The Shark Rider by Ellen Prager Page A

there still any pirates in the British Virgin Islands?

10
    THE R/V REEF RUNNER
    T RISTAN DREAMT HE WAS FALLING . H E WAS SURROUNDED by water in his dream, yet it felt like he was spiraling down through air. He snapped awake and instantly realized it wasn’t a dream, at least the falling part. The plane had just dropped sharply along with Tristan’s stomach. Nobody aboard was asleep now.
    â€œNothing to worry about,” Director Davis said over the intercom. “Just a little turbulence. Please remain seated with those seatbelts fastened.”
    Ghostly pale and verging on green, Hugh clutched his seat’s armrests with a rigor mortis grip. “Yeah, like I’m going to get up and start twerking right now.”
    Tristan stared out the window. It was not a comforting sight. A towering, dark cloud billowed upward, growing taller and blacker by the minute. Lightningflashed within. “Looks like we’re flying around a storm.”
    â€œYa think?” Rosina muttered.
    The plane angled sharply to the left and then banked right.
    â€œStay calm, campers. A little storm’s no problem for this expert pilot,” Coach Fred boasted. “We’ll be down shortly.”
    Looking down, Tristan could see the ocean through breaks in the clouds.
    â€œDown? Did he say down?” Hugh groaned. “There’s nothing but water down there.”
    The plane dropped again, and a gust of wind shoved it sideways. The teens gasped, each of them turning varying shades of green.
    â€œI’m sure there’s land down there, somewhere,” Sam said. “I mean, I’m sure it’s close. We just can’t see it. But it’s down there, probably right in front of the plane. I’m sure of it . . . sort of.”
    The plane shuddered again, slowed, and angled down.
    â€œWater, I just see water,” Hugh moaned.
    Tristan heard the landing gear lower. They were definitely descending. He stared anxiously out the window. Hugh was right: there was no land or runway in sight. Rain streamed across the windows and lightning flashed. The sharp crack of thunder reverberated through the airplane. Tristan and the others jumped at the sound. He gripped the armrest and looked out the window again. The windswept ocean flashed by below.Tristan shut his eyes and then opened them, deciding it would be better to watch when they crashed into the sea. He’d probably have a better chance of surviving that way.
    A flash of green passed by, and then the edge of a runway came into view. They were about to land. Tristan let out the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. Another strong gust of wind shoved the airplane’s back end sideways, and thunder boomed. Tristan crossed his fingers as sweat began to trickle down his neck. Suddenly, the plane’s engines revved, powering up loudly. They angled skyward, climbing fast and steep. Tristan’s heart hammered in his chest.
    â€œNothing to worry about,” Director Davis assured them over the intercom. “We’re just going to wait a bit for the squall to pass before landing.”
    The teens sat still and uncommonly quiet. Hugh barely seemed to be breathing. He looked like he wished he could teleport himself somewhere, anywhere , else.
    They headed east and began to circle within a thick, gray shroud of clouds. More turbulence. Tristan’s stomach did another flip-flop. He was beginning to wish he were someplace else as well. If he survived the crash, his parents would definitely pull him out of Sea Camp. The plane banked once more and continued to circle.
    A very long ten minutes later, the clouds around them began to break up.
    â€œLook down, everyone,” Director Davis suggested over the intercom.
    Sunlight broke through the parting clouds, spotlighting a green hilltop on a small island. The ride smoothed out, and a loud sigh of relief echoed through the airplane. A larger, longer island came into view. It