Trouble in the Trees (11 page)

“What happened? Did you do a climb-off? I can't believe I missed it! I would have loved to see you beat him!” Ethan rambled on, clearly relieved.

“I don't really want to talk about it, Ethan,” I said. “And I think we should take a couple days off from climbing. Until things cool down, you know?”

Ethan nodded miserably. “Sure, Bree. Want to play catch instead?”

“Not now. Sorry, Ethan.” I smiled at him. “I've got a lot on my mind.”

“Okay.”

“I'll see you later.” I walked around the corner and grabbed my bike from the garage. I cycled along the Fraser River until I was sure no one was watching. Then I turned and headed toward the railway tracks. To my trees.

I hid my bike behind a bush and started climbing up into the Knife. I cleared my mind and concentrated on the branch in front of me. Within ten minutes I was as high as I could safely go. I wasn't going to reach the top today.

I sat on a branch near the trunk and let my feet swing freely below me. It felt good to be surrounded by big green leaves. I heard a bee buzz by my ear, lured by the sweet smell of tree sap. It was one of those cloudy Vancouver days where the gray sky seemed close enough to reach up and touch. The clouds were like a blanket that warmed the air without any help from the sun. I felt like I could hide away on this branch forever.

And then, suddenly, I saw a branch move in the tree next to me. Actually, the whole tree started moving. And I could hear the sound of twigs breaking. There was something in the Fork.

I sat there as quietly as I could. Whatever it was, it was too large to be a squirrel or a cat. It sounded like a person, but I was sure Ethan would've told the Cedar Grove kids to stay away. I watched and waited for something—or someone—to appear.

Within minutes I saw a hand reach up to a thick branch parallel to the one I was sitting on. Then I heard a grunt as a knee appeared next to the hand. Another hand. Another knee.

It was Michael.

“Hi,” I said quietly, not wanting to scare him. I was pretty sure he didn't know I was there.

“Oh!” Michael turned quickly and almost lost his balance. “Hi,” he said once he was steady again.

“I didn't know you liked to climb trees,” I said.

“Neither did I. I'm not very good at it. But when I saw you all crowded around these trees yesterday, I decided I had to give it another shot.” Michael smiled at me. “It's fun!”

“Does Tyler know you're here?”

“Nope.”

“I've never seen you go anywhere without him.”

“Come on, Bree, I'm not that bad. He's not that bad. He just likes to give you a hard time because you're so good at sports.” Michael paused, then quietly added, “Plus, you're a natural leader. Tyler isn't. His baseball coach is always on his case about it. He watches you do all this stuff—teaching kids to climb, organizing protests—and it makes him crazy.”

I looked at Michael, trying to figure out if he was making fun of me. He appeared to be serious. “Sarah's good at sports too,” I said.

“That's different.”

I didn't understand. And I didn't want to talk about Tyler and Sarah. So instead I asked, “Do you really think Tyler will keep quiet about the tree climbing?”

“Yeah. He really likes Sarah. He doesn't want to do anything to get her mad at him.”

“Oh.” So I was right. But I still had no idea whether Sarah liked him back. And she was supposed to be my best friend.

“But, Bree?”

“Yeah?”

“Don't you think it would be better if the tree climbing wasn't a secret?” Michael was looking quite comfortable now, perched in the tree with his back against the trunk.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You should keep up your fight against the bylaw. Then we could climb at Cedar Grove again. Without worrying about getting caught.”

“But the Neighborhood Council didn't listen to me. And they ignored our protest. What else can I do?”

“According to my dad, safety is the issue,” Michael said.

I rolled my eyes.
Safety, safety, safety
—I was so tired of that word!

Michael continued, “And Ethan says you've come up with all kinds of rules to keep kids safe while you are teaching them to climb.”

I rolled my eyes again. Ethan just couldn't keep his mouth shut!

“So maybe if you explained how you've made tree climbing safe for everyone in Cedar Grove, the council would reconsider.”

“But I can't do another presentation,” I blurted out. “I don't even think they'll let me.”

“What about the Annual General Meeting?”

“What about it?”

“The AGM is scheduled for the end of the month. It's an open meeting for every resident in Cedar Grove.”

“You want me to give a presentation in front of everyone in Cedar Grove?”

“Well,” Michael said, “my dad says the tree-climbing bylaw won't be official until there's another vote.”

“That's just some kind of formality. The council has already made their decision.”

“But my dad is a council member and he doesn't agree with the bylaw.”

“He doesn't?” I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice.

“No. And he says he'll vote against it at the upcoming AGM.”

“You mean there is actually going to be a vote?”

“Of course.” Michael gave me a funny look. “Right now it's just something called an interim bylaw. It won't be a
real
bylaw unless it passes the vote at the AGM.”

“Really?” What Michael was saying sounded familiar, but it was taking my brain a while to catch up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Michael said. “And the way I see it, if you can convince the residents of Cedar Grove—not just the Council—that tree climbing is safe, you can stop the bylaw from becoming a real and permanent thing.”

