Storm Over Hidden Lake (Kristi Cameron Book 6)

by Cynthia Griffith

  Kristi and Anna started to follow her, but Allison held up her hand and said, “No, wait! I’ll go!” She left, and everyone in the place looked at one another. A few people giggled nervously, but even with Tiffany gone there were no jokes or mockery. No one even teased Skeeter.

  Kristi sighed. What a way to end their first day of camp! She felt bad for Skeeter. She could tell that he felt terrible about what had happened. Skeeter might be a goof, but he would never deliberately hurt anyone. And Tiffany. She even felt sorry for Tiffany. She could hear a few girls from her cabin whispering that Tiffany had received her “just desserts,” but Kristi knew now it would be harder than ever to reach her.

  What a mess! She was almost afraid to think about what the next day would hold with Tiffany. “Lord, could you please fix this?” she prayed. “Even if we can never be friends with that girl, I know she needs You, and now I’m afraid she’ll never want anything to do with us—or You—again. Please help us find some way to reach Tiffany for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  __________

  CHAPTER FOUR

  __________

  Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

  Kristi approached Tiffany the next morning. The angry girl had been in her bunk with her comforter pulled up over her head when they had finally returned to the cabin the night before. The other girls had talked quietly as they prepared for bed, but there had been none of the laughter and joking around there normally would have been. Tiffany may have thought everyone was happy about the accident and making fun of her, but the reality was that they all felt sorry for her. They knew how they would have felt if something like that had happened to them in front of the whole camp. They listened quietly as Allison led them in their evening devotions and prayer, but there was no sign that Tiffany heard a word.

  Now as Kristi climbed out of the bunk over Tiffany’s she had to screw up her courage to face her. “Tiffany? I just wanted to say how sorry I am about what happened last night. I know it was an accident. My brother feels so bad about it, too.”

  Tiffany looked at Kristi with no expression at all on her face. “Your brother? That was your brother?”

  “Uh-huh. His name is Skeeter. Actually, Dan is my brother, too.”

  “Dan is your brother?” Tiffany snorted. “I should have known. So your whole family is like this. A bunch of—”

  “Tiffany!” Allison interrupted. “There will be no more name-calling.”

  Tiffany snorted again and turned back to her bunk. “Just stay away from me. And tell your brothers to stay away from me, too.”

  “Come on, Kristi,” Robyn said. “Let’s get ready for breakfast. We have the start of the softball tournament this morning, and water-skiing this afternoon. It’s going to be a fun day!” She pulled her friend by the arm until Kristi finally turned away from the bunk and headed for the bathroom.

  Although Kristi tried to put Tiffany’s words out of her head, they still echoed within her through the day. She fluctuated from being angry to feeling sorry for Tiffany. They didn’t see much of her except at meals, and Tiffany still refused to speak to any of them then.

  The morning passed quickly. The campers were encouraged to have their own personal quiet time with the Lord before breakfast. Kristi sat under an aspen tree overlooking the lake and read her Bible and prayed. Once again she asked the Lord for patience and wisdom in dealing with Tiffany, and that somehow the unhappy girl would find what she needed in the Lord. “Help me to be nice to her, Lord,” she prayed, “and please help me to quit worrying about the situation. I don’t want this to spoil my week here at camp, so I am placing the whole thing in Your hands to work out!”

  After that the day began to go better. Redwood Cabin won their first game in the girls’ division of the softball tournament, even though they were short one girl (Tiffany, of course.) They would move on to the semifinals the next day. Chapel service that morning was even better than it had been the night before. Two of the guys’ cabins did skits this time, and the missionary speaker gave a thrilling account of how God had saved their church and its people during the recent tsunami. Pastor Young challenged them to consider how God might want to use their lives, especially during these years when they had so many decisions to make about the path their lives would take. Kristi noticed that Tiffany got up and left the chapel halfway through Pastor Young’s message.

  They were more than ready for lunch when the bell from the lodge tower rang out. Tiffany was at the head of the table again when they came in, but this time Kristi, Anna and Robyn moved on down to the other end. Becca started to sit next to Tiffany, but Robyn called her over to sit by them. They didn’t want anything to set Tiffany off again. Allison and Marlee got the honor of sitting next to her.

