Storm Over Hidden Lake (Kristi Cameron Book 6)

by Cynthia Griffith

  “Oh-oh! He’s hurt!” Kristi exclaimed. They saw Dan pull himself up onto the pontoon and then turn back and haul Skeeter up, too.

  “It can’t be too bad,” Robyn said. “Dan is yelling at him, and doesn’t look too concerned—not from here, anyway.”

  “And Pete is laughing,” Anna added.

  Kristi sighed. “Well, so much for peace and tranquility! At least, when Skeeter is around!” The other girls from their cabin ran over to them just then, laughing and chattering as they dripped water and kicked sand all over them. The peaceful moment was definitely over. Kristi wondered if there would be any quiet times at all this week at camp. “Be still and know that I am God.” a voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Yes, the Lord would bring those peaceful moments—just when they were needed most.

  ___________

  CHAPTER THREE

  ___________

  Whipped Cream and a Cherry on Top

  Free time passed quickly and before they knew it the bell was pealing from the lodge tower. Kristi reluctantly stood up and brushed the sand from her legs. The water in the lake was chilly, and she had spent most of the time on the beach watching others, more adventurous than she, out in the water. Dan, Skeeter and Pete had finally returned with the pontoon boat and she had questioned her younger brother about the accident out on the lake.

  “Aww, Kristi, it was nothin’. I dove in and hit a branch that was floating just under the surface. It’s just a scratch. Dan thought I was drowning or something, I guess.”

  Kristi looked closely at the cut on Skeeter’s head and said, “Well, make sure you wash that out well when you get back to your cabin. Do you want a band-aid for your boo-boo?”

  “Aww, Kristi, you’re doing it again—acting like Mom. No, I don’t want a band-aid! You think I want to go around looking like a dork?”

  “Why not? You do it all the rest of time!”

  “Kristi!”

  Kristi laughed and ran off to join her friends. The cabin was empty when they entered. They had expected to find Tiffany still on her bunk but she was nowhere to be seen. Sherry, Jennifer and Becca came in a minute or two later.

  “Have you guys seen Tiffany?” Marlee asked. “Did she decide to do a craft after all?”

  “No, she wasn’t at the craft shack. Why, is she missing?”

  “No, we just were wondering where she went, that’s all.”

  “What have you got there, Becca?” Kristi asked.

  “It’s a basket. I wove it all by myself. I gonna give it to Mommy.”

  “Wow, Becca! That is really, really good! It’s beautiful!” Kristi meant it. She took the basket from Becca and turned it around in her hands. The small woven bowl was perfectly made. Becca had even woven two light blue stripes around the sides of the basket. “Look, everybody! Look at what Becca made!”

  The other girls gathered around and expressed their awe and delight in the little basket. “And she really did do it all herself,” Sherry was saying proudly. “That girl is amazing when it comes to crafts! She has a real talent.”

  “She helped me paint this rock,” Jennifer added. “I was making a real mess of it until Becca came along and fixed it for me. All I did was the background. Becca did the rest.” They looked at the smooth blue rock Jennifer was holding up. Tiny pine trees and a log cabin stood by the side of a lake. A deer was drinking at the shore. The girls stared at the miniature scene on the rock and then stared at Rebecca. “Wow!” was all they could say.

  Becca blushed and shrugged her shoulders. “Mommy teach me cwafts,” she said humbly.

  Anna moved over to the retarded girl and gave her a hug. “Becca, you truly have a gift from the Lord! How wonderful!”

  The other girls added their praise and then began to hurry to get ready for dinner. They took turns at the three sinks in the bathroom and laughed as they jumped and jostled to try to get a look at themselves in the mirrors. The five-minute bell rang out and they began to rush to get out the door.

  “Come on, Kristi!” Robyn said from the doorway. “We’re going to be late!”

  “Have you guys seen my bracelet?” Kristi asked Anna and Robyn as she pawed frantically through her duffle bag. “I thought I tossed it in here when we changed to go to the beach but now I can’t find it.”

  “Forget it for now, Kristi. It’s in there somewhere, but we’re late! Come on!”

  “Okay, okay!” Kristi zipped her bag and dashed to the door. They ran down the path toward the lodge and got there just as the final bell rang. Becca was already there sitting between Sherry and Jennifer—and so was Tiffany.

