Then Charlie switched on her torch. She pointed it around the camp to see if she could discover any sign of our tormentors. The camp was totally still.
At my feet was a crumpled bundle of what looked like sticks.
‘It’s the poles,’ I said. ‘Someone pulled out our support poles.’
‘Wait until I find out who did this,’ grumbled Cici. ‘They’ll be sooooo sorry.’
Meg stooped and gathered up the collapsed poles. She began to click them back into place, forming two arches.
‘Come on, guys,’ said Meg, passing one pole to me. ‘Let’s get this tent up.’
It was much harder to do in the dark, especially while trying to hold my torch under my arm. In the end I had to lay it on the ground. At last we had the tent erected again, although nowhere near as neatly as we’d done it the day before. Charlie and Meg tested all the guy ropes to make sure they were pegged in securely, while Cici tiptoed around the campsite to see if she could hear any telltale sounds of giggling or whispering, but each tent was quiet.
Ariana crept away towards the campfire. Something about her hunched posture told me that she was upset. I hesitated, not sure what to do, then I followed her. Ariana huddled on a bench, smearing tears away with her palm.
‘Are you all right, Ariana?’ I asked, sitting down beside her.
‘No,’ she sobbed, shaking her head. ‘I hate camping. I hate sleeping in a tent that falls down in the middle of the night.’
I tried to think of something to say to make Ariana feel better. ‘It’s annoying that someone’s playing tricks on us, isn’t it? The boys think they’re hilarious but I was so angry when Alex pretended to fall off the cliff this morning.’
Ariana sniffed but didn’t say anything.
‘We’ve fixed the tent now and I don’t think they’ll bother us again tonight,’ I assured her. ‘Why don’t we go back to bed?’
Ariana pulled her knees to her chest. ‘I just want to go home … I miss my Dad … I miss my cat.’
She hid her face against her knees. Ariana’s sadness made me think of Mum, Harry and Bella and a wave of homesickness washed over me. I gave her a hug.
‘I miss my family too,’ I said. ‘And our puppy, Summer, and our kitten, Smudge. What’s your cat called?’
Ariana lifted her head and wiped her eyes.
‘She’s called Bianca, which means white in Italian. She’s a ragdoll cat with fluffy white fur and blue eyes. I’ve had her since I was a baby.’
‘Bianca sounds adorable,’ I said. Then I told Ariana the story of the mysterious cafe thief and how we discovered it was a half-starved, stray kitten living under the boathouse. I made the story as dramatic and funny as I could, listing all the gourmet snacks that Smudge had stolen. Ariana giggled when I told her that Smudge was named after the smudged paw prints she’d left on a cafe table after stealing Bella’s Mango Madness smoothie.
‘Sounds like Smudge has very good taste,’ she said.
I grinned back at her. ‘Absolutely. You should come over to the cafe one day after school and meet her. We can make Mango Madness smoothies together.’
‘I’d like that,’ said Ariana shyly. ‘Your cafe is so cool.’
‘I didn’t always think so,’ I admitted. ‘When we first moved to Kira Island, I had terrible homesickness too. It was awful. What helped me was to keep really busy, have lots of fun and talk to someone when I felt sad.’
Ariana nodded slowly.
‘When you’re missing home,’ I continued, ‘you can always talk to me, or Zoe, or one of the other girls. That’s what friends are for – to make each other feel better.’
‘Thanks, Pippa,’ said Ariana. ‘I will.’
On Wednesday morning we were once again woken by the clanging of the bell in the clearing. Today we needed no urging to have our early wake-up swim. We pulled on swimming costumes and grabbed towels. Ariana looked much happier this morning.
In the annexe of the tent were all our bags and shoes, lined up in a row. I sat down to put on my runners. I pulled on my right shoe and laced it, then my left shoe. But something was wrong. My foot could only go halfway into the shoe. I tried to shove my foot further in but it wouldn’t budge. It was suddenly and unexpectedly way too small!
‘Look,’ said Charlie in disgust. It seemed as though she was having the same trouble. In fact, everyone had one shoe only half on.
Cici pulled out a wad of paper towel that had been jammed into the toe of her shoe. She pretended to examine it through a magnifying glass like a detective.
