“Are you all right?” Dani greeted her with concern. “They’re saying you were hit in the head and split open your stitches and were going to have to go back to the ER to get staples put in and stuff.” Camp Kumoni By Anistasia Allread Edited by Alexis

Camp Kumoni 47

By Anistasia Allread

Erika trudged up the trail to the cabin. The Nurse looked at her stitches to make sure that they were all there and holding, then put some anti-bacteria ointment on the wound before sending her free.

Erika’s mind whirled, as she walked through the dappled shade created by the huge evergreen trees. All she could hear in her in her mind was Samantha’s words ‘I don’t want to lose another sister’ Sister. Samantha called her a sister. That was as bad . . . No, worse than if she had said that she ‘just wanted to be friends. Sister.

She came to a junction in the trail and paused. Forward leads to the cabin, left to the shower building. Erika decided to go left. She may as well take care of nature’s call before getting to the cabin.

She walked into the bathroom and paused in front of one of the mirrors. She looked in the mirror, numbly looking past the image of the pretty dark-haired girl. Her eyes unfocused, and filling once again with tears, blurring the image. She didn’t know which hurt worse, the sharp, fiery pain starting to re-emerge on the back of her head or the harsh, dull ache in her chest.

What did Samantha see? Did she see Erika? Or Eric? Or Summer? She knew she went over that same thought earlier, and Samantha didn’t seem to make a distinction, she did kiss her in the shower. It wasn’t a chaste kiss of a sister, it wasn’t even a friendly kiss of a close friend, it was a passionate kiss of a lover, so why in the world would Samantha refer to her as a sister?

What about the kiss last night in the kitchen? That definitely wasn’t the kiss of a sister.

For the first time in over a week, Erika looked in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw. “Why am I doing this?” she asked her reflection “I did everything that I was supposed to do, and I am back to where I started. . . worse even.”

Erika looked down at the low-cut blouse that showed off a bit of cleavage. Her hands cupped her breast forms; her long lacquered nails making her hands look so soft and delicate. The baby blue top was so soft compared to the course fabrics of guy shirts. Part of her brain wished that she could feel the soft fabric against her breasts, real breasts.

She backed up from the mirror and sat down on a bench, unconsciously crossing her legs. Her hands laced around her smooth knee as her mind scrambled to get a grasp on reality. She just wished that she could feel the soft fabric on her breasts? Seriously? What was she thinking?

“You really need to get a grip.” She muttered aloud.

As she thought, her fingers slowly moved up and down her smooth-shaven leg, enjoying the silkiness, the tightness of the skin after its being exfoliated. When she realized what she was doing, she jerked her hand away from her leg as if she had touched a hot stove.

“You are enjoying this too much.” She continued. “Too, too much. It’s only for the summer. Remember, it’s only for the summer.”

Remembering what she was doing here in the first place, Erika sought out a toilet stall.

She found herself again standing in front of a mirror washing her hands, staring at the pretty ebony haired girl. “Is it really so bad?” She asked her reflection. “Why is it so wrong to enjoy this? You have friends. You aren’t being picked on or teased. At least not personally. People like you. You even like yourself. For the first time in your life, you like who you are. . . What is so wrong with that?”

The girl in the mirror didn’t answer. She just stared back and smiled.

The pain in her chest was dissipating a little. Her heart would forever be soft and sensitive towards Samantha. She just had to work on transforming the love she felt for the beautiful blonde from one of wanting a soul mate to love of a sister.

Erika washed her face with water from the sink and wished she had thought to have brought some mascara with her. The lake water as well as the emotional day in the ER had erased any makeup, she had applied this morning.

The pain on her scalp wasn’t going away, it was intensifying. She made the decision to seek out the nurse.

The nurse wasn’t too surprised to see her back in the infirmary. She gave Erika a painkiller and supervised her swallowing it.

“You need to take it easy today.” The nurse told her for the one hundredth time.

