 
# Kacey & Friends at Camp Wildwood

# by C. Metzinger

Published by C. Metzinger at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Thank you for your support.

Copyright 2014 C. Metzinger

Kacey & Friends at Camp Wildwood

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Lost!

Chapter Two: Bugs and Bears

Chapter Three: Bartley the Brat

Chapter Four: Trouble with Emma

Chapter Five: Wild in the Woods

Chapter Six: Ava to the Rescue

Chapter Seven: Overnight Camping Trip

Chapter Eight: Kacey to the Rescue

Chapter Nine: Together Again

Chapter Ten: Revenge of the Counselors

Chapter One: Lost!

"Hurry up or we'll be late!" Ava complained to her friend, Emma, who was carrying two large, heavy suitcases.

"Please put these in the trunk while I go get the rest of my stuff," she replied.

Ava lugged the heavy cases into the trunk of Kacey's sleek, red convertible. She paused to ask her friend,

"Other stuff? She's brought two huge suitcases and still has more stuff?"

Kacey shrugged and smiled, "Well, Emma never travels light, as you must know by now."

"Yeah, but we'll be camping. How many pairs of shorts and T-shirts is she bringing, anyhow?"

Kacey didn't answer because Emma came hurrying down the sidewalk in front of her house, carrying two overstuffed totes.

"I brought along a few groceries and cooking utensils," she explained.

"We don't need that," Ava replied, "The camp provides our meals."

"But this is for us," Emma explained, "You know, special stuff."

She got into the car and slammed the door shut.

Kacey put the car in reverse and backed out of Emma's driveway.

"Oh, wait!" Emma cried, "I forgot something!"

Kacey and Ava rolled their eyes in unison and Kacey pulled back into the driveway.

"What is it?" Ava asked.

"I'll only be a sec," Emma assured them as she dashed back to her front door.

She soon returned carrying a large pillow covered with a flowered pillow case. She stuffed it into the back seat and got back into the car.

"Why are you bringing that?" asked Ava, "They have pillows at the camp."

"But this is my pillow, and I can't get to sleep without it. If you two want me to go camping, I must have my creature comforts. By the way, did I tell you I don't like camping?"

"Only about a million times," Ava replied, "But this is different. We'll all be together and we'll have fun."

Kacey put the car in reverse and backed out again and headed the car down the street.

"How long will it take us to get there?" asked Emma.

"About two hours, or a little more, depending on traffic," Kacey explained.

"Great! Maybe we can stop on the way for milkshakes," she replied.

Ava and Kacey smiled and teased her.

"Yeah, we'd better get something to eat on the way or we might starve to death," Ava said sarcastically, "It's only been an hour since I had breakfast."

Kacey chuckled and replied, "Well, I'll probably stop somewhere outside of Augusta to fill up the tank. Maybe we can grab something then."

The girls settled in for the long drive into Maine and its beautiful, green pine forests. It was a balmy, summer morning, perfect for a drive in Kacey's convertible with the top down. They turned the stereo on and played their favorite music loudly.

The three girls had been best friends for years. Now Kacey and Ava had just completed their first year of college, and Emma was a student at a local culinary school. She loved to try out her new skills and favorite dishes on her two best friends. Kacey and Ava had gone to scout camp together when they were in middle school. Camp Wildwood would be a chance for them to experience camping in the woods again while helping others.

Camp Wildwood was a camp for kids with special needs. Some had health conditions that prevented them from attending a regular camp. Other kids were handicapped or confined to wheelchairs. Camp Wildwood provided all the special accommodations they needed to have a real camping experience.

Kacey, Ava, and Emma had volunteered to spend a week at the camp during their summer break from school. Kacey had learned about the camp at her church, St. Mark's. When she told Ava and Emma about her plans to volunteer, they wanted to join her. After attending a special counselor training program in their home town of Westfield, they were ready to take on the role of camp counselors.

They crossed the border from New Hampshire into Maine, and followed the signs on the highway to Portland. They took a circuitous route around the city and pulled off the expressway to stop at a gas station. Fortunately, there was a fast-food restaurant next to the station, and Emma volunteered to get the milkshakes while Kacey filled the tank.

Soon they were back on the highway heading north. As they left the city behind, the scenery became more beautiful around each bend in the road. Large granite rock canyons hugged the road on each side, topped with clusters of green pine trees. The road twisted and turned up into the tree-covered mountains. Occasionally, they passed a rushing river, cascading waterfalls, or a placid lake with small islands. Each new vista was more exciting than the last.

They suddenly came to a roadblock in the main road, with large detour signs pointing to a dirt road through the forest.

"Oh, no," Ava moaned, "A detour! This trip will take forever on this old dirt road!"

The three friends bounced up and down in their seats as they followed the bumpy dirt road, full of pot holes and rocks.

"Look!" Emma cried, pointing to the right. Kacey slammed on the brakes and they skidded to a stop.

"What is it?" Ava asked.

"Shh!" Emma warned, "You'll scare them away!"

Upon looking closer, the girls spied a doe hiding between the trees, with two fawns. The deer stopped and pricked up her ears. As soon as she spotted the car, the mother deer hurried off into the woods with her two fawns leaping after her.

"Oh, how precious!" Emma crooned, "If we hadn't taken this detour, we never would have seen the deer!"

"Yeah," Kacey agreed, "Maybe I should slow down so we don't miss anything else."

The girls watched the woods intently as Kacey drove along the dusty road. They spotted two rabbits running through the brush and an eagle perched in one of the trees.

The detour seemed to go on endlessly. They began to tire of looking for animals and began to worry that the dirt road would never end. They were going deeper into the woods and up the mountain side. The road became very steep at some points, and its hairpin turns were sharp and dangerous. As Kacey made one turn, the trees thinned out and they could see that they were riding on the edge of a bluff overlooking the valley below.

"Oh, no! I can't look!" Emma cried, closing her eyes as the car swung along the road's edge. She held her breath while Kacey made the curve carefully, hugging the mountain side as closely as possible, and hoping no cars were coming from the opposite direction. After the turn, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They were all tense during the next few miles. Finally, they were relieved to see a sign ahead reading "Detour End" and a paved highway.

"Well, now where do we go?" Kacey asked, "Should I go left or right?"

Ava studied the map and shrugged, "I don't know. This dirt road isn't even on the map, so I have no idea where we are."

"Try your GPS," Ava suggested, and they tried to locate the road on navigation system. It was showing their location to be in the middle of nowhere, with no roads in sight.

"You mean we're lost?" Emma cried.

Kacey and Ava looked at the road in each direction. Ava replied, "I guess we are!"

Kacey looked both ways but could see no signs or clues as to where they were. She said,

"Well, this road leads somewhere, so I'll just turn right and see where it goes."

The others agreed and settled in for the ride. They were just glad to be off the dirt road with its perilous, steep turns and bouncy ride.

After several miles, they came to a hunting and fishing supply shop, located in a rustic, dark brown log cabin. Kacey pulled in to ask for directions.

Inside the shop were shelves loaded with camping, fishing, and hunting equipment. A large tub of bubbling water was filled with minnows, and a sign above read, "Live Bait: Minnows and Worms".

The owner was an older man dressed in a red and black checkered flannel shirt and jeans. He walked with slumped shoulders as he came out of the back room to greet the girls.

"Can I help you?"

Kacey smiled, "I certainly hope so. We had to take a detour through the woods and now we're totally lost. We're on our way to Camp Wildwood. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh, sure I do. I supply all the bait for fishing at that camp. It's only about five miles from here. You must have come down that old dirt logging road. It hasn't been used much in the past few years, except for a detour now and then."

The man gave Kacey the directions while Emma and Ava walked around the shop. They found some items, such as flashlights and extra batteries, and set them on the counter near the cash register. After paying for them, Kacey thanked the man for his directions and they headed back out onto the road.

Soon they spotted another sign reading, "Camp Wildwood", with an arrow pointing down another unpaved road. Kacey followed the road down a hill. In the distance, a blue lake peeked through the tall trees. Kacey pulled into the graveled parking lot next to a large log cabin.

"Welcome to Camp Wildwood!" called a friendly-looking woman as she walked toward them. She was dressed in a tan uniform shirt and matching shorts. She had short, light-brown hair and a pleasant smile. She looked to be in her late forties.

"Hi, I'm Sandy, the activities director," she said, introducing herself to the group. Kacey introduced herself and her two friends.

"We're glad you found the place okay. They had to close the highway because the bridge over Hoot Owl Creek got washed out last night with the rain. They hope to have it fixed by tomorrow, and it should be done by the time the campers get here on Saturday. Let's get you ladies checked into your dorm."

Emma turned to Ava and said excitedly, "Hear that? A dorm! We won't have to sleep in a tent after all!"

Kacey and Ava exchanged skeptical looks as they followed Sandy inside the large log cabin. It had a big desk at one end next to a door marked "Kitchen". The main room had a cobblestone fireplace at one end. Rows of picnic tables and benches filled the room. The walls were lined with shelves full of books and games, with posters and displays hung above them.

"This is the main lodge where the kids come to eat their meals, to play games, or to check out books. If the weather gets bad, we bring them here to stay dry and keep them entertained. Please sign in on this clip board while I make a call," Sandy explained. She picked up her radio and called for someone to help the new arrivals get settled in to their dorm.

After the girls signed the register, Sandy explained that dinner would be served at six o'clock, followed by a meeting for all counselors. She gave them each camp T-shirts and told them to wear them to dinner.

"And don't forget to wear bug repellent," she advised, "It gets a little buggy here at night especially."

Soon, a young man about their age came to the cabin and shook hands with the girls as Sandy introduced him.

"This is Justin. He's our jack-of-all-trades here. He can do just about anything, so if you need help, just ask him. Justin, please take these counselors to Hawks Nest, will you?"

"Sure thing!" Justin replied, smiling. He followed the girls to their car and helped to take out their luggage.

"Follow me," he said, picking up two of Emma's heaviest cases as if they were empty.

He led them on a paved trail into the woods. They passed large tents perched on big wooden platforms that were nestled between the trees and the lake. A gentle breeze stirred the boughs while birds chirped up in the tree branches. Kacey and her two friends were amazed by the natural beauty of the place.

"It reminds me of the state park near us back home," Ava remarked, and the others agreed.

Soon they arrived at a roomy tent on a platform. A sign posted on the nearest tree read, "Hawk's Nest". Inside the tent were four cots, some small wooden stools made from tree trunks, and one small table.

"If you brought any food, you have to keep it in the main lodge kitchen," Justin explained, "because of the bears."

"Bears?" Emma asked in alarm.

"Yeah, we sometimes get black bears nosing around here looking for food at night. That's why we have to keep everything out of their reach and locked up. They can smell a cookie even when it's inside a plastic container. Bears love to eat anything they can get their paws on, so don't keep any food here."

Emma looked at her two totes full of groceries and sighed.

"I guess we won't be having any midnight snacks. I thought this place would be more like a college dorm."

Justin laughed at the idea and bid them goodbye before heading out.

"Well, which bed do you want?" Ava asked.

Kacey set her suitcase down next to the cot by the open tent flap.

"I'll sleep here."

Ava took the cot across from her, and Emma sat down on the one to her right.

"This is kinda hard," she remarked, bouncing up and down.

"Not as hard as on the ground, which is where you'd be sleeping if this were a real tent," Ava replied.

"Yeah, Emma, be grateful we don't have to sleep on dirt," added Kacey.

"Ew! No, I'd never do that!" Emma cried, "I hate bugs and everything else in the dirt!"

Ava looked at her and shook her head slowly.

Kacey asked, "Hey, what do you think of Justin?"

Emma replied, "Well, if this place has more good-looking guys like Justin, I won't mind a putting up with a few bears and bugs."

Chapter Two: Bugs and Bears

After the girls made up their beds, they changed into their Camp Wildwood shirts, and then took Emma's totes full of food to the main lodge for storage. They were pleased to find that the main lodge had a large kitchen, fully stocked, with the capacity to cook meals for large crowds.

"Let's take a look around the camp," Kacey suggested, and the others agreed.

They walked toward the lake and found a long, sturdy wooden dock. They went up on the dock, where canoes and some larger row boats were tied to it. On the other side of the dock was a long, sandy beach. Red and white buoys bobbed in the water, marking the area where swimming was allowed.

The lake was at least two miles across, and several miles long. There were two large islands off in the distance. A gentle breeze ruffled the surface of the lake. In the distance, they spotted a sailboat skating over the water's surface, slicing through the waves. It leaned precariously to one side, and then tilted up as the boat changed direction.

"That looks like fun!" Emma remarked.

"Yeah, maybe Justin will take you out for a boat ride," Ava suggested.

Emma made a face at her, "I'm sure Justin has better things to do."

"It never hurts to try," Ava replied.

Emma shook her head and sighed, "After what happened on our ski trip last Christmas, I don't think I want to date any more strange guys."

Kacey giggled and said, "Yeah, you sure know how to pick them, Emma!"

"Do I! How was I to know the guy was a kidnapper? He seemed normal... like Justin...who's probably an ax murderer or something."

They all laughed at that idea, and headed back to shore.

They explored all the trails around the lodge. One led to an open field used for games. Another led to a building that housed the bathrooms and showers. A third trail led up through the woods to a large circular area that had seats made of logs, and a wooden platform on one side. A sign posted on a tree near the platform read, "Amphitheater".

"What's this?" asked Emma.

"It's like an open auditorium. They probably use it for shows or meetings," Kacey explained.

By following more trails they found a playground, a cabin where the maintenance office was located, and a large corral and small barn. Inside the barn they found four horses in stalls feeding on hay. A teenage girl was stuffing hay into the troughs.

"Hi," she greeted, "Are you girls new here?"

"Yeah, this is our first time here. We're counselors," Kacey replied. She introduced herself and her friends.

"I'm Deena. I take care of these beauties. I also help the kids when we go horseback riding."

"That sounds like fun!" Ava exclaimed.

"Oh, do you ride?" asked Deena.

"Not recently, but I used to ride back in high school."

"Well, you girls are welcome to go riding with me when we're not busy. Just come here anytime, and I'm usually around."

"Thanks, we will! Nice to meet you, Deena," Kacey replied and after petting the horses, they headed back to the main lodge. Near the lodge, they found the infirmary where first aid and medical care was administered by the nurse on duty.

There was another small building where the camp offices were located. Here they met the camp director, Mr. Shilling. He was a happy, smiling, older man with glasses perched on his large nose. He wore a camp T-shirt and a baseball cap. He was pleased to meet the girls, and welcomed them to Camp Wildwood.

"If you need anything, just let me know. By the way, cell phones don't work too well up here, but you can use my desk phone any time you need to. Just dial 9 to get an outside line."

The girls thanked him and headed over to the main lodge.

They spent an hour looking at the displays hanging on the walls of the main lodge. Some displays were butterfly collections, and others were wild flower and leaf collections. One showed various types of rope knots, and a few others were examples of crafts that campers had made. A large poster displayed the camp creed, 'Do everything with joy, respect, and kindness to all'.

Soon, other counselors and camp workers filtered in to the lodge and began taking seats at the picnic tables. The girls met several other counselors, including a girl named Tasha, who told them she would be their tent mate.

"You're staying in Hawk's Nest, too? That's great!" Kacey smiled.

Emma told her, "I brought tons of great snacks, but I couldn't keep them in our tent because of the bears."

"Well, maybe we can sneak over here at the night and stuff ourselves in the kitchen!" Tasha suggested.

"That sounds like fun!" Emma agreed, happy that she had found someone who liked bedtime snacks as much as she did.

The room became noisy with people talking, but settled down once the food was served. Plates of hot dogs, bags potato chips, bowls of salad, and plates of hot corn on the cob were placed on each table. Everyone helped themselves to the food and drinks.

During dinner, everyone chatted excitedly about the opening day of camp. As soon as everyone finished eating, Sandy stood up and blew a whistle. Everyone quieted down and waited for her to speak.

