Camp Kumoni Ch. 34 by Anistasia Allread As the storm rages outside . . . : Erika approached the table with a smile, wanting to know what they were whispering about. Samantha’s head popped out of their meeting and gave Erika a look. She shook her head, signaling her that she wasn’t welcome right now. NOW WE CONTINUE WITH THE STORY:

If it hadn’t been for the pig tails, Erika’s hair would have been a mess from the wind and rain by the time she arrived at the mess hall. She threw open the door and scampered in to a thunderous racket of kids playing games, listening to music and watching a movie. The cooks had popped a few large bowls of popcorn and had also put out of all things, Potato chips. Junk food according to Rachel was a rarity at camp.

A few girls from another cabin were sitting at one table brushing and braiding one another’s hair, while a couple of guys sat at the other end of the table, pouring over what looked to be a comic book. Some of the brainier guys gathered around a chess board and having once been one of that cliques, before being ‘the plague’, Erika was tempted to join them and show them that a girl could play too.

Phoenix wasn’t hard to spot. Her copper colored curls were extra bright in the warm lights of the mess hall, and the flickering light cast by the fire, made her hair shimmer as if they were kindred to the flames. Erika’s cabin mates all sat at their assigned table their heads close together in a conspiratory huddle.

Erika approached the table with a smile, wanting to know what they were whispering about. Samantha’s head popped out of their meeting and gave Erika a look. She shook her head, signaling her that she wasn’t welcome right now. They were talking about her. What to do with her. A rush of adrenaline charged through her body. There wasn’t much she could do now; the fate of her summer was now in the hands of her cabin mates.

Erika looked around at the growing number of campers gathering in various parts of the mess. Other than Josh, Erika didn’t know anyone outside of Columbine cabin. The popular guys were all gathered around Josh at a table, playing cards. It looked like they were playing poker. A small group of girls sat on a couple of beat up sofas fingering through magazines. They looked to be a couple of year old at least, but if one was bored enough one would do anything to occupy the mind.

The fire looked inviting. Erika decided to sit next to the blaze and let its heat warm her body’s core. She drew her knees to her chest and closed her eyes and listened to the wind as it whirled and howled across the chimney.

---

“You were the one that forced her to tell everyone.” Samantha hissed at Victoria.

“I know,” Victoria’s face reddened. “I like Erika, I just feel weirded out now, knowing who she was.”

“I still don’t know if I like the fact that a guy, acting like a girl, is in our cabin.” Rachel voiced. “It’s creepy.”

“Did you feel creepy yesterday or three days ago, before she told you?” Samantha pointed out.

“Just what part have you had in this?” Rachel looked hard at Samantha.

“My part is trying to help someone who society has cast out.” Samantha shot back. “Even the rats at school were treated more humanely than Eric was.”

“So you dressed him up as a girl?” Rachel countered.

“Eric was going to be sent here for the summer, probably in a cabin like Spruce or even Alder.” Samantha’s eyes darted towards the guys of those cabins. Most were jocks and motor-heads. “Do you think anyone as nice and sweet as Erika could have enjoyed a summer spending twenty-four hours a day with them?”

“And what exactly was in it for you?” Rachel raised an eyebrow.

“Being a decent human being.”

“Getting secret info on your sister’s death.” Rachel corrected. “You were in on this whole mess from the beginning. You don’t need to be part of this discussion anymore.” She dismissed.

“She’s right, Samantha.” Victoria pointed out.

“Oh, and you’re not biased, Miss goody-two-shoes?” Samantha sneered. “You’ve only been holding it over her head for the last few days, treating her like crap! She’s been a nervous wreck.”

“No wonder she didn’t sleep last night.” Danni added.

“I was trying to give her the opportunity to come clean.” Victoria snapped back.

“And treating her like crap.” Samantha’s hard stare finally caused Victoria to look away. She looked around at the rest of the girls. “Just remember she has been trying really hard to fit in and not offend anybody. In fact, I’ve seen her go out of her way to help each and every one of you.” With that, Samantha got up and left the girls to their court.

She looked around the room and found Erika sitting next to the fire, basking in the heat that it threw off. The dark-haired friend was unrecognizable from the outcast that she had met in the park. Erika was a lot like Summer in a number of ways. Mood swings, introverted, but wanting to reach out to someone less fortunate than they were. Samantha took a deep breath tossed a glare at the Columbine girls and scanned the room.

