THREE WEEKS LATER
The plane was crowded and stuffy. My brother and I were shoulder to shoulder and about as comfortable as two turtles would be if they were stuffed in the same shell. The only difference was I got the window seat! We had been fighting over the same seat ever since we hoped in the car at 3 A.M on this Monday morning. The only reason I have the seat though was because Sam’s shoes were untied and one of the flight attendants stopped him. I just laughed and sat down in the seat that was rightfully mine. I thought I might try to take a nap but I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to fall sleep.
“Attention all passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We will be flying through a patch of turbulence in a short amount of time, because of this the seat belt sign will be going on momentarily. Thank you and enjoy your ride.” The Captain sounded a bit bored and upset. I wondered if he liked his job because he didn’t sound like he did.
“Isabel, honey is your seatbelt fastened?”
“Yes Dad, my seatbelt is fastened. Do you think I’m planning to escape or something?” This happens every time we go somewhere. Dad freaks out and asks me ten times if I’m buckled up. The only reason he does though is because of what happened when I was three.
When I was three we took a plane to Wyoming for the holidays. I was sitting on an end seat and when my parents were distracted with Sam I stood up and walked down the aisle to an attendant that was standing outside the bathroom because I was thirsty. I mean I wasn’t going to jump out of the plane like a flying squirrel or anything. Although, my Dad happens to still think otherwise.
“Finally we’re here.” Sam and his sarcastic words were really starting to ruin my day. Every time something a little bit exciting happened he made the whole subject sound totally ridiculous. I really had an urge to check his birth certificate and make sure he was actually was 15 and not a 2 year old in disguise.
“Oh my, look at this beautiful island Steve.” Dad smiled. Mom had the real picture. She could see the pure beauty of this place.
“Mom, what are we going to do in all this time? We have two weeks here don’t we?”
“Oh, we could hike in the rainforests, swim with the dolphins, go to the zoo. There are plenty of places we could go!”
“Well in order to do that we have to go to the hotel first.” Dad had a point. In order to do anything we had to check into our hotel. So that’s what we did.
We grabbed our bags, called a cab and headed to our hotel. For the entire ride I was absorbed in the scenery of Honolulu. I wanted to stay there forever because there seemed like there was so much to see and learn for this magnificent island. How many times would I have the chance to explore this island anyways? Although the drive was just the start of the beauty and awe. The hotel was breathtaking. The design and art detail that was put into the making was just beautiful. I mean the hotel had a Tropical feel and look. Though, that was still just the start. Our room had an even more tropical and Hawaiian look that made me want to grab a magnifine glass and look closely at all the details, the points, the curves, and the colors. Our room had two double beds against the first wall when you walked in (The left wall.) There was a sliding door that leads to a deck on the far end of the room. On the right side of the room there was a sitting area with a TV and a little kitchen setup. Then as soon as you walked in on you right there was a bathroom.
“Isabel, you will sleep on the pull out bed because you sat in the window seat.”
“What! That’s not fair.”
“HAHA!” Sam was really bursting my bubble and I think he was starting to see that because he started to quiet down on his teasing.
“Hold your horses’ kids. You’re going to switch of on the beds and on the plane ride back Sam can have the window seat.”
“WHAT!” We both screamed simultaneously. Were they joking I would not stand for this. Never in a million years would I sleep on the same sheets that Sam slept on just the night before.
“Do not argue with your father! This is the fairest route to take.” Mom and her metaphors. Didn’t she know they weren’t cool anymore? Fine,’ I guess I’ll just have to sleep on the side he doesn’t touch. I looked over at Sam to see what if I could tell what he was thinking but all I could see was that he had that grin on his face and I just wanted to push him down from his glory, but I knew that if I did anything I could find myself in trouble and I didn’t want to take the chance on this vacation because that was the last thing I wanted to happen. Or at least that’s what I thought.