‘The old paper-scrunched-in-the-shoe trick,’ she said in a comic voice. ‘Someone has been playing pranks on us again.’
‘It must be the boys,’ said Charlie, pulling scrunched-up paper out of her own shoe. ‘They promised us there would be lots of tricks this week.’
I thought I heard the sound of muffled giggles coming from the tent next door.
‘Or maybe it’s Olivia and her gang,’ I said. ‘They seem to be finding something very funny.’
‘Olivia wouldn’t do that,’ said Ariana.
I extracted my own wad of paper and tossed it at Cici. She caught it deftly and threw it at Meg, who threw it and her own at Charlie. Soon it was raining paper snowballs in the annexe.
‘Let’s worry about it later,’ Meg said. ‘I want to swim!’
We chased after her and threw ourselves in the water. The members of the morning cook crew only had a very quick swim and then hurried back to make breakfast. Zoe had come down to swim with us too. She struck out strongly, swimming towards the reef.
Meg grabbed her surfboard for a paddle on the lagoon. I floated on my back, enjoying the silky lap, lap, lap of the water against my body. That is, until Charlie and Cici crept up beside me and splashed me. I splashed them back and soon everyone joined in a massive water fight, shrieking and squealing with laughter. The camp bell clanged again, calling us back for breakfast.
We each grabbed a mug of hot tea and a bacon-and-egg roll, then found a place to sit and eat. I think whoever cooked mine must have been a little distracted because the egg was a bit frazzled. It definitely wasn’t up to the standard of the Beach Shack Cafe’s egg-and-bacon roll! For a moment I missed Mum’s cooking, but I was soon distracted by Cici, who was braiding Charlie’s long blonde hair.
‘I can do yours next if you like, Pippa?’ offered Cici. ‘It will stay neat and out of the way for days like this.’
‘Yes, please, Cici,’ I said gratefully. My wild, curly hair was all tangled and knotty, and stuck to the back of my neck with the heat. I had scraped it up into a messy ponytail and jammed my hat on top.
I leaned back and closed my eyes, the sun on my face. It felt soothing as Cici ran her deft fingers through my hair, gently teasing out the tangles, then braiding it perfectly.
After breakfast we were on clean-up duty, which involved washing up all the mugs and cooking implements in soapy water and throwing the dirty paper napkins in the fire pit. We chatted and joked as we worked.
‘I wonder what challenge Mrs M will give us today?’ asked Rory as he scrubbed a pile of greasy spatulas in a bucket.
‘Jungle Survivor. Episode two,’ said Cici. She sounded like a dramatic TV voiceover. ‘Who will survive the trials of the wilderness … and who will be … eliminated?’
‘Which tribe will win the coveted title of Kings of the Jungle?’ asked Connor, in a deep voice, playing along with Cici’s game.
‘That would be Queens of the Jungle,’ she corrected him. ‘And that would be the Sassy Sisters!’
Cici struck a theatrical pose, with one hand on her hip and the other flourishing a dirty pair of barbecue tongs. We all giggled.
‘You wish,’ said Alex.
We had just finished putting everything away when Mrs Marshall called us together to announce the day’s activities. Zoe stood beside her with a clipboard and a list.
‘One of the challenges for today is to take you out of your comfort zone,’ said Mrs Marshall. �
��Yesterday, most of you were in teams with your closest friends, which was fun and comfortable.’
I looked with dismay at Charlie, Cici and Meg. I had a sneaking suspicion what Mrs Marshall was going to say next.
‘Today, we are going to put you in different teams,’ said Mrs Marshall. ‘You will be in these teams for the remainder of the camp. You will sleep in the same tent, join the same chore crews and work together to achieve the various challenges we set for you. When Zoe calls your name, please come out the front.’
Zoe smiled at everyone, then read from her list. ‘First we have the Porpoises – Alex, Joshua, Leon, Sam and Caleb.’
The boys all stood up and moved together, giving each other a high five.
‘Next we have the Sharks – Willow, Tash, Charlie, Ariana and Cici,’ continued Zoe. Charlie and Cici stood up and went to stand with the other three girls. Charlie pulled a disappointed pout.
I knew it. The Sassy Sisters had been split in half.
