by Tara Ellis
“Isn’t it amazing?” Lexie shouts, splashing ahead of them.
Looming before them is the opening to a massive cave. Huge boulders as large as cars are scattered around its entrance, making it appear even more surreal. Sam feels like an ant in comparison, and cranes her neck to look up at the caverns’ ceiling once inside.
It’s like being in another world. Long daggers of rock reach down towards them, almost met by identical formations rising up from the ground.
“These formations are called stalactites and stalagmites,” their guide explains, running his hand over their odd, lumpy surfaces. “The stalactites are the ones that look like icicles on the ceiling. They’re formed over thousands of years by water dripping. The mineral in that water then creates the stalagmites that build up underneath.”
Completely enthralled by the odd creations, Sam barely acknowledges the sack lunch that’s handed to her. She’s seen pictures of these in books before and on some travel show years ago, but this is the first time in person. Digging the flashlight out of her backpack, she explores a bit farther into the unique cave.
The creek they were walking in flows through a section of the cave, meandering around the large rocks and stalagmites. Sam carefully picks her way through it, following the somewhat sparkly and mesmerizing rocks.
“Sam!” Ally calls out, trying to keep up. “Don’t go too far. I don’t like being this far in.”
Pausing, Sam climbs up onto a nearby boulder with a flattened top, and Ally joins her. The light from the entrance just barely reaches them, but it’s enough that they can see without the flashlights on. Taking out their sandwiches, they hungrily start eating while listening to all of the girls making various echoes in other parts of the cave.
Sam gets halfway through her food, when suddenly a horrible stench reaches her. “Ugh!” she gags. “What’s that smell?” Grabbing the flashlight again, she slips down on the opposite side and starts looking around. It doesn’t take long to follow the disgusting odor back to its source.
Piled up in a large crevasse on the underside of the rock are more than a dozen dead trout, carried there by the water. A little relieved to discover it isn’t something worse, Sam starts to turn away when something else catches her attention.
Floating past the rotting fish is some sort of multi-colored piece of paper. Intrigued, Sam leans over and snatches it before it can disappear. Squinting, she studies the faded wording. Mountain Construction, LLC. Figuring it must be some sort of label, she folds it carefully, placing it in her pocket with the tuft of hair.
The hoots and groans bouncing off the walls echo the thoughts tumbling around in her head. Somehow, she knows these items are connected, and she’s determined to find out how.
13
SANDY
They make it back to camp just before dinnertime and go directly to the lodge to eat. Once gathered at their table, Sam realizes that Sandy isn’t there. Spotting Butterfingers, she flags her down.
“Do you know where Sandy is?” she asks. “Have they gotten back from the kayaking trip yet?”
“They got back an hour ago,” Butterfingers explains. “But Sandy had an…exciting afternoon and went to lie down.” Before Sam can get any more information, their counselor walks away, leaving them all guessing.
“Let’s hurry up and finish eating,” Becky urges. “I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Do you think we should have told her about our, umm…discovery?” Ally worries. “Maybe she blabbed about it to someone and got in trouble.”
Lexie pauses with a spoonful of pork and beans halfway to her mouth, concerned. Looking around as if expecting Ms. Cooper to come marching up to them, she swallows hard. “She better not have, or else she’ll find worse than a raccoon in her bed!”
So Lexie thinks Sandy was responsible for the raccoon incident too, Sam considers. Rushing to finish her cheeseburger, she hopes they’ll still get to leave for the overnight horseback ride in the morning. It was the one thing she’d been looking forward to the most.
By the time the four of them burst into the cabin, they all have various ideas of what they’re going to find and how they’re going to handle it. However, the reality comes as a shock. Sandy is curled up on her bed, sound asleep. Her normally well-kept hair is in disarray, splayed out around her head, damp and knotted. Her tennis shoes are scattered on the floor, sopping wet. It’s clear her backpack took a dunking, too.
