Exciting Follow-Through!

delicious, dark plot stew.

The Same Day

 

I let go of Belinda’s hand and ran across the road to Kat, “Kat? Can you hear me?” I asked, not caring about the rule of camp names.

“Mm,” she moaned, with her face on the ground. Years of babysitting training camp back. If someone goes unconscious. . .I tried to recall what went next. If someone goes unconscious…

I turned Kat on her side, If someone goes unconscious, turn them to their side so that they don’t choke on their vomit. Which she did, vomit, I mean. The 1a girls squealed, frightened.

“Charlotte,” I asked a blonde-haired eight year old, “where’s Bubbly?”

“Oh, she was crying and said something about her jerk of a boyfriend,” Charlotte mumbled, mesmerized by Kat’s pained expression.

“Well, this isn’t good,” I said to myself, what do I do? No walkie talkie, no senior counselor, jeez, not even a junior counselor! Kat moaned again, and I came back to earth.

“Charlotte, pick out another girl and go to the registration building. Tell them that Kat Murphy is here in the road, barely conscious. Tell them to come quick,” I instructed her, and she grabbed another girls hand and raced to the building. “Girls, don’t stand in the road, it’s dangerous,” I said to the 1a girls (and Belinda). They shuffled to the side of the road as I checked if Kat was breathing, since she had gone silent.

“Kat,” I asked, softly, “can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Tummy,” she mumbled, so quietly I barely heard her. She hurled again.

In a few minutes, Tink came, trying to run on her stubby legs, holding a big first aid kit. I waved her over and backed up as she took my spot by Kat.

“She said her stomach hurts,” I told Tink, trying to be helpful.

“Hm,” Tink mumbled, “Kat? Does this hurt?” she said, pushing on a part of her stomach.

Kat moaned loudly. I took that as a yes.

“Ok girl, this isn’t normal. Have you eaten anything strange lately?”-Kat shook her head.- “Do you have any colon problems?”-Kat shook her head again. -“Ok, not to jump to conclusions, but I think you might have appendicitis. We need to get you to the hospital,” Tink told Kat helpfully, taking out a cell-phone and dialing 911. She saw me standing there, flabbergasted, and said helpfully, “take the girls to their cabin. Here’s my walkie, you can call their counselor. What do they have next?”

“Um, they aren’t my charges, but I think they have sports,” I guessed, since they were going to the field before Kat fell.

“Ok, well, I think it will be canceled for now. Just bring them to their cabins and call the counselors. You can bring the walkie talkie back to the building when everything has settled down,” Kat let out a moan again and Tink handed me her walkie talkie, then tended to Kat again.

I told the girls to follow me as I called Nara. She told me she would be there shortly, and came to us when we got to the cabins.

“Striker has the girls,” she assured me, when I asked where 1b was.

I sat with the girls and we played Frogger while Nara tried, unsuccessfully, to reach Bubbly. I avoided any questions about Kat by saying that I didn’t know any new information except that Kat was in the hospital and that something was wrong with her tummy. I was dying to get more information, but Nara didn’t know anymore than I did. By dinnertime, all of the cabin 1 girls were restless and grumpy. Nara and Striker had decided to make the girls be one big group, and do some games at Sunset Prairie instead of the normal activities. Sunset Prairie was basically a big clearing, like the sports field, but it was smaller and part of cabin site 3. It was usually host to tents or once they even had a teepee but, when it was cleared, it was a main place to play games.

After a full day with the girls, who were surprisingly lethargic, I was going to go to 6b and sleep, when Nara told me she had news.

“Kat has appendicitis, and will have to stay in the hospital for two weeks,” Nara sighed.

“Oh,” I managed to squeak.

“After that, she’s going to stay home and get rest, so she won’t be coming back to camp.”

“Oh my,” I took this all in, and then looked at Nara seriously, “who’s going to work with Bubbly?” Bubbly had come back during dinner, saying that she just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her sister and that she went to his house to get him back. He lived two hours away, and hadn’t told anyone except Kat. Kat had a note to give to Aster, when her appendix started hurting badly. They found the note in her pocket as they brought her into surgery.

