Very Private List for Camp Success

by Chrissie Perry

  Penelope grimaced, but she also felt a bit less shaky. One thing she knew about Oscar Finley was that he was not a liar.

  ‘Also,’ Oscar said, leaning forward with a very serious expression, ‘heaps of kids have done this before you, and no-one has died.’

  Penelope felt a genuine smile playing on her lips. ‘Well, I didn’t actually expect to die,’ she said.

  ‘Good,’ Oscar said, grinning now, ‘because you’re probably not going to.’

  Oscar stayed with Penelope right up until his turn. It was kind of funny how kids kept chickening out and coming to the back of the queue. By the time it was Penelope’s turn, there were six people behind her. One of them was Rita Azul. Penelope supposed that she wanted to go last so everyone was paying attention when she sang her terrible song, and not worrying about their own turn.

  Then it was Penelope’s turn. When Ramone fastened her harness, Penelope had to remind herself to breathe. She clung tightly to the rope as she rose through the air. The green handle was right there beside her. About halfway up, she thought about telling the others to stop. She thought about it again three-quarters of the way up. But somehow, she kept going up and up, and it was kind of OK.

  From the HIGHEST point of the challenge swing (eighteen and a half metres! – but this wasn’t the time to think about that) Penelope could see the whole camp. The ocean glittered as though it was made of diamonds. Penelope was filled with fear.

  But she also felt something bigger than fear. A kind of exhilaration that she’d never felt before.

  ‘OK, Penelope. Pull the handle on three,’ Ramone called out. ‘One!’

  There was still time to back out. Penelope could ask Ramone and the other kids to lower her down.

  ‘Two!’

  Or she could go halfway down, and do it from there.

  ‘Three!’

  Or she could do it. Right now.

  Penelope pulled the handle. There was a jolt as she dropped.

  Her heart lurched into her gut.

  Then Penelope PLUMMETED to the ground.

  It was over in seconds, but those seconds on the swing felt longer than normal seconds.

  She was still giddy and excited when her feet touched the ground.

  ‘You were amazing!’ Bob cried, helping Ramone unfasten the harness. ‘Totes fearless.’

  Penelope’s breaths came quickly. ‘I actually did it!’ she squealed. ‘I DID IT!’ Her legs were shaky as she got out of the harness and walked beside her very best friend.

  ‘It’s cool, right?’ Bob said. ‘I loved it.’ Bob gave Penelope one of her cheekiest looks. ‘Should we beg Ramone to let us do it again?’

  Penelope giggled as she shook her head. There was absolutely NO WAY she was doing it again. But she felt extremely proud. She’d discovered a new part of herself. A part of herself that was brave enough to do something that terrified her. A part she never even knew existed.

  It was actually fun to help with the ropes. Penelope felt strong, knowing her turn was over and done with. Felix Unger called stop almost as soon as he started rising. He said it was because of a painful wedgie, but Penelope suspected that wasn’t the real reason.

  Tilly went halfway and squealed with delight all the way down. Eliza and Alison both screamed their heads off, but still wanted to go straight back and do it again.

  Rita Azul was last. As Ramone was about to strap her into the harness, Penelope braced herself to hear that awful song.

  But then something very strange happened. Rita shook her head wildly. Then, without a single word, she turned and ran off.

  ‘She’s not in the hut,’ Tilly said. ‘We’ve looked everywhere!’

  Penelope bit her lip. She didn’t need to be an excellent detective to know something was wrong.

  Penelope thought about Rita moaning in her sleep. Perhaps her bad dream had something to do with all this? If Rita was feeling upset, it made sense that she’d go somewhere comforting …

  ‘I think I know where she is,’ Penelope said suddenly, breaking away from the group.

  Penelope stood in the doorway of the barn. Rita was facing away from Penelope. She had Florence on her lap, and was stroking the guinea pig’s extra-long fur. It was clear she was pouring her heart out.

