The Neptune Challenge Read online

  I stare at his kind, round face until Sunny slips the blindfold over my eyes. You’re in a huge space—there’s no reason to feel claustrophobic just because you can’t see, I keep telling myself as Sunny leads me into the Maze.

  I’m so busy taking deep breaths and trying not to panic, I have no idea where I am when Sunny finally leaves me. Floating there in the dark, I fight the urge to rip off my blindfold. Already I so can’t wait until this test is over.

  A lifetime later, Ocho says, :Nere, your test starts NOW.:

  Reaching out, I feel my way along the wall. It’s cold and smooth under my fingertips. I come to the first turn. Right or left? Taking a wild guess, I turn left. At least the shark crew isn’t watching me fumble around in the dark. Slowly, I work my way toward where I think the entrance is. But for all I know, I could be heading deeper into the Maze.

  I’ve just reached a dead end when Sunny says, :Hey, what are you guys doing back here?:

  :We just wanted to see how Nere’s doing with her test,: Wasp says. :Oh, isn’t that too bad? It looks like she’s lost wayyy back in that corner.:

  My face burns and my stomach starts to churn.

  :Sham, let go of me!: Ocho shouts.

  :Hold him, and if you don’t want to get inked, keep that hood over the ink sacs in his neck,: Wasp orders.

  Then Sunny swears and says furiously, :Get this bag off me, you big blubberhead!:

  :Sorry. Can’t let your light show mess up our game,: Sham replies.

  :Whitey, is the door locked?: Wasp asks.

  :Yeah, and now it’s time for some serious hunt and seek.: The menace I hear in Whitey’s voice fills me with dread.

  I rip off the blindfold and stare wildly all around me. All I can see is blackness. How can I possibly escape when I don’t even know where I am?

  :Wasp, you promised me you wouldn’t do this,: Ocho pleads with her.

  :I’m sorry, Ochy, but we just couldn’t pass up this chance to show Nere how much we like to play in here. Come on, Whitey, let’s go.:

  :She’s in the southwest corner,: he tells her.

  Thanks, Whitey. At least now I know roughly where I am. I swim as fast as I can, trying to head north and east, back toward the entrance. I keep my left arm extended straight ahead of me and my right out to the side, fingertips brushing the cold, smooth walls. I can’t afford to miss an opening.

  Here’s one! Praying it’s not a dead end, I turn right and sprint ahead. Within seconds, my left hand slaps into a new wall. I follow it left, and then get a chance to turn right again, in the direction I want to go. I think.

  :If you hurt her, Ice will never speak to you again,: Ocho calls after Wasp.

  :Like I care about what he does?:

  :You can lie to everyone else, but don’t lie to me. It’s always about him,: Ocho says bitterly.

  As I race through blackness, I hear my own pulse beating in my ears and the sob of my breath. This is worse than my nightmares when something terrible hunts me in the dark.

  I reach out to see if I can read Whitey or Wasp and get some sense of where they are, but I touch only blankness. Wasp must be shielding their thoughts.

  :Tsk tsk, you’re trying to cheat, reading our minds like that,: Wasp goads me.

  :Whitey can sense electromagnetic fields, and you say I’m cheating?:

  :It’s not cheating to use the abilities our creator gave us. I’m looking forward to teaching you that lesson, along with another one. You never should have come here.:

  :You have to catch me before you can teach me anything,: I gasp as I dash up a long, straight corridor.

  :That shouldn’t take us very long. Whitey tells me we’re very close to you now.:

  I sense her rising elation. It’s so totally dark in here, I won’t know they’re near until it’s too late. I turn and sprint down another corridor. My outstretched hand hits a wall ahead of me. I lunge to the right and then to the left, but there’s no opening.

  It’s another dead end! I’ll have to swim back the way I came. Fighting down my panic, I whirl around and kick as quickly as I can. My legs and lungs are burning. Several kids argue and shout over by the entry room. I can feel Wasp’s growing excitement, which means she must be close.

  I may be about to plow right into her and her poisonous fingers.

  :Sunny, light up so Nere can see them coming!: Ocho yells.

  Light begins to trickle through the small gap between the divider walls and the ceiling. I glimpse movement out of the corner of my eye.

