Erika found a rock that jutted out into the lake and sat down. She slipped off her shoes and let her feet dangle in the cool water. Could they accept me as a girl? Would they? I am enjoying having friends. I’m enjoying being welcomed by my peers, by girls. To even have a girl look at me without contempt or even pity…… It’s a whole new feeling... Most of the guys here just keep looking at me and smiling. Samantha was right on that part. Being with the girls can be a lot easier.   Camp Kumoni By Anistasia Allread

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Chapter 25
 
The lavender ladies of Columbine decided to show up to the mess hall early, wearing their more risqué tops, so that they could watch as the boys from Oak cabin arrived.

Victoria put on a bit of a show for Samantha and Erika by making sure that she changed in the bathroom, so that she wasn’t exposing herself to Eric.

Erika felt a little more comfortable in her altered T-shirt, especially now that she had better breast forms. She even decided to wear her shorter denim skirt, along with the wedge sandals that Samantha kept bothering her to wear. The gaffe was still restricting and pinched every once in a while, but She was getting a little more used to it and a little more confident in its purpose, to hide her true gender.

The mess hall was filled with all the cabins but one. Oak cabin still hadn’t shown up. The excitement at her table was over whelming. All of the girls, even Rachel were anxious to how the boys would react or retaliate to their prank. People at other tables were whispering to one another and pointing at Columbine’s table. Whether it was to speculate about their cabin getting pranked, or Oak cabin’s, Erika didn’t know. A few of the people at the other table pointed and laughed, while others just looked towards them and smiled or giggled.

Just when she thought she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, the doors to the mess opened and Oak cabin strolled in. At the head of the line of guys was Kyle, followed by Josh. The boys in the mess all started laughing and cheering as they saw what Kyle was carrying. While some of the girls laughed, most were startled and scowling at the parade of guys.

Kyle, leading the cabin of guys was holding, what looked to be a garden rake up in the air. Attached along the rake were the panties that they had raided from Columbine, displayed like banners taken from a battlefield.

“I told you we should have taken the panties back.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.” Rachel insisted. “We just need to pretend that it doesn’t bother us.”

“How are we going to live down this?” Victoria looked to their leader.

“We do the same tomorrow morning.” Rachel smiled. “But better.”

“Don’t forget to set the alarm.” Victoria reminded them when they were getting ready for bed. “See if we can wake up to music, rather than that horrid watch, beeping.”

“Don’t forget, ladies.” Phoenix entered the cabin. “We take our showers at night this week. We have now until half an hour before lights out to shower.” She sat down on her bed and looked through some notes on a clipboard. “Shoot!” she exclaimed. “I need to go check something out. I’ll be back later.” Phoenix quickly left the cabin.

“What was that all about?” Victoria looked to the others.”

“With Phoenix, who knows.” Katie shrugged.

Rachel pulled out all of the guys underwear that was left in the cabin and starting arranging them on the floor.

“What do you have in mind for tomorrow morning?” Dani asked their leader.

“We’re going to show them how do parade underwear.” Rachel grinned. She pulled out her needle and threads and picked up two pair of boxers and began to sew them together.

“Do you have more needles and thread?” Krystal looked up from one of her books.

“I have a few.” Rachel didn’t look up from her work.

Krystal sat down on a bed near the athletic leader. “hand me two pair and I’ll help it get done faster.”

“I can sew too.” Dani took the needles and thread from Rachel and began threading. “God knows, I’ve had to hem up enough of my pants.”

“How can I help?” Erika asked. “I’m not good with sewing.”

“We need a good stout long pole to attach these to.” Rachel advise. I’m planning on making a flag…. It’s better than taping them to a rake.”

Erika slipped out of her wedge sandals and quickly slid into her slightly used tennis shoes.

Erika found herself out under the tall trees. The sun, dipping ever lower in the West cast rays of golden light which filtered by the trees bathed everything in a warmth. Dark shadows cast by tree trunks and overhead branches contrasted drastically with the glow, making the forest seem eerie, almost magical. Erika’s imagination burst forth in the quiet of the woods. She could almost picture fairies, darting among the ferns and underbrush, while just beyond a rotted log in the distance, she could all but see a unicorn, in its majestic splendor, watching her drifting in and out of the shadows.

The quiet of the forest is what she needed right now. It had been an extremely busy day. From her getting her hair cut, acrylic nails, to her getting better breasts and a gaffe. On top of all of that, Victoria finally figured out that Erika was ‘the plague’.

One week…… One week to figure out how to tell the others in the cabin that I’m a poser. Erika thought. She picked up a small stick and began waving it around, slashing at ferns and odd branches. One more week to enjoy what I have here, before they throw me out of the cabin, and probably out of the camp. Unless of course they can accept me as a girl……. But how, or why would they even do that? I’m a boy, pretending to be a girl. Pretending so that I don’t have to be hassled and mistreated by my own sex. Would they understand that? Would they understand the dread of being humiliated in front of everyone on a daily basis?

