Mirror, Mirror (Book 2)

Chapter 26: Campfire

Introducing Jonah's name to everyone, Jake makes the newcomer feel welcome: telling jokes and stories, Jake keeps the children amused while Amelia fights the urge to roll her eyes.

After an hour of talking, Ms. Fern and the others cleaned up their trays and followed Jake outside, where light gray clouds consumed the sky.

The darkness swept through the trees like the cold, bitter wind; the dry pieces of mulch skipped across the mound of dry clay, and the chill of precipitation appear on the windowpane.

Examining the gruesome weather, Oliver wasn't surprised, knowing for a fact that Esterville never reveals the sun.

Leading them over to the campfire pit, Jake allows the class to sit down on smooth wooden logs while he tends to the dying fire.

Tossing a couple of twigs and leaves, Jake watched as the flames eat up the wood. But in spite of the surplus, the fire dwindled to the size of a candlelight.

Oliver, who was sitting next to Amelia, felt remorseful watching Jake struggling to keep the fire alive.

He noticed that Jake's eyes are losing patience, his fingertips are burning from the fire, and his focus is diminishing; he looked like he wanted to quit.

Desiring to help the counselor, Oliver whispered, "Incendium Exorior" to the flames.

The spell caused bright orange flames to appear out of nowhere, spreading like a riveting tsunami incinerating everything in its path.

Its warm heat not only comforted the others but shocked Jonah, who sat next to Amelia. He eyed the flames closely, wondering how it grew ten inches from the pit.

As the fire flourished, Jake goes over to the Banquet Hall and came back with a white ceramic plate of s'mores.

Crunchy graham crackers, sizzling milk chocolate bars, gooey marshmallows caused the children's eyes to bulge in surprise.

They can feel their teeth munching the sweet dessert, getting gooey marshmallow and chocolate on their fingers.

As he passed the plate around, Jake sat down between two ninth-grade boys and asked, "who wants to start the Camp Esterville tradition by telling a campfire story?"

"Boo!" Jim cried, giving Jake a thumbs down.

Laughter sailed out of the children's mouths when Ms. Fern grimaced at Jim.

"Jim Chang, that is unnecessary!"

"What?" Jim cried defensively. "It is!"

But Jake seemed eager for a story.

He scanned his eyes across the young spectators, who were passing the plate of s'mores around.

One by one, they grabbed the s'more and gave it to the next person.

"Come on kids," he persisted. "It's just one story-I'm sure that it won't harm you."

Harriet, who sat next to Oliver, hands him the plate and ate her dessert.

Biting into his treat, Oliver swallowed the hot morsel down his throat. The gooey marshmallow felt as though lava sat stiffly on his taste buds; especially the chocolate, which didn't do anything to cool it.

Not only did he loathes the melted marshmallow and chocolate, Oliver hated the graham crackers.

They were stale and tasteless; plus, the texture feels like chewing flavorless bubblegum.

Truth be told, Oliver wanted to spit it out. However, he didn't want to be rude to Jake, so he ate it carefully, then hands the plate to Amelia.

Taking the dish, the vampire plucks one s'more from the pile and gives it to the next person.