  ‘I’m such a baby. But it was too high … so scary. I’ll have to lie about it to Janine …’

  Penelope didn’t know who Janine was, but she recognised the name from Rita’s sleep-talking last night.

  Florence made a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeaky toy and a cooing pigeon. Rita lifted the guinea pig up to her chest for a cuddle.

  ‘Maybe I am a baby,’ she said, and the sad way she said it wound its way into Penelope’s heart. There was nothing nice about seeing Rita like this, even if she was terribly mean sometimes. Penelope walked in and sat beside Rita.

  ‘You’re not a baby, Rita,’ Penelope said softly. ‘The challenge swing is crazy high. It makes a lot of sense to be afraid. I was.’

  Rita looked at Penelope. There were tears in her eyes. ‘But even you did it,’ she said (which wasn’t the nicest thing to say, but Penelope forgave her).

  ‘Well, I had help,’ she said. ‘Oscar gave me a pep talk. He was great.’

  Rita drew in a breath. ‘It’s not just the challenge swing,’ she said. ‘It’s everything.’

  Penelope tilted her head to the side. She wanted to help. But everything covered an awful lot of things. She wasn’t sure where to start.

  ‘Who’s Janine?’ she asked.

  The tears spilled over and started flowing down Rita’s cheeks. Penelope thought about rubbing her back (that’s what people always did on TV), but she wasn’t so sure that would be the right thing to do, so she kept her hands by her sides.

  ‘My big sister,’ Rita said. ‘She’s going to give me such a hard time if I don’t do the challenge swing.’ Rita wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Florence squeak-cooed again. ‘We used to be really close. But Janine started high school this year and she’s totally changed. She won’t sit next to me on the bus and she keeps going on about me being a baby. She’s really, really mean.’

  Penelope thought of all the times that Rita had been really, really mean. There was no doubt she’d been even meaner this year. Penelope thought that might have something to do with her sister, but decided not to mention it.

  ‘My brother Harry went a bit strange when he started high school,’ Penelope offered.

  Rita looked interested, so Penelope continued. ‘For the first two weeks, he wouldn’t walk me to the school gates if any of his friends were watching. He said it was embarrassing.’

  Rita sniffed. ‘Janine won’t walk with me at all,’ she said. ‘I have to stay twenty paces behind her. She says I stink.’

  Ouch. Harry had never been quite that mean. Rita did not smell. Penelope had a sneaking suspicion that extreme meanness might run in Rita’s family.

  ‘But you know,’ Penelope said, ‘once Harry got used to high school things kind of went back to normal.’ She paused to think about what she was saying. ‘Or maybe we just made a new normal. I’m not sure it was ever exactly the same again, but it was OK.’

  Rita sighed. ‘I don’t want a new normal,’ she whispered. ‘I just want the old normal back.’

  Penelope didn’t quite know what to say to that. She was pretty sure that old normals never came back. But instead of saying that, she just sat next to Rita and watched her pat Florence.

  ‘If we have to find a new normal,’ said Rita, ‘do you think Janine and I might get one that’s good?’

  Penelope breathed deeply. She thought about how very strange and awful it had been when her dad had first left them to make a new family. It had definitely felt like things would never be normal again, let alone good. Yet somehow, over time, she and Harry and even her mum had become used to it.

  Now it really was OK to see him some weekends and in the school holidays rather than every night. Perhaps it wasn’t a perf
ect normal, but it was definitely OK most of the time.

  ‘I do,’ Penelope said. ‘Absolutely.’

  It was very pleasing to see a smile creeping onto Rita’s face, even if it was just a small one.

  ‘I’m sorry I put your list up like that, Penelope,’ Rita said. ‘You know, I make lists too. I’ve got loads of them at home. I’ll show you sometime.’

  Penelope bit her lip. It was nice of Rita to admit she made lists too, but Penelope didn’t think she wanted to go to Rita’s house. It probably wasn’t the right time to tell her that, though. Despite all the horrid things Rita had said and done, this was the very first time that she had ever apologised to Penelope. It was quite a shock. But it was a good shock.

