At the river’s edge, we were put into groups of four and assigned canoes. We all had to wear life jackets and listen to instructions as well as a safety talk before hopping in and paddling off.
Once we got going, we managed to set a pretty good rhythm and before we knew it, our group had paddled quite a distance down the river.
“We’d better wait for the others,” I said as we paddled around a sharp bend.
We had been told to stay within sight of the instructor so we decided to wait for them all to catch up. Within a minute or so, Blake and Jack’s canoe appeared and then right behind them was the instructor.
Even though I was still annoyed with him, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “How cool would it be if I was in Blake’s canoe?” and I pictured the scene in my mind.
A couple of the other groups were struggling though and weaving all over the place; they just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it.
Then without warning, I felt our canoe start to wobble. I turned around to see what was causing it and to my horror, there was Cassie Jenkins, one of the girls in our group, standing and making her way to the front where I was sitting.
“What are you doing?” I called to her.
“Sit down,” yelled Millie. “You’ll make us capsize!”
And just as those words left Millie’s lips, over we went. All four of us fell into the water. Now this wouldn’t have been so bad but we could not turn the canoe over again and even though it was a warm day, the water was freezing!
As well as being cold, I felt totally embarrassed, especially with the boys watching. Our plan had been to prove that we could do everything better than them but now we were bobbing around in the freezing water feeling humiliated and embarrassed! All the other groups were laughing hysterically and even the instructor thought it was funny watching us struggle to get our canoe flipped over again.
Just as I started to despair that we’d never manage it, a pair of hands appeared beside mine on the edge of the canoe and when I looked to see whose they were, Blake’s head popped up from under the surface of the water. He had dived in to give us a hand and with his help we soon managed to get the canoe upright. As we clumsily clambered back in, we gave Cassie strict instructions to stay in one spot from then on.
“I just wanted to have a turn at the front,” she wined. “I didn’t mean to capsize the boat!”
“Well, thank goodness Blake helped us,” said Millie. “Without him, we’d still be floating around in the freezing river!”
I glanced timidly in his direction but he was already paddling off.
“Yeah, that was a pretty nice thing for him to do,” I commented. “No one else was in any hurry to help us.”
While paddling back to our starting spot, I thought briefly about Blake and wondered why he was being so nice. I later put him out of my mind though, as our group headed down to the horse stables. Horse riding was going to be the highlight of the whole camp as only a few of us had ever ridden before.
“I’m nervous,” said Cassie. “What if my horse takes off?”
“You’ll be fine,” replied Millie. “These horses are especially chosen for beginner riders. I’ve been on trail rides before and the horses are always very well-behaved.”
“I hope so!” was Cassie’s worried reply.
“Hi girls!” called a familiar voice from behind us. I turned quickly, absolutely appalled to see Sara Hamilton walking in our direction.
“What are you doing here?” asked Millie in an unfriendly tone.
“My group has too many in it, so I volunteered to join this one. I thought it would be really fun to go riding with you guys!”
Her smug retort made my stomach drop and a feeling of dread seemed to take control of my senses. She gave me a distinctly piercing look and then turned to smile sweetly at Blake.
“Hi Blake!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were in this group.”
“Yeah, I bet you didn’t.” I thought to myself. And Millie and I exchanged sickened glances.
“Just ignore her,” Millie whispered. “It’ll be fine.”
We were greeted by the riding instructors who helped to fit us each with a helmet and then asked if anyone had had experience with horses.
“Oh, Julia Jones knows how to ride!” exclaimed Sara loudly.
Once again, she had taken the opportunity to draw attention to me with the sole purpose of causing as much humiliation as possible and I was too overwhelmed to contradict her. Our dump in the river was enough embarrassment for one day, so I kept quiet.
“Well then Julia,” the instructor said. “You can ride Jazzy. She’s our most forward moving horse and is best for someone with experience.”
The feeling of anxiety that I had become so acquainted with lately, overtook me. It was true that I had ridden before, but only a couple of times and I would hardly say that I was experienced. Now it was my turn to start feeling nervous.
We were all given instructions before mounting our horses and then asked to ride in a circle around the arena. After a few laps, we followed in a line out onto the trail with one of the instructors in the lead and one at the very rear. Blake Jansen was furthest from my mind at that point, and I focused on the trail ahead.
I could feel that my horse, Jazzy wanted to get going and the slow pace that the instructor had set didn’t seem to satisfy her. I pulled on the reins to slow her down but to no avail, she was keen to get moving.
“This is fun!” I heard Cassie call out from somewhere way behind me.
She’d been put on the slowest horse that was delegated to the rear and was obviously feeling quite safe. Sara was right in front of me on a beautiful white pony called Starlight. It was so typical that she had ended up with the prettiest horse of them all.
Then out of the blue and without warning Starlight kicked out with his back legs towards Jazzy, probably because Jazzy had been too close. Sara let out a piercing scream which completely startled Jazzy and then I screamed as well. Jazzy started to trot which quickly turned into a canter and before I knew what was happening, she had overtaken the instructor’s horse and was bolting along the track.
