Chapter One

Jessica Wakefield swung her long blonde pony tail over her shoulder and beamed a big smile at the crowd gathered below her. From the floor of the raised stage, she picked up her pom poms and waved them at the crowd.

"Okay everybody, are you ready to cheer!"

From the audience there was a collective chorus of groans.

"I said, are you ready to cheer!"

A crowd of sullen faces stared back at her.

"Liz, what's wrong with everybody?" Jessica hissed at her twin sister who was standing behind her. "This is cheerleading camp, aren't these girls supposed to be perky?"

"They've been forced to come here. Part of some special team building program or rather and their schools have made them give up Summer to come."

"So you mean none of these girls are actually cheerleaders?"

"Yep!"

"This is going to be a long Summer."

"Ah said, I don't cheer!" Fanny Casteel stuck her lower lip out and scowled.

"But you have to cheer! This is cheerleading camp." Jessica pushed the pom poms she was holding back into the other girl's hands.

"Ah bet ya wouldn't make Heaven cheer."

"Who's Heaven, but that's not the point. Everybody has to cheer, and there's a prize for the winner at the end."

"What kinda prize?"

"A good one, you'll like it."

"Well, if that means I'll have somethang that Heaven doesn't." Fanny smiled.

"Chris, hold my stuff."

"Cathy, did you have to make me come? This is embarrassing, everybody's looking at me and I'm the only guy here!"

"Nobody's looking at you Chris, so could you quit complaining!"

"Cathy, you know I'd do anything for you! Can't you try and be nice to me. What happened to the sweet girl I used to know?"

"I think we all know what happened to her. Besides, didn't you hear what that girl said? There's going to be a prize at the end, and I'm going to win it!"

"But why do you want to win this prize so much. You know Paul will give you anything you want."

"Because I have to show her that I can win too! That I don't need her!"

"Okay everybody, time to get into pairs to do our warm up exercises!"

There was a general rush to find a partner.

"Okay, who wants to be my partner?" Giselle Dumas shouted at no one in particular.

"I thought we were going to be partners?" Ruby whined.

"Ruby, go and stand over there, okay?" Giselle said pointing. "I've had it with you. You complained the whole trip here!" Mimicking Ruby, "I miss Beau! What am I going to do the whole summer? I wanna go back home! Well it's pathetic Ruby! I'm sick of you; I don't want to hear another word from you!"

With tears streaking down her face, Ruby sat on the ground crying, and Giselle walked away. Ruby felt a pat on her shoulder and looked up.

"It's okay sweetie, I'll be your partner."

"Really?" Ruby swiped her tears away. "Thanks so much! You're so kind, and pretty too. Do you want to be my sister? I have a twin sister already, but she's not very nice, so we're not very close." Ruby looked hopeful.

"Ah, okay. I'm Laura, by the way."

"I'm Ruby Dumas."

"I wish I had a last name."

"Don't you have a last name? How come?"

"Oh, I have a last name; I just don't know what it is."

"How could you not know?"

"I have amnesia." Laura looked sad.

"Well, why are you here then?"

"I don't know. I can't remember!"

"Hi, I'm Dawn Cutler. Do you want to be my partner?" Dawn smiled at the other pretty blonde girl standing with a boy who looked like her.

"I'm sorry, but we clash." She turned back around.

Dawn frowned. "What do you mean we clash?"

The girl turned around again. "Well, we both have blue eyes and blonde hair. That would just be too much. I'm trying to stand out."

"Oh, um, erm, okay then." Dawn walked off feeling confused.

"Hey girly. I'll be yer partner. I don clash wit ya!" Fanny smiled at Cathy and the two girls paired up. As they walked off, Fanny threw a glance behind her at Chris and smiled flirtatiously, while she hitched up her skirt.

"That boy of yers is sure cute."

"Back off."

"Elizabeth, look at these girls. They're pathetic! None of them have any talent at all!" Jessica stood with her legs apart and her hands on her hips. She surveyed the crowd.

"They're not supposed to have talent, Jess."

"Yeah, but these girls don't have any talent whatsoever! I mean, look at them!"

The twins stood looking at the scene before them. It was going to be a long Summer.