Finding Cabin Six

by Missy Robertson

  We made it to the box with all the kids who had arrived at camp so far. Kendall, Ruby, and Lola saw us and came running over.

  “Where did you go after we left my mom at the SUV? I thought we were all headin’ to the rosters.” Kendall’s eyes were wide, conveying thoughts I knew she couldn’t say out loud with Madison there.

  “Did you see my note?” Ruby smiled. “Cabin Five is all decorated and ready to go.” Then she turned to Madison. “Welcome to Camp 99 Pines.”

  Madison grinned. “Thanks. So far I haven’t been bitten by anything.”

  “Wait till you go in the bathhouse,” Kendall said, and Lola poked her in the side with her elbow.

  “Hey!” Hunter and Madison’s brother Parker ran over to join our little group. “We made it to Cabin Six! Top of the food chain! And we’re going with a dinosaur theme, so my pillowcase is perfect.” Hunter gave me a thumbs-up.

  “But dinosaurs are extinct,” Kendall said. “Not a great mascot for winnin’ if you ask me.” Lola shoved her elbow in harder this time.

  Kendall grunted. “Hi, Parker.”

  Parker pushed his hands into his jean pockets.

  “Hi, Kendall.”

  “I have a question,” Madison said. “Why are there six cabins in the boys’ village and only five in the girls’? I mean, I only saw signs for five, right?”

  “Yep,” I said. “The girls only have five. And nobody really knows why.”

  “There are stories,” Lola wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

  “But they’re all just made up to scare us.” Ruby gave her sister the stink-eye.

  “I love scary stories!” Hunter said.

  Just then, Johan leaped up on top of the box and turned on the bullhorn.

  “Welcome, campers! You look like a hungry bunch, so we’re just gonna eat now, and wait until later to tell you all the rules of camp, when everyone is here. How’s that sound?”

  We all clapped.

  “Let’s bow our heads and have someone thank God for the food.” Alec, a boy I recognized from the last two years, stepped up to the box and said grace. Then we followed with the tradition of singing the Doxology:

  Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

  Praise Him all creatures here below;

  Praise him above ye heavenly host;

  Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

  I glanced over at Madison in the middle of singing. It was clear she didn’t know the words, so she was looking down at her feet as she drew circles in the dirt with her shoe.

  “Ladies first!” Johan yelled, and we streamed into the mess hall. The familiar aroma of pizza filled the room.

  Kendall took me by the elbow and pulled me aside.

  “Allie, I’ve been thinkin’ about a solution to our cabin assignment problem.”

  I frowned. “I’m so bummed. I can’t believe Miss Lindsey split us up.”

  “I know! But hey, there are these two girls—Natalie and Olivia from Kentucky. It’s their first time here, and they don’t care about the whole Cabin Five thing, so I was thinking that they might be willing to switch cabins with you and Ruby. What do you think?”

  “Uh . . .”

  As I thought about that, I looked around at the cabin signs that were glued to lanterns and sitting in the middle of each table. Another tradition at Camp 99 Pines is that cabinmates sit together at each meal. How were the Carroway cousins supposed to sleep and eat away from each other for a whole week?

  “Okay, yeah,” I said. “That’s a good—”

  “Allie! Oh, there you are.” Madison held a tray with two plates, each with a slice of cheese pizza, a salad, and a bag of chips on it. “I got your lunch for you. And I met Bliss! She’s serving in the food line. I introduced myself and told her all about our princess theme, and she loves the idea! I feel so much better now, knowing you, Ruby, and Bliss are in my cabin.”

  I just stood and stared at Kendall.

  Madison continued, “So, I guess we all eat at the same table too? This is so fun. I’ll see you over there.”

  Madison practically skipped over to the Cabin Four table.

  Kendall gave me an intense stare. “So, do you want me to talk to Natalie and Olivia?”

  What should I say, God?

  I thought about that huge hole in my bed, and how this could be my last year ever at Camp 99 Pines. I thought about how I love the rainforest and hanging monkeys so much more than I love tassels, tiaras, and feather boas. I thought about how when I get home I’m moving out and won’t be sharing a room with Kendall anymore. It seemed like an easy decision.

