The Lake

by Natasha Preston

  Five tense minutes later and my arm is still around Isabel. No one is building anything, and I can’t take my eyes off the last place I saw Olly.

  “All right,” Cora says. “I think we should all get back to camp and wait.”

  She takes out her walkie-talkie and speaks to the other counselors, who are dotted around the forest.

  “We all agree,” she says, finally putting the device away. “We’re going to go into the food hall and grab a snack until the guys get back.”

  “Good idea,” I say. “Come on, girls, who needs some sugar?”

  They cheer, but their hearts aren’t quite in it.

  Cora and I walk behind them, slowly joining the other groups as we all trudge back.

  My heart flutters wildly and my stomach sinks. Am I going to have to tell everyone what happened? Maybe Kayla and I should leave.

  I should have thrown that damn pamphlet in the trash.

  “It’s okay, Esme,” Cora says. “This happens sometimes. I swear some people think they’re above the rules. If a sign says private property, keep off, you damn well keep off!” She shakes her head. “Now our activity has been interrupted, and I don’t think the girls are going to want to go back out there today.”

  I can’t blame them. I don’t want to go back out there either.

  We enter the food hall and gossip flies as quickly as the candy wrappers. At least the campers are all happy with a midmorning treat.

  I wash my hands and then sit at a table with Kayla, Rebekah and Tia.

  “This is crazy!” Tia says. “So much drama over a dude getting lost on a trail.”

  Rebekah’s mouth pops open. “After last night you’re seriously trying to make this sound random?”

  “Oh, come on, you’re not telling me you think that guy was here to pick us off one by one?”

  “Okay, I wasn’t thinking we’re in danger like that,” Rebekah says.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask, desperate for other options that don’t involve Kayla and me.

  “He’s a weird dude who gets his kicks from people watching,” she says.

  “He’s watching a camp full of children!” Kayla squeals.

  “No, he was watching us. Same as last night, and he wrote on the staff cabin. The dude is here to freak us out, not them. What’s scarier than having to deal with something like that all while making sure the children don’t worry?” I say.

  “Esme’s right,” Rebekah says. “This is about the counselors. Do you think he could have been one?”

  “A disgruntled counselor from the past. Maybe he did something and was made to leave,” I say. “He might think that he was treated unfairly.”

  Rebekah nods. “Kayla and Esme, you’ve been here before. Anyone you can think of?”

  I can’t be sure, but I think I sense an edge to her voice.

  “No,” we reply in unison.

  I swallow and add, “We wouldn’t have known about any issues with the counselors. You know how well we hide that from the campers. This guy saw us out there doing a job he thinks he should still be allowed to do.”

  “You two are getting ahead of yourself,” Tia says. “It might not be that.”

  “Maybe, but it’s possible,” I reply. “Cora?”

  She looks over from where she’s sitting with a few other counselors and immediately gets up.

  “What’s up?” she asks.

  I tell her our theory and she sits down at our table. “Okay. That’s a possibility. I don’t like that we’ve had two sightings of someone in the woods, trails tampered with, and cigarette butts left. Andy radioed a moment ago; he and the guys haven’t found anything, so they’re coming back. Andy is going to head into town and talk to the cops to see where we stand.”

  “Whoa, you think we need to involve the cops?” Rebekah asks.

  “We’re responsible for the safety of children, so we have to. Even if Andy just files a report. Sometimes the police will ask him to put a post on the camp’s Facebook page about the land being private and they share it. I’ll speak with him when he gets back and see if he can think of any counselors or CITs who left on bad terms. I know I don’t need to say this…but not a word of this in front of the kids, okay?”

  She gets up and goes back to her table, leaning in and whispering to the rest of the counselors, telling them our theory.

  So, we’re running with this one. Going for the angry ex-staff member. I like it, and I want it to be true.

  It certainly fits better than the Lillian thing. I mean, she isn’t a dude and the motive is weak.

  This isn’t Lillian and it’s not about what Kayla and I did ten years ago.

  It can’t be.

  19

  Olly and Jake walk into the food hall as Cora walks out to meet Andy.

  I sit taller when they reach us. “What happened?”

  Jake turns to address the room.

  “Everything is okay. We caught up with the guy; he’d taken a wrong turn on a trail from the other side of town. He was apologetic, and we helped him get back to where he needs to be.”

  “He’s gone?” one of the boys asks from across the room.

  “Yeah, he didn’t mean to be here in the first place.”

  The room erupts with chatter again, this time voices are higher and filled with laughter and about Olly and Jake chasing away the “stalker man.”

  Olly sits close to me, his arm pressing against mine.

  “That’s great,” I say.

  Olly subtly shakes his head.

  “It’s not?” Rebekah asks.

  I sink into my seat, understanding. “You were just saying that so they wouldn’t worry.”

  Jake rubs his jaw. “It was Andy’s idea. I’m going to go and tell the other counselors.”

  He walks away, heading to Mary’s packed table first.

  I place my clammy palms on my knees. “What happened?”

