Gordon Korman - The Danger

The black wave curled high above the Griffin, and came crashing down on the barque with a roar like a wild beast. Tons of water washed over the streaming deck. As thetim in the air with enough sudden violence that men were hurled off the ship to disappear into the raging sea. Such was the nature of the great storm that pounded His Majestys privateer fleet in the autumn of 1665.

Young Samuel Higgins was still aboard the Griffin when she righted herself. But this was only because he had been lashed to a bulwark by York, the ships barber and medical officer. York had been ordered by Captain James Blade to see to the welfare of the thirteen-year-old cabin boy. The barber took this responsibility seriously. Seamen who disappointed the Griffins cruel master often felt the bite of his bone-handled snake whip.

The sails were down to bare poles, and the captain himself had hold of the wheel. He steered his vessel straight into the wind, howling curses at the gale.

Youll not stop me, by God! The Griffin will yet ride low with a belly full of Spanish gold! No storm can change that!

There was a crash as loud as a cannon shot, and the mizzenmast snapped clean in two. One hundred feet up, the top of the pole thick as a century oak began its plunge to the deck below.

Samuel tried to run, but the same tether that had saved him from being pitched overboard now prevented his flight. He was trapped trapped in the path of hundreds of pounds of falling wood. A scream was torn from his throat, but it disappeared into the shrieking of the relentless wind.

The hurtling mast struck the tangle of ratlines and rigging, halting its destructive drop less than a handspan from Samuels head.

Lucky. That was his nickname among the crew.

But no amount of luck would save him if the Griffin foundered in the onslaught of natures wrath.

Star Ling came awake with a start, and stared at her unfamiliar surroundings. The room was an undecorated stark white, with one bed her in it and one chair empty. An antiseptic smell permeated the air.

A hospital?

Investigating a stinging feeling, she noted that her hand was bandaged, and a tube protruded from the taped wrapping. Her eyes followed it all the way up to a plastic bag of clear fluid that hung from an IV pole by the side of the bed. She also felt the pure oxygen being administered through a nasal tube.

Am I sick?

There was a whoop in the hallway outside. Shes awake!

In barged Bobby Kaczinski, Dante Lewis, and Adriana Ballantyne Stars dive partners. The sight of their familiar faces triggered an avalanche of memory.

Their summer internship at Poseidon Oceanographic Institute had led the four teen divers to the site of a seventeenth-century shipwreck off the Caribbean island of Saint-Luc. When their discovery pointed to the existence of a second wreck in much deeper water, they had gone to investigate in Deep Scout, Poseidons research sub.

Star remembered that. And then the accident. She closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears from coming, and knew the answer before posing the hopeful question:

Did I dream it all? The captain?

It was no dream, Kaz confirmed sadly.

Captain Braden Vanover had been their friend and mentor. When everyone else at Poseidon had treated the interns like unwanted excess baggage, he had spoken up for them, taken them under his wing. He had been at Deep Scouts controls when the submersible had failed. It was due to his skill alone that any of them had survived.

Did we kill him? moaned Star.

I ask myself that a thousand times an hour, said Adriana in a broken voice. I havent got an answer.

Dante was devastated. Its my fault. Im the one who found the first wreck and the trail leading to the second one. Dantes unusually sharp eyesight was the result of his color blindness. He saw only black, white, and shades of gray, but very little escaped him.

Dont flatter yourself, Dante, Star told him in a voice that was weak, but very much her own. Youre not that important.

He looked down, embarrassed, and mumbled, Its good to have you back. They said you might not make it. And after what happened to the captain

Star had a vision of Vanovers drowned body, sinking slowly. She had not known that he was already dead. Her attempts to save him had drawn her too deep for too long. An emergency ascent had brought on decompression sickness the bends the most deadly of all diving hazards.

Star could not remember what happened after that. Where am I? she asked.

Brace yourself, Adriana advised. Youre about sixty stories above the open ocean, in the infirmary of the main oil-drilling platform. They brought you here by helicopter to a decompression chamber.

Well, it worked, said Star. Believe it or not, I feel pretty good except I have to go to the bathroom, big-time!

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stepped down to the floor. The room spun, and she hit the linoleum, face-first.

Adriana screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Nurse!

White-coated staff came running.

Star sat up, her eyes wide and frightened. I cant walk!

The doctor on duty was the last to appear. Ah, you are awake.

Two orderlies lifted her bodily and put her back onto the bed.

Doctor, whats happening to me? Star cried out. My legs wont work!

Your legs are just fine, he soothed. It is your brain where the problem lies right now.

What? Star was aghast.

The doctor explained that the brain controls the body by sending signals along neural pathways. With the bends, the body is invaded by tiny bubbles of nitrogen gas that block some of the pathways. Your brain will attempt to develop new ones, he concluded. In some patients, this is more difficult than in others.

What do you mean? Kaz asked anxiously. Shell walk again, right?

It is impossible to determine at this time, the doctor replied. It depends on the individual and the degree of neurological damage.

But Ive got cerebral palsy! Star blurted. I limp already!

The doctor blinked. He hadnt been on duty when Star had been treated. And youre here on a dive internship?

Shes the best diver around! Adriana put in. I mean, she was She fell silent.

The doctor considered this information. It may complicate matters, he admitted. Then again, perhaps the same tenacity that made you a diver despite the odds will help your recovery. But your diving career is at an end. You understand this, yes?

No more diving! Right now it didnt seem like such a big deal, in view of Captain Vanovers death, and with her own future in doubt. But diving had always been more than a hobby for Star Ling. Once in the water, she had no handicap. Without her diving, she would be nothing more than the girl with the limp.

Stop it! she ordered herself. Be happy. Youre alive! You could be dead like the captain.

And now, said the doctor to the three visitors, I think it is time to let your friend get some rest.

Shattered, Kaz, Dante, and Adriana headed for the door.

Well be right outside, promised Adriana. Just call

Actually, the doctor interrupted, I believe Dr. Gallagher wants you back at Poseidon.

That would be a first, Kaz said bitterly.

In the fluorescent-lit corridor, Adriana let out a long breath. Wow.

Shell walk again, Kaz vowed, convincing himself as much as the others. Stars tough. Ill bet shes more upset about not being able to dive.