A Fin-tastic Finish
Page 4
Closer! Closer! Closer! Closer!
The baton is almost in my grasp, and then Rick hisses at me through his sharp, gritted teeth. “The fastest lap is mine. Mine!”
And he drops the baton just as I reach for it! It slips through my fin, looking like it was me who dropped it!
The baton spins down. As the other cubs speed away, they stir up the silt at the bottom of the track, turning the water cloudy. The baton disappears from view.
Quickly, I flick on my hammer-vision and direct it toward the seabed.
PING!
I sense the baton!
It’s three yards away.
I turn and dive down.
PING!
One yard.
PING!
Fifty yards.
Boing!
The baton bashes into my nose and I grab for it wildly. Grasping it tight, I do a fast 180-degree horizontal tail-kick and push off as hard as I can.
But I’m in last place.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
I am so angry at Rick. All he wants to do is spoil things for everyone. Well, Rick, you’re not going to spoil this race for me. Camp has been a total disaster. I’ve been laughed at, had dorky songs sung about me, been ignored by Tony, and covered in squid farts!
Well, no more!!
I kick and kick and kick. With each wave of my tail I imagine the water spreading squid-fart ink all over Rick’s sneery smile.
Wave. Waft! Wave. Waft! Wave. Waft! Wave. Waft!
Hahahahahahaha!
It’s working! I’m going faster!!!!!
I pass Team Fearless into fifth place!
I kick and kick on, moving the baton to my teeth for extra fluid-dynamic sleekness.
I pass Team Incredible into fourth place!
On and on, just two laps to go. My tail is beginning to hurt but I keep going. The lobster from Team Awesome is flagging and I pass him easily into third place!
One lap to go.
Wave. I picture Rick’s smug face being splattered with ink.
I power past the blue-fin tuna from Team Amazing and I’m in second.
There’s just the super-fast dolphin of Team Invincible left on the home stretch. I can see Tony getting into position. This is your last chance, I think. If you don’t want to be my friend after the lap I’ve just swum, you’re not worth being friends with!
I kick deeper and harder than I ever have in my life. I overtake the dolphin into first place and hold the baton out to Tony.
Tony the tiger shark.
The same breed as the fastest, bestest sharklete in the sea. We. Have. This. Race. Won!
I hand the baton over and Tony is away!
“Go on, Tony! Swim it! Leave ’em for fish food!” I scream as I clatter into Ralph and Joe, who’ve swum over to catch me.
Then something happens that I wasn’t expecting at all.
Tony doesn’t swim very fast.
Huh?
I mean—yeah, he’s okay—but there’s no coordination. His fins aren’t in sequence with his tail at all. He’s all over the place.
He does his best, but by the time he comes back around we’re in third place.
We haven’t won the race.
I don’t believe it.
Tony swims in, puffing hard. He hands the baton to Joe and swims off without saying a word.
It’s the official Medal Ceremony and I’m officially sulking. Camp has been terrible. I haven’t made friends with Tony and I haven’t done well in a single event. All I’ve done is been teased and cheated and covered in spots!
Drago has made us all form a circle. He swims into the middle of it and blows his whistle loudly. I know he’s got lots of medals to give out. But none of them are for me. I close my eyes and start singing loudly in my head. Maybe if I don’t see or hear any of the others winning I won’t feel so bad.
“And the winner of—” Drago begins.
La la la la la la la!
‘And next up it’s—”
La la la la la la la!
“And this year’s Best Newcomer is—Tony Tiger!”
Whoops. I forgot to sing. I open one eye and watch Tony collect his medal. He doesn’t look very happy about it.
“But, Dad, Tony was the only newcomer,” Donny whines.
“Exactly,” says Drago. “So he must be the best.” He turns back to the rest of us. “And now the medals for the winning team in the relay race.”
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!
I shut my eyes tight and keep singing away in my head, louder and louder for what feels like forever.
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!
Suddenly I feel someone nudging my side. I open my eyes and see Joe and Ralph grinning at me.
“Go on,” Ralph says, pointing a fin towards Drago.
Drago is holding out a medal—to me. And he’s smiling—at me.
