Blue Autumn Cruise (8 page)

“The needlefish are cool,” he said. “They look like barracudas.”

“I know!” I said. “I thought that’s what they were!”

After getting dried off, we took the boat to Stingray City. Stingray City was a place where the stingrays were tame, and we were able to swim among them. We stood in the chest-deep water, and the stingrays swam around us, flapping their fins to propel themselves through the water like Batman. The stingrays were big, as big as a round plastic sled. Diana reached out and touched one and said that on top the skin felt rough like sandpaper, but the underside felt soft and smooth and spongy like a mushroom. I was afraid to touch them!

Diana volunteered to feed one, so the guide showed her how to hold her hand in a fist, let the fish stick up between her fingers, and let the stingray come up and take the fish. The stingray’s mouth is a small square flap like a little trap door on its underside. Diana held her hand in a fist with the fish sticking up, and the stingray swam up and sucked it into the flap. I would never have done what Diana did! The stingrays were so big, my heart was beating really hard the whole time. It was amazing, and I was proud of myself for getting into the water. They did seem friendly.

Once we returned from swimming with the stingrays, we had just about an hour left before the tender took us back to the ship, so we talked Diana into going to the turtle farm. Several large tanks were there where turtles of different ages swam around, from little tiny turtles only a few inches long to the older turtles as big as a sandbox. We were allowed to pick up the little ones and hold them.

The researchers had developed a method of implanting white tissue from the turtles’ lower shell onto the dark back of their shells so that they would be marked permanently, or tagged. That way, once the turtles were released, researchers could see if females with white spots were coming back to the Cayman Islands to lay their eggs. And researchers had recently documented that some had been coming back. That was so amazing the way the turtles found their way back to their birthplace.

Lauren videotaped me holding one of the little turtles, and it waved its front flippers in the air like it was trying to swim. Diana looked at the little turtle I was holding, and tears came to her eyes.

“Is that one of the turtles that will be released, or will it be eaten?” she said.

I was trying not to think about it.

“Time to head back to the boat,” said Daddy, looking
at his watch. “We’ve packed in a lot today on Grand Cayman, haven’t we?”

As we walked out onto the dock to catch the tender, I felt sunburned and tired. We had spent the whole day in the sun. We’d seen some beautiful and amazing animals. And Lauren and Diana hadn’t fought all day! Was it too good to be true?

And what had Guy done today? I hoped I’d see him tonight.

N
o more than thirty minutes after we got back on board, our ship left Grand Cayman. I went with Mom and Norm to stand on the upper deck to watch us pull away from the island. I could look out and see the lights of George Town begin to wink on, and Seven Mile Beach stretching away along the coastline as the sun set.

Lauren and Stephanie had gone back to take showers before dinner because they said they were sandy and
sunburned. I needed a shower, too, but I didn’t primp as much as they did, and I could take my turn last.

Mom and Norm came and stood next to me as I leaned against the railing watching the island slip away.

“We had a great day today, didn’t we?” Mom said.

“Yeah.”

“All the animals were really cool, weren’t they?”

“Yeah. Getting to touch those stingrays was amazing.” I was trying not to think about the turtles.

“How is everything going?” Mom asked. “Are you girls getting along okay?

“Yeah. Fine.” I had already made the mistake of telling Grammy Verra about my argument with Lauren. She’d already told me I was wrong. I didn’t want to hear it again from Mom or Norm.

“Okay, sweetie,” Mom said, rubbing my shoulder. “I’m glad. If you need to talk about anything, let me know.”

“That’s right,” Norm said. “There’s a lot of togetherness on a trip like this, and it can sometimes be a challenge.”

I wished Norm hadn’t butted into the conversation. I wished I could just have had a couple of minutes with Mom. I wanted to ask her about the trip she made with Dad where she fed the iguana. Sometimes I thought about times they were together and having fun—like
that trip to Saint Thomas—and I’d wonder what happened between them.

I shook my head, as if to shake the thoughts away. Deep down I knew that wasn’t something I should spend my time thinking about. I knew it was right that they were apart and that Mom was with Norm.

I reminded myself that Norm had always tried to be nice to me. Not to replace my dad but to be a parent. He had even pulled me out of the Big Pigeon River two summers ago when I fell out of the raft. So I bit my tongue and didn’t snap at Norm, and then I thought about how Dr. Shrink would say I was making progress.

The evening breeze blew a bit cooler.

“Better go get ready for dinner,” Norm said.

So the three of us headed inside. Mom gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead before they stepped into their room.

“See you in a little while, sweetie,” she said.

Just as I was going into my room, I saw something move on the hallway floor, something with a tail, scurrying. It trundled around the corner into the supply room, where a lot of towels and soaps and shampoos were being stored.

I caught my breath. Goosebumps ran up the back of my neck. What was that?

I let the door close. I ran down the hall and peeked into the supply storage room, scanning the floor.

And as I leaned over a pile of folded towels, I saw a beautiful grayish-blue lizard. It was the cutest thing, with big bulging golden eyes with red rims and feet that looked like they had sucker cups on them. It stared at me, blinked, and then ran along the edge of the wall, behind another stack of towels.

