He waved away her words. “It’s good to have one person check,” he said. “It’s better to have two people check.”
“You’re not mad?” Jasmine asked.
Arjun shrugged. “Dad says it’s the drill,” he said. “You’re just doing what you’re supposed to do.”
“It’s to keep us safe,” she tried to explain to him.
Arjun didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he muttered, “I shouldn’t have called you a jerk yesterday.”
“Thanks,” Jasmine said. He didn’t sound happy, which meant he was probably still mad at her.
But at least we’re not fighting, she told herself. Maybe being his diving buddy won’t be so bad after all.
After they’d verified the air in the tanks, Jasmine and Arjun checked the regulators for leaks. Jasmine tightened the O-ring on top of one of the tanks.
Next she opened the air valve and listened. There was no hissing sound, which meant there were no air leaks.
“This one is OK,” she said.
Arjun checked the remaining three tanks as Jasmine watched. After that, they made sure the vests were free of tears.
“Everything is in place,” Jasmine said to their parents. “We have fins, air tanks, pressure gauges, weight belts, regulators—”
“And they’re all in working condition,” Arjun interrupted. “The vests don’t have tears, the gauges are working, there are no leaks. And I apologized to Jasmine.”
He stopped to catch his breath.
Dad laughed and held up his hands. “OK, OK, I get it,” he said. “You’re both working hard to show you are responsible enough to dive.”
Dad rubbed Arjun’s back. “Good job following up on our talk last night. I’m proud of you.”
* * *
Jasmine glided underwater. Her smooth movements cut through the currents. She hovered over a section of the reef. The coral swayed back and forth.
As they dove deeper, Jasmine kept an eye on her brother. When Arjun looked her way, she tapped on her arm and gave him a thumbs-up. Arjun tapped his arm and gave her a thumbs-up.
Jasmine held up four fingers. Then she waved them, so he understood.
Forty feet, Arjun. That’s as far as you’re allowed to dive.
Arjun held up four fingers, then gave her two thumbs-up.
Maybe this dive will be better, Jasmine thought hopefully. Arjun is listening to everything I say.
She gave Arjun two thumbs-up, and together they swam to the reef. They were in a different section today, which meant more garbage to clean. Jasmine did her part to clear out the plastic bottles and bags. So did Arjun.
After a few minutes, Arjun tapped Jasmine’s shoulder. He pointed to her tank and gave her a thumbs-up. Then he spun so she could check his air pressure.
Wow, Jasmine thought. Whatever Dad said to him really worked.
She flashed a thumbs-up and went back to checking the health of the coral. But when she looked up, she didn’t see Arjun.
Panic raced through Jasmine. Where is he? she thought.
She spun in a circle, then spotted her brother directly behind her. Jasmine exhaled, and the air bubbled to the surface.
Just then a school of masked butterfly fish swam near Arjun. They were close enough to touch. The school of fish was also big enough to get lost in.
Jasmine resisted the urge to reach out and grab her brother.
This is his test. He knows better than to swim into the schools of fish. Keep your distance, Arjun.
From the corner of her eye, Jasmine watched her parents. If they turned around and saw Arjun moving into the school of fish, it was all over. He’d be grounded on land—and Jasmine with him.
Arjun moved. Instead of giving into the temptation to play with the fish, he swam to his sister. Jasmine held up her hand for an underwater high five.
Way to go, Arjun! she thought. Maybe he’s going to make a good diving buddy again after all.
CHAPTER 5
SHARK!
Three days later, Jasmine wondered if she’d been wrong to believe her brother could behave on a dive. She’d spent most of yesterday chasing after him. He’d swum away from her several times during their dive and kept trying to play with the fish.
“What is going on with you?” Jasmine asked Arjun. They were on the dive boat and slipping on their fins. “You were doing great. Now you’re back to your bad habits.”
