“I’m going to miss you guys.” Frida swung an arm around each of us.
“It’s not like we won’t see each other at meals,” I told her.
“Yeah, if it keeps raining like this, we won’t be leaving the camp for anything.” Jude pointed to the drizzle beyond the tent entrance.
“It’s not getting to you, is it, California boy?” Frida joked. “We can hike in the rain.”
“I don’t think Dr. Antos is going to risk someone slipping on a rock and busting their head open after your near-drowning incident.”
“Maybe so. Us Icelanders are hearty folk though.” Frida rambled on about Iceland and her family history as we finished the meal.
Once all the plates were cleared and the cleanup crew finished the dishes, we sat around the heater for the evening announcements. I listened to Frida and Jude banter over me, feeling more anxious by the second. Something was off about Jude, and I wondered why I hadn’t sensed it before.
As predicted the groups were completely mixed up. I ended up on a team with George and three people—Mikel, Bryn, and Liz—who I’d barely spoken to. Bryn and Liz were my tent mates as were Asa and Ruth. Asa and I had been paired up on a team the first week. Even though she was in my tent, we rarely saw each other. I hoped some of her obsessive-compulsive behavior had been diluted out.
As I brought my things to the new tent, Ruth caught up with me. “Hey, I don’t really know the other girls, want to bunk beside each other?”
“Sure, that’d be good.” I set my sleeping bag on a cot at the far end of the tent, thinking any known was a good thing. Ruth was quiet and didn’t talk to many people from what I observed. I’d been surprised she joined in our mini-dance party earlier as she tended to opt out of optional activities.
As I unpacked, Ruth leaned over and whispered to me. “Beth Ann said Bryn and Liz are kind of scary. Do you know Asa?”
“She’s nice.”
“What are you doing?” Asa appeared in the tent doorway. “Aren’t we meeting to decide who sleeps where?”
Ruth stood, shoulders squared. “The beds are all the same.”
“Still, someone might have special needs.”
“Do you have special needs?” Ruth’s hand went to her hip, and I wondered where she’d been hiding her moxie.
“No, but someone may.” Asa rolled her eyes.
I abandoned my bags and stood. “We didn’t decide that way last time.”
Asa twisted her neck to face the door and then back to look at us. “Everyone says Bryn and Liz are crazy. You know they were in the tent that everyone’s stuff went missing.”
“Well, sleep by us then.” I motioned to the cot beside me.
“Can’t I sleep between you two?”
“That’s crazy. I’m already halfway unpacked.” I told her she was crazy, but really I was thinking I had the best cot sandwiched between her and Ruth. Perhaps I’d store my camera with the locked items until I needed it.
“Fine.” She flung her bag on the bed to my right.
“Hi, guys.” Ema, our tent counselor, entered the room followed by Bryn and Liz. “Get settled and we’ll have a pow-wow.”
The room was quiet as we worked, but it wasn’t fifteen minutes before everyone had their gear organized and bags stowed. We sat together on two of the cots.
“Okay, so I’ll go first.” Asa started right in, outlining rules she thought appropriate.
“I think the camp rules are enough,” Ema said. “We don’t have much time in the tents, but we do want to respect and trust our tent mates. Let’s get a status check from everyone.”
We took turns summarizing where we were with our recovery process and how we felt about the camp so far. When it was my turn, I realized I wasn’t any closer to deciphering my hallucinations. Perhaps they had no deep-seated meaning outside of the normal things teenagers worried about. The main gain for me centered on the absence of the visions and humming in my head.
As it was late, we readied for bed and turned in. I’d tucked my camera in the bottom of my sleeping bag and prayed it would be safe as we made our way to the latrines.
The next morning, I tried to focus on the positives as I made my way to the mess tent for breakfast cooking duty. George had proved to be a negative element, and Bryn and Liz seemed to be cut from the same batch. Mikel seemed to be the one unknown as all I knew about him amounted to his name and addict diagnosis.
“Where are Bryn and Liz?” George demanded as I reached the makeshift kitchen.
Realizing we were alone, I kept my distance. “I don’t know. They weren’t in the tent.”
“Great. We’ve got one of the hardest breakfasts, and most of our team is MIA.”
“Let’s just do what we can until they get here.”
“No, I’m going to find them.” He stomped out.
I preferred the solo act to being stuck with George, so I checked the menu, which consisted of crepes, fruits, and cheese. Thinking George had exaggerated the complexity of the meal, I found the crepe ingredients and started mixing them in a large bowl. Next, I started the stove and waited for the pan to heat, wondering if anyone else would show. I was halfway through the batter by the time George returned with Bryn, Liz, Mikel, and our team counselor, Hetrag.
Hetrag and Mikel looked as if they’d just rolled out of bed. Bryn and Liz were expertly made up as they were every day.
“Wow, Camille, look at you.” George clapped. “There’s nothing left for the rest of us to do.”
“There’s fruit to chop and cheese to grate.” I finished the crepes and made my way outside. Even though a fine mist hung in the air, I stripped my cap off and aimed my face at the sky, clearing my senses of the heat and smells of the kitchen.
