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"She abused my baby," Leona Sautele wept into loads of Kleenex in her hand.
"I trusted her to watch my baby while I was at work, and the next thing I know, Jonah has bruising on his head and has a fractured arm." Leonaʻs wife sat next to her, rubbing her hand and offering her solace."Have you known that your sister was this kind of a person?" Tabby asked.
"No," Leona shook her head slowly. "I never knew she was this way."
"What was it like growing up in your home? Were your parents strict?" Tabby was trying to peel away the layers without appearing to be abrasive.
"My stepfather was abusive to our mom and to my sister and me," Leona's voice got quiet.
"Physically or otherwise?" Tabby was trying to confirm.
Leona looked briefly at her wife Sally and then looked down. "Both."
"Your sister got it worse," Tabby wasn't asking this question of Leona. Instead, it was something she realized and confirmed out loud. Leona didn't reply; she just nodded. "It's not an excuse for what she did, but she's only acting out as a result of what was done to both of you. More so, for her. So you were all living in the same house when this happened?"
"We were," Leona replied.
"Are you sure this is what you want? Because once we do our part, it's done. There is no turning back." Tabby had to be clear so that there was no misunderstanding.
"Yes," Leona confirmed. "I understand."
Tabby stood up from behind the desk, as did Ivan, Tiny, Rita, and her father, Boy. The Rizal brothers occupied the four corners of the office, while Roof sat out in the lobby with Kealoha, eating boiled peanuts and playing Konāne. "Youʻll see something in three days," Tabby said while everyone came from behind her desk and expressed their sympathies to Leona and her wife. Finally, the office door opened, and Roof and Kealoha stood up while the two women passed. Three days later, child protective services showed up at Leona Sautele's home and took baby Jonah from her and her wife.
~
A week later, a furious Leona barged into the office, with nostrils flaring and fists clenched tight. Her wife was right beside her, ready to join in on the fury. But, instead, the office was empty save for Tabby, sitting behind her desk. There was no one else around, which made the building easily accessible. "You called CPS and had my baby taken away! I know it was you because you're the only person I talked to about this! I asked you to put a curse on my sister, not turn me in to the authorities! Now, I'm going to beat your ass!"
"That CPS thing wasn't me. I did my job. Maybe you weren't paying attention?" Tabby was unmoved by Leona's rage. The two charged forward, and Tabby immediately stood up and kicked the massive-sized koa wood desk across the floor. It hit Leona and Sally like a ton of bricks and knocked them across the room. "You're so caught up in your misplaced anger that you haven't even noticed if your sister has been around or not? Do you even know where she is?"
Just then, the Rizal brothers materialized out of the four corners of the room. Ivan, Tiny, Rita, and Boy appeared out of the walls, while Roof and Kealoha entered through the door and locked it behind them. Leona and Sally screamed bloody murder at what they'd witnessed while clutching on to one another. With one hand, Tabby moved the huge desk right back to its original space in the office. Boy stepped forward and placed a hatbox in Tabby's hands, who then handed it to Leona. In it, Leona found the fractured skull and fractured arm of her sister. She screamed until she had no voice. "This building is highly secure, and you know that," Tabby began. "Didn't you think it was strange how easily accessible this building was without a problem? You're only here because we allowed it. Go home before I decide to cast another curse."
~
"Maika'i," Boy gave Tabby a hug. "You handled that very well. Now we have to start training others who will take Ivan, Tiny, and Rita's place one day."
"Why the rush?" Rita bellowed.
"Yeah, we not dead yet," Tiny chimed in.
"I'm ready," Ivan laughed. "I have my veterans group, my golf group, and then my naps that I have to take every day, so yeah. I'm ready."
"What about you, Papa? Are you ready?" Tabby asked.
"When the akua decide I'm ready, then I'll be ready without question," Boy smiled and hugged his daughter.
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