Talent

Before, they didn't have to think about the prize. For Vlad and Cheryl, the opportunity to restore their trust and grow closer was too great to pass up, especially after such a long time of not seeing each other.

However, the reality was that the competitions usually have prizes, and to get these prizes people are ready to do even more than compete fairly. And the thought of winning that prize sent Vlad's eyes sparkling with excitement. Cheryl couldn't quite put her finger on why the prize was so important, but it felt like she was on the cusp of understanding it all.

Cheryl was a smart girl. She knew a lot of things and it led to her intuition being very well-developed. She could usually sense if something was suspicious before the other people would notice that. And even when someone else noticed something, she was really quick to follow: she had a special "talent" for that. The talent she didn't share with anyone, even with Vlad, her best and oldest friend.

"We need to find the tiger's owner," Vlad declared with unbridled enthusiasm. "There could be money involved!" The possibility of a prize containing cold, hard cash gave him a rush of energy.

"You, kids, meanwhile try to find a thief. But be careful, and find us if there's any sign of danger", he added.

Teenagers were not too happy to be called "kids", and to get direct orders from some random man, but they were not brave enough to argue with a big muscly man, so they stood there in hesitation.

"Let's go find a thief", finally said the girl, and the guys nodded in agreement, following her on their way to the lower decks.

"Where do you think you're going?", said Cheryl with a wide smile, stopping the tiger cub from following the group of teenagers.

She couldn't resist the adorable feline, despite the danger it posed. Vlad rolled his eyes at her naivety.

"I know it's cute and all, but it's still a tiger, ya know", said Vlad looking at Cheryl playing with her new friend.

"A cat is a cat", replied the girl, clearly enjoying every second. Vlad stepped closer to the tiger but was welcomed with a loud hissing.

"Oh, my", said Cheryl smiling. Vlad looked offended.

The tiger suddenly stopped purring from playing with Cheryl and stood up on all four legs, turning its head to the side.

"Why?", asked Cheryl curiously, and turned her head in the same direction.

She right away saw why.

"We meet again", said an already familiar voice, while a woman, who assisted them with saving a man, showed up from around the corner, following a slowly approaching fully-grown polar tiger on a leash.

"That must be the mom", said Cheryl curiously.

"Hello", said Vlad.

"My name is May", said the woman, "Since it's not the first time when we run into each other, I believe it's only appropriate to introduce myself".

"Yeah, um... Appropriate, I agree. I'm Vlad", replied Vlad, "and this is..."

"Cheryl, his sister. Nice to meet you", she interrupted him quickly. "Nice to meet both of you", said May.

May looked at Cheryl and Vlad with curiosity. "What are you two doing down here?" she asked, noticing the tiger cub playing next to Cheryl.

"Well, there was a thief," replied Cheryl, still patting the tiger cub's head.

For a second, she thought that May was the tiger's owner, but in that case, she would ask about the tiger first. It meant, that she was also looking for the owner, once again competing with Cheryl and Vlad.

"Well, that's certainly troubling," May said after listening to Cheryl's explanation. "I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I see anything suspicious."

"Thank you," Vlad said, grateful for May's offer.

After waiting for a bit, May continued: "So you also found a tiger?"

"Yes, a baby one. I wonder who's the owner", said Cheryl watching the tiger mom now washing her baby.

"Hey, May," added Cheryl with no specific expression. "Do you know anything about the competition that's supposed to be happening on board?"

May's eyes flickered with recognition. "Ah, yes, the competition," she said slowly. "I've heard a little about it. But why do you ask?"

Cheryl knew it was a lie. Her "talent" helped her realize it right away. Most likely, May knew a lot about the competition.

"We were just curious," Cheryl said quickly. "We were wondering if you knew anything more about it."

May's expression was unreadable for a moment before she spoke again. "Well, I do know that the prize for the competition is quite valuable," she said cryptically. "But I don't know much more than that."

Cheryl and Vlad exchanged a look, sensing that there was more to the story than May was letting on. Cheryl was sure, that May knew that the competition was happening right at that moment and that they all were participating. She became curious, but May didn't seem like a person who would share much of their thoughts.

"Listen, May… We could invite your partner and make a union to share what we all know so far, what do you think?", asked Cheryl hoping that May's partner would be more talkative. "Where's your partner, anyway? You two decided to split from the very beginning?"

May was really a master of not showing any emotions. It made Cheryl more and more curious. "My partner doesn't enjoy ship trips. He prefers to stay in the cabin, it's better for his health".

These words made Cheryl's heart rejoice. May was lying with a straight face, and there was nothing more exciting for Cheryl. In everyday life, her "talent" was, of course, helpful, but it never excited her much: people lied about boring, useless things. Yes, she could tell when a person was telling the truth or lying, but what's that interesting in casual lies? Here the situation was different. Why would May lie about her partner staying in the cabin, lie about his health? She was hiding something, probably something related to the competition. At that moment, the real fun started.