Erika found herself standing on the shore of the lake. Tall green grass grew in mounded tufts along the water’s edge. The golden sun striking the water, danced as the wind rippled its surface. Erika found a rock that jutted out into the lake and sat down. She slipped off her shoes and let her feet dangle in the cool water. Could they accept me as a girl? Would they? I am enjoying having friends. I’m enjoying being welcomed by my peers, by girls. To even have a girl look at me without contempt or even pity…… It’s a whole new feeling. Guys aren’t tripping me, they aren’t duct taping me to anything, they aren’t trying to throw me in garbage cans. Most of the guys here just keep looking at me and smiling. Samantha was right on that part. Being with the girls can be a lot easier.

A mother duck was swimming along the shore, behind her was a trail of peeping ducklings. As the mother duck approached where Erika was sitting, she swam out into the lake bit more. Erika began counting the yellow, fluffy, goslings behind her. Four, five, six …oh and a black one…seven…… one black one, trailing behind the others. Part of the group, but kept at a distance…… boy do I know how that feels. She watched as the ducks disappeared behind some reeds further up the shore before slipping her wet feet back into her shoes.

Erika began walking along the shore. Then sun no longer sparkled it reflection on the surface of the lake. Behind the Western mountains, it was still light, just approaching dusk. Guys, I’m a guy. She muttered to herself. Nah…. I called you all together to let you know that I’m actually a boy…… Pathetic. How am I going to do this?

Something out of the ordinary caught her eye. Movement ahead. Erika froze in her tracks and peered ahead through some bushes. Strange noises were coming from there as well. Erika held her breath trying to hear what it was she had been approaching. A giggle. A girl’s giggle Who could it be? Erika’s curiosity got the better of her. She knew she should turn and make her way back to the cabin, finding a stick along the way, but who was in the bushes giggling? Slowly, and gently, she eased one foot in front of the other. Quiet and conscious of every branch on the ground, Erika slowly made her way forward.

On the grassy bit of beach, behind some shrubs and behind a fallen tree, Erika recognized the back of Todd’s head. The life guard’s jet black hair looked even darker in the twilight. He moved slightly, the muscles in his arms and back rippled under his tank-top, and gave Erika the view of the girl whose giggle brought her here in the first place. It was Phoenix. Phoenix lay on a towel, topless, her eyes closed. she giggled with pleasure as Todd traced a finger around one of her nipples, which were swollen, exposed to the cool air and Todd’s attention. Her fingers clutched at the back of Todd’s head while a peaceful smile was upon her swollen lips.

Phoenix opened her eyes just a slit, then widened as she caught Erika watching them. Her eyes flashed open. “Oh my God! Erika!” her free hand grabbed Todd’s shoulder and she tossed Todd off to the side. “Erika! What are you doing here?” Phoenix sputtered grasping her top to her chest.

“I…. I umm….. I was out to find….. Rachel as that I find a stick.” Erika stuttered. “I’m sorry Phoenix, I…. I didn’t mean to…. To uh…. Well to, you know….. I won’t tell anyone.” She added. “I’ll just go find that stick.” Erika turned and darted off into the trees.

Oh my God. Phoenix and Todd. Erika’s heart was racing, and not just because she was jogging into the woods. No wonder Phoenix kept disappearing. She was having hookups with Todd. Phoenix and Todd, whoa. The weight of the secret that she had discovered weighed heavily. What will Phoenix do to me now? Will she see that I am moved to a different cabin? If I’m moved to a different cabin, I’m going to have to start building friendships all over, and without Samantha’s help.

Erika slowed to a slow walk and began to look in earnest for a stick of some kind to use as a flag pole. Should I talk to each of the girls separate, or all together? She wondered to herself. Of course if Phoenix sends me to a different cabin, I may not have to worry about telling the other girls. Would Victoria still have me tell the girls of the cabin, or of the new cabin? What about school? Will she tell people at school what I did this summer?

Erika found what looked to be a good stick. It was lying halfway buried under a pile of pine needles. She pulled up on it and freed it from its covering. It wasn’t perfectly straight, but it was a good six feet long and most of the smaller branches had either rotted away or been broken. She tapped it against the ground, knocking off a bunch of needles that stuck to it and began back to the cabin. What if she didn’t tell? What if she made Victoria tell the others? Would they believe the smart girl? Duh, of course they would, why would they doubt her word.

“What do I do?!” she yelled to the tree tops. “What do I say?”

“Please don’t tell anyone.” A voice pleaded from behind her.

Startled, Erika jumped and whirled around brandishing the stick in her hands ready to strike like a staff. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts and problems, that she wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on around her.

“Please don’t say anything to anyone.” Phoenix pleaded. “Todd and I could get into serious trouble if Director Hobbs found out.”

