Authors Note: This chapter deals more with the characters feelings and thoughts then with the rafting. I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter.
Felina woke up real early and decided just to get up. She slowly got out of the tent and walked past her uncle without waking anyone. She walked to the end of the beach and was surprised to find Chance sitting there. She wasn't sure if she should say something or just go back to her tent.
"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked without turning to face her.
Felina came and sat down beside him on the ground. She didn't say anything but watched the sky with him. She saw a shooting star something she didn't often get to see in the city. That and she never had time just to lie around and star gaze.
"Make a wish," Chance said to her. "What's wrong?" he asked looking at her sad face.
Felina had been keeping something inside since she started this trip and she really felt like she should get it out. "I know it's wrong to me to think this, but I'm really enjoying this trip. I know we are all in danger, but I just needed to get away from it all. You know work and just life in general," she told him.
"It's not wrong at all to think that, Felina," Chance said. For a moment Chance felt a closeness to Felina he had never felt before.
"Thanks," was all Felina said back. She was glad to have someone willing to listen to her for a change.
"Mind if I join you?" Callie asked.
"Not at all," Chance said as Callie sat down on the other side of Felina.
They all sat in silence for a long time, just enjoying the sound of the river. It wasn't until Felina heard her uncle trying to fix breakfast that she got up to go help.
Callie smiled at Chance as he watched Felina walk away. She could tell there was something starting for form between them. After a while of setting in more silence, they got up and went back to camp. They found everyone awake and getting ready to eat breakfast. After breakfast they packed everything into the rafts. Back on the river, Callie got out the sun tan lotion and started applying it to herself.
In the other raft, Johnny was putting sun tan lotion on Ann's back. Though he and Ann were good friends neither of them thought about the other as anything more. They ran three rapid's rated six's, Ann thought they were getting the hang of rafting because they weren't having any problems.
The river died down again and they were moving slowly. They rounded a bend and on both sides of the canyon all different sizes of waterfalls poured into the river. It was such a beautiful site that they decided to tie up to some rocks and eat lunch. Since there was no beach they just got out on the rocks in the middle of the river to eat.
Steel came up and sat down beside Felina. He didn't really like Felina; he pretended to just to annoy her. "Hey, I was looking at the guide and we have some bad rapids coming up today or tomorrow," Steel said.
"I know," Felina stated trying to ignore him. Though she was kind of worried about the big drops they would soon be hitting. They were all rated 9's or 10's on the scale.
Chance seeing Felina and Steel talking started to get a little jealous. So he decided to go over and set beside Felina as well. Callie and Jake followed Chance over to Felina so they were all there.
Jake watched Callie fiddling with her necklace. "What's wrong?" he questioned.
Callie looked down at her necklace and back at the beautiful waterfalls. "It's my mothers. She died last month. I wish she could be here to see this She loved the beauty of nature," Callie said.
"I'm sorry Callie, it must be hard on you," Jake expressed throwing his arm around her shoulders.
"It is, but I still have my dad, and I know how much he loves me. I don't know what I'd do without him," Callie said.
They all watched as Felina got up and walked off.
"Did I say something wrong?" Callie asked.
"I don't know," Chance answered looking after Felina.
Back in the boats, no one said anything to Felina; they could tell she didn't want to talk. On the other boat Ann was telling a funny story and Johnny and Steel were laughing at her. Even Commander Ferral was smiling. They ran a few small rapids, there mood still happy, but when they rounded a corner and they heard roar from a rapid. It was so load that there mood changed.
"What is it a waterfall?" Ann asked.
"We better take a look," Commander Ferral announced pulling the boat toward a shore.
The roar this close to the rapid was deafening and Callie felt sick and light headed as she joined the others to have a look.
Chance looked out at the rapid; it was strewn with boulders from one side to the other. He couldn't see where the rapid ended. It was a maze of rocks and holes. Chance couldn't find a route and neither could anyone else.
The rapid was called the Divide and it was rated a 9. The worse yet, according to the guide Ann was reading. Ann fixed a quick bite of supper since no one was in the mood for anything elaborate.
Steel was glad when they decided to make camp here and run the rapid in the morning. It was his turn to sleep outside. Though he didn't think anyone would get sleep over the roar.