  She was sitting at one end of the table, looking around the dining area and ignoring the girls at her table. A couple of them tried to say hello to her, but she didn’t speak. No one had sat next to Tiffany so Kristi and Anna took the empty chairs on either side of her.

  Their efforts to get the girl to talk were useless, as well. She didn’t even bother to say thank you when they passed her the food. The only reaction they got at all was when they began discussing the chapel service and the missionary speaker who would be speaking to them later that evening. Tiffany snorted loudly and muttered, “Yuck!” under her breath.

  Kristi bit her lips to keep from saying anything. Be patient! she reminded herself. Anna looked sad but she didn’t say any thing, either. Kristi knew she was probably praying for Tiffany.

  Dan and Pete wandered over to their table just then. “Hi, Kristi, Anna,” they said. “Hey, Robyn.” The other girls at the table perked up when the boys showed up—including Tiffany. Kristi introduced the girls to Pete and Dan, and chuckled on the inside as she saw several of the girls vying for their attention. Pete, as usual, only had eyes for Anna, and they soon got the message and gave up on him. Dan didn’t seem to realize he was the focus of their attention and kidded around with his sister and her friends. Finally he said, “Kristi, I was wondering if you’d be my partner in the relay races tonight. Our counselor said the teams have to be boy-girl in order to make them more evenly matched.”

  “I’ll be your partner, Dan!” Tiffany jumped in before Kristi could reply. “I’m pretty athletic. We’d make a good team.”

  Dan looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Why, uh, sure,” he stuttered. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know this girl—couldn’t even remember her name, to be honest—but always the gentleman, how could he refuse without looking like a jerk?

  Tiffany cast a triumphant look at Kristi. She put her hand on Dan’s arm and said, “Great! I can’t wait!”

  Kristi and the other girls were staring at Tiffany in disbelief. Suddenly the light dawned on Kristi. Oh, good grief! She giggled to herself. Tiffany doesn’t know Dan is my brother! She thinks she’s just stolen him away from me! She wanted to laugh right out loud, not only at the thought, but also at the trapped look on Dan’s face. She looked over at Anna and winked. Anna had come to the same conclusion as Kristi and she looked amused, as well—and a little relieved. She was glad Tiffany hadn’t set her sights on Pete!

  Skeeter joined them a minute later and asked Robyn to be his partner, much to the disappointment of the other girls. “You and me, Robyn! Let’s show ‘em how it’s done!”

  “Okay, Skeeter, but first I’ll have to show you how it’s done!” she laughed. Robyn delighted in teasing Kristi’s younger brother. They were good pals, and normally quite competitive, but tonight they would team up for a change.

  The relay races were held right after dinner in the field behind the chapel. Different races were being held all around the field at the same time so that everyone would have a chance to participate. They were to move from one race to another until they had completed all four.

  Kristi found herself partnered with a guy from her brothers’ cabin. Dan had introduced her to Adam just before Tiffany had shown up to claim her partner. Adam seemed to be a nice guy. He reminded her a little of Skeeter, with his freckles and red hair, only he wore glasses and seemed a little shy. No one would eve
r accuse Skeeter of being shy!

  Tiffany looked at Dan, and then at Adam. She sneered a bit at Kristi, as if to say she had the better “prize,” and then took Dan’s arm and said, “Come on, Dan. Let’s get over there to the start line. I’m anxious to show you how good I am!” She pulled Dan away, obviously eager to get away from the other two.

  Kristi shrugged. “Well, I don’t know how good I am, Adam, but let’s go give them a run for their money, shall we?”

  Adam proved to be a very good athlete himself, much to Kristi’s surprise. He looked like a bookworm, but he was fast and strong. They would have won the wheelbarrow race if they hadn’t hit a small rock in the ground. The wheelbarrow tipped and Kristi tumbled out. By the time she got back into the wheelbarrow Dan and Tiffany had zipped past them and crossed the finish line first. The piggyback race went better, but once again Dan and Tiffany beat them by just a few inches. Tiffany smirked at Kristi as they held their hands up in victory.

  “Okay, Adam, this is it! We can do this!” Kristi said as they tied their legs together for the three-legged race.

