Chapter 4

Sleeping past 6 am was truly a luxury in the McGarrett household and it was generally only afforded if you were ill or if something catastrophic had befallen the island that required the immediate attention of the 5-0 task force. Myah wasn't certain what had brought her out of slumber, but she savored the act of rolling over and snuggling deeper underneath her quilt. She'd sprained her ankle while playing basketball with Nahele the day before and the license to return to dreamland was the first bright side she'd found to the situation. Suddenly getting the sense that she was not alone, Myah opened her eyes to squint up at her father. "Good morning?"

"Kid. Let's roll."

Steve had clearly forgotten about her injury.

"Dad…" Myah grumbled in response to not only his presence in her room, but at his audacity to slide up the window shade. She rolled away from the light that poured in. "I have a sprained ankle. I can't work out."

"Of course you can. It's the perfect opportunity to see how well you can adapt. Unless something's wrong with your arms and other leg that I don't know about?"

"No." Myah responded sadly.

"Alright. What clothes do you need?"

"Pajamas. Ouch!" The swat Steve delivered to her backside was not hard enough to elicit her yelp, especially with her comforter offering a soft layer of protection, but Myah couldn't help herself. "Fine, fine."

"Come here." Steve said good naturedly, and she slowly sat up to the edge of the bed. He took a look at the ankle in question, which was now discolored to a lovely deep purple. It was tender even to his gentle touch. "You still need to keep your weight off of this." He gave her a quick kiss on the head, and then grabbed the first workout clothes available in her drawer, before sliding an arm around her ribs and actually carrying her to the bathroom. Once there she was able to hobble around without putting any weight through her right leg. Once dressed she navigated the stairs in a seated position before grabbing the crutches leaning against the bottom railing.

Nahele was shoving toast in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Having personally witnessed him tossing back no less than three hamburgers the night before, Myah knew that to be untrue. Her brother eyed her as she hopped into the kitchen, having somewhat mastered the technique the day before.

"Good thing we're lifting today." Nahele said, shooting her a grin. "I'd hate to have to piggyback you on a run."

Myah scoffed and used the crutches to carefully hoist herself up onto the counter. She immediately regretted doing so as she spotted several pieces of sourdough toast with sliced avocado sitting on the small island, completely out of her reach.

Nahele rolled his eyes, but handed her a slice. "Here you go, gimpy. And drink up. You need the protein to heal." He passed her a mug of steaming bone broth." Steve was currently on a bone broth kick and had been insisting that they drink it daily. He'd lugged home a huge bag of frozen bones from the farmer's market and using the instant pot had perfected a broth that was actually quite palatable.

Not that it would have mattered, Myah thought to herself with a sigh, slowly sipping the broth and examining her swollen ankle. She'd been a little overly dramatic about being forced to drink the first batch of broth, which had been quite bland. Steve had given her a quick lecture that started and ended with "It doesn't have to be fun, it just has to be done," and sentenced her to dish duty for the rest of the week.

Myah was distracted from her thoughts when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out she read a text from Sam.

CODE 8 GIRL

Myah crunched into the sourdough toast and shook her head slightly. Code 8 was law enforcement radio code to request cover or backup. She didn't mind using code but found herself automatically suspicious when it came from Sam.

. IAN GOT THE PASSWORD FOR THE BEAST'S MANSION! WE'RE GOING TONIGHT AND I NEED YOU TO FILM!

Myah crinkled her nose. She'd heard rumors of The Beast's Mansion floating around school, but had assumed it was a myth. Too many details regarding the supposedly haunted house completely contradicted each other, and Myah hadn't lived in Hawaii long enough to be able to separate fact from fiction. Luckily her father and brother might be able to shed some light on the story, but Myah instinctively decided to keep her reasons for asking to herself.

WHY DO YOU NEED ME TO FILM? she asked.

THIS IS EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL! CAN YOU IMAGINE THE VIEWS?!

Sam wasn't wrong. She had both a TikToc and youtube channels that she had managed to create in spite of her parents strict social media rules. Sam had aspirations of being a talk show host and had decided that the first step on that road to success was to create an online following, with her handle being Sammi Grove.

Myah had kept the secret and wasn't surprised that Sam wanted to get into the mysterious haunted house, but hesitated at the mention of Ian. Ian Wright went to Kalani High, a rival school and was at least 16, possibly 17. He'd taken notice of Sam's reels and had started chatting with her. This was the first time Myah had heard of them actually hanging out in person, and she found herself a little uncomfortable with the idea. Her eyes flicked over to Nahele, who was carefully washing the cutting board. Her brother never struggled with Steve's standards for cleanliness like Myah did. Recalling her original thought, Myah reminded herself that Ian was Nahele's age and it wasn't weird to hang out with him. Even though he was her brother, and in Sam's case a family friend. Although Sam was younger than Myah at thirteen.

Steve stepped into the kitchen at that moment. "You guys ready? Myah, did you drink your broth?"

"Yes, sir." Myah gingerly slid off the countertop to avoid jarring her ankle. "It was actually quite tasty."

"Glad to hear."

"I don't think I'll be able to do the dishes though… standing on one foot. Sad news."

