As soon as we’d all suited up, we traveled in pods of color to the lake. Situated in four piles along the edge were an inflatable raft, two oars, and a length of rope.
“Each team has a lane,” our Econ teacher shouted. My dad arranged colored posters in front of the lane lines bobbing in the lake. “When the start gun is fired, you will work together to inflate the raft, situate every team member on the raft at the same time using the rope to stabilize yourselves, and use the two oars to row the length of the lake. If a team member falls into the water, your team’s time will be restarted. You must have every team member balanced on the raft to clear this challenge. Once your team has reached dry land, you must deflate the raft and zip it back into its bag.” He raised an impossibly small nylon bag in the air. “The team with the lowest time wins.” He smiled and rubbed his jaw. “Good luck.”
Seth beamed in his purple wet suit. There was nothing he liked more than a good team-building activity, and I knew he’d give anything to join Siegfried in Chicago this summer. The rest of his team looked a little bored, rounded out by Porter, who looked shattered. A spattering of members on other teams looked excited at the prospect of a summer in Chicago, which would make the challenge particularly interesting as some would try to lose and others win. Not to mention the fact that the challenge was borderline impossible. There were five people on each team. Five people plus a cheap raft meant for one seemed lofty at best.
But we had to win. I was beginning to think that the farther Naomi and Bradley were from Pemberly Brown this summer, the better. I’d worry about myself later. I surveyed my team. Taylor held hands with Bethany and jumped up and down excitedly. They seemed like they were in it to win it in spite of the fact that Bethany was half giant and might be difficult to balance on the raft. Naomi strategized with Bradley.
“Teams get ready!” Siegfried shouted, pointing a small start gun into the air. Smiles spread around the crowd in anticipation of the crazy challenge, and everyone huddled around the supplies. “And go!” One shot was fired, and rafts were yanked from the bag. Apparently a team trip to Chicago was too much to pass up, because everyone worked fast.
Taylor took position in front of the raft as the first person to inflate it while Bethany and I smoothed the wrinkles. Naomi held a corner and Bradley raised his eyebrows. When Taylor grew tired, we switched and began to make headway, the raft slowly coming to life. Seth’s purple team circled around an almost-inflated raft, strategizing before throwing it into the lake. This would be close. Blue wasn’t far behind. Liam’s orange team was a hot mess of laughter and arguments.
The real fun came when we all tried to pile on the raft. Bethany was the first to board, using the oar against the edge of the beach to stabilize herself. Barely. Taylor came next, the raft tilting at precarious angles. When Bradley loaded, the entire thing capsized from the center out, restarting our team’s clock. Taylor pulled herself from the water in her typical dramatic fashion, and I found myself biting back laughter. Other teams were giggling and shouting at soaked teammates.
“We need a better plan,” Naomi insisted, pointing to the letters on her suit. “We have to work together.”
I narrowed my eyes. This coming from the girl willing to do just about anything to fulfill her family’s dream. Even murder. Bradley pouted near shore, water up to his torso, droplets glistening off his shaved head. He didn’t lose well. Taylor wrung out her hair and nodded in agreement.
“Bradley, you need to load first. You’re the heaviest,” Naomi informed him. “But stay low to the raft. Let’s squeeze as close together as possible. If we run out of space, Kate, you can sandwich on top of Bradley. You don’t mind, right?” She laughed in my direction, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course not,” I said, keeping my voice steady. And yet…
Bradley jumped on the raft belly down. Bethany loaded next, grabbing the rope Bradley held out so she wouldn’t tip. She squeezed in as close as she could so Naomi could fit on the other side. The raft wobbled, but didn’t flip with Naomi’s weight. Taylor clung half on, half off as the raft threatened to tip, but finally jumped into the pile as everyone clung to the edges. I held my breath and everyone, soaking wet around me, did the same. Water splashed over the side, but she made it, the raft stabilizing after a few seconds. I could tell the raft was full to capacity, that my weight would surely tip the entire thing. It probably wasn’t worth even trying. But Seth’s team in the last lane was just about as close as we were. I couldn’t let them win.
Instead, I geared up and slid my body on top of the pile. Bradley tensed as I positioned myself, the raft tipping to the left and then the right and almost buckling in the middle. The orange team cheered, having all but quit the challenge. Seth’s team was halfway across the lake, teetering but rowing.
“Come on, guys!” Naomi cheered from her position. “Conventus!” She just couldn’t help herself.
The word was distracting to me, the raft swaying dangerously beneath us. I glanced at our competition, square in the center of the lake, attempting to reach one of the oars that had fallen off the side. We were still in this. My fingers wrapped around the oar and I pulled it in, using a lane marker to stabilize myself as best as I could.
I pushed the oar into the water and got the raft moving. Soon we were positioned close to Seth’s team, one ridiculous pile of people neck and neck with another. And then the second I thought we had the win, the moment I pictured Naomi and Bradley miles away for the summer, removed from the equation, we were under the water instead of on top of it, the raft flinging out from under our weight.
“Congratulations, Purple Team, and congratulations, Ms. Lowry!” My flaming hair was plastered to the sides of my face and I choked on lake water when I heard Siegfried say my name. “You have all won internships with my company this summer!”
“But I lost!” I sounded like a petulant child, but I was too cold and too tired to care. A summer internship sounded like the most miserable form of punishment. Especially if it meant leaving Naomi and Bradley behind.
“You won the first challenge, Ms. Lowry. That has not gone unnoticed.” Siegfried’s eyes were kind, and my dad gave me a double thumbs-up from behind his back. Of course he wanted me away for the summer. He probably thought getting away from Pemberly Brown might help me heal or at least help me forget.
Yeah, right.
And the cherry on top of my melting glob of ice cream was when my eyes landed on Liam on the beach beside Bethany. She had him wrapped in her arms and was whispering something into his ear. Suddenly being hundreds of miles away from my life didn’t sound so terrible.