  ‘I’m sorry too,’ Penelope said. ‘I shouldn’t have said you’d be the worst leader in history. You made the hut look amazing. I don’t think I could have done much better myself.’

  ‘Neither do I,’ Rita replied, but the way she said it was more funny than mean.

  Penelope decided to smile.

  ‘What do you think, Florence?’ Rita asked, lifting Florence up. Penelope reached out and patted her long, soft fur.

  Just then, Penelope noticed something. She giggled. ‘Florence thinks she might make a better listener if you talk to her face rather than her bottom.’

  Both girls were still laughing when Rita got up and put Florence back in her enclosure.

  ‘Come on, Penelope,’ she said, holding out her hand. ‘I want to see if there’s still time to have a go at the challenge swing. If you’ll be my support person.’

  In the afternoon, Penelope’s hut joined other hut groups for orienteering. Bob and Tilly weren’t much help finding Bats’ Belfry (which was halfway up the trunk of a very big tree), but Rita was extremely co-operative, and (mostly) very good with a compass. Penelope’s group was the first to find Vampire Alley and check it off their list. Unfortunately there were a few problems finding Horror Highway (as in, going south instead of north for a good fifteen minutes before Penelope realised Rita’s mistake). By the time they got to Coffin Curves three hut groups were already there. But after doing the challenge swing that morning (and going all the way to the Very Top!), Penelope didn’t feel so bad.

  After all, she was pretty sure they had an EXCELLENT chance of winning the best hut competition. Straight after orienteering, the girls had decorated the wall with Penelope and Tilly’s drawings. Penelope thought they looked amazing.

  Dinner had been spaghetti bolognese, which was just about everyone’s favourite meal in the world. After that, everyone had played charades.

  Now the girls were tucked into their bunks. The atmosphere in hut seven on the second (and very last) night of camp was totally different to the first night. Everybody was happy.

  Even though it was past lights-out time, and they were supposed to be quietly falling asleep, every single girl in hut seven had broken that rule at least twice. Penelope knew it was (a bit) wrong to keep talking, but the happy feelings inside her were wriggling about like crazy. In fact, they were wriggling about so much that a very unusual and very NOT-PENELOPE suggestion popped right out of her mouth.

  ‘Pillow fight anyone?’ she suggested.

  She climbed down, leant over the top bunk and swung her pillow into Bob’s leg – and then into Tilly’s arm, and finally hit Rita (just a little bit harder) on her right ear.

  Everyone was silent for a split second, as though they were extremely surprised. Then the silence turned into squeals and thwacks as they belted each other with pillows (which was probably quite safe).

  The next morning after breakfast, all the kids gathered in the main hall. It was hard to believe they would be leaving Camp Tribute in less than an hour. In some ways, the time had flown. But somehow it also felt like it had been longer than forty-eight hours. So many things had happened.

  Penelope remembered Rachel’s first words to them: You will take from this camp whatever you put into it.

  Now Rachel was handing out awards. She was about to announce the winner of the best hut competition. Next to Penelope, Bob and Tilly were comparing something in their Camp Tribute booklets and not paying attention to the announcement. Penelope leant forward, looking past Bob and Tilly.

  She reached over and tapped Rita on the knee. ‘Good luck,’ she whispered.

  Rita screwed up her nose and bit her lip, looking as nervous as Penelope. Then she showed Penelope her crossed fingers. Instantly, Penelope crossed her own on both hands.

  As much as she’d loved camp, she was looking forward to going home and seeing her mum and her brother (who was not mean very often), and Grandpa George. It would be amazing to go home with a best hut medal to make them all proud. If her hut won, Penelope would definitely wear her medal on the bus ride home, and would strongly suggest that Bob, Tilly and Rita do the same. After that, it could live on her jewellery stand. Or perhaps she could hang it on the wall with her award certificates? There were many options to consider.