  I twist around just in time to see Wasp dart through an opening behind me. She charges at me, her ungloved hands raised. Whitey’s right behind her, but I have no weapon. Desperately, I bring my feet up and kick out. The edge of my right fin hits her nose, hard, and she reels back from me.

  She clutches her face. :I think you just broke my nose. Whitey, take her apart.:

  :With pleasure,: he says. He starts forward, his clawlike hands raised. I see such hatred in his eyes that I think he plans to kill me.

  Seconds later, a dark shape streaks over Whitey’s head, and all of a sudden, Dai’s between us, holding a loaded speargun.

  :Back off, Whitey. Wasp, you know my father wants Nere here.:

  :But we don’t,: Wasp cries.

  :You sting her, or me, and I will tell him this time,: Dai says in a hard, implacable tone. :You know what he said he’d do if you ever touched a member of our family again.:

  Wasp gasps and turns even paler.

  :We were just playing a little game with the princess here,: Whitey says with a shrug. :I don’t see why you’re so bent out of shape, bro.:

  :Sometimes, bro, you two get carried away with your games. Nere and I are leaving, and Wasp, you’re not going to block us from talking to each other.:

  Dai takes my hand and leads me away. I feel Wasp’s and Whitey’s angry stares burning into my back.

  :You okay?: Tobin asks me when we reach the entry room. Everyone is glaring at Sham.

  :I—I’m just a little shook up. Guess I’m not a big fan of hunt and seek.:

  :Nere, I’m really sorry,: Ocho says, wringing two of his hands.

  :You should be,: Dai says and leads me past the others to the main door.

  I blink when I see the door handle is melted and buckled. :W-what happened to this?:

  :Rad melted the lock for me so I could get to you in time.:

  :You thought Whitey and Wasp really might hurt me?:

  :Yeah.:

  So it wasn’t just a nasty joke. I start to shake. Wordlessly, Dai slips an arm around my shoulder and leads me to the nearest entry bay, where he calls a keeper to get permission to take me outside.

  :I thought you might want to call Densil and Sokya,: Dai says while we wait. :I know they’re around here somewhere. Ton’s been hanging out with them. Maybe the dolphins will help you feel better.:

  :Th-thanks. Just going outside for a bit would be g-great. I don’t understand why I’m shaking. I feel like such a big chicken,: I admit, staring down at my dive fins.

  :You’re hardly that. I think you’re the bravest girl I’ve ever met.: Dai reaches out and gently lifts my chin so I have to meet his gaze. :You kept it together when it mattered, and now you’re just having a delayed reaction.:

  The look in his eyes makes my face heat. :Yeah, well, whatever I’m h-having, I’m going to be glad when it’s over,: I mutter. He drops his hand again, but my skin seems to tingle where he touched it.

  When the keeper gives us permission, Dai and I swim down through the entry bay together. As soon as I’m out of sight of the looming gray fortress, my trembling starts to ease. I even manage a smile when Densil and Sokya streak toward us, Ton right behind them. I hug my friends and give them rubs. I’m surprised when Ton sidles up to me, asking for a rub of his own.

  :He likes being scratched in front of his dorsal,: Dai tells me.

  :How’d you find me so fast?: I ask Dai as I give Ton a gentle scratch.

  :Let’s just say I’ve spe
nt a lot of hours in the Maze, and I know Wasp pretty well.:

  :What is it with her? She’s crazy.:

  :What my father did to her was worse than what he did to the rest of us, since she can’t touch anyone. Because of her tentacles, we didn’t want to be near her when we were little. Most of us still don’t.:

  :But she’s so angry all the time. I don’t get it.:

  When Dai looks up from Ton, his eyes are haunted. :I think what really warped her was the day she killed my little sister, Maiya. You asked once about the black coral ring Maiya made for me.: Dai tugs a small dark ring from beneath his seasuit and shows it to me. I remember on our journey to Safety Harbor, he told me about the ring and said he’d had a little sister who’d died.

