“She looks like a My Little Pony,” Makayla trilled. “The zombie version.”
The Bluebirds chirped with laughter, and shame crushed Archer’s heart.
Safe in the cool darkness of the forest, she stopped and looked up at the trees.
Am I really that awful? Why does my own sister hate me so much?
Their relationship hadn’t always been bad. For most of their lives, they were happy to ride bikes and play Barbies and video games together. Everything changed when they moved to the suburbs of Chicago, and Makayla started junior high.
It was like, overnight, Makayla didn’t want to build forts in the backyard or dance silly in the kitchen. She made friends with the type of mean girls they’d never liked back in their old school, started wearing makeup, and begged their parents for a smartphone. From then on, she spent every second on group texts.
Things got even worse when Archer joined her at the junior high. The first day of school, her sister had spread a rumor that Archer had a weird skin condition, contagious within three feet. Everyone had stayed far away.
Why would camp be any different?
If only she could hide under the weeping willow tree by the lake for the rest of the summer. Unfortunately, there were probably too many snakes, so she decided to find her cabin and see how bad this would be.
When the path opened next to the lake, Archer stopped. The water mirrored the color of the sky, and it was surrounded by fir trees. Silent and still, the scene filled her with a sense of longing to sketch it on her arm with a Sharpie.
A burst of laughter snapped her out of her reverie. Quickly, she moved aside for a group of girls barreling down the trail. They weren’t looking at a map, so they were probably second-or third-year campers. They barely noticed her as they pushed by.
With a sigh, Archer looked down at the map. The path leading to Firefly Cabin was marked with a wood-burnt drawing of a sun. She followed it to a cluster of five log cabins, each marked by a colorful flag bearing an image of its namesake: Firefly, Dragonfly, Butterfly, Ladybug, and Cicada.
Archer found the Firefly flag and climbed the steps of the cabin, her stomach clenched with nerves. She peeked through the dusty screen door. Inside, a group of girls chatted like old friends. She had two thoughts: one, they all knew one another, and two, they were probably as snotty as the Bluebirds.
Sure enough, the first girl she made eye contact with could have been Makayla’s twin. The girl was Disney Channel gorgeous, with stick-straight silver-blond hair, flushed cheeks, and bright blue eyes. She didn’t say hi, just went back to tacking up a lavender sheet around her bunk bed like a curtain.
Don’t worry. I don’t want to be your friend, either.
The cabin was twice the size of her room back home, but cleaner. It had two sets of bunk beds, a cot for their counselor, a community area, and a bathroom sink. The shelves next to the sink already held toothbrushes. Based on the yellow case next to a tube of toothpaste, Archer wasn’t the only one who wore a retainer.
That sense of relief vanished the moment she noticed the bathroom, a small closet by the sink. There was a three-inch gap between the floor and the door! How could she use the bathroom if everyone could hear what she was doing?
Archer was about to make a home under that weeping willow after all when a whirlwind of enthusiasm rushed forward.
“Hi, I’m Lauren!” The girl thrust out her hand, her gray eyes wide set and friendly.
“Hey.” Archer gave an awkward wave. “Archer.”
“Cool name!” Lauren bounced up and down. “It’s so super-great to meet you.”
Super-great?
This girl was as eager as a golden retriever. Clearly this was a setup for some joke.
Archer crossed her arms. “If you say so.”
To her surprise, Lauren pulled her into the room.
“Come meet everyone!” She pointed at a pale girl with dark hair and straight-cut bangs. “That’s Isla.”
Isla gave a stiff wave, like a princess in a parade or something.
“And…” Lauren beamed at the blond girl. “That’s Jade.”
Jade spritzed her bed with a rose-scented perfume.
“Yuck.” Archer waved at the air. “That smells like my grandmother’s underwear.”
Everyone laughed. Well, everyone except Jade. But thanks to the laughter, the cabin felt more comfortable, like it belonged to Archer now too.
Lauren pointed to the bunk right above Jade’s. “Too bad that’s your bed.”