My screams seemed to add to her excitement and before long she was at a full gallop. All I could do was hold onto the reins as tightly as I could in the hope of being able to stay on her. Tree branches brushed past me in a total blur and I soon closed my eyes as it was too terrifying to keep them open.
I have no idea how I managed to stay on that horse but after what seemed like an eternity, I could feel her start to slow down. I opened my eyes and realized that one of the instructors had caught up to me, grabbed Jazzy’s reins and pulled her to a stop. I was in too much shock to say or do anything but when the instructor asked if I was ok, I burst into tears.
“It’s ok,” she said soothingly. “We’re almost back at the stables. Jazzy got a fright and was heading home. I’ve never seen her behave like this before though, it is very unusual. I don’t know what got into her today!”
She helped me to dismount and we both walked our horses back to the stables where the others were waiting. I could feel myself still shaking as everyone surrounded me, asking if I was ok. I noticed Blake looking on with concern. Sara stood back probably annoyed that I was getting so much attention.
By that stage, I’d had more than enough excitement for one day and strode past her ignoring her glaring look. All I wanted to do was go back to the cabin and be left alone for a while.
“Why did I agree to go on this camp?” I asked myself. “I should have known that it would be a disaster.”
But nothing could have prepared me for what lay ahead.
The note…
After dinner that night and songs around the campfire, we all headed back to our cabins where we were told to get organized for bed. Totally exhausted from the day’s events, I climbed onto one of the lower bunks where I had my sleeping bag neatly laid out. The other girls were still chatting excitedly, but I’d had quite enough by the
n and was desperately looking forward to some sleep.
When I opened the zip I spotted a piece of yellow paper stuck inside, partly hidden from view. Curious, I pulled it out and realized that a note had been roughly scribbled down and addressed to me…
I knew instantly who the note was from and looked nervously around the cabin wondering if anyone had seen me reading it. But the girls were all too engrossed in trying to outdo each other with scary stories and hadn’t even noticed what I was doing.
That familiar anxious feeling crawled up my spine and sent cold shivers throughout my entire body.
“What am I going to do?” I thought to myself. “What is Sara up to now?”
Fearfully, I climbed into bed and turned my head towards the wall, wondering why this was happening to me and knowing full well that if I went along there would be trouble.
But if I didn’t go, it might get worse. Although, maybe she just wanted to settle our differences and become friends? I grasped hold of that thought, hoping desperately that it would be the case. Deep down inside however, I was sure that I would not be so lucky.
The Meeting…
The sound of my alarm was muffled by the thick padding of my sleeping bag. I had hidden it under the covers so as not to disturb anyone but the alarm hadn’t been necessary as there was no way that I could have fallen asleep. My stomach was in knots with anticipation over what lay ahead and I crept quickly and quietly out of bed, changed into some clothes and slipped silently out the door.
The beam of my flashlight shone brightly along the track. However, I didn’t really need it as the light of the full moon was more than enough to guide me, and before I knew it, I had reached the stables.
I heard the nicker of a horse as I approached and when I peered inside, Sara’s long blonde hair and cold blue eyes suddenly emerged from the darkness.
“I didn’t think you’d come!” she said in a mocking tone.
“I didn’t think I had a choice!” was my anxious reply. “What’s going on Sara? What’s this all about? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I questioned her, hoping for an answer at last.
“Come with me!” was her only response.
As we headed along the bush track, following the beam of her flashlight, I summoned the courage to ask, “Where are we going? Where are you taking me?”
I could feel myself shaking nervously but my curiosity was too much. I had to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.
“I have something to show you,” she said. “Something you need to see!”
We walked silently on deeper and deeper into the bush and just as I was about to say, “This is enough! I’m going back!” we reached a small shed that was partly hidden amongst the trees.
“We’re here!” she said, holding the door open wide. “Have a look inside and you’ll see.”
Although I felt overwhelmed with apprehension, I had become way too curious and took a step forwards into the darkened interior.
The sudden sound of the door slamming shut behind me followed by the click of a bolt filled me with dread. As I directed my flashlight back towards the door, I could see that it had been tightly closed and when I tried to push it open, it wouldn’t budge.
Like a lightning bolt, the realization hit me. Sara had tricked me. She had locked me in and left. I banged fiercely on the door and screamed, “Sara, what are you doing? Let me out! Let me out! Please let me out!” But there was no reply.
Just before the beam of my flashlight dimmed to a tiny glow, I spotted one small window set into the corner of a wall and then I was left in darkness.
“Oh no, the batteries are dead!” I thought with total disbelief. “But this is crazy! How on earth could she have done this to me? She has to be insane!”
Then, panic stricken, I realized abruptly that my screams for help would not be heard and looked towards the window as my only means of escape.
It’s all too much…
I sat up with a start. “Where am I? What am I doing here?”