“Thank you.” Erika smiled. “I plan to take it easy. I promise.”

“Are you all right?” Dani greeted her with concern. “They’re saying you were hit in the head and split open your stitches and were going to have to go back to the ER to get staples put in and stuff.”

“What?” Erika looked horrified.

“That’s the story.” Dani stared at Erika as if she was looking at an animated corpse.

“No. I got hit in the head by a flour bomb. That’s all.” Erika scoffed. “I swear.” She added seeing Dani’s skeptical look.

“You’ll never guess who’s in our cabin right now.” Dani’s eyes were alight.

“The Jonas Brothers?”

“Kyle and a few others from Oak Cabin.” Dani blurted. “They said that they were not responsible and wanted to help clean up, hopefully to clear their names.”

“Kyle and Oak are in there?” the two girls started towards the cabin again.

“Yep. . . Oh and so is Derek. You were right about him, Erika. He is wonderful.” Dani beamed. “And you’ll never guess what.”

“You’re right, I won’t.”

“Derek’s mother is a Dwarf and so is his sister.”

Erika didn’t think she’d ever seen Dani so excited or glow this brightly. “Really?”

“Yes. So, he is comfortable around me, and not acting all weird. And he isn’t one of those ‘freaks’ who just want to ‘do it’ with a Dwarf.”

“That’s awesome, Dani. I’m glad to hear that.”

“He’s so sweet too.”

“I know he is.” Erika smiled. “I’m the one who made friends with him first.”

“He doesn’t live too far from me either, so we can see each other on weekends and vacations and stuff.”

“I’m so happy for you, Dani. Really, I am. You deserve a wonderful person.”

Dani turned and suddenly wrapped her arms around Erika’s waist, almost causing Erika to fall. “Thank you.”

“Are you all right?” Rachel approached along the path carrying a full trash bag.

“Yes, just have a bit of pain, right now.” Erika admitted.

Rachel winced upon hearing that. “I’m sorry.”

Dani dropped her death grip on Erika and took her hand. “Let’s get you off of your feet. Do you want to read? I’m sure Krystal has something that might interest you in that library of hers.”

Derek exited the cabin door. He shot Erika a warm smile, then looked to Dani, who seemed to shine in his gaze.

“Your bed is already cleared. So why don’t you take it easy while we finish this up.” Rachel agreed.

“Gregg Louganis has returned.” Tricia greeted from the door. “Welcome to our happy, little, hole in the woods.” The blonde girl wrapped her arms around Erika and gave her a tight squeeze. “I’m glad that you’re okay.”

“Thanks.”

And then Erika saw them. Kyle and a couple of his cabin mates in various acts of cleaning the cabin. Phoenix stood in the bathroom doorway supervising the effort.

“Erika, it wasn’t us, I swear.” Kyle pleaded.

“I know, Kyle.” She assured him.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew that we had nothing to do with this, or your head.” He looked very sincere and vulnerable.

“Thanks for helping with the cleanup.” Erika didn’t know what else to say to the friend of the guy who tried to rape Samantha.

“So does Hobbs know?” Erika asked Tricia in a low tone.

“Yes. Phoenix got here before we could clean it, and when she saw the mess, went directly to Hobbs. Hobbs is pissed, but with the Oak boys helping, out before she even arrived, she doesn’t know what to do.”

“I think it’s a frame job.” Erika expanded.

“We all do.” Tricia smiled at Erika. “Kyle is swearing that Oak isn’t responsible. I just hope that Hobbs doesn’t go ballistic.”

“Hey sweety, feeling better?” Samantha finished re-making her bed.

“I guess.” Erika stated, her voice carried no emotion.

“Your bed is ready, why don’t you go on and relax, we’re almost done.”

“Thanks.” Again emotionless.

Erika climbed onto her bed and leaned up against the wall watching as a dozen people swept, dusted, and put things back into order.

“How are you doing, Erika?” Phoenix stood next to her bed.