  “I’m sorry, Kristi,” Adam apologized.

  “Hey, you’re doing great, Adam! But so far you’ve had to do all the work. Let’s see how we do when I can carry my own weight and help.”

  The race had just begun when Tiffany tripped over her own feet and fell, bringing Dan down with her. Adam and Kristi kept going. Pride goeth before a fall, Kristi couldn’t help thinking with a grin. Tiffany was screaming at Dan as they struggled to their feet. Yeah, we’re winning! Kristi told herself, but suddenly Pete and Anna came out of nowhere and passed them. Once again they came in second.

  The last event was an obstacle course. Each team had to hold hands as they ran, crawled and jumped over, through and around different obstacles in the field. “Now remember,” Pastor Young called through a bullhorn, “you cannot let go of your partner’s hand! If you do, you’ll be eliminated! On your mark, get set, go!” He blew his whistle and they took off.

  Dan and Tiffany were just ahead of them almost all the way through. They jumped over logs, crawled under ropes, ran through a double row of tires, raced around buckets. The final obstacle was a wall they had to climb over somehow without letting go of their partner’s hand. Kristi and Adam started over the wall just a second behind Tiffany and Dan. It was difficult trying to hang onto Adam’s hand and still pull herself up over the wall. Kristi wasn’t paying any attention to Dan and Tiffany other than to realize they were still a bit ahead of them. She didn’t see Tiffany yank her hand out of Dan’s grasp momentarily for that final push over the wall. The next thing she knew, Dan and Tiffany were off and headed for the finish line. She and Adam tumbled down the wall and raced just behind them.

  “Woo-woo!” Tiffany screamed as they crossed the finish line. “We did it! We beat them, Dan! What a bunch of losers!” she crowed, jumping up and down.

  Kristi and Adam stood there panting. Kristi shook her head. She didn’t mind coming in second, but hearing Tiffany berate the rest of them—well, it was unbelievable.

  “Hold on a second!” Dan said loudly. “Tiffany, you let go of my hand on the wall back there. We’re eliminated.”

  “What?! No, I didn’t!”

  “Yes, you did,” he insisted. “Kristi and Adam are the winners.”

  Tiffany’s face turned red. “Ha! I should have known! You’re all a bunch of losers—and you’re the biggest loser of them all, Dan!” She stomped off in anger.

  Dan said what Kristi was thinking, “Unbelievable!”

  Kristi didn’t say anything other than to thank Adam for being her partner. Then she turned and ran after Tiffany. “Kristi!” Dan called after her, but she didn’t stop.

  She was angry. How dare that girl talk to her brother like that! How dare she talk to any of them as she had done? And to hurt Becca’s feelings with her cruel words! Suddenly all the feelings Kristi had bottled up were boiling over. She had a thing or two to say to Miss Tiffany, herself!

  The path all the way back to Redwood Cabin was empty. She wasn’t sure Tiffany had gone that way, but it was the first place she would look for her. She opened the door to the cabin and stopped suddenly just inside the door. Allison was there, talking to Tiffany. Kristi didn’t know if Allison had seen what had happened, but now she heard her saying, “Tiffany, I just wish you would at least try to be friendly with the others. I’ve seen several of them reaching out to you—wanting to get to know you, at least. Please give them a chance. You might have a good time this week after all if you would just meet them halfway.”

  “They’re a bunch of losers,” Tiffany muttered. Her dark hair hung in front of her face, but Kristi could see the twist of her mouth and the stubborn set of her chin.

  “Well, come with me now to the chapel service, Tiffany. Maybe things will get better later,” Allison said gently.

  “No way. I’m not going to the chapel.”

  “I’m afraid I have to insist, Tiffany. Everyone has to go to chapel.”

  Tiffany snorted, but stood up. Just at that moment she noticed Kristi standing in the doorway. “What do you want?” she asked crossly. “Come to rub it in that you beat me?”

  Kristi opened her mouth indignantly to answer Tiffany, but suddenly that still, small voice of the Lord seemed to speak in her ear. Be patient, Kristi. Show her My love and forgiveness. She looked at Allison and saw the gentle and patient way she had responded to Tiffany, and she remembered her counselor’s request for prayer for the unhappy girl.

