Stingray City. Ellen Prager

stopped at the head of the table and waved to a nearby chair. “Damien, if you would, please?”

      The Doberman promptly trotted over, bent down, put his teeth gently around a leg of the chair, and pulled it out. Tristan was impressed. He wondered what else the dog could do.

      “Thank you,” Ozdale said to the Doberman. “Well, have a seat.”

      Tristan wasn’t sure if the man was talking to them or the dog. Ozdale then sat down and waved to the other chairs around the table. Damien lay down beside Ozdale’s chair, and Tristan took a seat. His attention was quickly drawn to the compass rose at the center of the bamboo table. It was an inlay made of varying shades of blue and green sea glass.

      “I’ve asked my crew to serve us and then give us some privacy so we can talk,” Ozdale announced. “Afterward, I thought you all might like a tour of the ship and to see some of my inventions. Maybe even go for a little ride.”

      Two new crew, dressed similarly to Sophie, entered the room and laid several platters on the table. As they left, Ozdale thanked them and then said, “Dig in!”

      Tristan smiled gratefully. The food wasn’t minimalistic or fancy, just trays of juicy burgers, creamy potato salad, French fries, and best of all, a heaping bowl of gooey macaroni and cheese. The smell was enough to make Tristan drool. He wiped his mouth just in case as his stomach made an outrageously loud rumbling noise. Beside him, Sam giggled and passed him the tray of burgers, whispering, “I think you need one of these.”

      Ozdale waved his hands at the food. “Didn’t know what you all might like, so I had the steward whip up a selection of some of the basic food groups.”

      “Thanks,” Sam said as they passed the platters around.

      “What sort of things do you invent?” Hugh asked before shoving a big forkful of potato salad into his mouth.

      Ozdale turned to Hugh. “I bet you are Hugh Haverford. Mr. Davis said you’re good with technology and have a way with cephalopods.”

      Hugh chewed and nodded.

      “And let’s see,” he added, turning to the others. “You must be Tristan, Sam, Rosina, and Ryder.” He’d gotten them all right.

      The teens looked a little surprised.

      “Mr. Davis described you all quite well and told me what each of you can do. Very cool! He also told me about Sea Camp and what goes on there. Wish I’d been invited to go when I was your age.”

      The teens continued eating, saying little. Tristan watched and listened to the man, trying to figure the guy out. Was he smart or a serious kook? And most importantly, could they trust him? Ozdale seemed to take no notice of Tristan’s scrutiny or the teens’ lack of conversation.

      “As for my inventions,” Ozdale went on, “they vary, but I am very interested in alternative-energy vehicles, ocean exploration, and rescue technology.”

      “What were you doing last night?” Hugh asked.

      “Oh, that. I was testing out a new solar-powered dive light and a handheld propeller. Thought the light would last a lot longer than it did—obviously. And gosh, that darn propeller got me a bit twisted up in the kelp.” The man grinned self-deprecatingly at the teens. “Guess I’ll need to do a little more work on those.”

      “And maybe bring a backup light,” Sam suggested.

      “And a dive buddy,” Tristan added.

      “That too,” Ozdale chuckled. “Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my inventions, I sort of forget the basics. My crew usually keeps an eye on things, but I don’t like them hovering around too close. Ruins my creativity and the adventure of it all. Besides, they understand that I believe that failure is a good thing.”

      Yeah, except when it kills you, Tristan said silently to himself.

      “How’s that?” Hugh asked.

      “Failing means I’ve tried something new, put myself out there. What’s that saying? No risk, no reward. Failing is just part of the process toward success. Perseverance is an extremely important part of being an inventor. In fact, it’s pretty important in life in general. And besides, we all learn from our mistakes.”

      Tristan thought about what Ozdale said. Could failure and making mistakes be a good thing? Really? He’d failed at a lot of things back home—in school, in sports. Maybe he was on his way to great success. Or not. Tristan couldn’t really imagine that he’d ever invent something brilliant or do anything truly great. Though stopping Marsh and freeing the sharks in the British Virgin Islands had been pretty awesome.

      The crew came in to clear the plates and deliver dessert—a giant dark-chocolate cake. When one of the crew lifted the burger tray from the table, Damien sat up, cocked his head, and stared at him. Two burgers remained uneaten. The young man looked to Ozdale, who nodded, smiling.

      “Watch this,” Ozdale told them.

      The young man took the beef patties from the buns and tossed them into the air like two Frisbees thrown in rapid succession. Damien leapt gracefully into the air to catch one patty and then the other. He gobbled them down in seconds. The teens clapped. The Doberman sat down and stared at the burger thrower expectantly.