  Dai curls his fingers around it. :One day Maiya got into Wasp’s room and started playing with her things. Wasp lost her temper and slapped Maiya on the cheek. Wasp didn’t really mean to hurt her, but sea wasp venom is deadly to small children. Before my dad could get a dose of anti-venom into her, Maiya was gone.:

  :Oh, Dai, I’m so sorry.:

  :Yeah, I’m sorry, too. Maiya was the best. She was a funny, smart little kid, and super sweet despite the way we were raised. She used to follow me everywhere, and I did my best to look out for her. But I didn’t protect her that day. Everyone loved Maiya, and we all blamed Wasp for her death, me most of all.:

  :But you guys were just kids.:

  :Yeah, but looking back on it, it wasn’t fair to Wasp. She used to be pretty nice, and she felt awful already, and then we all made it worse. Over the years, Wasp’s grown more twisted. She’s decided I’m her personal property, and that’s why she hates you. I’ve been afraid she’d kill you, or find a way to provoke Whitey into killing you. Today, she came close.:

  :Can’t you tell your dad about her?:

  :I’ve been trying, but he doesn’t listen to anyone anymore. He’s always been so brilliant and so stubborn. My mom was the only one who could make him see reason.:

  :Dai, what really happened to your mom?:

  :She drowned when her research ship went down in a sudden storm,: he replies, his mental tone cooling.

  :But my dad said there wasn’t a storm in that area when her boat went down.:

  :Her death really isn’t any of his or your business,: he says so abruptly that I draw in a breath. I search Dai’s face, but all I see is the closed, angry expression he wore so often when I first met him.

  :Right. Well, I think I’m ready to head back now,: I say. :The others will be worrying about me. Thanks for saving me from your friends’ fun little hunt-and-seek game.:

  Before he can see how hurt I feel, I turn away and head back toward the entry bay. Now I know that Dai cares enough to keep me alive, but he doesn’t trust me enough to share the whole truth about his family.

  AFTER OUR TESTING in the Maze, the tension between our two groups grows. Wasp scowls at me past the big swollen lump on the bridge of her nose. Whitey often stares at our team as if he’d like to tear us all apart. We’re hurrying as quickly as we can through the list of labs that Robry found, but we still haven’t discovered any trace of the c-plankton.

  When Ocho announces at lunch the next day that the teaching computers will be down in the afternoon, I cheer along with everyone else. Our rigid routine in the school room plus searching for the c-plankton is starting to get to me. If we ever manage to escape this place, I’m going to tell my dad that he needs to give the kids at Safety Harbor some breaks from Vival’s precise schedules. So, when Kuron’s kids say they are going to take their skimmers out, Tobin and I decide our crew deserves a brief break, too.

  :The keepers have orders to allow us a ten-mile range today, which means we can show you some really fierce places.: Rad grins at us.

  As we head down to the entry bay, I warn my dolphin friends to stay clear of Wasp and her crew, who are going off to hunt together. Shadow, Rad, Sunny, and Dai end up joining our group.

  Dai stays near me as we launch our skimmers. I get the impression that he’s keeping a close eye on all of us, and me in particular. I want to tell him I can look after myself, but I’m not really sure I can protect myself against Whitey or Sham.

  It must be a calm day topside because the water is incredibly clear and green. Sunlight from the surface brings out the brilliant reds and yellows in the soft corals that grow in profusion along the floor and steep rock walls of the sound. We race one another, driving our skimmers as fast as they can go while Sokya, Densil, and Ton swim alongside us.

  We stop to hang out with a friendly school of Dahl’s porpoises, a larger cousin of my dolphin friends. Two young calves are particularly curious and swim over and all around our group.

  :Hey, guys, we gotta hurry if we’re gonna hit the tide just right at the Ride,: Rad says, glancing at his dive watch.

  :Um, exactly what is the Ride?: I ask Rad.

  :It’s this great channel that has an amazing tidal bore. Bodysurfing it is one of the best rushes ever.:

  Kalli and I exchange glances. Back at Safety Harbor, we were told to stay away from tidal races and bores, places where tides surge inland at high speeds, because they can be so dangerous.

  :It’ll be okay,: Dai assures me. For once I don’t mind that he’s read my mind. :The Ride’s in a wide channel,: he explains to all of us. :If you stay in the middle, there’s not much chance you’ll get mashed against the rocks along the sides.:

  :That’s nice to hear. I think,: Kalli says, looking unconvinced.

  I feel like pointing out there’d be no chance of us getting mashed against rocks if we didn’t do this, but clearly the rest of Kuron’s kids are psyched. Even Shadow looks excited, and that reassures me a little.