It didn’t take long for her to spot Josh. He was playing what looked to be Texas Hold ’em with a group of other guys. He was so hot. The lean muscles of his arms rippled as he moved to toss chips into the pot. Samantha walked up behind him and rested her hands on his strong shoulders. Feeling the taught muscles beneath his shirt sent a charge of excitement through her.

“Can I get you something, Josh?” She inquired.

---

“Mind if I sit next to you?” a voice woke Erika from her light snooze.

She looked up to see a freckled, red-headed guy that looked vaguely familiar.

“Do you mind?” the guy asked nervously.

“Oh . . . No, go ahead.” Erika looked from the redheaded guy to the vacant spot on the hearth next to her.

“I’m Derek.” He introduced.

“I’m . . .”

“Erika Martinez.” He finished.

“It’s nice to meet you Derek.” Erika smiled. “How do you know me?”

“I don’t think there is any guy in camp that doesn’t know you, Erika.” Derek blushed crimson which clashed with his orange freckles.

“I have a favor to ask and I know this is going to sound really strange, and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the summer” Derek ran head on. “But could you smile and wave at those guys over there?” His eyes pleaded.

“Why?” using her peripheral vision, Erika noticed a group of six nerdy guys all huddled together and staring at her and Derek.

“Well, the truth is that we’re playing truth or dare and I was dared to come sit by you and talk to you.” Derek muttered quickly. He got up quickly, nearly jumping to his feet.

“It’s alright, Derek, relax.” Erika looked up at him. “Shall we really give them something to talk about?”

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“Help me to my feet.” Erika held her hands out.

Derek pulled her to her feet to face him and looked in awe down at her dark hair and blue eyes.

“Now give me a hug like we’re old friends.” Erika smirked. “It will drive them nuts.” With that she threw her arms up around his shoulders and pulled him close. She felt hesitant hands on her back, but after initial hesitation, his hands rubbed her back. “Are they watching?” She asked for his ears only.

“They’re jaws have just hit the floor.” Derek snickered. “Thanks Erika.”

Erika pulled back and smiled up at the freckled red-head. “It was no problem, Derek. I doubt they’ll be able to top that one.” She released him and sat back down on the hearth. She looked over at the group with half lidded eyes. Two of the boys were still staring, open mouthed.

She smiled and went back to enjoying the fire, with her eyes closed, and praying that the Rachel and the others would let her stay.

---

“I think, to make this easier, we need establish whether Eric is a boy or girl.” Victoria tried to sound non-biased.

“She could be one of those Trans-gendered things.” Krystal piped up.

“A what?” Rachel and Katie asked at the same time.

“You know, one of those guys that feel like they are girls trapped in a guy’s body.”

“That’s just weird.” Rachel stated.

“No, it isn’t. There are people out there that feel that they were born in the wrong body. A friend of my Aunt is Trans-gendered.” Dani argued. “She says that she always knew that she was a girl on the inside, but she was in the body of a boy. She had to hide it for years. She hated herself and was suicidal a few times. One day she decided that God put her in the wrong body for a reason. So that she would appreciate being a woman more once she had the right body. She went through a lot of money and surgical procedures, ‘shrink’ sessions and other stuff so that she could be a woman. She is one of the nicest most pleasant people I have ever met.”

“But Erika hasn’t said that she is this trendbender thing, either.” Rachel put forth. “To me, she is still a guy, in girls’ clothing.”

“It’s Transgender. “Krystal corrected. She has been a valuable asset and willing member of the cabin. She’s participated willingly in all of the sports, and pranks. She exercises with me and encourages me to lose this weight. “She was nothing but encouraging when Katie was attempting the rope course. She hasn’t said a word to anyone about your being afraid of snakes- “

“I’m not afraid of snakes, I just don’t like them. Especially in my bathroom.” Rachel asserted.

“She helped me confront my fear that first night, of not being stared at.” Dani added.

“She even helped push that thug with the fire extinguisher off of me in the raid.” Victoria admitted reluctantly.

“Okay, no one is arguing that she hasn’t been a great cabin mate, but she is still a he.” Rachel pointed out. She looked at Victoria. “Are you switching sides now?”

Victoria shook her head. “Just trying to be non-biased.”

A quiet fell among the girls. The wind outside howled. A few loud knocks on the roof of the mess caused some to jump as a branch snapped by the wind fell and bounced.

“We can’t change the fact that Erika is technically a guy . . . I think the real question, is can we accept her and live with her until the end of summer.” Krystal posed.

“Why do you keep calling him a her?” Rachel asked.

“Because while Eric is dressed and acting like Erika, we should respect her wishes and refer to her in the feminine.” Krystal explained. “Besides, they’re only pronouns.”

