Sorry it took a while for this chapter. I was trying to get my web site updated by a certain date, which didn't happen by that date, but it is updated, finally. I've also been working on our school web site and trying to figure out why some of the stuff didn't work. (I don't know about any1 else, but I don't really like using microsoft front page for web sites.)
Thank you everyone who reads my story and continues to read it and those who review my story. I really appeciate it.
I didn't really like this chapter so I rewrote it, but I still really don't like it, but I posted it any way.
Sophie entered the dark cabin. She shined the flashlight on each of the Cliffhanger's girl's faces, checking if they were sleeping. When the ray hit Annie, she moved her head away from the light. Annie had done that almost every night she had gone to check on them.
"Annie," She said, "Annie?"
"Hmmm?" Annie mumbled.
"Are you sleeping?"
"Leave me alone." Annie tried to push her away, but missed because she hadn't looked up to see where she was.
"I'm checking up on you. Are you sleeping?"
"Go away." Annie's voice was louder, almost stirring Juliette in the next bed.
"Okay, but if you can't sleep, you can come talk to me or Peter. You know that right?" Sophie wanted her to know that.
"Whatever." She snuggled against her pillow. Before leaving, Sophie checked everyone again.
Peter came into the office from visiting the Cliffhanger boy's cabin. Sophie was waiting for him.
"Someone get lost?"
"No, but I think I've figured out why Annie sleeps during the day."
"Why?"
"She can't sleep at night. She lays there."
"You said she had a problem sleeping on her way here, didn't you?"
"Yes, but eventually she passed out. Every time I go into that cabin at night, she always moves her face away from the flashlight's ray."
"Lets keep her up tomorrow during the day and see if she can sleep."
"And how are we going to do that?" Sophie saw Peter's eyes light up.
"Group activity," He paused, "Something that will take a while. Maybe a game."
"That might work, but will we be able to get her to participate?"
"We can try," Peter explained. He gave her a playful smile.
"You're unpredictable." Sophie smiled back.
"Okay, one of you boys are going to have to go twice so Annie can go," Peter told them. He was with the boys on top of a towering tower. A net connected another tower that was several meters away and where the girls stood with Sophie.
"Scott since Annie trusts you more, you think you can?"
"Sure," Scott said, looking across at Shelby, who waved.
"I thought this thing is supposed to teach us to trust one other," Ezra said.
"It is, but since Annie's never been on this, I want someone she feels comfortable with to be her partner."
"And she's not comfortable with us?" Auggie asked. All Peter had to do was give him a look, to make him stop talking.
"Check you're harness again Ezra."
"Checking Oh Mighty One."
"Enough with the sarcasm, Ezra," Peter told him.
"Feels good to me." Peter waved to Sophie, who waved to the go ahead.
Ezra watched as Daisy jumped off the platform while holding onto the swing, like acrobats' use. He walked off, flying toward her. She let go as she neared him and he caught her.
"Hi there," Ezra smiled at her as they fell toward the net.
"Good job!" Sophie and the others (except Annie) congratulated. She unhooked them from their harnesses. Scott and Shelby went next: Doing perfect. Juliette had let go too soon, so had missed Auggie. She had screamed while falling to the net. Now Scott was back at the other tower hooked up in the harness again. Sophie wasn't having a great time convincing Annie to put on her harness.
"You'll be fine, if you miss you'll just fall like Jules did and there's a net so you won't get hurt. The harness slows you down as you fall," Sophie assured her. Annie didn't look any more relieved than the first time she had told her that.
"Just try it, its really fun once you get the hang of it," Juliette said, "Shelby's afraid of heights and she's learned to like it."
"Would you feel safer if Peter went instead of Scott?" Sophie asked. Annie didn't trust any of them, but if she had to go, she wanted Scott. She looked down, confused and scared. She didn't like the Cliffhangers staring at her like they were doing now. She wanted them to go away or at least turn around.
"Do I have to?" Annie asked, trying to sound brave.
"We won't force you to do something you don't wish to do, but we'd be happy if you tried something new and we'll stay here until you do."
"I have other things to do besides this," Shelby said, annoyed.
"You'll wait with the rest of us Shel," Sophie said.
"What's taking so long?" Scott asked.
"She probably doesn't want to do it," Peter guessed.
"How long are we going to wait?"
"How ever long it takes for Annie to decide whether she really wants to do this."
"So she doesn't have to?"
"Not really, but hopefully Sophie isn't giving her that option," Peter said. He then waved at Sophie, seeing if they were ready, but Sophie didn't wave back, so they waited.
"Come on Annie," Sophie pleaded. Sighing Annie stepped forward and let her strap on the harness.
"You don't have to do this." Sophie saw the look on her face.
"I want to," She said.
She nodded, "Okay, just get on with it and it'll be fine." She patted her on the back, which Annie went sideways to avoid. Sophie didn't question her. She waved over at Peter. Receiving a wave back, she nodded at Annie.
Annie took a deep breath. I want to do this, I want to be brave and not a coward, she told herself. She closed her eyes. Counting to three, she jumped. Opening her eyes, she saw Scott do the same and haul towards her. Wait, wait, she said. Her heart was beating frantically inside her chest, it almost hurt. In fact, it did start to hurt. What's wrong with me? Almost envelop in the pain, she almost forgot to let go. Letting go, she got caught in one of the wires, it wrapped around her arm. She screamed in pain as it cut into her skin.
