The Girl at Camp Green Lake

Untitled Part 9

I spin around in shock, not able to recognize the unfamiliar voice. Squid gapes in fear at the person standing in front of us, and he almost seems to cower down before her. I, on the other hand, can't seem to see how the lady could be that much of a threat. Sure, we're probably in loads of trouble now, but I'm honestly just relieved to see another female.

"I told you something was up. I could feel it. See, I've been watching them kids. They think they know I know they know, but they don't know how much I really know. And here today I've finally caught' em." Mr. Sir trots out in his leather cowboy boots to stand beside the woman. The woman, a tall lady wearing a pink plaid shirt and faded blue jeans, rolls her eyes.

"If I recall correctly, Mr. Sir, it was me who saw them running around past lights out."

Mr. Sir grunts grudgingly in response. "Well, when you put it that way." He argued.

The woman ignores him and looks at the two campers with contempt.

"Now, it would be kind of you two to explain to me what made you think it was okay for you to run 'round past your bedtime." she practically snarled the last part. I'm actually starting to understand why Squid is so scared of her.

"Squid?" She asks, her voice softer. He only widens his eyes in terror and shrinks down even more. Then she turns to me. "And you must be our newest camper. The girl at Camp Green Lake. What a shame, I had so much hope for you."

A shiver runs down my spine, despite the warmth left behind by the sun.

The woman, who I assume must be the warden, picks at her pink fingernails. Is it just me, or are they unusually sharp? I glance over at Squid, who looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up. Maybe there is a reason he's so scared of her. Although, with Squid's idiotic reasoning, she could've just mildly embarrassed him once. My lips twitch at the memory of Squid's face after I told him to dig half of my hole for me. 

The Warden caught me smiling and gave me a nasty look. "Do you find something funny about this, Jadice? Because I don't. What about you, Squid dear? Is there something funny about this?"

Squid shook his head vigorously and kept his gaze on the ground. "No ma'am." Since when did he become such a gentleman? 

The Warden looked back at me and sneered. "See?"

I nodded. 

She continued slowly, letting each and every word linger in the air. "Now. I would like you to know that I'm not usually this merciful. Isn't that right, Mr. Sir?" She didn't wait for a response. "I'm going to let you two off the hook now, just this once, but if I ever, and I mean ever, catch either one of you here past lights out again..." She let out a silky laugh. "You're going to be speakin' with the stars."

I gape in surprise at her threat. Is she allowed to talk to us that way? I wonder if she'd actually do anything to us. As I look up into her cold eyes, I understand something. Something I should have known from the start. This woman is not a forgiving person. She knows what she wants, and she won't stop until she gets exactly that. If someone is in her way, she won't hesitate to get them back out of her way, no matter the cost. And I wasn't about to be that someone.

"Now, go and get!" She shooed us away with her rude words. She thought of us as dogs, animals to do free labor for her, her source of money. I clenched my jaw to keep from spitting on her.  "You've got a long day of diggin' ahead!"

                                                   *************************************

Back in the tent, I lay on my bed with my head propped up on my folded in half pillow, so that I could see the around the dark tent-room. I hadn't had the energy to close the drapes around my bed after I'd gotten back from that exhilarating adventure. I'd thought I would fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but I have been laying here for about thirty minutes now, eyes unblinking. I couldn't get the image of the warden's cold stair out of my head, nor the sound of her velvet laugh.

I unfolded my pillow and drew my blanket up to my chin. I had to get some sleep, or I would be a zombie the next day. 

I roll over and lay on my stomach with my right knee pulled up to my chest. I close my eyes. The last time I closed my eyes to sleep... 

What was I thinking? 

My eyelids droop. But all of the sudden, I don't want to close my eyes anymore. What was I going to think? My mind is abruptly empty. 

"Citra!"

I bolt straight up in horror, energized by the fear that had just shot through me. But then my stomach drops, and I realize I'm still laying down. What had that been? Was that in my head, or had someone actually said that? Is there someone in the room? I guess it could have been one of the boys, but how would they have known that name? 

I'm struggling to stay awake again. It's as if the wires in my brain short circuited or something. Everything is fuzzy, almost. Like a blanket. Or is that just because my blanket is over my eyes now? 

I eventually give in to the drowsiness. 

And let myself slip into another world.