Camp Kumoni By Anistasia Allread Edited by Nick B Half way home, the bus pulled into a rest stop. “Okay, you have twenty minutes to use the facilities,” a counselor informed them. Erika looked at the other girls around her. “I need to start changing back.” Samantha and Tricia nodded. Erika grabbed her duffle and entered the ladies restroom with Tricia and Samantha.

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Chapter 67
Final Chapter
 
Erika dressed in a long white cotton skirt and her lavender camp shirt. She stepped out of the shower area and joined Katie as they walked back up to their cabin.

“That was really cool, what you did for Dani last night.” Katie beamed down at her.

“She deserves it.” Erika smiled back, “How was your night with Scott?”

“Wonderful.” Katie blushed.

“I take it you didn’t beat him up. Did you two kiss?”

Katie turned bright red and smiled.

“Well, it looks like you ended up getting your summer wish.” Erika took Katie’s hand, “Katie has a boyfriend.”

“He lives kind of far away,” Katie said, but we’ll try and get together a couple of times a month.”

“And there is always e-mail, texting and calling.”

“Yes, though cell phones don’t really work where I live, I’m too far out in the boon docks for cell service.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, Katie.” Erika gave her hand a squeeze.

The model squeezed it back.

When they entered the cabin, they set to work packing up all their clothing, and other items. They left the hangers in the closet, hoping that next summer’s campers would appreciate them.

Once she had all of her girl clothes in, she piled her boy clothes on top then sat on the edge of her bed and watched her cabin mates one by one, trying to memorize their faces. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago she was terrified of these sweet, wonderful girls. Now she couldn’t imagine her summer without their warmth, friendship and love.

She took her duffle bag and looked through it again, making sure it was all there.

“I’m sure going to miss you girls,” Phoenix stated watching them all finish up. “You all have grown so much this summer.”

The girls just looked at one another in silence, not knowing exactly what to say or how.

“Well, shall we get some breakfast?” she suggested breaking the awkward silence.

The Columbine girls, all dressed in their lavender shirts walked down to the dining hall which was a little more subdued than it usually was.

Of course, Sheila out did herself. She made Belgian waffles with strawberries and cream to go on top. As always, there was a table that contained muffins, fruit and cereal.

“So, do you know how much weight you lost?” Dani asked Krystal between bites.

“Thirty pounds.” Krystal replied sheepishly.

“Wow, that is great!” Erika exclaimed.

“Rachel you should open a camp for losing weight,” Phoenix smiled. “Krystal that is absolutely incredible. That averages out to be three pounds per week. Even if you continue to lose half of that a week, over the next few months, no one will recognize you next summer.”

“You should tell Sheila when you’re done with breakfast.” Rachel smiled. “She’ll want to know.”

Phoenix brought out a paper and pencil, “Okay, I want each of you to write down your email address, phone number and mailing address if you know it. I want to send you and your parent’s pictures and keep in touch with you.”

“Um, could you not send pictures to my parents?” Erika asked, “Dad wouldn’t understand and mom, probably wouldn’t like it.”

“I’ll send them to just you then.” Phoenix agreed, “You can decide whether or not to show them.”

“Thanks.” Erika smiled.

Director Hobbs cleared her throat loudly catching everyone’s attention. “Everyone, I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful summer. Did you all have a good time?”

A cheer went up with applause.

“Okay,” she continued after the din died down, “You’ll have an hour or so before the buses come. The counselors and I will have a list of what buses you should be on. Please have all of your baggage down at the parking lot in half an hour. Okay, let’s get going people.” She dismissed them.

The Lavender Ladies got up and walked up to the cabin. They talked about everything except for their leaving. They spoke of not missing the hot weather, of the scariness of the storm. They talked about skinny dipping at midnight and how good ice cream tasted after that swim. They laughed about the pranks that they pulled on Oak cabin. Phoenix was shocked, but laughed along with them.

Erika gathered up her suitcase and duffle, looking around the place that she had called home for the summer. She took a deep breath in taking the scent of the dusty cabin mixed with the lake, a bit of pine and even a musky whiff of moss.

“What are you doing?” Rachel asked.

“Memorizing the smell of the cabin,” Erika explained.

“Why, Whatever for?”

“I’m memorizing the smell of the cabin.”

“You can do that?”

“In a way, yes. I heard about a blind woman who was taken to her elementary school fifty years after she had last been there. They didn’t tell her where she was going, but when they took her into her old classroom, she knew exactly where she was, just by the smell.”

“Is that true?” Katie asked doubtful.

“I’ve heard the same thing.” Phoenix nodded.

Erika watched as each of the girls closed their eyes and took a deep breath in through their noses.

Phoenix broke the spell. “Okay girls let’s get down to the parking lot before Hobbs has a fit.”

Erika followed Rachel down the trail with Tricia beside her. The parking lot was already filling up with campers. Several buses were parked in a line.