We decided to go for a swim in the pool and then walk over to the zoo. Wanting to see the whole island one bit at a time we knew there would be some walking involved. As we walked down to the pool I couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching me. I looked around but saw nothing but hotel rooms, a couple restaurants, and an exhibit at the zoo. Plus I couldn’t, see any animals in the exhibit so that couldn’t have been what was making me so uncomfortable. I just kept walking. We past a couple of fruit stands, a gift shop, and a juice bar, but there didn’t seem to be many people. Today must have been checkout day. The pool was just sitting there in the distant. Water slides above and around the sides. A couple of tubes floated slowly down a lazy river and under a small wooden bridge. Then across the way was a rapid river that I knew Sam would be lost in all day. There were rows of lounge chairs everywhere ready for happy vacationers to lie apon them. We found some chairs and put our towels down. Sam, of course headed for the rapid river, but me I wanted to rest in the sun for some time until I felt I was ready to go in the pool. Quickly I felt a whoosh of cold air and realized that in a few seconds my new clean clothes would be soaking wet.
“AHHHHH!” I screamed. Standing up, now completely drenched with water I stared into the cold green eyes of my enemy. The fear in Sam’s eyes was starting to settle in. Even though he was two years older than me, I could scare him more than he could ever scare me. I stepped forward about ready to chase him down when my mom stepped between us. They had this rule about us fighting, but are there ever any consequences. The answer is rarely yes, so no. My parents never enforced rules hard enough to actually make us stop. We started yelling and arguing until the point where Sam pushed me into a chair and ran. What did I do? I ran after him obviously. We ran through rows of chairs in and out of mini pools until I caught up with him and we fell into a double tube that started to float down the rapid. Then splash. We were being pushed down the river by a swarm of waves behind us. We both start yelling and screaming which eventually that turned into laughing and crying. By the time we reached the end of the river the two of us were laughing so hard we were crying. We moseyed out of the pool and back to the chairs. Though, as soon as we were back our parents decided we should go over to the zoo and shops to look around before we went to dinner.

I couldn’t believe how hot the zoo was. We slowly walked into the entrance and I was surprised by the fact that the zoo wasn’t even that big. There were three cages, one that contained some monkeys, two had some birds, one had tigers, and there was a lonesome fish tank with exotic fish swimming around in it, but other than the gift shops and stands, there was nothing. To me they just made too much space for crowds when they realized they didn’t have much of a reason to have any crowds. We started at the fish tanks and worked our way down to the tigers. I had felt that same feeling I had earlier. Kind of like someone was watching my every move and step but really, there was no one else in the zoo besides my family, the animals, and two zoo keepers. As we approached the tigers the feeling got stronger and more uncomfortable. I looked inside one of the cages and to my surprise saw a white tiger staring back at me. I gasped; his piercing blue eyes stared at me as if they were looking deep down inside of me. His sharp teeth shined as if he was saying to me “You look like a nice snack.”
“His name is King Simon because he once lived in the very Panaewa rainforest and was known to be the king.” I looked to my left to see an old man in a green polo staring at me.
“Um….” started to speak but he cut me off.
“Names Robert Pickleberry, but you can call me Rob.” Pickleberry, really?
“I saw the fright in your eyes when you looked into the cage and I knew that I needed to come over here and talk to you.”
“I’m sorry sir, but about what?” He just stared blankly at me and I hoped he wouldn’t say anything else
“Well about this Bengal tiger of course.” I was a little scared of what he might say so I decide I might try, but like the first time, the second I start to talk he did.
“You see these tigers are no ordinary tigers. They are the White Bengal tigers that once lurked in the very rainforest of Hawaii. When people started to discover them they thought for the best they should be put somewhere where they could cause no harm and live safely at the hands of man. These tigers actually have a slimmer chance of surviving in the wild because of their white coats. They are also born from regular Bengal tigers, but the tigers that they come from have a special gene that allows at least one of their cubs to be born white and not orange.” I kept repeating his words in my head and I realized what he was saying. These animals are special and very dangerous. You would not want to have one of them create a sudden interest in you because that could mean either death for you or the tiger.
“Thank you Mr. Pickleberry, I’ll remember that. I really will.”
