Chapter Nine

The next week was Heaven for Sharkboy and Lavagirl. They did everything together. Lavagirl was overjoyed that she could swim with her friends and not fizzle out. Sharkboy was ecstatic that he could embrace Lavagirl without getting burnt for his trouble. Max, Marissa, Linus, and Danny were happy that their friends were happy. Danny's mom was not very happy with the house's desperate condition, but with six kids fixing everything, she got over it. Tucker stayed in his room mostly. He would not come out and would yell if anyone tried to come in. Sharkboy felt that any chance of becoming friends with the handicapped boy had been destroyed that day of the Shark Frenzy.

Sharkboy spoke to Lavagirl about it and she sympathized with him, but there was nothing she could do. Tucker had even stopped talking to her. The kids did not know what was wrong with him. They finally agreed, by unanimous decision, to leave him alone.

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One day Tucker came out of his room. No one spoke to him and all were amazed when he was the one who started speaking first.

"John," he said to Sharkboy, "can you please go down to the beach with me?"

Sharkboy started in surprise and turned to Lavagirl. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not," she replied, kissing his cheek.

Sharkboy followed Tucker outside. His eyes widened when Tucker stood slowly and started walking, albeit unsteadily, beside him. He stumbled a few times and Sharkboy put his hand on Tucker's shoulder to steady him. Surprisingly the small boy let him. After a while he spoke.

"What was your dad like?"

Sharkboy, startled by the abrupt question, answered carefully, warily.

"Well, he is a marine biologist. He loves sharks and—"

"What does he look like?" Tucker interrupted.

"He's got dark hair like me and gray eyes . . . kinda like yours." Sharkboy paused. "Very much like yours."

Tucker inhaled sharply and stopped walking. Sharkboy turned to him.

"What did you say your real name was?" Tucker asked.

Suddenly the boy seemed frightened to Sharkboy. His voice was apprehensive and reminded Sharkboy of a clam, reading to close up any second.

"I never told you. I don't remember." Sharkboy said.

"Is it . . ." Tucker swallowed nervously, ". . . Taylor?"

Something leaped inside Sharkboy's heart. That name . . . he had heard it before. Where had he heard that name before? Was it his name? Tucker was still waiting for an answer. Sharkboy shook off the strange sensation he was feeling and looked down at Tucker.

"It could be, and so could all those other names you've given me."

Tucker looked thoughtful. "Describe your dad in detail. Any moles? Scars? Unusual characteristics?"

Sharkboy frowned in thought, searching for the picture in his mind that was his father. It had been so long since he had seen him. . . . Sharkboy started to panic. What if he could not remember him? What if he had forgotten his own father's face? Tucker sighed, a long, shaky sigh. He pulled a small photograph from his pocket. He held it out to Sharkboy. Sharkboy stared at it hard. It was of a family. A dad, a mom, and two boys. It was Tucker's family. Tucker's dad. He looked so much like Sharkboy's dad. Sharkboy looked up into Tucker's gaze. Something clicked inside Sharkboy's head as he put the pieces together. The shark pictures, the familiar man in the blurred photo, Tucker's eyes . . . his father's eyes.

Tucker saw the light dawn in Sharkboy's eyes and knew he had been correct about Sharkboy's true identity. This was Taylor, his father's favorite . . . and his half-brother. Sharkboy started to speak, to say something, anything to pacify the growing hunger to find out more about the man he had not seen in nine years. Before he could say anything however, his highly trained ears heard a slight movement behind him. He turned around to face whatever had disturbed the space behind him and was met with a hard fist. Everything went black.