“That’s a good thing. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep.”
“Pull your cot beside mine.” She got up, and we scooted our cots over so they were side by side.
Lying down, I stared at the ceiling, listening to her breathe.
When I woke, the tent was empty, save for Frida. Checking my watch, I saw it to be after seven. We should’ve already had breakfast and been at the study tents. Guessing the powers-that-be might have given us a pass, I dressed and made my way to the mess tent.
I piled my plate with crepes and fruit and sat down beside Jude.
“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?” he asked.
“I would say like the dead, but that’s a bad analogy today.”
“Yeah, I was pretty beat myself.”
“Is John up?”
“Yeah, everyone else is already at their workstations.”
“Frida was still asleep, so I left her.”
“I think she’s going to need a day.” He finished off his smoothie that I assumed contained the raw eggs he always requested.
Dr. Antos appeared in the doorway and made his way to us. “Glad to see you’re up and about. I saw Frida was still sleeping.”
I swallowed the bite I’d taken. “Yes, sir. Thanks.”
“Okay, well, get to your schoolwork. The rest of the day will be an all-camp free day. We can talk at your regularly scheduled sessions this afternoon. If you need some time before then, let your counselors know.”
“Sure,” Jude said.
“Okay, thanks.” I responded.
We finished our breakfast. I looped back and tiptoed into the tent for my notebooks. Seeing Frida rousing, I sat beside her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck.”
“You should go see the nurse.”
“That’s where I’m headed right after I get food.” She sat up. “What’s going on today? Shouldn’t you already be at your workstation?”
“I overslept too. They saved some breakfast for us. After our studies, we have a free day.”
“Yep, someone almost dies, and that’s what happens. You can thank me later for the day’s reprieve from ice climbing.” She grabbed her toiletries.
“Can you not be so morbid?”
“But that just wouldn’t be me.” She exited the tent.
Gathering my study materials, I found an empty terminal beside Jude. After an hour, he packed his things and stood.
“You done?”
“Yep, want some help?”
“No, that’s fine. I need to stretch my legs.” I logged off and walked outside with him. “So, the whole photographic memory thing helps a lot I guess.”
“Yeah, I only have two high school classes. The others I take through a university.”
“Yeah, I have to get my GPA up. This camp is helping. I’m much more focused.”
“And no hallucinations.” He held up his bracelet.
“That helps, too. I’m going to get back to it.” I pointed to the study tent.
“Okay, catcha later.”
“Better watch that relationship,” George said as I sat down at my terminal.
“Like everyone isn’t sneaking off to make out. We’re probably the only ones who aren’t.”
“How do you know what Jude does at night?” he challenged.
“It’s none of my business.” I popped my earbuds in to end the conversation.
I hadn’t talked to George since we’d traded teams. I’d steered clear of him like Jude suggested. He and Jude shared a tent, and I guessed he might know more about Jude than I did. What did I care if Jude was making out with someone anyway? It wasn’t like we were involved. He’d become a friend, and I valued the relationship. I wasn’t going to mess it up.
Still, George planted the seed, which was just what he’d intended I guessed. This thought made me more intent on staying away from him. I refocused on my work. With the short session the previous day, I had a lot to catch up on.
After an hour and another break, Frida plopped down beside me.
“Hey, do you feel better?” I whispered.
“Yeah, they have some major drugs in this place. I feel like I could run a marathon.”
“Your color is certainly better. Maybe I should go see the nurse.”
“She had me drink some sort of super-vitamin smoothie, and within half an hour, I was feeling back to normal.”
“That’s awesome. Okay, I’m studying. This is going to take me all day at this rate.”
“I’ll be right here all day too.” She rolled her eyes and popped on her headphones.
Breaking for lunch, I still had a good hour of studying to do, and figured the energy drain from the day before had me thinking slower. Frida and I worked till two. Afterwards, we ran through the rain to the mess tent where the other campers were watching a movie. Ducking out at four, I made my way to Dr. Antos’s tent.
“How are you feeling after yesterday?” he asked.
“Physically tired but otherwise sort of numb, I guess. I had a lot of schoolwork, and then we were watching the movie.”
“That’s to be expected. Tell me about all your feelings surrounding the incident.”
I told him about having trouble sleeping and what Frida had said about dying.
“It was an unfortunate accident, but you are in the safest place to process all your feelings.”
“Jude was amazing.”
“I heard he acted quite heroically. We’re lucky he’s a good swimmer.”
“Should I be worried about Frida?”
“I will see her and John this evening. Just watch your friend. Let us know if you see any strange behavior.”
“I will, thanks.” I trudged back to my tent in the rain.
They got us back to a regular schedule Friday with a hike to a neighboring mountain’s summit.
“You’re quiet today. You back to full energy level?” Jude asked as we stopped for our lunch break.
“Almost. Still didn’t sleep well.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I’m talked out. I think everyone finally heard the story firsthand. I noticed you were occupied the past two days.”
“Like I needed more female attention.” He rolled his eyes.