"Welcome everyone, to our first session of summer camp at Thunderhead. First, I want to tell you about some of the new upgrades we have here, and then Mr. Shillings, our camp director, will talk about your roles and responsibilities. If you have questions, please wait until he's done and then he and I will answer them."

The girls listened to Sandy describe the new additions to the camp: the new concrete ramp that was installed on the beach to help kids in wheelchairs get into the water, the new baseball and soccer equipment donated by a local business, and an air-conditioned cabin for kids with respiratory illnesses.

When she finished, everyone applauded the new upgrades. Mr. Shillings spoke about the purpose of the camp, which was to help every child have fun and leave with memories they would treasure forever. He informed the group that many of the children who come to Camp Wildwood return again for several years in a row.

"Your first responsibility is to ensure the safety of every child here at Camp Wildwood. Your second job is to help every child have a great time by being patient, helpful, and kind at all times. If you have problems with any of the children, please do not get angry with them. They have many problems they are dealing with, and sometimes they get frustrated. Instead, get Sandy or me to help. The child may need some time out with us, or a place to calm down."

"You'll each receive a schedule of your duties. We have experienced counselors to lead the activities and new counselors who will assist. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to come and see me. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have volunteered your services to help our kids. They may not always say it, but they truly do appreciate your efforts. Good luck and have a great time!"

Everyone applauded and cheered in response. The meeting was adjourned and everyone helped to clean up the tables before leaving.

Sandy handed out schedules to all of the counselors, and the three friends eagerly read them.

"Oh, cool!" Ava exclaimed, "In the mornings, I get to help Deena with the kids on horseback rides! Then in the afternoons, I teach camping skills for the first two days, the next three days I assist with archery, and then do an overnight camp out."

"Look at my schedule," Emma said, "I am doing outdoor cooking in the mornings, swimming in the afternoon, and...Oh, no..."

"What?" Jen and Kacey asked in concern.

Emma whined as she said, "I have to do an overnight camp-out with the kids, too! Do you think it will be in the woods where the bears and bugs are?"

Kacey laughed, "I doubt it! They won't take the kids anywhere that isn't safe. I have an overnight camp-out on the same nights that both of you do, so it looks like we'll all be travelling together!"

"What else are you doing?" asked Ava.

"I have arts and crafts in the morning, and in the afternoons, canoeing. That should be fun!"

The girls also noticed that everyone was scheduled to attend the nightly campfire sing-along and marshmallow roasting. Friday night there would be a talent show.

"Hey, look at this," Ava said, reading her schedule, "Every counselor is expected to perform in the talent show, so get busy rehearsing your act!"

"Talent show?" Emma exclaimed, "But what if I don't have any talent? Do I still have to perform?"

The other two nodded in unison.

"Don't worry, Emma," Kacey assured her, "We'll do something together. It'll be fun!"

Emma's face crumpled as she said, "But I get stage fright! I can't perform in front of an audience!"

Ava's expression became earnest as she said, "You don't really have a choice, Emma. We volunteered to serve here, and this is part of it. But we'll help you every step of the way."

"Yeah," Kacey assured her, "It'll be fun, I promise!"

Emma shook her head doubtfully, "If I'm lucky, I'll get attacked by a bear on my camp-out, and then I won't have to perform."

On Saturday morning, the kids arrived in cars, vans, and even small buses. All the counselors and staff were there to greet the children and parents. Some kids came in wheelchairs, some with canes and braces. Others appeared perfectly healthy, but had some hidden condition such as a heart problem, diabetes, asthma, or some other illness. But all of the children seemed excited to attend Camp Wildwood.

One boy, however; was not very pleased about coming to camp. He followed the others into the main lodge for the opening festivities, but he never smiled or spoke to the others.

Bartley Brett was nine years old, and had never been to camp before. When his parents asked him if he'd like to go, he was pleased at first. As time passed, he realized that the reason why his parents wanted him to go to camp was so they could go away. When he tried to back out, his stepfather adamantly refused, and said, "I've already paid for it! If I cancel your registration now, I'll lose my deposit! You're going and that's that!"

Bartley decided that although he may have to go to camp this summer, he would make sure that no one would ever force him into going ever again. To accomplish this objective, he had brought along an arsenal of weapons and instruments of mayhem. His slingshot, squirt gun, and rubber snake were all cleverly hidden in his suitcase inside his socks and pockets.

Once everyone was settled down in the main lodge, Mr. Shillings gave everyone a welcome speech and introduced each of the people on the staff and all of the counselors. He explained the sleeping arrangements, the activity schedules, and rules of conduct. After his welcome, the campers were dismissed to go to their tents until lunch.

Each counselor was assigned a group of children to accompany to their tents. Like the Hawk's Nest, the large tents were on wooden platforms and held four cots. The boys and girls stayed in separate tents. Kacey, Ava, and Emma led their groups to their tents and helped them to make up their cots, and to unpack some of their things. Kacey had four boys to assist: Bartley, who had asthma; Thomas, who was blind; Pedro, who had a heart condition; and Andrew, who was confined to a wheel chair.

After unpacking, Kacey took the children on a short tour of the camp. Soon, it was time for lunch, so they headed back to the main lodge. Counselors were also expected to help the children get the things they needed for lunch before serving themselves.

Kacey, Ava and Emma sat together. They each introduced their "team" to the others. Emma's team was made up of four girls: Nakisha, Maria, Melanni, and Beth. Ava's team was Eddie, Jefferson, Michael, and Joshua. Soon, all the children were talking with one another, and lunchtime went quickly.

After lunch, the counselors took the kids to their assigned activity for the afternoon. Kacey took her team to the dock for canoeing, and Emma brought her team to the beach for swimming. Ava led her team to the wooded campsite area where they would learn camping skills.

Kacey was grateful that there was another seasoned counselor there to teach the children how to paddle a canoe.

"Hi, everybody! My name is Jackson Adams, but everyone calls me Jack. I'm here to teach you how to safely paddle a canoe. But first, we need to talk about safety. Before getting into the canoe, you'll put on a life vest. Everyone must always wear one, even if you're a good swimmer."

Jack had dark hair and an athletic physique, and looked to be about the same age as Kacey. By his tanned skin, she concluded that he spent a lot of time outdoors. After patiently explaining the safety rules, Jack told everyone to get on their life vests. Kacey helped the kids get the life vests on, and then assisted in handing out paddles. As soon as the kids got their paddles, Bartley challenged one of the other boys to join him in hand-to-hand paddle combat. They began clashing their paddles against each other. Kacey quickly separated the boys and made them sit down on the dock.

"No Ninja fighting with the paddles, boys!" she warned, "Sit behind one another like the others are doing so you can learn how to use the paddles correctly."

Once all the kids were seated in a row along the edge of the dock, they were taught how to hold their paddles over the side of the dock, just as they would if they were in a canoe. Jack demonstrated the correct way to paddle, and Kacey helped the kids learn the correct moves.

Next, the kids learned how to get in and out of the canoe safely, since a canoe can easily tip over. Standing in the shallow water, Jack held the canoe steady while the kids stepped in one at a time and took a seat on one of the benches. Kacey handed them their paddles, and Jack told them to paddle correctly in the water while he held the canoe steady.

After practicing for a few minutes, the counselors boarded the canoes and helped the kids paddle a short distance along the shore. If the canoe began to tip, the counselor helped the kids to straighten it out.

They had a great time paddling their canoes in the shallow water for the next twenty minutes. They learned how to slow the canoes down, to stop, and to turn them in the opposite direction. Soon it was time to beach the canoes and head back to the main lodge for a snack.

As the campers scurried up toward the lodge, Jack spoke to Kacey.

"Hey, great job! I really appreciate your help!"

"Oh, you're welcome," she smiled.

He read her nametag and said, "Kacey? It's nice to meet you. You seem to be real patient and helpful with the kids. Not all counselors have that knack."

"Oh, thanks. You're a great teacher, and the kids really love canoeing."

"Most of them do. But from here on out, make sure they wear their bathing suits. Once we go out on the lake, we're bound to have one or two spills. But don't worry. They'll learn how to turn the canoe over and get back in it. You'll need to wear your swimsuit, too. You'll probably be spending more time in the water than out of it."

"Okay, I will. Thanks! See you tomorrow!"

Chapter Three: Bartley the Brat

After the campfire that evening, Kacey and the other counselors helped the kids to get ready for bed. Once everyone was tucked in, Kacey joined her friends in their tent at Hawk's Nest.

"Whew! What a day!" Emma exclaimed, flopping down on her cot, "Those kids wear me out!"

"Yeah, they're all pretty energetic," Kacey agreed.

Ava said, "Since these kids have special needs, I thought that they'd be less active, but I can see I was very wrong. They've got just as much energy as healthy kids!"

Emma added, "I was worried that I wouldn't sleep well in this tent, but I'll sleep like a rock tonight!"

The others agreed, but they all decided to head back to the main lodge to hang out with the other counselors before turning in for the night.

There they found Tasha roasting two giant marshmallows over the fire in the hearth.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted them, "Grab one of those long sticks on the table and help yourself to the marshmallows!"

The girls decided to join her and found some pillows to sit on in front of the fire. Soon, their marshmallows were puffed up and golden brown.

"Be careful," warned Tasha, "They're pretty hot."

The girls tested the marshmallows before eating them and enjoyed their gooey sweetness.

"How did your day go?" Tasha asked them. The three girls took turns telling her about their experiences. Afterward, Emma asked,

"How was your day, Tasha?"

She shrugged, "Not bad, except for the kid who kept trying to pants the others underwater during swimming lessons. I spent half my time pulling swim trunks back on, and the other half trying to keep the boys from trying to pull down each other's trunks. We didn't do much actual swimming today."

The others laughed.

Kacey said, "I hate to remind you, but we have to figure out what act we will do for the talent show on Saturday night."

"Please!" groaned Emma, "Don't remind me!"

Ava said, "Hey, there's a piano over there. Why don't you play, Kacey, and we'll sing along with you?"

Kacey found the old upright piano in the corner.

"Okay. What song should we do?"

"Let's do a song the kids will like. How about 'Davy Crockett'?" Ava suggested.

"No! No songs that talk about killing bears!" Emma declared.

"What about that one we learned in school when we were kids," Ava said, wracking her brain, "The one about the meatball?"

"Oh, you mean, 'On Top of Spaghetti'" Kacey said, "I think I can play that one. It's pretty simple."

Kacey went over to the piano and began playing the chords to the song. Ava joined in singing the words:

"On top of spaghetti,

All covered with cheese,

I lost my poor meatball,

When somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table,

And on to the floor,

And then my poor meatball,

Rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden,

And under a bush,

And then my poor meatball,

Was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty

As tasty could be,

And then the next summer,

It grew into a tree.

The tree was all covered,

All covered with moss,

And on it grew meatballs,

And tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti,

All covered with cheese,

Hold on to your meatball,

Whenever you sneeze."

Emma and Kacey laughed, saying, "I can't believe you remember all the words to that song!"

Ava shrugged, "It was my favorite camp song. I sang it all the time when we were kids!"

Just then, the screen door opened and the counselors Matt, Jack, and Andre came running into the hall.

"Hey! Guess what! We just saw a bear!"

"What?" the girls exclaimed. Emma cried, "No! Please don't tell me that! I hate bears!"

Jack, who taught canoeing, insisted, "No, really, we just saw a bear down by the lake!"

"Was it a big one?"

One of the guys with him answered, "He was huge! All black and furry! I think he must weigh about three hundred pounds!"

"Oh, no!" Emma cried, "Is he still out there?"

"Probably. Do you want to see him?"

"No!" she screamed, "Just keep him away from me!"

"I'd like to see him!" Ava said, getting up to go to the door.

"I'd better go out with you. It's pretty dark out there," said a tall, dark-haired young man.

"By the way, my name is Matt. Matt Stephens."

Ava said, "Hi," and introduced herself. Together, they went outside to try to see the bear.

Crickets sang madly in the dark woods. Kacey noticed how much darker it was here at the camp than at home in Westfield. There were no streetlights or lights from stores, and the night was almost completely black except for a moon like a slice of lemon. She looked up and was in awe by the millions of stars that she could see.

"Hey, look, you guys," she said, "Look at the stars!"

The others looked up and agreed it was an amazing sky.

Soon, Tasha and Kacey decided to join them, along with Jack and another guy, Andre.

As the group headed down toward the lake, Jack reminded them to be quiet so they wouldn't scare the bear away.

"He was right there," Jack whispered, pointing to the beach with a flashlight, just beyond the swimming area. There was no bear in sight, but Kacey suggested that he may have run into the nearby woods.

"Probably," Jack agreed, "Hey, look!"

"What?" asked the girls.

"On the beach! I see tracks!"

He led the way to the sandy beach, and the group followed. Near the edge of the water, there were huge paw marks in the wet sand.

"Look! See? That's where the bear was!" Andre insisted.

"Let's see where the tracks go," Ava suggested.

The group followed the bear's tracks along the sand, which led into the shrubs along the edge of the woods.

"He's probably in the woods somewhere," Matt said.

"If we're really quiet, maybe we can find him," Ava whispered.

Kacey shook her head, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Ava. Bears do attack people occasionally, and I don't want this to be one of those occasions."

Matt agreed. "He's probably long gone by now, anyway."

The group decided to go back to the main lodge and get some snacks.

Soon, they were all back inside and munching on chips and drinking sodas. They talked about the day they had with their kids. Kacey learned that Jack, Matt, and Andre had been counselors at the camp for the last three years, and were best friends.

"We come here every year," Matt explained, "It's a lot of fun."

"Yeah, last year we had a fire and had to evacuate all the kids during the middle of the night. That was awesome!" Andre laughed, "It turned out that one of the counselors had been smoking in bed and dropped her cigarette on her blanket when she fell asleep."

"I thought counselors weren't allowed to smoke," Emma said.

"That's why she was smoking in bed...under her covers!"

"Was she hurt?" asked Tasha.

"No, nobody was hurt because she woke up when she smelled the smoke and started screaming, and then somebody pulled the fire alarm which woke up the whole camp. One of the counselors tried to put the fire out, but it had spread to the side of the tent. The whole tent went up in flames...whoosh!" Andre lifted his arms and spread them in a comical gesture.

They all laughed at the thought and Jack added, "Yeah, something crazy happens every year. I wonder what it will be this year."

Because the camp rules said that they all had to be in bed by eleven o'clock, the group put out the fire in the hearth and headed back to their tents. The boys said they would accompany the girls back to their tents to protect them from bears, but mostly they wanted to find out which tent the girls slept in.

"See you tomorrow!" they called to each other.

The girls were soon in bed. They practiced singing "On Top of Spaghetti" a few times, and then fell asleep serenaded by the music of crickets and frogs.

The next morning after breakfast, Kacey met her group of campers on the large concrete patio area where several picnic tables were set up. Another counselor, who introduced herself as Wendi, asked Kacey to assist with the arts and crafts project that the children would make. She showed them models of rock animals and characters that some of the other campers had made the day before.

"We have lots of things you can use to make your character, like all these colorful pebbles, felt, pipe cleaners, beady eyes to glue on, sparkles, markers, and paint. Look at this really cool poodle that someone made yesterday. She glued on a red felt tongue and googley eyes. I really like the tail that she glued on that was made from a pipe cleaner. You can glue the pebbles together to form the shape of an animal or person, and then decorate them any way you like."

Wendi told them that the pebbles had come from the lake, which gave them a very smooth surface.

Soon the children were busily engaged in choosing their pebbles and gluing them together. Bartley was disappointed when someone else got the large pebble that he really wanted, and he began to complain and sulk.

"I don't want to make anything if I can't have that one!" he insisted.

Kacey dug through the box of pebbles until she found one almost exactly like the one he wanted.

"Here's one just like it, Bartley. Let's try it. What animal are you making?"

"I'm not making an animal! I'm making the Incredible Hulk!"

Kacey shrugged, "Okay; that sounds cool. Let's find some pebbles for his big, strong legs."

