by Tara Ellis
“Did she know that?” Sam questions, alarmed that a director would put anyone uncertified in a position like that.
“Yes. I told her that I was a good swimmer, but had never taken any certification courses. Since they didn’t have enough kids at this camp session, they had to close down some cabins. She said I had to either take the open lifeguard spot or go home. I should have just gone home, but she insisted that I would never have to really do anything, that I could just sit in the shallow end and stop kids from splashing. But that girl almost drowned!”
“She didn’t drown, though,” Ally consoles her, “and everyone is okay.”
Sam is trying to think of something equally encouraging to say to her. She is saved from the task by Butterfingers, who jogs up the trail towards them.
“Sam! Thank goodness, I finally found you. Ms. Cooper wants to speak with you.”
Expecting that the conversation would be a positive one, congratulating her on helping to save the drowning girl, Sam doesn’t understand the concerned expression on Butterfingers face.
“Okay…” Sam hesitates, looking to Ally, who also appears confused.
“Just go to the administration office,” Butterfingers directs, shooing Sam back the other way. “I’ll take care of Alpine. Ally,” she continues, turning to her. “Where are you headed?”
“Um…to the craft place to work on our barge,” she explains, obviously wanting to go with Sam.
“Then get going. Sam will meet up with you later.”
Dismissed, Ally offers a brief, reassuring smile to Sam before walking away.
Unhappy with the turn of events, Sam grudgingly treks back past the lodge and over to the office. A bell rings as Sam steps inside. She finds much nicer decor than expected. The small space is divided into two rooms. The front half has an unmanned desk facing the entrance. The only item on it is an old-style rotary phone. Behind that is a wall with one door, and a sign on it that reads, ‘Director.’
Ms. Cooper opens the door in response to the bell, looking all business. “Sam, please come into my office.”
Encouraged by her tone, but still feeling uneasy, Sam does as asked and takes a seat in the only chair offered. It’s a tiny office, but very neat. Surprisingly, there is a computer on the oak desk.
“I think it important that we set some things straight, Miss…” she pauses, looking down at a folder that’s open in front her, “Miss Wolf. Here at Camp Whispering Pines we have a system that works. It’s based on long held traditions centered on responsible behaviors. This includes: honesty, integrity, safety and respect. When someone violates one of these, the consequences are unfortunate for everyone involved.”
Wiggling in the chair under the director’s obvious scrutiny, Sam has no idea where the lecture is headed. What did she do wrong?
“Take young Alpine, for example,” she continues. “I entrusted her with the lives of my campers and she repays me by lying about her qualifications. This type of conduct cannot be tolerated, so I was forced to let her go.”
“But wasn’t she supposed to be a counselor?” Sam inquires, sure that there must be some sort of misunderstanding. “She just told me that she wasn’t even hired as a lifeguard.”
A dark veil of emotion transforms Ms. Cooper’s face, her eyes narrowing. Sam leans back as far as she can from the intensity of it. Uh-oh.
“You will do well to remember your place, Miss Wolf,” she spits, her voice tightly controlled. “I don’t expect you to repeat those lies to anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”
Nodding slowly, Sam isn’t sure who she believes now. Not one to normally question authority, it sure seems like the director might be more interested in protecting her own reputation than Alpine’s.
“Furthermore, it would appear that you have a problem abiding by our safety rules. This is an area that has very little allowance in it for violators, and I am sure you can understand why.”
Thrown off by this change of topic, Sam looks at her, perplexed. How could she possibly blame me for anything?
“There were plenty of other lifeguards at the pool,” Ms. Cooper says evenly, standing and walking slowly around the desk toward Sam. “You put not only yourself at risk by jumping in, but the other camper and lifeguards, as well.”
“But she was drowning!” Sam practically yells, her fear momentarily forgotten. “I’m trained in water rescue, and I knew what I was doing. She had already gone under twice and the other guards were too far away!”
“My head lifeguard has assured me that he was there almost simultaneously, with others right behind him. It was under control and you acted recklessly.”
