CHAPTER 5:
Back at the campground mid-evening, CR, Denise, and Rachel were sitting around the campfire eating s'mores.
"How is it, kiddo?" Denise asked.
"Delicious," Rachel said, satisfied.
"Glad you like them. Does this make up for what happened earlier today?" Denise asked.
"Yeah. I keep looking at that lake, wondering if it'll ever be safe for me to swim again," Rachel said, slightly worried.
"Of course it will. Like I said before, there's no way that could've been a real shark," CR assured Rachel.
"How do you know for sure?" Rachel asked.
"Because she's right," a mystery woman wearing a wetsuit spoke from behind them.
"Um, can we help you?" CR asked.
"You probably don't remember me, but I used to be a Bella," the woman said.
"There's one way to know if we do..." Denise said.
"Yeah. Could you remove your goggles and the hood of your wetsuit, please?" CR asked as she did so.
The mystery woman turned out to be none other than...
"Mary Elise?" CR and Denise asked.
"That's right. I was the one wearing the shark fin," Mary Elise confessed as she showed the family the shark fin she attached to her wetsuit.
"See, Rachel? I told you there were no real sharks out there," CR said.
"I'm only confessing what I did because I feel awful about scaring your daughter like that," Mary Elise said.
"Then why did you do it?" Denise asked.
"Because I was hired to," Mary Elise explained.
"By who?" CR asked.
"Remember Kori? The other girl that Aubrey kicked out of the Bellas during freshman year?" Mary Elise asked.
"Yeah. But how could she have hired you? Last I remember, she was in jail for robbing a bank and trying to frame Aubrey for it," CR remembered.
"She was. The judge gave her a five-year prison sentence, as well as two years of parole. Anyway, after her parole ended, she came to find me and told me she still wanted revenge for being kicked out of the Bellas. She wanted me to help, but I didn't want to," Mary Elise explained.
"So, what made you give in?" Denise asked.
"She promised me $25,000!" Mary Elise said, prompting shocked gasps from CR and Denise.
"What? Twenty-five grand just to scare our daughter?" CR asked.
"She didn't care what I did. She just wanted the revenge, but after I saw how frightened your daughter was by the potential shark attack, I felt awful about what I did. I called Kori and explained everything only to find out she tried to bribe me with money she didn't even have to begin with," Mary Elise explained.
"So, she basically manipulated you?" Denise asked.
"Yeah. Pretty much," Mary Elise confessed.
"You don't need girls like that in your life. If I were you, I'd block her number from your phone," CR suggested.
"Already done," Mary Elise said with confidence.
"Just out of curiosity, what were you going to do with the 25 grand if Kori had paid you the money?" Denise asked.
"My mom has to have a kidney transplant, and I was going to put the money towards her surgery," Mary Elise explained.
"Tell you what: We can help pay for your mom's transplant, but on one condition..." CR said, motioning to Rachel.
Mary Elise nodded as she got down to Rachel's eye level.
"I'm sorry I scared you. That's not who I want to be. I'm also sorry if I ruined your camping trip. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me," Mary Elise said as she waited for a response from Rachel.
"What do you say, Rachel?" CR asked.
"Okay," Rachel agreed, accepting the apology as Mary Elise gave her a hug.
"I'm proud of you, girl. How about I give you my number and then we can keep in touch," CR offered as she took out a small piece of paper with a pencil and wrote down her phone number to give to Mary Elise.
"Thank you. I'll give you a call in a few days to let you know the details about the transplant," Mary Elise said, putting the number in her phone.
"Great. We'll be in touch," CR said as Mary Elise left.
"Well, Rachel, you still scared?" Denise asked.
"Not as much now," Rachel said.
"Good. How about we skip the ghost story tonight and just go to sleep after we finish our s'mores?" Denise suggested.
"I agree. Our daughter does not need two scares on the same day," CR said.
"In that case, see you in the morning," Denise said as they all went into their tents for the night after putting out the campfire.
The next morning, everything CR, Denise, and Rachel brought to the campsite was packed away in the car as the family prepared to head home.
"Well, Rachel, aside from what happened yesterday, was this a fun experience?" Denise asked.
"Yeah. I'd love to come back," Rachel confirmed.
"Well, that can definitely be arranged. In fact, maybe we come here for one weekend every summer," CR suggested.
"I'd like that," Rachel said.
"Now come on; we've got a long five-hour drive home," Denise reminded them as the family got in the car and left the campsite.
Four days later, CR, Denise, and Rachel met up with Mary Elise in Albany (where she and her mother were currently residing). Before they made the trip up, CR withdrew the $25,000 she and Denise promised Mary Elise for her mother's transplant. Mary Elise and her mother rode with CR, Denise, and Rachel to the local hospital so the transplant could officially begin. Denise knew Rachel would be bored spending several hours in the waiting room, so she took Rachel to a local park while CR and Mary Elise waited anxiously for the results. Hours later, when the transplant was completed, CR and Mary Elise learned that the operation was a success.
THE END!