"I got your back kid…" Steve smiled, looking unconcerned. "I'll get you a stool."

"Oh, good." Myah rolled her eyes. She managed to get out the door into the garage without falling, and mentally congratulated herself.

Steve was nothing if not creative when programming their workouts and Myah soon found herself working just as hard as she would have been with two sound ankles. She had one foot on the ground, the other supported by a box and her hands on the bench slightly behind her, doing dips, when she decided to bring up the haunted house.

"People keep talking about The Beast's Mansion at school." she said nonchalantly. "What's that all about?"

Steve frowned. "I'm not familiar with it. Is it supposed to be actually haunted or is it just jump scare?"

Nahele racked the barbell and wiped sweat off his forehead. "Both. It's somewhere that's supposedly actually haunted and it's kind of like a Speakeasy, because you have to be given the location and then the password to get in."

"I can't imagine that staying secret for long with that kind of setup." Steve traded spots with Nahele on the squat rack.

"They do change locations every year, I know that." Nahele said.

"Have you been?" Myah carefully picked up the kettlebell sitting beside the bench to begin her shoulder presses.

"No. It's 18 or older. And supposedly you have to sign a waiver."

"Jeez." Myah frowned, wondering if the haunted house had changed its rules or if Sam had a card up her sleeve to get them in. "What's the waiver for?"

"I don't know." Nahele rolled his eyes. "It can't be that scary. Most haunted houses are pretty lame. But I know there's one in Tennessee where you need a safe word."

"The McKamey Manor." Steve said, his eyes darkening. "It's…" He was cut off when his phone rang. "McGarrett."

Myah stayed quiet until Steve stepped a few feet away from them so as not to disrupt his call. "Koa Fields was definitely not lame. I want to go again."

Nahele's eyes lit up. "We will." he assured her. "Playing paintball is legit there, even when it's not Halloween."

The 5-0 kids had gone on a haunted hayride put on by Koa Fields Paintball the day before. Myah was pretty sure the horde of zombies attacking their wagon had been somewhat taken aback when they were confronted with teenagers who spent regular time at the range with their parents and whose fathers had demonstrated battle strategy during what was normally playtime with legos and barbie dolls. Myah supposed she was a bit late to that party, but she had learned a lot since joining JROTC at school and taken note of how Joanie's barbies protected their castle, at least when commanded by Steve.

Nerf fights happened in their house on a semi-regular basis and Steve was no more able to allow them to play without being educated on proper movement, than he was able to relax and enjoy a military movie. J was at their house more often than not during these lessons, and he eagerly lapped up whatever military knowledge Steve was willing to impart. As such it came as no surprise when he took point in the wagon and started giving out orders. Nahele had been a devastatingly effective rear guard, and with the other teens tucked along the sides, the zombies hadn't stood a chance. They had taken the award for highest zombie kill score and according to the website, it had yet to be surpassed.

"Hey, UH always does a haunted house." Nahele's words brought Myah back to the present.

"That's where Siobhan goes." Myah said absently, thinking of Sam's older cousin who had moved to the island to attend the university of Hawaii. "I wonder if she's helping with it."

"I don't know, but that is a long rest break, young lady." Steve had returned to the workout area, and caught Myah still sitting on the bench, her kettlebell in her lap.

"Yes sir." Myah tried to keep her tone respectful, but couldn't help but make a face at him. "I just don't want to get bulky."

Steve shot her a disgusted look.

"Bulky?" Nahele said in amazement. "Not from lifting that paperweight, you won't."

"Excuse, me." Myah glared at him.

"That's enough. Outside, I want to see a bear crawl, from here to the end of the patio."

"A bear crawl?!" Myah stared at Steve in amazement. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. And I better not see that ankle touch the ground. I'll spank you."

"Well, that seems a little unfair." Myah gingerly got into position. Having to hop along was going to make an already difficult exercise even harder. She wished she'd kept her sassy tongue in check. If she had, she probably would have been still seated on the bench.

It was several hours later that Myah was staring at herself in the mirror. The house was silent, as Nahele had taken off in his car about 10 minutes prior. As soon as she'd heard the panic in Grace's tone, she'd put the call on speaker and with eyes flashing in concern, Nahele had wasted no time in setting off on a rescue mission. Noble. That was the word Myah would use to describe her brother. He could always be counted on to have a person's back. Just like Steve. Just like Danny and all the other members of 5-0.

Myah adjusted her purple tank top. Sam had instructed her not to wear a costume but to try and look cool. Older if possible. Fashion wasn't really Myah's forte but she did like her shirt and thought it was cute with her black distressed shorts.

Myah carefully made her way down the stairs and laid down on the couch, feeling the need to elevate her ankle. She stared at the ceiling considering her plans for the evening. Part of her wished she could just stay home and hang out with Nahele and Grace when they got back. But Sam needed her help. Just like Nahele was going to help Grace, she needed to be there for their other friend. Steve was constantly preaching the importance of teamwork and having each other's back. Myah couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of concern however, as helping her friend behind her parents back might not be exactly what Steve meant. But this wasn't anything dangerous, she reminded herself. This was helping Sam with her career aspirations. Her future.

