✓ | The Crown of the Dead

Capturing Flags and Beating Up Boys

I had just reached my hand out for the paper Charlie was holding when Kinsey burst into the Hades cabin without a single warning-- screaming at the top of her lungs.

Charlie and I did more than just jump. I snatched the paper from her on instinct and slammed the lid of the box shut. She shoved the walkman so that it disappeared under the bed, away from Kinsey's (most likely prying) eyes.

"BIANCA!" She screeched, stomping over towards me (after she was finished screaming, of course), her face red with anger. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Here!" I said defensively. I didn't know why I felt the need to fight with a fourth grader.

"Well you're not supposed to be here!" She said. "You're supposed to be in the Apollo cabin, getting ready for my play!"

"Your what now?"

"My play," She annunciated, like it was the most obvious thing on earth. She grabbed my arm and yanked me onto my feet.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said quickly. "I'll clean everything up. Go have fun."

I highly doubted I would be having any form of fun back in the Apollo cabin.

Before I could reply, Kinsey had already dragged me all the way to the threshold. The last thing I saw before she slammed the door was a faint smile on Charlie's lips.

Back in cabin seven, the place had been turned upside down. The beds were all pushed to one side of the room, and a makeshift stage had been set up on the unoccupied one; sheets pinned up as curtains.

"Kinsey, what's going..." I made eye contact with Jeffery, who was standing off to the side wearing a fake mustache and a velvety cape that looked like it came from some cheap party store.

"JEFFERY!" Kinsey screeched. She ran over to her twin and violently shoved him behind the curtain. Jeffery yelped, but Kinsey seemed more interested in me.

"What happened here?" I asked, making my way carefully into the room.

"The Kinsey Charleston Monthly Play!" Kinsey exclaimed. "I told you! We started setting up forever ago, and you didn't even come to help!"

"Uhh..." I stuttered. "Kinsey, I'm sure your play is going to be great." I plastered on a large fake smile to try and soften the blow. "...but I was doing something kinda important back there and—"

"You can't leave!" Kinsey popped out her lip in an attempted guilt trick. "This is the first one of the summer season, and we have capture the flag later, so you can't!"

I briefly remembered what Silena had said the night before about capture the flag, and how it was camp half blood's 'biggest war game.'

"Oh my gods, Bianca, you're okay!" Andi came rushing out of the bathroom. "We were all so worried!"

"What's going on here?"

"Sorry we didn't tell you..." she laughed sheepishly. "Kinsey does a cute little play every month. Oddly, this month is Rapunzel..."

"I would've cast you if you were here earlier!" Kinsey shouted from behind the curtain where she had disappeared moments before.

"Just sit over here." Andi directed me to the floor. "It's cute. I promise."

Knowing Kinsey, I had a feeling Andi and my definition of 'cute' differed.

"Where's everyone else..."

"Preparing," Andi said flatly.

"How long will this take?"

"Until dinner!" Kinsey exclaimed.