“Go take care of your horse,” Jayden said. “Fly like a fast-moving cloud.”
“I hate being a cloud,” Tiffany said.
Ashlyn took off in a dead run. About fifty yards back along the trail, Dynamite had stopped and had his head down, nibbling on a rare sprig of green grass. Jayden couldn’t hear what she was whispering to the horse, but she could only guess that it had something to do with the big black snake that had slithered off toward the far mountain range.
Jayden turned her attention back to Tiffany. “Clouds are beautiful. They can bring rain, or they can just float around in the sky like big old fluffy cotton balls. They mind their own business whether they bring a storm or a peaceful day. We could all take a lesson from them.”
“Why did they give us clouds anyway?” Carmella’s nose twitched, and she held the box out at an arm’s distance. “I think I got something more than the fly in here from the way it smells.”
“Daydreams are like clouds. Ever shifting, but still they bring hope to us when we need rain,” Jayden explained.
“That’s right, and that makes us better than moonbeams and sunshine.” Tiffany straightened up. She tucked her sketchbook into the tote bag and slung it over her shoulder.
“Of course it does.” Carmella touched the post with a hand and turned around.
Tiffany put her hand on her hip. “Moonbeams are gone when the daylight comes around. Sunshine is hot, but darkness can put it in its place. Those girls aren’t a bit tougher or better than us.”
Pretty smart for a teenage girl. Maybe she should be counseling you, so you won’t feel like your sister is smarter and prettier than you, the niggling voice in Jayden’s head said.
“I’m glad that you believe that,” Jayden agreed. “I’m going back now. I think y’all have got this down.”
“You’re trusting me not to puke, and Carmella to pick up bugs?” Tiffany asked.
“Yep, and for you to finish that sketch of a horsefly on a pile of crap. Just don’t let one of those things bite you. It hurts like hell when they do,” Jayden told them. “See y’all at the supper table.”
“I wish I had a horsefly on my cap. That way those other girls would know that when I bite, it hurts,” Tiffany said.
“You want to fly around a horse’s butt and sit on piles of crap?” Ashlyn asked.
“Wouldn’t be much different than what we’re having to do, would it?” Tiffany shot back at her.
Jayden kept the laughter bottled up until she was almost to the barn. Then she giggled out loud. Too bad their cabin didn’t have a different name, but she had a feeling that when push came to shove, they would figure out a way to make the other girls wish they were in Daydream Cabin.
She was right.
At suppertime, she was getting a second helping of blackberry cobbler when she heard Carmella talking to the girls at her table. “It’s like this. We’re the lucky cloud girls and you’re just something that fades away. Moonbeams disappear with the light of day, and there ain’t a thing you can do about it. Darkness can wipe out sunshine, and again, not a thing you can do to stop it. A daydream is something that will become real forever with just a little work.”
“Bullshit!” Lauren, from the Moonbeam Cabin, said. “Whatever”—she did a head wiggle—“about daydreams, but clouds aren’t dependable. They’re like y’all. Just floatin’ around from one thing to another.”
“Watch your language. The rules say no cussin’ or ugly language,” Novalene called out from the adult table.
“Honey, without clouds there’s no water. Try flushing the toilet with no water or taking a shower. We have the power.” Carmella’s smile was pure saccharine.
“Is that a threat?” Lauren asked.
“Nope, just a fact. I’m goin’ to get another piece of garlic bread. Any of y’all want me to get one for you?” Carmella asked.
One hand went up.
Jayden was proud of her for the second time that day. She’d stated her position and then offered to help. Not bad—as a matter of fact, it was damn good.
That evening, her girls had first shower privileges, so they all traipsed out across the lawn as soon as they got back to the cabin after supper. When they returned to the cabin, Ashlyn walked up to Jayden and handed her the lock of pink hair.
“How did you do this?” Jayden asked.
“I used the razor in my kit for shaving my legs,” she answered.