The Future of Sulani | 3

When Malia's grandparents had told her they would always be around, just maybe not in the form she was most familiar with, she hadn't been sure how to interpret it. To be honest, she woke up the next morning wondering if she had dreamed the entire conversation. After all, that was surely more reasonable than believing any of it had actually been real. But, deep inside, once she bypassed the barrier of her rational mind, she knew she hadn't made any of it up. She felt different. Her senses felt heightened, her instincts sharper. She felt keenly in tune with her surroundings, like her body was humming in harmony with every tiny, invisible atom in the air.

A few days later, still buzzing with these curious new sensations, she heads downstairs for breakfast only to be immediately confronted by a glowing beam of light that hovers over the kitchen table, directly behind an oblivious Nani. "Whoa!" Malia exclaims aloud before she can catch herself. "Are you seeing this?"

Nani swivels her head to investigate the space between them, where she clearly finds nothing unusual. "What are you talking about?" She narrows her eyes at Malia suspiciously. "Are you making fun of my ass? Because I swear-"

"No, no, sorry. It's nothing." Malia shrugs her shoulders as flippantly as she can. "My eyes are still sleepy, that's all."

As the three of them sit down to eat, Malia swiftly changes the subject. The last thing she wants is to have to try to explain to her friends what she herself doesn't even fully understand yet. "Sooooo," she begins coyly, "tonight is finally the night. Are you ready for your big first date?"

"I've been trying all morning to get this one to spill the beans about where we're going," Nani replies, "but they refuse to drop even a single hint! How am I supposed to know what to wear?"

"Sorry, but my lips remain sealed. Besides, you'll look beautiful no matter what you wear!"

Nani pulls an exasperated face at Noelani. "Yeah," she mutters flatly, "that really helps clear things up."

Malia silently chews her food and watches them avidly, like she's absorbed in the latest drama on some melodramatic daytime soap opera. "Whatever you guys decide, you'd better give me all the juicy details. I expect nothing less than a full report from both of you."

As if their impending first ever date wasn't enough to set butterflies off in the pit of Noelani's stomach, they've also got another major first flooding their entire body with nervy adrenaline. Later tonight, they're planning a pop-up DJ event at the beach. While spinning behind the booth at the bar a couple times a week is nice, it's not exactly a clear and certain pathway to setting the music world on fire. Noelani has to get their name out there, and going viral online seems like the way to do it these days.

If people start sharing videos on social media, someone with the potential to change Noelani's life forever might see - and that means the more people they can get in front of, the better. They can't wait for an audience to come to them; instead, they have to bring their own talent to the masses. Noelani spends all morning upgrading their portable DJ booth and making sure it's outfitted with the bells and whistles necessary to leave an unforgettable first impression. Tonight has to be perfect. They can't afford even one mistake.

Even though their social media following is still modest, they record and post a few teaser videos, being sure to include the time and location of their set in the accompanying text. Then they hashtag the posts with as many related buzzwords as they can. All they can do now is cross their fingers that people get the message and are curious enough to actually show up.

Meanwhile, Malia gets her yoga on and continues to reflect on her newfound sixth sense. Her grandparents told her she would have to be her own guide in her spiritual journey, that there was no set roadmap for her to follow. But what if she misinterprets the purpose behind her abilities and only ends up lost? How is she supposed to get anywhere if she doesn't even know where to start? She remembers her grandfather's words: "Sulani's ancient protectors only want to know their island is in good hands." She already knows that she loves Sulani and wants to see it continue to grow and thrive. But there's got to be more to it than that.

"Oh, ancient protectors," she mutters under her breath, feeling stupid and self-conscious even though there's no one else around. "Please send me a sign about what I'm supposed to do next. As far as I know, I don't know how to read your minds... yet."

Before Nani knows it, date time has arrived, and she and Noelani are being seated at the table with the most breathtaking view in the most expensive restaurant across all three of Sulani's islands.

"Oh my God, this place is always packed to the brim," Nani exclaims as she settles into her seat. "You must have had to pay a fortune for a reservation on such short notice!"

Noelani shrugs modestly. "As soon as the idea struck me, it's like I knew I'd been squirreling away my bar-tending tips this entire time for a good reason."

"And there's plenty more where that came from," they add as a waitress arrives to take their drink order. "So whatsoever on the menu your heart desires, your wish is my command."

"This is so sweet," Nani says, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"Really?" Noelani asks uncertainly. "First date at a fancy restaurant? You don't think it's too generic?"

"Of course not. Nothing about being with you feels generic." And before she can second-guess herself, she blows Noelani a flirtatious kiss across the table, surprised in the process by her own heretofore untapped capacity for sultriness.

