honu - green sea turtle

The fact that Emerson has to wear something other than his usual attire is the first strike for him.

The dark army green quick dry shorts Rhyme kindly offered to Emerson to borrow for the day, along with his own white cotton shirt, aren't exactly an exaggerated change from the usual khaki shorts. Let's just say that Emerson is used to having more room in his shorts than Rhyme is comfortable with.

"How are those fitting, man?" Rhyme asks him with a chuckle just as Emerson pulls subtly at the crotch of the shorts, hoping to stretch the material.

"Well..." Emerson sighs, "For one, I get that you're used to your clothes being a bit more...hugging. But I'm not exactly apt to - "

"Oh come on, Frat Boy." Alex's hand comes down on Emerson's back in the manner of a manly pat, "You look great. This is a much needed improvement from your normal baggy shorts." His friend's honest comment isn't exactly what Emerson is inclined to hear.

"Guys, he's just not used to wearing hiking clothes, give him a break." Claire sighs as she stands with her back to the boys, staring into the mirror as she attempts to perfect her short ponytail.

Alex scoffs, "You need to quit mollycoddling him. He's a big boy, he can speak for himself." The girl turns, giving him her ring finger and a glare, "Wow, Claire. You realize it means the same thing even if you're not using your middle finger, right?" She juts her tongue out at him in reply before going back to the task at hand.

Isaac suddenly bursts into the hotel room with a triumphant grin, holding up two new key cards in his hand, "I just went to the front desk. We can switch rooms as soon as possible! See guys, things are starting to look up!"

Gwen comes out of the bathroom, bags under her eyes as she yawns with wild hair, "Speak for yourself. I hardly got any sleep because Claire kept tossing and turning all night." Her narrowed eyes are directed at our Asian friend.

"I'm sorry!" She deflects, "I still had a stomach ache!" Her whining lessens Gwen's frustrated expression but that clearly doesn't help her exhaustion.

"It's fine." She sighs in defeat, sitting on the edge of the bed in her perfectly coordinated hiking gear, "I'll just take a nap once we get back. What time are we supposed to meet her again?" Gwen asks with another sad yawn, Isaac regarding at her with an empathetic smile.

"She said we should constellate at the bottom of the trail around noon." He tells her before approaching the bed and placing an arm around her, "And don't worry, babe. We'll all make sure you get some sleep as soon as we return."

"She?" Emerson's thick dark brows furrow at the discovery, "Our tour guide is a girl?" For some reason he pictured some sort of Dwayne Johnson type of guy with an Australian accent and a tough demeanor.

Claire finally turns away from her reflection, now feeling satisfied with her appearance. "What? You don't think that girls can be tour guides or something?"

Her accusation reddens his cheeks, "No that's not at all what I was insinuating. I only meant to say that I just wasn't expecting a female tour guide...that's all."

Claire narrows her eyes at him slightly before laughing lightly and hitting his arm with the back of her small hand, "Relax I'm just messing with you."

"Gee thanks." His eyes roll, grabbing his cell phone and stuffing it into his pocket, feeling off balance in his hiking shoes.

Rhyme looks up from his watch, clearing his throat and clapping his hands once to gain everyone's attention, "Alright, here's the game plan. Alex and I will put everyone's stuff on a cart and we'll take it to our new rooms. The rest of you go to the lobby and call an Uber. Sound good?"

Alex snorts as he leans against the wall with his arms crossed, looking as disheveled as ever with his wild dirty blonde hair and snarky smirk, "Who put you in charge?"

Rhyme looks at him with a puzzled expression, "Well I just figured that someone aught to have an idea of what's going on or we'll be late. We don't want to make the wrong impression on the first day."

Alex looks like he's about to say something contradicting that they really don't have time for so Isaac jumps in by saying, "We'll be here for two weeks, guys. There will be plenty of time for everyone to play the leader role, okay? Let's just do what needs to be done and take a hike!" He grins excitedly, bringing a positive electric excitement to the rest of the group.

"He's right." Emerson puts in, "Issac and I will go with the girls down to the lobby and meet you there."

"Alright let's do it." Alex sighs, marching to the door and stepping outside. Claire and Emerson exchange a perturbed look regarding his passive aggressive behavior.

I ❝ won't you teach me how to see the way you see me? ❞ ⅼ

Emerson is sweating profusely as soon as he steps out of the vehicle, thanking the driver tiredly.

"You already look dead, man. Lighten up or I'm worried you won't survive." Rhyme smiles crookedly, grabbing Emerson's hand to slide their palms together, snapping their fingertips at the end before giving him a fist bump.

"Sorry." He rubs his hands nervously on his shorts, "I just don't usually...do this type of stuff."

His friend gives him an understanding smile, patting him on the back reassuringly, "You'll be fine. Just take it one step at a time...literally." He chuckles, making Emerson laugh with a shake of his head.

"Okay." He agrees with a nod just as a motorbike pulls up to the end of the trail where Isaac and Gwen stand.

The girl on the bike wears no helmet, only a dark blue baseball cap over her light blonde hair as she places her legs down on either side of the bike to steady herself, sitting up straight with a smile.

