Tiger's Voyage (23 page)

Ren yelled, “Fine! Wear what you want. Swim naked for all I care! Any shark that eats you will probably get a stomachache anyway and spit you right back out.”

“Ha! You’d have a lot in common then, wouldn’t you?”

Wes threw his hands in the air. “Alrighty, then. Let’s take a break and simmer down. Nilima left us some fruity drinks at the bar so why don’t you two go get one, work this thing out, and be back in five?”

I stormed off to the juice bar with Ren trailing silently behind me. When I reached the tray, I seriously thought about throwing the tall glass of juice into Ren’s face. I took a few deep breaths, all the while feeling him staring at my back. The warmth of him seeped into my skin, prickling my nerves. He reached around me, deliberately brushing my arm when he picked up his drink.

“Why do you have to make everything so hard, Kelsey?”

“Why do you?”

“Believe it or not, I’m
trying
to make things easier.”

“Why are you here anyway? I thought you were avoiding me.”

“I
am.
But I need to learn about sharks.”

I sipped my juice and then said, “Doesn’t a predator already know all about other predators and how they think? Maybe if I pay extra special attention, I’ll finally figure you out.”

“I’m easy to figure out. A tiger only needs three things to be comfortable. Lots of food, sleep, and … actually, no, it’s just those two things.”

I snorted. “Somehow I don’t think Kishan would limit himself to only those two.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” Ren responded tightly. “He’d probably add you to his list.”

“Now why would he need me? An unreasonable, unattractive female?”

“I never said you were unattractive. I said I’d look for someone prettier. I didn’t say I’d
find
someone prettier, just that I’d look.”

“Well, what’s keeping you, then? Go look already and leave me alone.”

“That’s my plan. Now stop goading me in class so I can learn something.”

I fumed as he walked off. When I entered the room, Ren was sipping his juice as calmly as if we’d never fought. Kishan waved me over to sit next to him. I was still extremely angry and had a hard time paying attention. I handed Kishan a glass of juice while I stared at Wes, who had already begun teaching, but all my thoughts were focused on Ren, picking apart every little thing he said. Finally, something Wes said brought me back to him.

“Sharks can smell blood a mile away, so don’t enter the water if you have a cut. Don’t splash around a lot. If you’re diving and a shark approaches, descend to the ocean floor and hide. It limits the angles it can get at you. And don’t play dead; it doesn’t work on sharks. Really, it doesn’t work on any major predator. They’ll eat you anyway—bears, wolves, tigers. They don’t really discriminate.”

“Exactly,” I mumbled. “They’ll chew up and spit out any helpless girl who comes along.”

Puzzled, Wes looked at me. “Right.”

Ren ignored me, and Kishan sighed.

Wes continued. “Okay, now suppose you
are
attacked by a shark. Poke him in his gills or his eyes. Hit him. Aggressively. Use whatever weapon you have at your disposal and beat him like a granny beats her rug. Try to remain vertical because it’s harder for him to get a bite. If you are bitten, stop the bleeding even if you’re underwater. Don’t wait until you get ashore.”

He handed us a small gadget and said, “This is called a shark shield. It’s a device that’s starting to become commonplace among divers and surfers.”

“What does it do?” I asked.

“Sharks have gel-filled sacs on their snouts that they use as sensors when they’re looking for a snack. The shield sends out an electric wave that tickles their noses. They don’t like it too much and leave. Attach one part to your ankle and the other part to the front of your
BCD
. There’s some debate on its effectiveness, but I’ve worn them, and I’ve never been attacked.”

“Okay. What else?”

“That’s about all you can do. If the shark is smaller you might get away, but you have about as much chance of escaping a big shark as you would a T. rex. They’re fast and powerful. Most of the time, the reason divers and surfers get away is because they don’t taste good. Humans are too bony. Sharks much prefer fat, blubbery seals.

“You see, the way sharks hunt is to come at you fast and hard and hit before you even know they’re there. They circle under you, gather speed, and shoot up like a torpedo, disabling you in one hit, mostly by slamming into you with such force it breaks bones. The great whites can swim around thirty miles per hour in short bursts, but they generally don’t attack humans like that. That’s a real attack—the way they hunt seals.

