Body

Chapter 6

"Okay Cliffhangers! Ready to learn just how hard it is to get to success?" Peter was enthusiastic.

"We're ready and willing," Daisy replied in a monotonous voice.

"Well, today's lesson or moral, is......that success isn't easy...."

"What a revelation," Ezra interrupted Peter.

"Come on guys," said Peter, "Now I've split you all into groups of three, and see these canoes? Each group will be in one. At the other side of the lake you'll see there are different coloured buoys, each with a flag planted on top of them. The colour of the buoy will match the canoe your in. In order to reach success you have to go around the buoys, and get back to the dock. However, it's not that easy, there are many obstacles along the way, logs, weeds, rocks, and shallow water. No matter what happens, you all must continue, I won't accept any failures.

"Geez, then what am I doing here," Scott replied. This made everyone except Colleen laugh.

In case you didn't notice, every one of us are failures," she said coolly.

Scott rolled his eyes, "It won't kill you to laugh you know."

Peter finally stepped in, "Anyway, here are the groups. Team red, is Shelby, Ezra, and Kat."

Shelby shot Peter an evil look as Ezra approached her and put his arm around her shoulder, "It's definitely fate, we were meant to reach success together," he looked at the sky dreamily.

"Just get in the boat, and don't count on anything," Shelby snapped. She put on her life jacket and climbed in.

"Team Blue is Daisy, Auggie, and David," Peter said then turned to the remaining three, "and you guys are team yellow."

Colleen shot Scott and evil glance, "No way," she muttered.

They all climbed into the canoes, Colleen ended up at the front and Scott at the back, they were rowing, while Juliette sat in the middle clutching the sides screeching, "We're gonna tip!"

Shelby leaned over toward Colleen, "Feel honored, you get to carry the princess!"

Colleen rolled her eyes, "Maybe we'll accidentally tip," Shelby chuckled.

"Alright, everyone on their mark," Peter ordered.

Colleen put all her concentration into the race. She loved competition, she thrived on the thrill.

Peter shot the cap gun into the air and the canoes plunged forward breaking the stillness of the lake. Colleen pumped her oars and they cut through the water smoothly. All the canoes approached the logs, "Slow down!" Colleen shouted. Both her and Scott simultaneously pulled back on the oars and Juliette screeched as she was flung forward. Ezra's canoe smacked into the very first log and a crack was heard. Uncontrollable laughter sounded as Ezra was flung into the water.

"Way to go Ez!" Scott laughed.

Colleen and Scott managed to manoeuvre around the logs and continue onward. They were tied with David and Auggie's canoe. The weeds came upon them before they new it, "To the left," Colleen shouted just a little too late. Her oar got tangled, "I'm stuck."

"Jules, take the oars," Scott leaned way over the edge of the canoe making it rock. With great effort he managed to free the oar.

"Thanks," she mumbled, and they continued on. David's canoe was rounding the bouy when they suddenly jolted to a stop. They had hit a rock in the shallow water and their canoe slowly filled with water. In the mean time, Scott and Colleen turned the canoe around the buoy smoothly, grabbed there flag and headed back. They were in first and doing fine, until they heard a loud crack. The canoe had hit a log that was floating just under the water surface. Ezra's canoe was on the way back now, and a water was seeping into their canoe.

"Juliette, put the tape on it," Scott ordered, "Hurry, the silver tape under your seat!"

Juliette clumsily grabbed the tape, "I can't rip it!"

"Switch me," Colleen yelled and lunged for the tape and broke a piece off with her teeth, the started putting pieces over the crack. "Ok Jules start shovelling out the water," she took hold of the oar and they sped forward passing the other canoe, and finishing first. Colleen, Juliette and Scott high fived each other and cheered.

Peter watched in amazement at the transformed Colleen. After everyone had finished he spoke, "Well, now you all see that you can't rush to get to success, for their are many problems. If you take it slow and carefully, you may finish last, but you won't have suffered as much as others," he motioned toward Ezra who was soaked.

Scott congratulated Colleen, "You surprise me, I mean, you knew exactly what to do, I thought your from the city."

Colleen half smiled, "My uncle used to own a summer camp and I'd go there as a kid, we did a lot of canoe races."

Just when things were getting a little better, a grim faced Sophie approached Colleen, "Colleen your mother's on the phone, she needs to speak to you its urgent."

One look at Sophie's expression sent Colleen's good mood spiralling to the pit of her stomach, "Why? What's happened? What's wrong?"

"I think your mother would like to be the one to answer that Colleen," Sophie said.

Colleen pushed past Sophie and headed toward the main office. ~Now what could be wrong?~ she thought. As she walked into the building the phone was immediately handed to her.

"What?' Colleen answered.

"Colleen, honey I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I have some bad news." She sat down to prepare herself for whatever her mother had to say to her.

"Adam was released yesterday, under a parole officer's supervision."

Colleen gasped, nothing could've prepared her for what her mother had to say next.

"I wasn't going to tell you this, but you need to know. Adam ended up in a fight with the officer, and shot and killed him, worst of all he got away and nobody can find him."

Their was a long pause as Colleen's panic set in. Shot? Killed? Oh god, he'd come for her next. She barely heard her mother's words.

"I asked that some officer's go to Horizon and watch you, but they need proof that you could be in danger. I need the letters you said Adam wrote you while he was in prison. *pause* "Colleen? Colleen you're safe there honey, don't worry he doesn't have clue where you are. I need to know where you put those letters."

"I.....I.....I threw them away, burned them," she stammered. She started to really panic and turned circles thinking Adam was there just beyond the window...coming for her, waiting..........watching. She dropped the phone and fell to the floor putting her head between her hands, then whispered to herself over and over, "This isn't happening, he can't get me, he......he doesn't know where I am." But deep in her mind she knew he'd find her, she thought about what he said:

* * * *

"You know I'll never leave you Colleen, I love you. Once I get out of jail I will find you no matter what. I promise," Adam laughed.

* * * *

Peter was now speaking to Susan on the phone and Sophie knelt by Colleen and tried to calm her. Shelby stood watching silently.

"Do you want to tell me about Adam now Colleen?" Sophie soothingly asked.

"No! Leave me alone," Colleen shrugged Sophie's hand off her shoulder's, "I don't even know you!"

"Shelby would you take her to the infirmary now please," Peter asked.

"yeah," she stepped forward grabbing Colleen's trembling arm, "C'mon, you don't wanna stick around here, especially with everyone gawking at you."

Colleen couldn't comprehend what Shelby was saying. Adam's threats kept echoing in her ears.

Shelby watched Colleen's fear filled eyes, they were completely hazy, she was in a dream world. Her whole body was trembling and it stiffened when they went outside. Her eyes darted around frantically. By the lake, Daisy just finished pushing David off the dock. He came up sputtering, "Oh that's it! You are so gonna die!" he yelled.

Colleen jumped and screamed, then blacked out and fell to the ground. Shelby just stared down at her looking shocked.