The Creature from Club Lagoona (5 page)

“It was great!” Polly answered. “I made lots of new friends. Mostly we practiced the backstroke. My teacher said I was a natural.”

“How about you, Tad?” Mom asked. “Did you make some new friends?”

I nodded and sipped my Tropical Lagoona Shake. “Yeah, I met two guys.”

“Bet you were the best in your class, eh, Tad?” Dad smiled broadly at me.

I tried to think of what to say. Maybe it was time to tell them about my fear of the water.

But they were so happy, I hated to spoil it. And I had to admit, I
was
starting to like the water. A little.

“Actually, there are three of us in my class who are about the same,” I explained.

I'll tell them later, I decided. And maybe if I keep going to the swimming lessons, I'll improve. Who knows? I reasoned, maybe by the final Sink or Swim relay, I'll have nothing to confess.

* * *

After dinner we all split up. Mom and Dad went to Adult Recreation and Polly met some of her new friends.

I wasn't sure what to do. I found myself wandering back toward the Atlantis pool. Something seemed to pull me there.

The pool was deserted. A lone lifeguard sat atop a high chair, reading by the dim lights. He must be there to stop people from swimming after hours, I figured.

I glanced down toward the deep end. A strange figure headed my way. As he got closer, I realized it was the little guy with the bucket.

I began to feel nervous. I wasn't exactly sure why.

Should I go before he spots me—and gives me another weird warning? I wondered. Or should I stay and see what he's up to? Maybe ask him about the green thing in the pool.

Before I could decide, he was right beside me. But he didn't look at me. Instead, he gazed into his
bucket. “You know more than you realize,” he whispered.

“Huh?” I asked. “What do you mean? What do I know?”

He continued past me.

I turned and watched him. Was he talking about the monster in the pool? And if he knew about it, why wasn't he
doing
anything?

I ran after him. I had to know more.

I saw him dash around a corner.

“Wait!” I called. “I have to talk to you—”

I rounded the corner.

He was gone.

He'd disappeared into thin air!

I stopped abruptly. My mouth dropped open. “Where . . . ? How . . . ?” I muttered. How could he have vanished?

My eyes searched the area. I spotted the sign for the games arcade. It was a giant fish that blew bubbles with the words
GAMES! GAMES! GAMES!
flashing in pink neon.

Maybe the strange little guy ducked in there!

I dashed over to the arcade. I was determined to find the man and ask him some questions.

I crossed the threshold of the arcade. Instantly the blaring sounds of video, computer, and virtual reality games blocked out everything else. The little man was nowhere in sight.

I glanced around, searching for him. Lights flashed
all around me. The place was packed with shouting kids. It was useless, I realized. I didn't see the guy anywhere. I would have to find him tomorrow.

I strolled through the crowded arcade.

My eyes locked on a game that was shaped like a big booth. The words
UNDERWATER TERROR 2
blinked from the top of it.

Since I was already there, I might as well try the game. It
was
supposed to have the most awesome graphics—
and
be more realistic than any other game in the world.

Besides, I already mastered Underwater Terror 1. I was sure to beat this game in no time.

Finally, I thought. Something I'm good at—something where I don't have to swim!

As I approached the booth, I glanced around again for the little man.

I really wanted to talk to him. I had to find out why he acted so weird. And what he meant by all those warnings.

Because there was definitely something fishy going on at Club Lagoona!

T
he next morning I woke up really tired. In fact, I couldn't believe it was morning already. My sister and I were about to knock on our parents' door. Then I noticed a piece of paper taped to the doorknob.

“Hold on, Polly, there's a message,” I told her. I pulled the note off and read it. “It says they went to the Rise and Shine Water Aerobics and they'll be back later.”

Polly raised her eyebrows. “That's funny. Dad made a big deal about us coming to meet them.” She shrugged. “Guess they changed their minds. Oh, well See you later.”

“Yeah, see you,” I murmured. “Meet me back at our room before lunch. Okay?”

“Okay,” she called as she dashed away.

I continued to stare at the note. Something about it bugged me. Then it hit me—the handwriting. It slanted the wrong way.

Mom didn't write like that.

Neither did Dad.

So who wrote the note?

I tried to shake off the creepy tingle along the back of my neck. A lot of weird things had happened since we arrived at Club Lagoona. The disappearing diver. The green thing in the pool. The little man with his warnings.

What was going on?

I felt disappointed that I didn't find the little guy last night. I bet he could have given me some answers.

I kept my eyes peeled for him as I trudged to my Guppy swimming lesson. But I never spotted him.

Mark and Neal were already in the pool when I arrived. I felt that familiar fear as I lowered myself into the water. But soon I was splashing and laughing just as much as my fellow Guppies.

Barry had us doing lots of fun things in the water. We even played a game of water polo in the shallow end.

As I gazed at the sparkling water, I started to think maybe I was being dumb. Of course there was no monster in the Atlantis pool! I was overreacting.

After the lesson, Mark, Neal, and I flopped on the side of the pool, each of us catching our breath.

“This place sure keeps you busy,” I remarked. “I haven't seen my parents since last night.”