  “No, of course not, Tiffany,” she said. “Would you like to sit with me at the chapel service?

  “No!” Tiffany brushed past her, followed by Allison. Allison reached out and touched Kristi’s hand as she walked by. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Kristi sighed and went into the bathroom to wash her hands and knees. She had grass stains and mud on them from crawling through the obstacle course. She was joined a few minutes later by some of the other girls.

  They hurried to get ready for chapel. Kristi grabbed her Bible from her duffel bag and looked once more for her bracelet. She dug down under her pajamas and underwear and felt around the bottom of the bag. She was puzzled. She could have sworn she had thrown it in there when she got ready for the beach. Oh, well. She hurried after the other girls as the bell began ringing for chapel service.

  Tiffany was sitting in the back with Allison. She had a scowl on her face. Becca stood up from her seat near the front and called out, “Kwisti! Mahlee! Come sit with me!” They hurried toward the front and slipped into the rustic pew with Becca, Robyn and Anna.

  “Look, Kwisti! I got a wibbon at the welay waces!” Becca proudly held up a yellow ribbon.

  “Good job, Becca!”

  “You got one, too, Kristi,” Anna said, handing a red ribbon to her friend. “Second place over all. Tiffany and Dan got first place.”

  “Even though Tiffany tried to cheat,” Robyn added. “Where did you two go, by the way? You weren’t there for the award ceremony. Dan and Adam had to go up alone.”

  “Back to the cabin. Shh, the service is about to start!” Kristi whispered.

  The next hour was filled with choruses, special music, a funny skit done by some of the counselors, a testimony by a young missionary to Thailand, and the message by a youth pastor from northern California. The whole service was energetic and fun. Kristi found herself smiling through the entire thing. She glanced back at Tiffany once and saw that she was looking out the window and still scowling. Too bad she’s not listening, Kristi thought. She’s missing a great service. And it would probably do her a lot of good, too.

  There was an ice cream social after the chapel service. Kristi heard Skeeter’s voice over everyone else’s the moment she entered the lodge. “Wow! Build-your-own sundaes! My kind of snack!” her young brother was shouting.

  Long tables were set up at one side of the dining area. Several ladies were there to scoop out vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Hot fudge, car
amel, strawberry and pineapple toppings, as well as banana slices, chopped nuts, cookie crumbs, M & M’s, whipped cream and maraschino cherries were laid out on the tables.

  Skeeter was first in line. He didn’t miss a thing. His ice cream sundae was piled high and overflowing by the time he had finally finished building it. Several of the guys from his cabin who were further back in line were yelling, “Hey, save some for us, Cameron!”

  Skeeter waved his bowl in their general direction and said, “Yum-yum! Ooh, it’s so good!” He turned back to head over to a table—and tripped on his shoelace. “Whoa!” he shouted as he went flying.

  Kristi saw the whole thing as if she were watching it in slow motion. There was Skeeter, his giant sundae oozing strawberries, hot fudge and whipped cream, falling headfirst and trying desperately to hold onto the overflowing bowl. And there was Tiffany right in his path, sitting by herself and looking as if she’d skewer anyone who tried to sit by her. “Watch out!” Kristi shouted.

  Tiffany never saw it coming. Skeeter’s bowl flew up in the air and landed right on Tiffany’s head. Ice cream, toppings and fruit slid down her hair and face like a gooey, sloppy mudslide. Tiffany let out a bloodcurdling shriek and leaped to her feet. She continued to scream as globs of goo plopped onto her shoulders and down the front of her shirt.

  Other than the sound of Tiffany’s shrieks, you could have heard a pin drop in the lodge. Everyone just stopped and stared. No one dared to laugh, or even grin, at the sight of the distraught girl with the mess flowing down her face. Skeeter was frozen where he had fallen at Tiffany’s feet.

  At last he gathered his wits about him and jumped up. “Oh, man! Oh, man! I am so sorry! It was an accident! I promise, it was an accident! I’m sorry!” Skeeter grabbed the edge of his T-shirt and began trying to wipe at Tiffany’s face with it.

  That brought her screams to a halt. “Stop it! Stop it! Get away from me, you idiot! Haven’t you done enough already?! I hate you! I hate this place! I hate all of you!” And with that, Tiffany ran from the lodge crying.