Chapter 1

I SURVIVED THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, 1912

CHAPTER 1 MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1912 2:00 A.M. ON THE DECK OF RMS TITANIC The Titanic was sinking. The gigantic ship had hit an iceberg. Land was far, far away. Ten-year-old George Calder stood on the deck. He shivered because the night was freezing cold. And because he was scared. More scared than he'd ever been before. More scared than when Papa swore he'd send George to the army school, far from everything and everyone.

More scared, even, than the time the black panther chased him through the woods back home in Millerstown, New York. The deck of the Titanic was packed with people. Some were running and shouting. "Help us!" "Take my baby!" "Jump!" Some just plain screamed. Children cried. A gunshot exploded across the deck. But George didn't move. Just hold on, he told himself, gripping the rail. Like maybe he could hold up the ship. He couldn't look down at that black water. He kept his eyes on the sky. He had never seen so many stars. Papa said that Mama watched over him from heaven. Could Mama see him now? The ship lurched. "We're going down!" a man shouted. George closed his eyes, praying this was all a dream. Even more terrible sounds filled the air. Glass shattering. Furniture crashing. More screams and cries. A bellowing sound, like a giant beast was

dying a terrible death. George tried to hold the rail. But he lost his grip. He tumbled, smashing his head on the deck. And then George couldn't see anything. Even the stars above him seemed to go black.