“It must be horrible to be so beautiful.” I leaned into him and bumped my shoulder to his arm.
“It’s just skin.” He turned his palms over. “You don’t treat me like other girls do.”
“Got too much to think about to worry about boyfriends.”
“So, what are you worried about?”
“I need to get all my stuff for college admissions done.”
“I bet you could do some of it during study time.”
“That’s an excellent idea. You’re probably already guaranteed admission at Stanford.”
His cheeks turned red. “They’ve made some good offers.”
The leader blew the whistle, calling us to gather for the trek back. It’d been gray all day, and it started to drizzle. I pulled my hood up, and we hiked in near silence as the rain pelted us. As we got back to camp, all I wanted was a hot shower, but I had to opt for fifteen minutes in front of the heater before my meeting with Dr. Antos.
“I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I be more upset?” I paced his tent.
“Teens, more so than older people, feel they are invincible. It’s a big blow when you come face to face with your mortality. You may experience the same feelings as when dealing with a loss: shock, denial, rage, depression, and then acceptance. Don’t be surprised when any of these come up. It’s quite natural.”
“I can’t image being angry at anything. No one is to blame, and everyone is fine.”
“You may not get mad. You’re probably still in shock. Should we proceed with discussing your visions? I believe we left off when you had heard the boy and girl, Hunter and Alena, say the name you used in your childhood.”
I told him about t
he meet up with Hunter’s mom and their flight to an unknown destination.
“I wonder if the destination is important? Let’s explore every detail.”
He had me search my mind for any shred of evidence as to where they’d fled.
“We could try hypnotism if you would be open to that.” Dr. Antos indicated when we’d come up with no clues.
“Can I think about this?”
“Sure. I just wanted you to know all your options.”
“Do you really think my hallucinations are related to my fears?”
“In many cases, they are. Schizophrenic episodes can’t be totally divorced from your own psyche.”
“Okay, well, I’ll think about it.” I stood, even though our hour wasn’t complete.
Leaving the tent, I passed Frida on her way to visit the psychiatrist. “How are you doing?” I stopped in front of her.
“Actually, better than ever. I know I really want to live now. I can’t remember feeling that way for a long time.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I hugged her without hesitation.
“Wow, you finally warmed up to me. Too bad it took almost dying.” She squeezed my shoulders and then released me.
“I would have gotten there.”
“Thanks for being a friend.”
“Of course, you too.”
“Okay, well, I’m late for the shrink. See you at dinner.”
I walked to the mess tent, killing time before our server’s position. A couple different groups were huddled in conversations, and I joined Jude and John.
“Done with the rain yet?” John asked as I took a seat on the picnic bench beside them.
“I’m used to it.”
“Jude here is ready to implode. He’d never make it living in Iceland.”
“They need some weights in this program.” He stood, pacing across the aisle and back.
“I bet if the weather holds, you’ll get your wish. This organization seems outfitted for any situation. I think music may be at the top of my list. How about you, Camille?”
“I usually swim in the winter. But I’m done with that for a while. A treadmill would be good for blowing off some steam.”
“I’d vote for a hot tub,” George said from behind us. We spun around to include the kids chatting with him. There were various votes from an indoor sand volleyball court to a dance floor.
“No way they’re letting us dance. Too much opportunity for personal contact. Although they didn’t seem to have a problem when Jude was keeping Camille warm yesterday,” George put in.
My cheeks warmed, and I guessed they shone red. Glancing at Jude, I saw his gaze fixed on George.
“If you knew anything about medical shock, you’d know that the first sign is hypothermia. Camille already has low blood pressure, and the cold exacerbated it. She wasn’t warming herself. She was in danger of getting frost bite or worse.”
Feeling guilty I hadn’t given Jude even more credit, I looked to George to gauge his reaction.
“Guess we’re all safer in your presence since you seem to know everything about everything.”
“Dude, I was just doing the right thing.”
“Lucky you, it was with a hot girl. Like you needed any points.” His eyes cut to me.
Equally embarrassed and angered, I stood, hands balled at my sides. “Do not trivialize the accident. We almost lost Frida. And for the record, no one is making points with me.”
I walked to the kitchen, thinking I had the excuse of checking out the menu. I guessed Jude had been right about George. Talk about insensitive, I thought.
“Glad you can hold your own.” Jude appeared behind me.
“I’m not a fool,” I said, spinning to face him.
“I can see that. You got any moves?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like self-defense.”
“I usually carry mace in my bag. I took a class one time.”
“Want to learn some stuff? I could use a workout.”
“What? In the mess tent, in front of all these people? We only have fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, come on.” He cocked his head towards the stock room.
Inside, he pointed to his chest. “Hit me, give it all you got.”
I raised my fists to chest level and jabbed with my right. As quick as I could blink, he grabbed the fist and had it pinned behind my back.
“Uncle?”
“Funny.” He released me. “You need to be quicker. Aim for my gut. He slapped his stomach. Use an undercut. Works on jaws too, but I happen to like mine.”
