by D Wolfe
Lisa frowned. What had spooked Ellie so quickly? She could tell that something was wrong. “What is it?” She asked.
“Hide me.” Ellie whispered. She got down on the ground between their seat and the seat in front of them.
Lisa looked down at her. “What’s wrong?” She asked.
Ellie looked at her. “My stepdad is here.” She answered. “He didn’t want me going on this trip but my mom paid for me to go. He must have just found out about it.”
Lisa knew enough about Ellie’s stepdad to know what she had to do. She had tried to stop by Ellie’s home on Saturday to see her but Jared had shouted at her to leave. Lisa had told her dad about Jared but her dad hadn’t been able to do much about it since Jared had refused to meet him. She took her jacket off and covered Ellie with it. She then laid her bags on Ellie’s seat. She hoped it would be convincing enough. She looked at the teacher that was at the front of the bus. It was Mr. Adams. He was in charge of the trip. If anyone would be able to help Ellie out, it was him. She went up to him. “Mr. Adams.” She said.
Mr. Adams looked at her. “Yes Lisa?” He asked.
Lisa knew that this was going to be weird but she had to do it. “If Mr. Summer, Ellie’s stepdad, asks if she’s here, tell him no.” She told him.
Mr. Adams frowned. That sounded like a dangerous thing to do for a teacher. “Why should I lie to her father?” He asked. "I could get fired from my job for doing that." He was curious though as to why Lisa wanted him to lie to Ellie's father. He was a teacher and there wasn't any reason for him to risk his job.
Lisa hesitated for a minute before she answered. “He would force her to go home with him and punish her for trying to go on this trip. Ellie’s mom allowed her to come but her stepdad was against it. He might try to hurt her for going against what he wanted.” She explained. “And isn’t it your job to protect students from abusive homes?”
Mr. Adams nodded. Lisa did have a point but there hadn't been any proof or signs of child abuse. He couldn't report the man on just the word of a student. Especially if there was no proof. A false report would look bad on his record if not get him fired. “If what you’re saying is true,” He then got interrupted by his phone. He answered it. “Hello?” His face fell. “How did you know? Of course. Are you sure? If you say so.” He said hesitantly.
Lisa frowned. Who was Mr. Adams talking to? Whoever it was seemed to make him scared. Mr. Adams hung up and looked at Lisa. “I’ll do my best to keep Mr. Summers away from the bus.” He told Lisa before he left. Lisa wasn’t sure who had been on the phone but it sounded like they knew what was happening.
Ellie watched through the small opening in Lisa’s jacket Lisa and Mr. Adams talking. She had seen Mr. Adams talking on his phone before leaving. She had a feeling that whoever it was had convinced him to help her. She really wanted to know who it had been. They were getting the teacher to lie and to try to help her stay safe. She was relieved. She looked at Lisa. Lisa had an uncertain look on her face as she sat down next to her stuff. Ellie looked up at Lisa. “Do you think it’ll work?” She asked.
Lisa shook her head. “I’m not sure but I hope it does.” She answered. She didn’t want to look down at her stuff. She didn’t want to risk others seeing that Ellie was hiding down there and say something about it if Mr. Summers did board the buses.
Jared looked around as he went up to the large group of kids. He knew that Ellie was around here somewhere. She wasn’t at home even though she had no business being here. He had told her that she wasn’t allowed to go on the trip. He then saw the chaperones with clipboards. He was about to head over there when Mr. Adams stopped him.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Mr. Adams asked Jared. “All parents are supposed to sign in at the school office.”
Mr. Summers looked at him. He couldn’t believe that this guy was trying to stop him from getting Ellie. He had to restrain himself from hurting this teacher. None of the teachers back at Ellie's old school would ever try to stop him. “I’m here looking for my daughter.” He told Mr. Adams.
Mr. Adams shook his head. “I’m sorry but you’ll need to sign in at the office and get a visitor’s tag.” He told Mr. Summers.
Mr. Summers cracked his knuckles to show that he meant business. Visitor tags were for losers in his eyes. No one told him where to go or what to do. “Bring her out right now or I’ll call the police.” He told Mr. Adams. “I’m sure they would love it if I told them that you were trying to keep my daughter away from me.”