Annie grabbed one of Scott's legs while going past. She struggled to hold on with the pain. She started to panic and cry as she felt the warm blood slide down her arm.
Scott looked down at her; she was leaning against his leg.
"Annie, you okay?" He asked. Her felt her shake her head. Scott tried to think of a safe way for them to get down, for they had stopped moving and now where in the middle of the two towers. The one wire that was tied around Annie was next to him. Maybe if Annie let go with that arm, he could carefully unroll it off of her.
"Annie, your arm, that has the wire, let go with that arm, I'm going to try to unravel it."
"I . . . I can't," He heard her say.
"Yes, you can." Shakily she listened to him.
"Hold it up, towards the sky." He reached for a spot close to her arm and tried to pull it. That resulted in Annie screaming in more pain.
"Sorry, I guess that won't work." Scott looked around him. Everyone looked worried.
"Give me one of your hands." Scott's arm was begging to tire from holding on. Annie extended her hand to him. He gripped hers and pulled her up. Her hand slipped, she screamed, but Scott grabbed her again.
"You have to help me pull you up." Annie did. Once up at his level, she snuggled her head into his chest and held on tightly around him.
Scott looked up now. If they fell, the wire would cut even deeper into Annie's arm.
"I'm going to let go of you to switch arms, can you hold on?"
"I can try," She said.
"Try as hard as you can." He let go and held onto the bar above his head. Then allowed his other hand to let go of the bar. He shook the feeling back into it, forcing blood to flow again.
"Let go with that one arm again. I'm going to try again to get it off. It should work now that you're closer." Annie swallowed and let go. Scott was able to get right on her arm and tear it off. He did it slowly, as Annie started to whimper in pain.
"There," Scott said, letting the wire go. Annie held onto Scott again.
"You're going to have to let go, you'll fall safely to the net," Scott told her. She shook her head.
"Its okay, you'll be fine. Just let go. I'm going to have to let go, too."
Annie swallowed and looked down. Quickly she looked back up, cuddling against Scott.
"I should have told you to never look down," He laughed to ease the moment, which didn't work.
"Would you like me to let go and then we both fall?" He asked, "But then before we land you have to let go so I don't land on you." Annie tried to think; God I wish I had something sharp, was what came to mind. She sighed once again, "I'll let go," she said. Strangely to Scott those words had a different meaning than what it should have meant. He just nodded. Annie closed her eyes, letting go and falling toward the Earth. The harness did slow down and she landed softly on the net. Peter was climbing down to get her. He reached for her hand to help her across. Annie didn't let him and bounced toward the tower with no people on it. Scott now landed. He had blood on his one hand from helping Annie.
"She okay?" He asked.
"She's traumatized at the moment." Scott nodded and followed Annie.
Getting to the top, which was steep because it had to reach up to the tower, Annie struggled. Her arm hurt too much to climb. She stopped and sat down.
"Do you want help?" Peter asked, behind her now. She shook her head and carried on the aching task. At the top she attempted to take off the harness, but wasn't successful. She wouldn't let Peter near her.
"Can I help you get it off?" Scott asked already finished with his. She didn't want any one to touch her, but she liked Scott more.
"That wound needs to be checked out," Peter informed, "Let's get to the infirmary." Everyone else headed off to lunch.
"She did that on purpose," Shelby told Daisy.
"Why?"
"To get attention."
"How do you know this?" Juliette asked.
"Because I know." They sat at the table with the others. Annie joined them a while later. Her arm was covered in a bandage. She just drank her juice and put her head down.
Sophie watched Annie from across the room, "I told her it was safe," she said to Peter.
"She doesn't blame you."
"How do you know? Did you ask her?"
"No . . ."
"Then you don't know."
"Alright, I don't," Peter gave in. He strolled over to the table.
"Eat Annie." Without a glance at him, Annie pushed her tray off the table. It made a clatter as it hit the floor.
"You get to clean that up and next week you have an extra kitchen duty." She didn't respond.
"Annie, would you like to come to my office and talk?" He asked. Annie got up and walked away. Before she could get far, Peter grasped a hold of her and gave her a hug.
"Let go!" She yelled and broke free. Outside Peter tried to give her another hug, but she plopped down on the ground.
"Leave me alone." She didn't sound angry. Sophie was now outside.
"Annie, I'm sorry. I didn't know that would happen," She apologized.
"It has nothing to do with that, I just want to be alone."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Peter asked.
"No, I want to be left alone," She repeated.
"If you clean up the mess you made, but even then, you only get an hour and then we're having more activities." Annie rolled her eyes. Is this really going to be my life for the next few years? Annie asked herself, getting up.
One at a time, the flashlight landed on each of the girls' faces. Once on Annie's, she didn't move. Sophie held it there for a moment, wanting to make sure she was sleeping. Annie sighed in the slumber and moved the bandaged arm, but nothing else.
Once the door shut, Annie's eyes barely opened. They stared off into space for a second before closing.
