That Which Feeds Us: Chapter 26–Epilogue

The bright photos paired with the smiling workers made Kōpaʻa seem idyllic and ethereal.

Her sister had always been an optimist and a staunch pep talk believer.

She tried to imagine what happened next and the possibilities terrified her, coalescing into an overwhelming fear.

Up close, Melia smelled like smoke and something bucolic, almost like soil and mowed grass.

Lehua nudged past the door, feeling like a wayward ghost finally slipping back into her crypt.

A girl sat in the stone vestibule.

She could imagine her grandma, led here by her heartache, and her grandpa, desperate to stay in their homeland, willing to take any job to avoid that severance.

The door shoved open behind her, and Ohia darted out of the darkness past Lehua, brandishing a cane knife at Horace.

“I came here looking for honest work when I found the bones in the cane. I escaped and hid on the island while they killed the other workers to revive their spoiled sugarcane. But Horace knew he was one victim short.”

“When they found me, I begged for my life. I offered Horace a change of crops. I knew persimmons would guarantee a steady harvest —once grown, their trees are hardy, drought-resistant, and less susceptible to disease—and he let me live. But you’re wrong to think I was only bartering for my life. I bargained for the future, saving countless lives.”

To Ohia, she said ruefully, “You never would’ve gotten through our selection process if I’d known your real name.”

“Because she’s a famous track runner and has a family,” Lehua surmised.

“This has nothing to do with need. God gave me a taste of His immortality. But unlike God, I acquired a certain palate. Chiyo tries to curate her selection, employing only the scraps of society.”

“Our blessed crops shouldn’t be shared with just anyone who has a dime to their name, regardless of what Charles thinks. But thanks to him—and Chiyo’s insistence on discretion—it’s been a while since I got to indulge in a full meal. I can survive on scraps, but—” He pulled Lehua toward his face, and inhaled against her hair.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, torn asunder.