Page 77 of Tiger's Voyage

“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 ofLooney 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.Wellprepared? Not by a long shot.