  Kristi saw Skeeter coming across the room toward their table. His eyes were on Tiffany. Kristi jumped up and intercepted her young brother before he could reach their table. “Don’t go by Tiffany,” she warned softly.

  “Why not?” he asked. “I just wanted to apologize again.”

  “It won’t do any good, Skeeter. She wants you—and all of us—to stay away from her.”

  “What if I got down on my knees and begged her forgiveness? And said pretty please with cherries on top? Oops, I guess that would definitely be the wrong thing to say, wouldn’t it?”

  Kristi couldn’t help but giggle at that. “Yes, reminding her of cherries on top would not be a smart thing to do. Sorry, Skeeter—getting down on your knees and using all your charm may work on Mom and me, but it won’t work with Tiffany, I’m afraid.”

  “Okay then. Hey, we’re going water-skiing this afternoon. How about you guys?”

  “Yes, it’s Redwood’s turn today, too. Robyn and Anna and I are kind of nervous about it, though.”

  “Aww, Kristi, it’ll be okay. Pete and Dan and I will show you how it’s done.”

  “Skeeter, you know very well you’ve never water-skied before, either.”

  “I’ve watched Pete and Dan do it, though. I figure if they can do it, so can I.”

  Kristi laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

  The water on the lake was a deep blue with the sparkle of diamonds where the sun’s rays hit the ripples. Just being out in the boat was fun with the breeze blowing through their hair and the sun beating down on them. Kristi and her friends listened carefully and watched as Jeff, their instructor, showed them what to do.

  “Keep your knees bent and together, chin toward your chest, weight back, and arms straight,” he said. “Point your skis toward the boat and have them sticking out of the water about six to twelve inches, like this. As the boat begins to move, press slightly forward with your feet, kind of on the balls of your feet, and stay in a sitting position until the boat pulls you on top of the water. Stand up when your skis are even with the water, and keep your knees slightly bent to act as shock absorbers.” They watched as the boat moved forward slowly and Jeff stood easily on his skis. The boat stopped within a few feet and Jeff sank back into the water.

  “If you try to stand too soon you’ll be thrown off balance and fall backwards or forwards,” Jeff continued. “If you feel you are going off balance use your body to slightly steer in the right direction. Remain balanced, head towards the boat, and don’t look down at the skis. Keep your back straight, with your skis shoulder width apart. And for goodness sake, don't forget to let go of the rope when you fall! You don’t want to be dragged by the boat. Now, watch again.” The boat took off again, faster this time, and they cheered as Jeff rose from the water like a piece of toast out of the toaster.

  “Wow, that was cool!” Skeeter yelled from the other boat. “Think you can do it now, Kristi?”

  “I’m going to give it a try,” she called back.

  “Me, too! Anything you can do, I can do better, Skeeter!” Robyn teased. “Wanna make a bet on who can get up on their skis quicker? Or stays up longer?”

  “Excuse me, but I’m going first,” Tiffany said as she pushed past Kristi. “
I’m ready, Jeff!” she called to the instructor. She ignored the other girls who were in front of her and jumped over the edge of the boat into the water.

  A few minutes later she had her skis on and was ready to go. She got into position and held the ski handle between her bent knees. “Ready!” she called to the boat’s driver.

  The speedboat fired up and moved slowly through the water. It sped up and soon Tiffany was on her feet and skiing like an old pro. Actually, Tiffany had water-skied many times before, and it was obvious as the others looked on. She moved smoothly over the water, even crossing the boat’s wake and switching the ski handle from hand to hand as she showed off before them all.

  Kristi had to admit she was impressed. The girl could ski. It made her feel even more nervous about getting up on the skis herself.

  Anna must have read her thoughts because just then she said, “Oh, boy. Now I really feel intimidated about trying to ski.”

  “Me, too,” Kristi admitted.

  ‘Oh, come on!” Robyn said. “So she can ski! So what? We don’t have to try to be as good as Tiffany is at it. She’s probably been skiing for years. Let’s just get out there and have fun! I don’t care how I look. I just want to learn the basics and have a good time doing it.”

