Advert for Omaka Camp

Just think, you’re looking for a place to stay for a while, out of the way but not too isolated, and you don't know where to go. Well, we have just the place for you.

Located in a lovely spot on the edge of town, this calm serene camp offers a chance to escape the hassles of everyday life. Suitable for all ages, one of the things that make this camp so special is a beautiful clear lake running right through camp, great for rafting and feeding the eels, if you're game.

So, as far as sleeping arrangements go, you have the choice for either bringing a tent, or sleeping in the Marae next to the kitchens.

As you wander through the foliage you may come across an old obstinate course, filled with all sorts of activities and fun, and you don't want to miss the flying fox located just across the bridge! 

Plus, if rivers aren't your thing, just a hop skip and a jump away you will find yourself at a gorgeous lake where you can swim, kayak or paddle board till your heart's content.

So once again, if you are looking for a great place to stay, we recommend Omaka

Camp Food, Masterchef style.

Stepping into the room, I glance around at the other contestants before taking my place behind the nearest available bench. Breathing slowly, I wait until I hear the words: your time starts now!

And we're off. The noise in the kitchen intensifies as people battle for ingredients and equipment, and I can hear the dramatic music playing in the background. Right. Gathering my thoughts, I take a second to think about the task at hand. 

Today I will be cooking my take on a delicious bowl of...Porridge. However, in this kitchen time is not your friend, so I will have to push myself.

The seconds fly by, and before I know it, five minutes has gone, and five minutes is left. And to make matters worse, I haven't even put my oats on. I fear this mistake may cost me. 

The pressure is building rapidly, and all of a sudden I hear a commotion in the dining room. The diners have arrived! Frantically I get the bowls ready for service. Out the corner of my head I can hear the countdown beginning. 5,4,3,2,1... Step away from your bench. 

Taking a breath, I smile to myself. No matter what the judges decide, I'm proud of my efforts, and I hope I get the chance to cook another day.

WPCA Community service

This year, as part of the WPCA, one of the challenges we had to do, in our own time, was a minimum of twenty hours Community service. Now, this could include things like helping out at a retirement home, local library, Rotary BBQ etc. I would say that this has been one of the bigger challenges this year for the majority of the students participating in the WPCA, but for me, it has also been one of the most enjoyable.

The first community service hours I did was for my schools Summer Sound Concert. This involved first setting up a stall, and then selling things to raise money for the school. This was one of the best ways to get some hours.

I also started to do some things weekly, at one time I was working at the preschool for two hours on a Tuesday, and at the Library for another two hours on Thursday.

When I reached twenty hours, I had the option to stop, but I found that I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep going.

As the year progressed, I found myself doing more and more community service, and I ended up doing a whole range of different activities; preschool, Library, Book Fair, working bee and more. Every single place I ended up helping out at was great fun, and I loved working with the people there as well.

So, after all that, I ended up with a grand total of 61 hours, and I'm very pleased with that outcome. I have loved every second of being able to participate in the WPCA, its been an amazing experience.

Kayaking

On Wednesday the 9th of November, I woke up bright and early, ready to complete the last activity of the William pike challenge: Kayaking.

After arriving at school all the year eights gathered round as our principal told us who would be transporting us, then we got into our vehicles and drove to the corner of marshlands Rd, where we would be starting our Kayaking. After everyone had arrived, we all got introduced to some people who would be coaching us on what to do.

First we started off playing some games, one of which involved splitting us into two groups. We were then told that we would be working in those groups for the rest of the day.

I was in the group labelled the "Cabbage Tree" (long story) and the first thing we did after being split up was go over some safety measures, play a few more games, and then finally we were all given a kayak and allowed into the water.

After a few more games in the Kayaks we then started off down the river, where we then went on to kayak about seven km down the Styx River (with stops for a lunch break and some games).

Now, let me tell you, it was a great trip. The scenery was amazing, teeming with native plants and wildlife, plus the water was crystal clear. And, for an extra bonus, at the end of the trip we were all allowed some time to go for a chilly swim!

 So, after all that I thoroughly enjoyed the last WPCA trip and all the other trips before that. The WPCA has been a truly amazing experience, and I'm very glad I was given the opportunity to do it.

Lake Daniel

On Thursday the 18th of August, all of the year eights at Loburn School prepared to embark on yet another WPCA activity, a night tramp to lake Daniels.

For this tramp, we would be driving up to a carpark at the start of the tramp and meeting a group of children from Westport, who were also doing the WPCA challenge, and completing the tramp with them.