“You’re not getting a workout like this.”
“It’ll come. It felt good to punch at something, didn’t it?”
“I guess.”
“I’ll just tape George’s face on my abdomen.”
“I’ve steered clear of him like you suggested. That’s the first time he’s singled me out.”
“You’re lucky, he’s been making digs at anyone in his path for two weeks.”
I swung at his gut, and he jumped back. “Nice try.” He winked at me and started bouncing on his feet. “Have at it.”
Every time I punched at him, he moved before my fist hit its target. No matter how crafty I tried to be, using a one-two, or two quick jabs, I couldn’t land a punch. I bent over, hands to my thighs to catch my breath. “Maybe I need to learn the defense part. I suck at this.”
“Sorry, I’m just fast.”
“You can say that again. Okay, teach me your moves.”
“It’s more about watching the person and anticipating where they’re going.” His fist shot to my face, and I ducked away just in time. “I wasn’t going to hit you.”
“I know.”
“What’s going on?” Allen entered the room.
“Oh, we were just working out. A little boxing.”
“We’ve got gloves you know.”
“Really?”
“Sure, you can check them out. Use them any time.”
“Sweet. I’m in.” Jude picked up our jackets and handed me mine.
We followed Allen back to the prep area where we set out the trays of food for the meal. After the task, we loaded our own plates and found Frida.
“Word is you guys snuck off to make out,” she said as we sat on either side of her.
“And you believed them?” I asked.
“A girl can dream. I don’t think I’m his type, and no one else is worthy.” Her eyes cut from Jude to me.
“Frida, should we find a boyfriend for you? Perhaps John?” Jude asked.
“I don’t want you guys picking anybody for me.”
“Well then, stop bothering us. Three musketeers, right?”
“A romance would spice things up a bit.”
“Already bored with nearly drowning?” he asked.
“I would’ve rather it been your lips on mine than hers,” she puckered and leaned towards him.
“Not sure you would be alive with wimpy one beating on your chest.” Jude pointed at me.
“Hey!” I defended.
“Don’t worry, I’ll whip you into shape. Interested in boxing with us, Frida?” Jude asked.
“Course. I’m in. Anything to not be stuck with the masses.” She looked back at the other campers.
When we finished dinner, Jude had his counseling session, and Frida and I walked to our tent. Inside, Asa, Janna, and Inga were packing.
“What’s going on?” Frida asked.
“Hilda said we were switching tents tomorrow.”
Great, I thought, so now not only do I have to worry about switching groups but about new tent mates. We hadn’t had problems with thefts, but people were in other tents, and I hated the thought of sleeping with my camera again.
Frida plopped down on my bed. “I don’t get it. What’s the point?”
“Going to miss Camille?” Asa asked.
“I think they’re trying to put us in stressful situations in a safe environment,” Janna commented, stuffing cloth
es in a duffle.
I hated to admit I’d grown attached to Frida. My family had moved so much I’d learned to be without friends. My things were already organized, and I kept them in my duffle and toiletry bag, so I didn’t have much to do. Instead, I helped Frida and then Inga and Janna pack their things. As I approached Asa, she held her palm in front of my face.
“Remember, OCD chick? I’m better, but not better enough to want you to touch my stuff.”
“No worries.”
A bell rang, signaling the time for the campfire, and as water still dripped from the sky, we made our way to the mess tent. In the center, the counselors had arranged four heaters. They glowed red with warmth, and we circled around them.
“Well,” started Dr. Antos, “this looks to be as good as we’re going to get. I wanted to address the rumor of tent assignments.”
He went on to explain we would get new tent assignments the next day and have a day to move in and get to know our new bunkmates Sunday. Monday, we would change activity groups and have an afternoon of team-building exercises with our new counselor and camper teams.
You don’t need Frida and Jude, I repeated in my head. You’re good on your own. You know how to handle your fears now. Yes, my alter ego continued, just picture Jude and you’ll be fine. Realizing he had started to take up too much space in my head, I made a mental note to put some distance between us. There was no point in forming a stronger bond with someone who lived halfway around the globe.
Focusing on the music, I finished singing the chorus. My arm became hot, and I looked over to realize Jude had materialized beside me. Mentally, I cursed him for being so suave and nice. Whatever he smelled of—grass, honey, earth and wood—it had me totally won over. Then, I focused on his personality traits rather than his physical attributes.
He’d exhibited kindness, braveness, fairness, intelligence, wit, and humor. It was hard not to add handsome to the list. And, he liked me. Did I believe that? Every indicator pointed to the fact. But why? By happenstance? Just because we happened to be standing alone in the parking lot the first day? Because we shared the same affliction? Because Frida had wrangled us into this three-musketeers relationship?
It didn’t matter. In two weeks, we will be half a world apart again, I reminded myself. And right then, I needed to focus on my recovery so I wouldn’t react to his presence or lean into him. I would be strong and remember why I was there in the first place.
Kingdom of Darkness (Kingdom Journals Book 2) Page 11