I want to tell Dad and Mom what’s happening, Jasmine thought. But if I do, it’s going to start a fight with Arjun.
“Of course,” she said slowly. “I’m excited about becoming a marine biologist too.”
“Jasmine, honey,” Mom said, walking over. “I love the idea of you following in our footsteps, but if this isn’t what you want—”
“No, it’s not that.” Jasmine took a breath. She really didn’t want to get Arjun in trouble. But she needed to keep him safe so they would all be safe.
“It’s Arjun,” she finally said. Briefly, Jasmine told her parents what had happened underwater.
Dad looked upset. “Arjun! Come in here!” he called.
“What? I’m right here,” Arjun said as he came in from the front porch.
“What is this about you playing pranks instead of helping your sister clean the reef?” Mom asked.
Arjun’s eyes narrowed, and he glared in Jasmine’s direction. “You told on me?” he said. “Why are you such a jerk?”
“Arjun!” Mom said. Her voice was sharp. “Apologize, right now.”
“It’s not like that—” Jasmine started to say to Arjun.
“Being underwater isn’t a game,” Mom interrupted. “You know the rules about fooling around down there.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun,” Arjun argued.
“Pulling your sister’s fin isn’t fun,” said Dad. “It’s a safety issue. What if it had fallen off? One of us would have had to dive deeper to catch it or it would become litter in the ocean.”
“I wasn’t going to pull it off,” Arjun said.
Mom looked at him over her black-rimmed glasses. “What if she had accidentally kicked you in the face? It could have knocked off your regulator or your mask.”
“I know how to put on my gear, even underwater,” Arjun said with a scowl.
Dad sighed. “Son—”
Arjun spun on Jasmine. “You’re a horrible sister!” he yelled. “You ruin everything!” With that, he ran out the door.
“I just want you to be safe!” Jasmine called after him. She stood to follow.
Dad put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK, sweetheart. Let him go. I’ll talk to him.” He looked at Mom. “I’ll get him to apologize for the name-calling too.”
“I don’t understand,” Jasmine said after Dad had left. “Arjun and I used to be amazing diving buddies. Now all we do is fight.”
“It’s hard for him,” Mom said. “You’re older. You can dive deeper, and you get more freedom when we’re diving. He just wants to prove he’s as good as you.”
“But I already know that!” Jasmine said.
“We know it, but Arjun doesn’t.” Mom sighed. “That’s why we like the two of you diving together. You’re a great diving buddy, and you take good care of him. The hard part is getting Arjun to understand he needs to be a great diving buddy too.”
“Can’t you make him understand?” Jasmine asked.
Mom shook her head. “This is something he needs to figure out for himself. But if he can’t learn to behave when we’re underwater, he’ll have to stay on land.”
Jasmine’s heart sank. Stay on land? she thought. Arjun was too young to be left alone. If Arjun is grounded, that means I’m grounded too. With Mom and Dad working on the reef, there’s no one else left to watch him.
She had to watch over her brother. Jasmine was going to make sure Arjun went back to being a good diving buddy—for both their sakes.
CHAPTER 4
SIBLING CONNECTION
“Come on, let’s go! Let’s go!” Arjun grabbed Mom and Dad by the hands. He pulled them across the warm sands to Captain Brody’s boat.
Dad laughed. “We’re walking as fast as we can!” he said.
Jasmine trailed after them. Her stomach churned. Arjun hadn’t spoken to her all morning.
We’re supposed to be swimming buddies today, she thought. Will he listen to me?
“Jasmine, you and Arjun check the equipment,” Mom said as they all walked the gangplank onto the boat.
Once on board, Jasmine and Arjun headed to the equipment. Arjun inspected the gauge on each air tank.
“The tanks are full,” he said.
“Let me double-check,” said Jasmine. She cast a quick glance in her brother’s direction. “Not that I don’t believe you, but—”