The girls from Columbine stopped and piled their luggage in one spot. Dani walked up to Erika. “I’m going to miss you, Erika.” She started to get teary eyed, “I won’t ever forget what you’ve done for me.”

“What did I do?” Erika asked.

“Well...” She began. “You helped me to become less self-conscious in the beginning and…..You made me camp Queen last night.”

“You were always Queen in my book, Dani. I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

The two girls hugged one another tightly for a long moment. When they released, Katie was there.

Katie embraced Erika, “You make a great girl.”

“And you,” She stated. “make a great friend. Take care, Katie. And please write.”

“I will,” Katie promised.

Katie released Erika and embraced Samantha. Rachel came up and stood before Erika looking her up and down.

“I don’t understand it, but I’ll just go with it.” Rachel smiled. “It was rough at times, but I’m glad you were one of my cabin mates this summer.”

“Thank you, Rachel.” Erika smiled. “I’ll miss you too.” Erika held her arms out and Rachel stepped forward and the two embraced.

“Let me know how everything goes with your dad and with your sports,” Erika told her.

“I will.” Rachel released her and stepped over to Samantha.

Phoenix directed Katie on to one bus then helped Dani to another, then went over to the remaining girls.

“Well, at the beginning of summer, I told you that I wanted to see you all be ‘reborn’ and grow. I think I’ve gotten my wish. You are all beautiful, wonderful girls and I feel proud to have been your counselor.”

“One question before I go.” Rachel looked at Phoenix.

“Sure, Rachel.”

“You said that you knew about things that were going on in the cabin even when you weren’t there. You seemed one step ahead of us all along–how?”

Phoenix smiled. “I’d like to say that it was my superior intellect and reasoning, but in truth and please don’t be mad at me… I had a baby monitor under my pillow.”

“Argh.” Rachel slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead then turned and climbed the steps up on to her bus.

“Okay.” Phoenix looked at the five remaining. “It looks like you are all going back on the same bus.” She wrapped her arms around Samantha and whispered something in her ear as she gave her a hug, then moved to Erika. “You are a good, smart, wonderful person, no matter who you choose to be. I’m so happy that you were to stick it out during those first rough weeks. You don’t know how many times I wanted to jump in to your rescue.”

“Thank you, I think.”

Erika followed Samantha onto the bus. Samantha passed to the rear of the bus and took a seat near a window. Erika sat one seat behind her. One by one, Krystal, Victoria and Tricia joined them; Tricia sat in the seat next to her.

The bus slowly pulled out of the parking lot, the campers waved out the windows to friends and counselors who waved back.

“How long do we have before we get home?” Erika asked.

“A few hours, why?” Victoria inquired.

“My mother said I had to leave Erika behind and come home as Eric,” she said looking down at her white skirt and sandaled feet.

The girls talked about the things that they learned at camp, the memories that they would always treasure and what they wanted to do when they got back home.

Half way home, the bus pulled into a rest stop.

“Okay, you have twenty minutes to use the facilities,” a counselor informed them.

Erika looked at the other girls around her. “I need to start changing back.”

Samantha and Tricia nodded.

Erika grabbed her duffle and entered the lady’s restroom with Tricia and Samantha.

Erika put the duffle down next to one of the sinks and turned on the tap. She splashed water all over her head and combed her wet tresses out, then slipped into one of the toilet stalls.

She slipped out of her skirt and gaffe, other than taking a shower, or her day off, it was the first time she had freed her genitals since the first week of camp. She decided to keep wearing her panties–boxers would just seem too weird at this point–and pulled on a pair of jeans. She slipped her Lavender shirt off over her head, removed her bra and replaced it with her Ramones T-shirt. She took off her sandals and slid her feet into her converse tennis shoes. Eric stuffed Erika’s clothing into the duffle and waked out to anxious friends. “I’ll have to do the rest on the bus.”

Once on the bus, Eric handed his duffle to Tricia. “Could you pull out the nail trimmers?”

A moment later, Eric was clipping his acrylic nails down to a masculine length. He then took an odorless acetone and scrubbed the polish off them. He didn’t know what to do about the thickness of them. He’d just have to let them wear off naturally or find something at home that would help eat away the acrylic and glue.

“Could you find a small bottle with a brush applicator?” He instructed Tricia. “It’s in the side pocket.”

He took the bottle from his friend and began applying it to his chest at the edges of her breast forms. With what was left of his fingernails, he began scraping at it. Once he had a free edge, he began pulling the breast forms away from his chest.

“Ouch, doesn’t that hurt?” Victoria asked.

“A little, but not too bad. I’ve had to do this about every ten days so that I could wash my chest, then reapply them, so I’m kind of used to it.”

With one breast form free, he handed it over to Tricia to stow in her duffle.

“Can I see that?” Victoria asked.

“Sure. You might want to wipe the back off first, it’s kind of icky.”

