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“Where?” I asked.
“At the latrine. Just pretend you’re going to the bathroom around nine. He’ll make sure to find you. Maybe go for a walk or something.”
“Is that enough time before the ten p.m. curfew?”
“He might not be available before then,” he said. We were catching up to Taylor and the others who had paused to wait for us. “Man,” he said a little louder as we got closer to them. “Wow, that cave does sound kind of cool…”
I got that we couldn’t let Taylor in on the plan. I didn’t know why, though. She seemed trustworthy.
Once the camp was set up, we sat on the picnic table, looking over the site. The small tent that was now for storage had been placed beside the big one. Inside it were chairs holding the three brown suitcases, and now my things as well. If any of the girls had brought any clothes, they’d have a place to put bags.
“Good thing I brought... you brought extra clothes, Sang,” Gabriel said.
“I already gave shoes to someone,” I said.
“You’re going to lose some clothes,” Taylor said. “When the new recruits are brought in, they are being taught to ask for help when it’s needed. At the same time, you’re taught to give where you can.” She glanced at me meaningfully with her brown eyes.
I understood. Everything we have, we can share with everyone else. That’s just the way the Academy works.
“I brought extra clothes, too,” Taylor said. “We’ll have plenty. That’s if you don’t go on any more crazy hikes and get them all dirty like that.”
“I don’t want to go on another hike,” Lake said. “I’m done with hikes.”
We talked about going back to the art area but then kept getting distracted by talking about the different camp activities the others had discovered.
“I don’t have to teach another class until Thursday,” Gabriel said. “Which is good. I wanted to try crab fishing.”
“I just want a nap,” Taylor said and yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Her brown sweater was a little too short for her arms, and the ends slid down her forearms as she stretched.
“Me, too,” Lake said, muffling a yawn by covering her mouth with her elbow. “Is that allowed?”
“Yup,” Gabriel said. “You’re allowed. It’s camp.”
I hated to say so, but I was feeling worn down, too, after moving all the supplies and the day I’d had. Gabriel had sprayed down the inside of the tent with his baking soda mix, and with the flap open, the inside was smelling better. The cot I’d set up with my pillow and sleeping bag looked really cozy. “We can just lay on top of the sleeping bags, Lake,” I said. “And change later.”
“Just lying on your back should be fine,” Taylor said, standing up and trotting over to the tent. “Your back is clean.”
Victor stood up. “If you all want to sleep, Gabriel and I will go tell the others you’re here and where to find you.”
“No way,” Gabriel said. “I want to nap.” He combed a lock of his blond hair away from his eyes and started toward the tent. “Let me borrow a bed.”
“Buddy system, Gabriel,” Victor said. “Come on. Let them sleep.”
Gabriel grunted and shot me a look. “Don’t let any bears in,” he said and started following Victor toward the paved road. They soon disappeared on their way toward the craft station.
I was sorry to see them go, but at the same time, too tired to want to follow. I also wanted to calm my nerves with some sleep.
One week, I told myself. All I had to remember was this wasn’t my group. The boys were. I just had to find the right moment to tell the others.
JUST TRYING TO GET AWAY
I slept deeply, and woke, not sure where I was when I heard voices. I opened my eyes and saw the material of the tent above me and remembered.
The other girls were inside, whispering and trying to be quiet, but Taylor woke up and took them to go outside to light a fire.
By the time I was able to get myself to sit up, I was still tired, but it was clear the sun had started to set. I needed to be awake, and aware of the time...
The time. I didn’t have my phone. I’d looked for it while we were moving stuff but hadn’t found it yet. I meant to ask Kota about it. How was I going to meet Kota if I couldn’t keep track of the time? I glanced around, looking for anything that would have a clock on it, finding nothing.
Lake was still asleep in her cot, her arms over her face.
I’d have to ask someone around when I thought nine o'clock was and make my excuse to go then.
“Lake?” I said. I was trying to get myself to go out of the tent and join the others. I didn’t want to, though. I didn’t want to face Carla and the other girls.
“Yeah?” she said but didn’t move.
“We should go...” It was a little better with Lake around. I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t know her as well. Maybe because she was a little calmer than Carla.
“Mmm.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “Do you need water?”
Lake moved her arms from her face and sat up. Her short dark hair was in all directions and revealed more of the shape of her jawline. With her fingers, she combed her hair around her face, locks falling in front of one eye as if to hide it. “I guess,” she said. “I might not be able to sleep tonight. Let’s get this over with.”
I hoped she wasn’t having a bad time. I knew it was tough fitting in when you felt alone.
The tent flap had been closed. When we got out, the other girls were sitting in folding chairs around the fire.
“Yay!” they cried when they noticed us. “They’re awake! Now we can start!”
Taylor, April, and Emma were there. They pointed at the two remaining folding chairs nearby. “Come sit,” Taylor said.
“Hungry?” April said and then pointed to a cooler. “There’s burritos and coffee if you want.”
“Or water,” Taylor said. “And there’s some Pop-Tarts and crackers in the cooler.”
“Burritos?” Lake asked, and headed toward the cooler.
I waited until Taylor and April weren’t paying attention anymore and I snagged Lake’s elbow to whisper to her. “They’re black bean and avocado burritos. Spicy.”
“Ew,” Lake said. “Black bean is okay, but I don’t like avocado. I’ll take a Pop-Tart.”
We found strawberry Pop-Tarts and water and brought them back to the seats. Had Taylor and her team only brought spicy burritos? I wondered if I could exist on Pop-Tarts and water for the week. Luckily, I’d eaten a lot at lunch with the hamburgers and potatoes, and still felt fine. I hoped lunches like that were normal for camp. I wondered if we could team up with the guys around dinner time.
When Lake and I sat down, Carla gave us two minutes before she stood up. “Okay, now that we’re settl
ed, I wanted to go around the circle and have us all kind of talk about how we found out about the Academy and maybe go over what we learned today.” She looked at Taylor and the other older girls. “Maybe you can fill in any holes we’ve got?”
“Sure,” Taylor said. “We’ll take turns, too.”
“Well, I was hoping—” Carla said, glancing toward the younger girls, who were looking eagerly at her.
“Might be best for us to start,” April said. “We’re your hosts tonight. You should know who you get into tents with.” She laughed, as did her teammates.
Carla sat down in her chair and nodded, seeming to lose her bossy nature.
Maybe Taylor had informed her team about Carla because April, Taylor, and Emma went through early chapters of their Academy careers, explaining how they tried different groups, and it took a while and some team changes for them to figure out what—and who—worked best for them.
“You never know with your group,” April said. “One day, you run into people and you just click. You just know.”
“But you had to work together on something and stick with each other for a while,” Carla finally said after letting Taylor and her team speak for a long time.
Taylor shrugged. “Technically yes.”
“So we should stick together,” Carla said, smiling with some complacency.
“For now. However, you might also not be a best match within even your first team,” Taylor said. “People switch all the time. You have to be open to change.”
“They give up?” Carla asked.
“No,” Taylor said. “Sometimes you just don’t get along. Your manager might make suggestions to meet other people he feels might be a better match for you.”
“Do we have a manager?” one of the girls asked. “Mrs. Rose?”
“Not yet,” she said. “Not until you’re officially invited to join the Academy. Your manager could be anyone, and he or she will basically be your team and family lead all in one for a while until a council feels you’re ready to take over and assign your own lead. They teach you about the Academy, help you find a role to fill, give you jobs.”