Shortly after some cold dinner, we all started off on our tramp. For this, we had to hike for approximately three hours, some of which was in the pitch black, to a hut where we would stay the night. We would then climb back the next morning and go to the Lewis pass and climb a mountain.

After a long dark walk, we arrived at the hut around nine pm, where we eventually ended going to bed at around ten, if that. The next morning we left after breakfast, and arrived back at the car park around lunchtime. Perfect timing.

Then, after everyone got back, we drove to the food of the mountain we were going to climb. This was probably the best bit, because the mountain was covered in... Snow! Now that was fun. Sadly, because of all the snow, we were only able to climb about half way to the top before the teachers decided it was time to turn back.

One of the best things about this trip was having the children from Westport on the tramp, they were great company, and I had a very fun filled time.

Reading

This term I have been reading a book called A Feast For Crows, by George R. R. Martin. I have only just started it, but it's been interesting so far. A Feast For Crows is the fourth book in a series called "A Song Of Ice And Fire" about an olden day castle, and its occupants. So far it's been a great read, and I highly suggest taking a look at it.

My Speech

This term we had our yearly speech competition. For this, we had five weeks to write a speech with the topic "Have I Got Something To Tell You," and also have a presentation to go along with it. For my topic, I chose "The Magic Of A Book," and I ended up getting through to something called Quad Schools, and winning! This is my speech, hope you enjoy it.

Starters

This term I have been reading a book called "STARTERS," about a girl called Callie, and her struggle to save both herself and her brother from a terrible fate. So far I have really enjoyed this book, it's mysterious, and page turning, and I can't wait to finish it.

The power of Positivity

Once upon a haystack, there was a lonely farmer who lived in the middle of a thriving countryside. He was getting old, and although he was a hard worker, he felt it was nearly time to give up the farm and retire.

One day, he was feeding out to his livestock as usual, when he saw a group of school children coming down the road. When they reached the gate to the paddock, most of them just glanced at him and hurried off, not wanting to dwardle, but one young girl stayed behind. She hung near an old wooden post, and held out an apple she had been eating. One of the old sheep in the paddock hobbled over and took the offering, then nuzzled up to the girl’s hand. For a moment the girl just sat there stroking the sheep, then she looked up at the man with her sky blue eyes and dazzled him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.  She said one last goodbye to the animals and skipped off, humming to herself.

From then on, every morning the old man got up early to have a look around the lane for the girl before he feed out, but he never saw her again. Eventually he turned the farm into a petting zoo, and people come every day to pat the animals and talk to him so he was never lonely again, but he never forgot that girl with the smile.

Maths Visme Presentation

For maths, over the last few weeks my friend Holly p and I have been working on a Visme presentation about Winnie-the-pooh. We hope you find this informative, and please give us some feedback in the comments. Hope you like it.

Matariki

For reading this week, we were asked to find out what Matariki was, and then put all our info together in a slideshow. I found out some very interesting facts about this topic, and if you want to learn about it too, then click on the link below. Enjoy.


Matariki Slide Show

High Ropes

Before I say anything, I will just tell you I have a fear of heights. So when Friday rolled around, I was extremely nervous, because for the William pike challenge, we would be spending the day at the high ropes course at the Groins. Yes. So anyway, I heard the word “high” and knew this day would be a bit of a challenge.

When we arrived at the course, I took a moment to have a look around. On the far side of the field, there was a massive wooden structure, about 25m high, covered in ropes, ledges and other pieces of equipment. It looked pretty spectacular.

Once everyone arrived, we all gathered on the grass and waited until a lady and a man came over to talk to us. They introduced themselves, and then they played a few quick games with us, one of which involved us splitting into two groups, and we found out we would be staying In these groups all day. We then got to play a few fun but challenging teamwork games in our groups until morning tea time.

After we had eaten, we then headed over to the ropes course to await our instructions. We would be climbing two courses before lunch, and then after we would be doing another three courses. At first when I was climbing, I struggled a bit, but then eventually I got a bit more confident, which helped me through the day.

My favourite part was was the flying kiwi. This is where you would be attached to a piece of rope that went through a clip at the top of another rope strung up in the air, and everyone else in your team would be holding the other end. Then when everyone was ready, you would run one way and then all of a sudden you would be rising up in the air, it felt amazing.

At the end of the day as we were heading back to school, I felt really proud of what I'd achieved, and I would be more than willing to do it again.

