Acting Out (21 page)
Authors: Katy Grant
“You're the first one here, so you get your choice of beds. This is mine, of course.” Rachel pointed to a made-up cot against the wall. I had my choice of one set of bunk beds or two single cots next to them. They all looked uncomfortable. “The bottom bunk has extra shelf space. That's always a plus.”
“Okay.” I dropped my pillow on the bed.
“Let's get your bed made,” said Mom. Rachel and my dad stood around looking useless, and I wandered toward the other side of the cabin, which was also full of empty bunks. And then I noticed something.
“Ah, excuse me, but . . . where's the bathroom?”
“They're not in the cabins. They're in another building down the line.”
“You're kidding.” I crossed my arms and glared at my dad. At home we didn't have to hike to the bathroom.
“Oh, it's not that bad.” Dad tried not to smile. “It's like a college dorm. Let's see the rest of camp before your mom and I take off.”
Just then another counselor and camper came in. Rachel helped them with all the stuff they were carrying. Then she introduced the counselor in 1B, Andrea Tisdale, who she said was a CAâa Counselor Assistant. I'm sure Mom and Dad were glad I didn't get her, because she was, like, in training or something. She said her activity was tennis. She was a lot taller than Rachel, and her long blond hair was in a ponytail.
As we were leaving, Andrea leaned over to Rachel and kind of whispered, “No sign of the Evil Twins yet, huh?”
Rachel laughed and shook her head.
Evil Twins?
What was that supposed to mean? My heart skipped three beats.
Rachel showed us the bathrooms. They were in a building that looked kind of like the other cabins, except it was larger and had no screens. One side had a bunch of sinks, and the other side had a bunch of stalls. “This is âSolitary.' And the showers are over there.” She pointed to another building across from the bathrooms.
“Solitary?” I asked. I watched a granddaddy longlegs crawl down the wall of one stall.
Rachel smiled. “Yeah, that's what we call the bathrooms at Pine Haven.”
“Why?” I mean, seriously. Why not just call it a bathroom?
“I'm not sure. Maybe because you're supposed to be by yourself but it's a communal toilet, so you're not really, or . . .” She just looked at me and shrugged.
Whatever. I know you're supposed to “rough it” at camp and all, but actually giving up private bathrooms, hair dryers, and air-conditioned houses with no crawly thingsâhey, this wasn't going to be easy. How long was I stuck here for? Four weeksâtwenty-eight days. All right. Twenty-eight and counting.
After that Mom and Dad hung out for a while, looking at the camp. New campers were arriving all the time. I kept wondering about the
Evil Twins.
What was that all about? And were they in
my
cabin? The counselors had laughed about it, but that name didn't sound funny to me. I looked at all the strange faces around me. Who were the evil ones?
Then we heard a loud bell ringingâa real bell that a counselor was ringing by pulling a rope to make it clang.
“Lunchtime, Kelly. I'll see you in the dining hall,” said Rachel.
Okay, so now my parents had to leave. My heart was beating about two hundred beats a minute. Dad gave me a bear hug and reminded me to write lots of long letters.
“We'll miss you so much!” said Mom. I could tell she was trying not to cry, which made me want to walk off without even saying good-bye.
“I'll be okay.” My voice sounded like somebody else's. I hugged Mom really fast and then walked toward the dining hall without looking back. I could barely see it through the blur, but I blinked enough so that none of the tears rolled out.
Okay. So far, so good. I'd managed to say good-bye without crying. Much.
KATY GRANT
teaches college classes in writing and children's literature. She spent five summers at a girls' camp in North Carolina, and now lives in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area with her husband and sons.
MEET THE AUTHOR, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
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authors.simonandschuster.com/Katy-Grant
One Summer. One Sleepaway Camp.
Three Thrilling Stories!
How far will Kelly go to hold on to her new friends?
What happens when Judith Ducksworth decides to become JD at camp?
Can Darcy and Nicole's friendship survive the summer?
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN PAPERBACKS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
Text copyright © 2008 by Katy Grant
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN PAPERBACKS,
Summer Camp Secrets,
and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Designed by Christopher Grassi
The text of this book was set in Perpetua.
First Aladdin Paperbacks edition May 2008
Library of Congress Control Number 2007935962
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-3577-3
ISBN-10: 1-4169-3577-0
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5774-3 (eBook)