“What’s happened?” I whisper to Ralph.
“You’ve won Fastest Lap in the Relay,” Ralph says with a grin.
“What?!” I turn to Joe. “Have I fallen asleep?” I whisper to him.
Joe looks at me like I’m fishbrained. “No. Why?”
I start pinching myself with my fin.
“What are you doing?” Ralph says.
“Checking I’m not dreaming.” I pinch myself even harder. “Ouch!” But Drago is still there, holding a medal out to me.
I swim over to him and everyone cheers. Well, everyone apart from Rick and Donny, who are looking really, really, really annoyed.
“Well done, young Harry!” Drago says as he hangs the medal round my neck. “That was one of the best, fastest laps I have ever seen in all my years as an olimpet coach—er, I mean, sea-cub leader.”
I swim back to Ralph and Joe, still in shock.
“Okay, cubs, I’m going to see if the whalebus is ready,” Drago calls. “Go and get your tents and bags.”
As soon as he’s gone, Rick swims over to me.
“There’s no way you could have beaten me,” he hisses. “I’m a reef shark. I’m one of the fastest sharks in the whalebus.”
“You’re a cheater,” a voice says behind me. A voice I don’t recognize. I turn round and see Tony.
“What did you say?” Rick snarls.
Tony’s face starts turning pink. “You’re a cheater,” he says again. “I saw you drop the baton on purpose when you were supposed to hand it to Harry.”
I open my mouth to say something but I’m so shocked, nothing comes out.
“That’s how I know he can’t have been faster than me,” Rick says. “That’s exactly why I dropped it—so that he wouldn’t beat me!”
“You dropped the baton on purpose?” We all jump at the sound of Drago’s voice. He’s swum up right behind us and he’s looking really mad.
“I—er—well—I . . . ” Rick splutters.
“You and Donny are sitting near me on the bus so I can teach you all about the importance of teamwork—all the way home!”
“Dad!” Donny whines.
“B-but-” Rick splutters.
“No buts!” Drago says. “Come on, cubs, let’s get going.”
As everyone swims off, I turn back to Tony. “Hey, thanks for standing up for me with Rick.”
Tony’s face turns even pinker. He looks really embarrassed. “That’s okay. I should have said something sooner—when I saw him drop the baton, but . . . ” He looks away.
“Are you all right?” I say.
Tony nods. “I’m terrible at talking when I don’t know anyone. I get really shy. I think people are going to make fun of me so I just stay quiet.”
I stare at him. “Really? I thought you didn’t like me because—because I’m a hammerhead.”
“No way!” Tony says, and he starts to grin. “I think you’re ace. And your lap was awesome! I wish I could swim as fast as you.”
I feel like I’m dreaming all over again.
Tony looks at me. “D-do you
want to sit next to me on the bus?”
I must have looked really shocked, because Tony’s eyes drop. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. Don’t worry. Bad idea. Sorry.”
“No!” I say quickly. “I’d love to sit next to you.”
This is totally awesome!
“So you want to be friends?” I say, just to check I’m not imagining it.
Tony nods. “Yes, please.”
I swim up for a high fin and this time Tony high-fins me right back!
The bus is packed and we’re all inside. I sit next to Tony in the backseats right behind Ralph and Joe. Rick and Donny are up at the front with Drago. He’s giving them a long talk about the “seven hundred ways to be the best team player ever.”
What a fin-tastic end to the camp!
And then I realize that I’ve achieved everything in my plan.
1. I’m friends with Tony the Tiger. Check!
2. I’m the fastest sharklete in the sea-cubs. Check!
3. Rick and Donny are sitting in complete silence next to Drago. Check! Check! Check!
4. Things don’t get much better than this!
THE END
Meet Harry and the Shark Point gang. . . .
HARRY
Species: hammerhead shark
You’ll spot him . . . using his special hammer-vision
Favorite thing: his Gregor the Gnasher poster
Most likely to say: “I wish I was a great white.”
Most embarrassing moment: when Mom called him her “little starfish” in front of all his friends
RALPH
Species: pilot fish
You’ll spot him . . . eating the food from between Harry’s teeth!