Clubs

A few weeks ago, the teachers announced that from now on on Friday we would be having clubs afternoon. Basically, there would be lots of different clubs based in different rooms, and we would each choose one, and then do it for the rest of the term, or, however long it would be running for.

There were lots of different choices of clubs; Scrapbooking, Coding and Robotics, Green team (an enviro club) Junk Modelling, the list goes on. When I heard all the choices, at first I was a bit overwhelmed. Finally however, after much strategic planning ( sort of ) I managed to narrow it down to three choices, Coding and Robotics, Scrapbooking, and Animation.

About a week later, Friday rolled around, and it was time for our first club afternoon and I still wasn't sure what club I wanted to do. In the morning, I finished all my work early, and my teacher asked me to trial an app called MyStopAction for the club she was running, Animation.

As I was doing this, I realised how much I enjoyed it. My friend Piper and I were trialling the app together, and we created a short movie. Since I still had time to pick a club, I chose to do ... Scrapbooking. Just kidding, I picked Animation.

When I walked into the Animation class, I knew I had made the right choice. We started off by watching a quick slideshow, followed by the movie Piper and I had made, and then we were free to start experimenting.

After that time went quickly. I joined up with my friend Derrin, and together we made a movie about a blob. Yes, a blob.Anyway, I had a great time doing clubs and I can't wait until the next session

ANZAC presentation

This term for Topic, team east have been learning about ANZAC. We each had to pick a topic to research, then the class divided into two groups, each with similar interests, to continue to research our topic. Once we had enough information we then had to start to put it together into a presentation to show to the rest of the class.  I decided to present my info on "Scratch." My topic was....... Well, you'll have to click on the link below to find out. Enjoy!


Scratch link

Cross Country

On Wednesday the 18th, We had our whole school cross country at the loburn Domain.

Everyone had been preparing and training for cross country for a few weeks, and it was good to see lots of determined faces arriving at school, ready to give it their all.

The event was starting halfway through the day, but I was picked by my teacher to go down to the Domain early to help set up along with another couple of girls, which turned out good because by the time the rest of the school showed up, I had a good understanding of the course and I was fully hydrated and rearing to go.

The races started with the younger kids doing a small 400m track, and then the tracks gradually got bigger, with the year eights running 3km.

One of the best things about the day was watching the other students run their race, and to see their faces as they approached the finishing line with everyone cheering them on really made you feel happy.

It was a great day for a run, the weather was looking great, and after a while the sun came out as well. Before long, the year eight girls were lining up to start their race.

All ten of us milled around the starting line in a nervous little bunch waiting for a glimpse of the year sixes so we could start. Then we got into our positions and waited.

On your marks, get set…  GO! We were off, zooming around the domain, flying up the hill and skipping through the forest at 50 miles per hour. Well, that’s what the people up the front were doing. I, however just got into a nice steady pace and tried to slow down my breathing.

For the rest of the race, I tried to just focus on what I was doing and get through it. I was aware I was coming 6th, but a girl called Jess was just in front of me, and I could tell she was slowing down, so I speed up a little and managed to overtake her, which felt like a good accomplishment.

My favourite part would of had to be the forest. It felt good to have a bit of shade, and it was nice to just relax and run.

After about 10 minutes I became vaguely aware that I was approaching the finishing line. I gathered my strength and upped my pace a bit more until I was about 10 metres away, then I sprinted as fast as I could, which was pretty good considering my lungs were about to burst and I probably resembled a water fountain.

Afterwards I allowed myself to sit, drink and cheer on the rest of the girls in my race. At the end of the day, I’m very proud of my efforts and I really enjoyed my last cross country.

Mt Richardson Walk

On Friday the 13th, the whole of loburn school tramped up Mt Richardson. For the year eights, this was part of our William Pike Challenge, and it was also the last mountain we would climb with loburn school, so everyone was looking forward to it.

The year 6-7 went all the way to the summit, while the younger students went around some loop tracks. At eight thirty in the morning ( too early ) everyone was gathered in the Mt Thomas room awaiting the teachers instructions.

This year my younger brother was climbing to the summit for the first time with the rest of us, and because of this, my father decided to accompany us, again. So there I was, preparing for yet another climb, telling myself, it will be all over soon.

When all the people in cars arrived at the base of the mountain, everyone sat around waiting for the bus to come, then the teachers lined us up and numbered us off. Once everyone was present and accounted for, we were off.

Everyone started off fine, just trundling along, but after a while people started to get puffed and everyone was very grateful for the first stop. That's how it went for a while, we would all walk until we got puffed, then collapse at the next break stop.