Sure enough, Archer’s suitcase rested next to a thin wool blanket; old pillow; and starched, white bedsheets. Its colorful stickers shouted “Mean People Suck” and “Artificial Intelligence BFF,” which suddenly seemed too aggressive in the small space.
“Well, now that we’re all here…” Lauren did a silly little dance. “I have a surprise for the Fireflies!” She rushed to the bunk on the opposite side of the room and snapped open an old-fashioned suitcase. She waved everyone over to a small table. It was painted bright red, with blue-and green-painted chairs.
“I’d like to call to order the first official meeting of the Fireflies.”
Archer brushed a few dead beetles off the table and onto the floor. The pale girl (Isla?) cringed but tentatively took a seat. Jade continued arranging her drawer beneath the bed.
“You can listen from over there, Jade,” Lauren called, cheerful as the sun. “So, I have dreamed about this moment, about meeting each one of you, from the very second I became a part of this cabin. I think the four of us are going to be the best of friends. Sisters. And since we’re the girls of Firefly Cabin”—Lauren opened her hands to reveal a bunch of string—“I made us friendship bracelets.”
Chapter Four
Friendship bracelets? Jade cringed. How am I going to get out of this one?
Her cabinmates were crowded together like best friends, oohing and ahhing. Even from across the room, Jade could tell the bracelets were works of art.
Friendship bracelets were the one thing she wouldn’t—couldn’t—wear, and this sweet, eager redhead had to make it a thing. How could she get out of this without looking like a jerk? It would be impossible, so her best bet was to try to breeze past the situation as quickly as possible.
Jade knelt down on the scratchy wooden floor and unpacked her last piece of clothing. It startled her to see her scrapbook at the bottom of the suitcase, and she brushed her hand over the worn cover. It was hard to believe she and Kiara had started the book when they were only six years old.
A shadow fell over her shoulder, and Jade jumped.
“Here you go,” Lauren sang, handing her a bracelet.
Sure enough, it was pretty incredible. The bracelet was hand-braided from heavy string in navy, light blue, and white. In the center sparkled a firefly, embroidered in silver thread.
It must have taken Lauren some serious time to make these. Jade wanted to compliment her, but the words sat like a lump in her throat. The moment Lauren turned back to the other girls, Jade slid the bracelet into the drawer.
Immediately, the girl with the chip on her shoulder stalked across the room and glared at her. “Why aren’t you putting on your bracelet?”
Jade stood up. “I don’t want to ruin it.”
“You can’t ruin it.” Lauren rushed back over. “Friendship bracelets are pretty dur—” She stopped, her eyes falling on the collection of friendship bracelets tied to Jade’s wrist. “Oh. I guess you know that.”
Jade almost caved. Until she remembered Kiara tying each bracelet to her wrist, saying, “Best friends forever.”
“Lauren, I’m sorry.” She rubbed the goose bumps on her arms. “I already have a best friend. We wear bracelets only from each other. It’s cool, though. Thank you.”
Hurt colored Lauren’s freckled face. “Yours are nicer. I understand.”
Jade frowned. Yes, some of her bracelets were store-bought with leather accents and silver charms, but that didn’t have anything to do with it
.
“I like yours,” Jade insisted. “For real.”
Lauren raised her eyebrows. “Okay.” She sat with Isla, looking dejected.
If I could only call Kiara and ask for an exception.
Of course, that was ridiculous.
Trees creaked outside the window, and an army of bugs banged against the screen. A burst of laughter echoed from one of the cabins next door and Lauren glanced over, as though envious of the sound.
Archer cleared her throat. “Well, speaking of presents…” She grabbed her suitcase off the top bunk and produced a gigantic jar of Swedish Fish, followed by a grocery bag jam-packed with junk food. “This is for all of us.”
Except you, her haughty look seemed to say to Jade.
The bag was stuffed with Power Bars in shiny gold wrappers, skinny cans of Pringles, packs of gum, M&M’s, Milk Duds, Sour Patch Kids…Archer plopped the whole thing on the table to share.
“You guys, snacks are not allowed.” Isla wrung her hands. “The handouts said they attract rodents.”