‘The Starfish are Joey, Rory, Connor, Marcus and Reuben.’ Zoe checked her list. ‘And finally we have the Turtles – Pippa, Meg, Olivia, Jemila and Sienna.’
We all stood up and went to stand more or less together. Actually, Meg and I stood close together while the other three stood slightly apart from us, Jemila and Sienna on either side of Olivia like bodyguards.
‘First task is to switch tents,’ said Zoe. ‘Pippa and Meg, you swap with Willow and Tash.’
My heart sank with disappointment as Meg and I walked back to our tent to pack up our gear.
‘I can’t believe we have to change tents,’ I grumbled. ‘It was so much fun being together.’
‘We can still do lots of things with Charlie and Cici during free time,’ said Meg, stuffing her sleeping-bag into its cover.
We carried our backpacks and bedding over to the other tent. Willow and Tash gave us a smile as they passed, carrying their own gear in the opposite direction.
Olivia stood beside our new tent with her hands on her hips. She ducked under the flap and led the way inside. ‘Welcome to the Turtle tent, guys.’
‘Thanks, Olivia,’ I said.
‘Meg, you can have the spot on the left-hand side,’ Olivia said, waving her hand around. ‘Jemila, you can be next to me in the middle. Pippa, you can go across the bottom near the door, where Jemila was.’
I glanced at Meg, who obediently began unpacking her sleeping-bag. I had been hoping to sleep next to Meg but Olivia seemed to have different ideas.
Jemila moved her bedding to the middle spot. Meg lay her mattress out neatly next to it.
I dumped my backpack in the annexe area, then tossed my mattress at the foot of all the other mattresses, with my pillow and sleeping-bag on top. Olivia frowned.
‘Not like that,’ she said. ‘Five of us have to live in this little tent, so it would be much easier if everyone tried to be tidy.’
I noticed Olivia’s bed was carefully made.
‘Sorry, Olivia,’ I said with just a smidge of sarcasm. In my heart, I knew Olivia was probably right about the importance of being organised, but I didn’t like her telling me what to do. I lay my sleeping-bag out again and plumped my pillow. Then I stacked my backpack neatly as I went back outside to join the others.
We regrouped under the hoop pines. Zoe and Nigel were waiting with a pile of equipment.
Two of the teams would be doing water sports with Nigel, while the other two, including us, would be orienteering with Zoe. Then we would swap over later in the day. Charlie and Cici gave us a wave as they headed down to the beach, carrying surfboards. I wished Meg and I were going with them. The tropical sun was already hot and it sounded like heaven to spend the morning paddling on our boards, swimming and playing water polo in the lagoon.
‘Okay, Starfish and Turtles,’ said Zoe. ‘Your challenge this morning is orienteering. It’s like a race and a treasure hunt all in one. The map will give you clues on where to find the marker flags and the special treasure hidden at each checkpoint.’
Meg and I looked at each other with delight. This sounded like fun. I had visions of pirate chests brimming with gold and jewels.
‘I wonder what treasure we’re hunting for?’ I whispered to Meg.
Zoe smiled at us. ‘There will be two of each special item. You need to collect one to bring back with you and leave one for the other team to find. The Turtles will go clockwise around the island, while the Starfish go counterclockwise.’
Zoe picked up two backpacks, handing one to Jemila and the other to Reuben.
‘Inside your pack you have a compass, a camera, a walkie-talkie and a map,’ Zoe explained. ‘Use your walkie-talkie to call me if you get into any trouble. You have an hour to find all the markers. Take a team selfie of yourselves at each one and then report back here to me.’ Zoe looked around at us as we rummaged through the bag. ‘Are there any questions?’
There weren’t. The boys set off at a jog, heading south. Reuben checked the map as they ran. Olivia took the lead heading north and we all trailed after her. She stopped just outside the clearing.
‘Can I have the map, please, Jemila?’ she asked. Jemila turned around and Olivia took the map and the compass from the backpack.
She looked carefully at the map, then the compass. ‘We need to head north-east along this trail.’
Her slow examination of the map made me impatient.
‘It’s a race, so we should run like the boys,’ I said. ‘The faster we go the better.’
‘We’re Turtles,’ joked Olivia. ‘Slow and steady wins the race. I just want to make sure we know exactly where we’re going.’