“Rough morning already?” Jude approach.
“My teammates aren’t exactly stellar camper examples today.”
“If George gives you anymore trouble…”
I took a step back from Jude.
“Are you scared of me?” he asked.
“I don’t know. You were pretty intense last night.”
“He should not have treated you that way.”
“I know, but—”
“But what? You could handle him? It didn’t look like it.”
“I guess not. Thank you.” Keeping my distance, I walked with him into the mess tent.
Frida joined us minutes later. “Did you survive your night and breakfast duty?” she asked as she sat down.
“You mean George?”
“Yes, and the rest of your crazy tent and team. You definitely drew the short straw.”
“I guess I haven’t been paying attention.”
“You are way too naïve. If this week doesn’t toughen you up, I’ll teach you some street smarts when we get back home.”
“I intend to keep my head down and nose to the grind stone.”
“Allen told me we were going to have some yoga and aerobics classes, as well as a weights tent this week because of the weather,” Jude told us.
“Sweet, sign me up for that. I’m always up for watching glistening muscles.” Friday pretended to draw a check mark in the air.
I rolled my eyes as we made our way to the food line, thinking I’d steer clear of all the testosterone.
After breakfast, we had time for corresponding with our families. Mother was still worked up about our near drowning incident, but I assured her I’d recovered completely.
“I miss you so much,” she told me.
“I miss you too.”
“Are you ready to come home?”
“Kind of. I’m not sure how much more treatment there is for me.”
“Well, it seems like you enjoy being away from school. Your grades are better than ever. I guess I should have listened when you said online school would be best for you.”
“Of course, then I would never come out of my room.”
“Precisely why I never said yes.”
“Does this mean I get to finish the year online? It
would be great to have a stellar GPA for college admissions.”
“We can talk about it when you get home.”
The answer was the closest I’d gotten to a yes, and I ended the conversation thinking I’d finally convinced her. We spent the day on team-building exercises with our chore group and tent mates. By dinner my head was spinning from trying to steer clear of everyone’s issues. Deciding I might have a peacemaker personality, I practiced deep breathing exercises to decompress before dinner.
With the rain and limited activities, the days began to meld into each other. We rotated between the study tent and workout areas in two hour blocks. As my schedule was opposite that of Frida and Jude, I resigned myself to a week of isolation and self-reflection. Learning that if I didn’t engage with George or the other personalities, I avoided their wrath, I steered clear and made it through the week unscathed.
“You seem different,” Dr. Antos noted on Friday.
“I’m kind of ready to go home.”
“You’re not enjoying your time here?”
“I like the yoga and workouts, but the rain is weighing on me.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“What do you do at home when you have bad weather?”
“Our cross-country team keeps running year-round, and I swim.”
“And what of your time with me?”
“I’ve realized that many of my fears are the same as every other teen.”
“So, you feel free of the hallucinations?” He scooted forward in his seat.
“It’s like they were a bad dream.”
“I also believe we’ve gleamed all the information we can from them.” He set his glasses on the stool beside him. “We can meet every other day to give you more free time next week if you like. I believe the weather is supposed to be a bit dryer.”
“That sounds good.” I stood up and slipped on my jacket.
“Have a nice weekend. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Thanks.” I left with an extra spring in my step and a confidence I hadn’t felt in several months.
“Someone is happy,” Frida commented as we sat down to eat dinner. “Could it have something to do with new team assignments?”
“And I only have to see Dr. Antos every other day.” I popped a grape into my mouth.
“Well, look at Miss Well Adjusted.” She leaned into me and whispered in my ear. “I wouldn’t say anything to Jude. He’s been with Dr. Antos like two hours a day since Tuesday.”
“What do you mean? Did something happen? Is he okay? I didn’t even notice. He’s seemed good every time I saw him.” I scanned the room, searching for him.
“You didn’t hear what happened Monday? I don’t know if he’s okay. All I know is he had double sessions every day” Frida said.
Seeing him enter the mess tent, I studied his face for any hint that something was off. His gaze met mine, and he smiled and waved. My face flamed from being caught staring, but I continued to watch as he went to the line and got his tray.
“He looks okay, right?” I asked Frida.
“So, who’s interested in Jude now?”
“He’s a nice guy. I don’t want him to be hurting.”
“Well, just ask him,” Frida shrugged.
“I’m not asking. It’s none of my business. I wouldn’t even know if it weren’t for you.”
“Okay, well I’ll ask him.”
“Ask him what?” Jude took the seat beside me.
“Miss Pretty Pants is worried about you after I told her you were spending hours a day with Dr. Antos.”
“No, everything’s good. See?” He held up his wrists. “I don’t even need the bracelets anymore.”
Then, I was even more intrigued. “How’s that?”
“Just worked through some stuff.” He shrugged and pointed at Frida. “So, spying on me, eh?”
“Got to keep tabs on my peeps, especially after what happened with George Monday.”
“What happened with George?” I looked between them.
“Do you not hear anything?” Frida asked.
“It was nothing.” Jude’s voice fell an octave, and his eyes cut to his plate.
