“I overthink,” I tell her. “So right now I’m convinced that something bad is going on. Like, more than pranks.”
“Ah. My sister is just the same. If I don’t check in, she thinks I’ve drowned in the lake or something.”
“That sounds like me.”
“You care, that’s not a bad thing. And bad stuff does happen at camps.”
“What?”
“Accidents, I mean. We’re doing games and sports in the water and in the woods, and that brings more dangers.”
I gulp. “Has anything really bad happened here?”
“We’ve had a few near misses. Last year a kid got into trouble in the water and almost drowned. That’s why we test their swimming ability before they get in and have the waist-high rule for non-swimmers. Another camper tripped over a branch when she wasn’t looking and broke her ankle.”
I’m looking for something more sinister. Besides, I don’t think a camper is behind what’s going on.
Lillian. Obviously. Hello, you have her initials carved into your wall!
“There’s a shoe! Gross!” Ava shouts.
Cora and I look up.
Ava drops the shoe that she’s holding back into the water. She and Addison back up.
“What?” I ask, wading over to her. The water hits my shorts. “A shoe?”
“Ugh,” she mutters, and bends down, keeping her head above water as she reaches into the water. “Here.”
I take the tennis shoe that was probably white once but is now green.
“Wonderful.”
“You think someone threw that in?” Ava asks.
I nod. “Yep.”
Addison’s eyes widen. “I would be so mad if someone threw mine in the lake.”
“Me too,” I tell her. “Looks like it’s been here a while, though, so it was probably from years ago.” The shoe is slimy. “I’ll chuck this. You two go catch up with the others. You’re both doing so well.”
“Thanks, Esme,” they chime in unison.
They dive back into the water belly-first.
I manage to turn before I get a face full of water.
Holding the shoe by the heel with two fingers, I take it out of the lake and dump it in the trash.
Andy shakes his head. “I once found a T-shirt and a hairbrush in the lake.”
“I guess it’s not one big happy family all the time,” I say.
“We have our fair share of arguments among the campers,” he confirms. “It usually happens week three, when they really feel like they’re family.”
“A week of peace left.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Andy replies.
“Have the cops got in contact yet?”
“Not yet. I called last night, and they said they’ll keep me informed. I’ll let you all know when I hear from them. No one has noticed anything so far today.”
“The forest seems quiet,” I say. Since I’ve been out here this morning not once has the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“Let’s hope it stays that way. The last thing the camp needs is a reputation for having a stalker lurking around. We’re the best youth camp in the area and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Are you worried?”
His red eyebrows meet in the middle. “No. Are you, Esme?”
Yes, I’m worried. I’m scared for the campers, I’m scared for Kayla and I’m scared for myself. Mostly, though, I feel guilty. If I weren’t here, would any of this be happening?
“A little.” He can tell that I am, so lying isn’t going to help me. “I don’t want the campers to be frightened.”
“It’s okay to worry. In fact, it’s normal. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with the public wandering onto camp land. It just takes a conversation. Plus, we have cleaning staff, cooks and delivery people coming and going, the campers rarely notice who’s supposed to be here or not.”
Isn’t that more dangerous? If the campers assume everyone here is part of the camp, they could trust someone they shouldn’t.
“Don’t look so concerned,” Andy says. “It really is fine. You’ll come to realize that in time, especially if you come back next year. There are things that are part of being a counselor that the campers have no clue about.” He smiles. “I bet there were people closer to camp than you think when you were last here.”
I know there were.
22
Jake and Olly help the guys set up the inflatable obstacle course on the lake.
All of the campers are standing on the edge of the water, bouncing.
After anchoring the course, the guys test it, climbing up, running through and around obstacles and sliding down the slide into the water at the end.
Andy laughs. “Okay, looks like it’s ready to go. Four at a time.”
Two counselors stand by the start and two by the finish.
Kayla and I wade into the lake and stop about halfway along the giant orange inflatable. The water is almost up to my shoulders, but I love being in the lake, so I don’t care.
I watch as camper after camper runs along the obstacle course, some making it and others falling in.
When they get off, I’m getting on it.
Kayla moves along the inflatable, a little further from me, getting a better look as the campers go by.
My eyes drift to the forest, to the entrance of the trail that leads to the green flag route. It also leads to the site of the fire.
I blink, my eyes flitting past and then shooting back. Was that a flash?
I turn to face the forest, and through the pine trees, I see it again. A glint, like light bouncing off glass.
Lillian is watching.
I’m about to call to Kayla when the inflatable suddenly dips toward me. I gasp and hold my hands out as if I can single-handedly stop it from tipping over. The four campers on it scream as they’re thrown into the lake. It’s too deep here for some of them.
I grab Ava as she kicks to the surface. The other counselors rush over, and Andy shouts orders to the rest of the children to get out of the lake. Kayla has two of the campers who fell in, and Isabel is tall enough that she can walk on tiptoes back to land.
“Are you okay?” I ask Ava.