‘Meg’s really good at navigating,’ I said. ‘Perhaps we should let her take the map.’
‘Maybe later,’ said Olivia. ‘I’m the team leader, so I’ll take the compass and map. You can carry the walkie-talkie and Meg can take the pack.’
The way Olivia took over and started bossing us around irritated me. She double-checked the map, then set off at a fast walk and we all followed. We eventually found our way to the first marker, which was an orange-and-white flag tied to a vine.
Jemila pulled out the camera. ‘Okay, selfie time.’ We posed together beside the flag and she took a photo.
‘I wonder what the treasure might be?’ asked Sienna.
‘Got it,’ said Meg. Her sharp eyes had spotted a splash of colour half-hidden in the leaf mulch at the base of the vine.
Meg knelt down and exposed two flat river pebbles that had been painted. Each was decorated with a different image. One showed a pink pig with big blue eyes and a curly tail. The other had a white rabbit with long droopy ears, long whiskers and a fluffy cottontail. Meg picked them both up to show us.
‘Cute,’ said Jemila.
‘Well spotted, Meg,’ I said, proud that it had been Meg who’d found the first treasure.
‘Which one should we take?’ asked Sienna.
‘The pig’s really sweet,’ said Olivia.
Sienna took the pig from Meg’s palm and slipped it into the backpack. ‘First treasure found. Now where?’
‘Come on,’ said Olivia, taking a quick glance at the map. ‘This way.’
Once again I enjoyed walking through the rainforest and taking in the scenery. When we came to a fork in the track, Olivia paused to examine the map. ‘We take the left path,’ she decided.
We walked on, skirting around the base of the hill. The path wound down onto the beach. We stood in the shade of the bush, looking out over the sea. There was no sign of an orange-and-white flag.
‘Are you sure this is the right way?’ asked Meg. ‘I thought we should be heading east by now.’
‘Yes,’ said Olivia. ‘Of course I’m sure.’ But her voice had a telltale hint of uncertainty. She checked the map again.
Meg peered over her shoulder. ‘See, the next marker is up on top of the hill. We should have taken the path to the right.’
Olivia looked as though she was going to argue but then she shrugged. ‘Okay
, we’d better go back and see if that’s the right way.’
Meg looked up the wooded hill. ‘I think we can take a shortcut. We can head straight up the hill from here through the bush.’
Meg didn’t wait for Olivia to agree. She started zigzagging up between the trees and ferns, climbing over vines and fallen branches. I hurried after Meg, pushing my way through the foliage. The others followed behind us.
At the top of the hill, Meg began to run. The orange-and-white flag was dangling from the low-hanging branch of an old gum tree. I chased after her. Nestled in the tree roots were two more brightly painted pebbles, each decorated with a slogan. I grinned at Meg.
‘You choose,’ I said. ‘Which one shall we take?’
Meg picked up the pebble which was decorated with hearts and flowers and read the slogan aloud: ‘Live. Love. Laugh.’
The other girls arrived. Olivia bent down and picked up the other pebble, decorated with a rainbow. ‘I like the one that says “Dream Big”.’
I stiffened at Olivia’s tone.
‘Yes, but Meg found it first and you chose the last pebble,’ I said. ‘So Meg gets to choose.’
‘Fine,’ said Olivia sniffily, putting the other pebble back.
I slipped the first pebble into the backpack. Meg pored over the map, looking embarrassed by the disagreement.
‘The next marker is down the other side of the hill and to the north,’ she said, changing the subject.
Olivia took the map out of Meg’s hands. ‘I’ll take that,’ she said. ‘I’m the team leader.’
Olivia’s bossy attitude was really annoying me.
‘I think it’s better if Meg navigates,’ I said. ‘She’ll help us go faster.’
Olivia ignored me. ‘We’ll go this way.’
‘We need to take the selfie,’ Jemila reminded us, pulling the camera out of the bag.
We stood in front of the marker flag so Jemila could take the photo, although I didn’t feel much like smiling.
This treasure hunt was turning out to be a fizzer. Being on the same team as Olivia was nowhere near as much fun as being with Cici and Charlie. Why couldn’t we just be the Sassy Sisters?
Camp Castaway Page 5