“I need to say something.” Victoria broke another silence. Five sets of eyes turned towards her.

“I knew of Eric ‘the plague’ in school. I had one class with him and never even talked to him. He was a loner, someone who stayed in the back of the room trying not to draw attention to himself. He always dressed in black and wore his hair in his face, like an Emo. I even thought that he might be a cutter.” She paused and scanned her audience, then glanced over at Erika sitting on the fireplace hearth.

“This person–Erika? She is nothing like the Eric that I knew. Eric would never have joined in playing kickball, volleyball, or even with setting the pranks. The Eric I knew would never have encouraged me when I was terrified on the rope course. The Eric that I knew would probably never have pushed that thug off of me either . . . What I’m saying is that I like Erika, but I still kind of . . . well, I still feel weirded out by a guy living in the cabin with us. I just don’t know what to say. One moment I don’t mind Erika being with us, the next I don’t want Eric watching me as I get dressed.

---

“Good play, Josh!” Samantha exclaimed as Josh lay down a full house and collected the sizeable pot.

Josh looked up at her over his shoulder and smiled. “Thanks.”

“Mind if I sit next to you?” Samantha asked.

“Not at all.”

Samantha pulled an empty chair up next to and slightly behind Josh as the cards were dealt again.

A loud squeak was followed by a deep and deafening snapping. Several smaller snaps followed. The room was suddenly silent then the earth seemed to shake as a large thud of something enormous hit the ground.

The room went deathly quiet, everyone looked around at one another with large frightened eyes. Only the crackling of the fire disturbed the silence.

“Everyone stay here!” Director Hobbs called as people began to return to their senses, muttering over what happened.

Erika watched as Director Hobbs donned a rain jacket and hard hat and joined two others with flashlights to see what had just happened.

She looked over at the guys reading comic books and noticed that Derek had joined them. She got up and walked over to Derek and the boys.

“What are you reading?” She asked.

A couple of the boys didn’t see her approach, jumped at her greeting.

“Uh, we are just uh, looking through some comics.” Derek stammered.

Erika picked one up from the stack. X-Men. “Read it.” She muttered. She set it down and pushed it to one side. Batman, “Not a fan.” Elf-Quest “Good one. I have the series at home.”

“You like comic books?” Derek asked in disbelief.

“Duh.” Erika returned. “Ooh, here’s one I’ve hear about and not seen yet.” She picked it up and thumbed through it quickly.

“Here’s number one.” An Asian boy announced handing the comic over to her. “Numbers two and three are around here somewhere.”

“Thank you.” Erika smiled at the boy. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” He almost announced it to the room.

The doors to the mess opened again. Director Hobbs and the others entered behind her. A large gust of wind followed, whipping their jackets around them and blowing pine needles into the room, scattering papers and playing cards, before one of the men closed the door.

“A large tree fell, but nothing was damaged. You all will have to stay here the night or until the storm blows itself out.”

“Here are the other two.” Derek smiled handing her the two comic books.

“Thank you, Derek.” Erika smiled.

She took the comics and returned to her place next to the fire. Just above the whoosh of the wind, she could hear the whining and groaning of the tall trees as they swayed and fought against the relentless wind and rain.

She had expected the comic books to be Archie, or some other lame types. She picked up the first comic book “Camelot 3000, who’d have thought I’d find this here.”

---

Another earth rumbling shock could be felt through the floor of the mess hall. The campers all paused in nervous excitement as it rumbled and quieted down

A shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Katie standing there looking down.

“Erika, could you come over and join us please?” She asked. There was no hint of emotion on Katie’s face. Katie the sweet farm girl so naive was wearing a mask. Erika swallowed a lump.

“Sure.” Erika smiled up at the beautiful tall girl.

Katie turned and strode up behind Samantha and tapped her on the shoulder. Samantha frowned then excused herself from Josh. Erika’s pulse quickened. She nearly growled, the jerk had his hand on Samantha’s thigh.

The three joined the Columbine girls and sat down. Erika sat on the very end of the bench feeling ever the outsider.

Rachel looked from Erika to Samantha and back at Erika. “We have been back and forth over this for a while now.” She said. “We talked about the pros and cons and we’ve come to a decision.” Her gaze looked away from Erika as she paused and took a deep breath.

The doors to the mess hall flew open as Todd ran in. “Foxglove cabin!” he called out. “It’s destroyed! It’s nothing but splinters!”

“What are you talking about?” Director Hobbs called.

“Foxglove Cabin, a tree fell on it. There’s nothing left!”