A Girl and Her Tiger Page 15

  “Nabhitha!” Priya hissed, unsure how she was going to follow. She grabbed the gate and pulled herself up, using the latch as a foothold. She made it to the top, but as she hauled herself over to the other side, her sari caught on it, tangling her leg. As she crashed down to the ground, she heard her sari rip and felt her leg tear. She hit the ground hard and stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from cursing. She sat up to survey the damage. Thankfully she hadn’t broken anything. She took off her shoulder wrap and wound it around her leg to staunch the bleeding. She forced herself to her feet and to ignore the pain. She then unlatched the gate and pushed it open slightly so she and Nabhitha could make a quick getaway.

  By the time she caught up with Nabhitha, she was on the back porch, peeking in the windows looking for a way in. Priya made her way up the steps and to the back door. She tried the door handle, but it was locked as well. Nabhitha nudged Priya out of the way and placed her paw on the handle. With her massive paw, she broke the handle sheer off the door. It clattered to the ground, and Priya heard the other half of the handle hit the floor on the other side as well.

  “Shh!” Priya said, realizing how dumb it was to try and explain to Nabhitha the importance of being quiet. Nabhitha nudged the door open with her nose and slipped inside, sniffing the air. Priya stepped in behind her just as a servant came running down the hall toward them with a knife.

  “Thieves!” the man called out, but Nabhitha hissed at him, lowering her stance and laying her ears flat. The man froze in terror, dropping the knife to the floor.

  “We won’t hurt you,” Priya said. “We are just looking for the baby tiger. This is the cub’s mother.”

  “S-s-s-second floor,” the man stuttered. “The boy’s room.”

  “Thanks,” Priya said. “Now get out of here, but tell no one what you saw.”

  “Yes…yes!” the man said as he backed up and then ran out the front door. Good, Priya thought. Another way to escape.

  Nabhitha stalked her way through the house. Priya followed her, but winced as she put weight on her leg. She looked back and saw that she was leaving a trail of blood. She needed to get home soon before she passed out from blood loss. She picked up the knife the servant had dropped, just in case.

  Nabhitha slinked up the stairs to the second floor and went straight to a room at the end of the hall. She reached up with her paw to break the door handle again, but Priya stopped her. She knew this door wouldn’t be locked, so no sense making more noise than necessary. She opened the door and followed Nabhitha inside.

  For it being night, the room was bright. Everything was white, reflecting the moonlight coming into the room through the large windowed door that led to a balcony. As soon as they entered, the kitten began mewling uncontrollably. Nabhitha ran to it and began chuffing to comfort it.

  “Please, be quiet,” Priya whispered to them both, but it was no use. The kitten was in a small cage that Nabhitha could not open, but she was so anxious to get to her baby, she would hardly move aside to let Priya help.

  “Kitty!” a small voice called out.

  Priya looked up and was horrified to see that the little boy had woken up and was crouched at the end of his bed watching them.

  “Shh!” Priya said, but she could hear Nabhitha growl. Priya turned back to fuss with the latch to get the tiger cub out, but then the light to the room flipped on.

  “What the devil?” a man’s voice bellowed. A woman screamed.

  Priya looked up and saw Sahib and Memsahib Evans standing in the doorway of the child’s room.

  “My gun!” the man yelled. “Get my gun!”

  “No!” Priya yelled. Nabhitha roared and stalked toward them. The man ran from the room, probably to find a weapon, but the woman would not leave her child.

  “Get back!” the woman screamed feebly at Nabhitha, but Nabhitha bared her teeth and screeched.

  Priya finally jumped up between them.

  “You!” the woman gasped. The boy jumped off his bed and ran to his mother. She picked him up and held him tightly.

  “Did you think I was dead?” Priya asked. “When you left me at the port, I bet you never thought you’d see me again.”

  “I…I didn’t know it was you…. I didn’t recognize…” the woman stumbled with her words.