Soon, Bartley was involved in gluing his character together. Kacey helped the other kids to glue characters together and cut decorations for them.

Bartley finished his character and became bored waiting for it to dry. He watched the other kids putting their characters together and made snide comments.

"That doesn't look like a rabbit! It looks like a turd pile!" he laughed. Keisha, the little girl who was making the rabbit told him, "Shut up! Your character looks like a big pile of potatoes--rotten ones!"

"It does not!" Bartley argued.

"It does so!" she cried.

"Hey, kids! Let's not criticize each other. That isn't nice," Kacey said, "Just have fun making your own character. Once they're finished, they will all look great."

When Kacey turned her back, Bartley stuck his tongue out at the little girl, and Keisha did the same to him.

"She's doing something bad!" Bartley cried, and Kacey turned just in time to see Keisha with her tongue out.

"Hey! That's not nice," Kacey said.

"He did it first!" said Keisha.

Kacey turned to Bartley and said, "You shouldn't do things like that. It isn't nice. Here, let's go through these pieces of fabric and find some material for the Hulk's pants."

Bartley pulled the pieces out of the box, leaving them all over the table. He finally found one that he liked, and Kacey helped him make the pants and glue them on.

"There. He's looking more like the Hulk every minute. Once he dries, you can paint him green and paint his face. Please put the fabric pieces back into the box, Bartley."

Another child asked for help, so Kacey left Bartley to give assistance to her. As soon as Kacey left, Bartley picked up the glue bottle and began playing with it. He liked the way it squirted out when he squeezed it. Then he got an idea.

Bartley waited until Keisha's head was turned, and then he squirted glue toward the back of her head. He was amazed when the glue squirted all the way across the table and landed on the back of her head. He started to laugh.

Everyone was so busy that no one had seen him do it. Bartley looked around and saw that Pedro was reaching across the table to get some paint. As soon as Pedro stood to reach the paint, Bartley placed the open glue bottle on the seat under him. Then Pedro sat down on top of the glue bottle.

"Hey!" Pedro cried, with a look of confusion. He stood up and looked down at his seat. Glue was all over the seat and on the back of his shorts.

Bartley burst out laughing when he saw the glue all over Pedro's shorts. It wasn't hard for Pedro to figure out what Bartley did.

"Kacey! Bartley put glue under me and then I sat down on it!"

"What?" Kacey asked, and came over to see Pedro's shorts covered in glue. She looked at Bartley, who was laughing hysterically.

"Look at the back of Keisha's head!" cried Anna, another camper, "She's got glue all over her hair!"

Kacey turned to Bartley, "Did you do that?"

"Me? No!" Bartley said innocently, shaking his head.

Kacey kept her cool even though she was furious. Keisha started crying about the glue in her hair and Pedro began complaining about his shorts. Kacey told him he could go change and bring the shorts with glue back to her so she could wash out the glue before it dried. Wendi took Keisha to the bathroom to wash out her hair.

As soon as they returned, Kacey said, "Bartley, you're coming with me."

"But I wanna finish my Hulk!" he cried.

"Not today. I will take care of it for you and maybe you can finish it some other time. Let's go."

Kacey took him by the arm and led him to the camp office where Mr. Shillings was working at his desk.

Kacey told him what Bartley had been up to, and he told the boy to sit in a chair.

"Thank you, Kacey, for bringing him to me. I will have a talk with Bartley. You can go back to your team."

The other children were glad that Bartley was gone. They worked on their projects without further disruptions, and enjoyed themselves. Pedro returned and gave Kacey his shorts to wash. While they were cleaning up, Pedro said,

"I don't like Bartley. I'm going to call him Fartley!"

The kids all laughed, "Yeah! Fartley the Brat!"

"No, no, you mustn't call him names!" Kacey exclaimed, "Name-calling isn't nice. Remember the camp creed: 'Do everything with joy, respect, and kindness to all."

"But he wasn't kind to us!" Pedro insisted.

"He wasn't trying to be mean," Kacey explained, "I think he was trying to be funny. But what he did was wrong. I'm sure he'll be sorry for what he did. But you mustn't call him names. Promise me you will not do that."

The others looked sheepish, and finally Keisha said, "Okay, I won't."

The others said nothing, but finished cleaning up and then ran to the main lodge for lunch.

Mr. Shillings brought Bartley back to her after lunch and he asked Bartley, "What do you have to say to Kacey, young man?"

Bartley hung his head and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Kacey crouched down before him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Bartley, but the people you need to say this to the most are Keisha and Pedro. They're the ones who you did things to."

She called Keisha and Pedro over to her and asked Bartley if he had anything to say to them. At first he scowled and looked up at her in defiance, but she stood patiently waiting for him to speak. Finally, he said,

"Sorry."

"There, was that so hard?" Kacey asked, "Now, you three shake hands and go back to being friends. What's the camp creed?"

All three of them replied, "Do everything with joy, respect, and kindness to all."

"Right. So let's try to do that, okay?"

Keisha asked, "Can we go now? I'm going to be late for swimming because I have to go get changed."

"Yes, you may all go now. And remember what we discussed."

They ran off in different directions.

"You handled that very well," said Mr. Shillings, smiling appreciatively.

"Thanks. I'll keep an eye on Bartley."

"So will I," Mr. Shillings said, "He needs watching."

Chapter Four: Trouble with Emma

The rest of Kacey's day was just as busy as the morning. Finally, the campers were tucked in for the night, and the counselors headed to the main lodge to hang out together. Kacey, Ava, Emma and Tasha sat together at a table next to the crackling fire, sharing their day's adventures. When Kacey told the others about Bartley's pranks, they laughed.

"Fartley!" Ava exclaimed, "That's hysterical!"

"Don't you start," Kacey said, "It's hard enough to get the kids not to say it."

"Well, he did kind'a ask for it," Emma pointed out.

"But two wrongs don't make a right, do they?" Kacey countered.

Tasha said, "I say that Bartley deserves what he gets. Kids like that need to be put in their place sometimes."

Kacey shook her head, "But it only makes the problem worse. It has to be stopped before it can escalate into something really bad. Besides, we're supposed to teach the kids to get along."

At that moment, Andre arrived carrying a soda and munching on a bag of chips. His bright smile against his dark skin made a startling contrast.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

The girls invited him to sit down, and he sat next to Tasha. Soon they were all talking, but Kacey noticed that Andre spoke to Tasha more than the others.

"Oh, by the way," he said to Tasha, "Did you hear the bears last night?"

"Bears!" Emma cried, "You mean there's more than one?"

"Oh, yeah," Andre assured her, "We have a lot of bears around here...in the woods. They don't go out much during the day, but when it's quiet, they come snooping around here looking for something, or someone, to eat."

"Oh, please!" Ava moaned at his attempt to fool her. "Bears don't eat people."

Andre crunched on some chips and then sipped his drink.

"They don't call it Big Bear Lake for nothin'. I would be lying if I told you there haven't been any bear attacks at this camp."

"What?" the others cried, "When?"

Andre said, "A couple of years ago a bear got into one of the tents and mauled two of the campers. That bear had huge, long, sharp claws, and weighed about five hundred pounds. He must've gotten frustrated because he couldn't find any food, but he could smell it because one of the kids had candy in his suitcase. That bear tore the place apart and grabbed the kids, dragging one of them around with his teeth. The poor kid didn't have a chance!"

The girls were stunned. Emma looked as white as a ghost.

Andre spotted Matt and waved him over to their table.

"Hey, Matt! Come here!"

Matt came over and said hello to the girls. Andre asked him,

"Remember the kids who got mauled by the bear a couple of years ago?"

Matt looked confused at first, but then he said, "Yeah! Oh, yeah, I remember now. Wasn't it that counselor? Penny somebody..."

"No, that was another time. The two kids who were in their tent, remember? The bear came in looking for food during the night, and when he couldn't find any, he went nuts and attacked the kids."

"Yeah," Matt agreed, "Yeah, I remember now. Man, there was blood all over the place. It was awful!"

Emma asked, "What happened to Penny, the counselor?"

Matt and Andre looked at each other, and Matt replied,

"Oh, she had left her tent to go to the bathroom during the night, and when she got there, a huge bear was in the bathroom. He got scared and attacked her in self-defense. Man, she got all mangled. She had to have about one hundred stitches on her face. Didn't they tell you about the bear attacks when you signed up?"

"No!" Emma cried, "Now I'm really scared!"

Andre smiled, "Well, I'm not surprised that they didn't tell you. But you girls don't need to be scared. We're here to make sure those bears don't do anyone harm."

Matt added, "Yeah, we'll protect you. But you shouldn't go walking around at night by yourself. If there are bears around, there's no telling what might happen."

Kacey asked, "But didn't I read somewhere that if you make noise, the bears will run away?"

Matt shrugged, "Yeah, some do. But some don't and they might attack you."

"I can't believe that they never told us about this!" Tasha exclaimed.

Matt took a seat and lowered his voice. The others leaned closer to hear.

"Well, there's a reason for that. After those people got attacked, they were offered money to keep quiet about it. They didn't even file a lawsuit; it was all settled out of court to keep everything quiet. If it ever got out, parents would never allow their kids to come here, so they keep it covered up. I bet if you asked Mr. Shillings or Sandy about it, they wouldn't even talk about it. If they did, they'd probably lose their jobs."

Tasha and Emma stared open-mouthed in disbelief.

Kacey was skeptical.

"Were both of you here two years ago when this happened?"

Matt and Andre looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, of course we were here. How else would we know about it? Only we don't talk about it because we might get in trouble. I like coming here in the summer and don't want to get sent home, so we don't discuss it much. You probably shouldn't mention it to anybody, either, because you know, it might cause a panic among the campers. But yeah, the bears to attack people here, so you'd better be really careful!"

Emma stood up angrily and declared, "That does it! I'm going home!"

"What?" Kacey cried, "You can't! We signed an agreement to stay the whole week!"

"But don't forget, we are volunteers, not paid staff," Emma reminded her, "And I didn't expect to come here and get mauled by bears. They should have told us about the attacks!"

She picked up her trash and began to leave.

"You can't go now," Ava said, "How will you get home? You can't ask Kacey to drive you home tonight. She has to work all day tomorrow and needs her sleep."

"Then I'll find someone who will drive me home!" Emma insisted angrily.

Andre stood up and took her arm, saying, "Look, Emma, you don't have to leave. We'll protect you, right Matt?"

"Yeah, sure!" Matt agreed.

"Oh? Like you protected those two campers who got mauled and Penny, too?"

Matt and Andre looked at each other in alarm.

Matt said, "Yeah, but that was a long time ago. We were younger then. We're bigger now, and stronger. And we know how to scare off bears now, right Andre?"

"Yeah. We got special training for it. You don't need to leave, Emma. We haven't had a bear attack in a long time. Chances are they won't bother anybody."

Kacey said, "Ava's right. I don't think anyone is going to be able to drive you home tonight. If you still want to go in the morning, I'll see if I can get the afternoon off and I'll drive you back at lunch time. That's the soonest I might be able to leave."

Emma looked desperate.

"Oh, I wish I'd never come here!" she exclaimed.

Tasha stood up and said to her, "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you and I sleep here tonight in the lodge? No bears can get in here. We'll lock the doors. We can bring our mattresses down here and sleep on the floor next to the fire. It will be safe and cozy. What do you say?"

Emma looked at her, thinking it over. Tasha continued.

"We can even whip up one of those midnight snacks you planned to make. All the stuff is right here in the kitchen!"

Emma's final barrier of resistance was breached at last.

"All right," she agreed, "But somebody has to bring us back here. I don't want to be mauled on the way back to the lodge."

"We'll escort you," Matt offered, "Come on, let's go get your stuff."

The group went up to the Hawk's Nest together and the two girls gathered their things. The boys carried their cot mattresses and blankets. Kacey and Ava carried their pillows, and Tasha and Emma brought their pajamas and toiletries.

At the lodge, Kacey and Ava approached Emma, saying, "Maybe we should stay here with you, too."

Emma shook her head, "No, that won't be necessary. Tasha will be here."

Kacey and Ava felt awkward. Ava asked, "Are you sure?"

Emma began rolling out her bedding and shaking out the sheets, avoiding eye contact with the girls.

"I'll be fine," she snapped, and went on making her bed.

Her cold, distant manner surprised Kacey and Ava. They exchanged looks and said then goodnight to Emma and Tasha.

On their way back to the Hawk's Nest, Ava said, "I got the feeling she didn't want us there."

"Yeah, me too. I think she's angry with me because I won't drive her home, or because I talked her into coming to camp with us. She really didn't want to come, remember? She's not really the outdoors type."

"But we didn't want her to miss out on the fun and make her feel like we left her out of it. I guess we shouldn't have talked her into it, and maybe that's why she's mad at us."

"Maybe," Kacey agreed. Both girls were sadly silent as they turned in for the night.

In her prayers, Kacey asked God to help Emma and to restore their relationship as best friends. She tried to get to sleep, but couldn't relax. She and Emma had been best friends for years. She felt guilty that she had talked Emma into doing something that she didn't enjoy. And now their friendship was in jeopardy. What could she do?

The next morning, Ava and Kacey went to the main lodge for breakfast. It was already crowded with kids and counselors. As they helped themselves to the food, Kacey yawned.

"How did you sleep?" asked Ava.

"Not very well. I kept thinking about Emma."

"Me, too," Ava admitted.

After getting their breakfasts, they looked for Emma. She was seated next to Tasha and Andre.

"Hey," Ava greeted them. They said hello, but the trio was quiet. Finally, Tasha told them about what she and Emma had done the night before.

"After you guys left, we started making chocolate chip cookies. We baked a whole batch and ate half of them with nice, cold milk. They were delicious! We're saving the rest for tonight."

"Are you sleeping here again tonight?" asked Andre.

"Maybe. It depends on Emma."

Emma said, "Well, if we can sleep here in the lodge, for the rest of the week, I'll stay. But if we can't, I'm asking my boyfriend Dave to come and pick me up. I'm going over to use Mr. Shillings' phone right after breakfast."

The girls finished eating breakfast and Emma left them to go use the phone.

Tasha told them, "Emma and I had a great time last night. We didn't get to sleep until really late."

"If you stay here tonight, maybe I'll stop by and get me some of them cookies!" Andre teased, grinning.

Tasha smiled back, "I'll save some for you!"

"Okay!" Andre smiled at her and then stood up, taking her hand, "Come on. Walk with me down to the lake. I have to get the canoes into the water."

Tasha took his hand and they waved goodbye to Ava and Kacey.

After they left, Ava asked, "What's with that? It looks like those two have something going on."

Kacey shrugged, "Maybe."

They finished their breakfasts, and then left the lodge as Emma was coming back inside.

"I called Dave," she announced, "He says he'll drive up here this afternoon and pick me up if I want him to. But I'll ask Mr. Shillings about staying in the lodge first."

"I hope you can stay the rest of the week, Emma," Kacey said sincerely.

Emma sighed, saying, "Coming here was a big mistake. I should have stayed home like I wanted to."

"But we wanted you to be in on the fun," Ava explained.

"Fun? You call bugs, snakes and bears fun? I don't," she said, "I have to get going or I'll be late for my cooking class."

She turned and left without a smile.

"Whoa," Ava said, "I've never seen her like this. She really seems mad at us."

Kacey nodded, her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah. I hope she gets over it before she leaves. Maybe if we apologize she might."

"I don't know. She's acting so weird," Ava said, shaking her head.

"Well, we'd better go," Kacey said, noticing the time.

Kacey's group of kids was waiting for her under the pines at the camping cookout area. They had completed their first three days of canoeing and now had to learn camping skills. Their leader, Jack, had the kids sit down on the circle of rocks surrounding the campfire in the center. He demonstrated how to use kindling to build the base of the fire, and then stack some dry logs on top.

"Dried pine needles and leaves make good fire starting material, so be sure to mix that in with the twigs. Let's have Pedro and Thomas come up to the campfire circle and start laying down some of the kindling for the fire."