“God you scared me Phoenix.” Erika clutched at her heart. She looked with honesty at her cabin counselor. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“I just heard you talking to yourself about whether or not to tell someone about us.” Phoenix approached. Her bottom lip was firmly between her teeth as she contemplated how to handle the young girl.

“I was thinking about something else.” Erika blushed. “Honest, I wasn’t talking or even thinking about you and Todd.” She lowered the branch. “I’ve got my own issues at the moment.”

“You weren’t?” Phoenix looked confused and relieved. “What were you talking about then?”

“Oh nothing.” Erika was glad for the shadow of the tree hiding her face. She could feel that it was hot enough to fry and egg, She was sure it was red enough to almost glow. “nothing I care to share right now.”

“You’re not going to tell on Todd and me?”

“No. I need to get this stick back to Rachel.” She turned away from her counsellor and started back through to the cabin.

“Now why would Rachel need a stick like that?” Phoenix questioned.

The clock radio switched on playing some top of the chart music. Again, groans sounded from around the cabin as girls either buried their heads under their pillows, or flung their covers off.

“At least it isn’t that damn watch beeping.” Katie countered.

Erika swung her legs over the edge of the bed, got up and stretched. Her long t-shirt pulled up just a touch showing her panties. When she realized this she pulled her shirt down, but Victoria was already adverting her eyes from looking. Erika felt a bit self-conscious at first, but remembered that she was wearing the gaffe that Sasha had given her yesterday. Wearing that, she looked like a normal girl unless someone was looking very closely. It had kept her awake for part of the night. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing she had to wear, but it helped with the illusion.

Victoria in her short nightie took her clothes and went into the bathroom to dress. Samantha saw this and rolled her eyes. “She’s just being stupid.” She whispered to Erika.

Rachel took them around the lake a bit faster than she had on previous morning. Krystal was already showing some stamina and smiled from ear to ear when the others let her know.

Phoenix looked hard at Erika as they neared the location of where Erika had discovered her and Todd last evening. Erika looked from the grassy beach to the counsellor with a tight lipped smile and continued on their way.

They were about three quarters of the way around the lake when Erika spotted the mother duck. The six yellow and one black duckling lined up behind her as they quacked and peeped their way through the water. “I’ll bring you something tomorrow.” Erika told the mother duck and young. “Especially you,” she looked directly at the black little guy, struggling to keep up with the others.

Once back to the main camp. Rachel had the girls of Columbine doing push-ups, sit ups, and other calisthenics.

“Are you sure we can’t shower in the morning?” Samantha asked Phoenix. “No one is even up yet.” As in reply to her plead, the loud speaker sounded playing Reveille.

“We have to take our turn like everyone else.” Phoenix told her. “We have some washcloths in the cabin. You can always give yourself a quick sponge bath.”

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Rachel looked to Victoria.

“After breakfast, we meet with Grizzly Adams for a nature hike.” She paused “I hope we don’t have to hike around the lake again.” She thought about if for a few minutes. “We then do something with rope, followed by lunch, then arts and crafts.” She closed her eyes, mentally scanning her mental list. “I think we play some soft ball and then swimming…. Or is it the other way around? Hmm. I’ll have to look again.”

The girls raced back to their cabin and took turns between cleaning up in the bathroom and changing for the day and cleaning up the cabin, getting it ready for inspection.

As soon as Rachel was clean and had her bed made, she took out the sewn together underwear and attached it to the long, stout, stick that Erika had brought to her. The stick was the perfect length and thickness, as it should be, it had taken Erika a long time to find it last night.

“I still think we should smear peanut butter across the crotches of the underwear.” Dani smirked.

“We’ll have to keep that for when the pranks start to get nasty.” Rachel smiled at her.

Once the cabin was swept, the beds made tightly and the extra shoes lined up, their laces tied and straps buckled, Rachel led the Columbine girls out of the cabin and unfurled their flag made of boxers and a pair of whitie-tighties. With the help of Dani, and Krystal, the girls cut the white briefs into large letters and sewed them to the flag of boxers.

When the girls arrived at the mess hall, the waited outside for a moment. As they waited a straggling girl from a different cabin ran up and excused her way to the door. When she saw the flag of underwear, she began laughing and entered the mess.

Rachel closed the door quickly behind her and waited for a few moments. “Ready?” She asked her cabin mates. All smiled at her with a gleam in their eyes, even Phoenix, who waited towards the back of their group.

Rachel nodded to Katie who swung the doors wide open and allowed Rachel to enter first with their make-shift flag. The mess hall erupted in laughter as they saw the Ladies in Lavender parade into the hall proudly with an underwear flag. Large white letters spelling out ‘OAK’ broadcast who’s cabin the underwear was from. The girls from other cabins were crying they were laughing so hard. Even the boy’s side of the room was filled with an uproar of laughter, many fingers pointed to the Oak cabin table where more than one guy sat red faced with embarrassment.

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To Be Continued...
 
End of Chapter Twenty-Five