“My head hurts a bit, and I’m worn out.”

“We’ll be out of here soon.” Phoenix smiled. “Hang in there. We’ll give you some private time to take a nap or just recollect yourself.” The counselor patted Erika’s calf. “The word is that you cracked open your head again and your brains are showing.”

“What?” Erika was appalled.

Phoenix shot her a smile.

Erika smiled at the redhead and leaned her head very gently back against her pillow and closed her eyes. The sounds in the room grew quiet, more distant.

“Wake up sleepy head.” A comforting voice whispered in her ear. “Come on, it’s almost dinner time.”

Erika felt soft lips on her cheek. The sweet perfume of the one she was in love with warmed her heart.

“What time is it? How long have I been out?” Erika sat up. Her head felt foggy everything around her seemed kind of distant, almost insubstantial.

“They’re about to serve dinner. You’ve been out of it for two hours.” Samantha smiled. “Are you feeling any better?”

“I feel foggy, almost light headed.”

“That’s the pain meds.” Samantha smiled. “I’ve been there. Feels almost like your looking through a haze, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Come on Sweat heart, let’s get some food into that belly.” Samantha took her hand and pulled slightly.

Erika slid off her bed, and stood still for a moment, trying to gain her orientation.

“Samantha?”

“Yes?”

“We need to talk.”

The tone of Erika’s voice caught Samantha off guard. The smile slid from her face. “What is it?”

Erika sat down on Samantha’s bed and motioned Samantha to join her.

“What’s wrong?” Samantha urged.

“I love you, Samantha.” Erika’s gaze lifted from her lap to that of the blonde. “I have always loved you.”

“I love you too.” Samantha smiled, but it was weak, nervous.

“But I don’t think you love me the same way as I love you.” Erika went on. “I’m attracted to you. I have been from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You are this gorgeous girl, who lights up every room that you enter. You can have just about any guy in this camp. In fact most would fight over the chance to have just one evening alone with you.” Erika paused. “So why are you pretending with me?”

“I’m not pretending.” Samantha defended.

“Samantha, you’ve always been attracted to the Alpha male, the jock, the good-looking athlete, the assholes who beat up kids like me. I know, I have watched you with every single one of them in school.” Erika’s hands trembled. “I just think that you are confusing your love for me with the love you may have had for your sister. I think that you are trying to put me in the hole that Summer left you with, and because of that, you are doing things to try and keep me around. Things to keep me happy that you wouldn’t normally do.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I love you; Samantha and I will never leave you. Not ever. I will always be there for you. I just can’t allow myself to think that there can be anything more than a sisterly love between us. It will hurt too much when you do leave.”

Samantha was face was pinched with pain. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

“The last couple of days, with you have been incredible. They were everything I could have ever imagined. But I can’t keep up the illusion that this perfect girl, who loves me not as a boy, but as a sister, could ever love me in the same way as I love her.”

“Erika. . .” Samantha pleaded.

“See?” Erika interrupted. “You see me as Erika, not Eric. You will never be able to see me as Eric again. At least you won’t see me as ‘The Plague’ anymore. I guess that is something.” Erika paused. “I came here to camp, under your pretenses so that I might be able to spend time with you and so that you’d be able to see me. . . Really see me. The problem is that you do see me now, but as a sister.”

“Eric. . .” Samantha tried again.

“No, Samantha. I can’t” Erika’s own eyes burned with tears. “Who’d ever accept you, Samantha Thompson dating Eric ‘The Plague’? It can’t work, and I’d rather stop it now, than have it kill me at the end of the Summer when I lose you to the peer pressure at school.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“No, but it will. The Cheerleader never falls for the nerd. She never has, and she never will.” Erika leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Samantha. “I still love you, Samantha. I always will.”

“I love you too, Eric.”

“I know. And that alone will be enough.” Erika pulled back and kissed Samantha on the forehead. “Let’s clean up and get some food, okay?”

Samantha nodded.