  “You’re right, Robyn! Okay, so I fall flat on my face! As long as I don’t break something…” The boat slowed down as Kristi was speaking.

  “No! No! Keep going!” Tiffany yelled from out in the water. “I’m not done yet!”

  “Sorry!” Jeff called to her. “We have to let the others have a chance.”

  “I said I’m not done yet!”

  “Yes, you are!” Jeff started hauling Tiffany in by the ski rope. She climbed aboard reluctantly. The other girls began congratulating her on her skill at skiing, but she ignored them and went to the front of the boat. She sat there pouting the rest of the time they were out on the lake.

  Kristi got her turn eventually. She tried to remember all the tips Jeff had given them. She brought her knees up and tucked her chin down. She pointed her skis out of the water and towards the boat, and held onto the ski handle nervously. The boat began to pull her forward and she tried to stand. The first attempt ended in her falling over, but the second time she tried she actually was able to stand on her skis. Yeah! she cheered herself on. I did it!

  The wind felt wonderful whipping through her hair as she skimmed over the water. Once she was up, she got the knack of balancing easily and she had no problem staying up. All too soon her turn was over and the boat slowed down once again. Jeff helped her climb aboard.

  The other girls began patting her on the back and saying, “Good job, Kristi! You did great!” Anna gave her a hug and said, “That was wonderful, Kristi!” Kristi happened to glance over Anna’s shoulder and saw Tiffany scowl and say, “Huh!” She glared at Kristi and then turned her head away.

  Anna was next. The boys’ boat had circled close to them again and Pete leaned over the edge and shouted, “You can do it, Anna! Just remember—” and he went on to repeat everything Jeff had told them. Anna kept nodding her head, but her hands were trembling as she grasped the ski handle. She did just fine, though, and by the time she was finished she was glowing with pleasure and looking for Pete’s approval.

  “Okay, Robyn! We’re up next!” Skeeter called. “Let’s make it a race and we’ll see who’s better!” He convinced the drivers of the boats to line up as best they could, and he and Robyn got into the water. Jeff counted down and a moment later the boats took off.

  Skeeter was the first up on his skis by a split second, but Robyn was actually steadier on her skis. Skeeter was goofing off, trying to scare Robyn into falling by skiing close to her and switching his handle from hand to hand. He wobbled and nearly fell a half a dozen times but somehow he managed to stay up. Robyn was laughing and trying to ignore Skeeter’s antics as she concentrated on staying upright.

  “Watch this!” Skeeter yelled. “Betcha can’t do this, Robyn! One arm and one leg!” Skeeter looped his left arm through the ski handle and lifted the other arm in the air. Then he raised one leg and for twenty feet or so he actually was skiing on one ski. Of course, it didn’t last. He suddenly tipped to one side and tumbled through the air and water.

  “Let go! Let go!” Pete and Dan and Jeff were all yelling. “Let go of the handle, Skeeter!”

  Skeeter couldn’t let go, though. His arm was still looped through the handle and he couldn’t get it loose as he floundered. The driver of the boat stopped as quickly as he could and Dan and Jeff jumped into the water to help Skeeter.

  The onlookers held their breath as they watched. Skeeter wasn’t saying anything. He floated in the water with his eyes closed. His face was pale and he wasn’t moving.

  The girls’ boat had stopped nearby, as well. Robyn had kicked off her skis and now she swam over to Skeeter, too. Kristi’s heart was in her throat as she watched the others gather around her little brother. She felt helpless. “Skeeter! Skeeter! Is he okay, Dan?” she called out. That kid is just an accident waiting to happen! she thought as she remembered his cut head the day before.

  No one said anything. Dan and Jeff had freed Skeeter of the ski handle and his skis and now they towed him over to the boat. They boosted his limp body out of the water as Pete and a couple other guys lifted him into the boat.

  What was wrong? Kristi wondered frantically. Why wasn’t Skeeter moving? Why wasn’t anyone telling her anything? She couldn’t stand it. Kristi jumped over the side of the boat and began swimming.