Sam is surprised, since Sandy had been bragging about how good she is at kayaking. She even claimed to own one and to use it regularly at a lake near her home. The group was being bussed to a large lake not too far away, so it wasn’t swift water. How could she have rolled it?
“Sandy?” she asks hesitantly. “Are you awake?”
Opening her eyes, Sandy rubs them and then sits up slowly. “You’re back,” is all she says.
“What happened?” Becky demands. She sits down on the bed next to her friend, and puts a supportive arm around her damp shoulders.
“I’m fine,” Sandy insists. “But I’m never coming back to this stupid camp! They have wild animals in our cabins, untrained staff, stopped-up toilets, not enough food, and worn-out equipment. My kayak had a hole in it! Can you believe that? I got nearly halfway out on the lake before I realized that the water in the bottom of it was more than normal. By the time I got turned around and headed back, it was quickly getting worse.” Turning now to face them all, she’s near tears.
“I was faster than everyone else there, so I was way out ahead. I was told not to go so far, but I ignored them. So when the kayak sunk, I was still a good distance away from the group. I had a life vest on, of course, but all of my stuff was stowed in the kayak. We were rowing over to the other side and then going on a hike before having lunch. So I had my backpack with all of my stuff in it. I had to float on my back and try to hold my bag up for ten minutes before someone heard me yelling for help and finally spotted me.
“All of the kayaks were one-person, so I had to hold onto a rope and get towed by the guide. It was cold and humiliating. I just want to go home!”
“Did you talk to anyone about going home?” Becky asks, sounding worried. “We all want you to stay and go on the horseback ride with us tomorrow! Right, you guys?” she asks, looking to Sam, Ally, and Lexie.
“Of course we do!”
Lexie is quick to answer, surprising Sam, who can’t help but wonder if Lexie’s enthusiasm is genuine, or if she is thinking more about protecting the camp. Sandy’s father was trying to buy it, and if he were to find out just how much the camp is struggling, it might give him some leverage with the board.
“Stop it you guys,” Sandy says harshly. “None of you actually like me, you’re just pretending. It’s okay. I’m used to it. No one ever really wants to be my friend…not even my parents. They’re more concerned with how our family appears to everyone else instead.”
Sam and Ally sit on the other side of Sandy, crowding onto the lower bunk. Gathered around their unexpected friend, Sam feels guilty for being so judgmental of her from the beginning. She can’t imagine how horrible it would be to feel that way.
“I like you, Sandy,” she says honestly. “We might not have a lot in common, but you’re fun to be around, once someone gets to know you.”
“Yeah, and you’re funny, too!” Ally adds.
“And brave,” Becky says softly. “I wish I were as brave as you are, Sandy. You aren’t afraid to do anything, or to tell people exactly what’s on your mind. I could never do that. I think I would have had a heart attack if I had been stuck out in the middle of a lake!”
“They’re right,” Lexie admits, somewhat reluctantly. “I know that I’ve given you a hard time, but I think it might be because I was jealous. I thought you had the perfect life, and parents that were actually there for you.”
Sam is stunned at the confession, and she can see the immediate effect that it has. Sandy’s features soften, and she seems to finally give in and accept t
he friendship that’s being offered.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had real girlfriends before,” she confesses, wiping absently at a lone tear.
“Well, now you have four!” Lexie tells her, kneeling down in front of the group on the bed. “And friends look out for each other, right?” she asks, looking at each of them.
“Right!” they all answer, bound together by something none of them could put into words.
14
TRAIL OF DANGER
The sun is hot on their backs as they settle into the saddles and prepare to start out on the much anticipated trail ride.
Somehow, Sam ended up on the first horse, a large mare with white and black patches, named Sundance. They were already off to a rocky start, with Sam struggling to keep her mount from trying to eat every leafy thing in reach.