  A quarter mile from the mouth of the channel, we park our skimmers on the ocean floor and swim toward shore.

  :We timed it just right,: Dai says with satisfaction. :Low tide ended less than an hour ago, which means the first big waves should start building any time now.:

  We coast to shore on tidal currents. Rad leads us to an eddy behind a huge rock where we all wait for the first really large waves to form. All of us except Dai climb out of the water and stare at the channel.

  As the slack tide turns to flood, the power of the water flowing past us is almost frightening. A huge amount of seawater is being pushed inland by the incoming tide, but here the narrow mouth of the channel forces it higher and faster, creating a truly fierce tidal bore.

  “We’re going to catch the first set,” Rad says eagerly. “You guys probably want to wait for the second. It won’t be nearly as high, but it’ll still be a good ride.”

  “I think we’re fine with catching the second set,” I say after glancing at my friends. They’re all staring at the growing waves.

  “Aren’t you going with the others?” I ask Dai when he pops his head out of the water. Rad and the rest are already scrambling their way to the top of the big rock.

  “I’ll go with your group.”

  “You don’t have to look after me every second.”

  “I know. I just want to see if you can bodysurf half as well as I can,” he says with a smirk that makes me want to hit him.

  “I can bodysurf just fine, thank you very much.”

  Dai ducks back into the water to breathe. The rest of us scramble up the rock and look down into the roiling water. As the first wave set crests and gathers speed, Rad, Shadow, and Sunny take a running leap off the rock. Their timing is perfect. They catch the crests of the first big wave and it flings them forward. Seconds later, they’re flying up the channel, screaming their heads off.

  I have to admit, bodysurfing this tidal bore looks insanely cool.

  “A smaller set is forming up here pretty fast,” Dai says from right beside me. “Get ready, you guys.”

  “Robry, you go first. I’ll be behind you,” I tell him.

  I’m not brave enough to jump first, but if Robry goes, I’ll have to leap in, too, just to keep an eye on him. Looking down at the frot
hing, foaming water, I sense the power of the incoming sea behind it. My stomach curls tighter than a nautilus shell. Moments later, Robry jumps. I suck in a breath and jump after him. I fall, and the tide grabs me.

  Stroking forward hard, I catch the wave. I can look into its curving green wall and see the sides of the channel rocketing past. The force of the water carrying me upstream is awesome, its thunder echoing off the steep walls.

  I hear Robry, Kalli, and Ree yelling like crazy. It’s not hard to stay in the center of my wave, away from the sides of the channel, and I realize I’m yelling along with the rest.

  Too soon, I spot Rad and Sunny waving at us from a gap on the seaward side of the channel. Robry and I strike out toward them, fighting against the tide still pushing us inland. We manage to reach the edge of the eddy where they’re waiting. Robry kicks his way free of the current, but I start to get sucked back into it. Rad grabs my hand just in the nick of time.

  “Whoa, Nere, the Ride stops here,” he says and pulls me free.

  “Thanks,” I tell him breathlessly.

  “No problem. Didn’t want to lose you inland,” he says with a smile. Then we all stand around laughing and panting. Dai surfaces to grin at us while he holds on to a dead tree.

  “Some ride, huh?” he says to me, his dark eyes dancing with excitement.

  It hits me then. I’ve really missed this Dai, the one who can laugh and loves the sea as much as I do.

  “Yeah, some ride.” I smile weakly.

  Agile as a sea otter, he ducks back into the water and swims into the eddy behind us.

  “So how do we get back?” Tobin asks. “It’s still hours before the tide changes.”

  I watch the water surging inland. How are we going to fight our way back against that?

  “This is the genius part,” Sunny explains. “Last year Rad and I found this stream that leads out to the sound.” She points to a cut in the channel wall that heads back out toward the sea. “The mouth’s small, and then it widens, so the force of the tide coming in isn’t too strong. And it’s kinda cool looking at all the tidal stuff that grows in it.”

  She dives into the eddy, and we all follow her. Dai comes up beside me, and as we swim through the narrow, twisting channel, we do see some pretty cool stuff. We pass dozens of big purple starfish and yellow sunflower starfish preying on mussels, while mint-green anemones, scarlet gooseneck barnacles, and spiky maroon sea urchins dot the channel’s floor and sides.