Kacey led Thomas by the hand and placed his hand on the pile of kindling. She told him where to place it. Pedro helped by scooping up handfuls of dried pine needles and twigs and placing in the center of the campfire circle.

"Great job, guys! Now let's have Keisha and Maria put on some logs from this pile."

The girls selected a few small logs and placed them on top of the kindling at angles to allow air to circulate between them.

"And now, who can light a match?" asked Jack. Several hands went up, including Bartley's and Andrew's. Jack said,

"You'll all get a chance to light one of the campfires before you go home. But I think this time we'll have Andrew light the match today."

"Oh, darn!" Bartley whined, "I want to do it!"

Kacey said, "Don't worry, Jack said that everyone will get a chance to light a campfire. Maybe next time."

Andrew wheeled his chair over the hard dirt and Jack handed him the matches.

"Remember to strike the match away from your body. That's right," Jack smiled as Andrew lit the match. Jack told him to hold it against one of the dry leaves. Soon, it caught fire and the flames spread through the kindling. The kids watched the wide-eyed as twigs begin to burn and smoke snaked its way skyward.

"There it is!" Jack announced, "Your first campfire! Everyone did a really good job making it. Now let's talk about cooking on the fire. I've brought along some pots and a portable grill. It folds out just like this."

Jack opened the grill and placed it over the fire.

"That's why we keep the fire small, so we can put the grill over it and cook. If we made it too big, this grill wouldn't fit over the top. Who likes scrambled eggs and toast?"

Several hands went up as the kids shouted, "I do! I do!"

"Can I make the eggs?"

"Can I?" they all asked.

Jack showed them how to push a stick through some slices of bread and hold them near the fire to toast. Next, they melted some butter in the bottom of a pan, and cracked eggs into a metal bowl. Kacey helped one of the kids to whip the eggs and another kid poured them into the pan. When the toast was brown, they buttered it. The eggs cooked quickly and each camper got a small helping of eggs and a slice of buttered toast.

After eating, Jack instructed the campers how to clean the pots and pans. Then he talked about how important it was to put the fire out completely. He showed them how to rake it out to make sure there was no smoldering material left on the bottom.

"All it takes is one glowing spark to start a forest fire," Jack explained, "Which is why you should never play with matches, and only use them when an adult is there with you."

The kids thanked Jack and he told them that tomorrow they would be going on an overnight camping trip, and would be cooking all their meals on a campfire. They were all excited about camping out in the woods in real tents and cooking on a campfire.

At lunch, Kacey searched for Emma and Ava. She finally spotted Ava coming into the main lodge, and went to speak with her.

"Have you seen Emma?"

"No, I haven't. But I saw Tasha and Andre outside. Maybe they know where she is."

When Tasha and Andre came in, the girls asked them about Emma.

"I think she went to talk to Mr. Shillings to ask about staying in the lodge at night. She'll probably be late to lunch."

"Well, I'm starving!" Andre announced, "Let's go eat!"

They all got in line and got their food and drinks, and then sat at one table together. Kacey kept her eye on the door, hoping Emma would soon come. After they finished eating, she got up to throw away her trash, and spotted Emma.

"Emma!" Kacey called. Emma looked at her but didn't smile. She scanned the room, and when she saw Tasha, she went straight to her.

"Guess what, Tasha! Mr. Shillings said that you and I can stay in the lodge at night. But we can't allow anyone else to come in here."

"Fine!" Tasha agreed, "I'll move the rest of my stuff down here after dinner."

"Me too," Emma said. "I'd better go get something to eat or I'll be hungry this afternoon."

Kacey was stunned that Emma was totally ignoring her. When Emma went to the food table, Kacey followed her and said,

"Emma, we need talk."

"You don't have to drive me home if that's what you're going to ask. I'm staying here in the lodge with my new best friend, Tasha."

"But I'm still your friend, too," Kacey said, "And so is Ava. Best friends forever, remember?"

Emma said nothing in reply.

"Emma, I want to tell you how sorry I am about bringing you here. I shouldn't have talked you into coming. I was wrong. Can you forgive me?"

Emma didn't look at her, but replied, "I guess so."

"I know Ava feels the same way. She wants to talk to you, too."

Emma frowned, "Well, I forgive her, too. But the damage is done. The only reason I'm staying is because Mr. Shillings asked me to. He says he needs me. That's why he agreed to let me stay in the lodge with Tasha. I need to eat fast because I'll be late for swimming."

She turned away and left Kacey standing alone. She watched as Emma sat down next to Tasha, smiling and talking to her.

Kacey felt her throat constrict and she fought back the tears that filled her eyes. Emma's attitude hurt deeply. She didn't want to lose Emma as a friend, but she feared that things would never be the same between them. Kacey brushed the tears from her cheek and headed outside.

Chapter Five: Wild in the Woods

From the shore, Bartley was watching the other kids paddle up and down the lake in the canoes.

"Bartley, don't you want to just go on the canoe for a ride? It will be fun. You don't have to paddle if you don't want to."

Bartley shook his head, "I don't want to. I want to stay here and watch."

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Kacey.

"Uh-huh. Can I go over there in the shade and watch?" he asked.

The group of oak trees shaded the beach where she could still keep an eye on him.

"Sure. Do you want company?"

"Nope. I can take care of myself," he insisted.

"Okay," she agreed.

Kacey watched him from the dock where she stood with Andrew and some others, who were waiting for a turn in the canoe. Bartley leaned against a tree and played with a rubber band that he had taken from his pocket. Kacey turned her attention back to the canoes and remarked to Andrew, "They're really doing a good job out there in the canoe."

"Yeah. I can't wait to go."

The canoes returned soon, and Andrew was lifted from his wheelchair into one of the canoes, and was handed a paddle. A few more campers climbed in, and Jack went with them.

After everyone finished pulling the canoes up on the beach, they took off their life vests and headed up to the lodge for dinner.

Bartley had found a lot of acorns and pebbles under the trees, and stuffed them into his pockets. When they were full, he headed to the lodge.

Tasha and Emma sat together at dinner, and Andre and Matt soon joined them. Kacey and Ava came along later and found two seats at another table.

As they ate, they talked about Emma.

"Should we talk to her after dinner?" asked Ava.

"I talked to her after lunch, but she wasn't very interested in hearing my apology."

"We should practice our song tonight for the talent show," Ava reminded her, "Maybe Emma will thaw out if we ask her to rehearse."

The girls finished their dinner and cleaned up their trash. They waited until Emma was walking out with Tasha and told her about their plans to rehearse.

Emma replied, "No, thanks. I'm doing something with Tasha and the guys. We're acting out a scene from a movie for the talent show. It's really cool and lots of fun. Besides, I can't sing like you two can."

"You sounded fine at our first practice," Ava said.

"I've decided to do the movie scene instead," she replied, "And we're rehearsing tonight."

Andre called to her, "Hey, Emma! Come on!"

Emma left the two girls and hurried over to where Tasha and Andre were waiting. The girls watched as they talked and then burst out laughing. Emma glanced back at the two girls, but turned to her new friends as they walked away.

Ava sighed heavily.

"This sucks."

"I know," Kacey agreed, "I guess we'll just be a duet."

The girls went back into the lodge and practiced their song a couple of times, but neither of them sang with much enthusiasm. They both had Emma on their minds. After being the closest of friends for years, it was heartbreaking to think that their friendship might never be the same again.

That evening, all the campers and counselors gathered for a campfire. Matt brought along a guitar and they sang camp songs and told funny stories. Soon, it was time for the kids to go to bed.

When Pedro stood up, Bartley cried, "Hey! You wet your pants!"

Pedro looked down and saw that his pants were all wet in front.

"No I didn't!" he cried, "I didn't do that! It must have come from the trees!"

Bartley laughed and pointed, "Look! Pedro peed his pants!"

Kacey quickly intervened.

"Stop saying that, Bartley! Go to your tent."

"Hey! Look at Thomas! He's wet, too!" Pedro cried.

Kacey looked and saw that the front of Thomas' shorts were also wet. Immediately, she became suspicious when Bartley broke out in laughter.

"What is going on, Bartley? What did you do?" she demanded.

"Nothing!" he insisted and laughed loudly again, pointing at the other two boys, who were becoming angry.

Kacey saw something bulging in Bartley's pocket.

"What's in your pocket?"

"Nothing!" he protested.

Kacey reached in his pocket and pulled out a squirt gun filled with water.

"Bartley! Did you squirt Pedro and Thomas?"

Bartley fell down laughing uncontrollably. He laughed so hard that he began to cough and gasp for breath.

Kacey took him by the hand saying, "Come on, let's get your inhaler. You're getting asthma again."

She half-dragged him to the infirmary where the night nurse was busy filling medication cups. She gave Bartley his inhaler and he inhaled two puffs.

"Let him sit here for a while until the asthma goes away," suggested the nurse, "I'll take him up to his tent when he's better."

"Okay," Kacey agreed, but turned to Bartley and said, "Doing things like you did tonight is not helping you to make friends, Bartley. The other boys are angry with you, and for a good reason. They did nothing to hurt you, but you keep hurting them."

"They wouldn't let me have the glue! And Pedro called me Fartley!"

"You asked for that," Kacey explained, "You weren't nice to them and they got angry with you. You have to start by being nice to them first."

"They're not nice to me!" he whined, folding his arms across his chest and pushing out his lower lip.

"You never gave them a chance to be nice," Kacey said, "You started bugging them on the first day and you haven't stopped. Even if someone is not nice to you, you have to be kind to them."

"But that's not fair!" Bartley yelled, and then began coughing again.

"Calm down, Bartley. I don't want you to get upset. But I want you to understand that to have a friend you first have to act like a friend to someone, even if you don't like him. Eventually, he will start to think, 'Hey, that Bartley kid is pretty cool', and you'll become friends."

Bartley said, "I don't want any friends!" and continued to sulk. It was clear that he was not interested in listening to Kacey.

Kacey thanked the nurse for taking care of Bartley and she left.

As she walked back to the Hawk's Nest, she began to wish that she had never volunteered to come to Camp Wildwood. It seemed that everything here was going wrong.

Back in Hawk's Nest, she talked with Ava about Bartley, and it felt good to release her fears and disappointment to a friend.

"Get a good night's rest," said Ava, "In the morning, things will be better."

Kacey sighed. "Maybe," but silently she worried that things wouldn't change.

After the lights went out, Kacey lay in the darkness listening to the sounds of the crickets and an owl hooting in the distance. Despite the peacefulness of the night, she couldn't sleep.

She got up and dug her Bible out of her backpack and her small flashlight. She flipped through the pages and found one of her most favorite stories in the book of Luke, chapter 10. It was a story that Jesus had told of a traveler who was attacked by some thieves. They beat the man and took his money, leaving him for dead. A holy man came along and saw the man lying on the road, but passed by without helping him. Another man passed by the traveler, but he too wouldn't stop to help him. Finally, a Samaritan, a man whom the traveler would have thought to be his enemy, came riding by and saw the wounded traveler.

The Samaritan felt sorry for the traveler, and he got off his donkey and treated the traveler's wounds. Then he put the traveler on his donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. In the morning, the Samaritan gave the innkeeper some money and asked him to take care of the traveler until he returned.

At the end of the story, Jesus asked his disciples to tell them which man was the best neighbor to the traveler. They answered that it was the Samaritan who had showed mercy and kindness. Jesus replied, "Go, and do the same."

Kacey closed her Bible and turned off the light. She closed her eyes and before dropping off to sleep, she mumbled, "Being a Good Samaritan is harder than it looks."

In the main lodge, Tasha and Emma were in the kitchen, scooping ice cream into bowls. They added some fudge topping and whipped cream. Tasha found some marshmallows and melted them in the microwave to make another topping.

Someone knocked at the door.

"I wonder who that is," Emma said.

"Oh, I'll get it," Tasha said quickly, and ran to the door.

Soon she returned with Andre.

"Hey, what's shakin'?" he asked, smiling broadly.

"Andre! What are you doing here?" asked Emma.

"I came by to have me some of those chocolate chip cookies you made!"

"I saved some for you," Tasha said, smiling. She gave him a plastic bag with a dozen cookies inside.

"Want some milk with those?" she asked.

"Yeah! Milk and cookies are my favorite!"

Tasha poured him a glass of milk and he sat down at the table with the girls while they ate their ice cream. Emma was thinking about her promise to Mr. Shillings that they wouldn't allow anyone else in the lodge at night. But she was afraid that if she said something, Andre and Tasha might get annoyed with her. She wondered how she could bring the subject up, and then asked,

"Where's Matt tonight?"

"Oh, he's busy," Andre said, "These cookies are the best!"

Tasha grinned, "Aren't they? Maybe we could make you some more."

"Some more? Hey, you got any graham crackers and chocolate? We can make some s'mores on the fire!" Andre said.

"Great idea! There's marshmallows in the kitchen!" Tasha said jumping up from her seat.

While she went to get the food, Emma asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed by now?"

Andre shrugged, "Who cares? I never go to bed until I'm tired. I'll get the sticks for the marshmallows."

Soon all three of them were roasting marshmallows in the fireplace and making s'mores with the graham crackers and chocolate. Emma loved s'mores more than anything, and eating them took her mind off her concern about Andre.

When they had eaten enough, the girls took the supplies back into the kitchen while Andre went out to put another log on the fire.

"Tasha, remember that Mr. Shillings said we could stay here at night as long as we didn't let anyone else in here."

Tasha shrugged, "So? He won't know about it."

"But what if somebody comes in here and finds Andre?" Emma asked, looking worried.

"Relax! Nobody's going to find out. Besides, what can they do about it? It's no big deal."

"Tasha!" Andre called from the main room. Tasha called back that she would be right there.

"Here's the rest of the marshmallows," she said handing Emma the bag, and then left the kitchen.

Emma put the rest of the food away. When she came into the main room, Tasha and Andre were standing in front of the fireplace, kissing.

Emma stopped in her tracks, both stunned and alarmed.

The couple parted and Tasha stared intently into Andre's eyes. He whispered something in her ear and she took a moment before whispering, "Okay."

The two counselors headed for the door.

"I'm just going out for a while," Tasha explained awkwardly, "I won't be long."

Without waiting for a reply, the couple left and closed the door.

Emma felt let down. Tasha was supposed to be her friend. How could she just leave her and take off with Andre?

Emma looked around in the darkness and rubbed her arms. She didn't like being left alone, with only the crackling fire to keep her company. An owl hooted from somewhere in the trees outside. She thought she heard another noise, but couldn't tell where it came from.

Emma pulled her mattress next to the fire and climbed under the blankets. Despite the silence, she found herself listening for noises, and anxiously awaiting Tasha's return.

Tasha and Andre walked up the path towards the woods. Glowing lanterns lit the pathway through the camp. When they reached the end of the path, Andre led Tasha by the hand into the woods, toward the amphitheater.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To meet somebody," he replied.

They soon arrived at the amphitheater, and Andre stopped to kiss her again.

Suddenly, there was a noise and a grunting sound somewhere in the dark. Tasha gasped and pulled away.

"What's that?" she cried.

"Relax. I'll protect you," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her.

She began to shiver. It was so dark, and she sensed that someone else was near.

"Who's out there?" she called.

Something rustled in the bushes, cracking dry twigs.

"Something's out there!" Tasha cried.

Andre wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Don't worry. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Tasha wanted to run back to the lodge, to escape the darkness and whatever was lurking there.

"I think we should go back now," she said nervously.

"No, not yet," he said, stroking her head.

The rustling sounds came closer, and Tasha saw a large dark form creeping toward them.

"Look!" she cried.

Andre turned and peered into the darkness.

"It's probably just a raccoon," he chided.

But the animal came closer through the bushes. It stood up on its hind feet and waved its paws in the air.

"A bear!" Tasha screamed. She tore away from Andre and began to run.

"Wait!" he cried, running after her.

The bear growled and chased after them, tearing through the bushes and dry brush.