“Most of the time when a shark attacks humans, they’re just looking for a taste. If you taste good, they make more of an effort. Sometimes they leave you alone. They’re curious. Their teeth are like a cat’s whiskers. It’s how they experience their world.

“One surfer told me he was sitting on his board resting when a seventeen-foot great white popped up out of the water and started nibbling on his board as gently as a mouse. It didn’t like the taste and dropped under the water again like a submarine.”

When our lesson was over, Wes invited me to go spear fishing with him and the guys that afternoon, but I declined. He promised to catch some fresh seafood for me. I nodded weakly because I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I couldn’t eat meat if I was thinking about how it was killed.

Instead, I met Mr. Kadam that afternoon, and we did a little underwater shooting of our own. He wanted me to try out my lightning power in water. We started in the wet garage at the open ramp where Ren and Kishan had set up a group of floating buoys. The buoys were weighted enough to rest just below the surface of the water. I aimed at the closest one and missed. When I tried again, it exploded like an underwater mine.

“Good, Miss Kelsey,” Mr. Kadam said. “You should practice your aim above water as well as below. With the refraction of the water, your aim will be different than it is on land.”

After I’d finished blowing up the buoys, Mr. Kadam took me to the pool where there were several more underwater targets. Just as I was about to slip into the water, he stopped me.

“We’re going to try this with a dummy first. If we’re successful here, we’ll move to salt water later. Now don’t fire full blast. We’re going to try this in increments. Let the power build gradually.”

“Isn’t this going to electrocute me or blow up the pool?” I questioned dubiously. “Like dropping a hair dryer into the bathtub?”

“I don’t believe so. First of all, I don’t think your power is electric. I have a theory that it’s heat—a fire that burns so hot it turns white. Even if I’m wrong and it is electric, water in its perfect form is not really a conductor. The impurities in water such as dust, salt, and other trace elements are what conduct the electricity.

“I had all the water removed from this pool while we were dockside. The tiles have been scrubbed and cleaned, and I’ve had it filled with low-conductivity water. It was expensive, but I think it will be worth it. Now let’s get started. Would you like to name our test dummy?”

I grinned evilly. “Sure. Let’s call him Al, shall we?”

Mr. Kadam nodded, took “Al” by the waist, and put him into the water. We both stood to the side of the pool as I aimed at the first target with the lowest level of power. Nothing much happened. I increased the power level until I burned a hole through the piece of weighted wood. Al floated on the surface undamaged and oblivious.

“Good. Now turn up your power until the stream turns white, but try not to burn a hole through the pool. Our rooms are directly under it.”

I focused very carefully and started out low, letting the power flow through me until it turned white. The water started boiling where the stream of light entered, and the wood turned black. I stopped just before it formed a hole. Our dummy was still floating happily on the boiling water.

Mr. Kadam and I moved to another target for further practice. After he was satisfied with the inanimate tests, he picked up a cage and took out a small white duck. Letting it go on the pool’s surface, he asked me to try to hit the target wood again. I apologized briefly to the duck and used my power on the next target. The duck kept away from the area but swam around the pool without discomfort. After a few more trials, Mr. Kadam decided that it was time to test it with a human. He jumped into the pool.

“No. I don’t want to risk you. I’ll do it myself.”

“I’m already in the pool, Miss Kelsey. I will not get out either, and it’s not smart to risk both of us. You’re much more crucial to this quest than I am.”

“That’s highly debatable.”

“Even so. Here I am. If Daffy’s alright, I’ll be fine too.”

“Daffy?”

“Yes. Daffy Duck. I’m rather fond of
Looney Tunes
.”

“I absolutely did not know that about you, Mr. Kadam! I would have never guessed. My father loved Coyote and Roadrunner. Okay, well, here’s to hoping it’s wabbit season and not duck season.”

I used my lowest level and built the power burst up again. Mr. Kadam reported that he was fine and even moved closer to the target.

“Interesting. The water is warmer here. I believe it’s time for you to join me, Miss Kelsey. Let’s practice some underwater aiming.”

I hopped in with a mask and snorkel and tried again, this time with my hand underwater. I watched Daffy’s feet paddle as I tucked my head underwater and focused on the task. Mr. Kadam gave me the thumbs-up sign every time I blasted each target. We spent the rest of the afternoon practicing under the pool water and then moved to the ocean to test it out in salt water. We went through the same careful process on the ocean as we did in the pool, first testing with Al, then with Daffy, then Mr. Kadam, and me last.

