wedding,â said Malia.
âGreat,â said Iris.
âAnd donât forget,â Hana chimed in. âSheâll meet Tutu too.â
âWhoâs Tutu?â Iris asked.
Hana and her sisters exchanged looks and giggled.
âYouâll find out tonight,â said Hana as she turned to go.
Chapter Three
Rumble, rumble, boom!
Five pretty hula dancers wearing grass skirts shook their hips wildly.
Rumble, rumble, boom!
Men draped in Hawaiian print fabric stomped across the stage. Each carried a large stick, its ends lit on fire.
Iris and Hana looked at each other with wide eyes. They were sitting in the front row at the luau show, excited for what would happen next.
Rumble, rumble, boom!
The men threw their fire sticks in the air like batons.
Iris gasped!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On stage, a large ring was set aflame. One by one, each man dove through the ring. They tumbled into a forward rollbefore standing up again. But that wasnât all. A second ring was set on fire. The last man in line would be diving through both hoops at the same time!
Iris could barely watch. She covered her eyes but left a little space between her fingers for peeking.
A powerful drumroll pounded, and the brave dancer took a running startâ¦one ringâ¦two ringsâ¦He did it!
Iris and Hana stood up and cheered. âThat was awesome!â Iris shouted.
Hana nodded. âLeilani and I are doing a hula dance at the wedding. Itâs our gift for Malia and Jay. Do you want to be in it too?â
Iris didnât have to think very long. âNo way!â
Hana looked surprised âAre you sure? Itâll be fun!â
âIâm not a good dancer,â Iris explained.âOne time, I had to dance in a school show. I twirled the wrong way and landed on a ladyâs lap in the front row!â
The girls hooted with laughter until a thundering voice made them jump.
âWHATâS SO FUNNY?â
Iris turned to see a plump woman with tightly curled short hair. She was wearing a sack dress with big orange flowers. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Iris and Hana. Iris gulped.
âAloha!â Hana cheered. She ran over to the woman and threw her arms around her. âYou missed dinner and the show. It was the best luau ever!â
Iris was confused.
Why is Hana talking to this scary lady?
she thought.
âIris, this is Tutu, my grandma,â Hana said.
Tutuâs angry scowl quickly turned into a warm, beaming smile. âNice to meet you, honey! Hope I didnât scare you!â
âOh!â Iris sighed as the color returned to her face. âItâs nice to meet you, Tutu. I like your name. Were you a ballerina?â
âHa-ha!â Tutu burst out laughing as if the image of Tutu in a tutu was very funny. âTutu is an island nickname for Grandmother,â she said. âKind of like Nana.â
âOur family is a mix of many cultures â Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian,â added Hana. âMy name means flower in Japanese.â
âA flower name is perfect for Flower Girl World!â said Iris.
Hana beamed proudly.
âOkay, thatâs enough chitchatting,â Tutu roared, startling Iris again. Tutu put her arm around the girlsâ shoulders and led them over to their parents. âItâs time for wedding work!â
Chapter Four
Iris, Hana, and their families gathered around the large table where they had met earlier for the luau meal. There were many adults present, but Tutu was clearly in charge.
âThe wedding is in three days,â she said. âThat means we only have two days to finish everything.â
Worried looks spread across the table.
âIf we work together, everything will get done. Hereâs the planâ¦â
Tutu began by barking orders to Irisâs and Hanaâs dads. âMen, you need to rent the guest chairs and set them up on the beach.â
Then she glanced at Irisâs and Hanaâs