Andre caught up with Tasha and grabbed her arm.

"Wait! Stop!" he shouted. Tasha turned and saw him grinning. She was confused and frightened when she saw the bear getting closer. She tried pulling away, but Andre held on to her, laughing.

The bear growled again and came straight for her. He stood up and waved his paws menacingly.

"Hey! That's pretty good!" Andre exclaimed to the bear.

Suddenly the bear put his paws on the sides of his head and lifted it off his shoulders, revealing Matt's head.

Tasha was amazed. The bear was Matt in a costume!

"What! It's you?" she cried, "You scared me to death!"

Matt laughed, "Yeah, this costume looks real, doesn't it?"

Andre said, "You got the moves down, but your growl isn't too convincing."

Matt reached down into his costume and pulled out a portable speaker on a strap around his neck.

"That's why I brought this. I hooked it up to my phone and I've got real bear growling sounds on it. Listen to this!"

Matt pushed the play button and played the growling sounds.

"Hey, those are real all right!"

"And it's time for the show. Come on!" Matt said.

Chapter Six: Ava to the Rescue

They followed him back to the camp. Andre told Tasha that they needed to hide in case anyone came out of their tents. Matt put his bear head back on and played the growling sounds. He walked around the Hawk's Nest, batting the side of the tent with his paw.

Inside, Ava woke up.

"Who's there?" she mumbled, still half-asleep. Suddenly, she heard growling close by and something hitting the side of the tent. She bolted up and threw back her covers, yelling, "Kacey! Wake up! We've got a bear!"

Kacey woke up just in time to hear the bear growl again and slap the side of the tent.

"Oh, no!" she cried, and got out of bed.

"What'll we do?" Kacey asked. Ava grabbed her cell phone. She turned it on, but it kept searching for a signal unsuccessfully.

"Find something to scare it with!" Kacey yelled, looking through the tent for a weapon in case the bear came inside.

The girls searched frantically, but could only find Emma's hair dryer and curling iron.

"This will have to do!" Kacey declared, and she and Ava stood shoulder-to-shoulder waiting for the bear to come in.

The growling sound faded into the distance, and Ava said, "I think he's left!"

"Let's look," Kacey said. They stuck their heads out of the tent and saw the bear circling another tent nearby.

"We need to get help!" Ava cried.

"I think we should try to scare the bear off. Let's go out and make a lot of noise!"

The two girls cautiously went down the steps carrying their hair salon weapons. The bear was busy nosing around the other tent where they could hear screams.

"Come on!" Kacey yelled, and ran in the direction of the bear, waving her arms and yelling,

"Go! Get out of here! Yaw!"

Ava did the same, yelling as loudly as she could.

The bear stopped and turned his head toward them. Next, he ran around the tent, out of sight. The girls followed him cautiously, but when they reached the other side of the tent, the bear was gone.

Heaving for breath, the two girls looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"It worked!" Ava exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess so!"

Some of the counselors in the tent where the bear had been stuck their heads out.

"Is it gone?" asked Wendi.

"I think so," Kacey replied, "At least for now."

"Whew! We thought he would come in here and kill us!"

"Well, it's safe now," Kacey said, "You can go back to bed. I don't think that bear will come back here."

"Thanks for scaring him off!" They called.

"Bye!" Ava waved and followed Kacey back to the Hawk's Nest. They got back into their cots and pulled up their blankets. Ava turned out the light and asked,

"You really think that bear won't come back?"

Kacey had her doubts but didn't want to alarm her friend.

"No. We scared him pretty good. He won't be back."

Ava nodded in the dark and closed her eyes, but it was a long time before she fell asleep.

Andre and Tasha were waiting in the woods, not far from Hawk's Nest. They had watched as Kacey and Ava scared the bear off, and heard the bear run into the woods in their direction. Andre tried to keep quiet, but laughter erupted from behind his hand covering his mouth. Tasha laughed, too.

"Did you see that?" he asked incredulously. Although he was excited, he kept his voice low.

"That was hysterical!" Tasha replied.

"Those girls were scared! They thought it was a real bear!"

He folded over in laughter.

"Rrrooooarrr!" the bear growled, and scared Tasha from behind, and she jumped.

Jerking around, she saw the bear standing behind her.

"You idiot!" she cried, "You scared me!"

Matt took off his bear head and laughed. He and Andre joked about how scared the girls had been and how Kacey and Ava came out waving a hair dryer and curling iron.

"Hey, somebody just turned on a light over by the lodge. I'd better go," Tasha said. The guys said they had to go hide the bear costume.

Andre took Tasha's hand and pulled her close.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone what we did. Let them think it was a real bear. It's more fun that way."

Tasha smiled into his eyes, "Okay."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer for a kiss.

"Hey, knock it off! We need to get out of here!" Matt warned.

Andre let her go and she smiled, "See you tomorrow!"

"Can't wait," he replied.

Emma hadn't been able to sleep. She tossed and turned on her mattress. She tried lying still, but her ears listened intently for every little sound. She thought she heard noises outside.

Leaving the safety of her mattress, she went to the door and called, "Tasha, is that you?"

There was no reply, and Emma became worried. It must have been at least an hour since Tasha went out with Andre. Emma wondered what had happened to her.

She gathered her courage and slid the bolt back from the door. Just to be safe, she flipped on the outdoor light next to the door. Cautiously, she opened the door a crack and peered out.

A chorus of crickets sang in the dark. She listened closer to another sound.

Emma heard footsteps approaching.

"Tasha?" she called, feeling scared and hoping it was her.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Tasha's voice replied through the darkness.

Emma let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

Tasha came in and closed the door.

"We just went for a walk, that's all."

"But you were gone over an hour!"

"No, I wasn't. Besides, it's no big deal. You sound like my mother."

Emma was stung by the criticism.

"It's just that I was worried that something happened to you."

Tasha faced her with her hands on her hips, "Well, nothing happened, did it? Now let it go, and let's get to sleep!"

Emma frowned, but followed her friend to their mattresses where they climbed under the blankets.

"Good night," Emma said.

"'Night," Tasha replied, but she was already thinking about Andre and the magical evening they had shared.

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was talking about the bear and how Ava and Kacey scared it away.

"Thank you so much!" Wendi cried, "We were so scared!"

"You're so welcome," Kacey smiled.

Deena congratulated the girls also, and then asked,

"Ava, would you mind if Wendi switched duty with you? She's supposed to help out with swimming but she would like to help me with horseback riding. Can you switch with her, just for today?"

"Sure," Ava shrugged, "No problem."

"Great! Just report to Andre. He's the lead swim instructor. And don't forget to wear your swim suit."

Ava agreed and said goodbye to Kacey. Kacey was due back at the campfire circle to help out with camping skills.

When she arrived, Matt had the kids sitting in a circle again.

"Today we're going to learn how to use a compass and mark a trail so you won't get lost in the woods. I'll also point out some important plants to recognize--like poison ivy."

He and Kacey lined the kids up and Matt led them up the paved trail toward the amphitheater. When they stopped to rest at the amphitheater, Matt turned to Kacey and said,

"Hey, I hear you and Ava scared a bear away last night!"

"Oh, yeah, we did," she admitted.

"That's pretty brave! Most girls would have run away," said Matt.

Kacey shrugged, saying, "Well, we're not most girls."

"I can see that," he said, looking at her with admiration.

"Weren't you afraid the bear would attack you?" he asked.

"Well, a little," Kacey admitted, "But I was more afraid that he would attack the girls in the other tent. We just did our best to scare him off."

"Well, that was pretty awesome. I sure hope we don't see any bears around here tonight."

"Yeah, me too," Kacey agreed, "I didn't bring any hair dryers with me."

They both laughed.

At the beach, Ava was in the water, helping Andrew do a back float. At the end of the dock, some campers were jumping off the dock into the water and swimming back to the ladder. Andre was busy teaching a few kids how to do a frog kick.

Bartley was among the kids jumping off the dock.

"I bet I can jump farther than anybody!" he bragged.

"No you can't!" Pedro argued, "You're a shrimp, Fartley. You can't jump farther than me!"

The two boys engaged in a jumping contest, which Pedro won easily. Angry, Bartley said, "I bet I can swim all the way across the lake!"

Pedro looked across the shimmering blue water.

"That's like fifty miles or something. Nobody can swim that far!"

"I can!" Bartley insisted.

"Yeah, sure. Let's see you do it, Fartley," Pedro challenged him.

"Stop calling me that!" Bartley yelled.

"Fartley! Fartley!" Pedro replied.

Bartley gave him a shove and pushed him off the dock.

Splash! Pedro hit the water and scrambled back up to the surface.

"Hey!" Andre called to Bartley, "Stop that, Bartley! You come here right now!"

But Bartley turned and jumped into the lake. Instead of swimming ashore, he headed out into deeper water. If he could swim to the beach at the end of the camp, he could run away and avoid Andre.

"Come back here!" Andre yelled.

"I'll go!" Ava said, "I'm a good swimmer. I can catch up to him."

Before Andre could protest, Ava was stroking across the surface of the lake smoothly and swiftly.

Bartley saw her coming and turned to swim away from the beach. But his breathing became harder, like someone was squeezing his chest, and he began to wheeze.

He tried to put his foot down on the bottom to rest, but there was no bottom. He was in deep water over his head. Suddenly, he panicked.

Bartley tried to keep swimming, but the more he moved his arms and legs, the harder it became to breath. He began to cough, gasping for air. He couldn't keep swimming if he wanted to breathe. He stopped and began to sink.

Seeing the boy slip under the surface, Andre shouted, "Bartley!"

He hoped that Ava had some training in water rescue. Trying to save a drowning victim could end up with both people drowning if the rescuer didn't know the right moves.

In a few more strokes, Ava was within touching distance of Bartley. She watched as he tried to flail his arms to stay afloat. She could hear him coughing and wheezing.

"It's okay, Bartley, I'm here. Just relax. I'll bring you in to shore. Just lay on your back."

As soon as Bartley saw her, he tried to grab onto her, but she pushed him away. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so he was facing away from her. Then she put her left hand under his chin to hold it up while she swam with him behind her. All he could grab onto was her arm. Soon, Ava reached shallow water and stood up. She lifted Bartley up and carried him.

All the kids were watching as she splashed through the shallow water.

"He's having an asthma attack! I'll take him to the infirmary!" Ava cried.

Andre waved in reply and gathered the other kids together on the beach. He did a quick head count to make sure the rest of the kids were all accounted for.

Ava reached the infirmary just as the nurse was coming out.

"Bartley is having an attack!" she shouted.

"Bring him inside. I've got one of his inhalers here."

Ava set him down on one of the beds and the nurse helped him take his medicine.

"What happened?" asked the nurse.

"He tried to swim across the lake, right buddy?" Ava asked, "But that lake is too big to swim across, especially for a tadpole like you. Why don't you stay here and rest a while? It's almost time for lunch." Bartley was occupied with trying to catch his breath, and gave no response.

The nurse said she'd take care of Bartley until he was ready to leave.

When Ava returned to the beach, all the kids gave her a cheering welcome, and praised her for her heroic act.

"Okay, everybody," Andre said, "Go get changed for lunch!"

As soon as the campers left, Andre smiled at her and said, "You didn't tell me you had life guard training."

"Oh, yeah, I learned that in a water safety class I took in high school."

"You're a great swimmer. Were you on a swim team in high school?"

"Yeah, I was. We were state champs," she smiled.

"I can see why. I got worried when Bartley tried to grab you. I know what can happen when somebody's drowning. I had to save my cousin once and he almost made me drown."

"Well, it's a natural instinct to try and save yourself if you're drowning," Ava said.

"How's Bartley?"

"Oh, he'll be fine."

"Some of the boys told me he was bragging that he could swim across the lake."

Ava laughed, "Are you kidding? I don't think that even I could do that!"

Andre smiled back, "I wouldn't be so sure!"

At lunch, Kacey and Ava shared their experiences about their mornings.

"It sounds like you were a hero," Kacey said admiringly.

Ava laughed, "No, it wasn't a big deal. I just swam out there and got Bartley, that's all."

"Did he say why he swam so far out?"

"Andre told me that some of the boys said Bartley told them he could swim across the lake, so I guess he was trying to prove it to them."

Kacey shook her head, "I'm worried about him. He never listens. He seems to want to prove himself better than the other kids all the time."

"He probably has an inferiority complex," Ava replied.

"Yeah, maybe. But why?" Kacey asked.

Ava shrugged, "Who knows? Come on, it's time for us to get back to work."

Chapter Seven: Overnight Camping Trip

The next morning, as soon as the campers had finished their breakfasts, Kacey's and Ava's team reported to the campfire circle for the overnight camping trip.

"I wonder if Emma will be coming with her kids," Kacey said to Ava.

"I don't know. I don't see her. Her campers are here, but she isn't. Let's ask Sandy."

The girls approached Sandy and asked her if Emma would be joining them.

"No, she's not coming with us. We got Deena to switch jobs with Emma. Emma will help out with the horseback riding today and tomorrow," Sandy explained.

Kacey and Ava thanked her and walked away.

"That's too bad. We might have been able to talk to her," Ava said.

"Yeah. Look, let's just forget about her for the next 24 hours and try to have fun," Kacey suggested.

Ava nodded in agreement.

They helped the kids pack their back packs with the camping gear. The heaviest gear went to the counselors to carry. Matt, Andre, and Tasha were coming on the trip with them.

"We've done this trip a lot," Andre assured the girls, "We'll show you what to do."

The campers lined up for the hike into the woods. The kids in wheelchairs and walkers would go as far as the paved path ended, and stay overnight at the amphitheater. The others would go a little farther into the woods and camp near the lake.

As they were walking along, Matt came next to Kacey and Ava.

Tasha and Andre were farther up in the line, leading the campers.

The girls walked along silently for a while, and then Ava cried, "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Matt asked.

"Something just bit me, I think," she said, stopping to look at the back of her leg. Matt and Kacey stopped, too.

"Yeah, you've got a red spot on your leg," Kacey said, sliding off her backpack, "I've got some ointment for bug bites that will help it feel better."

She applied the cream on Kacey's leg, and then they headed out again.

"Ouch!" Kacey cried, grabbing the back of her shorts, "That stings!"

"Maybe there are bees around here," Ava said, looking in the air above their heads.

They inspected Kacey but could find no bees or stingers.

The group continued on walking, trying not to get too far behind Tasha's group ahead of them.

"Yow!" Ava cried, jumping. "Man! That hurts!" she exclaimed, grabbing her other leg.

They stopped and Kacey looked behind at the campers.

"Are you kids okay?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," they replied, looking puzzled.

"What is this?" Ava demanded, "How come you and I are the only ones getting bitten?"

Matt interjected, "Yeah, how come I haven't been bitten?"

Kacey became suspicious, and looked at the campers.

"Did anyone see anything?" she asked.

They all shook their heads. She looked suspiciously at Bartley, who was staring at his sneakers.

"Can we go now?" asked Pedro, "I want to get to the campsite and set up our tents!"

Kacey agreed, and they continued.

Five minutes later, Matt sprang up and yelled, "Ow! What the-- Who did that?" he yelled, spinning on his heels. He stared angrily at the kids, and caught Bartley hiding a smile. Matt went to him and said,

"It's you, isn't it, you little weasel! What're you doing?"

"I didn't do nothin'!" Bartley cried.

"Yes, he did!" Pedro exclaimed, "I just saw him shoot at something with a rubber band!"

Matt took Bartley by the arm and looked him over.

"Give it to me!" Matt demanded.

"I don't have anything!" Bartley cried.

Kacey intervened, "Matt, calm down. It might have been some deer flies. They have a nasty bite."

"It wasn't deer flies!" Matt declared, and dug his hand into Bartley's pockets. He pulled out several large rubber bands from one pocket and a handful of pebbles from the other.

"It was you, you little creep!" Matt exclaimed, "You walk up front where I can see you, and don't pull any more of this stuff or you'll be going back to camp with me!"