After we'd been going for about two hours, we came across a really steep bit of terrain that lasted for ages. I was with a group at the front of the pack, and was just on the point of giving up when the first person reached the summit and let out a shout. After that I forgot about my aching legs and scrambled up the last bit of gravel to the top.

I was so relieved to be back that I almost forgot about the wind that was battling the tussocks, but when my jacket fell out of my bag I put it on, glad of its warmth.

Once everyone arrived at the top and we all had our lunch, we numbered off again and prepared for the walk down.

I must admit, walking down was much easier, and before much longer ( by that I mean another few hours ) we were sprinting at full gallop down the last stretch of track and rolling down the grassy bank at the bottom.

Man, you would not believe the look of relief on some people's faces, secure in the knowledge that they'd completed the walk, and I must admit, it did feel good to tick off another mountain.

So, bring on the next challenge.

Mt Oxford

For the William pike challenge, one of the activities we have to complete in our own time is to climb a mountain, so me and my good pal Anna decided that we'd tackle good old Mt Oxford, the hardest mountain out of all the choices. Yeah.

 So anyway, when Anna called to inform me of the precise date we would be attempting this climb, my dad decided that since Anna's mum Cath would be accompanying us, that he would too.

So that's how we came to be standing at the carpark near the base of the mountain silently blaming each other for getting us stuck in this mess and wishing we had brought jet packs.

As we were plodding along I noted that no matter how puffed my dad was, he always had energy for talking. With dad keeping us entertained, the time flew by and it seemed like no time at all before we emerged out of the trees and sat down to have a lunch break. ( Just joking, it felt like years.)

Anyhow, Once we had finished our lunch we stood up and had a look at our surroundings. Directly in front of us was a small hill, no big deal. However, once we got to the top we encountered another hill, and then another and another. It seemed endless, but just when we were considering calling in a helicopter the summit appeared. 

I scrambled to the top of the last hill and let out a whoop, I had made it. I then turned around and awaited the others.

First came Anna, then Cath and after what seemed like an eternity, Dad, who was a sight for sore eyes. His back was drenched in sweat and he looked like he'd just done 1000 pull ups. So I Laughed uncontrollably for about 30 minutes Congratulated him on a job well done.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. We fell  skipped down the mountain and bragged about how good our legs felt ( Not ) and then we were back at the very start. Altogether the climb went pretty well, and I would happily do it again.

Rakahuri Rage

From the second I arrived, I knew it was going to be a long day. As part of our William Pike Challenge, we have to take part in a six hour cycling event called the Rakahuri Rage. We had to put ourselves into teams of three and do a long relay. One person would go and do the track, then when they got back they would tag the next person and they would go. However, we have twenty people in our class, so we had to have six teams of three and one team of two. Guess who was in that team. That's right, yours truly. Anna, my friend and I decided to challenge ourselves and do it together. I'm still partly regretting that decision.

So there we were, in the scorching heat, preparing to start what must of been the longest day of my life. The first person in the team had to do an extra two km to even out the bikers, which I bullied Anna into. It ended up working well though, because it gave me time to hydrate and prepare for the start of my lap.

It seemed like no time before Anna was whizzing around the corner, slapping me on the arm and I was away. I'd like to tell you that I went flying around the corner at one hundred miles an hour, passing everyone ahead of me and arriving back before Anna even had a chance to sit down, but sadly, that was not the case. 

No matter how much adrenaline I'd been storing up could've prepared me for this race. Don't forget, it was a piping hot day, and most of the track was in direct sunlight, so by the time I got back I was sweating bucket loads, panting like it was going out of season and already thinking about giving up. I had no such luck however because the second I got back everyone was congratulating me on doing so well, and the giving up feeling disappeared like quicksand.

I had about half an hour to eat something and re hydrate before I was back on my bike and starting all over again. By about the third lap It was all I could do to stay upright and that quitting feeling was starting to creep back up on me when a man passing me snapped his chain turning the corner. That gave me a bit of a shock, but he told me that he was fine and to carry on, which gave me a newfound energy ( well, more like adrenaline ) and my bike and I made it back in one piece.

Although it was tough going for me, it was even harder for some other people. One of the highlights of my day was seeing the smiles on people's faces as they completed their lap and being able to cheer them on. One of the people I was most proud of however, was Derrin. We talked to each other after each lap and congratulated each other. It really helped me get through the day.

