by C. L. Stone
North grunted again and waved us toward the Jeep.
I hopped into the front while North held open the back door for Lake to get in. Once she had her seatbelt on, he shut the door and got in behind the wheel.
Within moments, we rolled slowly along the paved road, following the paper map toward the trailer site. He drove very slowly as we occasionally pulled up on people walking down the road in different directions. They parted to allow us through, some waving to us in the vehicle as we passed.
“I was there earlier,” North said. He had a hand on the wheel, the other adjusting the temperature dials. “Are we hot or cold?”
“I’m fine,” Lake said.
North took his hand from the dials and placed it on the wheel. “Anyway, there’s a few trailers that have come in, but they’re all Academy. No surprises. Nothing to worry about.”
“Are these showers going to be busy?” I asked.
“Not likely. Not everyone’s going to want to walk the distance just for a shower. Everyone will figure out to try throughout the day to shower, or will skip days. It’ll work out.”
“And then we go home,” Lake said.
North peered at her through the rearview mirror. “You got a ride home, kid?”
“I have no idea,” Lake said. “I was told there was a school. Then I woke up this morning about a secret trip. I got in the car with the clothes on my back. I haven’t seen the lady who brought me since this morning.”
North huffed and dragged a palm down his cheek, the rasp of his stubble against his palm audible. “I know the feeling.”
I wanted to ask him about it but wasn’t sure he’d wanted to reveal so much with Lake around.
Soon we rolled into an area of the campground where there was a long field and small dirt roads leading in different directions. There were what I realized were RV sites—each with an electric pole and a small pad of concrete. I could only see three big campers, spread out from each other, but still close to the latrine.
The latrine was similar to the other one. Except this one was bigger, with brighter lights, outside and in. The doors were left wide open so we could see as we got closer.
When we got out of the car and approached, we could see the insides of these latrines had white tiles, smelled clean, and I didn’t see any spider webs above our heads. Maybe it was technically an identical building, but it seemed better than the other restrooms.
“How are these so much nicer?” I asked. “How come they have bathroom tiles?”
“People in RVs expect nicer latrines,” North said. “They pay more for their campsite because they use energy and plumbing. They bring in more money, so the campground spends a little more money on their latrine.”
“Don’t trailers have their own bathrooms?” Lake asked.
“Not all of them,” North said. “And sometimes if you’re here with family, you want a spare bathroom. Most of the time, people don’t want to bother pumping out the waste if they don’t have to.”
Lake and I peered into the girls’ bathroom. I could hear a shower running, but it sounded like it was coming from the guys’ side.
Lake breathed out a sigh and shuffled over to a stall. “About time,” she said, moving past me into the bathroom. I heard her close a stall door with a snap and set the lock. “I really had to pee.”
North spoke, holding me outside of the bathroom. “You wanted to talk to Kota?”
“Yeah,” I said, wondering why he was pulling me away from the bathroom. “He was going to meet me at...”
He pulled me behind the shadow of the door, out of view, and when I paused to figure out if there was a spider, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.
I froze, surprised. I’d been with other people all day, and I’d missed them, but still worried other people were watching.
But I assumed North wouldn’t dare unless he was sure we were alone, so I tried to relax and kiss him back.
It was short but intense kiss, leaving me wanting more when he backed off. “May not get another chance this week.”
I knew he was right. I wanted to talk about the night before when I’d bitten him, but I didn’t want Lake to think I’d abandoned her and I was concerned that conversation may take way too long. “Okay,” I said simply, and then wished I’d thought of something else to say, feeling stupid.
“I’ll call Kota,” he said. “And have him meet us here. I think he’s still over by the cabins, so he isn’t far.”
“I’ll go wash up,” I said.
“Are you okay with him in there?” he asked.
I assumed he meant Lake. “Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”
“You know she’s a guy, right?”
I wasn’t surprised he’d picked up on it—they were all observant. “Yup.”
“You’re still okay with it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “She’s fine. She just wasn’t sure about...with the other girls…”
He stopped me with a finger pressed to my lips. “If they don’t accept her for who she is, then they don’t deserve to be here. But I understand that Lake doesn’t want to cause any trouble. It doesn’t matter to me. I just don’t want you uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine,” I said, mumbling through my finger. I was pretty sure Lake was much more concerned about her Academy career than wanting to stare at naked girls. Otherwise she wouldn’t have said anything. “There’s stalls. We’re not kindergarteners. We can keep our hands to ourselves.”
He squinted down at me and then removed his finger from my mouth. He kissed me once more and then nudged me toward the door. “I’m right here,” he said. “Maybe remind him of that.”
I had to smile inwardly at his little warning, the mild jealousy he was hinting toward. “Her,” I whispered, although I hadn’t confirmed with Lake what pronoun she preferred. I’d just assumed by how she’d dressed and that she wanted to use the girls’ bathroom.
I wasn’t about to intimidate Lake by repeating North’s warning.