I followed it.

What was a lizard doing on our cruise ship? Had it come from Grand Cayman? How did it get here?

Before it could run away, I tiptoed closer, knelt, and grabbed it. It struggled, but I held on to it and put it under my T-shirt, feeling its cool, dry skin and its feet scratching on my stomach; then I went into our room. Thankfully, Stephanie and Lauren had already taken their showers and left me a note. They had gone down to the teen club to meet Guy and Evan and shoot some videos before dinner. They said for me to come join them when I got ready. Fat chance of that now that I had a pet!

I took the lizard out from under my shirt and put it on my bed to look at it more closely. It was a mottled bluish-gray color, with eight V-shaped markings on its back from its head to its tail. It was about ten inches long, with those amazing golden eyes. Its feet were spindly and clawlike, and its tail was as thin as a strand of spaghetti. It looked up at me and blinked
slowly. It looked like a little dragon or a little dinosaur! Its mouth curved around its jaw in a jaunty way, making it look like it had a cheeky smile on its face.

I thought about one of my favorite books when I was young,
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
by Bruce Coville. He raised the dragon from an egg, keeping it a secret from everyone. He and the dragon dreamed the same dreams. Eventually he had to release the dragon because it grew too big. He was an artist, and the dragon, as it grew larger and larger, came to represent the power of his art. I had loved that book.

The lizard tried to run away, but I picked it up and put it on my palm. When I held out my finger, the lizard grasped it and crawled over my hand.

Where would I keep it? Carrying the lizard with me, I looked around the room and saw a shoebox. Inside was a pair of strappy sandals Stephanie had brought for our dress-up dinner. I took out the sandals and put them with her stuff, then used fingernail scissors to punch holes in the top of the box. I put the lizard in the bottom of the box and watched it. It sat and watched me with its golden eyes, then started trying to crawl out of the box. I hated to do it, but I put the top on.

Now what? What did it eat? Was this an iguana, like the one Mom described feeding on Saint Thomas when we were out on the beach today? If so, Mom
had said the one she fed ate hibiscus flowers. I didn’t know what else it ate. Were there some hibiscus flowers in pots in various places on deck? Maybe out by the pool. I wished I had grabbed hibiscus flowers from the island when I was there earlier today! If only I had known I’d need them! But I’d look around the ship for them.

I suddenly realized there was a lot I needed to find out about this lizard. There were computers in the teen club where I could look up stuff. Quickly I showered, and then I put my room key in my pocket. Before leaving, I checked on the iguana. He looked at me curiously. He was more gray now, less blue. I hated keeping him in the box, but right now I didn’t know what else to do with him. I decided to name him Iggy, short for iguana.

“Bye, Iggy,” I said. “You be good. Hopefully I’m going to be bringing you back something to eat.”

I headed for the teen club. Stephanie and Lauren had already left, and a couple of kids were there that I hadn’t seen before. Once in the computer room, I logged on and started surfing the Internet to find out about the lizard.

I found a YouTube video showing how to feed an iguana. Looking at the iguana on the video, I was almost sure that’s what my lizard was. It looked like
they would eat practically any vegetable, such as green beans, peppers, squash, okra, zucchini, carrots, or tomatoes. And any kind of greens, such as collard greens, kale, turnip greens, parsley, or spinach. They liked all kinds of melons, as well as bananas, grapes, and all kinds of berries. I was amazed at all the kinds of foods that iguanas could eat.

I could go to the buffet and get a lot of these things! We were supposed to eat at the restaurant tonight, but if I went to the buffet right now, I could sneak some food for him (or her—I had no idea whether Iggy was a boy or a girl).

I ran to the buffet and stood in line with my empty plate until I got to the salad bar and the vegetables. I put pieces of lettuce, watermelon, grapes, and cantaloupe on the plate. Then I went over to the vegetable bar and asked for kale, raw spinach, and green beans.

“What kind of meat?” asked the server.

“Oh, no meat,” I said. “I’ve recently become a vegetarian.”

The server smiled at me. “Good for you, very healthy,” he said.

As soon as I got the kale, beans, and spinach, I acted like I was going out to the dining room, but then cut through and headed back for the elevator. As I stood in the elevator, a dressed-up woman looked at my plate and smiled.

“That’s the way to keep your figure, honey,” she said. “But you don’t look like you need to watch your weight.”

“Oh, I know!” I said in a very friendly way. “I’m just trying to eat healthy, that’s all.”

“Good for you.”

Once I got off on my floor, I peeked through the doorway down the hall and then ran as fast as I could with the plate, digging my key card out of my pocket as I went. I didn’t want to run into Mom or Norm in the hall. And I had no idea what I would tell Stephanie and Lauren. For now, I just wanted to keep this a secret. Just like Jeremy had in the book.