All in all, I completed six laps that day, which was a pretty good achievement, and I didn’t fall off once. And as a bonus, the next day at school, my principal awarded Anna and I a William Pike beanie each for doing it in a team of two and thoroughly enjoying it. So, all’s well that ends well.

Technology

1. On Thursday we had our first technology lesson for the year. The year eights got to start with soft materials and our teacher for that was miss Turner. We started by going over the skills we had learnt the previous year, then we filled in some paperwork and made a basic name label. At the end of the lesson our teacher informed us that we would start making either boxers, sleep shorts or normal shorts for our next lesson.

Dog training

Hi everyone, as you can probably tell, This post is going to be about Dog training. Dog training is my William Pike Hobby, and so far I have been thoroughly enjoying it.I have a short haired border collie called Fern, she is a smart dog and wants to be everyone's friend, but she has lots of energy, and she tends to get really excited around other people or dogs. Every Monday I take Fern to dog training at the Rangiora show grounds.We are currently doing a four week course, and at the end of it we will decide if we want to join the club and get put into a group depending on Ferns skill ability. At the moment we are going over the basics, like stay, lie down, come, etc.

 I will be updating this post soon, so please leave a comment or a question and I will do my best to answer.

Hi everyone.

Since last time I updated this post Fern has learnt a lot. She can now do things like weave, roll over spin and much more. At the moment we are working on the "BANG" trick, and she is picking it up really well. My dog training group had a competition last week for who could do the best trick, and Fern and I won! I was so proud of her.


Greetings
I haven't been on this page for a while, and a lot has happened. Since I updated this post, Fern and I have been put into another level of training. We are now doing what's called a certificate class. A certificate class is where you have a series of challenges and activities that you have to complete to work towards a certificate. Once you achieve this, you then work towards another level of certificate. So far we have been going great, we only have about three things to complete before we finish the class. We have both enjoyed the experience so much, and Fern has learnt a lot.

Lions Fun Run Walk

On the 13 of march, I participated in the Lions Fun Run Walk. As part of my WPCA, I have to compete in a 10km organised Fun Run. The Lions Fun Run was 12km. Why do I always do the harder stuff, why oh why. 

Anyway, the Lions Fun Run sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go.

Before we started, a lady took us all through some basic stretches, and then the man in the high vis vest gave the command, and we were off. 12km doesn’t sound like a long way, but trust me, when you’re out there doing it, it feels like 12 miles.

For the first few km, I was feeling pretty good, but after a while I began to feel the sweat beading on my forehead, and I noticed that I was getting slower, but I kept on going, telling myself things like “nearly there” or “just put one foot in front of the other” and before I knew it, the finishing line was in sight. I forced my aching muscles to go even faster and propelled myself across the finishing line.

I then staggered across to a table to get my certificate and my free ice block. When I looked down at my certificate I noticed that they had included my time. 1hr 19mins. Wow, pretty impressive for 12km.

Hawdon Hut

As the big day approached, most of my time was spent frantically checking over the gear list making sure I had everything, then packing and re packing my gear. Finally, Thursday rolled around and I was rearing to go.

 When I arrived at school, about 2 minutes was spent divvying up our rations to each other, then everyone stood around in little groups whispering and giggling among ourselves until the teachers announced it was time to hop into the mini vans.

Now I must say the drive up towards Hawdon Hut was one of the most eventful ones I'd ever had. Everyone was filled with a nervous energy, and after a few minutes we were singing our heads off and cracking up over each others jokes, although the whole thing sounded more like an imitation of a bunch of rowdy chickens, and I felt sorry for William pike, as well as the teachers and parents.

After about an hour we arrived at the Hawden Hut shelter. we all piled out of the mini vans and after we got given our packs our principal talked to us for a few minutes, then we set off.

It was a hot day, and everyone was enjoying the walk until about half way through when everyone ran out of water, and we couldn't find a stream. That was annoying at first, but when we did stumble across one, everyone jumped in and we all swam for a bit until it got a bit cold.

The highlight for me though would have to be arriving at the hut, and the feeling you got when you took your pack off for the first time was amazing.

 We all got about half an hour just to settle in, then everyone went down to the stream and had a chilly dip. For tea we had freeze dry potatoes, chicken and lamb, which was surprisingly tasty, and then we popped out for a bit of bolder hopping.

After that everyone was given a milo and we all sat around a candle and listened to William share the inspirational story of how he lost his leg with us, then it was time for bed. In the morning we said one last goodbye to the hut, then we began the long walk back. When we arrived back at the shelter, everyone had lunch, then we hopped back into the mini vans and drove to cave stream, which was the highlight of the day for me.