  __________

  CHAPTER FIVE

  __________

  Twisted Twister

  By the time Kristi reached the other boat Skeeter was moaning and turning his head. “Is he okay?” she asked again as she tried to climb onto the boat.

  “He knocked himself out,” Dan said as he grabbed her hand and gave her a yank over the side. “It looks like his arm is broken, too. He had it caught in the handle while he was being thrown around.”

  Kristi knelt down by her young brother and called his name. “Skeeter! Skeeter, wake up!” She patted his face and he opened his eyes.

  “Oww! Quit hitting me!” Skeeter complained.

  “You knock yourself out and break your arm and then say that those little love taps are hurting you?!” Kristi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was so relieved that he was awake and acting like himself, she wanted to give him a “love tap” he would really feel!

  “What happened? My arm hurts. Ow, and so does my head!” Skeeter held his other hand up to his head and closed his eyes again.

  “You were showing off, as usual,” Dan said. “Now we’re going to have to take you to the emergency room and get you patched up.” Both the boats headed for shore.

  By the time they got there Skeeter was sitting up and the color was coming back into his face. “Aww, quit fussing, Kristi,” he was saying. “I’m okay. It’s just a broken arm. It’s not the first time I’ve broken something. Remember that time I broke my ankle skateboarding? And when I broke my wrist that time I jumped off the garage roof? Oh yeah, I broke my collar bone when I fell out of a tree, and two ribs when I got kicked by a cow at Uncle Richard’s farm. Oh, and I’ve broken my nose twice just walking into walls. I’m used to it by now.”

  “Well, if you think I’m fussing, just wait until you hear Mom when we have to call home and tell them what you’ve done this time. They may just make you come home from camp.”

  “No way!” Skeeter exclaimed, for the first time looking alarmed. “I’m fine! It hardly even hurts!”

  “Skeeter, you wouldn’t admit it hurt if it was killing you!”

  Pastor Young was going to call for an ambulance when he heard what had happened, but Skeeter convinced him he was feeling much better and going by car would be fine. Several of the girls from Redwood Cabin were gathered around Skeeter offering him sympathy and get well wishes while they waited for the car. “You looked so cool out there before you fell, Skeeter,” Au
tumn said. “I didn’t know you could do all those tricks!”

  “Neither did he. He didn’t even know he could ski,” Kristi teased. She was amazed that all these girls were trying to get Skeeter’s attention.

  “Aww, it was nothin’,” Skeeter said bashfully. His face was turning red.

  “Well, anyway, I’m sorry you got hurt,” Amber said.

  “He deserved it,” Tiffany sneered as she walked by.

  Kristi wanted to slap her! How dare she say that about her sweet little brother! Sure, maybe he was a klutz and a goof and just a tiny bit of a show-off—well, okay, a big show-off—but he was good-hearted and kind and generous. Kristi actually had to stop herself and count to ten to keep from running after Tiffany and giving her a piece of her mind. Patience! she reminded herself. And be forgiving. She needs the Lord.

  Kristi and Dan went with Skeeter to the emergency room in Pastor Young’s car. Fortunately, there were no signs of concussion, and the fracture in his forearm was a simple break. He was on the phone with his mother as the doctor was putting a cast on it. “Aww, Mom,” they heard him saying. “It’s no big deal. The doc says six weeks in a cast and it’ll be all healed up. It doesn’t even hurt! Well, not much, anyway. I’m fine! What?! Come home? Aww, Mom, I’m fine, I promise! I don’t want to go home just because of a dumb old broken arm! It’s not going to bother me at all! Well, except that I can’t go water-skiing again. No, I know I’m not supposed to get the cast wet. Hey, does that mean I don’t have to take any more showers? Aww, Mom… Okay, okay. Yeah, I’ll be careful. Thanks, Mom! See you Saturday, then. Okay. Love you! Bye!”

  He handed the phone back to the nurse and said, “Whew! That was close! She was gonna make me go home!”

  “Well, Skeeter, let’s try not to have any more accidents the rest of the week, okay? So far you’re two for two,” Pastor Young said.