“Please.” Archer scoffed. “My sis—I mean, a girl I know had her mother send care packages every week. It’s fine. I bet there’s not a mouse within five hundred miles of this place.”
Lauren gave a vigorous nod. “Camp is too perfect for mice.”
“Okay, but it could attract bears,” Isla pressed.
Archer grinned. “Then we’d better hurry up and eat it.”
With that, Archer and Lauren tore into the snacks like they hadn’t seen food in weeks. Isla watched with dismay, quick to wipe up any crumbs that landed on the table.
Well, good. At least they each have something else to focus on other than me.
Jade climbed into her bed, tucking a corner of her lavender sheet into the edge of the bottom bunk. The effect was a dark, cave-like shelter. She had just collapsed against the thin pillow for a nap, when someone hissed, “Is she being serious right now?”
Boots stomped across the wooden floor. Sunlight flooded the bed, and the girl with blue and purple hair stood over her, nostrils flaring.
“You don’t want to be a part of this cabin, do you?” she demanded.
I don’t want to be a part of anything.
Her life was over; it had been for months. But this horrible girl didn’t deserve an explanation.
“You do you,” Jade told her. “I just want to be left alone.” She pulled the sheet back around her bed. To her absolute shock, the girl yanked it down and threw it onto the floor.
Jade gripped the edge of her pillow. For the first time in months, she felt something stronger than grief. Fear, maybe? Or was it rage?
“It’s obvious you don’t want to be a Firefly,” the girl shouted, “so get your things, take your stinky attitude, and get out!”
Lauren leaped to her feet. “Hold on. Jade didn’t say she doesn’t want to be a part of Firefly Cabin.”
“Look at her,” the girl scoffed, the smell of sour cream and onion Pringles strong on her breath. “She doesn’t have to say it.”
“You know what?” Jade twisted the pillow case tightly around her hand. “I don’t want to be a Firefly. Not if you’re one too.”
Lauren’s freckled face was beet-red, as if she were fighting too. “You guys,” she wailed. “We’re supposed to be best friends. Sisters! What are you doing?”
The room fell silent.
Isla took the opportunity to wipe down the crumb-splattered table with a wet cloth. Jade had to give her credit. It was the perfect moment to try to fend off wild animals.
Lauren sighed. “Look, we’ve got a big day ahead of us. The opening ceremony, the bonfire tonight…let’s have some quiet time in our bunks.”
Jade lifted her chin. That was what she had been trying to do when Miss Rage Face ripped down her sheet. “Fine.”
Archer snorted. “I don’t need a nap, thanks.” She stomped back to the table and shoved another handful of Pringles into her mouth.
Lauren tensed as if expecting the fight to start up again. When it didn’t, she picked up the lavender sheet. “Okay, then. Let’s get this back in place.”
Jade helped press pushpins through the fabric and into the thick pine of the bunk. Once the sheet was up, she gave Lauren a grateful smile and climbed back into bed. Her shoulders slumped the moment she was hidden, and she fell against her pillow.
“If you don’t want to rest, let’s go outside,” she heard Lauren say. “The schedule says there’s a soccer game later, and there are some lawn games out front.”
“Is there croquet?” Archer shrieked. “Challenge for master champion!”
Finally, the cabin was silent.
Crisis averted.
But deep down, Jade feared the trouble with the girls was just getting started.
Chapter Five
Isla’s allergies were killing her.
It was like nature itself had conspired to turn her into a sneezing mess. The Fireflies had spent an hour out in the courtyard of their cabin cluster playing croquet, and the pine trees had put her allergies into overdrive. Now, on the walk to the soccer field, Isla tried to focus on the questions Lauren fired at them, but it was hard to concentrate; everything seemed foggy, with her itchy eyes and nose.
“You’ve never been to camp before, either?” Lauren asked.
“Nope.” Archer shrugged. “What about you, Isla?”
“No, thank goodness.” Isla swatted bugs out of her face. How could there be so many insects? This place was an entomology exhibit come to life. “My parents waited until now to torture me.”
