Code Black [The Experiments Book 1]

Chapter 7: Activities

Chapter 7: Activities

          “Each of you will do every activity in this camp.  We will not tell you the activities, so it will be a surprise.  The only activities you will know will be the ones on your weekly schedule,” Jodie, the camp administrator said, “if you don’t want to do a certain activity, tell the councilor for the activity and you can go hang out with your friends in their activity, or just go wherever, as long as you stay away from the beach and the borders and have someone else with you.”

            As she said that, Vera walked over to me and handed me a yellow schedule filled with this weeks activities.  My first activity was arts and crafts.  The schedule told me to go to the cabin on the other side of the camp.  I didn’t want to go to arts and crafts, I hate art, and the activity is for little kids.

            I walked through the forest alone to get to the other side of camp.  Other people walked through the forest in every direction.  I didn’t know where I needed to go, but I remembered a big tree that grew right next to the path ahead of me.  The cat jumped out of it earlier.  The tree stood about eight stories high and was thicker than an elephant around its waist.  Branches stuck out from it at every angle.  Some branches were so heavy they leaned toward the ground, creaking in the slight wind.  Leaves consumed the tree from the tip, to the lowest branch, which was six feet away from the ground.  An M was carved into one of the biggest and most visible roots.

            I stood right below the tree and squinted my eyes up into it.  I tried to see if Rebel rested in one of the branches.  He landed in this tree yesterday when they went to the mess hall for dinner.  I saw a big shadow move high in the tree, getting bigger as it jumped to lower branches.  It was one of the campers.

            “Hey, how is it going down there,” Jerome’s voice echoed through the tree.  I looked towards the top, and found his silhouette standing in the sun.

            “Not bad,” I said, watching him as he climbed slowly down the tree, “What are you doing up there?”

            “Hiding from Dugger,” he joked, “He is a good friend of mine, but right now he’s bugging me about some girl.  I don’t like the activity I got either, so I’m staying here.”

            “What was your activity,” I asked.

            “Basket weaving, I don’t like things that require sitting so much,” he said, sitting down on the lowest branch, he looked at me with gleaming eyes.

            “I have arts and crafts, pretty much the same thing as basket weaving,” I replied.

            “Well then go to the councilor and ask to get out of it, and then come back,” he said, almost ordering me to hang out with him.

            “Alright, I will. See you later then,” I said before I walked away.  I walked passed a lot of cabins; all of them in small groups of four.  I finally got to the arts and crafts cabin, and saw the councilor.  I told her I didn’t want to do is activity, and she gave me the okay to leave, so I left.

            I walked back to the tree slowly, wondering where Hunter disappeared to.  I hadn’t seen him since the beach.  When I got close enough to see the tree, I noticed Jerome had jumped out and leaned against the trunk, his shoulder resting against it.  He had broad shoulders and a lean body.  He looked like a model, with smooth features and a sweet crooked smile.  His grey eyes were gleaming at me.

            “Hello again,” I said, walking up to him, only stopping when I stood inches from him.  He looked down at me, and smiled brightly.  I smiled back, his smile almost contagious.