Mr. Adams looked at one of the chaperones. “Danielle, can you come over here?” He asked.
Danielle went over to him. “Yes Mr. Adams?” She asked.
Mr. Adams looked at her list. “What is your daughter’s name?” He asked Mr. Summer.
“Ellie Summer.” Mr. Summer answered. Mr. Adams looked at the list.
Danielle’s phone then began ringing. She answered it. “Yes?” She blinked. What now?” She asked, clearly annoyed. Both men looked at her. Mr. Adams had a feeling that he knew who was on the phone. Danielle looked at the street really quickly. No one saw her look that way. “Are you sure?” She looked at Mr. Adams and groaned. “I’ll be sure to tell him but he won’t be happy about it.” She then hung up.
“Who was that?” Mr. Adams asked. He already knew the answer and was just going along with it.
Danielle shook her head. Mr. Adams knew what was going on but she knew that they had to have the talk to keep Ellie safe. “It’s Darian. He said that he found a few pranks set up in the cabins. He thinks that the triplets had set them up.” She answered. “The camp director wants to have a word with them.”
Mr. Adams nodded. He had gotten the message. He knew what Darian had really said. “Of course.” He said.
Danielle then looked back down at her list. “So who did you want to know if they’re here or not?” She asked Mr. Summer.
"Ellie Summer.” Mr. Summer said. He was convinced that this high school kid wouldn’t give him any trouble.
Danielle looked down the list of names. “She’s not here.” She answered.
“She might be with one of the other grades in the school building still with a few of the eighth graders who weren’t able to go.” Mr. Adams added. “If she was the new arrival from last week, I wouldn’t be surprise if she was back there.”
Mr. Summer glared at them both. “How about you let me see that list.” He said, taking a step towards Danielle. He didn’t believe that Ellie was still in the school building.
Danielle took a step back and held the clipboard behind her back. “I’m sorry but this is a list of girls going.” She said. “Only a teacher or senior student is allowed to look at these. For the safety of our students.”
Mr. Summer took another step towards her. “I think you’re lying.” He said. There was no way that Ellie was inside the school building still with other students. She had to be out here with the others.
Mr. Adams cleared his throat. “Sir, if you’re going to be threatening the safety and privacy of our students, I will have to call the police to have you removed.” He warned Mr. Summer.
Mr. Summer looked at him. “You’re hiding her, aren’t you?” He demanded. That would be the only reason why these two were trying to keep him from looking at the list of students.
Mr. Adam shook his head. “Sir, we would never hide a child from their parent unless the police or the principal ordered us to and none of them have ever alerted us to hide any child.” He said.
Mr. Summer took another step towards them. “Bring her out.” He ordered. “Or else.” He took his phone out. The police back in his last town had never done anything to him. He would call the police in this town and expect the same treatment.
A hand then reached out and tapped Mr. Summer on the shoulder. Mr. Summer turned around. To his surprise, it was a police woman. She was in a black uniform. Her eyes were brown and her hair was piercing black. So much for calling the police. “What is going on here?” She ask
ed him.
Mr. Summer smiled smugly. He knew that he would easily get what he wanted now. “Ma’am, my stepdaughter is here and they won’t let me take her home.” He reported. “She didn’t have my permission to go on this trip of theirs and yet she’s not home.”
The police officer looked at Mr. Adams. “Is that true?” She asked.
Mr. Adams shook his head. “No Officer Wolfe.” He answered. He knew who this woman was and why she was there. It was no doubt Darian's doing. That boy seemed to always know what was going on.
Officer Wolfe looked at the buses. “May I look to see if she is here or not?” She asked. “Settle this once and for all?”
Mr. Adams nodded. Mr. Summer smiled smugly more and handed Officer Wolfe a picture. “This is the girl. Her name is Ellie.” Mr. Summer told her.
Officer Wolfe took the picture and looked at Ellie. She handed it back to Mr. Summer. “I’ll look into this once and for all.” She said before she went to the first bus. Officer Wolfe got onto the first bus. She looked around. “Is Ellie Summer here? If you are, please raise your hand up. You’re not in any trouble.” She announced. No one raised their hands. Officer Wolfe then left the bus after a minute. She went to the other buses and did the same thing.