Sam is so stunned by the accusation that she is at a complete loss for words. Tears spring to her eyes. Did she act inappropriately? Thinking back over the order of events, she recalls Alpine’s face as she struggled with the smaller girl, and her yelling for help. No! There hadn’t been any time. She didn’t do anything wrong!
Ms. Cooper mistakes her show of emotion and silence as acceptance of the criticism. “Has your counselor explained our three steps of discipline to you?”
When Sam shakes her head no, she continues.
“Step one is the assignment of a chore to be carried out in lieu of free time. Step two is a day in our isolation cabin, and exclusion from the day’s activities. Step three is expulsion from camp.”
Sam’s stomach knots up. It’s obvious that she is going to be disciplined. It doesn’t make any sense, but she’s helpless to do anything about it. Arguing her point certainly isn’t going to get her anywhere.
“For your disregard of our safety regulations, and lack of respect for authority, I am scheduling you for clean-up duty after dinner this evening. You will perform this chore tonight instead of having free time. I hope that this reminder will enable you to enjoy the rest of your time here at Camp Whispering Pines without further…problems. You are dismissed.”
Sam watches as Ms. Cooper strolls back around her desk, picks up the folder, and then turns her back on Sam to open a file cabinet. Numbly, Sam stumbles from the chair and back out into the bright sunlight.
Blinking rapidly as her eyes adjust, Sam looks around at the courtyard with a new perspective. She’s been at camp for less than a day, and has somehow already managed to make an enemy out of the director. The quaint buildings suddenly look a bit spooky, and the surrounding woods menacing.
8
FAMILY SECRETS
Not wanting to explain what happened to everyone just yet, Sam decides to go back to the cabin, rather than find the craft hut. The quiet, solitary hike back there is relaxing and allows Sam to think clearly about things.
An hour later, a concerned Ally is the first one to find Sam lounging on her bunk, reading Becky’s book. The other girls follow Ally in.
Lowering the paperback, Sam smiles down at her friend’s upturned face and bright, blue eyes. Before even reaching Cabin Navaho, she’d made the decision not to let her encounter with Ms. Cooper ruin the rest of her trip.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Ally drills, not swayed by Sam’s calm demeanor.
Sitting up, Sam jumps down and hands the book to Becky. “I hope you don’t mind that I started reading it. I was careful not to lose your place.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all!” Becky answers, obviously happy that Sam likes the book.
Sandy has the same sour expression as earlier, and sits down on her bed in a huff. Lexie rolls her eyes at her before joining Ally in front of Sam.
“Princess burned her finger on the hot-glue gun,” Lexie explains.
Sam cringes a little at the nickname Lexie uses for Sandy. While she agrees with the title, it still might be hurtful.
“Are you okay, Sandy?” Sam asks, peeking around the two girls who are still waiting for an explanation. In response, Sandy sticks her finger in her mouth and glares back at her.
“So?” Lexie pushes. “What did Ms. Cooper say?”
“She doesn’t think I should have jump
ed in to help,” Sam says. “Then, I sort of yelled at her, so she got mad at me for that, too, and assigned me to clean-up duty tonight.”
“You yelled at Ms. Cooper?” Lexie gasps. “She’s usually nice enough, but man…she doesn’t put up with talking back. It’s bogus though that you got in trouble for saving someone’s life!”
Ally takes ahold of Sam’s arm and pulls her aside. “Sam,” she whispers. “Was it bad? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Ally. I’m not about to let washing some stupid dishes ruin our fun!”
Reassured, Ally gives Sam a hug. Before Lexie can ask any more questions, Butterfingers arrives, looking worried. She scans the room, stopping when she finds Sam.
“Sam, I feel like I owe you an apology,” she starts, sitting on her own bed. “I should have warned you before you spoke with Ms. Cooper. She’s really not that bad, but the one thing that ticks her off is when kids give her an attitude.”
“She didn’t even do anything wrong!” Lexie complains. “Ms. Cooper should be thanking her, not making her wash dishes!”
