Chapter 25

GRAY FINISHED DOING DRILLS WITH HIS shivermates and was

ravenously hungry again. Combat drills had been ramped up since their

battle with the bull sharks, and everyone took their bumps and bruises

willingly. Gray was bigger, faster, and stronger, but he was also becoming

very good at fighting both alone and in tandem with others. Goblin

supervised the drills while Thrash and Ripper led them. Gray could usually

beat Thrash, but the massive hammerhead still gave him problems. Rip was

smart when it came to fighting and owned a lifetime of battle scars to prove

his experience. Because of the T-shape of his head, the hammerhead had no

blind spots in his vision, so it was very hard to get after his tail or attack

him from above.

Gray's ego wasn't getting too big, though. Streak fought with such

ferocity that she beat him in a one-on-one battle. He thought that Thrash

would laugh at him, losing to the much smaller shark, but Streak had earned

the respect of everyone long ago. And the fact that she also beat Thrash the

same day certainly helped.

Gray enjoyed the battle drills, which kept his mind off unwelcome

thoughts and feelings. He now knew he wasn't a reef shark and was actively

hiding that. Where did he come from? Did his mother know he wasn't a

reef shark? If so, why hadn't she told him? Gray missed having Barkley and

the rest of Rogue Shiver around. Sometimes he was angry that his friends

had chosen to leave; other times ashamed he hadn't gone with them, and

still other times he was happy he had stayed. And always there was the

uncertainty and sadness about not knowing if his mother were alive. Those

thoughts swam around inside his head and threatened to overwhelm him.

Gray was just leaving the homewaters when Velenka joined him.

"You're getting very good," she said with a toothy smile. "Thrash was

really annoyed."

Gray grinned back. He had beaten the big tiger badly today.

"Aside from getting my tail kicked by Streak, it was okay," he said.

"Who knew there was so much more to fighting than ramming and biting?"

"Those are two very important parts, though." She chuckled and nudged

him in the direction of a secluded area. It wasn't good territory for hunting,

but he allowed the mako to lead him. Sometimes Velenka seemed like she

genuinely cared about him. But other times it seemed like she was studying

him. She thought it would be best to keep his secret about being a

megalodon from everyone for now, which was actually a huge relief. Gray

was still new to the shiver and getting his fins underneath him. He didn't

need to be known as Gray the megalodon-monster freak while trying to

earn the shiver's respect as their fifth in the Line.

"If you were a leader, what would you do?"

"Umm, I don't know." Gray was tired from the drills. And hungry. And

Velenka was forcing him to answer questions when all he wanted was a

nice, fat fish. "Help the shiver be the best shiver it can be?" There was a

flash of irritation in the mako's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a look

of deep sadness. He couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?"

"Have I ever told you how I joined the shiver?" She put an odd,

distasteful emphasis on the word joined.

"No." Gray would have certainly remembered if she had. Now that he

thought about it, Velenka never shared anything personal about her life with

him.

"I was just a pup when Riptide Shiver came," she began. It seemed hard

for her to go on, but she did. "Goblin's mother led, with him as first. It was

one of their last long swims into the Sific, which is where I was born. They

destroyed my home. They took me prisoner."

Gray tried to comfort her but couldn't think of anything to say. He

hoped there was more to the story, but there wasn't. "I thought you liked

Goblin. Liked the shiver," he sputtered. "How can you stand it?"

"That's what life in the Big Blue is about: choices," she said curtly. "I

could choose to live or die."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Suddenly she was snout to snout with him. "Because you can change

things!" she said with fervor in her eyes. "You could be the one to lead us

into a new current, a new age!"

"Goblin is our leader!" Gray shot back without thinking. This felt all

wrong! "You're his fourth! What are you talking about?"

The mako bumped him in the snout with steel in her eyes. "Under

Goblin's leadership we've taken loss after loss! It's an endless cycle of

death that won't stop until he's gone."

"Velenka, I lost my mother, my friends, and my home," Gray told her.

"But you're not making sense. I'm not going to fight Goblin."

The mako sensed his agitation. Her eyes became calmer. She sighed.

"Of course not," she told him. "Sending a leader to the Sparkle Blue to take

his place would be wrong."

"That's more like it," Gray said. "Did you eat a bad fish or something?"

Velenka snapped her tail, slapping him in the belly hard. "No, I did not

'eat a bad fish'!" She calmed, again. "I'd like you to think about the future,

Gray. Goblin will fight against Razor until one of them is dead. If he loses,

can I count on you to step up and lead the shiver?"

"I don't know how to lead! Besides, Ripper is the first!"

The mako cut him off. "It's your destiny! Do you really want Ripper

making decisions for everyone? He's strong, but stupid. I wouldn't put him

in charge of a clam shell." Maybe she had a point. "Or Thrash? Or,

Machiakelpi's fin, do you want to put Streak on the Speakers Rock?"

Gray nodded. Thrash would be worse than Ripper, much more

unpredictable. And Streak seemed scared, somehow. Who knew what either

would do if they were leader? "What about you, Velenka?" he asked.

"You're the smartest fin I know. And you're tough!"

Now the mako smiled a smile that lit up the ocean around Gray.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I like staying behind the scenes. A shiver

leader needs to be imposing and strong. You're made for it!" Velenka

scraped against his flank. "I suppose I could advise you, though." The light

hit her black top half just so, and a rainbow rippled across her graceful

form.

"Umm, if anything should happen to Goblin," Gray stammered. "If…"

He looked around to make sure no one was hearing this very dangerous

conversation. And no one was. Not even a single bottom-feeding dweller. It

was odd. Absolutely nothing lived here. The entire area was a dead zone for

some reason. They were in the perfect spot for the conversation to remain

private. Had Velenka planned this? Gray couldn't be sure, but it seemed

possible. "But you'll be the first if I'm leading. That's unless Razor Shiver

doesn't send me to the Sparkle Blue. Or Ripper, Thrash, or Streak. Or if

something else doesn't kill me before that." Gray chuckled, bumping

Velenka to join in his laughter, which she did eventually. "I'm hungry. Want

to come along?"

The mako shook her head. "No, I have things to do." Velenka swam off.

Gray sincerely hoped none of those things she had to do were related to this

conversation. He wanted to make sure but found to his dismay she was

already gone.