Mistwalker by Terri Farley Page B

“And she’s beautiful. She’s changed faster than I have.”
    â€œCathy Kato sent me this.” Ellen opened her smallclutch bag and showed her the photograph Aunty Cathy had taken of her riding Hoku. “It’s a beautiful picture and you’re every bit as pretty in person, and I bet Hoku is, too.”
    Darby straightened up. Her mom gazed at her as if she couldn’t get enough, and even though it was a little embarrassing, Darby felt proud.
    Her mother’s gold hoop earrings danced when she shook her head as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. Then she touched her forehead to her daughter’s and said, “Let’s go let your public congratulate you.”
    Tucked under her mother’s arm for the next thirty minutes, Darby knew Ellen Kealoha was the unintentional star of the event.
    Mark Larson had been on his way back to Channel Two when he recognized Ellen Kealoha speeding past him in her rented car. He’d made a U-turn and jumped out of the blue-and-orange van to trail after her.
    Even though Ellen refused to give a press conference, saying the day belonged to the kids, the camera operator kept rolling as Babe dropped a pikake lei over Ellen’s head and Ellen said, “I missed the turn, Aunty! Can you believe it? Everything’s changed. The airport is like a real airport. The roads are paved, but I got lost!”
    The roads weren’t the only things that had changed since her mother had been gone. Darby looked around for her grandfather, but instead came face-to-face witha woman she didn’t recognize. She was chiding Aunt Babe for keeping Ellen to herself.
    As Mom caught up with developments in friends’ lives, Darby drifted away, but she still felt her mom watching her, and Darby watched back. Their gazes stayed locked on each other like magnets that pulled apart, then rejoined.
    Darby scanned the crowd again for Jonah. She was ready to expand her search when she saw a silver dish mounded high with sugar cubes on the pastry table.
    Hoku had never tasted a sugar cube before. Darby hesitated for a second, guessing sugar cubes were no better for horses than they were for people, but figured one or two couldn’t hurt, right? She slipped a few into each of her front pockets. Navigator deserved one, too. Then, giving up on the smooth fit of her new jeans, she added a couple more, for Flight, Stormbird’s mother.
    â€œI should have figured you were a thief, being from Los Angeles.”
    Darby’s hands were perched on her hips in outrage when she turned to see that it was Duckie. Puzzled by her cousin’s vicious tone, as much as she was by the accusation, Darby said, “I’m just getting a treat for the horses. Aunt Babe wouldn’t care, would she? Come on. Let’s ask.”
    â€œNever mind.” Disgusted by Darby’s unruffled response, Duckie crossed her arms. Her lip poked outlike a sulky child’s. “That’d be giving you what you want. You Kealohas just have to be the center of attention.”
    So that was Duckie’s problem, Darby thought. She loved being in the spotlight, and today it just wasn’t happening.
    Tossing her metal-bright hair back over her shoulders, Duckie stalked away.
    â€œWow, how rude is that? Insulting your cousin and the entire city of Los Angeles?” Megan walked up with Ann and Cade.
    â€œWhat was that about?” Ann asked.
    â€œSugar cubes,” Darby said, looking after the tall girl.
    â€œNo worries.” Ann tilted her head of red ringlets against Darby’s shoulder, reassuring her, then said, “Hey, nice speech.”
    â€œI know, it was awful,” Darby moaned.
    â€œNo, I meant it,” Ann said, giving her friend a light punch. “You did great.”
    â€œYou really did,” Megan added. “That last part, where you said you were in the wrong place at the right time, was perfect. I mean, think of the volcano, the tsunami,