  “Is that what you told my parents?” Priya said. “You would face down a tiger for your child, but did you laugh when you saw how heartbroken my parents were for me? Or when you took the baby tiger away from its mother? Are we all just animals to you?” Priya placed her hand on the back of Nabhitha’s head as the tiger stalked forward.

  “P…please,” Memsahib Evans begged as she stepped back into the hallway. “I…I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you ask.”

  “Leave,” Priya said, holding up the knife. “Leave India. You’ve done enough damage here already. Leave my country and never return.”

  “Yes,” Memsahib Evans said, nodding her head quickly. “Yes, we’ll go.” She then backed down the hallway, never taking her eyes off of Priya until she reached the stairs. Then she was gone in a flash.

  Priya turned back around, feeling a little woozy, but she held it together long enough to run back to the baby tiger’s cage. She unhooked the latch and pulled the cub out. Nabhitha snuffled and licked the baby, who mewed happily.

  Priya then heard angry voices from downstairs. Priya ran over and shut and locked the door. “We don’t have much time,” she told Nabhitha. “That must be the night watch.”

  She went to the glass doors and threw them open. She didn’t see a way down from the balcony other than to jump. Nabhitha stepped out and looked down. She then looked up at Priya.

  “It’s okay,” Priya told her. “Go. I’ll be fine. You have your baby. Get her to safety.”

  Nabhitha picked up her baby in her mouth then leaped from the balcony to the ground below. She stumbled, but then caught herself and ran toward the fence, leaping over it with ease. She looked back at Priya one last time. Priya waved, and then Nabhitha was gone. And Priya knew that this time, she was gone for good.

  Priya turned around, feeling dizzy and nauseous. She slipped and saw that she was standing in a puddle of her own blood. She fell to the ground just as two men broke the door down and entered the room.

  “Drop the weapon!” the men said.

  Priya had forgotten she was holding a knife, which she immediately let go of.

  “Help me,” she mumbled. “Take me home.”

  “Arrest that little monster!” Sahib Evans yelled. “She tried to kill us.”

  “Help me,” she mumbled as the men took hold of her. “Help me. Amma!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Priya awoke to the sounds of shouting. She groaned and placed her hand on her head. She opened her eyes and saw the Evans, the Parkers, several police officers, and her parents all standing around yelling at each other.

  “Amma!” Priya cried out, and when her mother ran to her, she could not stop the tears from flowing.

  “Priya!” her mother wailed as she held her daughter tight. She then felt her father’s arms around her as well.

  “See,” Sahib Evans said. “She’s awake. Now arrest her.”

  “Calm down, Evans,” Sahib Parker said. “The girl has clearly been through a terrible ordeal.”

  “Does that excuse attempted murder?” Sahib Evans sneered.

  “How dare you make such accusations against my daughter,” Priya’s father said, standing up.

  “I’m sure Priya didn’t try to murder anyone,” Memsahib Parker said, playing the peacemaker.

  “My daughter is injured,” Amma said. “She needs a doctor.”

  “I’m fine, Amma,” Priya said, not wanting to incur such a cost. “I just need to rest.”

  “What happened?” Lucille asked, kneeling down beside her. “When you went missing, we were so distraught.”

  “Did you tell them where I went?” Priya asked.

  “Umm…no,” Lucille said, biting her lower
lip nervously. “I…I didn’t want you to get in trouble.”

  “Were you protecting me or yourself?” Priya asked.

  “Priya!” Amma gasped, giving her daughter a warning glance. Priya then looked around the room and realized that—in their way—the Parkers had been defending her. Protecting her against the accusations of the Evans. If Priya didn’t want to end up in jail, she needed to play nice with the Parkers—for now.

  “I…I’m sorry,” Priya said, closing her eyes, her hand flying to her forehead again. “I’m just so tired. I feel sick.”

  “Of course,” Priya’s mother said. “Can we please take her home now.”

  “Yes,” Sahib Parker said before anyone else could speak up. “I don’t know what happened, but no one was seriously hurt, right, Evans?”