Tricia used the Lavender shirt to wipe the back of the form off, while Eric worked on the second one.

Victoria held it in her hand, feeling the weight and texture. “It’s kind of creepy in a way.”

“How?” Eric asked.

“I’m basically holding your breast in my hand. Something that has been a part of your body all summer; I just think it is a bit creepy.”

Eric looked at her strangely, and then worked on freeing his other form.

“Okay, now I need to get rid of this make up.”

Tricia pulled out some wipes and some make up remover. Eric scrubbed his face, especially around his eyes to remove all traces of mascara and eye shadow. He had Tricia check his work to make sure he got most everything, and then took a brush to his hair. He brushed it all back and put an elastic around it securing it in a more masculine fashion.

“Don’t forget your earrings.” Krystal observed.

Eric removed the hoops that Samantha had loaned him and handed them to her.

“Keep them.” She waved her hand.

Eric put packed them in a side pocket for safe keeping.

“I miss you already.” Samantha bit back tears.

“I’m still here,” Eric replied.

“I know, but you’re now a brother, when a few minutes ago, I had a sister. Can’t I mourn the loss of Erika?”

“I guess.” Eric shrugged. In his heart he was missing Erika too.

“I miss her as well.” Victoria wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Not you too.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m still the same person.”

“I know, it’s just that we grew so fond of Erika.”

“Either way, Eric or Erika, I like you.” Tricia squeezed his hand and smiled.

“We need to get together for school shopping or something,” Samantha stated looking at the other girls.

“Slumber party at my place?” Tricia suggested.

“Do you even know where you live yet?” Victoria inquired.

“It doesn’t matter. We should have a slumber party.”

“I’ll have to run it by my mother, and perhaps by that time my shrink,” Eric sighed.

“I need to see if I can get some money for a new wardrobe.” Krystal smiled at Samantha.

The bus pulled into an elementary school. Several vehicles were parked waiting for the bus, parents stood on the side walk or on benches nearby. Eric looked for his dad, and found him leaning up against his truck talking on his mobile phone.

“My sister’s here,” Tricia exclaimed. She waved out the window.

“My mom’s here,” Samantha stated.

“So are both of my parent’s,” Krystal added.

“Mine will be here in about twenty minutes.” Victoria looked at her watch.

The bus came to a stop and the doors opened.

“Hold on!” the counselor called over all the noise. “Make sure you get all of your things off the bus.” She skipped down the steps and waited just outside the doors for everyone to unload.

Eric picked up his duffle and shuffled off of the bus along with everyone else.

He was a few feet away from the bus when he was enveloped by Samantha. “Thank you, Eric. Thank you for coming to camp with me, for putting up with my issues. Thank you for helping with that incident with Josh.” She started crying, “I can never thank you enough for talking to me about Summer, for explaining what truly happed.”

Eric wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight, enjoying her touch, but not as a hopeful lover or a love sick puppy, but as a friend. “You’re welcome.” He paused. “You know, I have now walked in your shoes, I’ve seen what it is to be a girl. I won’t say it is easy, but I’d take it any day over being the plague. Thank you for going to camp with me.”

Samantha pulled away, smiled and wiped tears from her eyes. “Call me,” she ordered then turned to greet her mother.

He was just about to head off across the parking lot to his dad when another set of arms wrapped around him. “You are so wonderful, Eric,” Tricia said. “I hope you figure out what you need to figure out. I’ll be waiting for you.” She lifted her chin and sought out his lips. Her sweet kiss turned into a more passionate one. Eric’s groin had no difficulty rising to the occasion.

She pulled back after a little nibble of his bottom lip. “Call me when you get home.”

“I’ll call you as soon as I can,” He promised. He glanced over at his dad who was still on the phone but waved to him with a smile.

Krystal gave him a squeeze. “I’ll need your help to see that I continue losing weight,” she told him.

“You won’t need me, you’re doing fine on your own, but I’ll be here just in case you do.”

“I’m sorry about being so mean to you at the beginning of camp,” Victoria hugged him next. “If I don’t see you shopping or at the slumber party, I’ll see you at school. I’ll even eat lunch with you.”

“I’ll understand if you don’t.” Eric released Victoria picked up his baggage and walked over to his dad.

“…I don’t care how it gets done, just see that it is done,” His dad demanded of the person on the phone. “We are on a tight schedule.”

Eric tossed his stuff in back of the truck and got in, carefully avoiding too much of his father’s gaze.

“I’ve got to go now,” his father said. “I’ve got to drive my son home from summer camp.” He hung up the mobile and started up the truck. “It looks like you learned a little bit about women this summer,” his dad observed with a sly smile.

“You can say that again.” Eric leaned his head up against the window and watched as his friends disappeared behind them.
 

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And thus ends the tales of Camp Kumoni. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, seeing your comments, arguments votes and corrections. ;)

 

Anistasia Allread
 
Finis