Archer burst out laughing, but Lauren looked horrified. “You don’t like camp?”
Isla hesitated.
“I have an Internet business back home. I don’t know how I’ll manage to keep up with everything while I’m here.”
Lauren’s gray eyes went even wider. “Wow. You have a business?”
“What’s it called?” Archer asked.
Isla blushed. “‘What’s in a Name?’ I make monogrammed headbands and sell them, mostly online. My site has decent traffic.”
“Monograms?” Archer grinned. “I would rather eat toenails than wear a monogram.” Quickly, she added, “No offense.”
“I think it sounds cool,” Lauren protested.
Isla waved her hand. It was nothing compared to the accomplishments of her brothers. Carter was the valedictorian in his graduating class and had received a full ride to MIT. William was an expert rugby player and was being scouted by teams in Europe. Selling a few headbands hardly deserved praise.
Embarrassed, she changed the subject. “Lauren, you’re from Arizona? I’ve never been out west.”
The question hit the mark. Lauren launched into a detailed description, leaving Isla free to focus on not tripping on the wood-chip-covered path. All around them, huge trees stretched to the sky like the skyscrapers in New York. The path between the bushes reminded her of dark alleys—so thick with foliage, it was impossible to see what could be lurking.
If a bear leaps out, I’ll wave my inhaler like a can of mace. Wait—my inhaler!
The pockets of her hopelessly unattractive camp trousers were empty. Her inhaler was still in her designer handbag back at the cabin. It was rare that she needed it, but if she did, she would need it fast.
“I have to go back.” Isla felt rude interrupting a story about Lauren’s parents. “I forgot something.”
Lauren shielded her eyes from the sun. “We’ll come with you.”
Isla wanted to say yes, because walking alone through the woods felt ominous, but she didn’t want her cabinmates to find out she had asthma. It made her feel like such a failure since everyone else could be active without issues. Recently, her entire family, including her grandmother, had run a marathon together. It was an accomplishment Isla couldn’t even imagine.
“Thank you, no.” She lifted her chin. “I don’t want you to miss the soccer game.”
Before the girls could protest, Isla darted down the pathway.
To keep from giving in to the terror of the woods, she thought of the cute boy from the country store.
Jordan.
He had the most beautiful eyes. So dark.
Will I ever see him again?
Possible, since he attended the boys’ camp across the way. Would he remember her? For a second, before she spilled the chocolate shake down her shirt, it had seemed like he couldn’t stop staring at her too.
Isla was so preoccupied, she forgot Jade was still in the cabin. After climbing the wooden stairs, she pushed open the screen door. The sound of snuffles filled the room.
Was Jade crying?
Isla took a few steps, the floorboards creaking under her designer shoes. “Jade?”
Sniffle, sniffle, snuff.
Quickly, Isla shoved her inhaler into her pocket. “Sorry to bother you,” she mumbled, but Jade didn’t respond.
Feeling bold, Isla peeked behind the lavender sheet. Jade sat with her back facing the door while tinny music pulsed from a pair of white earbuds. She was flipping through what looked like a scrapbook, with pictures of her and another girl. Jade brushed her fingers against one of the pictures and let out a low moan. Her pain was so raw, so real, that Isla felt embarrassed.
Turning, she rushed for the door, grateful Jade had not seen her. The awkward feeling stayed with her through the forest and to the soccer field.
Lauren was in the thick of a game, running even faster than the older girls as she chased after the ball. Archer sat on the sidelines, digging into the ground with the heels of her boots. Isla picked her way through the grass and stood next to Archer, watching the game in silence.
Archer got to her feet. “You look pale. You okay?”
Isla put her hands to her cheeks. It was most likely the sunscreen. The zinc did give a ghostlike appearance to her face. That said, she felt shook up from what she’d witnessed in the cabin.
“I’m fine. Really,” she added, since Archer’s bright blue eyes looked skeptical. “I’m just hot. In fact, we really should drink some water. It’s important to stay hydrated. We wouldn’t want to get heatstroke.”
The Girls of Firefly Cabin Page 2