“Well, George got Bee for a junior counselor, and she’s a really good junior counselor, so her CIT is being given to Bubbly,” Nara said goodnight to me and went to sleep with the 1b girls, and then it dawned on me. Courtney was George’s CIT.

 

***

 

 

 

Two Days Later

A small look into the girl’s personal thoughts:

Ella:

Dear Journal,

            Hey, this is the one week anniversary for me! You, journal, are a gift from my loving Mom, and I’m sure we’ll be best friends! Today, Courtney didn’t grumble as much as she did yesterday. One of the girls made a joke: Rumble likes to grumble. I told the girls it wasn’t funny, though I laughed inside. Courtney got really mad and embarrassed. I understand that it was a bit of a mean joke, but what was she supposed to think? Courtney is never participating or taking extra initiative with her group, in fact, they took the junior counselor who was studying Weenie, the arts and crafts specialist, and assigned her to Bubbly and 1a! The junior counselor, Bloop, is a little mad, but she hides it well when she’s with her charges. Bloop teaches the girls songs, games, and encourages 1a to play with 1b, as Aster told us we should do during when we had a CIT meeting yesterday. Nara and Striker are constantly helping Bloop, Courtney, and Bubbly. They’re leaving me to pick up the slack on 1b. I’m the one usually bringing them to classes and activities, helping them during swimming, and filling up their free time playing games, though Nara is always there when I need her, and Striker is usually just a bit behind me. I’m beginning to enjoy the responsibility I get to have, though sometimes the girls can go a little too crazy when it’s only me with them. It’s a delicate balance, and I’ll have to fix it somehow.

-Ella

Courtney

Dear Future self,

            Gah! As you know, I am stuck with those evil bunnies and the horrible Bubbly! Bubbly is always yammering on her phone, which she shouldn’t have in the first place, to care about anything else! I have to take the girls to all of their classes and places to go. They don’t even appreciate it, and one even said “Rumble likes to grumble”! I don’t like to grumble, it’s just that I hate my life right now.

            I joined a few clubs, and found out that Ella and Grace are also doing polar bear swim. Every other day we get up at six in the morning and play in the water for a bit. It’s fun, but Grace insists on talking about how wonderful Molly is, and how much fun she’s having with her elks. I had to help a girl get her pants on. Grace got to go rock climbing. IT’S NOT FAIR!!!!!!

-Past Courtney

Addie

Dear Mom,

          Camp is wonderful!  Twix is brilliant with the cats! I hope that I can be like her when I get to be a counselor. She’s always giving me feedback on what I’ve done wrong, or what I’m doing right. I’m in absolute heaven!!

          Grace, Courtney, and Ella are having a small feud. It’s a little annoying to have to hear them be silent around each other. Courtney wants Molly, Ella is mad because Courtney is rather rude to the bunnies, and Grace is pretending everything is fine, causing unnecessary drama. Well, every other morning at six, they’re gone for an hour, so I get peace and quiet then.

          Thank you for the new Meg Cabot book.  I read the first one too fast, I think, and I’ll make sure to savor this one!

All my love, Addie

 

 

Grace

Dear Lydia,

        My dear cousin, how nice it was for me to find your new address. I’m in love with camp, I tell you. Every day is a new adventure when you’re paired with your favorite counselor. My favorite is Molly, and I swear to you she is absolutely perfect. She cares about the kids, but she’s always having fun and enjoying the activities as much as the girls! Sometimes I go out with my group and have such a wonderful time, only to get back to my cabin, where Courtney greets me sourly.

        Courtney also wanted Molly, and is very bitter when she sees me. Ella seems to be a little annoyed with Courtney, and Addie sighs a lot when we’re all together. I hope things will improve, and I’m sure they will. Pray for me, if you have some extra time.

        You must mail me back with picture of your new house! Mother tells me it’s absolutely beautiful!! I would write more, but it’s already 10 o’clock, and tomorrow is a charge-free day!

 

-Your loving cousin, Grace

PS. Tell Auntie Myrtle I say “hi”!