“No,” Sam interrupts. “It’s really okay, you guys. I think it’s mostly just a misunderstanding. Butterfingers is right. I think Ms. Cooper would have only given me a warning if I hadn’t yelled at her. I didn’t mean to, but I was so stunned. It’s not a big deal. I’ll help clean up tonight and it’ll be done and over with. Okay?”
Looking around at her four cabin mates, Sam feels better as they all agree with her. Even Sandy smiles briefly at her while blowing on the tip of her red finger.
“Good attitude, Sam,” Butterfingers praises. “Now. Let’s go eat some dinner and have a fun night! You have more free time activities this evening.” She pauses before continuing, looking apologetically at Sam. “And then a central campfire later, where you’ll be introduced to some other Whispering Pines traditions. But first, I better explain the camp expectations that Ms. Cooper told Sam about, and the disciplinary steps.”
There are a couple of good-natured groans, but the girls all sit at attention while Butterfingers outlines the three progressive steps.
“Other than following the main rules, there are a few other things you need to know. Make sure you never go outside of the camp boundaries during your free time. The trails are plainly marked. Another biggie is that there is absolutely no food left in the cabins. It attracts all kinds of wild animals and obviously, these cabins have gaps in the walls and no windowpanes, so it’s easy for them to get in. If you buy any snacks at the store, be sure not to bring it back here. Oh…and no littering. If you see garbage on the ground, please pick it up. We need to all take pride in our camp!”
While assuring Butterfingers they understand, it’s clear that they’ve all worked up a good appetite, and there isn’t any time wasted in getting ready and going to the lodge.
Dinner is served in the same buffet style as lunch. The girls pile their plates high with food and sit down at the big, wooden table.
“Hey, who wants to go boating with me after we eat?” Lexie asks around a mouthful of food.
“So there is a lake?” Ally asks, clearly interested.
Sam would have normally beat her to it, but she is looking dejectedly at her mashed potatoes. No lake for her tonight.
“It’s not huge,” Lexie answers. “But it’s big enough to take a rowboat or canoe out on. It’ll take us about fifteen minutes to walk there. We can have a full hour on the water before we need to head back. Sorry Sam,” she adds, when she realizes her new friend can’t join them.
“It’s alright,” Sam says. “I can go tomorrow, right?”
“Of course you can!” Ally agrees. “How about you Becky…and Sandy? Want to go?”
“I can’t swim, remember?” Becky replies.
“That’s what life vests are for!” Lexie hollers, slapping Becky on the arm. It’s clear though, that Becky isn’t encouraged.
“Isn’t there a game room in here somewhere?” Sandy says, craning her long, slim neck to see the far end of the big room. “We could stay here, Becky, and play foosball or something.”
Becky seems surprised by the offer, but happily agrees.
Sam is glad to see Becky and Sandy getting along better, and it makes her wonder about Sandy. She thinks there’s a lot more to her beneath the surface, and she hopes to get a chance to really know her…if Sandy will allow it.
Before long, Sam is saying goodbye to her friends as they go their separate ways. She then trudges back to the work area of the kitchen. Surprisingly, some very friendly staff members greet her. Two are adults, but there’s one other camper. Based on her expression, Sam is guessing that she’s also here against her will, and wonders what she did to deserve it.
“Hello there, young lady!” an older man with deep lines in his face and rough, calloused hands calls out. “You must be Sam. My name is Cowboy,” he adds, reaching out to shake her hand. He has a firm, sure grip and Sam likes him right away.
“Come into my castle and I’ll show you the ropes.”
With that, Sam spends the next two hours scraping plates, loading and unloading the dishwasher, and finally stacking clean dishes.
The other girl never really says much, but Cowboy keeps up an entertaining dialogue with everyone the whole shift. By the time Sam gets to the final step of washing off the counter, he’s leaning against the end of it, talking with a man who came in to retrieve the garbage. Sam has seen him around the grounds, working on various things.
