some new. Each marked a child or counselor that had spent time here. Each was a life that was changed, made better, given something special—time to be a kid.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling for the first time since we arrived. “I think I’m going to have a great time.”
Together, we hauled the rest of my stuff out of the car, made my bed, and arranged my things in the cubby. I had to admit, with a little elbow grease, my nook didn’t look half bad.
As we walked back to her car, I gave her one last hug. I snuggled into her warmth, knowing this would be the last time for a while. “Thanks for pushing me out of the nest. I needed it.”
Her lip quivered and, for once, my mother looked as if she were about to cry. “You’re welcome, little bug. Have the best summer of your life.”
I stood on the step and watched her pull away, staring until I could no longer see taillights.
As my eyes traveled across the road, all the good feelings drained from my chest.
Hiding in the darkness of tree cover, the guy I saw before was watching me.
When he spotted me looking, he darted back behind a tree trunk, but it was too late. I’d seen the look on his face.
A look that told me I hadn’t been mistaken. For some unknown reason, this beautiful, strange boy hated me on sight, and I would need to watch my back.
Chapter Five
I lay on my bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above me as I thought about the dark-headed boy with the bad attitude. Anger quickly overpowered the other emotions swirling in my gut, and I sat up with a huff.
Who was he to judge and find me lacking? Sure, he was gorgeous, with his dumb, perfect body and his even dumber, flawless face. But that stuff was skin-deep. It had no bearing on who he was.
And I knew who—or what—he was. He was an asshat, if you asked me. Clearly, it was my first day, and rather than make a new, fellow counselor feel welcomed and comfortable, he’d stooped to outright rudeness and weirdly creeping on me from the woods. Stalker, much?
I wonder what color his eyes are, I thought, then shook my head in disgust. I shouldn’t be thinking about him at all, much less daydreaming about his hate-filled eyes.
I ran a hand through my dark brown tresses, finger-combing the tangles out. It gave me something to concentrate on rather than Mr. Rude Stalker. Just as I finished, the door to Saka’am flew open and banged against the inner wall, scaring the piss out of me.
A whirlwind of energy flew through the doorway, skidding to a halt in front of me. The girl was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling with the effort.
“Hi, you must be Piper. Sorry I’m late,” she huffed out between harsh breaths. “I had to run all the way here from the lake.”
I remember seeing the lake on the map. It didn’t seem like it was that far away, but I wasn’t going to say that out loud. I wanted… no, needed this introduction to go well. I would be spending all summer working with this girl, and it would be so much better if I didn’t make her hate me right off the bat.
Kind of like that boy…
I shook off the errant thought and jumped to my feet. Giving her what I hoped was a bright smile and not something bordering on psychotic, I said, “Yes, I’m Piper. It’s nice to meet you.”
She threw up two brown fingers in a peace sign as she shook her black, tight curls out of her face. “I’m True. True King.”
The urge to question her name was insistent on my tongue, but True’s arched brow and expectant expression made me bite the words back. When I just smiled and nodded, her features softened with relief.
“I know,” she said, shrugging as she sat down on my bunk. “My parents had a seriously messed up sense of humor. Who names their kid True King? Especially their female kid? Though, I guess if I were a boy, it would be way more pretentious. Anyway, thanks for not laughing.”
I sat down beside her and stared into her dark eyes rimmed with thick lashes. “I think it’s an awesome name.”
She smiled, leaning back and bracing herself with her arm stretched out behind her.
“So, Piper Williams, who are you, really?”
“What do you mean?” I stuttered, suddenly feeling