  But then I remembered what my mom said:

  Make sure you take good care of Madison.

  And what Mamaw said:

  That girl is going to find out how much Jesus loves her—and then you’re gonna see big changes in Miss Madison Doonsberry.

  And as much as I wanted to move cabins, I just couldn’t do it.

  I cleared my throat. “Kendall, I’m sorry, but I think God wants me to stay in Cabin Four.”

  Kendall’s eyes filled up. “But, Allie, it’s our last year.”

  Then my eyes filled up. “I know. But we’ve been living together in the same room for nine months. You’re sick of me, and you know it.”

  Kendall blinked and a tear fell. “You’re right. And I know you’re sick of me.”

  I nodded.

  “Are you sure God wants you in Cabin Four? ’Cause Jesus is alive in Cabin Five.”

  I nodded. “I’m pretty sure He can be alive in Cabin Four too.”

  Kendall sighed loudly and rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. “Ugh! This is so uncomfortable!”

  I laughed a little. “I know. Hey—maybe we’ll be on the same team for Survivor Day.”

  Survivor Day happens sometime during the week. They never tell us when. We just have to be prepared. Teams compete against each other in crazy events that take the strengths of all the members working together to win.

  Oh, no. Madison’s going to have to participate in Survivor Day! I hope she survives.

  I reached out and put my hand on Kendall’s shoulder. “You’ve got Lola.”

  Kendall shrugged. “Yeah. But I wanted all my cousins together.”

  “Me too. But we’ll be okay. It’s only a week. Maybe there’s some important reason we’re separated.”

  Kendall raised her opened hands to the sides of her face. “I can’t imagine any good reason for that.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Boy Rules

  I sat and ate cheese pizza with the girls in Cabin Four. They were nice and they all seemed put-together—kind of like their luggage I had seen in the cabin before coming over. I already knew Ruby and Madison—who sat on either side of me in the enclosed patio portion of the mess hall. The other six would take a while to get to know, but their nametags said they were Hayley, Julia, Ashley, Brooke, Shelby, and Kayla. And finally, just as they were calling us up for seconds, Bliss showed up.

  “There you are! My Cabin Four girls!” Bliss placed her overflowing salad plate on the space next to Kayla and stretched her arms wide from side-to-side. She wasn’t big, but she was sheer muscle. Like one of those Olympic gymnasts who can hold herself on the balance beam with the muscles of one toe.

  “Welcome to Camp 99 Pines! I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to greet ya’ll when you got into the cabin.” Bliss sat down. “Okay, which girl got the messed-up bed?”

  I raised my hand. “If you’re referring to the one that has a hole the size of Texas, that would be me.”

  “Allie Carroway. I am so sorry!” Bliss shook her head. “I know you don’t know me, but I feel like I know you, since I’ve been watchin’ your show for years!” Bliss’s eyes shifted over to Ruby. “And dear Ruby, I just love you!” She placed both of her hands over her heart.

  Bliss sat down, and her long platinum-blonde side bangs fell and covered her left eye.

  “Did y’all wash your hands in the tub and use hand sanitizer? Because tha
t’s what’s gonna save us this week, ladies.” She held up an index finger. “That, and not touching each other’s pillows. Did y’all see my note?”

  Madison finished chewing a bite of pizza and swallowed. “Yes, we saw it, and I totally agree. Pillows are for faces—nothing else.”

  Bliss smiled. She picked up her fork and stabbed multiple pieces of crispy lettuce. “We are just gonna have the best time! I can’t wait! Do y’all know there’s a waitin’ list to be a counselor at Camp 99 Pines? They finally called me. I’ve been prayin’ for y’all for three years! Oh, man, God’s gonna do some great things, you’ll see!”

  The rest of Bliss’s curly hair was shoved up into a stretchy, buff-headband thing, and some of it poked up and spilled out of the top. Seemed the perfect thing to do with camp hair.

  “Where’d you get all those veggies?” Madison pointed to the radishes, artichoke hearts, peppers, and beets that were in Bliss’s salad.

