Page 91 of Lady and the Camp
My anger, the grudge against Brycen, dug its heels in.Don’t forgive. Don’t give in.
“Hey, man,” Brycen said, returning to me after commending our team for a hard-fought game. “We should talk.”
Alan and Alice came to mind, and how hurt they’d been when Brycen wouldn’t listen to them. How Alice cried that her only son was cruel enough to involve lawyers to divide the camp. I remembered what Brycen said about his dad. His memory issues were worsening. He might not have another chance to reconcile.
That’s what this was, wasn’t it? An attempt to reconcile?
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Seven missed calls. A bunch of texts. “Hold on,” I told Brycen.
I flipped to the messages. My buddy working security at the camp.
I think someone broke into the cabins. A door is open that was closed earlier.
I went in, it’s a counselor cabin. The bedroom is tossed. Jewelry and clothes all over the floor.
My heart raced. I scanned the area for Hudson. She stood in a huddle with a group from both camps, laughing and talking.
I saw a man run into the woods. Chased but lost him. I’m calling it in.
“What?” Brycen asked, in front of me. “Talk to me.”
I spoke fast. “I’ve got a guy watching our camp. Sounds like trouble. Somebody broke into a locked staff cabin.”
The last text came in only minutes ago.
I hit the call button and started talking as soon as my buddy answered. “Which way did he run?”
“Into the woods, east side of the lake.”
“East side?” I looked at Brycen as I spoke. “That’s the boundary line between camps.”
Brycen whistled through his teeth and gestured to a group of Trail Blazers staff. Porter jogged over. “Possible threat. Trespasser at the boundary line between camps.”
I ended the call. “I can handle it.”
“This affects all of us,” Brycen said. “We’ll catch him. Porter, take two staff and cover the woods leading to the main road. If they’re armed, do not engage. Steer them away from camp. Lucas—you and me, we take the direct path by the ropes course.”
“What’s going on?” Bianca demanded. “Is something wrong?”
“We’re handling it.” I looked past her to the campers. Vulnerable campers I was responsible for. “Do a head count. Keep track of every Junebugger.”
Bianca whipped around. “Operation Downvote Activate! I repeat: Activate!”
What the…
A cluster of Junebug campers removed their caps and chucked them aside. I squinted. “Is their hair…pink?”
“It’s a temporary spray, don’t worry,” Bianca said. “Nobody’s parents will get mad.” She slipped off her own cap, revealing hot pink chunks of hair. “Mine are clip-in extensions. The spray doesn’t work well over dark hair.” She bounced off.
As if that explained any of this.
“Did she say Operation Downvote?” Brycen asked. “Never mind. We need to go.”
We could ask questions and not get straight answers later. I bolted for the woods. In a passing glance, I searched for one particular person without pink hair. Hudson stared after us, bewildered.
Brycen moved ahead of me, moving fast on the familiar terrain. “This way,” he called out as he zipped past a tree toward a shaded path.
I slowed instinctively at the same time as Brycen did to quiet our steps. No way was this guy getting away this time.