He pushed Bartley up in front of him. A few kids were snickering as the campers continued their hike into the woods.

"Do you believe that?" Ava asked incredulously, "That little kid is a real pain!"

"Shh!" Kacey said, "Don't say anything. I'll talk to him when we get to the campsite."

Back at the horseback riding corral, Emma was helping campers get onto the horses and leading them around the pasture in a large circle. She was hot and didn't like the smell of the horses, but anything was better than camping overnight in the woods, she thought.

At lunch time, she went to the main lodge, stopping at the bathroom to wash her hands. There she met Wendi, another counselor.

"Hey, Emma! Did you hear the bear last night?"

Emma stopped soaping her hands. "No. When?"

"It was pretty late...sometime after midnight. We were all sleeping and then we heard this screaming from Hawk's Nest. I woke up and I heard growling coming from outside our tent. It sounded like a bear! It kept whacking against the side of our tent, and we were really scared. Then I heard Kacey and Ava yelling and screaming. I looked out and saw them chasing a bear! Your friends are really brave. I mean, chasing a huge bear? He could have turned and attacked them."

Emma was alarmed. She was shocked to hear about the bear attack, but more surprised that neither Ava nor Kacey had bothered to tell her about it before they left.

Wendi left and Emma dried her hands. As she walked on to the lodge, she felt oddly sad. She realized that she and her two best friends were no longer speaking.

She felt left out, even though she knew that it was her own fault. She had been angry at them for dragging her along on this camping trip. Learning about the bears had frightened her, and she had reacted by lashing out at her two best friends. She wanted them to feel guilty for pushing her into doing something against her wishes. Now that they were leaving her out of their lives, she felt lonely.

Tasha was away on the camping trip and wouldn't be there to keep her company tonight at the lodge. She had tried to talk Tasha into staying behind to keep her company, but Tasha insisted that she needed to help out and do her duty at camp. Then Emma found out that Andre was going on the trip and she understood why Tasha wanted to go. Tasha would rather be with him than her.

Emma went into the lodge and looked around for a friendly, familiar face among the crowd, but saw none. She got a tray and something to eat, but she really wasn't hungry. She just felt sad and lonely. Maybe she should have gone with the others on the camping trip, she thought. Facing bugs and bears with her friends would have been better than staying in the lodge alone.

She realized that Tasha wasn't a real friend like Kacey and Ava had been. Neither of them would have left her alone to go with a boyfriend. Best friends didn't do that. She recalled how Kacey had apologized, and she wished she hadn't treated her so coldly.

Emma threw out her lunch and headed back to the stable with a heavy heart.

Once the kids reached the campsite along the lake shore, Matt and Andre took the lead in helping them set up camp. With the counselors' help, the kids set up their tents and prepared a large area for the evening's campfire. Next, they went out looking for firewood in the immediate area. Matt supervised them as they cut up large branches into logs. Andre showed them how to make benches for seating out of long, thick branches and rocks. When they were done setting up camp, everyone enjoyed eating sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks, and fruit. When they were done eating, they placed their trash in the center of the campfire circle to be burned later.

"We're going on a hike next, and when we come back, we'll go swimming!" Kacey announced, and the kids all cheered.

"Hey, Matt," Andre called, "Let's show them the bear caves."

Ava stepped in, "Ah, that doesn't seem very safe. What if the bears come out?"

Andre laughed, "Oh, there are no bears in them now, just during the winter."

Ava looked at Kacey and Tasha skeptically.

"Well, we saw a bear last night, right?" Ava continued, "What if it came from one of those caves?"

Andre shook his head, "We've been bringing campers up here for years now and we've never seen a bear in one of those caves. It's completely safe!"

"Maybe we could just see them from a distance...just in case," Kacey suggested.

Matt nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Andre, you take the lead. Kacey and I will be at the end of the line to make sure we don't lose anybody. Let's go!"

They gathered the kids into a line and reminded them of the rules. Andre and Tasha started up the trail into the woods and everyone followed. Matt made sure that Bartley was right in front of him, behind Kacey, so he could keep an eye on the boy.

The trail wound through the tall trees, through the evergreens and up through giant boulders protruding from the side of the hill. The forest was dark and cool. Occasionally, they entered a clearing filled with warm sunshine where butterflies flitted among the wild berry bushes.

Matt and Andre stopped the group from time to time to point out things such as the hole in the tree where raccoons lived, raccoons' tracks, deer tracks, and the names of plants and insects. They showed the campers tree trunks that had been scored by bears' claws and teeth to mark their territory. They soon reached a steep section of the forest where large boulders erupted from the hillside, covered in thick, green moss. The guys stopped the group to point out two bear caves that were used by bears during the winter to hibernate.

"This is where the bears spend their winters hibernating," Matt explained, "During the summer months, they feed on nuts, berries, fish, plants, and sometimes small animals. Then in the fall, they find a nice cave like one of these to sleep in. They sleep for about four or five months, and all during that time, they never need to wake up to eat or even urinate. Sometimes when the snow melts, a few bears might leave their caves, but mostly they sleep from fall until early spring."

Thomas raised his hand, and asked, "When are baby bears born?"

"They're born in late January or February, and a mother bear can have up to six cubs, but they usually have only two or three."

"I bet they're cute!" Maria remarked.

"Yeah, they are," Matt agreed, "But don't ever go near a cub, because cubs are never far from Mama Bear, and she can get very aggressive when it comes to her cubs. Mother bears will attack anyone that they think might be a threat to her cubs."

"But I wouldn't hurt them!" Maria insisted.

Matt shook his head, "But mother bears don't know that, and they will attack you if you even go near their cubs."

Kacey asked, "How long do the cubs stay with their mothers?"

Andre replied, "Until they're about a year-and-a-half old."

"Will we see any cubs here?" Pedro asked excitedly.

"No. There haven't been many bears in these woods since Camp Wildwood was built. It's rare that they will even come as close as we are now."

"Except for last night," Ava remarked.

Kacey whispered, "Shhh...We don't want to scare the kids."

The group turned and headed back to camp. After they arrived, Andre told them to get into their bathing suits. Andre took them to a small waterfall in a creek that fed into the lake. The kids enjoyed slashing in the waterfall and sliding down a big, mossy boulder into the lake. They spent the entire afternoon playing in the water.

After swimming, the counselors helped the kids to get the fire going. This time, Maria lit the match and set it to the paper and kindling.

Bartley was upset, "Hey! It's my turn to light the fire! I know how to do it!"

"You'll get your turn some other time," said Kacey.

"No, I won't! You won't let me!" he yelled, and ran off to be alone in his tent.

The other campers helped put logs on the fire and find sticks for roasting their hot dogs. Kacey tried to talk Bartley into coming out of the tent to cook a hot dog, but he refused.

"I'm a bear and this is my cave, so you'd better get out!" he yelled, "Grrrrr!" he roared, and clawed the air.

Kacey sighed, "Okay, Mr. Bear. When you get hungry, come out and I'll give you a hot dog... if there are any left."

She left Bartley to think that over, and it wasn't long before he emerged and said he was hungry.

Once the campers were fed, Matt brought out lists and bags for a scavenger hunt. He and Andre put the kids into groups and gave each of them a list of items to find and place into the bag. The first team to find all of the items and return to the camp circle would win a prize.

Barely able to contain their excitement, the kids began exploring the area for items on their lists. One counselor went with each group, and Kacey volunteered to go with Bartley's group to keep an eye on him.

The kids soon found items on their lists such as acorns, pine cones, and wild berries.

When Ava's team returned, they waved their bag in the air, yelling, "We won!"

Other teams came running in, and the counselors checked the items in each bag to make sure that everything was included from the list. When Ava's team was declared the official winner, they cheered and jumped up and down.

Although some of the other campers were disappointed, Bartley was angry.

"That's not fair!" he cried, "If we didn't have Thomas on our team, we would have won!"

Kacey told him to stop saying that and to apologize to Thomas. She admitted to herself that because Thomas was blind, he hadn't been able to run back to camp as fast as the others. The rule was that every team member and their counselor had to return before they were counted as finished. When she and Thomas finally made it into camp, their team came in third. Tasha's team had been in third place, but they had lost one of the items on their list, and they were moved to last place.

The counselors brought out snacks for the kids and Matt gave the members of the winning team their prizes, which were small compasses, and the kids thought they were very cool.

Bartley saw the compasses and began to sulk with his arms folded across his chest. He had refused to apologize to Thomas. He found a stick and used it like a whip to hit the trunk of a tree. Kacey asked him to stop, but he ignored her, so she took the stick away from him.

"Get away from me!" Bartley yelled, "I hate you!"

He ran off to be alone.

Ava came to Kacey and asked, "Are you sure we shouldn't send him back to the camp? He's a handful of trouble."

Kacey shrugged, "It's only one night. In a couple of hours, they'll be going to bed, and then we'll be hiking back before lunch. Let him stay."

She watched as Bartley sulked alone away from the group, and wondered if she should try to talk to him or let him cool off first.

After ten minutes, she went to Bartley and asked if he's like to play a game, Duck Duck Goose. Reluctantly, he agreed.

Andre led the kids in the game of Duck Duck Goose, and they all enjoyed running around the circle. Unfortunately, no one picked Bartley as a goose, so he never got to run around the circle. Kacey was glad when Thomas said "Goose!" to her. She ran around the circle after him while Ava held his hand. Kacey made sure she didn't catch him in time to put him out of the game. When she circled the group, she touched Bartley, yelling, "Goose!" and he chased her. Bartley seemed to enjoy the game that he was good at playing.

The kids got to cook their own dinners over the fire. Everyone had a chore to do for cleaning up.

When it got dark, they stoked the fire to make it bigger and sat around it, telling funny and scary stories. Then they sang some silly songs and told corny jokes. For their bedtime snack, the kids made S'mores with melted marshmallows and chocolate on graham crackers.

Kacey made sure that Bartley was safely tucked in for the night. She headed back to the campfire where the other counselors gathered, and sat down, thankful that the day was done.

But it was only a few minutes later when she heard a scream from Bartley's tent. She dashed back to it and tore open the flap.

"A snake!" Pedro cried, pointing to a long black snake next to his sleeping bag.

Chapter Eight: Kacey to the Rescue

At first, Kacey was startled, and cried, "Just come out of the tent quickly, everyone!"

As the kids left, she noticed that the snake didn't move. She tapped the area near the snake with her toe, but the snake remained immobile. Just to make sure, she used a stick to touch it, and realized that the snake was made of rubber.

"Who brought this?" she asked, holding up the rubber snake.

The kids all stared wide-eyed at the snake.

"It's fake!" Pedro shouted, "It's the fake one that Bartley had in his suitcase!"

Kacey turned to him, "Is this yours?"

Bartley shook his head, "No, it's not mine! He's lying!"

"I am not!" Pedro shouted at him, "I saw it in your suitcase! You brought it to camp with you!"

"Liar!" Bartley shouted, and pushed Pedro to the ground. He pounced down onto him in a flash and pinned the boy's shoulders to the ground.

Kacey dropped the snake and pulled Bartley off of Pedro.

"Stop that! No fighting!" she yelled.

Everyone rushed over to see what was going on. Matt took Bartley by the shoulders and said,

"That's it, Bartley! You're sleeping in my tent! Come on!"

Despite Bartley's protests, Matt pulled him to the tent he shared with Andre and put him inside it. Kacey brought Bartley's sleeping bag and gave it to him.

Matt warned, "Stay in there! And if I see you trying to leave, you'll be in BIG trouble!"

Bartley said nothing, but did as he was told.

Once the kids were all in bed, the counselors sat around the fire together and talked. Andre slid his arm around Tasha, and she nestled up against him.

Matt asked Kacey about her life back home, and she told him that she was a full-time student at Westfield University, studying art and music. He asked if she had a steady boyfriend, and she told him about Joshua, who she had been dating since high school.

"You two must be pretty tight," Matt said.

"Yeah, we are. We're best friends and committed to each other. We'll probably get married after we finish college."

"That's cool," Tasha said, "I hope I get married someday. But first I have to find the perfect guy."

Andre cleared his throat and scowled at her, "What do you mean? He's sitting right here!"

Tasha laughed, "Oh, you mean Matt? Yeah, he's pretty cool, but-"

"No! Me, you idiot!" he responded, shaking her playfully.

She laughed in return and the two of them hugged.

Matt told them that back home he worked for his father's car parts business. Ava told the group that she was studying criminal justice and would be a detective someday.

"What about you?" Kacey asked Tasha.

She shrugged, "Oh, I don't go to school. I'm just not into studying. I worked part-time at a store for a while, but then I got laid off. So I volunteered to come here for a week just to get away from my family. They drive me crazy!"

The conversation went long into the evening, and as the fire died down, they began to yawn. Just before midnight, they all turned in for the night.

Kacey slept like a rock that night. She hadn't heard a thing during the night--no bears nor owls had kept her awake. She awoke to the sound of some of the campers talking in low tones.

Gradually, the campers emerged from their tents and the counselors started making breakfast. Kacey helped them each get something to eat, and then noticed that Bartley was not present. 'He's probably afraid to come out of the tent,' she thought, and went to Matt and Andre's tent. Both Matt and Andre were having breakfast with the kids.

"Bartley," she called, "You can come out now."

There was no answer.

"Bartley? It's time for breakfast. Come on out."

When silence was the only answer, Kacey opened the flap of the tent and peeked inside.

Bartley wasn't there. She stood up and looked around the campsite, but didn't see him, so she asked Matt and Andre where Bartley was.

"He was in the tent with us last night," Andre said, "He was asleep when I came in around midnight."

"Yeah, he was out like a rock," Matt added.

"Was he there when you woke up?" she asked.

"No, but I heard some kids talking, so I thought he was out here. Hey, kids, has anyone seen Bartley?"

A camper named Dwane asked, "You mean Fartley? No, haven't seen him."

The kids all laughed in response, but Kacey gave Matt a worried look.

"I'll check the latrine area," she said.

"I'll go look around the lake," Andre volunteered.

Matt said, "Okay. Tasha, you keep an eye on the kids. I'm going to look around for Bartley."

Tasha agreed. Most of the kids were still eating breakfast which would keep them occupied for a while.

Kacey and the others called Bartley's name while they searched, but there was no response. Kacey became really worried.

She went up the trail toward the bear caves, but didn't see or hear anyone. As she returned to camp, she worried that he may have gotten lost, or fallen in the lake somehow during the night. As soon as she reached camp, the others returned. No one had seen Bartley.

"If only we could get a signal out here," Ava said, trying her cell phone.

"It's no use," Matt said, "We're too far away from civilization."

"We need to get help right away," Kacey said, "Let's get the kids packed up. Maybe one of us should run back to the camp and tell Mr. Shillings."

"I'll go," Andre volunteered.

"I'll go with you," Tasha said, but Matt replied, "We need you with us to get these kids packed up and brought back to camp. Go, Andre, and hurry!"

Andre nodded, and ran down the trail heading for camp.

After the camp was broken down and packed, and the fire was completely put out, the kids were lined up for the hike back to camp.

"Maybe one of us should stay here in case Bartley returns," Kacey said.

"Good idea," Matt agreed, and was about to volunteer when she said, "Please let me! I feel responsible for him because he's on my team."

Matt was about to protest, but then he said, "Hey, anybody who can scare a bear away can stay alone in the woods."

Ava said, "I'll stay with her. You and Tasha can take the kids back to camp."

Matt agreed, and he led the kids while Tasha followed at the end of the line to make sure everyone stayed together.

After they left, Ava and Kacey kept searching for signs of Bartley's tracks, but could see none.

"This is bad," Ava said, "What if we can't find him?"

"We'll find him, somehow!" Kacey insisted.

Bartley struggled to climb up to the top of the cliff, scraping his knee against a rock.

"Ow!" he cried, and looked down. He had climbed about twenty-five feet up the steep, rocky cliff, and had finally reached the top. Once on top, he could see the tops of the trees below and the lake in the distance. He looked at his knee, which was oozing blood, and wiped it off with his hand.