As we started to leave I took one last look at the tiger and he seemed to be smiling at me. A shiver went down my spine as I walked away still feeling as if I was being watched, but this time I knew that the eyes watching me were the icy blue eyes of King Simon. The one king that would never forget me.

Dinner was delicious. A four course meal served on silver platters. Mom and Dad seemed so amazed by the service, but my brother and I loved the all you can eat ice cream bar. We started our dinner off with an appetizer of with spicy Buffalo wings that left Sam drinking five glasses of water and only to start with. Then we had a family size salad complete with colorful vegetables and flavorings. After that we had our main meal that included tender chicken cooked with vegetable rice and served with steamy carrots and spaghetti with red sauce. Finally we had our dessert and trust me, we left knowing that we had eaten enough ice cream to last one person a life time. Thought there was a reason for that. The ice cream was soft and smooth, not too thick or thin, but just the perfect combination to leave you wanting more. The bill wasn’t too bad either considering everything we ate. “A price no one can beat.” Is what our waiter said.
As we headed back up to our room, we noticed a crowd of people that had formed outside the zoo entrance. Faintly through the dark I saw neon strips of yellow tape with black writing on them and a long mysterious black bag that looked as if something up to six feet tall and three feet wide could fit inside. Some trucks and cars were parked out front with lights flashing on them every few seconds. We were all too tired and full then to realize what had happened, but soon enough we would find out what had occurred and what was no longer. We took the elevator up to our room, which was located on the 10th floor. Slowly the four of us stumbled down the hallway and into our room where we changed our clothes, brushed our teeth and went to bed. Although before I could fall asleep Sam started to snore and I started to wish that I didn’t get the window seat on the plane.
The next morning I awoke to the sound of the television. Mom had just turned on the TV and was watching the local news. I slowly crawled to the end of the pull out bed where she was seated and plop down next to her.
“Good morning and thank you for tuning in to Honolulu News.”
“Today we have a story on the zoo outbreak that occurred last night at the Pacific Beach Hotel.” Mom and I gasped at the same time. That was our hotel! I ran over to the window where we had a clear view of the zoo. All I saw was the yellow tape for last night and some police cars. Form the window I could hear the news reporter clearly.
“We were told that the Tigers at the zoo somehow broke out and attacked one man by the name of Robert Pickleberry. The man was closing down the zoo when he was attacked; the tigers then left his body and headed off. Sadly, Mr. Pickleberry was dead when the police arrived and the tigers had already made their way to a new location.” I looked at my mom. Mr. Pickleberry was the man that had so kindly told me about the White Bengal tiger’s yesterday afternoon. I thought for a minute wondering if he knew that the tigers were going to break out and that he would be their first victim. The news reporter went on.
“Police have locked down the city and have started their search for these tigers. They ask that all citizens and vacationers stay out of harm’s way and remain in a safe location. Once the city is safe again and the tigers have been found all may be free to go out and continue with their day to day life.” I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Are vacation was ruined, Mr. Pickleberry was dead, and some deadly tigers were on the loose. I was scared, I was angry, and I wanted to go home! Then a though accrued to me.
“Where are Dad and Sam?” Mom looked at me.
“Oh, they just went to find some breakfast. They’re still in the hotel, don’t worry.” That took some weight off my shoulders. Mom and I sat there in front of the TV until Sam and Dad returned. When we told them what happened Dad seemed a little frightened, but Sam, he seemed as if he just took a ride on the coolest rollercoaster in the world.
“Awesome!” he shouted. “So there are murderous tigers freely roaming around here? Cool!”
I wanted to tell him that this was not cool at all, but I knew that would only lead to arguing. When we turned back to the TV screen they were continuing on the story.
“Police are now informing us that they have found the body of a woman in the Ala Wai Canal. She has seemed to have been mauled by one, if not both of the White Bengal Tigers that escaped from the Pacific Beach Hotel yesterday afternoon. The identity of this woman has been asked to be kept confidential, but we will have more on the story at noon.” I wasn’t scared anymore I was terrified, these tiger were going to kill anyone that became part of a problem for them.
