III
Daisy ended up sitting by the river watching the water flow. Always insightful, she realized that with the flow the water was always changing and moving forward, much like she was. Aaron's words from the previous day kept resurfacing in Daisy's mind. She knew that her father had been dumping on her for many years; the last straw had been when she fought back with the seven-iron. In that respect she had already started healing, by refusing to accept his abuse. Of course she had gone about it the wrong way, but she could still rectify that. He was the family she had left, and it was time to do her part to restore their relationship. She spent much of the afternoon writing in her journal.
Scott sat a few feet away from Shelby, who was sitting under a tree. He spent much of his time watching the sun glint off Shelby's hair. He had tried to come up with ways to heal his relationship with his father. There was no way he was going to have a relationship with the skank. But his father was different; Scott wanted to have his relationship with his father back, but he wasn't about to forgive him if Martin continued to believe that it was all Scott's fault. Scott also wanted to play football in college, but during the afternoon Scott decided that football was secondary to Shelby. If he got into college he could prove to the coach that he was better now, and could still play. But none of that mattered if he didn't have Shelby.
Shelby reclined against the tree, her eyes closed. She didn't need the scenery to relax; all she needed to think of was Scott - and the love she had found with him. She hadn't thought that she would trust again after Walt, especially another man. But then had come Horizon and Scott, and that had all changed. Her spirit had healed; she had a safe place and no more secrets, not from him. The only thing Shelby needed to heal was the relationship with her mother. but even that had been better since Walt was handed over to the police.
Juliette had gone in the opposite direction as Scott and Shelby; she was on the other side of the campsite. After a few moments of aimless wandering, she had come upon a clearing surrounded by trees, so that it seemed as if she was alone and there was no one else nearby. Above the trees all that could be seen was the mountains soaring into the sky. Juliette gathered strength from this image; she knew that she would no longer fall prey to her mother's demands, that she could free herself and live her life. That was not to say that she was totally healed, or that it wouldn't be hard to do, but that she was willing to gain control of her life once and for all. Juliette then spent most of the afternoon sitting in the clearing imagining a life without the pressure from her mother to be thin and perfect.
Auggie also sat down by the river, working in his journal. Unlike Daisy, however, he was drawing. As he inked the familiar tag on to the page, he recalled his brother and his family. And how far he had come since he had come to Horizon; how encouraging the Cliffhangers and staff had all been. He flipped to the next clean page, and began to sketch the scene in front of him: the river through the valley, with the mountains standing guard on each side. With each stroke of his pen he felt a calmness that only happened at Horizon, wash over him.
Ezra was sitting farthest away from the campsite, on a rock ledge high above the rapids of the river. He spent the afternoon listening to the powerful rush of the river from below, feeling the warmth of the sun from above, and enjoying the simple majesty of the mountains. He also spent his time thinking about his relationship with his adoptive parents. They weren't the greatest parents by any stretch of the imagination, but neither were they the worst, they had never physically abused him; but they were the only parents he had. By the end of the afternoon he knew that their dumping on him was not his fault, and that he would be able to forgive them in the future. This was enough; the scars they had left him were being seared away.
David had wandered in the direction away from all the other Cliffhangers, into the forest. He found had come to a stop on a log, and watched some squirrels chase each other, their activity echoing the energy he possessed, that distracted him constantly. Eventually, the squirrels ran away from him, and he was left on his own. To combat the boredom he felt and the contrary energy he had, he climbed one of the trees nearby and spent the afternoon there, above the world, recalling his relationship with his father, and the negativity that the General had dumped upon him.
Daisy ended up sitting by the river watching the water flow. Always insightful, she realized that with the flow the water was always changing and moving forward, much like she was. Aaron's words from the previous day kept resurfacing in Daisy's mind. She knew that her father had been dumping on her for many years; the last straw had been when she fought back with the seven-iron. In that respect she had already started healing, by refusing to accept his abuse. Of course she had gone about it the wrong way, but she could still rectify that. He was the family she had left, and it was time to do her part to restore their relationship. She spent much of the afternoon writing in her journal.
Scott sat a few feet away from Shelby, who was sitting under a tree. He spent much of his time watching the sun glint off Shelby's hair. He had tried to come up with ways to heal his relationship with his father. There was no way he was going to have a relationship with the skank. But his father was different; Scott wanted to have his relationship with his father back, but he wasn't about to forgive him if Martin continued to believe that it was all Scott's fault. Scott also wanted to play football in college, but during the afternoon Scott decided that football was secondary to Shelby. If he got into college he could prove to the coach that he was better now, and could still play. But none of that mattered if he didn't have Shelby.
Shelby reclined against the tree, her eyes closed. She didn't need the scenery to relax; all she needed to think of was Scott - and the love she had found with him. She hadn't thought that she would trust again after Walt, especially another man. But then had come Horizon and Scott, and that had all changed. Her spirit had healed; she had a safe place and no more secrets, not from him. The only thing Shelby needed to heal was the relationship with her mother. but even that had been better since Walt was handed over to the police.
Juliette had gone in the opposite direction as Scott and Shelby; she was on the other side of the campsite. After a few moments of aimless wandering, she had come upon a clearing surrounded by trees, so that it seemed as if she was alone and there was no one else nearby. Above the trees all that could be seen was the mountains soaring into the sky. Juliette gathered strength from this image; she knew that she would no longer fall prey to her mother's demands, that she could free herself and live her life. That was not to say that she was totally healed, or that it wouldn't be hard to do, but that she was willing to gain control of her life once and for all. Juliette then spent most of the afternoon sitting in the clearing imagining a life without the pressure from her mother to be thin and perfect.
Auggie also sat down by the river, working in his journal. Unlike Daisy, however, he was drawing. As he inked the familiar tag on to the page, he recalled his brother and his family. And how far he had come since he had come to Horizon; how encouraging the Cliffhangers and staff had all been. He flipped to the next clean page, and began to sketch the scene in front of him: the river through the valley, with the mountains standing guard on each side. With each stroke of his pen he felt a calmness that only happened at Horizon, wash over him.
Ezra was sitting farthest away from the campsite, on a rock ledge high above the rapids of the river. He spent the afternoon listening to the powerful rush of the river from below, feeling the warmth of the sun from above, and enjoying the simple majesty of the mountains. He also spent his time thinking about his relationship with his adoptive parents. They weren't the greatest parents by any stretch of the imagination, but neither were they the worst, they had never physically abused him; but they were the only parents he had. By the end of the afternoon he knew that their dumping on him was not his fault, and that he would be able to forgive them in the future. This was enough; the scars they had left him were being seared away.
David had wandered in the direction away from all the other Cliffhangers, into the forest. He found had come to a stop on a log, and watched some squirrels chase each other, their activity echoing the energy he possessed, that distracted him constantly. Eventually, the squirrels ran away from him, and he was left on his own. To combat the boredom he felt and the contrary energy he had, he climbed one of the trees nearby and spent the afternoon there, above the world, recalling his relationship with his father, and the negativity that the General had dumped upon him.