  ‘The winner of this year’s best hut competition is …’

  Penelope waited as Oscar Finley and Tommy Stratton did a drum roll on the floorboards. She looked over at Rita. They each held their crossed fingers in front of their faces.

  ‘… Hut six!’ Rachel announced with a flourish. ‘Joanna, Eliza, Alison and Sarah.’

  Straight away Alex jumped up and yelled, ‘Go, Jo!’ three times very loudly, while pumping his hand in the air. Then he ran over to Joanna and punched her on the arm.

  It was a very strange sight, and for a moment, Penelope forgot to be disappointed about not winning.

  But she definitely felt a pang of jealousy when she saw the girls hold up their medals. Bob squeezed Penelope’s knee. Penelope glanced over at Rita. She was frowning, and her mouth was a downward slash. Penelope waited for her own jealous pang to grow into bitter disappointment or anger. She definitely felt deflated.

  But somehow, she just didn’t feel all that terrible. The best hut competition and the lovely medals didn’t seem quite so important anymore. It was actually nice to see Joanna (who normally only got attention for being naughty) win a prize.

  Before Penelope had time to be properly surprised at how fine she was, Rachel had moved on.

  ‘And now, this is my personal favourite,’ Rachel said. ‘The prize for the best support person. This is for someone who has tried very hard themselves, but has still found the energy and goodwill to support others.’

  The award Rachel held up was not as flash as the best hut medals. In fact, it was just a piece of paper. A certificate. The Old Penelope, the Penelope who hadn’t been to Camp Tribute, would not have admired it very much. But New Penelope thought it looked pretty special. She hoped Oscar Finley would win it. She’d nominated him, but the final judgements were left to the camp leaders.

  Penelope looked across the hall. It was very good timing, because right at that moment, Oscar Finley happened to be looking right back at her. Just as he’d done at the very beginning of camp, he gave Penelope another of his big, generous overhead waves. For a moment, Penelope considered responding with a small wave again, so no-one could see. But then she reconsidered. After all, a wave was just something you did with a friend. It wasn’t silly like yelling out or punching arms or getting into headlocks or letting someone rub globs of mashed potato in your hair. And it certainly didn’t mean you were crushing.

  If kids wanted to be silly about her and Oscar waving to each other, then she would just ignore them.

  Penelope lifted her arm up above her head and waved.

  ‘And the winner is …’ Rachel paused, drawing out the moment. ‘… Penelope Kingston!’

  Penelope walked up the steps of the bus and turned to take one last look at Camp Tribute. Suddenly, she had a flash of understanding about the text her grandpa had sent her the night before camp.

  It actually made sense. In fact, it made a LOT of sense.

  She plopped happily into the seat next to Bob, and smiled to herself.
Grandpa hadn’t been talking about the bus trip. The journey wasn’t just the journey to school camp. It was the whole experience of going on camp. It wasn’t just the good things, either. It was also the not-so-good things, because they were all part of the experience.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chrissie Perry is the author of over thirty books for children and young adults, including thirteen books in the popular Go Girl series and the award-winning Whisper. She lives in St Kilda with her husband, three children (who are stubbornly refusing to stay young) and an opinionated Maltese Shih Tzu called Gidget.

  Like Penelope Kingston, Chrissie believes it’s great to aim for excellence. But she has a sneaking suspicion that going with the flow every now and again can also work out just fine.

  To my beautiful daughter, Billie Perry

  The Very Private List for Camp Success

  published in 2015 by

  Hardie Grant Egmont

  Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street

  Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia

  www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

  This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

  A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.

  eISBN 9781743583302

  Text copyright © 2015 Chrissie Perry

  Illustrations copyright © 2015 Hardie Grant Egmont

  Series design copyright © 2015 Hardie Grant Egmont

  Series design by Elissa Webb

  Illustrations by Jon Davis

  Typeset by Ektavo