I started nodding. Slowly. Then I smiled. Michael was smarter than I'd ever given him credit for.

“It's worth a try,” I said quietly.

“If anyone can do it, you can, Bree.”

I swallowed hard. Another presentation. A much bigger presentation in front of everyone, not just the Neighborhood Council.

The idea made me nervous, but for some reason, I didn't feel scared. Not like last time. Michael's confidence made me feel hopeful.

Maybe a little too hopeful.

Chapter 18

I stood at the front of the common room. Ethan stood beside me. My heart was beating fast, but it wasn't thumping wildly like it had the last time I was in this room. I was more confident about what I had to say this time, but there was a lot at stake.

The council members were seated at the long conference table beside us. They had just called for a short break to discuss some picky detail in the Neighborhood Act. Apparently, they needed to sort it out before the meeting could proceed. The AGM had started at 6:30 pm. It was already 8:00 pm. “Let's just get on with it!” I wanted to yell. Waiting was hard.

In front of the Neighborhood Council sat rows and rows of Cedar Grove residents. I looked around. There was grouchy old Mrs. Leary, front and center. She had three different sweaters wrapped around her, despite the heat, and she looked like she was about to fall asleep. Mom and Dad were sitting directly behind her. I could tell they were holding hands, as usual. In the next row, Ashley sat next to her dad. Beside them, Sammy and Salina were squashed between both parents, who were desperately trying to keep Sammy still.

Toward the back I saw Michael. He was looking at me, so I smiled. He smiled back and gave me a thumbs-up. It made me feel good. Maybe just because of the confidence he had in me. Or maybe it was something more.

Sitting next to Michael was Tyler. I was surprised to see him. He knew that Sarah wasn't going to be at the meeting. He'd asked me about it yesterday. He'd also wished me luck with my presentation. Did he care about the bylaw after all? Or was it possible that, instead of resenting me, he was starting to respect me, like Michael seemed to think?

There were a lot more Cedar Grove kids there than I expected. Especially considering we weren't allowed to vote. I guess I wasn't the only one who felt there was a lot at stake.

Finally, Ms. Matheson cleared her throat and said, “The next item on our agenda is the ratification of bylaw 47.21. Please have the minutes reflect that Brianna Bridges, Unit 83, and Ethan Matheson, Unit 49, have asked to address the residents of Cedar Grove prior to the vote.”

Ms. Matheson paused and waited for the room to settle. When everything was quiet and still, she said, “Go ahead, Brianna,” looking directly at me and ignoring the fact that her son was standing proudly at my side.

“Thank you, Ms. Matheson,” I said as confidently as I could. “And I'd like to thank the Neighborhood Council for providing us with this opportunity. Ethan and I have put together a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate why we think tree climbing is a fun and safe activity that should be allowed in Cedar Grove.”

I turned to Ethan. He took the cue, not looking at all nervous. “Bree has been teaching me to climb trees outside Cedar Grove property.”

Ms. Matheson scowled and narrowed her eyes. Mom frowned even though she already knew all about this. I'd told both Mom and Dad the whole story right after Michael convinced me to speak at the AGM. As usual, Dad was very supportive, and Mom—well, Mom was Mom.

Ethan went on. “I can climb quite high now and I have not fallen once. I have a few scrapes and bruises but nothing worse than I'd get from a game of street hockey. The important thing is, I love it. Tree climbing is fun. It makes me feel happy and free, and it helps me forget my problems.” He looked at his mom when he said this.

“Bree's been teaching lots of us to climb,” Ethan continued. “She's very good. And she makes sure everyone stays at a level where they are safe. No one can move higher until she decides they are ready.”

Without hesitation, Ethan proceeded through the PowerPoint presentation that Dad had helped him prepare. His voice was loud and clear, and he didn't make a single mistake.

When he was done, he turned toward me.

I took a deep breath and launched right into my part of the presentation.

“As Ethan has pointed out, tree climbing is very safe as long as it is done carefully under the right rules and guidelines.” I flipped to my first slide. “Here is a list of rules that we have been following.”

BREE'S RULES FOR
TREE-CLIMBING SAFETY

1. Only climb using branches thicker than
your wrist.

2. Keep two on the tree at all times (two hands,
or two feet, or one hand and one foot).

3. Always have an exit plan that doesn't
involve landing on your head. In other
words, NEVER FORGET THE FALL!

I read each rule aloud and offered to answer any questions anyone had about any of them. No one said anything, so I carried on.

“Here are some examples of how other groups have made tree climbing safe.” I had a couple of slides that covered this topic. One was about a school that got a professional arborist or tree trimmer (I had to look that up) to do a hazard inspection once a year to ensure the trees in the area were safe to climb. Another set up a certification program where students had to go through a safety workshop and climbing instruction before they were allowed near the trees.

“Even without these types of precautions, backyard tree climbing is considered safer than most other recreational sports.” I flipped to another slide.

The Top Ten Most Dangerous
Sports for Kids

1. Basketball

2. Bicycling

3. Football

4. Soccer

5. Baseball

6. Skateboarding