Delinquent Camp

Chapter Twenty-Four

           A/N: I apologize in advance for the possibility of me taking my time to update after this tragic chapter. I'm also sorry for what's about to happen, so please don't hate me! <3 :$

           Twenty-Four

        Ember turns around, leaving me speechless. There are so many thoughts running through my head; so many questions. But I have nothing to say to Ember as she walks across the sand, leaving me by myself in the pouring rain.

            I stand frozen for a long time.

            By the time I do grab the kayak, my hands are shaking. In fact, my whole body is shaking. I want to cry, I want to scream. But as I start paddling towards the island in the middle of a thunderstorm, I focus on my fear of being electrocuted instead.

            “This is a stupid idea, Gemma,” I mutter to myself as lightning flashes across the sky. Thunder quickly screams in my ears right after and I paddle faster.

            If it hadn’t been for what Ember said, I probably wouldn’t be doing something so stupid right now. Before, I could simply wait out the storm and worry slightly about Danny. But now, if I weren’t on my way, I would be freaking out until I found out the truth.

            My knuckles turn white from how hard I’m gripping the paddle, but I don’t care. If I wasn’t bottling everything inside right now, I’d probably be yelling at the sky to electrocute me already.

            It’s hard to see the island through the rain and the splashes each drop makes when it hits the lake. But as I near it, I faintly see the outline of the trees and I start looking for the canoe.

            Danny promised me he wouldn’t go here alone. He knew it wasn’t safe, but clearly he didn’t listen. Even though right now I’m so upset and angry that I want to strangle him, I worry that he’s hurt. He promised me he wouldn’t go to the island alone and if he skipped the meeting with Michelle, he must have been there all day.

            When I reach the shore, I carefully find footing on the bottom of the water and drag the kayak towards shore. I drop it on the ground with a thud and start looking for the canoe. It takes me a few minutes, but after quickly searching, I finally find it leaning against a tree. Danny must have thought that it would blow away in the storm.

            “Danny?” I call, scouting the small island. I look everywhere until the only place I have is the rope swing. Danny may be stupid, but he doesn’t lack so much common sense that he would be swinging into the water in the middle of a thunderstorm.

            “Hello!” I yell again, reaching the large tree. “Danny? Where are you?”

            “Up here!”

            I flinch, completely caught off guard. I half expected him to not be here. But when I take a few steps back and look up the rope swing tree, I see him sitting on the large branch, a worried look on his face.