He turned and saw a trail leading down to a cave in the hillside.

"A bear cave!" he exclaimed. He recalled that Matt had said that the bears didn't live in the caves during summer, and no bears had been in this area for years. He decided to take a chance and check it out. But he would be careful, he thought.

He stepped carefully over the edge of the cliff and edged his way along until he reached a large rock near the cave. Climbing up onto it, he peered cautiously inside the dark cave. It was too black to see anything, but just to be safe, he picked up a rock and tossed it inside.

Nothing stirred from within. He took a few cautious steps into the cave. It was bigger than he thought. It was big enough to hold a few bears in winter, and he wondered if bears ever shared their caves.

Toward the rear, there was a spot where dirt was compacted flat and hard. Bartley decided that was probably where the bears slept. The rest of the floor had dry leaves and pine needles scattered about.

He reached into his pocket to get some candy, and his fingers touched the wood stick matches that he had taken from Matt's backpack early that morning. Matt and Andre had been sound asleep in their sleeping bags. Bartley had sneaked quietly to check out what Matt had in his backpack. He was thrilled to find the box of wood stick matches, and had decided to take a few on his hike into the woods.

Bartley wanted to start his own fire all by himself. He didn't believe that any of the counselors would ever let him light one of their campfires.

The cave was the perfect place to make his campfire, he thought. He was high up on a cliff and far enough from the campsite that no one would see the smoke.

He pulled some dry twigs for kindling from the floor of the cave. After making a small pile near the opening of the cave, he took out his matches and swiped one against the rock. It burst into a beautiful blue flame, and then diminished to a steady yellow.

He touched the match to the kindling, and it started on fire immediately. Bartley smiled in satisfaction. He knew he could start a campfire, just like everyone else, and now he had proved it.

He looked around for more kindling, going deeper into the cave. As soon as he was inside, a gust of wind sailed up the side of the cliff, pushing air into the mouth of the cave.

The burning kindling flew up in all directions, and landed on the dry leaves and pine needles, catching fire.

"Oh no!" Bartley cried, realizing what had happened. There were small fires starting all around him. He began stamping on them as quickly as possible, but another gust of wind fueled the flames into a roaring fire.

Bartley backed away from the fire, and he soon felt the end wall against his back. He could go no further. The flames spread across the floor before him, filling the cave with smoke.

The heat of the flames burned the skin of his face, legs, and arms. As the fire was spread wider throughout the cave, Bartley pressed himself against the back wall. He turned his body away from the flames and crouched down as small as he could make himself. The smoke filled his nostrils and irritated his lungs, making him cough. It was getting hard to breathe. He needed his inhaler, but it was in his backpack back at camp. The smoke grew thicker and it became harder and harder to breathe. He wondered if he was going to die.

Ava and Kacey agreed to take turns looking for Bartley. One stayed back at the campsite while the other searched the surrounding area.

First Ava began searching farther along the path they had taken yesterday to the bear caves. Then to her left, she saw a trail leading to the waterfall where they had gone swimming. She left the trail to the bear caves and searched the creek and waterfalls, calling out Bartley's name.

After half an hour, she returned to the campsite empty-handed.

"He has to be here somewhere!" Kacey insisted. Feeling desperate, she said,

"Ava, would you pray with me? I really need God's help, and if we pray together, it would be better, I think."

Ava shrugged, "Sure."

"Thanks," Kacey said. She took hold of Ava's hands and they bowed their heads.

"Lord," she began, "You know where Bartley is right now. Help us to find him now. He's lost and needs our help. Please show us the way to find him. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

Ava said, "Amen," and then asked, "Well, what do we do next?"

"I'll try searching. I'll meet you back here in half an hour."

Ava and Kacey looked at their watches and noted the time.

Before Kacey left, Ava said, "I went as far as the trail that goes off to the left toward the creek and waterfall."

"Okay."

Kacey set off at a brisk pace, calling Bartley's name and searching the woods on both sides of the trail. In ten minutes, she reached the bear caves where they had brought the kids yesterday, but there was no sign of Bartley. She called to him again, and began looking in each of the two caves, but saw nothing.

Standing next to the bear caves, she wondered where to go next, and decided to say another silent prayer for God's guidance. Looking up to pray, she saw smoke coming from the top of the cliff above.

She figured it was either a forest fire, or another campsite. She hoped it was a campsite and that perhaps someone there had seen Bartley. She began climbing up the rocky cliff.

The climbing was hard work, and several times her toe holds gave way as the stones slipped and tumbled down the bluff. She slid down a few feet and scraped her knees and hands on the rocks. Some were split with sharp edges. Looking up, she whispered, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

She pulled herself up the cliff until she saw smoke coming from the cave just above her to the left.

Finding a foothold, Kacey pushed herself up the cliff as quickly as she could. To get to the cave, she had to slide along a ledge, hanging on to the rocks near her face.

Finally, she reached the cave where thick smoke billowed from the entrance.

"Bartley! Are you in there?"

No response came, but then she heard a noise. It sounded like coughing.

"Bartley! Can you hear me? Can you come out?"

She thought she heard coughing, and she knew she had to go into the cave. The smoke made her choke and stung her eyes. If Bartley was in there, he could be dying of an asthma attack. She knew she had to get him out.

Pulling her T-shirt neckline over her nose, she entered the cave, keeping her hand against the wall to guide her. Flames licked at her sneakers and socks, but she kept going, calling Bartley's name.

She could see nothing in the smoke, and her eyes stung so badly that she could hardly keep them open for more than a split second.

Suddenly, her foot hit something solid. She reached out and searched blindly through the smoke. Her hands touched the top of Bartley's shoulders.

Quickly, she grabbed him under his armpits and lifted him up. He was such a dead weight that she knew he was unconscious. She would have to carry him.

Tongues of flame stung her legs, but she lifted Bartley up into her arms, and carried him back through the blinding smoke to the entrance, keeping the cave wall to her left.

Soon, they were out of the cave, and she began coughing uncontrollably. She dropped to her knees and set Bartley down on the rocky ledge.

"Thank you, God!" she mumbled, "Please let him be alive!"

She looked at Bartley's face, blackened by soot, and felt his pulse. She couldn't tell if his heart was still beating or not, but she knew she had to get him medical attention as soon as possible.

Climbing down the cliff with the boy was going to be a challenge. She needed both hands to get down to the bottom safely. She needed to somehow put Bartley on her back. If only he were conscious, he could hang onto her. She needed a sling of some kind.

Using the only material she had, she pulled off her T-shirt and pushed Bartley's feet into the armholes. She tied the hem of the T-shirt into a knot, and lifted the boy up. Sliding her head through the opening, the T-shirt stretched enough for her to get her arm through as well. She slid the boy onto her back, and began the climb down, wearing only her bra and shorts.

Climbing down was much more dangerous, because now she had a heavy weight on her back that threatened to pull her away from the cliff. She hunched over to keep her weight against the rocks as she took one step at a time down the bluff.

A few times, her feet slid, and sharp stones cut her shins. Sweat broke out on her forehead, and her hands became too sweaty to maintain a grip on the rocks. She slipped and began to fall. Sliding down over the rocks, her face bumped painfully against them. She feared that she and Bartley would fall back and straight down to the bottom.

Her right foot caught against a rock, and she was able to stop her fall. She grabbed on to the nearest stones protruding from the cliff and held on. Her heart was galloping in her chest, and it was hard to breathe.

"God is my rock...my strength, in whom I will trust," she stated, remembering the words from Psalms 18. She closed her eyes and sought to feel God's peace with her. When she felt better, she opened her eyes.

She wished she could turn her head to see how much farther she had to go, but twisting her body would cause her to lose her balance and fall.

Kacey continued down the cliff and soon her foot touched flatter ground. When she was sure she had made it completely to the bottom, she turned and saw that she had indeed.

There was no time to rest. She slid the boy around to her front to get a stronger grip, then ran as fast as she could down the trail towards the campsite.

Ava heard footsteps pounding from the woods. She turned, and through the trees she saw Kacey running with someone in her arms.

"Kacey!" she shouted, running towards her. She was shocked when she finally saw her friend wearing only her bra, covered in dirt and streaks of blood. She could see that Bartley was unconscious in her arms, wrapped up in Kacey's camp T-shirt.

"What happened?"

"He was in a cave filled with fire! He needs a doctor!" Kacey yelled, not stopping to explain. She continued running down the path towards the camp.

Ava ran ahead to try to get help faster. Both girls covered about half a mile when they saw Matt, Mr. Shillings, and the nurse coming up the trail towards them.

Chapter Nine: Together Again

"Help!" Kacey shouted, "He's unconscious!"

The group met the girls and Matt took Bartley from Kacey's arms.

"What happened?" they cried. Kacey told them about the fire. Matt set the boy down and the nurse dug into her first aid kit that she had brought. She listened to Bartley's chest with a stethoscope as everyone held their breath.

"He's not breathing," she said.

"Should we do CPR?" asked Mr. Shillings.

"It wouldn't do any good because his airways are blocked. We need to get him stabilized and then get him some oxygen," she said as she dug into her bag again and pulled out a vial and a syringe. She quickly swabbed the boy's arm and gave him an injection.

"This should help open his airways," she explained, "Now get him back to camp! And tell them to call an ambulance as soon as you get there!"

Matt nodded and lifted the boy easily. He took off running as quickly as he could.

Mr. Shillings and the nurse looked at Kacey.

"You need medical attention, too," said the nurse, "Sit down here and let me see those cuts."

She gave Kacey a quick inspection and announced, "Nothing serious. I can treat these as soon as we get back to camp. Can you make it that far, Kacey?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Go help Bartley," she replied.

Mr. Shillings said he was going to put out the fire in the cave, and the nurse hurried down the trail back to camp.

Ava told Kacey, "Bartley's in their hands now. You and I can go easy the rest of the way."

Kacey nodded. She suddenly felt exhausted and extremely thirsty. She looked down at her legs. They were covered in dirt and streaks of blood trickled onto her socks.

"Too bad they didn't give you back your T-shirt before they left," Ava said, holding on to Kacey to support her, "You may cause a sensation when you turn up at camp wearing just a pink bra."

Kacey tried to laugh at Ava's attempt at humor, but she was too emotionally distraught to respond. She really didn't care what people thought or how she looked. She only hoped and prayed that Bartley would be all right.

When they arrived at camp, they went straight to the infirmary. Campers and counselors crowded around Ava and Kacey. Shocked by Kacey's condition and her appearance, people all asked, "What happened? Are you okay? Is Bartley going to be okay?"

Ava said that Kacey needed medical attention first, and that they could talk later. Wendi replied, "I'll get a T-shirt for her!" and ran off towards her tent.

Inside the infirmary, the nurse was working on Bartley. The boy lay perfectly still on the doctor's table. He had an oxygen mask over his face, and there was an IV in his arm.

"How is he?" Kacey asked anxiously.

"He's breathing a little better. The medicine is working, but he still needs to get to the ER."

Kacey heaved a sigh of relief.

In the distance, they heard a siren approaching the camp.

"Here comes the ambulance," Ava announced, and went outside to meet it.

The nurse took Bartley's blood pressure and then used a damp cloth to wipe the soot from his skin. Soon, the door burst open and Ava held it open while two EMT's came in carrying a large duffle bag.

Kacey and Ava moved away to allow the medical team to work on Bartley. After a brief examination, they carried him out to the ambulance.

Kacey felt relieved that the boy was on his way to the hospital. But suddenly, she felt very nauseous, and light-headed.

Ava sensed something was wrong and asked her, "Hey, are you okay? You look as white as a ghost!"

The nurse came to her and noted her pale skin.

"Lay down on the cot, Kacey, before you faint."

She did as she was told, and the nurse asked Ava to get a cold box of juice from the fridge for her.

"It's probably just stress," the nurse said, "But did you inhale any smoke?"

"Just a little," Kacey replied. The nurse listened to her chest with her stethoscope while Ava opened the drink.

"You're breathing okay, but your heart is beating pretty fast. Just rest here for a while, and you'll be fine."

Kacey was grateful for the cold, sweet drink. Ava stood by, looking anxious. Kacey finished the drink and began to feel better. She smiled up at Ava, saying,

"Hey, I'm not dying, so don't worry."

Ava shook her head, "You look like you're already dead. I've never seen you this pale!"

"I'll be fine," Kacey insisted, then asked, "Could I have another drink, please?"

"Sure!" Ava cried, and left.

The nurse brought over a bowl of water and a towel, and began cleaning up Kacey's legs while she drank her juice. As soon as Kacey was feeling better, Mr. Shillings came back in, carrying a T-shirt. He handed it to her and said, "Wendi sent this in for you."

"Thanks!" Kacey replied, and pulled it over her head. The nurse bathed the cuts and burns on her legs and applied ointment. A few cuts needed bandages, but no stitches.

"Can you tell me what happened?" asked Mr. Shillings.

Kacey nodded, and began relating what had transpired after she saw the smoke on top of the cliff.

"But how did he even get up there?" Mr. Shillings asked.

"Climbing up wasn't so hard, but coming back down was awful!" Kacey replied.

"Making a sling out of your T-shirt was very clever!" Mr. Shilling smiled.

"It's the only way I could carry Bartley on my back so I could climb down."

"Well, I spoke to the EMT's and they think Bartley has a good chance of a full recovery, thanks to you. If you hadn't acted so quickly to get him medical attention, he might not have survived."

Kacey smiled, "Thanks, but I had help. God was with me every step of the way."

When Emma heard what was going on in the infirmary, she ran to see for herself.

"Is Kacey in there?" she asked, "Is she okay?"

"We don't know," Wendi replied, "She looked horrible! All covered in blood! The ambulance just left, but they only took Bartley."

Emma was terrified something awful had happened to her best friend.

"I've got to see her!" she shouted, and pushed through the crowd at the door. She pounded on the door with her fist.

"Let me in! Please!" she cried.

The door opened a crack, and Mr. Shillings peeked out.

"Oh, Emma-"

"Please! Let me in! I've got to see Kacey!"

Mr. Shillings turned to Kacey and asked her if she would like to see Emma.

"Yes! Please let her in!"

Emma slipped inside and ran to Kacey's bedside.

"Are you all right? I heard you got hurt, and that you saved Bartley! Is he okay?"

Kacey smiled, "Yes, he's going to be all right, and I'm fine...just a few cuts and burns, but nothing serious."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Emma cried, and hugged her friend tightly.

When they parted, Emma said, "I should have been there with you! I'm sorry I was such a jerk! Can you ever forgive me?"

Kacey smiled, "There's nothing to forgive. It's really my fault for making you go on a camping trip when you really didn't want to."

"Oh, that's not true! I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to!"

Ava asked, "Then why did you get so mad at us?"

Emma shrugged and said, "Oh, I don't know. I guess when I found out about the bears, I got scared. I blamed you guys because I couldn't run back home. Anyway, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. Can we be friends again?"

Emma's eyes pleaded for forgiveness.

"Of course!" Kacey replied, "We never stopped being your friend."

"Yeah," Ava agreed, "Even though you were acting like a bratty friend. You were still our friend and always will be."

Kacey nodded, "Right! Best friends forever!"

That evening was the night of the big talent show, and the last night before camp was over. Everyone was planning something special to perform at the show. Sandy, the activities director, announced that the show would be held in the main lodge followed by a campfire afterward.

Kacey and Ava looked for Emma when they went to dinner, and saw her waving at them from one of the tables.

"Hey, come sit with me!" Emma invited them.

"Okay," they answered and took seats next to her.

"Where's Tasha?" asked Ava.

"Oh, I don't know. Since she met Andre I haven't seen much of her. She spends all her free time with him. I even had to sleep alone in the lodge last night."

"Oh, that's too bad. I wish we could have been here for you, but we were camping. Didn't you find anyone to take her place?" asked Kacey.

"Well, I did ask a couple of people, but they didn't want to have to drag all their stuff down here for one night. I can't say I blame them. Can you believe that tomorrow is our last day?"

