the car like they thought they would.

Kai reached the house first and opened the door, setting his surfboard beside the door, and Lani placed her surfboard down in front of his surfboard before she went into the house, first like they had talked about beforehand.

And finally, she was able to breathe while she looked at her brother when he closed and locked the door.

Thank the Gods, she silently thanked whoever watched over them, making sure they stayed safe and alive from the people that were in the vehicle. Thank the Gods.