Favorite thing: shrimp Pop-Tarts
Most likely to say: “So, Harry, what’s for breakfast today?”
Most embarrassing moment: eating too much cake on Joe’s birthday. His face was COVERED in pink plankton icing.
JOE
Species: jellyfish
You’ll spot him . . . hiding behind Ralph and Harry, or behind his own tentacles
Favorite thing: his cave, since it’s nice and safe
Most likely to say: “If we do this, we’re going to end up as fish food. . . .”
Most embarrassing moment: whenever his rear goes toot, which is when he’s scared. Which is all the time.
RICK
Species: blacktip reef shark
You’ll spot him . . . bullying smaller fish or showing off
Favorite thing: his black leather jacket
Most likely to say: “Last one there’s a sea snail!”
Most embarrassing moment: none. Rick’s far too cool to get embarrassed.
SHARK BiTES
Bluefin tuna are the largest tuna in the ocean. They have retractable fins on their bodies. Bluefin like to hunt by sight and have the sharpest vision of any bony fish in the sea. They can live up to forty years.
A bull shark can live in both fresh water and saltwater.
Mackerels have a bluish-green color on the upper side of their bodies and silver on the bottom. The upper part of a mackerel’s body is covered with approximately twenty-five dark wavy stripes. These fish can survive up to twenty-five years in the wild.
An octopus has three hearts. Two of the hearts pump blood though each of the octopus’s two gills. The third heart pumps blood through the octopus’s body.
SHARK BiTES
The tiger shark has amazing eyesight, which is why they can hunt so well at night.
A tsunami is a giant wave, or series of waves, usually caused by an undersea earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. When a tsunami reaches land, it can cause massive destruction.
The earth’s five oceans are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Southern Ocean.
Sharks have been swimming in the world’s oceans for over 400 million years.
There are more than four hundred different species of sharks, ranging from the giant hammerhead to the goblin shark.
SHARK BiTES
Sharks do not have bones. They are cartilaginous fish, which means their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. Cartilage is a type of connective tissue that is softer than bone. Humans have cartilage in their ears and nose.
The shortfin mako is the fastest shark in the ocean. It can swim in bursts as fast as forty-six miles per hour.
The whale shark is the largest shark in the sea and can grow to be as long as sixty feet.
Jellyfish have been on the earth for millions and millions of years. They were here before dinosaurs.
The dorsal fin is the main fin that is located on the back of a fish or marine (relating to the sea) animal.
SHARK BiTES
There are nine species of hammerhead shark, including scoophead and bonnethead.
A wild hammerhead can live for twenty to thirty years.
The eyes of the hammerhead shark, which are on each side of its head, allow the hammerhead to look around an area more quickly than other sharks. It also has special sensors across its head that help it scan for food.
The blacktip reef shark is bluish-gray in color and is usually found in the coral reefs and shallow lagoons of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.
DAVY OCEAN has traveled the seven seas in search of good seafaring shanties and fishy tales. He currently resides in a small fishing town that overlooks Shark Point and allows him uninterrupted access to the antics of a small community of hammerhead sharks and its fellow ocean neighbors.
AARON BLECHA is an artist who designs funny characters, animates silly cartoons, and illustrates humorous books. His work incudes illustrations for the bestselling book series George Brown, Class Clown. Originally from the United States, Aaron now lives with his family by the south English seaside.
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READ ALL THE SHARK SCHOOL BOOKS!
#1: Deep-Sea Disaster
#2: Lights! Camera! Hammerhead!
#3: Squid-napped!
#4: The Boy Who Cried Shark
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#6: Splash Dance
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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This Aladdin paperback edition May 2015
Text and concept copyright © 2014 by Hothouse Fiction
Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki
Jacket illustrations copyright © 2015 by Aaron Blecha
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Aaron Blecha Originally published as Shark Camp in 2014 in Great Britain by Templar Publishing.
Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
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The text of this book was set in Write Demibd.
Library of Congress Control Numb
er 2015931569
ISBN 978-1-4814-0692-5 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-0691-8 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-0693-2 (eBook)