“Did you tell Cooper that the refrigerant in the freezer needs to be filled?” Cowboy asks, folding his arms.
“Yup,” the younger man answers. “She pretty much brushed me off.”
“Brushed you off? Well, what do you mean by that? Is there someone coming out to fill it, or not?” Cowboy demands, unfolding his arms and rising to his full height.
“I mean she brushed me off! Said there’s other, more pressing and costly issues that have to be dealt with first.”
“Doesn’t she know how ‘costly’ it’ll be if the freezer stops working?” Cowboy complains, visibly agitated. “That’s not like her. Normally, she’d be all over me for not making the request sooner.”
“Yeah, well…she’s been acting a little differently ever since the board voted a couple of weeks ago,” the other man says, gathering up the garbage bags and loading them into his cart.
“Hmm,” Cowboy murmurs, scratching at his scraggly chin. “Is she even talking to her sisters?”
“I dunno, but what I do know, is that Old Man Pine would be rolling in his grave if he knew…” Spotting Sam listening, the man cuts off the conversation abruptly. “Umm, see ya later Cowboy.” He hurries out the door as Cowboy turns to face Sam, who is blushing at having been caught eavesdropping.
“I, uh-I think I’m done sir,” she stammers, setting the sponge down next to the sink. “Is it okay if I go?”
Looking sternly at her for a moment, Cowboy’s old face then breaks out in a smile. “It certainly is,” he answers kindly. “I think that if you hurry, you can make it to the bonfire before it gets started. It’s not quite eight yet.”
Thankful that she isn’t going to get a lecture about minding her own business, Sam returns his smile and hurries from the kitchen.
Following posted signs and a few hurrying campers, Sam finds her way to the central campfire without any problems. It’s in the opposite direction of the craft hut, and the trail leading to it starts out directly behind Ms. Coopers office. Sam is relieved when she doesn’t see the director on her way past it.
Ally runs to greet her as soon as Sam steps into the clearing, and then leads her back to where the rest of their group is gathered. They’re all wearing jeans and sweatshirts and Sam realizes too late that she should have changed first. It gets cold in the mountains at night, even during the summertime.
“How was it?” Ally asks. They sit down on a log that faces the large, already roaring fire.
“Not bad at all,” Sam replies. “Really
. This great guy named Cowboy is in charge of the kitchen and he was super nice.”
“Cowboy’s my favorite employee here!” Lexie exclaims. “He works with the horses on the trail ride, too. Are you going on the overnight ride Tuesday?”
Both Sam and Ally bounce up and down excitedly at the question. “Yes!” they answer at the same time, and then laugh at themselves.
“How about the rest of you?” Sam asks, looking at Becky and Sandy. They both nod, although neither of them appears happy about it.
“Lexie,” Sam says, turning to face the other girl. “I overheard Cowboy and this guy talking about Ms. Cooper being upset after the board voted. He had to be talking about the vote not to sell the camp. Why would she not be talking with her sisters because of it?”
“Because the board is made up of Ms. Cooper, her brother, and three sisters,” Lexie says. “I’m guessing she’s upset with them for wanting to sell the camp. I think she’s worked here for most of her life.”
“Why in the world would they even want to sell it?” Ally asks. “It’s got to be worth a ton of money.”
“That’s not what we heard,” Sandy interjects, causing everyone to look at her curiously. “One of the other girls at the pool said that Mr. Pine’s estate is worth millions, but this camp is using it all up. That’s probably why my dad offered to buy it. He’s very good at working those kinds of deals. I don’t think the camp was even on the market, but they almost sold to him, anyway.”
Just then, Ms. Cooper steps into the firelight, the shadows playing across the features of her face. Pausing, she turns to look directly at them, her eyes dark.
“I don’t think we should be talking about any of this,” Becky states. “It’s gossip and we’ve already been warned about that.”
“I agree. This is a campfire! Time to tell campfire stories, and I’ve got a great one!” Lexie rubs her hands together for emphasis, and has everyone’s full attention.