  Bliss stuffed a bite in her mouth, chewed, and then swallowed. Then she put a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone. I have a special counselor food line. I’m allergic to cheese, which makes me allergic to pizza. I’m also allergic to milk, ice cream, ranch dressing—pretty much everything in the camper food line.” She gestured to me. “You can relate, right, Allie? One peanut and you’re a goner?”

  I glanced down at the little pink wrist pack that travels with me everywhere since it carries my inhaler and Epi-pen. Yeah, I could relate. I was sure I would have to visit the special food line for campers a few times this week.

  “You mean you can’t eat mac and cheese?” I blurted out.

  Bliss shook her head. “Not a bite.”

  “I couldn’t live without mac and cheese.”

  Bliss laughed. “And I couldn’t live without peanut butter.”

  I smiled. “Then I guess we’re food opposites.”

  Bliss chewed a little more, then swallowed. “I guess so. But I’m sure we’ll be great cabinmates anyway. Wow—Carroways in my cabin! Who would have thought . . .”

  Yes, who would have thought? I thought I’d be in Cabin Five.

  I glanced over at the girls’ Cabin Five table, and saw that their counselor was one I knew—Ember. And of all the counselors I’d met through the years—she was the most relaxed and my favorite.

  Bliss went on. “You wanna know somethin’? My great aunt was a camper here the first year it opened. I’m tellin’ ya, girls, this is a special place, with a capital S!”

  Bliss took a big bite of radish, and while she gnawed on that, I had a thought.

  The first year it opened? Could Bliss’s aunt and Mamaw have met each other?

  “Bliss, did you know that the camp is up for sale?” Ruby’s eyebrows were drawn together and she looked like she could barely spit those words out.

  Bliss dropped her fork. “What? I don’t know anything about that! I just got here last night. I live in Texas, and my flight was delayed by bad weather, so I missed the orientation meeting. How can it be for sale? Who’s gonna buy it?”

  The girls in Cabin Four were all leaning in now, and wore expressions of shock while they tore off bites of pizza and chewed.

  “Well, maybe someone will buy it and do some upgrades.” Madison ripped open her bag of chips. “I’m sure things haven’t been improved since your aunt was here, Bliss.”

  I had to laugh to myself, since I know that my family helps with upgrades every year. In fact, just last fall, they were on a work crew that expanded the craft building, which used to be an enclosed room, and made it a covered outside venue, with ceiling fans and shelves so that everyone has a place to put their crafts.

  What does this girl expect? A five-star hotel? This is camp!

  Kayla, a tall girl with super white teeth and long, dark brown hair, spoke up. “Hey, see that boy over there? I think he’s looking at you, Ruby.” She pointed over to the boys’ Cabin Five table, where one of the smelly creeps had his head turned, looking right at Ruby. He waved, and then his friend came over to our table!

  “My friend likes you,” he said to Ruby. “He says you’re his favorite person on Carried Away with the Carroways. He wants to know if you want to hang out with him during free time today.”

  Ruby wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Tell him that I appreciate the invitation, but my personal rule is ‘No love at camp.’”

  I practically choked on my pizza. Ruby has a way of cutting right to the chase.

  Bliss pointed at Ruby. “That, my dear, is one GREAT rule! Let’s make that for our whole cabin, shall we? What do you say, girls?”

  “I’m down,” Hayley said.

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve got bigger things to worry about.” Julia threw her napkin on the table.

  “Boys just break your heart,” Brooke hit her chest with her palm.

  “And I only love my dog.” Madison stuck out her bottom lip.

  “And we need to stay focused on God and his plan for us this week. So, what do you say we all stack hands on the Ruby Rule?” Bliss stood and put her hand out. The rest of us girls did, too, but as soon as we had our hands out, Bliss pulled a tube of hand sanitizer out of her pocket and began squirting some for each of us.

  “Rub it in good,” she said. “You’re all gonna thank me midweek when everyone else starts pukin’ and you don’t. Trust me!”

  We rubbed. Then we stacked hands again.

  “Okay, NO LOVE AT CAMP, on three.”

  We pushed our hands down, counted to three, and then yelled, “NO LOVE AT CAMP!”