I went in, relieved that other than us, the bathroom was empty. Lake stood at the sink, washing her hands, her clothes in a heap under her arm. “Did you want to shower first? There’s several shower areas but they are completely open stalls. Thought I’d ask…”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “You go. I’ll wash up out here.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“I’m not that bad,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t think me gross for not showering after today. “I’m too tired to do a full shower. I just want to wash my face and brush my teeth and...”
“Tell me about it,” she waved her hand over her head and then headed toward the shower. “I’m not even bothering shaving my legs this week.” She paused and turned slowly back. “Uh...I don’t suppose you have a razor.”
I did have one in my kit and passed it over to her. “Keep it,” I said as I deposited my things into a dry sink and headed toward a stall. “I may not shave this week, either.”
I assumed she needed to shave her face if she was going to keep the girl appearance up.
I finished with the toilet and had changed into clean underwear, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and cotton pants when I heard the shower start up.
At first, I began to tremble, but as I forced myself to take deep breaths, I realized this shower was different. The echo of the tiles made the noise reverberate so much, that it didn’t sound like a shower at all. It sounded more like kids were stomping around in puddles.
The odd noise made it easier to try to ignore and pretend it didn’t even exist.
Would I be able to survive the week without fainting in a shower? Maybe with the chaos and us coming out to these showers, I had a better chance getting away with it?
I stood in the stall, waiting, wondering if Lake was comfortable with me being here while she showered or was it just that I was better than having all the other girls around.
Secretly, I was grateful she had been too scared to join the others. Changing for school gym was always slightl
y uncomfortable, and I’d always used the stall. I hadn’t known what it would be like to be among other girls here at camp. Lake had thought maybe they walked around naked. Did girls do that? It made me uncomfortable thinking about it.
I forced away the questions and opened the stall door.
There was a shadow by the entryway, and I hesitated, thinking someone from the trailers was coming in.
I was relieved to see it was Kota leaning in, looking at me. He had dark circles under his eyes but was smiling. He had on his green jacket and wore jeans and sneakers. He was clean, so I wondered if he had been able to do any camp stuff at all or if he was in training all day. “Hey,” he said softly. “I don’t mean to barge in. Is it okay to come in?”
I shook my head, looking toward the shower area. “There’s...” I wasn’t sure how to explain. “Uh...”
“Who’s that?” Lake called from the shower.
“It’s Kota,” I called back to her. “I needed to talk to him. Is it okay if he’s in here?”
“I don’t care,” Lake said.
I turned to Kota, putting on a smile. “Hi,” I said.
He smiled back, coming closer, keeping his hands in his jean pockets. “Hi,” he said. “You okay?”
I nodded, but then spread out my arms, dropping my dirty clothes to the ground and then headed toward him. I needed this. Lake was in the shower; she wouldn’t see.
Kota opened his arms wide and let me hug him, hugging me tightly back, letting me inhale his strong scent of sweet spice.
“You were all over the place today,” he said. “I got twenty different messages about where you were.”
“It’s a long story,” I said. I broke away, looking up at his face. I was looking past the black-rimmed glasses and dark circles, into his green eyes.
After all the problems I’d had that day, his bright eyes and inner calm somehow gave me a second wave of energy to keep going.
I just wish I could have more time with him. “And sorry for the change up last minute.”
He waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. This is Academy. There’s always something.”
I moved away from him to pick up my kit so I could wash my face. He leaned against the sink next to mine, opening his mouth to talk, but then stopped, watching as I added foam soap to a washcloth and spread it over my face and neck.
I stopped, looking at him. “Something wrong?”
His cheeks turned red and he shook his head quickly. “No,” he said. “Just feels like I haven’t seen...” He paused as he tilted his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a bathroom with you while you do this.”
I raised an eyebrow. “It’s usually only Gabriel, I guess.”
“Yeah,” he said and continued to watch as I washed my face. “How’d it go with Mrs. Rose?”
“Fine,” I said. “Although I think that Dr. Roberts might have tricked me into being her translator for the week so I was obligated and couldn’t join the guys.”
“They have ways of making it feel like you’re doing them a favor, and the next thing you know, you’re neck-deep in a job,” he said with a small smile. “Whether it was intentional, we might not ever know, but I’m never surprised to learn something was part of a plan they’ve cooked up.”
I glanced toward the shower, but the water was still running, so I didn’t think Lake could hear us. “Does this mean I have to stay with their group?” I asked. “Are they going to ask me to join this girl team?”
“They might try to be clever to get you to join them or other teams they’d like you to be with. But you always choose your team.” He frowned. “It’s just...very hard to say no when they ask nicely or have good points why—they can make it sound like you’re needed. And you’re a nice person.”
It was hard to say no. I remembered how the girls had gotten a little clingy after our hike, and while I’d wanted desperately to hang out with the guys, I was compelled to stay with them. “How can I say no?”
“Nicely,” he said. “Although I recommend trying to get to know a wide variety of people. It might be easier if you mix up with different teams.”
“The group I’m in is a little reluctant to do that,” I said. I loaded a toothbrush with paste and started brushing, letting him go on.
“Carla’s stupid,” Lake said from the shower. The shower had turned off only a moment before, and I heard the sound of a towel being fluffed out echoing to us. “I don’t like her.”
