A Lifetime Made for Two

Ch. 18: Man Hunt

As soon as Piper finished eating dinner she hurried to the rec. room and snatched a few bean bags and pillows, and she grabbed several blankets from the secret stash. She lumbered through the bustling dining hall to her classroom and dropped everything on the floor. When she and Michael had returned from their outing, she gave Michael's mom the snacks for the campers and hid the staff snacks in her desk. Now she retrieved those snacks and placed them on top of her desk in a neat row. After clearing the bean bags and blankets out of the way she rushed to the vacant classroom across the hall and wheeled the TV to her classroom. Everything was set up by 6:15. Piper didn't expect everyone to finish working for at least fifteen more minutes so she plopped down in one of the bean bags and lost herself in her book. 

Gabe was the first to interrupt her reading. He sat in the bean bag next to her and leaned forward to look at the cover of her book. 

"Stevenson, eh?"

"Yeah. He's my favorite author. And Treasure Island is my all-time favorite book. I've already read it three times!"

"I saw the old movie, but I've never gotten the chance to read the book."

"I highly recommend it." 

Nick and Terrance joined Piper and Gabe. The four chatted until everyone else arrived. Bean bag chairs and pillows were claimed. Jenny and Piper stole the fuzziest blanket. When everyone was settled, Piper started the movie. Piper was snuggled next to Michael. To her left though, Jenny was tucked under the same blanket. Piper was a bit smushed between Michael and Jenny as they both tried to stay wrapped in the blanket, but she was comfortable. Plus she was watching one of her favorite movies and when the theme blasted it gave her chills just like always. 

............

When the movie ended, Calvin jumped up and turned on the lights. Piper buried her head in Michael's shoulder and everyone groaned in defiance - everyone except Margret who was sound asleep. Calvin wanted to draw a mustache on her, but Piper forbade it. Instead, Anthony gently woke her up, which took a few minutes. Once everyone was awake, the group wandered into the dining hall and were surprised to see the large room crowded with campers. 

"They live!" cried one of them. 

A troop of about a dozen campers approached the staff.

"Killer Uno?" one asked hopefully. 

Piper laughed. "Sure. Why not?"

The campers cheered and campers and staff formed a massive circle on the floor. Piper found three decks of Uno cards and the game began. This time, Michael played and Nick sat out. He claimed that he didn't like Killer Uno and would never play it again. Sylvia didn't play either and she and Nick went to the rec. room. 

The game of Killer Uno was intense. Piper had a hard time reaching the pile in time to slap a nine sometimes. In her defense, Michael was lying next to her and he would hold her hand back to give himself an advantage. 

The game lasted until eleven o'clock. Nick and Sylvia rejoined the group when they no longer heard shouting and laughter. The campers were then ushered back to their cabins by their counselors and the staff decided to sit and talk instead of starting another game. Sylvia spoke first. 

"So, Piper. Are you going to sing with us in the next talent show? "

"Yeah! You should," Anthony encouraged. 

"I don't know." 

"Come on, Pipes. You'd be great," Michael said. 

"I guess I could try."

"Yay! We're practicing tomorrow after lunch. We'll set up other practices then."

Piper giggled. "Ok. I'll be there." 

"Anything juicy we can gossip about?" Gabe said as he stretched and leaned back in his chair. 

"Gabe!" Piper stared at Gabe with her mouth open, but her lips turned up in a slight smile. 

"What? Camp is getting a little boring." 

"I say we find you a boyfriend," Michael said. 

Gabe pursed his lips. "I'm down with that." 

Piper shook her head. "I don't know about you guys." 

"So. Is there even anyone else at camp who is gay?" Gabe asked. 

"I've got my suspicions," Michael mumbled. 

"What? Who?" 

"If I'm right, you'll find out soon."

Gabe narrowed his eyes, studying Michael. Piper quickly changed the subject. 

"So. Anyone have plans for the weekend?" 

"Sleep," Calvin answered, to which Margret and Nick agreed. 

"Oh, sleep sounds marvelous." Piper laid her head on Michael's shoulder. 

Just then, the power went out. The room became pitch black except for the exit signs above the doors. Michael grabbed Piper's hand. 

"Cool! I love power outs," Calvin exclaimed. "Who wants to explore?"

"So long as we stay together, I'm in," Piper answered. 

"Guess that means I have to go," Michael said.

"I'm definitely in," Gabe said. 

"What is that beeping sound?" Piper asked. 

"It's a security console to let us know the power's out," Nick answered.

"Like we couldn't already tell. It is really annoying. Can we turn it off?"

"No. It will beep until the power comes back on."

"That's great. What exactly are we exploring?"

"I've got a better idea," Bryce spoke up. "We should play manhunt!"

Michael, Nick, Gabe, and Calvin quickly agreed. Margret, Lily, Anthony, and Killian didn't take much convincing. Tim finally decided to play, but Piper and Sylvia refused. They insisted that they would rather watch. After giving up trying to convince Piper and Sylvia to play, everyone established a base, selected Killian to be the hunter, and then the rest ran and hid. Piper and Sylvia sat on one of the tables (also the base) and watched as the game progressed. Michael was the first to make it to the base. He smirked at Killian who had almost caught him, then he sat next to Piper. Bryce and Calvin bolted to the base at the same time; Bryce made it, while Calvin wasn't so lucky. Tim's run for it was the most amusing. He dove for the table and ended up jumping in Michael's lap moments before Killian could get him. Then he sprawled himself on the floor in front of the table. Killian caught Lily and Margret, but Jenny, to everyone's surprise, was able to make it past him. After a few minutes of no action, Killian was able to catch Anthony and Gabe and the game ended. Everyone would have probably played several more rounds, but Piper checked the time and was dismayed to find that they only had five minutes until lights out. 

"We should get to bed. Just cause the powers out, doesn't mean curfew is canceled."

"Aww. Spoilsport," Calvin moaned. 

But, despite Calvin's protests, everyone except for Bryce agreed and headed for the bathrooms. Bryce and Calvin begrudgingly followed. Piper and Sylvia walked down the trail with the guys, then split off and walked to their cabin. Several minutes later Jenny, Lily, and Margret walked in laughing. The lights were turned off once everyone had gotten ready for bed, and Piper promptly fell asleep.