"Whew!" Instantly, all the blood in Noelani's body begins racing to their head, surely turning them red as an overripe tomato from head to toe. "You're getting me all hot and bothered, and we haven't even had dinner yet."

Unfortunately, the romantic atmosphere is broken when they hear a sudden clatter of porcelain just a few feet away. Their waitress, approaching with their food, seems to have tripped over something and lost her balance, scattering their plates all over the ground. Nani can't help herself from bursting into a loud peal of uncontrollable laughter. "Talk about a mood killer!" she exclaims.

"Oh my God," Noelani says as their waitress rushes off, apologizing profusely, to place another order and find something with which to clean up the mess. "I had a nightmare exactly like this last night. I'm about to look down and find myself suddenly naked, aren't I?"

Nani recovers from her giggle fit long enough to let out a brazen, "I wish!"

Now, it's Noelani's turn to crack up. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves again." They sigh nervously. "God, I just wanted everything to be perfect for you."

"Trust me, it's more than perfect. Actually, this was kind of a blessing in disguise. Now, we get to watch the sun go down together while we wait."

Luckily, the second attempt to deliver their food goes smoothly. Without meaning to, both of them find themselves rushing through dinner, partially because by now they're starving and partially because neither can wait to find out what will happen after.

What happens after is that on their way out of the restaurant, Noelani abruptly pulls Nani aside and finally works up the courage to kiss her. Although fleeting and tentative, it's a moment that both of them will remember for a long time - and hopefully the precursor to many more kisses to follow.

Unfortunately, they can't loiter outside the restaurant making out for too long, as Noelani's got a gig to get to. But they can't pass up the opportunity to snap a quick first date selfie before heading home. When Nani checks the picture afterward, she can't help but notice that she and Noelani are both literally glowing.

A quick wardrobe change later, Noelani into their best bad-ass DJ ensemble and Nani and Malia into their favorite swimsuits, the three of them head to Ohan'ali Beach to get the party started. As soon as they arrive, Noelani snaps a photo for their Simstagram as a last-minute invite. "God, what if nobody shows up?" they groan, suddenly overcome with doubt. "I'll be so embarrassed I'll have to enter early retirement."

"Hey, at least you've got the seagulls," Malia jokes, but Noelani only slouches their shoulders lower in response.

Nani is more reassuring. "Don't worry. Malia and I will pull in a crowd while you get everything set up."

The beach is worryingly empty, and Nani's confidence quickly plummets. "Oh, God," she mutters dejectedly to Malia. "Where is everybody? Noelani will be so disappointed if we can't wrangle up a good crowd."

It's Malia's turn to offer reassurances. "Chill. People will show up. Just give it a little time." A man jogs obliviously past, and she shouts and waves at him to circle back around. "Look, there's someone now!"

"He's clearly not here for the show," Nani protests, shoulders sagging.

"He will be if I have anything to say about it."

Malia isn't above turning on the feminine charm to ensure her best friend's big night goes off without a hitch. Organic crowds are all well and good, but they need a reason to gather. If they see one person watching, chances are they'll want to check out what's going on, too.

But Noelani knows what Malia is up to, and they can't help but feel slightly crushed by the prospect that nobody wanted to show up of their own volition. Of course, they appreciate the effort, but they hoped that people would be here for the music, not because Malia coaxed and coddled them into begrudgingly hanging around.

Suddenly, a familiar face arrives. "Hey, guys!" Lia, a local and longtime family friend, exclaims eagerly. "When I saw the invite on Simstagram, I just knew I had to check this out. It's about time we got some real excitement around here. I've been saying we need to shake this island up for years!"

"And don't worry," she continues, as suddenly a throng of dancing bodies swells around them. "I brought reinforcements. This has to be a raging success if we want it to happen again!"

Noelani can't believe their eyes when they look up from their mixing board. All of a sudden, there's a real crowd! It's not a massive one, sure, but it's the easily the largest they've played to yet. Best of all, everyone seems to be enjoying the set, many with their phones held high in the air above them. They're sure to be sharing the moment with their friends, and word of mouth is the best way to build a steady natural following.

Noelani spins into the early hours, until their arms feel like soggy strands of spaghetti and they're literally seeing stars. "That was so great," one of the audience members gushes afterward. "When's the next party? I've got so many friends who would love this sort of thing."

"Follow me on Simstagram," Noelani calls over, yawning into their fist. "As soon as I get some sleep, I'll start planning. And, trust me, it'll be a hundred times bigger and better. Tell everyone you know they won't want to miss it!"