Page 63 of Give Me a Sign
“Definitely tired at this point,” Mackenzie says. Honey and Blake used up so much focus during the Braille and ASL session that they’ve been out for at least an hour.
“All right, if anyone needs more food, let me know. Now, the more pressing issue. This was a messy storm. I drove around to check things out. The paths are a wreck, and a couple of treesgot knocked over by the wind. More specifically, two of the cabins were hit.”
There’s collective gasping as we take in the news. Gary raises his arms to calm us as we barrage him with questions.
“The damage is fairly minimal, aside from, well, a hole in the roof.” He sighs. “Fixing all this is going to be costly.”
Of all the trees and places around camp to fall, there had to be damage to our cabins? Are we going to need to get this fundraiser video up as soon as possible to even make it through this summer, let alone next year?
“But that’s not tonight’s problem,” Gary continues. “Everyone should be able to get their belongings—just watch out for wood shards.”
“Which cabins?” Bobby asks.
“Right. The oldest boys’,” Gary says. “And the older girls’ cabin, shared by Natasha’s and Simone’s groups.”
And me. Because all my stuff was just moved to that cabin.
“The staff cabin?” Ethan suggests.
“That’s my thought,” Gary says. “There are some spare bunks in the other four cabins to divide some campers up, and anyone else can go to the staff cabin. I’ll quickly reconfigure cabin assignments, and we can get out of here.”
What exactly does the roof damage look like? I was really hoping to trudge back to the cabins and pass out, not have to deal with all this.
“Thank you all for toughing out a difficult night,” Gary says. “We’re past camper curfew, so let’s see if we can handle these arrangements as efficiently as possible.”
Chapter Nineteen
The treethrough the roof? Yep, that fell directly above my bed. That’s what I get for choosing a top bunk. Even after shaking out my sleeping bag several times, there’s still debris.
Gary helps move our belongings with the golf cart, but it still takes a while to get everyone settled in the new room assignments. Jaden’s group is split into the extra bunks over with Isaac and Bobby. Meanwhile, Natasha’s group, as well as Simone and two of her girls, are in the staff cabin, but there aren’t enough functioning bunks, so Phoebe and I take the spare beds in Mackenzie’s.
“You’re back with me!” Blake exclaims as I’m trying to roll out our sleeping bags as quickly as possible.
“Just couldn’t stay away,” I say, unsure if I’m really channeling the “counselor cheer” right now.
Phoebe is hangry, which makes this all even more stressful. “I need food,” she says.
“Yeah, Gary’s gathering up some stuff for sandwiches.”
“It’s been forever. I need a real dinner.”
“I need more cereal,” Blake adds, holding up her empty carton, licking her finger to scoop up more of the sugary dust. That’ll help her fall asleep...
“And I need to brush my teeth,” Phoebe whines.
“Don’t you want to wait until after eating?” I ask.
“Or a shower...” Phoebe continues.
“It’s late tonight. We can shower tomorrow morning.” I also really want a shower, but Gary advised that we wait until he can make sure everything’s running properly. I rarely can tell the age difference between Phoebe and me, but right now, our different roles mean that she gets to complain while I have to put on a happy face.
“I’m not going to be able to sleep,” Phoebe whines.
“I promise you will; you’re exhausted,” I say. “You’ll be out as soon as you hit the pillow.”
And when the time finally comes, she is. Fast asleep. I, on the other hand, am tossing and turning because I have to use the bathroom. I’ve mostly avoided leaving the cabin by myself in the middle of the night. That’s the stuff horror movies are made of. But my need to go overpowers my fear.
I fish around in my duffel bag for my glasses so my vision is as clear as possible in the dark. I throw on Isaac’s hoodie before stepping out into the cold night. It’s not that long of a walk to the bathhouse, but I’m coming at it from a different cabin and angle now, careful of the storm debris beneath my feet. With every step on the muddy ground, my eyes dart away from the path my flashlight illuminates and up to the woods. It’s not less creepy when I reach the bathhouse, among the flickering lights and moths.
