Inconsolable » Squid [Holes]

27: Boomerang

Dinner was quiet at D-Tent's table. There were no jokes, there were no comments at one another's expense, there was no talk regarding Magnet's whereabouts or if he'd managed to jump on the supply truck. No one said a word. The only sound came from their occasional sighs and of food being chewed. Armpit had a habit of smacking his lips with every bite; Squid would've throttled him if he weren't so distracted.

Magnet showed up halfway through. Eyes to the floor, dirty, sweaty, walking slow as if his limbs were weighed down with lead. He made a beeline for the food, shifted his tray down the line to get his share of the not-so-stellar offerings, and plopped down at D-Tent's table, rattling their cups and utensils. His fork poked at the mass of meat sitting on the tray and the silence broke as he uttered, "Pass the ketchup."

"Good to see you, buddy," X-Ray said. His smile lifted on one side: half mocking, half sincere. A little chuckle escaped, and his eyes swung over to Squid, sitting at his right hand. As always. Eyebrows crinkling, he swatted Squid's arm with the back of his hand. "Didn't you hear him, Squid? Give the man some ketchup."

Grunting, Squid dropped his fork, grabbed the bottle from the middle of the table, and set it down in front of Magnet. Others would say he slammed it down with the way their trays shook. Ignoring their curious stares, ones that swung from Magnet to himself, he picked up his fork and continued eating, never breaking his hard glare from B-Tent's table.

No, he hadn't heard Magnet. What had started as a low buzz in his ear graduated to a roar which didn't seem to want to go away any time soon. Zigzag could have told him the moon was made of whipped cream and he wouldn't have heard a thing. His leg bounced beneath the table. His muscles tensed like a wind-up toy waiting to be released.

The only thing keeping him glued to his seat and not flying across the room to beat Eagle and the rest of B-Tent into bloody pulps was simple: Mouse wouldn't want him to. Even after all this time, she still had him wrapped around her finger. He stayed put.

X-Ray, however, was still out for blood. The minute Mouse got up from the table, so quiet she lived up to her name, he immediately dispatched Caveman and Zero to go with her. Squid gritted his teeth when B-Tent's eyes followed them out the door. Caveman may be larger than most of the tent, but he'd been losing weight recently and it wouldn't be hard to push him out of the way if something were to happen. He again reminded himself Mouse didn't want him to do anything.

"Okay, now that Magnet's back we can get back to work." X-Ray stated. He glanced over his shoulder at the counselors sitting nearby. Not that it mattered; the counselors only cared about getting paid and staying out of the sun as much as possible. They never cared about the campers. With a quick twitch of his finger, X-Ray, Magnet, Zigzag, Squid, and Armpit leaned forward, abandoning interest in their food. "Did you hear anything good?"

Magnet shook his head, the movement slow as he rested his cheek against his palm. "They weren't saying much when I passed by. Just talking about someone's pet snake." He put down his fork and pulled out the center of his piece of bread. Squid knew that trick; it made the food last longer. "Saying something about feeding mice to it."

"They're not exactly subtle, are they?"

"They're pissed."

"Good. That's where I want them."

Squid glanced at him. "Seriously?" he asked.

X-Ray gave a single nod. "Means they're more likely to make a mistake. We have a leg up on them now."

"Fine, but what are we actually going to do?"

"Well, that all comes down to Magnet."

Silence fell over the stunned table.