The Soulmate Initiative: Book 3: Next Generation

8. The water champions!

REGINA POV:

"Task 2, you have 30 seconds to switch floaties with the team closest to you. On your marks, get set… go!" They all work together, holding each others floaties, as they trade people, some doing better than others. A floaty, at the time containing Peter and the top half of Anna, flips upside-down, seeing them both into the water. I look a moment at the scene in front of me, the two who fell in are from two different teams, the dragon floaty currently has Ash still, but instead of Peter, on her lap is Maria "I make the rules, so you two are safe. Good job survivors. Now, you're going to reenact the scene from Titanic, where Jack is holding Rose at the end of the ship, and you have to hold it for 5 seconds. Team 1, you're up." On the opposite unicorn to previously, Stacey easily holds Braden up on her thighs. On the other unicorn, Prisha stands up between Nian's legs and Nian holds her waist. Candice and Vina are on the whale, so the way they do it, is Vina stands up on Candice's tights and Candice holds her thighs, they manage it and sit down. Ash stands Maria up on her thighs, they make it look so easy. Suzie stands up on the peacock, while Tasia holds her legs, Suzie sticks out her arms and they hold still until they can sit down. No one falls in "That was great, everyone survived."

"Task 3, we're going to play musical floaties. Everyone has to first get out, without falling in." Stacey plucks Braden off and onto land, then climb off too. Nian and Prisha paddle to to edge, then Nian pushes Prisha up and off, then Prisha pulls Nian safely off. Vina slips straight off the whole, on her stomach, onto land and Candice quickly follows suit. Ash picks Maria up and puts her on land, then has to wrestle herself to land, barely making it. Suzie and Tasia almost bring their peacock up on land as they clamber off. There are no incidents. I then remove the dragon ring "There are 5 teams, but only 4 floaties. You all have to walk around the pool, when the music stops you have to jump onto a floaty, without falling in." I turn on the music and the walk in a line round the pool. I suddenly stop the music ang two things happen at once, Nian jumps across a huge span of pool and lands on the peacock, while both 3 people jump for the same unicorn and all gall off, and a team jump for the whale, bur miss. I then look to the edge of the pool to see Stacey placing Braden on a unicorn, while Candice is top-half on a unicorn, kicking like crazy to try and climb on. Once all the frantic squealing and screaming is over, I do a headcount "Ash, Prisha, Tasia, Suzie-" Vina and Candice suddenly tip off their floaty as they were trying to secure themselves "Vina and Candice just got out." I look at who's left, Nian is laying on his back on the peacock, Maria laying with him "I'm letting you too stay in." They high five and look to one of the unicorns "Stacey, Neasden, you're doing so good." All the other floaties get cleared out and everyone who's out, get out of the pool. 

After discussing either the others, we decide on the next task "Last task, here we have the whale. Because each team has a little, Stacey, Nian, you have to safely stand your kid on a fin. Then you have to stand on your own floaty and whoever stands the longest, wins." We send the two groups to the furthest two corners of the pool and I hold the whale half on land, half on water "On your marks, get set, go." Everyone picks a team and cheers them on. The adults paddle with their hands, both getting to the nearest fin at the same time. Both kids climb onto a fin, which is only just on land, then both adults carefully stand up on their floaties. Stacey falls, but doesn't fall off the floaty, so gets back up again. Nian topples over into the water, causing a great crash "Stacey and Braden win!" Everyone jumps back into the water and mess around on the floaties, while I go inside and grab an ice cream for Stacey and Braden.