  Olly clears his throat. “We couldn’t find anyone. But we did find a box of matches that he must have dropped.”

  “Esme has a theory that it’s someone who worked here and was fired or whatever, since this guy seems to only be messing with the counselors,” Rebekah says.

  Olly glances at me, smiling. “Good one, Esme.”

  “Cora is telling Andy.”

  “This jackass is going to get hurt if he comes back here again. Did Isabel mention anything about a weapon?” Olly asks.

  “What?” Kayla hisses.

  “Last night you didn’t want me and Jake to go after him because we couldn’t be sure he wasn’t armed,” Olly says.

  “She didn’t say anything about a gun, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have one. It could be concealed,” I tell them.

  Olly leans back, effectively ending our little arm cuddle. I do my best not to pout.

  “This is insane. I came here to help kids have an awesome summer,” he says, shaking his head. “I didn’t sign up for some freak in the woods.”

  “I’m sure the cops will do something now,” Kayla says.

  Tia huffs. “What can they do? We don’t know who it is or why he’s doing this.”

  “Andy will have records of who’s worked here and how they left. They’ll start there,” I say, backing Kayla up, although I’m not at all convinced there is anything the cops can do.

  We have two sightings of a man, one of which was uncertain and possibly a tree. We can hardly say we were chased through the forest at one a.m. by someone taking our picture.

  Still, the police might take it seriously because there are children here.

  “What’s the relationship like between camp and town?” I ask.

  Tia shrugs. “I don’t know, why?”

  “Well, my cousin was a counselor at a camp in Michigan and said that the camp and loca
l community hated each other,” I say. “The town was mad because of the noise or something stupid like that. There were arguments and a lot of bad blood between staff and residents.”

  “Where are you going with this?” Olly asks.

  I shrug. “I just wondered if it could be someone from town. Andy visits, so they know him and maybe someone there is tired of staff getting wild in their town. Did you hear that Cora and the others go drinking there?”

  Tia ties her hair into a bun on top of her head. “Ugh, I wish we could go drinking.”

  I ignore her. “Maybe someone has a grudge against Andy?”

  Olly leans forward. “Maybe.”

  He doesn’t sound like he believes me. But it’s a totally plausible explanation for the strange things happening around here.

  So is Lillian.

  “What do you think?” I ask him.

  “I have no idea, Esme.” Olly looks away, toward the table of food. “I need something to eat.”

  I watch him with narrowed eyes as he gets up and walks away.

  Rebekah’s eyes slide from Olly’s vacant chair to me. “That was odd.”

  I turn to her. “What do you think?”

  “Well, I think the same as you. Maybe someone in town is annoyed with the camp. We’re close to town. They can probably hear us sometimes, smell smoke from our campfires if the wind is in the right direction.”

  “We should find out if there is a grudge. Maybe Andy has been invited to town meetings or something,” I say.

  “How would we find that out?” she asks.

  Tia rolls her eyes. “We ask him.”

  Such a simple response.

  “I vote Esme has that discussion with him,” Kayla says.

  “Why me?”

  She arches a plucked brow. “You’re the one who’s going full Sherlock.”

  “I’m not,” I defend weakly. “Don’t you want to know who’s behind the graffiti?”

  “I can sleep without knowing who’s been turning innocent pranks creepy. Now, if I wake up to find a bloody deer head on my pillow, I want to know.”

  How can Kayla say that?

  Has she forgotten all about the note we found in her jacket pocket?

  Despite my best attempts at distracting myself with theories, the more I think about it, the more I think Lillian is behind this.

  Why else would this all be happening now?

  20

  Andy wanted a full staff meeting. It turns out that’s no simple task.

  So here we are, hours later, finally sitting outside the cabins at ten-thirty at night. The children are tucked up in bed and snoring.

  We’re in a circle. I’d like to think that’s because we all want to be involved, but really, it has more to do with the fact that we have eyes in every direction around camp this way.

  Let’s say hello to pessimistic Esme.

  As the meeting starts, I plan how to catch Andy after and ask about the camp’s relationship with town.

  Andy speaks in a low voice so we can hear but not be overheard.

  “What are the cops doing?” Cora asks as he finishes explaining that they didn’t find anyone in the woods.

  “They’re going to look into some names I’ve given them.”

  “Who are they?”

  He dips his head. “I can’t say. Both worked as counselors before any of you started. Both left on unhappy terms.”

  “Can you tell us what those terms were?” Jake asks. He and Kayla are sitting side by side, holding hands. She hasn’t told me that anything happened between them, but it sure looks on now.

  Andy presses his mouth into a thin line before he looks at Jake. “I’m sorry, I can’t. But rest assured that the police will speak with both of them in person. For now, we’re going to make sure that groups are doubled up. CITs must be with their counselor when doing any activity with the campers. We’re cancelling our hike this week, unless the police have good news, so we’ll have kayak races, extra swimming time and cooking lessons instead.”

  “Should we inform parents?” Mary asks.