"I know," Ava replied, "This week went really fast."

"And extremely busy," Kacey added, "Oh, by the way, I heard from Mr. Shillings that Bartley is doing okay. He'll be sent home tomorrow. His parents will pick him up at the hospital."

"I bet they're worried about him," Emma said, "I wonder if they'll sue the camp for what happened to him."

"How can they?" Ava asked, "He disobeyed Matt's orders. He was told to stay inside Matt's tent. If he had done that, everything would have been fine. They have no grounds to sue the camp."

"Spoken like a true criminal justice major," Kacey smiled, "Maybe you should go to law school and become a lawyer instead of a detective."

"Ha! Very funny," she replied, "But what amazes me is what happened when you found Bartley."

Emma begged, "What happened? I want to hear all the details!"

"Well," Ava began, "At first we kept searching and couldn't find him. So Kacey asked me to pray with her, so I did. And then she went out and found him! Isn't that incredible?"

"Not as incredible as when I got to the cliff near the bear caves," Kacey said, "I was so frustrated by not finding Bartley that I looked up to pray again, and that's when I saw smoke. It was like a sign from heaven!"

"Wow!" Emma exclaimed, "That prayer stuff really works!"

"Yeah," Ava agreed, "So be careful what you pray for. You may just get what you ask for, even if you don't really mean it!"

Kacey laughed and turned to Emma.

"Emma, what are you doing in the talent show?"

"Oh, I'm not doing anything. I left the other group because I just didn't feel comfortable with them. They're not like you guys."

"What do you mean?" Ava inquired.

"Well," Emma looked around to see if anyone was listening, and told them in a confidential voice, "When Tasha was staying here with me, she let Andre into the lodge. No one was supposed to be here except us two. I tried to tell her that he shouldn't be here, but she said it was no big deal. I told her I was nervous about getting into trouble with Mr. Shillings, and she didn't care one bit. That seemed a little selfish to me. Anyway, I didn't really want to act out a movie scene."

Kacey and Ava looked at each other and nodded.

"Emma, would you like to sing along with us? We're still doing 'On Top of Spaghetti' if you want to sing with us," Kacey said.

Emma beamed, "Oh! I'd love to!"

"Great! You're in!" Ava cried enthusiastically.

The girls soon finished their dinner and their conversation. After everyone was done eating, the counselors took the campers outside for a game while Sandy and Mr. Shillings set up the seating for the talent show.

The show began with a magic trick by Justin, Sandy's assistant. He made a bouquet of flowers appear out of his magic cane. The campers and counselors all clapped and cheered. Then Deena, who directed horseback riding, put on a recording and did a dance that she had learned in her jazz dance class. Enthusiastic applause filled the room when she finished. Next, Wendi and two other counselors performed a cheer that they had created for Camp Wildwood. Everyone cheered and applauded for their performance.

Matt, Andre, and Tasha performed a scene from "Nightmare", a scary movie about an ax murderer. They kept missing their lines and getting confused. Tasha burst into laughter and then Andre started to laugh. They finally gave up and didn't finish their scene.

"Looks like they didn't rehearse much," Ava remarked.

Emma replied, "I don't think they rehearsed at all."

Next, it was the girls' turn. Kacey sat at the piano, and Ava and Emma stood facing the audience. Emma held a copy of the words to the song.

"Okay, kids! We're going to teach you a really fun song--On Top of Spaghetti! The melody is just like On Top of Old Smokey. First, the three of us will sing the first verse. Then you all will join in and sing the rest of the song with us. Emma will recite the next line of the song before it's sung. Ready, Kacey?"

"Ready!" Kacey replied, and played the introduction on the piano. Then she and the other girls began to sing:

"On top of spaghetti,

All covered with cheese,

I lost my poor meatball,

When somebody sneezed."

Emma recited the next line before it was sung, and Ava sang it while all the kids joined in.

When they finished the song, everyone cheered. The three girls took a bow, and then went to their seats.

"Great job!" the others cried.

"You girls were really good!" Matt told them as they passed him on the way back to their seats. Once they sat down, they congratulated each other on a stellar performance.

After the show was over, everyone headed out to the campfire. They were given marshmallow sticks and marshmallows to roast. They sang songs, told stories and jokes, and laughed a lot. After the fire began to die down, Mr. Shillings stood up and said,

"Well, it's time for lights out, everyone. This has been a wonderful group of campers, and I hope you all had a terrific time while you were here."

This was met with thunderous cheering in reply.

"Do we have to go now?" one of the kids moaned.

"Yes, it's almost ten-thirty, and you all have to get up for breakfast in the morning. Tomorrow after breakfast, you will go back to your tents and pack up everything that you brought. The counselors will come around to help you. Then you'll bring it down to the main lodge, where each of you will be given a special Camp Wildwood patch to sew on your T-shirt. We'll stay in the lodge until your parents arrive. That should give you enough time to take pictures of your friends and say goodbye before you leave. So let's all get to bed and get a good night's sleep!"

"Amen to that!" Emma said enthusiastically, "I hardly slept at all last night. I'm pooped!"

Everyone headed to their tents to get ready for bed. Emma decided to move back to the tent for the last night so she could be with Ava and Kacey. They helped her move her mattress and things back to the tent.

As the girls were getting ready to climb into bed, they heard something hit the side of their tent.

"Grrrowwwlll!" came the menacing roar of a bear.

"Oh, no! Not again!" Emma cried.

Chapter Ten: Revenge of the Counselors

"Don't worry," Kacey assured her, "We'll be okay. We can scare him off like last time."

They gathered some of Emma's cooking utensils, and then Ava and Kacey looked cautiously out of their tent.

There, next to the steps to their tent stood a big black bear on his hind legs.

The girls were momentarily frightened, but began beating on their metal pots.

"Go! Get away!!" they cried, but the bear didn't move.

"Go on! Get!" they shouted again, banging loudly.

The bear crouched down on all four paws and began coming toward them.

"Oh, no!" Ava cried, "What will we do now?"

Suddenly Emma appeared and handed them a large spray can.

"Here! Try this! It's bug spray! Spray it in his face!"

Ava took the can and directed the spray directly into the bear's face. He turned away, waving his paws in the air, and started to cough.

The girls looked at one another in confusion.

"What are you trying to do, poison me?" a voice said, coming from the bear. Matt reached up and yanked off his bear head, coughing and waving a paw to clear the air.

"Matt!" Emma cried, "You! It was you? The whole time?"

He coughed some more, and then said, "Of course it was me!"

Ava and Kacey began to laugh, but Emma was furious.

"You scared me to death! I had to sleep in the lodge because I was afraid of bears!"

Matt laughed, "Come on, It was just a joke. I thought you knew!"

"How could I? That costume looks real!"

"What about all those stories that you and Andre told us about campers getting mauled? Were they true?" asked Ava.

Matt shrugged, "Well, maybe it could have happened."

"You mean you made it all up?" Emma cried.

"Yeah, we did," Matt admitted sheepishly. "Didn't Tasha tell you I was the bear?"

"She knew? She knew the whole time?" Emma cried, "Ohh, that little--"

"Come on, Emma," Kacey said, taking her arm, "Calm down. No harm was done. It was just a practical joke and we all fell for it. Very funny, Matt. You make a very convincing bear!"

"Don't I?" he grinned, and proceeded to show them his portable speaker. He played the growling sounds once more.

Wendi and Deena were sneaking up behind Matt. While he was putting away his portable speaker, they tossed a black rubber snake on his head.

"Whoa!" he cried, jumping back several feet in fright.

The girls teased, "Scared, Matt? It's just Bartley's fake rubber snake! What are you scared of?"

He made a face at them, and Deena said, "You deserve that for scaring us to death! But we're not done with you yet. We'll get even...you just wait!" they teased.

"Why, what's going to happen?" he asked.

"You'll see!" they replied, and ran back to their tent.

"Goodnight, Matt!" Ava called, and closed the flap.

The girls got back into bed and Emma declared, "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to find out from those girls what they're going to do to Matt because I want to be in on it!"

"Me, too!" cried the others, and they all laughed in anticipation.

The next day dawned warm and sunny. Campers were up early, trying to spend their last day doing something fun before their parents arrived. By eight o'clock, a dozen or more campers were swimming in the lake, while another group was going on their last canoe rides. Breakfast came soon after, and the kids were all connecting with each other, taking photos and exchanging autographs and gifts.

Kacey, Ava, and Emma sat with Wendi and Deena while eating breakfast.

"So what's the big prank you're going to pull on Matt? We want to help," Emma said.

Deena looked around and lowered her voice, "Right after breakfast we're going to the men's shower room. We've located where the hot and cold water valves are outside on the back of the building, and we intend to switch off the hot water while Matt is in the shower."

"Isn't it too late?" Kacey asked, looking around, "He's probably here at breakfast somewhere."

"No, we've got a lookout posted. He usually goes down about 8:30," Deena said, looking at her watch, "Which is in about fifteen minutes. As soon as she sees him heading for the shower with his towel and kit, she'll let us know."

Ava laughed, "A surprise cold shower! I wonder how he'll like that one!"

"Yeah, we'll wait until he's covered in soap, and then turn it off."

"How will you know when he's covered in soap?" Emma asked.

Deena and Wendi laughed, "We'll peek in, of course!"

The girls covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.

"You wouldn't!" Kacey exclaimed, "That's indecent!"

Deena shrugged, "Don't worry. There are walls between the shower stalls, so we won't see more than his bare head and shoulders from the door."

Five minutes later, another counselor named Latrice came into the lodge and found the girls.

"Matt just left his tent with his towel and bag. Andre's with him. They should be there in about two minutes."

"Great! We can get both guys because I bet that Andre was in on the bear thing, too! Let's casually stroll over to the shower rooms. If one of us gets called away, the others will have to carry on," Deena said.

"You have our word!" Emma promised.

Most of the campers were near the swimming and boating area with Justin and Jack. Some of the counselors were still in the main lodge. The girls made sure that neither Sandy nor Mr. Shillings was around when they headed for the back of the men's shower room.

Around the back, they were totally out of sight. Deena volunteered to peek in the door to make sure Matt was in there while Latrice and Ava guarded both ends of the back. Deena looked around cautiously to make sure no one was watching when she went to the door. It squeaked when she opened it, but the sound of the running shower blocked out the noise. She spotted Matt and Andre standing in the stalls. From the door she could only see their heads and shoulders over the stall walls. They turned on the water and began to soap up. Deena ran back to the others and gave them the signal.

Wendi nodded and turned off the faucet labeled "HOT".

Then they all ran back to the door and peeked inside. By this time, the last of the hot water had circulated through the pipes, and now there was only freezing cold water in the showers.

"Yikes!" Matt screamed, backing away from the shower and trying to wipe the soap from his eyes. Andre yelled and jumped back also.

The girls all exploded into laughter, doubling over.

"Who's out there?" Matt demanded, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist. He opened the door and saw the girls laughing hysterically. He was covered in soap from head to toe.

"You! You girls better turn the hot water back on!" he yelled.

"Sorry!" Deena cried, "We couldn't _bear_ to do that! You come out and do it yourself, even if you are _bare_!"

The girls laughed again and ran away, yelling back, "Gotcha!"

By lunch time, most of the parents had arrived to pick up their kids. There was lots of hugging and some tears shed as each counselor said goodbye to their campers. Kacey, Emma, and Ava all posed for photos with the kids and promised to keep in touch with some of them.

A large luxury vehicle pulled up and a woman got out. She looked around at the crowded parking lot where cars were coming and going, and kids were packing their stuff in the trunks.

"Can I help you?" Sandy asked the woman.

"Yes, I've come for Bartley Long's things."

"Oh, are you his mother?"

"No, I'm Ms. Creadle, his nanny. His parents are on cruise, and I am taking care of Bartley this summer."

"Oh, I see," Sandy said cautiously, "Have you seen Bartley?"

"Yes, I picked the boy up from the hospital, and he's in the back seat. May I have his things?"

"Of course. I'll get them for you. How is Bartley doing?"

The woman sighed, "He's fine. It's his own fault for running away and playing with matches."

"Yes, well, I'm sure he realizes that now," Sandy replied.

"I don't know. That boy never does what he's told. As soon as his parents return next month, I'm handing in my resignation. They don't pay me enough to deal with that brat. I'll take his things now, if you don't mind."

Kacey overheard Bartley's name mentioned and came over to meet the woman while Sandy left to get his things.

"Hi, I'm Kacey, one of the counselors who was with Bartley when he got trapped in the cave."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Shillings told me what happened. I'm not surprised. One of these days that boy will really hurt himself with one of his crazy stunts."

"Yeah, he really needs watching," Kacey admitted.

"That and a lot more. He needs a good spanking, if you ask me, but I'm not allowed to give him what he deserves. His parents spoil him, but they're not around much. They are both professionals, and they travel a great deal even when they're not working. Bartley attends boarding school most of the year, and in the summers they hire a nanny to take care of him."

"Oh, I see," Kacey said. She felt sorry for Bartley because he didn't have a close relationship with his parents.

"Is Bartley close to his grandparents, other family members, or his friends?" Kacey asked.

"Not that I know of," replied Ms. Creadle, "At least no one has contacted me from the family. He's an only child. Bartley mostly plays by himself because he doesn't play well with other children. He doesn't like to share, as you've probably figured out by now."

Kacey just nodded her head.

"I'd like to say goodbye to Bartley if I could," Kacey asked.

"Sure," Ms. Creadle replied and opened the back door of the vehicle. Kacey peeked inside and saw Bartley sitting there, looking sad.

"Bartley! It's so good to see you! Are you feeling better?"

Bartley's face broke into a smile when he saw Kacey.

"Yes, I'm better."

"Great! Well, I'm really glad to hear that. Did you have a good time at camp?"

"Yeah!" he replied enthusiastically, "And I'm coming back next summer!"

"You are?" Kacey replied incredulously. His answer was so unexpected.

"Yup! So I'll see you next year!" he cried.

"If I come back next summer, I will see you then. I promise!"

Before she could close the door, Bartley reached out and put his arms around her neck and gave her a hug. She imagined that he didn't express feelings for others very easily, and appreciated his affection.

"Thanks, Bartley," she said when they parted, "Have a safe trip home. And remember to do everything joy, respect, and kindness to all."

"Okay," Bartley smiled and waved goodbye as Kacey closed the door.

Sandy returned with Bartley's things and put them into the trunk. Ms. Creadle turned to Kacey, who said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Ms. Creadle. Have a safe trip home."

"Thanks," she replied and got into the car and drove away.

Kacey stood, feeling sorry for Bartley and wishing she had shown him more patience.

Sandy shook her head, "I don't get it. You saved the boy's life. Has anyone thanked you yet?"

Kacey shrugged, "No. But I wasn't expecting any thanks."

"You're a good person, Kacey. You saved that boy's life, and for one, I am very grateful."

"Thanks, Sandy."

"Do you think you'll be back next summer? We can really use a person like you. We can offer you a lead counselor's job and pay you."

Kacey explained, "Well, I can't really say. I'm in college now, and I don't know what my plans will be next summer. But I'll keep your offer in mind. Thank you."

Sandy nodded and left her just as Emma and Ava arrived.

"What did Sandy want?" Ava asked.

"She offered me a job as a lead counselor next summer."

"Wow, that's nice," Ava said, "Will you be coming back here next year?"

"I don't know," she replied.

Emma spoke up, "Well, I'm coming back!"

"You?" the other girls exclaimed incredulously. Ava said, "I thought you hated it here!"

"That was only when I thought there were bears. Now that I know it was just a gag, I'm not scared anymore. Besides, with my two best friends to protect me, bears won't hurt me."

Ava slid her arm around Emma's waist, saying, "Well, if we do come back, we'll all have to remember to bring our hair dryers to scare off the bears!"

They all burst out laughing.

THE END

Discover other Titles by C. Metzinger

Playing to Win

A Cup of Water

Snow Angels
