Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,34
then turned her attention to the man in charge, who was standing on a raised platform near the mess hall. He introduced each of the counselors, then instructed the girls to head to the female cabins while the boys stayed put.
We each had a list with our assigned campers, and it would be easier to sort them out once they were separated. True and I headed down the path toward Saka’am and the other cabins, following behind Sarah, Miranda, Analise, and Micah. I could hear the loud babble of a few dozen girls gaining on us from behind.
When we reached the cabins, we formed a loose semicircle out front and waited for the campers to gather in and quiet down. When the chattering didn’t stop after several minutes, Sarah let out a long, loud whistle. Silence dropped around us, quickly broken by the blonde’s firm, impatient voice.
“Listen up, meat sacks. You’re going to stand still and be quiet until you hear your name. Once you do, you will go stand in line in front of your assigned cabin without making a sound. Do you understand me?”
Holy shit. Sarah was freaking scary. And what was up with her calling the kids meat sacks? It didn’t even make sense, yet somehow she’d managed to make it sound like the gravest insult.
Apparently, it worked, because not a soul made a peep as she began calling out the names from her list. I watched as the girls moved to line up in front of Sarah and Miranda’s assigned cabin, looks of disappointment and angst on their young faces. They were not happy to be stuck with Sarah as their leader all summer. I didn’t blame them.
Analise and Micah called out their names next. This left a group of a dozen twelve and thirteen-year-olds standing in front of True and me. By tacit agreement, we motioned them toward Saka’am, where we would get them inside and take roll away from the stabbing gazes of Sarah and Micah—who were still shooting eye daggers at me.
By the time we got them settled and unpacked, the girls were gushing about how awesome True and I were and how happy they were to be in our cabin. True assured them that we were, indeed, awesome while I silently thanked the stars Sarah was such a raging bitch. Her nastiness may have saved me from two weeks of dealing with snide, smart-assed teenagers. They loved us, so I was sure they’d be on their best behavior for us.
At least, I hoped so. If not, I could threaten to switch their cabins. Sarah was making my job easy.
At any rate, we were off to an excellent start, and my fears about dealing with hormonal, my-body-is-changing-so-I‘m-allowed-to-be-an-asshole teen girls were pretty much abolished. If things continued to go this well, I could see this being a great summer.
Getting out of my comfort zone, away from the daily reminders of what happened to Dad and spending the summer here, having fun with True and a bunch of campers could be cathartic if I let it.
That healing outweighs Sarah’s cattiness, Micah’s silent threats, and whatever weird back and forth I have going on with Levi, I assured myself.
It’s what Mom and Dr. Whitley wanted for me. It’s what Dad would have wanted, too. A fun, free summer to discover who I was now. To combine the bubbly, the cool, and the badass versions of myself with Normal, Everyday Piper and come out the other side a brand new me.
“Well, that went downhill fast,” I mumbled to myself as we headed to the mess hall for dinner.
Apparently, the campers agreeing that True and I were the best didn’t mean they were going to agree on anything else. Arguments broke out over the stupidest things, like someone breathing too loud or a girl dangling her leg off the top bunk in another girl’s face.
True and I would get one scuffle sorted out only to find another one happening a few bunks down. I hoped it was just a first-day thing, and the girls would settle into the routine of camp and learn to respect each other’s wishes and personal space.
The noise level in the mess hall could be classified as a dull roar, with kids chattering, dishes clanking, and benches scraping along the floor. Our girls headed straight for the chow line, grabbing trays of food before sliding onto the benches at the last empty table. As True and I grabbed our own trays, I let my