I shared a look with Kota. Maybe our voices echoed in the bathroom. I tried to recall what we said, hoping Lake didn’t think I wouldn’t want to be on a team with her. She was nice, I just didn’t know her. And I already had a team.
“You don’t have to like her,” Kota said louder, his deep voice reverberating in the bathroom. “But you can’t call her stupid. Do you even know her?”
Lake peeked her head out around the corner. Her hair was wet, slicked back against her head. Without her makeup, she resembled a boy even more. She scoped out Kota and then looked at me. “How many guys are in your group?”
“Nine,” Kota said.
Lake disappeared again behind the wall. “Is that normal to have such a large group?”
“No,” Kota said. I continued to brush my teeth, glad that Kota was so open with Lake. Maybe it was because this is where we were supposed to learn about the Academy. “There’s varying sizes, but it’s harder for larger groups to get along. Usually with so many different personalities, groups average between three and five people.” He looked right at me now as he said the next part. “Unless...unless there’s a couple team.”
“What’s a couple team?” Lake asked, her voice echoing oddly from the shower.
“If a couple is dating in the group, they can decide to splinter off and be just the two of them.”
“You split from your old group?” Lake asked as she came around from the shower, hair still wet and wearing my T-shirt and pants. She’d tied the pants tightly at her waist and the T-shirt neck hung off one shoulder. She bent over, wrapping her hair up in a towel before standing up again. “I thought once you were in a group, you were in there for life.”
“Not always,” Kota said. He was looking at Lake, although there was no surprise in his eyes. North may have warned him. “You get older, and things change. Someone you got along with for years might change over time, and you lose your compatibility. That and if you’re on a team where the others are getting boyfriends or girlfriends. Then you want to get married and have a family, maybe. So eventually, you might not even be able to join in on Academy jobs as much.”
“Is that why there’s so few old farts?” Lake asked.
I nearly choked on my toothbrush. I spat into the sink and looked at her in the mirror. “Lake...”
“Sorry,” Lake said and put a palm over her mouth, her eyes wide. “That’s my dad talking.”
Kota smiled and shook his head. “You’re not wrong. At some point, you’ve made a family and you might not have time between a job and kids to go wander off in the night. So sometimes you...I don’t want to say retire because sometimes you’re still asked to join a council or step in on a quick task...”
“I get it,” Lake said. “That’s why there’s so many young people.” She came up to my arm and poked me. “Do you have a brush?”
I was scooping water into my mouth to rinse and spit again. I stood up, wiping my mouth with my towel and waved my toothbrush, eyebrows up in question.
“Uh...oh yeah, I don’t have one of those, either,” she said. “I meant a hair brush. You’d think after dragging us out here, they’d give us at least a basic bathroom kit.”
“She’s got an extra,” Kota said. I looked at him, confused. He nodded toward my kit. “You should have two of everything.”
I checked and he was right. There was a brand-new travel-sized toothbrush in the bag, along with a smaller brush, and a few other supplies. “Why?” I asked as I pulled the extras out, passing them to Lake.
“Rule of two,” Kota said, winking at me.
I finished up, brushing my hair and clipping it up away from my face. Lake started brushing her teeth.
I really needed to talk to Kota alone. Was that even possible right now? I looked at him, unsure how to make it happen.
He looked right at me, nodded once and spoke. “Lake, do you mind if I take Sang with me? I wanted to show her the way to the cabins. North’s waiting outside. He’ll give you a ride back to the campsite.”
“Can I hang out with them until she gets back?” Lake asked with a mouth full of paste. “I don’t want to get cornered by Carla.”
“Sure,” Kota said, smiling. “They’ll let you hang out. But if someone is bugging you, you really should tell her to try to work things out. When you keep your feelings inside, you stop yourself from getting to know the other side.”
Lake nodded as she continued brushing his teeth.
Kota looked at me and nodded toward the door. “Ready?”
I slipped my feet back into my boots, collected my dirty clothes and bathroom kit into my towel like a bag, and draped it over my shoulder. “Ready.”
I waved to Lake, who seemed fine being left on her own. I hoped North would be nice to her. I guess it said something that Lake would rather stay and face North than go back to Carla.
When we left the bathroom, North was leaning against his Jeep, talking to someone in the darkness. In the dim light coming from the bathroom, I could see he was talking to a middle-aged guy with graying, wet hair. I assumed he’d been the one in the men’s side shower. He waved at the two of us before returning his attention to North and the story he was telling.
He seemed friendly, but North was quiet, simply nodding his head. I wondered if he’d gotten roped into chatting with a super-friendly Academy person.
Kota gently took my towel with my supplies and passed it quietly to North who took it but continued to nod toward the chatty camper.
Kota led the way down a path and I followed beside him, waiting to speak. He used his flashlight to guide our way.
TAKING A WALK
The path wound toward a set of trees beside a small eating area with two picnic tables, a small fire pit, and a steel garbage can lit by a streetlight overhead. The grass was a little high around our ankles, but the space was clean.