“I definitely believe your power is more like fire than lightning,” Mr. Kadam concluded when we had finished our session. “It reminds me of a blowtorch. Did you find you had to exert more energy than you do on land?”

“Yes. In the ocean, especially.”

“I thought so. The ocean is a lower temperature than the pool. It takes more energy to maintain a hotter flame in the ocean than on land or in the pool. This was very productive, Miss Kelsey. I believe you are well prepared for any underwater situation. And now, I will, as they say, hit the showers.”

As Mr. Kadam walked away carrying Daffy, once again snug in his cage, I leaned against the back of the wooden bench and sighed.
Well
prepared? Not by a long shot.

Dinner consisted of a bass that Wes and Kishan had speared. It looked very nice, but I couldn’t touch it. Kishan held out a forkful asking me to at least try it, but I pushed his arm away. I filled up on salad and bread instead, noticing that Ren was missing from the table.

Changing the subject, Wes mentioned that we’d be docking in Trivandrum in a couple of days. “Every year Trivandrum has a giant beach party,” he explained. “All the surfers, divers, and the townspeople go. It’s a great time. There’s music, food, dancing, girls in bikinis … in fact, why don’t you come with me? You all should. Everyone’s invited.”

Mr. Kadam chuckled, “I think I will be staying on the boat, but you all go and enjoy yourselves.”

“Girls in bikinis? No wonder you want to go,” I teased. “But I’m not sure I’m up for a bikini babe kind of party.”

Wes shot me a dimpled smile. “Ah, now if I’d a had a pretty sweet young thing like you on my arm, I wouldna even notice them other gals.”

“I’m sure,” I giggled.

“How about it, Kelsey? Will you go to the party with me?”

“I’ll think about it and let you know tomorrow.”

Wes grabbed my hand as I rose and kissed it while Kishan growled softly. “Don’t make a feller wait too long. A feller waitin’ on a gal can get ornery’er than a huntin’ dog that’s treed its squirrel.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind. I think I’ll walk the deck for a while. Goodnight, Wes.”

“’Nite.”

Kishan quickly rose behind me, taking my hand. “I’ll walk with you.”

Hand-in-hand, we walked around to the other side of the boat and stood at the railing. I pointed out some dolphins that were swimming near our ship as if they were racing us. We watched them until they swam off.

Kishan leaned forward on the railing, looked at me, then took a deep breath and stared at the water again. “I was wondering something. Are you seriously considering going to that party with Wes? Because I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why on earth not?”

“I don’t trust him.”

I laughed. “Didn’t you just go spear fishing with him? He could have shish kebabbed you, and he didn’t, so obviously you do trust him.”

“I trust him with diving, just not with you. He’s too … slippery. Too free with his compliments. Too flippant. Those kinds of men take advantage of vulnerable women. He’s not for you.”

“And how would you know what kind of man he is and, even more importantly, what makes you think I’m vulnerable?”

“
Kelsey
. Ren just broke up with you, and you’re still hurting from that. You
are
vulnerable, believe it or not.”

“Well, vulnerable or not, I still get to make my own choices. You tigers can’t plan every aspect of my life. If I want to go with Wes, I will.”

“I know that. I … just didn’t think you were ready to move on yet.”

“Apparently, moving on is what I have to do.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re ready, Kelsey.”

I sighed. “Durga said I had to keep leaping. She said the point in life is to get across the river. She doesn’t want me to stagnate in the mud. So I guess I might as well get a move on.”

Kishan was quiet for several seconds, then said, “Are you sure you’re ready to take that leap?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He turned to look at me and took my hands. “Then … I want you to consider going with me instead.”

I squirmed inside. “Go with you?”

A jumble of thoughts raced through my mind.
Going with Wes to a
party was one thing. I could have fun with Wes and feel comfortable knowing
he didn’t expect anything from me. Going with Kishan was an entirely different
matter. With him it would be like a real date. Was I ready to take that step with Kishan? No matter how much Ren or Durga pushed me to, the answer
was … no. Okay, let him down gently.