The Shark Rider (34 page)

The other teens turned to where he was looking.

“Now? Out there in the dark? Are you crazy?” Hugh said. “Besides, Pete said to go back to the house.”

“Exactly. Like, do you always do what people tell you to?” Ryder jeered. “Are you scared, Hugh?” He turned to Tristan. “How about you? Are you afraid too, shark boy?”

“No. I'm not afraid.”

“C'mon then. Heard great whites swim around here,” Ryder taunted. “I dare you.”

“We've been in the ocean at night before,” Tristan countered. “And it was during a wicked storm.”

“Then it shouldn't be a problem. Or are you
afraid of the dark
?”

The other teens watched Tristan, waiting for his response.

Hugh whispered, “Don't do it.”

“Wimp!” Ryder exclaimed. “I'm going in.” He jogged across the street.

Tristan hesitated and then chased after him. He could only take so much of Ryder's bluster. Besides, he didn't want the others to think he was scared or anything. With the exception of Ryder, they looked to him for leadership. And if Tristan was going to be a good leader, he needed to be brave. Besides, he could just jump in, swim a little way out, and then get out. It was dark down by the water, so no one would see them, and if a shark came by, he'd just talk to it. He'd gotten pretty good at this swimming-fast-and-talking-to-sharks thing. What could go wrong?

The other teens followed as the two boys ran through the small park to a flight of stairs that led to a sandy beach. It was nestled between rocky outcrops at the base of a waterfront hotel and a restaurant on Cannery Row. The teens stayed in the shadows as much as possible.

As the group gathered at the ocean's edge, Ryder sat down on a rock and began taking off his sneakers. “So, who's going in?”

Hugh and Rosina shook their heads.

Tristan began to undo his laces. “C'mon. We'll just jump in, swim a ways out, and come back. No big deal.”

Sam nodded and started to take off her shoes. “I'll go with you, Tristan.”

Rosina felt the water. “Nope, no way.”

“Wuss!” Ryder announced.

“You'd better take one of these,” Hugh said, shaking his head and handing Tristan, Ryder, and Sam each a red, rubbery pill from a plastic bag in his backpack.

Tristan and Ryder began pulling off their jeans. Rosina snickered. Sam had gone silent, obviously realizing she was going to have to strip down to her underwear too if she was really going in.

Minutes later, Sam, Tristan, and Ryder stood on the beach staring at the dark water, shivering. The air was cool and smelled of seaweed. Small waves lapped the shore. It was a calm night with almost no moon, even darker than usual. And except for a periodic loud laugh or the distant noise of people on Cannery Row, it was quiet.

“Chickening out?” Ryder asked.

Tristan turned to him. “No. Are you?”

“Like, no way.”

Together they raced into the cold, dark water.

“I have a feeling I'm going to regret this,” Sam said, before running to dive in behind them.

Almost immediately, their feet became webbed. Tristan put his hands out front and zoomed ahead. He was still the fastest swimmer. But the water was
so dark he could hardly see his outstretched hands. Worried about ramming into something headfirst at high speed, Tristan slowed. He surfaced and stopped to look back. The beach was already a good distance away. Tristan treaded water and waited for the others. It was freezing compared to the water in Florida, and his heart was hammering. Ryder and Sam popped up nearby.

“Okay, we did it,” Sam said, her teeth chattering. “Let's go back.”

“Nah, let's go farther out,” Ryder insisted, staring at Tristan in a silent dare.

“You are seriously twisted,” Sam countered, starting to turn back toward shore. She paused. “Hey, what's that?” She pointed to a dim, blue-green glow some twenty yards farther offshore and a little to the left.

“Let's go check it out,” Ryder suggested, taking off.

Tristan and Sam looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders, and followed. As he swam, Tristan began to warm up. His eyes also began adjusting to the night's darkness, and he could see a little farther ahead.

Whatever the glowing thing was, it was about ten feet down and sort of spherical. The three teens dove and hovered close to the shimmering orb. Tristan watched as Sam reached out to gently touch the jellyfish's bell, staying well away from its hanging strings of sting. The bell sparkled blue-green. As she pulled her hand away, Tristan realized that it, too, gave off a faint, luminous, blue-green glow. He looked at his
own hands. They were shimmering too. He swam to the surface.

“What's going on with our hands?” Sam asked, looking at her glimmering hands. Then they looked at their legs, which had also begun glowing blue-green.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Tristan. “We're bioluminescent.”

“Like, awesome,” Ryder added.

“Let's go back and show the others,” Sam suggested. “Must be another effect of the new pills. Very cool.”

“Nah, let's stay out here,” Ryder said. “It's not even that cold.”

“Yeah, actually, that's strange,” Sam noted. “We should be freezing by now without wetsuits.”

“I'm liking these new pills more and more,” Tristan said, thinking that must be why he had warmed up so quickly.

Sam ducked underwater. Tristan heard a sort of clicking noise. Seconds later, Sam popped back up and pointed seaward. “The kelp is kinda messing with my echolocation, but I think there's something out there.”

Tristan squinted, trying to see where she was pointing. “Where and what kind of something?”

“Something kinda big,” Sam answered. “I think it's tangled up in the kelp.”

Tristan was now feeling warm and more confident. “Let's go check it out.” Without waiting to see what the others would say, he swam toward the forest of kelp that lay offshore.

Ryder followed. Sam paused, but soon she, too, headed farther out into the darkness.

As Tristan got closer to the kelp, he could see that something pretty big was caught up in it, about fifteen feet down. Whatever it was, it was wrapped up tight in a tangle of the rubbery seaweed and struggling to get out. Tristan dove, pushed a few pieces of kelp out of the way, and held up his hands. The faint glow from his skin provided just enough light to see what was there. But what was a scuba diver doing alone at night in the kelp forest—and without a light? Tristan waved his hands at the diver, trying to get his or her attention. But the diver was too busy trying to get free of the seaweed to notice. Tristan reached out and tried to grasp one of the long pieces of kelp encircling the diver. The seaweed was slick and slimy, making it hard to hold onto. Tristan felt the kelp brush against his legs. He kicked at it while trying to pull at the kelp trapping the diver. Seaweed encircled Tristan's knees. Another piece began to wrap around his neck. Tristan's pulse quickened. He stopped trying to help the diver and began pushing at the kelp now wrapped around him. But it only seemed to make it worse. The more he fought, the more tangled up he became.

Will Tristan escape the kelp forest and rescue the diver? Find out in
Stingray City
!

“… an underwater Harry Potter …”

Tristan Hunt can talk to sharks!

And his friends have even stranger skills. When Tristan is invited to attend an ocean-themed summer camp, he learns how to use his talents in ways he never dreamed. Join Tristan and the Sea Guardians on daring adventures as they fight evil and solve mysteries to protect the ocean and its animals.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite indie bookstore.

www.mightymediapress.com