“Did they go to that Rise and Shine Water Aerobics?” Neal asked.

I nodded.

“So did mine,” Mark commented. “I wonder if they'll be back for lunch.”

“Speaking of lunch, I'm starved!” I scrambled to my feet and stretched. “Catch you later.”

Just then, Barry strolled over to us. “Hey, Guppies,” he said. “I've decided you ought to have an extra lesson.”

“Sorry, Barry,” I apologized. “I promised I'd meet my sister.”

“And my parents are expecting me,” Neal told him.

Barry looked disappointed for a moment. Then he turned to Mark with a big grin on his face. “Looks like it's just you and me,” he said.

Mark shrugged. “Sounds cool,” he replied.

Barry's smile widened. “A private extra lesson. Just what you need.” He clapped a hand firmly on Mark's shoulder.

“See you,” Mark said.

“Later,” Neal responded, and hurried to meet his parents.

All that swimming made me really ready for lunch. I said good-bye to Mark and Barry, then jogged back to the room to meet Polly.

She wasn't there.

I went ahead and changed and checked Mom and Dad's room again. They still weren't back.

Weird. Where could they have gone?

Maybe they were too hungry to wait. I guessed they were already having lunch.

I hurried to the Sand Bar. I scanned the dining room. But they weren't there.

I'm here, I told myself. I might as well eat. Who knows? Maybe they'll turn up.

After my burger and shake I decided to find Neal and Mark. Maybe they'd have some ideas about where everyone had disappeared to. Besides, I was feeling kind of lonely hanging out by myself.

I checked the Atlantis pool, but Mark wasn't around. I guessed his extra lesson with Barry had ended. Then I cruised around the resort, searching for Neal. I found him watching kids coming down the Creature Water Slide.

“Hey!” I called, jogging toward him.

He turned and waved at me. “What's up?” he greeted me.

“Not much. My family has disappeared,” I said half jokingly.

Neal stared at me. “Mine too,” he told me. “My parents never came back after water aerobics.”

I felt that creepy tingle again.

Maybe I wasn't being silly. Maybe something was actually wrong.

“Let's find Mark and see if he knows anything,” Neal suggested. “Maybe there's some activity all the parents went to.”

“Good idea,” I agreed. “He's not at the pool. Let's check his room.”

Neal and I hurried to the cluster of suites near the reception lobby. We found the room, and I knocked on the door.

No answer. I knocked harder. Still nothing.

Neal and I gazed at each other.

We both knew his swimming lesson was over. I had just been over the whole club looking for Neal. I never came across Mark. So where was he?

Neal and I stood in front of his door, trying to figure out what to do.

Some kid came up behind us. “What are you two doing?” he demanded.

“We're looking for Mark Browning,” I replied.

“Well, why don't you try his room?” the guy said.

“This
is
his room,” I argued.

“No way.” He opened the door with a key. “I checked in half an hour ago. This is
my
room. No one named Mark is in this room.”

I stared at the number on the door again: 104.

“That was definitely Mark's room number,” I said to Neal.

He nodded. “Maybe we should check with the front desk,” he suggested. “Just to be sure.”

We raced to the reception desk. “Could you tell me Mark Browning's room number?” I asked.

The girl behind the desk put down her nail file and tapped something into her computer. “There's no
Mark Browning registered at the Club Lagoona,” she announced.

“Huh?” I glanced at Neal, then back at the receptionist. “That can't be right. We have swimming lessons together.”

“Hey, I know,” Neal piped up. “Maybe he's registered under his Club Lagoona name! Shark. Shark Browning.”

She shook her head. “There is no one named Browning at all.”

“But how can that be?” I protested. “He's here with his mom and dad.”

“Yeah,” Neal explained. “We just saw him a little while ago. And Mark told me they were staying until the end of the week.”

She glanced back at her computer and tapped on the keyboard. Then she looked back up at us.

“There has never been anyone named Mark Browning registered here at the Club Lagoona,” she repeated slowly.

She smiled.

“Not ever.”

“S
he's wrong,” Neal whispered as we walked down the hall. “Maybe she's new. Maybe she doesn't know how to work the computer.”

“She seemed to know what she was doing,” I replied. “She checked us in yesterday.”

“Well, maybe there's some glitch with the computer, Tad. After all, people don't just disappear, do they?” Neal demanded.

“No,” I answered. “They don't.”

“The last time we saw Mark was when Barry wanted to give him the extra lesson,” Neal said. “But he could be anywhere in the club now!”

“But that wouldn't explain why he's not in the computer!” I argued.

Neal shrugged.

“Okay, let's say we had the wrong room number,” I reasoned. “Got it backward or something.”

Neal nodded.

“That would explain the guy in Mark's room. And,” I continued, thinking rapidly, “let's say there was a computer foul-up.”

“It happens all the time to my dad,” Neal offered.

“But that doesn't explain why my sister didn't meet me back at the room. Or where our parents are.

“Umm . . . ” he murmured. “Okay, there has to be a logical explanation.”

I stared at him, waiting. I was stumped.

He snapped his fingers. “Maybe your sister is with the adults doing some boring exercise class or something.”