Cliffhanger by Jacqueline Wilson Page A

didn’t look. I shut my eyes tight. I hoped if I wished hard enough I’d somehow whizz through space and end up safe at home. But Dad was already parking the car. Mum kept going on at me, asking why I had my eyes shut and did I feel sick, and I couldn’t concentrate hard enough on my wishing. Then Dad opened the car door and yanked me out and hissed at me to stop messing about and say hello to the lady.
    â€˜Hello! You must be Tim. I’m Sally. I’m in charge of the Adventure Centre,’ she said.
    She smiled at me. Dad prodded me in the back to make me say hello.

    The slowpoke girl was dashing about showing off.
    â€˜Now you behave yourself, Kelly,’ said her mum, but she didn’t sound a bit fierce. She sounded friendly.
    Kelly just laughed at her and gave her a hug.
    â€˜You can clear off now, Mum,’ she said. ‘Bye.’
    â€˜I think we should make ourselves scarce too,’ said Dad. ‘Cheerio, Tim.’ He bent down and whispered in my ear. ‘Now you’re really going to try to be a big boy, not a silly baby, eh?’
    I didn’t say anything. Dad chucked me under the chin.
    â€˜You’ll have a great time,’ said Dad.
    â€˜But if you really don’t like it then phone and we’ll come and get you straight away,’ said Mum. ‘And write me lots of postcards too. One every day?’
    She gave me a hug and a very wet kiss. I wriggled. I was sure Kelly was watching and laughing at me.
    â€˜Mum! I’ll be OK. Honestly,’ I said.
    Though I didn’t
feel
OK. It was awful seeing them get back in the car without me. I waved like crazy. There was someone on the back seat waving back. Walter Bear! I’d left him in the car!
    â€˜Come on then, Tim,’ said Sally, putting her arm round my shoulders. ‘Hey, Kelly, wait for us.’
    Kelly had gone charging through the doors and down the hall of the Adventure Centre.
    â€˜Where’s all the other children then?’ she shouted. ‘When are we going to start the adventures, eh? Can I go canoeing first? No, wait a minute, what’s that thing called when you dangle down a cliff?’
    â€˜Abseiling,’ said Sally.
    I muttered the words ‘dangle’ and ‘cliff’ and felt sick.
    â€˜I’m going to love abseiling,’ said Kelly, and she threw down her bag and started miming it, rushing backwards.

    She rushed backwards into me, nearly knocking me over.
    â€˜Simmer down, Kelly,’ said Sally.
    â€˜I’m not very good at simmering,’ said Kelly, laughing. ‘I generally bubble over.’
    â€˜So I see!’ said Sally, shaking her head. ‘OK, you’d both better get unpacked. Your bedrooms are up the stairs at the end. Girls on the right, boys on the left. You’ll see a Tiger poster on the doors.’
    Kelly and I went up the stairs together. I didn’t know what to say to her. I felt silly and shy. She pulled another funny face.
    â€˜What did Sally say? Girls to the left? So you go thataway,’ said Kelly, giving me a little push to the door on the right.
    I was sure she’d got it wrong but Kelly isn’t the sort of girl you argue with. So I knocked on the right-hand door and then peeped round.

    Two girls stared at me, outraged. They were trying on each other’s clothes.
    â€˜No boys allowed in here!’ said the pretty one, tossing her long hair. ‘Clear off.’
    â€˜Yes, clear off, you,’ said her friend.
    I cleared off rapidly.
    Kelly was being shouted at too. She didn’t seem to care.
    â€˜Oh oh! Swopsies,’ she said, shrugging cheerfully.
    I tried the left-hand door this time. Inside, there were two boys messing about with their bags.
    â€˜Hello, I’m Giles,’ said the taller one. His voice was very posh and he acted very pushy. ‘You’re going to be in our team. The Tigers. What are you good at then?’
    I thought hard.
    â€˜Um. Well,