  “She broke into our home,” Sahib Evans went on. “Stole our son’s pet. Waved a knife at my wife. To say nothing of the deadly tiger!”

  “This is crazy talk!” Memsahib Parker said. “A tiger? Really. You must have been dreaming.”

  “I know what I saw!” Sahib Evans roared.

  “Let’s go!” Memsahib Evans said as she headed for the door. “These people are never going to believe us. It’s too dangerous here. We are going to pack our things and go home.”

  “Oh, darling,” Sahib Evans said, following her. “You can’t mean that.”

  “I do!” she said. Then she looked at Priya, and Priya gave her a hard stare back. A look of understanding passed between them. Memsahib Evans gave a curt nod. “I do,” she stated again. “We are leaving this dreadful place.” She then left the house, her husband quick on her heels.

  “Well,” one of the officers said. “If Mr. Evans doesn’t press charges, there’s nothing more to be done here. I’ll bid you a good day, sir.” He gave Sahib Parker a nod and then he and the other officer left.

  Everyone who was left breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut. Memsahib Parker then sat in a chair near Priya.

  “I thought they would never leave,” she said much too cheerily. “Priya, we are so glad you are home safe. But where have you been all this time?”

  Priya looked at Lucille, still worrying her lower lip. She then looked at Sahib Parker and thought she saw sweat on his brow. Did he know about Fullerton? If he did, would she be safe if she spoke out? She looked at her parents, tears still hanging on the edges of their eyes.

  “I…I need to talk to my parents,” Priya finally mumbled. “I’m just so glad to be home.”

  Memsahib Parker nodded. “I understand,” she said. “Take all the time you need.”

  Priya then looked around and realized that she was in the Parkers’ house. She didn’t know why she didn’t recognize it before. Her head must have still been fuzzy. She swung her legs off the couch she was reclining on and winced as she tried to stand on her injured leg. Her father picked her up and carried her out of the house, her mother following closely behind. They all crossed the backyard and went into their little cottage.

  Her father took her to her bedroom while her mother busied herself making chai. Priya settled into her own bed and deeply breathed in the scent of the tea when her mother brought it to her. Her mother then unwrapped her leg and set about washing it. Priya could see that the wound had already been washed and wrapped at least once. Her mother must have taken care of it while she had been unconscious. Her mother then opened a jar of ointment and slathered it over the wound.

  “Hopefully your leg will not scar the way your arm has,” Amma said.

  Priya glanced down at her arm. She had become so used to the marks on her arm that Nabhitha had left there, she didn’t really think of them as scars anymore, but as badges of honor.

  “Would you believe me if I told you I got those marks from a tiger?” Priya said with a smirk, but her mother did not smile.

  “Where have you been?” Amma asked.

  “I was kidnapped,” Priya said.

  “Kidnapped?” Amma asked, surprised.

  “Didn’t you get a letter telling you?” Priya asked.

  “It only said that you were on a ship bound for America,” Appa said, sitting in a chair nearby. “We thought you had run away.”

  “I…” Priya paused, trying to remember everything that had happened. The details were becoming fuzzy. Or maybe that was the blood loss. “I did hope to find work somewhere else, but I never would have left without talking to you about it. I went to see a man named Lord Fullerton. He promised honest work. Lucille sent me to him. But when I got there, he drugged me. I woke up as I was being taken onto a smuggler’s ship.”

  “Lord Fullerton?” Amma asked, sending her husband a worried look.

  “Yes,” Priya said. “Why? Do you know him?”

  “Priya,” Appa said. “You must never tell anyone about this.”

  “Why?” Priya asked. “He needs to be arrested. According to Za…a customs official I met, countless Indians are still being transported to the slave markets around the world. We need to stop him.”

  “No, Priya,” Amma said, exasperated. “Lord Fullerton is powerful, and a friend of Sahib Parker. If we want to keep a roof over our heads, you will never speak of this.”

