A Silver Summer

Chapter 16

Ivy scoffed. "Yeah right. It didn't just kind of hit him. It rocketed to him. Like, a line drive to his stomach." Skinner boomed out his loud laugh and ruffled Anika's hair ignoring her protests. 

"Haven't they all learned not to mess with our Annie." he chuckled when she finally slapped his hands away. 

"You would think they would, but then again guys aren't all that bright." Mel smirked at Skinner. 

"Hey!" the girls laughed at Skinner's pouty face. 

"So you got that kid back, but what's the plan for Ryleigh?" Skinner changed topic. 

"Okay, so we have the eggs hidden in our cabin. Before everyone arrives at the bon fire, we're going to set the rest of the plan in motion." Keira explained. 

"What's the rest of the plan?" 

"We can't tell you." Mel said exasperatedly. "You can't lie or keep a secret to save your life."

"Fine. Do you need me to do anything?" Skinner offered. 

"Actually, we need a bucket." Anika mentioned. 

"I can get one. I'm on clean up duty after lunch anyway. I'll just sneak one out." Skinner nodded. 

"Great. Just drop it off at our cabin when you get it." Anika instructed. 

After lunch, Anika, Ivy and Keira followed the path to the lake for a session of afternoon canoeing. Skinner was going to be late because of clean up duty and Mel had art. 

There was only supposed to be two people to a boat but Keira managed to let the instructor allow for Anika and Ivy to join her in one canoe. Across the lake, Ryleigh was already set afloat in his canoe with another kid who Anika presumed was his cabin mate only because she'd seen him around Ryleigh a few times before. 

"Ready?" Ivy asked as Keira hopped into the front of the long boat and picked up one of the paddles and handed the other to Anika at the back of the boat. 

"Alright, set us loose." Keira gave permission to the pink haired girl who obeyed and untied the rope that kept them from pulling away from the dock. She jumped aboard and let out a squeal as the canoe rocked a bit. 

"No one rock the boat." Keira said with one hand on her paddle in a death grip and the other white knuckled hand clamping to her seat. 

"What's wrong? You can swim, right?" Anika dipped her paddle into the inky black and blue water and started to steer them out towards the lake. 

"Of course I can swim." Keira laughed nervously. Ivy turned around in the middle seat to share a look with Anika before facing forwards again. 

"Then what's the problem?"

"At the beach, I can touch the bottom." Keira started to explain, forcing herself to be calm. "Out in the middle of this stupid lake I can't."

"Oh, so you're afraid of what's beneath you?" Anika asked as she watched the other canoes around her.  

"Exactly." Keira whispered and cautiously peered over the edge of the boat. 

"I won't rock the boat if you won't rock the boat. I'm not in the mood to fall in." Ivy shrugged and stuck her hand in the water as the boat easily skimmed across the surface. 

"Alright everyone, just stay in the main lake for a while and get used to the oars and steering." the instructor was in his own one-person kayak with a megaphone lifted to his mouth. He listed off a bunch of rules like no splashing each other, no ramming into other boats and no purposely capsizing the canoes.