Sam was delighted to discover that Cowboy is part of the trail team, which explains his nickname. There are twenty girls on the overnight trip and that means a whole lot of horses to manage, so there are two other handlers, as well as two counselors. Butterfingers had to stay back at camp to help Ms. Cooper with various tasks. The girls have strict instructions to be on their best behavior.
Despite Cowboy’s obvious knowledge, he isn’t in charge. As soon as the girls had arrived early this morning, a young man named Zorro had started barking out orders. In his twenties, he’s well over six feet tall and pushing two-hundred and fifty pounds. His attitude matches his tough physique.
Where Cowboy is laid back and in control, the third man is just the opposite. Ranger seems eager to please Zorro and practically trips over his own feet while running to do everything he demands. Also in his twenties, he’s skinny and not quite as tall as Zorro. Sam recognizes him as the same guy that Cowboy was criticizing for messing up dinner the other night.
Zorro is leading the ride on a massive black horse in front of Sam. He cautioned her to stay a good distance behind him, as his steed doesn’t like to be crowded.
Cowboy is the middle of the pack, with Ranger taking up the rear. The riders have been grouped first according to their cabin, then by riding ability. Sam had the most experience, so was given the biggest responsibility.
“Sundance is a pig,” Ally laughs. She has to pull up short again while Sam fights to gain control.
“Do you want to trade?” Sam turns around in her saddle once she has her horse back on the trail. She looks longingly at Ally’s calm, chestnut colored mount. “Or anyone?” she says more loudly to Lexie, Becky and Sandy.
The three other girls are directly behind them. Grinning, they all shake their heads vigorously. “I should have warned you,” Lexie chuckles. “I got her once last year. She’s nice and all, just….very hungry.”
Facing forward again, Sam lets out a big sigh and gathers up the reins a bit tighter. They have five hours of riding ahead of them. It took close to an hour to hike up to the starting point, so it’ll be a late lunch once they arrive at the temporary camp that’s already set up.
Honestly, even though the horse is a pain, she doesn’t mind. Just being in the saddle, riding through the woods, is a dream come true. Closing her eyes, Sam tilts her head up to the sun and lets it wash over her, much the same way it’s cleansing the mountains. There was a thick layer of mist on the trail when they first started out. But it’s already lifting and blowing away in the light, warm breeze scented with pine. Mixed in now with the smell of the woods is saddle soap, leather, and the distinct aroma of horse that still lingers in the old barn at Sam’s house.
The reins in Sam’s hands go taught, jerking her out of her trance. “Ugh!” she groans, fighting once again with her new, stubborn friend who’s found some large, green leafy plant that just has to be eaten.
“Get that horse under control!” Zorro yells from up ahead. “I don’t want to see her off the trail.”
“Geez, maybe they should put that horse at the back, instead of the front,” Becky mutters.
“I said the same thing when I had her,” Lexie agrees. “But Cowboy explained that she’s old and stubborn and the only way she’ll do the trail is if she’s leading. That’s another reason Zorro is staying so far out.”
“Humph. Leave the stupid horse in the barn, then,” Sandy complains. Her own ride is a beautiful white mare with a long, flowing mane. She had rushed to claim her as soon as spotting her this morning.
“Nah…Sundance is an icon here,” Lexie tells them. “She was one of the first horses ever used on the trail ride and was Mr. Pine’s own horse. According to Cowboy, it was even written into his will that she be taken care of after his passing.”
Knowing this, Sam sits a little taller in the saddle and pats at Sundance’s long, sturdy neck. “Well, we’re going to be friends. Right, old girl?” she says happily. Snickering, the horse tosses her head and then promptly goes for a patch of long grass.
The morning stretches on, but they travel the trail much faster than the day before and they soon find themselves at the top of the same, steep ravine as yesterday. Although they’re farther up from where they had climbed down, it’s still in the same general location.
Actually, Sam thinks to herself, we’re in the clump of dead trees that I saw! Looking around with more interest, Sam notes that it’s a small area of brown at the top of the cliff. However, it follows a group of sparse trees all the way down to the water at the bottom, making an odd line of death.