I swiped my key card, then went into my room lightning fast, letting the door slam behind me. I put the plate up on my bunk and then climbed up with the box. I opened the top, and there was Iggy, blinking at me with his golden eyes and his enigmatic smile, as quiet as he could be. I picked out a piece of raw spinach, broke it into a couple of bite-size pieces, and offered it to him, letting the edge of the spinach touch his mouth. Very slowly, he reached out his neck and gave the spinach a flick of his tongue. He brought his tongue back into his mouth for a second or two, then flicked his tongue at the spinach again. Finally, he reached out and bit down on the spinach, and equally slowly, he began to chew.

He was eating it! He was so cute, I couldn’t believe it.

“Good job, Iggy. Are you hungry? What kind of scary journey did you have today? Did you come here from Grand Cayman?”

His amber eyes regarded me serenely, and he finished the piece of spinach. As he was eating, his skin seemed to turn a brighter color of blue. Or was it my imagination? I had a crazy idea to tell Mom about feeding Iggy the spinach, since she’d fed the hibiscus flower to the iguana in Saint Thomas.

I was glad I had the upper bunk. I could keep Iggy up here in his box and even put the food in the corner of my bunk and lay a couple of blankets over them. Lauren and Stephanie might never notice.

Just then I heard Lauren and Stephanie talking out in the hall. I dropped the rest of the spinach in the box and slammed the top back on it, then pushed the box back in the corner of my bed under the covers.

The door opened, and Lauren and Stephanie came in.

“Hey! We were at the teen club. Did you see our note?” Stephanie said. “We were looking for you.”

“I went to the teen club, but I didn’t see you,” I said. “Did you guys leave?” I glanced at the box at the end of my bed. Did I hear scratching?

“Yeah,” said Lauren, “we left for a little while. We went out on deck to videotape some stuff.”

“After dinner we’re going to go down to the employee section of the ship and videotape. You can come with us,” Stephanie said.

“That’s okay.” I didn’t want to leave Iggy. I wanted to let him crawl around on my bed.

“Come on, we want you to come,” she insisted.

There was a knock on our door. “Girls, time for dinner” came Norm’s voice. “We’re heading for the restaurant!”

I put my book on top of the box to keep the lid on before I climbed down from my bunk.

Dinner was nerve-racking. I couldn’t stop thinking about Iggy. Grammy Verra asked me questions about my day on Grand Cayman, and I could hardly answer.

After dinner, Lauren and Stephanie wanted me to come to the teen club with them, and I didn’t want them to get too suspicious, so I said I’d go. Plus I wanted to read more about iguanas.

“Let’s ask Josh if we can interview him,” Lauren said as we got off the elevator outside the teen club. “Then maybe we can look around for Manuel’s room and see if there’s anything suspicious about it.”

“Let’s just forget all about that,” Stephanie said.

“Yeah, I probably imagined it,” I said. “I vote we forget about it too.”

“No!” Lauren said. “It’s intriguing.”

Guy and Evan were already at the teen club and came over to us the minute we came in. They were both wearing new Grand Cayman T-shirts. Guy was talking mainly to Stephanie, tossing his brown hair out of his eyes in that annoying way he had, and Evan, skinny and nervous, was talking mainly to Lauren. They kind of ignored me. I didn’t care. I had a dragon back in the room.

“Hey, what did you guys do on Grand Cayman today?” Evan asked. “Our two families went scuba diving at a coral reef and saw a barracuda!”

“Oh gosh, were you scared?” Stephanie asked. “I thought I saw a barracuda when I was snorkeling, but it was just a needlefish.”

“No, I wasn’t scared. They don’t attack in clear water,” Evan said in a superior voice. “We weren’t worried.”

Boys were always bragging. Give me a break.

While they were talking, I went over to the computers and looked up iguanas again. There were some YouTubes on caring for a pet iguana, and I watched one that explained that because an iguana was a reptile, its body wasn’t able to warm itself, and it needed to sit in the sun or under a heat lamp each day.

Oh no! How was I going to let the iguana sit out in
the sun without someone seeing us? I kind of panicked over that, trying to figure out what I might be able to get away with. Somebody was bound to see me.

Stephanie came over, and I quickly exited out of the YouTube screen and pretended to be looking at music videos.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We’re going to try to go down to the employee part of the ship and shoot some video. Are you coming with us?”

I didn’t want to be away from Iggy any longer. “No, I think I’ll head back to the room. I have a horse book that I’ve been wanting to read.”

Back in the room alone, I quickly checked on Iggy and gave him some green beans and kale. He didn’t seem to like the beans as much as the spinach, but he flicked his tongue at them just like before and then slowly chewed them up. He really liked the kale. Then I put him out on top of my bed. He wanted to walk all over my comforter. His walk was kind of like a sashay, with his hips moving back and forth to balance the movement of his tail. I tried rubbing him under the chin the way one person had done in the videos I’d watched, and he did seem to like it. He still seemed to have that funny little smile on his face.

Who would have ever thought that I’d have a baby iguana as a pet on a cruise ship? All this time I’d been worrying about trying not to fight with Lauren and trying to get along with Stephanie, but now none of that mattered at all, because I had my very own little dragon to care for on the rest of the cruise.