  It caused quite a stir. The kids sitting near us started laughing. I turned to look for the Cabin Six boys. They were a few tables down, but Nathan Fremont was right within my sights, and he was staring straight at me.

  And then he winked!

  Before my hand sanitizer had even had a chance to dry.

  CHAPTER 9

  The Last Camper

  After lunch, everyone returned to their cabins for a decorating session. Ours was challenging, because we had to work around Redwood, longtime Camp 99 Pines handywoman, and her new assistant this year, Snowball. Redwood and Snowball had arrived in response to a work order, and they hauled with them an electric saw, a long extension cord, hammers, nails, and some old scraps of wood with writing and carvings all over them.

  “Allie Carroway, are you the one with the broken bed?” Redwood pulled back the mattress, grabbed a piece of the broken wood, and ripped it out of the frame. She inspected it, sniffed it, and tossed it out the front door of the cabin.

  “Doesn’t look like mold or termites. I think that piece of wood just got tired of camping and gave up.”

  Snowball grabbed one of the wood scraps that she had brought in and laid it over the hole.

  “We may need a couple of these boards to cover this huge hole,” she said. “You see, girls, this is how I chose my camp name. Little jobs seem to ‘snowball’ into big ones around here.”

  “It was easier to fix things before the spending freeze and we had to find scrap wood to use,” Redwood said.

  “Spending freeze?” Bliss grimaced. “I hope they don’t skimp on the soap.”

  Redwood laughed. “Oh, no, they won’t freeze the budget on supplies for the kids. Just on the maintenance stuff right now until we find out what’s going to happen to the camp. I mean, I get it. Why fix a cabin that might be torn down at the end of the summer?”

  I put my hand to my throat. “They wouldn’t do that, would they? These cabins are part of my childhood history.”

  Redwood worked to untangle her extension cord that stretched all the way from the bathhouse. Then she hooked up the saw.

  “If Mr. Patterson Gables has his way, this whole place will be demolished. So, for right now, Allie, you’ll be sleeping on a piece of history. These scraps are part of some old benches that used to be up the hill. But don’t worry, we inspected them to make sure they’re free from insects and mold.”

  Bliss put her hands on her cheeks. “So, t
he rumor’s true? The camp is for sale?” She closed her eyes and raised one hand in the air. I think she was praying.

  “I’m afraid so,” Redwood said. “But God’s gonna come through, you’ll see.”

  Redwood moved us all out of the cabin while she and Snowball replaced the old broken boards with the “new” old bench boards. Bliss dismissed herself to the supply room to get some tape to hang our decorations. The rest of us waited in a little huddle, next to the bathhouse.

  A couple of minutes later, Kendall bolted out holding her nose.

  “I forgot the air freshener spray! Allie, how come you didn’t remind me?”

  “Air freshener?” Madison looked surprised. “That wasn’t on the packing list. Why do we need air freshener?”

  Julia laughed. “Let me see, forty-five girls using the same five bathrooms all week? You do the math.”

  Madison coughed. “Ugh. I will not go in there, then.”

  “Your only other choice would be to dig a hole out there,” Hayley said, and she pointed to the most wooded part of Camp 99 Pines, which is located just beyond the girls’ village. “But you might run into the old hermit lady, Zola Simms.”

  “Don’t talk about that,” Kayla said. “I heard that story last year and it freaks me out.”

  “Who’s Zola Simms?” Madison just had to ask.

  “Oh, please, can I tell it?” Kendall jumped up and down.

  “You might as well, and get it over with.” I rolled my eyes.

  Kayla dismissed herself to go sit on a stump a few yards away. She put her fingers in her ears and started singing, “La, la, la . . .”

  The other girls from Cabin Four, along with me, Kendall, Ruby, and Madison, formed a close circle and leaned in.

  Kendall began: “Madison, you know how you asked earlier why there isn’t a girls’ Cabin Six?”

  Madison’s eyes got wide. “Yeah.”

  “Well, when the camp first opened, there was a Cabin Six.”

  Madison nodded. “I figured there had to be.”

  “Yeah, and it was full that year, one counselor, and nine girls—one being a girl named Zola Simms.”