On Ellie’s bus, Ellie heard someone climb on. “Ellie Summer, please raise your hand. You’re not in any trouble.” A female voice said. Ellie’s heart began to beat faster. She thought for sure that someone was going to report her to whoever was asking for her. She looked up at Lisa.
Lisa looked down at her. “It’s a police officer.” Lisa whispered to her. Ellie’s heart sank but before she could ask anything, she heard the police officer leave. She sighed with relief.
Officer Wolfe went up to Mr. Adams and Mr. Summer. “I’ve looked on all of the buses. She reported to the two. “She’s not on any of them. It means she’s either in the school building with other students or she’s skipping school.” She then looked at Danielle, winked and looked back at the two men before either of them could see the wink.
“Now sir, will you please leave peacefully or will I have to remove you?” She asked Mr. Summer.
Mr. Summer looked at her for a minute. No doubt he was trying to see if she was lying or not. The way she was staring back didn’t help. It was hard to get a clear reaction from her. Mr. Summer just shook his head. He turned around and left, looking at the buses as he did so.
Officer Wolfe waited until Mr. Summer was gone before she turned to Mr. Adams. “I know she’s here.” She told him. “Keep her safe. Her stepfather is a dangerous man we’re looking into.” She told him before she left.
Danielle looked at Mr. Adams. “Going to do what my mom says?” She asked.
Mr. Adams nodded. “Yes.” He said before he shook his head and got back to the task at hand. Mr. Adams then looked back at Danielle. “How did your mom know to lie about Ellie?” He asked. He had to see if a certain teenager had to do with it.
Danielle smiled. “She was told by a reliable source. The same one who reported that Mr. Summer was a dangerous man that needed to be looked into.” She answered. “The same source that told you to do your part in all of this.”
Mr. Adams was surprised. Darian had done all of that? “He told her to?” He asked. How powerful was Darian? He had influence in the police station and not just because his mom was a police officer.
Danielle nodded. “You can tell Ellie after you finish up with making sure everyone gets on that she’s safe.” She then left to one of the buses.
Mr. Adams finished checking that all the students had gotten onto their assigned bus before he got back onto his bus. He sat down in the left front seat. He looked back at Lisa. “You can tell Ellie that she’s safe now. Her stepfather is gone.” He told her.
Lisa nodded and looked down at her jacket. “It’s safe now.” She said quietly.
Ellie crawled out and sat in her seat. She looked at Lisa. “Thanks.” She said.
Lisa smiled. “That’s what friends are for.” She told her friend.
Chapter Six
At the camp, the school buses pulled up to the main building. It was large and brown. There were several people at the front of the building. Ellie looked at the people and the building. She noticed that Diane, David, Derek and Mr. Wolfe was there with the others. She didn’t see Darian though. He was probably at school. She remembered that her friends thought he was one of the older. If he wasn’t here and the other three were, she guessed he wasn’t the oldest. That was when the buses stopped. Mr. Wolfe smiled and waved at the buses. He was soon followed by the other people there. The kids and the adults began getting off. “Welcome to Camp Wolfwood.” Mr. Wolfe told them.
Mr. Adams smiled and went up to Mr. Wolfe. “Thank you for letting us come here.” He said.
Mr. Wolfe nodded and looked at the kids. “I’m sure that you all want to see where you’re staying for this week. The boys will be in the brown cabins and the girls will be in the white cabins. Teachers will have our retreat building.” Mr. Wolfe told them. “Diane will lead the girls and Derek will lead the boys. Counselors, please make sure to keep an eye on your assigned campers. We don’t want people ending up in the wrong cabins.” Mr. Wolfe motioned to the two and they stepped forward. “Dinner will be at five-thirty. You have the time between now and then to get moved.” He finished.
At the girls’ cabins, Ellie went into a cabin with the number twelve on the door. She stopped once she went into it. On the walls, like the walls in her bedroom, were paintings of wolves all over. “The Wolfe family is obsessed with wolves.” Lisa muttered as she set her stuff on a bed. Ellie nodded. She wondered if it was the Wolfe family who had painted the wolves in her home. If they did, why did they give up that home?