These were the thoughts racing through my head as I groggily regained consciousness. “What happened to me?”
The throbbing pain in my hand caused me to look down and as I stared at the vivid pool of blood that had formed on the ground, my memory jolted back into focus.
The feeling of claustrophobia that had overcome me had been too much and I recalled my efforts to escape through the tiny window, even though I knew it would have been impossible to fit through. The throbbing pain was a reminder of the glass louver that I had broken after trying to remove it from the window frame. And the rush of adrenalin I had felt after accidentally slicing my hand with broken glass was fresh in my mind. But that had given me the strength I needed to finally push the door open.
“I must have passed out just after I escaped,” I thought to myself as I unsteadily got to my feet, looking around in the dim early morning light and feeling grateful at least that I could now see where I was going.
The sun was only just rising and with a quick glance around, I soon spotted a well-worn track to my left. I stumbled forwards, holding onto the gash on my hand, thankful that the blood had seemed to stop flowing. I headed along the track, praying that it would lead me back to the campground and the safety of my cabin.
Before long, the stables appeared in full view and I felt weak with relief. I staggered up the hill towards my cabin and burst through the door only to find everyone still asleep in bed, completely oblivious to what I had been through.
“Millie!” I exclaimed as I shook her awake. “I think I need a doctor!”
The sequence of events from that moment on had become a total blur and all I could think about now was how grateful I was to be back at home and in the comfort and safety of my own bed. The look of concern on my mother’s face as she hovered over me, sponging my forehead with a damp towel was the reassurance I needed and I sank into a deep and dreamless sleep.
“Julia Jones!” Mom exclaimed from the chair by my bedside where she had been sitting for the past several hours. “I’m so glad you’re awake. I’ve been worried sick about you!”
I looked down at my hand, realizing that it was covered in a thick white bandage.
“You have 10 stitches. And the doctor said that you lost a lot of blood. What on earth happened at camp, Julia? How did you end up like this?”
I looked into my mother’s eyes and abruptly burst into tears.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” her gentle, supportive tone was the prompt that I needed. And without another moment’s hesitation, I poured forth the whole story, not skipping a single detail.
“Julia, you should have told me sooner!” she exclaimed. “I’ve had no idea what you’ve been going through all this time.”
“I didn’t think that you would understand,” I burst out. “And I had no one that I could tell. I’m so scared Mom. I don’t want to go back to school, ever!”
I lay there thinking about the nightmare that I had just been through, wondering if it had really happened. It all seemed too surreal.
“I’m going to make an appointment with your school principal tomorrow,” Mom stated adamantly. “We need to get to the bottom of this. Sara obviously needs help. This situation has become out of control and dangerous. You should not have let it get this far!”
I felt helpless and scared. What if Mom made the situation worse! Why couldn’t I just change schools anyway? Was this nightmare ever going to end?
Mom visits the school…
“I went to see Mrs. Harding today,” said Mom as she walked into my room the following afternoon and sat down on my bed. “Apparently she was contacted by your teacher who informed her that you had to be taken to the hospital. Mrs. Jackson thinks that you must have tripped and fallen on some broken glass that was found outside your cabin.”
“But that’s not true!” I felt sick with dismay as the words my mother had spoken started to really sink in.
“Mrs. Harding reminded me of your attitu
de towards Sara since her arrival at the school and as well as that, your outburst when you were called to her office last week.”
The look of skepticism on Mom’s face showed that she was now having doubts about my story as well. “She has arranged an appointment with the school counselor for Monday, Julia. As I’ve said to you before, you really need to speak to someone and she is qualified to deal with situations like this. Hopefully she can give you girls the help and advice you need to finally get over the issues you’re having with each other.”
My heart sank. She really was going to make me go back to school. And it looked like Sara was going to get away with what she had done. How on earth was I going to be able to face her on Monday? I sat up on my bed, propped up by pillows and watched my mother silently leave my room.
“I can’t let her get away with this, I thought. “I just can’t! But what am I going to do?”
My head spun with visions of Sara’s gloating expression as I walked into the classroom on Monday morning. How on earth was I going to find the courage to face her? I prayed for a miracle but deep down I knew that she had outsmarted me again.
A cry for help…
As I sat in the school counselor’s office on Monday morning, I was grateful at least for the chance to avoid class. I hadn’t even seen Sara yet and was hoping that maybe she was having the day off school. It had been such a huge challenge to walk into the classroom as I was absolutely dreading the thought of coming face to face with her. But it did make me feel better when Millie and all the girls from my cabin surrounded me, asking about my hand and hoping that I was ok.
They’d all been led to believe that I had probably tripped on my way back from the bathroom and then landed on the broken glass that had mysteriously appeared outside our cabin. I decided that it was best to keep the truth to myself for the moment, for fear of making matters worse. But as I faced the counselor, sitting in a chair opposite me, I wondered how she would react to my story.
Julia Jones' Diary - Boxed Set - Books 2 to 6 Page 4