Chapter Nineteen
The tree through the roof? Yep, that fell directly above my bed. That’s what I get for choosing a top bunk. Even after shaking out my sleeping bag several times, there’s still debris.
Gary helps move our belongings with the golf cart, but it still takes a while to get everyone settled in the new room assignments. Jaden’s group is split into the extra bunks over with Isaac and Bobby. Meanwhile, Natasha’s group, as well as Simone and two of her girls, are in the staff cabin, but there aren’t enough functioning bunks, so Phoebe and I take the spare beds in Mackenzie’s.
“You’re back with me!” Blake exclaims as I’m trying to roll out our sleeping bags as quickly as possible.
“Just couldn’t stay away,” I say, unsure if I’m really channeling the “counselor cheer” right now.
Phoebe is hangry, which makes this all even more stressful. “I need food,” she says.
“Yeah, Gary’s gathering up some stuff for sandwiches.”
“It’s been forever. I need a real dinner.”
“I need more cereal,” Blake adds, holding up her empty carton, licking her finger to scoop up more of the sugary dust. That’ll help her fall asleep . . .
“And I need to brush my teeth,” Phoebe whines.
“Don’t you want to wait until after eating?” I ask.
“Or a shower . . .” Phoebe continues.
“It’s late tonight. We can shower tomorrow morning.” I also really want a shower, but Gary advised that we wait until he can make sure everything’s running properly. I rarely can tell the age difference between Phoebe and me, but right now, our different roles mean that she gets to complain while I have to put on a happy face.
“I’m not going to be able to sleep,” Phoebe whines.
“I promise you will; you’re exhausted,” I say. “You’ll be out as soon as you hit the pillow.”
And when the time finally comes, she is. Fast asleep. I, on the other hand, am tossing and turning because I have to use the bathroom. I’ve mostly avoided leaving the cabin by myself in the middle of the night. That’s the stuff horror movies are made of. But my need to go overpowers my fear.
I fish around in my duffel bag for my glasses so my vision is as clear as possible in the dark. I throw on Isaac’s hoodie before stepping out into the cold night. It’s not that long of a walk to the bathhouse, but I’m coming at it from a different cabin and angle now, careful of the storm debris beneath my feet. With every step on the muddy ground, my eyes dart away from the path my flashlight illuminates and up to the woods. It’s not less creepy when I reach the bathhouse, among the flickering lights and moths.
Wanting to get back to the safety of my cabin, I’m in such a rush—speeding from the stall to the sink and out the door—that I nearly have a heart attack when I exit and crash into Isaac. We’d been texting earlier, so I knew he was up, too, but I didn’t expect to see him here.
“I gotta go. But wait here,” he signs, and then he emerges a minute later. “Hey, nerd, I like your glasses.”
I reach up and adjust the frames from the bridge of my nose, signing “nerd” while sticking out my tongue.
Isaac smiles. “Can’t sleep?”
I shake my head.
“Me either. A little scary today.”
I nod. He reaches for my hand, and I instinctively curl into his chest for a hug, not embarrassed at all to be caught still wearing his hoodie. Now I’m still tired, but also wide-awake. And I remember what I have in the pocket of Isaac’s hoodie: a green duct tape bracelet with a stripe of purple.
“Here,” I whisper, holding it out for Isaac. I hope it’ll fit. The woven tape is pretty rigid but still has enough flexibility to scrunch up and let Isaac’s hand slide through.
Isaac holds up his wrist victoriously. The bracelet stands out from the rest of his camp collection. “It’s perfect.” His eyes dart to the ground as he reaches into his own pocket, retrieving a very loosely woven strand of string, in matching purple and green. He looks it over in his hand. “It’s not very good . . . ”
“No, it’s great.” I hold out my wrist expectantly.
Isaac attempts to tie the string, but it’s too dark. He steps back and purses his lips. The only lights are in the bathhouse and the nearby lanterns of the dance barn. But that’s the opposite direction of the cabins.
Yet we walk together to the porch, which is damp and littered with debris from the storm. Underneath the bright light, Isaac reaches for my wrist and ties on the bracelet. I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek.
“I wish we could go somewhere,” I sign.
“Me too.”
We’re already somewhere we’re not supposed to be. The bracelet is already around my wrist, but Isaac’s hand is still there, and he runs his fingers across my palm. The lamplight flickers above us as I watch the reflection in his eyes. We really should be getting back now.
But the only direction either of us moves in is to each other. My back’s against the wall, yet I want him closer. He leans toward me slowly, and the back of my neck tingles in anticipation until our lips meet, and we melt into each other.
It’s as if we’ve paused time to kiss in a way I’ve never kissed before. With no one around, being together is almost entirely brand-new again.
The taste of his mint toothpaste. My fingers through the curls of his hair. His arms wrapping around my back and reaching beneath the oversized hoodie to directly hold my waist. The certainty that he wants me as much as I want him—and that the storm, the miscommunication, the chaos, the confusion—all of it got us to this moment.
* * *
Several bright flashlights are coming our way. I jump back from Isaac, withdrawing my arms into the sweatshirt sleeves. How long have we been out here?
A voice shouts from behind one of the lights. “What the hell, Lilah.” It’s Simone, along with Mackenzie.
“I was so worried.” Mackenzie wraps me into a suffocating hug. “A girl going missing from her bed doesn’t usually end well. According to true crime podcasts, that is.”
“What?” I ask, still standing several feet apart from Isaac, knowing we’ve been caught. But if it’s just Simone and Mackenzie, hopefully it’s all right?
“Gary’s on his way,” Mackenzie says. If the director is heading over from his small cabin near the front entrance, then something is really wrong.
Simone walks forward, shining her flashlight right in my face, then pulls out her phone and holds it to her ear. I take a step toward her, my brain racing through ways I could possibly sneak back to my cabin and make like this never happened.
“What’s up?” I ask nervously. Isaac is also fidgeting beside me. I guess there are worse states we could have been found in, but I have no idea what to expect for being caught out and about after curfew.
Through the darkness, I see Ethan up ahead, waiting outside the cabins. Shit.
“Yeah, no, we found her,” Simone says on the phone. “Turns out someone else was missing, too. Uh-huh. Yeah. M’kay.”
When Simone hangs up, Mackenzie finally answers my question. “One of the campers was sick,” she says and signs. “They tried to wake you up, but instead they woke me, and I panicked when you weren’t there and I couldn’t find you.”