Ellie went to a corner bed and set her stuff down on it. She looked at the wolves above her bed by her pillow. Her eyes widened. It was a black wolf and looked like it was staring at her. Ellie shook her head. It was just a painting. Lisa went over to Ellie and looked at the wolfe. “The black wolf.” Lisa said. “Nice choice.”
Ellie looked at her with a frown. “What do you mean?” She asked. What made the black wolf different from the rest of the wolves? It didn’t look special to her.
“In the legends I read online, they say that the black wolf protects the innocent against all evil.” Lisa explained.
April snorted. “What legends?” She asked. “Fictional legends?” It was clear that April didn't believe in any of the legends.
Ellie smiled a little too. It sounded rather fictional. Ellie reached out to the wolf painting and touched. “It’s a good painting though.” She said. “Whoever painted it got the details right.” She then gasped and pulled her hand away.
Lisa and April looked at her. “What is it?” April asked.
Ellie looked at her. “I just realized something.” She said. “In my bedroom back home, there are wolves painted all over the wall. They’re in armor though.”
Lisa nodded. “And?” She asked.
Ellie shook her head and looked at the wolf painting over her bed. “There’s a black wolf there too. He was in armor but, I know this sounds crazy, but it’s this one.” She said. She thought back to her dream. It had been a black wolf in her dream that had healed her. What if it hadn’t been a dream?
Before Ellie could think about it, April laughed. “You don’t know, do you?” April asked.
Ellie frowned and looked at her. “What? She asked. “What don’t I know?”
April sat on her own bed. “Years ago, supposedly before Dalton had been built, the Wolfe family’s ancestors came here. They built the house you lived in. They lived there until they got chased out of town.” She told the two.
Ellie shook her head. So they did build her home but why would they get chased out? “Why would a family get chased out?” She asked.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “According to the legend, the local priest who was a part of the beginning of the town accused the family of unholy works and went
old fashion on them. He gathered a mob and chased them out.”
Ellie shook her head. “That sounds about as real as that Sleepy Hollow legend about the headless horseman.” She told April. “They might have built that house but I doubt they got chased out by a priest.” She then turned back to the painting of the wolf. She reached out and touched it again. “But it does make a good ghost story.” She continued. She then heard a growl. She pulled her hand away from the painting. It sounded like the growling had come from the painted wolf. She looked at her two friends. They looked like nothing had happened. They must not have heard the growling.
Lisa looked at her friend. “Are you okay Ellie?” She asked. “You don’t look so good.” Ellie looked pale for some reason.
Ellie shook her head. “I’m okay.” She said. “It’s probably just because I’m surrounded by a lot of painted wolves here.” She knew that she couldn’t tell them that she had heard a wolf growling. She looked at the black wolf. It wasn’t growling anymore. She must have imagined it.
Later that day at supper, Ellie looked around. Everyone was in their mess hall. The Wolfe family was eating with the camp staff. She was sitting with the triplets and Lisa. She then noticed that there was no sign of Darian. She turned to Darine. “Where’s your brother?” She asked. “Darian, I mean.” She got the attention of all three siblings.
“He’s probably getting the fire circle ready.” Doug answered. Darine nodded. “Darian doesn’t exactly do well in a crowded place.” She added to her brother’s answer.
Lisa looked at the three. “You mean that place where our group will tell campfire stories?” She asked.
Before the three could answer, Mr. Wolfe stood up and silenced the mess hall. “Right after supper, please report to your cabins to get into layers if you need more layers. We’ll be at the campfire for a few hours and it’s supposed to get cold. Tonight we’ll be telling stories and legends. We’d prefer if they’re camp related but if you know a really good story, please share it.”
Later that evening, everyone was in their cabins getting ready for the campfire. Ellie looked at the black wolf as she was getting her jacket on. She knew that it had to be the same black wolf from her dream. Just like how it was the same one from her bedroom. Sure it wasn’t in armor here like it had been there and in her dream but she knew it was the same one. “Whoever you are, please show yourself.” She whispered to it. There was no way that the black wolf was just a wolf. He had healed her after all. If it had been a normal wolf, it would have killed her. It must have been a special wolf. She then joined Lisa, April and the other girls. She looked over her shoulder at the painting before they left.