I loved every moment of our exciting adventure, and I cant wait for the next William pike challenge

Independent writing

Story starter
It happened in the dead of night. The garden light illuminated the person, casting a mysterious shadow.

As silent as a whisper in the night, the figure stealthily crept towards the green, wooden doors. Click…The key slipped into the metal lock, the cold mechanisms inside responding to the familiar shape of the object that had been slipped inside. Seeing the padlock pop open as expected, the figure slipped the slender bolt across into its resting position. The doors groaned agonizingly, the figure turning to survey the surrounding area, alarmed at the loudness of the sound its actions had made.

The coast seemed clear. Resuming its mission, the shadow slipped inside the room.   There it was. This was the sight and moment they had been waiting for…

Slowly and softly the shadow glided across the bare wooden floorboards towards a large object in the center of the room.

The figure could barely contain its excitement at the thought of uncovering this precious item after all this time and was so preoccupied with the task at hand that it didn't notice a faint ticking.

Just as it was reaching out to grab the tatty cloth covering the object, it paused, unsure, then all the lights blinked out, and the figure was thrown into the wall with a sickening crunch.

For just a second, all was still, then a faint groan came from the crumpled heap.

Nursing its shoulder the figure rose shakily to its feet, cursing and then directed its gaze at something in the distance. Glancing around one last time, the shadow whisked out the door and was swallowed up into the inky night, but not before muttering “Just wait , the time will come, the time will come.”

Chapter 1

I'm crouched behind a huge gorse bush, waiting. I try to shift my body a bit more to the right so the prickles don't dig into my side so much, but my legs groan in protest, so I stay where I am. Besides, if I shift much more, I'd be in clear sight of the footpath, and that would defeat the purpose of being here in the first place. I hear familiar footsteps approaching and glance at my watch. 3:50pm. Perfect. I crouch low and count down the seconds.

5,4,3,2,1…..”raaaaah” I scream as I leap from my hiding place, brambles scratching my face and getting stuck in my hair, and come down hard on a tall slender figure, who buckles under my sudden weight. We go sprawling onto the concrete, tussling with each other, until my opponent gets me on my stomach and pins my arms behind my back.

I struggle aimlessly for a few more seconds before finally admitting defeat. “OK, you got me” I groan as the hold on my hands loosen. “But I'm going to get you next time.” “In your dreams” a silky voice reply's carelessly, and I jump to my feet and spin around to reveal a tall slim figure beaming down at me.

My sister. My instructor. My best friend. She laughs at my tatty, gorse strewn hair and links arms with me. “I must admit though, you’re getting better, you caught me off guard” she says as we stroll down the sidewalk. I smile at such high praise, and as we wander along in silence, I take the opportunity to have a good long look at her.

Maddie is only a year older than me, and, apart from the age difference, we could be identical twins. Same golden blond hair, same light blue eyes, and same freckled face. Because we're only 9 months apart, we are inseparable. Ever since we could walk we did everything together, and it's been that way ever since.

When Maddie turned 10, she started taking Kung fu. It was all she could think about, and after a while, she started getting really good, so good in fact, that a year later she was offered a 10 month scholarship to one of the top fighting camps in the world. It was too great an opportunity to pass up, so she decided to go. That was the worst 10 months of my life. 

Without Maddie around to protect me, I was bullied a lot, and I had no one to talk to. The worst thing, however, was that I was worried that camp would of changed her. What would I do without her? However, all my worrying was for nothing as it turned out, because when she returned she was just the same old bubbly Maddie.

After that everything went back to the way it was before. And now, five years later, the worst thing has happened. When Maddie turns 17, she will be applying for the same camp, and I can't go through that experience again. Kung Fu was the only thing that Maddie did that I had no interest in, but if she's leaving for camp, then I'm coming with her, and that means learning Kung Fu.

I'm awakened from my daydreaming by a loud screeching of tires as a black minivan goes whizzing around the corner, closely followed by a blue Land Rover. We stare in silence at the cars fading into the distance, then Maddie glanced at me and indicates her head slightly towards a building. I nod, and we cross the road and turn into a dark alleyway. Just up ahead is an old, abandoned warehouse towering above all the other apartments. I discovered this hideaway a few years ago, when I was hiding from my classmates after a very brutal game of tag, and it's been our secret ever since.

TO BE CONTINUED.....