Page 19 of Hide And Seek

“Sounds like she had a good sense of humor.”

“She did.” Willa sniffed. “But then she never came back. And it’s my fault because I came up with that stupid challenge.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said soothingly. “You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“You sound just like my parents,” she muttered. “Itismy fault, and I know it. You can’t just magically change my mind.”

I winced. “I’m sorry. That was a pretty dismissive thing for me to say,” I said. I paused for a beat before continuing. “I’ve got an idea, if you’re interested in hearing it.”

Willa gave me a wary side-eye. “Are you going to say I should see a therapist? Because my mom already took me to one.”

“Nope. It’s just something that might make the next six weeks a little easier, seeing as you don’t want to be here. Which is completely understandable, by the way.”

Her eyes flickered with vague interest. “What is it?”

“I think it might be a nice idea to make a list of Carly’s favorite activities,” I said. “Then, when you’re signing up for next week’s activities, you could pick one of those and dedicate yourself to getting really good at it. It might help you feel closer to her while you’re stuck here. And that might help you feel a little better.”

Willa was quiet for a moment. “She loved archery,” she finally said. “She was really good at it. I’ve always sucked at it.”

“That could be a good one to get into, then. Keep practicing until you know you’d make Carly proud.”

“Yeah. That’s a good idea,” she said softly. She offered me the faintest of smiles. “Thanks.”

We walked in comfortable silence for a moment. Then, from somewhere up the trail, came a shriek of pure excitement.

I glanced over at Willa. “Sounds like someone found the first piece of treasure. Should we go check it out?”

The corner of her mouth moved. Not quite another smile, but close enough. She pulled her hands out of her hoodie pocket, and we picked up our pace, heading closer to the rest of the group.

One of the girls had indeed found the first scavenger hunt treasure, hidden in a tree hollow on the side of a sizeable clearing.

As the kids clamored with excitement, Caitlin clapped her hands to command their attention. “Now seems like a good time for a snack break,” she called out. “Make sure you all have some water too.”

A few of us settled onto logs or boulders while some of the more energetic kids stayed on their feet, exploring the clearing. I was pleased to see Willa accepting an invitation from a few of the girls to join them on a mossy part of the ground, where they were sitting cross-legged in a circle.

A moment later, another excited shriek burst through the clearing.

“Another treasure?” I asked, looking at the other counselors.

Zach shook his head. “The next one isn’t for another half-mile,” he said. He craned his neck to look over at a group of boys. “Hey, guys! What’s up?”

The boys hurried over to us. One of them was holding a red and blue beanie. “We found this!” he said. “Miles was saying it could be from the Woodsman!”

Caitlin sighed. “Come on, boys. You know that’s just a story. A hiker probably lost it out here.”

“Nuh-uh, it’s totally the Woodsman’s beanie!” another boy piped up. “I bet it got caught on a branch while he was chopping someone up.”

“Okay, look, you shouldn’t even know about that sort of stuff, let alone talk about it,” Caitlin said sharply, lifting a hand. “It’s not appropriate.”

Zach grinned. “Aw, c’mon, Cait. Every camper hears about the Woodsman on their first day here,” he said. “I did when I was nine, and I was totally fine. It’s not even scary.”

Caitlin gave him a withering look. “Speak for yourself. Some of the girls in my cabin were terrified when they first heard it,” she said. She looked back at the boys and snapped her fingers. “Leave the beanie and have some food and water. And I want to see you all reapplying sunscreen after you’ve finished, okay? That goes for everyone!”

I leaned a little closer to Zach so none of the kids would overhear me. “What exactly is this Woodsman legend?” I asked. “Jesse mentioned something about it last night, but I didn’t hear the whole story.”

He grinned, rubbing his jaw. “Okay, so, way back in the day, Camp Blackpine was here, but it wasn’t for kids. It was more of a campground for adults who wanted to get out in nature but still wanted a few amenities. Like a bathroom, or whatever.”

“Uh-huh.”