A knock sounded on the door, and Myah lifted herself up on her elbows to catch a glimpse of the subject of her thoughts on the front porch.

"You ready girl?" Sam let herself in, Myah having texted her that the door would be unlocked.

"All set." Myah said, slowly sitting up from the couch.

"Hold it." Sam eyed Myah critically. "You're not dressed."

"I'm not?"

"Girl…. I told you…. We've got to look cool if we're going to fit in! Here, you stay there, I'll get your stuff." Without wasting time, Sam ran up the stairs and reappeared with a handful of clothing.

"Tights?" Myah asked.

"Yes." Sam held up a pair of black lace tights. "These will look cool under those shorts."

"Okay." Myah agreed. She wriggled out of her shorts and began to don the tights. Her head jerked up suddenly at the sound of scissors. "Are you cutting my shorts?!"

"Trust me." Sam said confidently. "And here. This shirt."

"That one's really tight." Myah protested, looking at what was a skin tight black camisole that she normally only wore as an undershirt.

"Trust me, it'll be perfect." Sam repeated.

Still unsure, Myah obeyed. The shirt was low cut and it definitely stopped well above her belly button. The tights did look cool under her shorts but Myah hesitated. Sam had altered the shorts so that they barely covered her backside and had cut slits across the front that showed the lace of the tights. As well as her underwear. "The slits show my underwear!"

"Hmm…" Sam eyed her critically. "Do you have a thong?"

"Eeww, no. I don't want to wear something riding up my butt."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You'll have to go commando then."

"I cannot do that."

"Girl, you don't have a choice. And seriously you look amazing."

Myah huffed and then slowly pulled her tights and shorts off in order to remove her underwear. "I really look okay?"

"You look so sexy, seriously. Final touch. I brought these just for you." Sam placed a hot pink velvet fedora on Myah's head and clasped pink sequin suspenders to her shorts. "You're going to be the perfect videographer."

"On crutches." Myah reminded her.

"Do you think you could go on one crutch? It's okay if not, I was just thinking for holding the phone…"

"Yeah, that'd work. Here, put the other one in my room. And my underwear." Myah certainly didn't want that lying around. "And what are you wearing anyway? Why are you wearing that coat?"

Smiling secretively, Sam unbuttoned the coat and held it open for Myah to see.

Myah's jaw dropped. Sam was wearing what looked like a bright yellow corset and black leather leggings that were skin tight. She definitely looked older than her thirteen years. "Wow!"

"I know. I don't want to freak Siobhan out with the top so I told her the jacket was part of a costume."

"She'll see it when we get there."

"No…." Sam hesitated and finally looked Myah in the eye. "She's dropping us at the haunted house at her school… which is completely lame, by the way. Ian's going to pick us up there and take us to the meetup site for the Beast." Her dark eyes sparkled in excitement.

Myah however was starting to feel the opposite of excitement. She'd known the evening's activities were going to be outside the realm of what Steve would give her permission to do, but the transgressions were starting to build, especially with the plan of getting into a car with a driver she didn't know.

Sam immediately picked up on her hesitation. "Myah, I know it's a lot. If you don't want to do it, I understand. I just think this is really important. Plus it's a Halloween adventure."

"Halloween was my mom's favorite holiday." Myah reminisced softly. "I know she was into scary movies and haunted houses. And she'd want me to help you. It's okay. Let's do this." With renewed confidence, Myah climbed into the backseat of Sam's cousin's car. Siobhan greeted her but was engrossed in a phone call via bluetooth. As such she didn't even take notice when Myah got the call from Steve and Danny. As soon as she'd seen Steve's name pop up on her phone, Myah's heart rate had gone into overdrive with the fear that he'd somehow gotten wind of what they were doing. As such she responded snappishly to their questions about Grace and the party, and to the accusation that she'd known about it.

Sam looked up from the small hand mirror she had been holding while carefully touching up her makeup. "Is Grace okay?"

"I hope so. I don't know the whole story but she did end up going to that party her cheer friends invited her to."

"I wonder why she didn't tell us." Sam frowned.

"I don't know. Did you tell her about the…" Myah paused, glancing towards Siobhan in the front seat. "Plans for tonight?"

"No." Sam said softly. "I know she's been having a rough time with her mom and what she did. And…" Sam mouthed the last sentence. "I don't think she could pass for eighteen."

Taking that implication for what it was, Myah's heart began to pound again. So it was true. You did have to be eighteen to get into the Beast's Mansion. Did Ian have ids for them? What was Sam's plan? Of course she couldn't ask with Siobhan in the front seat and she couldn't text because Sam was finishing her makeup.

"You're next." Sam smiled.

"Just don't stab me with your eyeliner." Myah said grumpily.

Sam laughed. "I'm a master at my craft. You've got nothing to worry about." Myah later recalled that statement and rolled her eyes at how utterly untrue it proved to be.

Author's note: Slowly but surely... I'll get this story finished. Of all times to get writer's block lol. I'm just determined to get this story doen before it actually is Halloween in real life again. Love you all and thank you so much for the reviews.