Page 54 of Tiger's Dream
“Tree?” I said. Then I looked up and whispered, “Hide, quickly!”
We ducked behind a tree just as Wes and Kelsey passed by. She looked gorgeous in her black dress. Wes whispered something in her ear and she laughed. I dug my fingers into the bark of the tree. I’d forgotten all about the cowboy who’d tried to steal Kelsey away from us.
“Who is that?” Anamika asked.
“Nobody,” I answered.
“You’ve brought me to the wrong party,” she said. “No, wait. I think I see Nilima.”
She was about to head out when I hissed, “Ana, she’ll recognize you. My past self is here. So is Ren. We’ve got to disguise ourselves.”
I used the scarf to make myself a typical beach bum, board shorts and flip-flops. My hair grew longer. The skin on my face itched as I changed into one of the deck hands I’d met once on the ship. Ana took the scarf next and changed just her clothing. I almost choked when she appeared wearing a plunging white one-piece and a wraparound skirt that tied at her waist, exposing her long, shapely legs and emphasizing her toned body.
I sliced my hand down. “No,” I said with absolute authority. “You can’t go out there like that.”
“Why not?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
“Because…because, first of all, you look like you.”
“Fine.” She wrapped the scarf around her body, and when she lifted it away, she was still pretty and familiar in a way.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am disguised as a serving girl who used to work in our home.”
“Used to? It’s not like you to dismiss servants.”
“She…she looked upon your form with lustful intentions.”
“Ah. Well, thank you, I suppose, for protecting me from serving girls with lascivious aims.”
Frowning, she asked, “Do you wish for me to change again?”
“No, it’s fine. But you need to wear something else. This is too flashy for this time. Trust me.”
She threw up her hands and handed me the scarf. When I pulled it away, she was dressed in essentially a muumuu. “What is this?” she demanded, plucking at the heavy fabric.
“It will protect you from sunburn,” I said lamely.
“The sun is setting.”
She held out her hand and I gave her the scarf, backing up and lifting my nose to follow Kelsey’s scent. As I did, I said, “Be careful. Meet me back here in one hour.”
“Very well. That will give me time to talk with Nilima.”
Leaving her on the beach with the scarf to remake her admittedly shapeless dress, I trailed after Wes and Kelsey. I spent the better part of a half hour just watching them, then my nose twitched and I looked up. My mouth opened in shock as I spied myself, my old self, watching Kelsey and Wes from the sidelines. I remembered Kadam’s warning never to cross paths with myself and headed immediately in the opposite direction.
I made my way through laughing partygoers. They danced and kicked up sand as I wove around them. Then I caught a new scent and froze. Turning slowly, I saw my brother, Ren. He was dancing in the middle of a group of women. Every single one of them was beautiful. Every single one of them had eyes only for him.
Nilima was there, dancing nearby, but it wasn’t Nilima who had caught my attention. No. I was riveted by one woman. A girl with long, dark hair in a green bikini and a cover-up that covered nothing. She pressed closed to Ren, a hand touching the corded muscle of his forearm. Her curvy body was glistening, like her skin had been kissed by silvery rain.
A visceral envy of my brother blew through me, and my feeble attempts to cool my ire were about as effective as throwing an ice cube into a volcano. Across the arm of my brother, she spied me and our eyes locked. With nearly brutal determination, I held out a hand.
A supplication.
A question.
A dare.