  Priya’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I…I thought I was going to die,” she said. “That I would never see you again. I was nearly raped. Almost drowned. But I was a lucky one. All those people who have been sold into slavery are lost forever. I could have been one of them. We can stop this. We need to speak up. It is time to do something.”

  “No,” Appa said. “Now is the time to be quiet. Be loyal. There is talk of rebellion everywhere. The British are nervous. They are sending more soldiers. If anyone is suspected of being disloyal, they are immediately fired. Do you want us to end up on the street?”

  “I want us to stop letting the British treat us like animals,” Priya said. She then reached into her sari and pulled out the coin purse she had managed to keep safe all this time. She handed it to her mother. “This can take care of us for a while.”

  Amma gasped when she opened the bag. “Where did you get all this?” she asked.

  “From the smuggler’s ship,” Priya admitted. Amma handed it to her husband. “How much do you think it is?” Priya asked.

  “A lot,” he said. “But not enough to feed us for the rest of our lives. This might get us by for a while, but then what?”

  “Maybe by then things will be different,” Priya said. “If the rebels are successful—”

  “They won’t be,” Appa said, cutting her off and putting the money in his pocket. “And I’ll allow no more talk of rebels.”

  “So, what now?” Priya asked. “I’m back and everything is just the same as it ever was?”

  “Yes,” Appa said. “I must go to work, and so must your mother. You rest. When you are healthy, we will look at getting you a respectable job again.”

  “Oh, Appa,” Priya said shaking her head. “Don’t you see? Nothing will be the same again.”

  Appa sighed but left without another word.

  “Amma,” Priya said, gripping her mother’s arm as she moved to leave. “You can’t think that nothing has changed.”

  “I can hope it,” Amma said as she cleared away the tea things and then left the cottage.

  Priya shook her head at the absurdity of it. Did they really think they could just go back to the way things were? She forced herself out of bed and over to the window. She watched as her mother smiled and laughed as she played with the Parker children.

  Her parents were right. Here, nothing had changed. Priya had changed. She had seen too much. Experienced too much. She ran her fingers over the scar on her other arm. The changes were deep and permanent.

  She had to leave.

  She couldn’t stay here and pretend nothing had happened. Pretend that India wasn’t a powder keg waiting to blow. Something was going to happen, and she wanted to be part of it. Zayn had said she would always be welcome with the rebel army. She did
n’t agree with all of Krish’s tactics, but with Zayn as the leader and Priya by his side, she could help the rebels fight back, but perhaps in a morally superior way.

  She went to her room and found paper and a pen. She began to write a letter to her parents. She would leave, but she would not be so impetuous as before. Her leg was injured and she was still hungry and exhausted. She would heal, then she would pack a bag with food, clothes, and anything else she could think of. She would tell her parents where she went and why so that they would not need to worry. She would let them keep the gold coins so she wouldn’t have to worry about them.

  She would leave. She would join the rebels. She would fight.

  She would become the girl with tiger stripes.

  The End

  Thank You

  Thank you for reading A Girl and Her Tiger! If you enjoyed it, I hope you will leave a review. If you want to know when the next Animal Companions adventure is released, be sure to join my mailing list!

  http://zoeygong.com/subscribe/

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank my friend, author Lom Harshni, for answering all my questions about Indian life, culture, and history, and pointing me in the right direction on several issues.

  If you would like to know more about India under British rule, I highly recommend the book Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India by Shashi Tharoor.

  A Girl and Her Elephant

  books2read.com/elephantgirl

  * * *

  One girl risks everything to save the life of her friend…

  All of the elephants wept as one of their own lay dying in childbirth. But Kanita, the daughter of the royal elephant trainer, refused to give up. With her own hands, she helped bring the baby elephant, Safi, into the world, beginning a lifelong friendship between a girl and her elephant.

  But many of the villagers worried about the curse of the white elephant with the red birthmark across her face.