The next three days were spent in the hotel and around the hotel. We didn’t dare go off the resort property because the hotel was the only safe place we knew of. My brother and I swam in the pool, walked around the hotel, and mostly drove my parents crazy. By the time my parents turned on the TV Friday night the few days we had been there felt like months. My parents were tired and board right along with Sam and I.
“Good Evening and welcome to Honolulu News. We have breaking news directly from the Police about the Tiger outbreak earlier this week.” My Dad turned up the TV.
“Two of the search groups that have gone out looking for these troublesome tigers have spotted their suspects. It was told to us that the tigers were found in the process of attacking their prey. Although this time there prey was an unlucky school of fish that just happened to be swimming up river at the time. So far these predators have killed two people that are known of by the Honolulu Police. The Tigers are being pursued right know and by morning the police will have the tigers in a secure location and all will be able to go back to their day to day life.” We were all tired so we decided to go to bed and in the morning go for a hike in the rainforest because our vacation island was now safe.

The rental car we had rented smelt bran new and clean. Mom said the smell was toxic and not to inhale too much, so the windows were down the whole entire ride to the Rainforest’s lot. Though I could help but smell the freshness and clean smell that floated around the car. A strong leathery smell that you can always smell whenever you go near new cars. I was surprised at how little people were out and about on this fine morning. Dad said people were just too scared to leave their houses yet, but to wait a few hours and this place would be hoping like a bunny rabbit. As we arrived at the parking lot we saw a few people going into the station and a few people leaving. We parked the car and put our bags on ready to go on the most beautiful adventure we would ever in our lives. Dad said he would lead the way with Mom and Sam and I would bring up the rear. The four of us started up the trail as happy as ever. This was the best thing we had done so far on our vacation. Mom started singing songs and Dad started telling us stories of when he was a little. I started to think that this is what family time should be like. I mean Sam even looked happy he hadn’t brought up one strange topic since we started the day. I was impressed! I looked to the ground and started off at my own pace, into my own world. Sam I guess did the same, which I thought was a little strange. We walked for about 15 minutes in silence until I looked up and stopped walking. I panicked, where was Mom, where was Dad. Sam was still walking up ahead.
“SAM!” I yelled. He looked up startled and turned around.
“What?” He said
“Ah, don’t you see something is wrong!” Sam looked around not noticing anything wrong for a minute then he turned and yelled to me “WHERE’S MOM AND DAD?”
“I don’t know I said we must have gotten separated.” Sam looked as panicked as I was and I could tell that we were lost. Sam started to say something when he was interrupted by leaves crunching behind us. I slowly turned around to see the bush was rustling. I slowly backed up to where Sam was standing. Then suddenly out of the bush stepped King Simon. His eyes were practically glowing with pride, his teeth were still shining and sharp, and his clean white coat was now dirty and faded. I wanted to scream and yell but I knew that wasn’t the solution. I slowly turned my head to see what was behind me and down the path in the distance was the ocean sitting there still and calm. I knew we had to reach the water because that would mean safety. I tapped Sam’s hand and motioned my head towards the water, I looked at him to see if he understood and he did. We slowly took off our back packs and gingerly put them on the ground making sure we didn’t startle the beast.
Slowly and softly I muttered “1, 2, 3…” and we turned and ran. Sam looked over his shoulder and fear grew in his eyes. I knew that meant he was right behind us. As I ran I hit a tree which scraped my right arm which started to bleed and I watched as the beads dripped down my arm. King Simon was right on our heels now I knew somehow we had to lose him. Then all of a sudden I felt a force so great push down on me that I knew I was a sitting duck. I wiggled a screamed, but then I realized that King Simon hadn’t tried to hurt me yet, he was distracted by something in the distance. Though, he stood proudly pushing down full force on my left arm with his heavy, 200 pound body. I felt my arm start to burn and I wanted to make him stop, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that. I tried to look around to find Sam and I saw he was right behind the animal with two really heavy looking rocks. Then with all his might, he threw the rocks. As fast as I could I rolled out from underneath him and Sam quickly helped me up as we started to run towards the water again.