Looking over at his two friends beside him, Emerson rolls his eyes. Rhyme and Alex both seem to have a very sharp sudden interest but he has the feeling that their gazes are directed in different places.

Rhyme's eyes remain locked on the bike, practically drooling, while Alex seems very invested in the girl pulling her cap off, her hair tousling down her shoulder as she shakes it from the roots. Her blue eyes lock onto the group before her grin widens politely.

"Hi!" She chirps, pulling the kickstand to her bike down with the tip of her hiking boot, "You guys must be my group for the next two weeks?"

Alex steps forward immediately, placing an alluring smirk on his lips as he holds his hand out, "That's us. I'm Alex and you must be Rosalind." His attempt to show off by remembering her name makes Emerson rolls his eyes, his foot kicking at the dirt, "Beautiful name by the way." Okay now he just made it a whole lot worse.

Rosalind considers him with a guarded expression, shaking his hand briefly before letting go. "Yes that's me, it's nice to meet you. I'd like to get all of your names before we begin? I have a list but I haven't had a chance to really study it." She laughs lightly, stuffing her baseball cap into the bag pocket of her short army style pockets, the look matching the white bandanna tied around her neck and the cotton tank top she wears.

After everyone introduces themselves, Rhyme speaks up,"I'm Rhyme." He steps forward, whistling lowly, "Nice bike."

Rosalind looks behind her, her eyes shining with pride as she regards the bike, "Thanks man." She chuckles, "You know how to drive one?" He nods confidently before she shrugs her shoulders once, "Maybe you can take it for a spin sometime. Cool?"

"You're serious?" He gapes with a grin.

"Sure, why not? As long as we all get along." Her eyes dart to Alex accusingly but he completely misses it. Emerson, however, notices this with a laugh. Her eyes dart to him, an understanding smirk crossing her lips before he looks away awkwardly.

"That sounds awesome."

"Good. Now should we get started? Just to inform everyone, I have some water and some sunscreen along with a first aid kit in my pack so just holler if you need anything, okay?" She asks everyone, earning a few nods and verbal agreements, "Alright, let's get you guys to the top." Her bright smile almost irks Emerson. How she can be so excited about this is almost physically painful to him.

He stands still in his place before his hands pull out of his pockets as he adjusts the backpack on his shoulders containing everything he could possibly ever need on this venture. Yet he still feels so unready for the miles ahead.

"How long is this hike again?" He walks to keep up with Rosalind at the end of the line as she watches everyone begin on their way ahead of us.

She squints up at him, her five foot seven figure still short when compared to his stretching height of six feet, "Only about four miles."

"Oh." He sighs in relief, "Total?"

She pauses before chuckling at him as if he must be joking, "No just one way. It's over eight miles in total." His wide eyes must be an indication to her that he wasn't kidding around and she rushes to add, "But the view is amazing and, after the practice today, we'll be able to take another hike to this amazing waterfall I know of when you guys are up to it." She grins brightly, her straight white teeth on display.

At the mention of another hike, Emerson's fists clench around the straps of his pack and walks ahead with a sigh.

Rosalind stands back behind him, confused as to if he's going to reply before shaking it off and hiking up after her group.

After about forty-five minutes of nonstop stepping, climbing, and jumping, Rosalind calls for a water break to which everyone is heartily in agreement, plopping down where they are to take a breather.

The back of Emerson's shirt is practically dripping with sweat as he pulls his backpack off and drops it onto a nearby large rock, wary of the dirt and sand. "Thank God." He pants, opening the bag and reaching in for his water bottle and unscrewing the lid.

"Take five, everyone." Rosalind tells Emerson and his friends as he notices with a bitter smile that she's barely broken a sweat and her breath still remains steady.

"So, Rosie." Alex speaks up as he wipes his face on the bottom of his shirt, his abdomen on display. Emerson looks away with a cringing expression as he notices the flexed muscles, "How many groups have you guided around Kauai?"

"It's actually Rosalind, if you don't mind." She replied before tipping her own bottle upwards, taking swig, "And, as for your question, you guys are actually my first."

"You mean you've never done this before?" Emerson asks her with slight shock.

She looks over at him with an understanding smile, "Taken a group around Kauai? Nope, this is the first time. But I've been exploring every trail, every activity, and every body of water for the past year. I'd say I'm more than qualified to show a few people around." She chuckles lowly before taking another drink.

"I didn't mean to accuse you of being under qualified. I'm just shocked that, at such an early start, you're so...confident in your ability to keep others safe along with yourself." He responds calmly, feeling the cool stare she begins to give him as everyone else falls silent.

She walks towards him, her boots stopping at his feet as she regards him calmly, "I am fully confident that I can keep all of you safe and far from anything on this island that may harm you. As for your own arrogance? That's something I'm afraid I can't protect you or your group from." She finishes with a tight smile, "Everyone ready to head out?"

As everyone stands up and gathers themselves, Emerson lingers behind, not wanting to admit his embarrassment.

"Jerk move, Emerson." Gwen nudges him before walking away, leaving him to rub at his arm.

With a sigh he follows his friends, trekking on as he tries not to think about the fact that Isaac's tag is sticking out of his shirt.

This might turn out even worse than he first anticipated.