“I’ve been in Siberia, obviously. What’s going on?”
Frida put her hands to her hips. “Well—”
“Frida.” Jude cut her off.
“Fine, I’ll let you tell her if you want.”
My mind raced back through the week to Monday, and then I remembered their whole tent had taken the evening off. George missed cook duty that night, leaving the four of us to grill chicken breasts, make bread, and roast vegetables. But he never mentioned why. Figuring whatever had happened, Jude would tell me if and when he wanted, I refocused on finishing the meal.
The next day when they switched team assignments, I was happy Jude was included in my group. I knew I shouldn’t have been. There was really no point in furthering my connection with him when we only had seven days left of camp. But after my week alone, I craved his company.
“I can’t believe you haven’t cornered me to find out how I am bracelet free or what happened with George,” Jude commented the time we were alone Monday.
“I didn’t think it was any of my business.”
“You and Frida are polar opposites. It has more to do with you than anybody.”
My thoughts reeled. “How’s that possible?”
“Come on.” He held out his hand.
“We’re going to get in trouble.” I hesitated, looking back at the group.
“Trust me.” His eyes pierced into mine.
“Okay.” I took his outstretched hand.
We walked around the face of the cliff and up towards the summit. At the top, he leaned against a rock. “I have something to show you.” He set his pack on the ground. “Watch.”
Pointing at a rock, he closed his eyes. “Watch the rock.”
“What am I supposed—” Then, the boulder rose a foot off the ground. I looked at Jude. His eyes were open, and a smile spread across his face.
“Are you paying attention to the rock?”
When I switched my focus back to the boulder, it was three feet off the ground, swirling in the air. I bent down, and the wind from the stone’s rotation blew loose hairs across my face. Magic is real, I thought. Hunter and Alena are actual people, and they’re trying to find me. I’m a child of light. They need me to complete the trinity. I looked to Jude. He’s acting with Theron and Thanatos. Maybe Dr. Antos is too. You have to get away from Jude!
Taking a few sideways steps, I positioned myself on the opposite side of the rock.
“You aren’t going to say anything?” Jude fixed his gaze on me, and the rock fell to the ground with a thud.
Act like you’re clueless, I told myself. “How are you doing that?” Thinking fast, I drew my mace from the side pocket of my backpack and pointed it at him.
“Whoa! No need for weaponry.” He extended his hand out to me but didn’t move. “It’s magic. My bracelet fell off after a shower. When George started mouthing off, I wished the heater would crush him and then felt this hum in my brain. The buzzing sound amplified until the furnace fell over and rolled towards George. Without anyone touching it, the heater just turned and went straight to him. Dr. Antos said he held these camps not only to help teens but to look for people like me. Because we’re often misdiagnosed. He’s been helping me strengthen my magic.”
“Really? That’s your story?”
“Yeah.” One eyebrow cocked up. “What other story would I have? For someone who just witnessed that magic is real, you’re acting strange. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m telling you this because I thought maybe you had powers too, that we could figure this out together.”
“And you never met Dr. Antos before searching out this camp?” I took several steps backwards, trying to get distance between us. If I got back to the others, he wouldn’t be able to use his magic on me.
“No, why would I?” Jude stepped towards me. “Did you know magic was real? That someo
ne could be a witch? What aren’t you telling me?”
“My hallucinations were about witches.” I continued to back away from him. “I’m pretty sure if witches are real, there’s a price on my head, so you can just stay where you are, or I’ll mace you.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. Price on our head? What are you talking about?”
Wondering how I would know whether he told the truth or not, I held my ground. Checking behind me every few steps, I backed to the turn in the trail, trying to get in view of the others.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t you want to know if you have powers too? Dr. Antos has a retreat for people like us in Sardinia, Italy. I’m going there after this camp to figure out who my coven is. I thought you could come too.”
My mind reeled. Dr. Antos and Jude had schemed to lure me into a trap for Theron and Thanatos. If Dr. Antos was a witch, he could kidnap me anytime. I wasn’t safe at the camp. But why hadn’t he? He wanted me to come of my own volition. That way my parents wouldn’t stage a search. My next thought was of my dad. Why hadn’t he trained me? He had to be the source of my magic. Maybe he hadn’t told Mom. Or maybe he had, and she refused to believe or let me be trained. What had Alena said about her powers? At eighteen you would lose them if you didn’t join a coven. Perhaps Mother had decided to wait it out.
I refocused on Jude. “I know how being a witch works. And I’m guessing you do too. This is all a ruse, right? Have me fall for you? Have you discover your magic and snare me under the guise of awakening mine?”
“Snare you? What are you talking about? Is this about the price on your head? I have nothing to do with anything like that. I’m telling the truth. Please, believe me.” His eyes pleaded with me, and I wanted to believe him. I wished he were the good guy who saved my friend from drowning. But he could very well be part of a scam.
“Why do you want me to come to Sardinia?”
“Because I like you, and I feel like we have this connection, even before I knew about the magic thing. I felt drawn to you from the first day we met.”
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 37