  “The police didn’t seem to think the campers are in danger and neither do I, but we have to take it seriously. We will inform parents if there is another sighting or any evidence that he’s been back. Security will be upped, no campers will be allowed to go into the cabins alone, and we’ll remain vigilant at all times. For now, we just need to carry on as we are and make their summer the best it can be.”

  My stomach twists with unease.

  “I’m glad the cops don’t think the campers are in danger,” Rebekah says.

  “But are we?” Tia asks.

  I hold my breath.

  “I really don’t think so. There’s a big leap between wanting to frighten people and wanting to harm them. The two suspects never showed any signs of violence and were let go for a number of minor grievances,” Andy replies.

  But let’s face it, it’s not the two former staff members who are doing this.

  Rebekah curls her arms around her body and nods.

  “Everyone stays in their cabins tonight. Does anyone have any other questions?” Andy asks. No one says a word. “Right, let’s all get some sleep.”

  I stand and turn to Olly. “Are you okay?” he asks, brushing his knuckles along my jaw. His fingers leave a warm trail behind them.

  Don’t faint!

  “I’m all right. This is all a bit scary, though.”

  “You’ll be fine, Esme. I’ll watch you go into your cabin.”

  “Thanks. Night.”

  He smiles. “Night.”

  I link Rebekah’s arm with mine as we walk toward the girls’ cabins. “You okay?”

  She looks straight ahead, nibbling her lip. “Yeah, I guess. I’ll see ya in the mornin’.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You doing this?” Kayla whispers to me as we walk on to our cabin.

  I look back and locate Andy. What choice do I have? Everyone has volunteered me. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Esme?” Cora asks when I stop following her.

  “Oh, I just need to speak to Andy real quick, then I’ll be right in.”

  She nods and follows Kayla into our cabin.

  “Esme, is there a problem?” Andy asks.

  “I just wondered about the graffiti and the guy in the woods. Could it be someone from town? I know a lot of camps don’t have the warmest and fuzziest relationship with nearby towns.”

  He frowns. “We’ve had a few small issues, but nothing too bad. I can’t see why a local would want to do this.”

  “How small were the issues? Maybe a local thinks they’re major?”

  “Yes, perhaps they might. I’ll mention it to the police,” Andy says.

  Wow, he really isn’t going to tell me what these “issues” are.

  “Are you going into town now?” I ask.

  It’s a small town; there is no way the police station will still be open.

  “No, I have a contact I can call,” Andy says.

  “Good.”

  He smiles and his thin lips disappear. “Great thinking, Esme. You’re smart.”

  “Er, thanks,” I reply.

  “Get some sleep. And don’t worry—I’ll sort this out.”

  He turns and walks away. Don’t worry? Sounds like Andy really doesn’t know me at all. My nan, my mom and I are Olympic-level worriers.

  I sneak into the cabin, tiptoe through the main room and climb up to my bunk. My body is heavy and aches. I sink into the mattress and sigh. Every part of me is tired.

  “You all right?” Kayla whispers in the darkness.

  I left our door wide open so we can see and hear the campers.

  “I am, but I don’t think Rebekah is,” I say, keeping my voic
e quiet. “We should check on her first thing.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Kayla asks.

  “I don’t know, but she seems really scared. During the meeting she looked like she wanted to hide, and she was chewing on her lip and staring when we walked back to the cabins. I know that she was bullied in school, and I’ve noticed that when someone disagrees with her, even nicely, she tends to go inside herself.”

  “You notice everything, Esme.”

  I turn onto my side and am confronted with something that steals my breath.

  I stare, unblinking, until my eyes sting and water leaks from the corners.

  No.

  I suck in air as fear clutches my stomach in a vise-like grip.

  Carved into the wall by my pillow are the letters LC.

  They were not there before.

  I freeze, staring at the letters while anxiety curls in my stomach.

  Lillian Campbell.

  I lick my dry lips and force my breath to slow down. In for five, out for five.

  God no.

  She has been in our room, in my bed. I want to jump out of the bunk, run away and never look back.

  She was right here.

  Nausea rolls my stomach.

  Kayla is in bed. Do not freak out.

  I reach out, my hand trembling as it gets closer to the wall. My index finger pokes into the rough scratches and loose shavings drop to the floor.

  No.

  Retracting my hand, I ball it into a fist.

  My shoulders hunch.

  What do I do now? Someone here besides me and Kayla knows what happened ten years ago. Maybe it’s Lillian, or maybe it’s someone else—someone she told or a witness we didn’t know existed.

  Ten years. That’s a long time to carry anger.

  “Esme?”

  I clear my throat, but I’m unable to look away from Lillian’s initials. It takes everything I have to keep my cool. “Yes, I notice things. And you only notice when cute guys are around.”

  “It’s a talent, I have a cute-guy radar. Night, babe,” Kayla says.

  Her voice is barely audible over the shrill ringing in my ears.

  “Night,” I whisper as my shaking finger curls around the C.