The pain worsened and I knew my arm was definitely broken. We ran and ran as fast as we could go. I was out of breath and was dripping with sweat. My legs felt like jelly, but he was gaining on us with ever step. I looked over at Sam and saw that his face was as red as a beat. I was bleeding badly from my cuts and my left leg was all scraped up. Our lives depended on getting to the end of the rainforest where the ocean would sit there waiting for us in the open. Then without warning Sam pushes me to the side and I land behind a bush in a swampy puddle of rain water. I lay there still on the floor of the rainforest hearing nothing but silence. Where is Sam?
My heart was pounding as fast as ever. Sam had risked his life for me twice now and I needed to reach him, I needed to help him. Slowly I crawled out from underneath the bush like a monkey searching for bananas, I looked left and then right. Standing up I could see the faint figure of Sam running with the deadly king behind him down the path on my left. I started to run and saw that up ahead was a path that could help me to reach the water before Sam did. So I took off down the path. Running as fast as I could go, I set my mind nothing but arriving at the water first. Sam was pushing himself to run faster and faster just like I had seen him do in sports. When I finally reached to the water I realized I had no plan. What was I going to do? I saw that Sam was almost here and I freaked out. Looked across the water I saw there was a little shack, but it was a far way to go. “At least four miles across to the other side.” I thought aloud to myself. Then I saw the sandbar and I knew that was our only hope.

“ISABEL!” I turned and saw Sam heading right toward me. He grabbed my good arm and we dove into the water. I couldn’t swim very fast because of my arm so I depended on my feet to help me move fast enough. Sam pulled me along too which helped a little. We swam until we reached to the sandbar. Sam turned and saw that the tiger had followed us halfway then stopped and turned back.
I fell back on to the sandbar with Sam next to me. We had just escaped death and the Police were to blame. They said on the news just last night that they had found both of the tigers and that the city was safe. I glanced over in Sam’s direction and saw his legs were all scraped up, his shirt was torn, and he had burses all over. I looked at myself and saw that my arm left arm was still bleeding badly (clearly broken, too) and my legs were scraped. Sam started to speak.
“We need to find help.”

“Yeah, we do.” I said. We both slowly sat up and looked around. We could see the highway in the distances and we started yelling for help.
“SAM, ISABEL!” I turned and saw my parents standing on the other end of the beach. My dad took out his cell phone and dialed 911. Finally, some safety I could live with.
The ambulance’s loud flashing sirens went off as we sat in the ambulance. One of the paramedics was fixing my arm and the other was looking at Sam’s wounds. I saw an Animal Control and Rescue truck drive past me escorted by some police cars. My Mom and Dad had already gotten the rental car and parked it on the side of the road. Sam looked at me and smiled, I smiled back because I had a feeling things would be different between us after this. Carefully the paramedic helped me up and then my brother. The two of us walked to the car and climbed in slowly. I buckled my seat belt and closed my eyes.
I started to dream and think but nothing made any sense. Then SHOCK, SHOCK, a sharp and stabbing pain in my chest. I felt as if my heart was being pulled out. There was a faint beeping noise and flashes of bright lights. I opened my eyes.
Where am I?
What just happened?
Am I in the hospital?
Did I just dream everything? People were swarmed all around me, medical equipment was everywhere, and blood was everywhere. Wait a minute, two seconds ago I was on my way back to the Hotel. Now I’m in the hospital? Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sam standing there. Bloody, scared, broken, and screaming with tears streaming down his cheeks. Then black. Everything went black, no noise, no people, just darkness. Flash, Flash. Images flowed into my mind. Images of events that had happened earlier in the week. I saw the news report, Sam, my parents, Mr. Pickleberry, being chased by King Simon. Quickly, I saw when Sam had saved me by throwing the heavy rocks on the tiger. Swiftly the picture switched I was throwing the rocks on the tiger, but wait he turns around and now I’m pinned to the ground and I’m King Simon’s target. All was starting to make sense to me now. What I thought had happened was actually a lie. The exact opposite had occurred today. I had not escaped fate, it was Sam and I had saved him.
I was a hero, but now, I was no longer.