Zorro turns to the left, taking the well-trampled trail upstream, in the opposite direction of the creek walk. Following him at a distance, Sam looks nervously to her right. Although they’re a good two feet from the drop-off, being up on the horse makes her feel like she’s about to fall over the side.
Her friends just make the turn behind her, when suddenly Sundance decides to go her own way again. But this time, it isn’t for a snack. With growing horror, Sam pulls desperately at the reins as she realizes that she’s heading straight for the edge!
15
THE MASK OF ZORRO
Crying out in alarm as Sundance sidesteps from her yanking, Sam is sure they’re both about to plummet to their deaths. But as Ally starts to scream a warning behind her, Sam sees there’s a narrow deer trail that her horse is trying to follow.
“Whoa, there!” Cowboy yells. Sam can hear the sound of heavy hoof beats pounding towards her.
Still struggling to get control, Sam is less fearful now that she knows the ground doesn’t actually fall away. Leaning back in the saddle to give Sundance more leverage, she tries to guide her back onto the main trail. Neighing loudly in protest and tossing her head wildly, Sundance finally backs up a couple of steps, bucks slightly, and then lunges forward, straight for Zorro!
Relieved to be back on solid ground, Sam continues to scramble in the saddle, now trying to shift her weight forward. Digging in her knees, she leans down close to the spooked horse’s neck. “Whoa girl,” she says firmly, while pulling down on the reins and trying to turn her in a circle to the left. This was a technique she had learned a couple of years ago, a good way to stop a runaway horse.
Fortunately, it works. She manages to stop Sundance a few feet from the testy, black stallion. Apparently, it isn’t enough, because the stallion reacts violently and it takes Zorro several minutes to calm him down.
Meanwhile, Cowboy has come up alongside Sam. The rest of the riders are all lined up on the trail behind them, crowded together, trying to get a glimpse of the commotion. “What’s going on up there?” Ranger demands, trapped at the back of the pack.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on!” Zorro bellows, jumping down to the ground. Stomping towards Sam, he points a large finger at her. “The problem is that we’ve got someone who doesn’t know how to ride safely. Get off that horse!” he demands, his anger apparent.
Sam once again finds herself at the other end of an unfair accusation. But this time, she is too intimidated by the furious man to even think of arguing back. Doing her best not to burst into tears, she silently slides from the sad
dle.
“You can walk that horse from here on, since you obviously can’t ride it!” Zorro declares, still wagging a finger at her.
“Now wait just a minute!” Cowboy intervenes. “You can hardly blame the girl. Last time I checked, this was a camp for young ladies. We shouldn’t be putting them on a horse that can’t stay on the trail!”
“That’s why you don’t give the horse its own lead!” Zorro argues, his voice getting even louder. “She had to have let up on the reins. I told her specifically to keep ‘em tight. And last time I checked, old man, my name was the one on the side of the horse trailer, not yours! If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it.”
His face turning a dark crimson, Cowboy dismounts smoothly from his own horse and hands the reins to Sam. Taking a somewhat menacing step towards Zorro, he veers off towards the woods and motions curtly for the younger man to follow him.
Sam looks at Ally and sees her own dismay mirrored on her friend’s face.
“Are you okay?” Ally asks, swallowing hard. “I thought for sure that you were going to fall!”
“I’m fine,” Sam manages to croak out. Standing somewhat awkwardly, holding the reins for both horses, she looks behind Ally to Lexie. “What is that all about?” she asks, angling her chin towards the two men arguing now in hushed tones.
“Cowboy’s been here forever,” Lexie explains, “but Zorro was put in charge of the horses this year. I don’t know the details, but it was obvious at the last camp session that they don’t get along.”
“Well, the guy’s a jerk,” Sandy whispers. “That wasn’t your fault, Sam. He’s probably just afraid your parents will sue him if he doesn’t act like you did something wrong.”