The Initiation by Diane Hoh

Author:Diane Hoh [Hoh, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-4806-5
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween
Published: 2012-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

WHILE PEOPLE ON THE lower deck rushed to Stacey’s aid, Hank and Donovan and the others on the upper deck urged Molly to take advantage of the ladder now in place against the beam she was hanging from.

“It’s right beside you, Molly!” Hank told her. “All you have to do is take a small step sideways and grab the rungs.”

Molly couldn’t see the ladder, because she was crying too hard. Oh, God, Stacey … that sound … that horrible sound she’d made when she hit the deck … how could she possibly still be alive?

“Molly,” Hank said firmly, “Molly, stop crying. You’ve got to get down from there. Stop crying and move to the ladder. Do it now!”

Molly wanted to. She wanted more than anything to get down from this terrible place, reach the lower deck, reach safety … see for herself that Stacey wasn’t … wasn’t … dead.

But she couldn’t move. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. Her body felt frozen, as if someone had cast a magic spell on her, forcing her to hang in space for all time.

She was completely paralyzed with fear.

She stopped crying. Her face was wet, her hair hanging in her eyes. She needed to wipe her nose. But she couldn’t do that, and she couldn’t brush her hair out of her eyes, because if she let go to do either of those things … she’d fall … like Stacey … and then she’d die … like Stacey.

“Molly,” Donovan called up from below her, “I’m down here now. Beside the ladder. If you can’t climb down, I’ll come up and get you. Do you want me to come up and get you, Molly?”

It wouldn’t do any good. Because she couldn’t move, so how could Donovan help her down?

“Molly,” Kayla’s voice, from above, up near Hank. Her voice was sharp. “Molly, you’re being stupid. Move over to that ladder right this minute!”

And Tommie added more gently, “You have to, Molly. I know you’re scared, but you have to. You only have to swing your legs sideways a little bit. Just a little bit, Molly.”

Then Phoebe, trying hard to hide the fear in her voice, said, “Molly, if you fall and miss my concert, I’ll never forgive you. Get yourself over onto that ladder before I lose my temper.”

Slowly, Molly raised her tear-streaked face. They were all staring down at her. Hank, her friends from Odyssey, and Phoebe. Their faces looked as terrified as she felt.

It was Ken who said then, very gently, “Molly, we have to get Stacey to a hospital. We can’t do that until you come down from there, okay?”

Molly nodded. Of course. She’d forgotten. Stacey … to a hospital. She wasn’t dead.

Molly swung her body sideways until her feet touched a rung of the ladder. When her footing felt solid enough, she carefully let go of the beam with her left arm, stretched it to the ladder, and when it was firmly gripping the ladder’s railing, she let go of the beam with her right arm.

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