by Jim Ody
Meg screamed again as she splashed Brett, and swam off a few metres. He pretended to look angry and set off after her which only made her squeal more.
“Don’t even think about it,” Adam said to Nat.
She pretended to then stop. “Scared of a little water, are you?”
“Don’t make me get you too!” he grinned back.
Jenny looked over at Max who simply said, “It’s pathetic, isn’t it?”
She paddled over to him. She wasn’t sure how she should feel, she might not be interested in him, but he certainly wasn’t doing everything in his power to chat her up.
“What is?” she said, more out of having something to say.
Max huffed and tapped the side of the rubber ring. The skin that was out of the water was dry. “The modern day mating rituals of Neanderthal man.”
She laughed at that. “And woman,” she added.
“Quite right. Have your friends got the day off at the local brothel?”
Shocked she turned to him, but when she saw his grin she realised he was attempting humour.
“And your friends are such gentlemen, I assume?”
“Those two?” he nodded. “Knuckle-heads. No offence, but they’d try to have sex with anyone given half the chance.”
“And you,” she said, but immediately felt embarrassed.
“God, I hope not. And if they did, I’d put up a hell of a fight!” He said with a concerned straight face.
“No, I mean…” then she saw him grin again. “Oh, you were joking.”
“I’m sorry, whilst those two are getting into all sorts of bother, I’m left to entertain myself with my rather odd sense of humour.”
“It’s not so bad.” Jenny noticed Max blush for the first time.
They looked away from each other, and instead turned their focus to their friends.
Brett and Meg, were still in the midst of swim tag. They were now a little way out, and Jenny wanted to call them in. Why she should be worried for them, she didn’t know, but she was nevertheless.
Then they glanced over at Adam and Nat who were talking and getting very close. Dipped down with only their head and shoulders out of the water, theirs was a more subtle courtship. Embarrassed glances, and playful smiles. It might’ve been sweet, but both held an expert eye, and on closer inspection both looked ready to pounce.
“They do this often?” Jenny asked. She suspected so, but she didn’t have much else she could say.
“Often enough for it to become tedious. Your friends have fallen for it.”
“My friends don’t care; they just want to have fun.” She was slightly hurt by his accusations. Her loyalty almost felt surprising. She knew they were more than a match for the lads.
“As long as it’s not marriage.”
She looked at him strangely. He didn’t even smile.
“They’re much too young for marriage. Believe me, that’s the last thing they’re thinking about!”
He nodded in acceptance. “Good.” She was beginning to think that Max was either gay, or just eccentric.
She was about to swim away, when for reasons best know to her she said, “You’re not like them then?”
“What? A dog in heat?” he scoffed. “I just don’t want to attach myself to the first girls I see.” She couldn’t tell whether it was aimed at her, or whether he just didn’t care.
Jenny swam back over to the side, and got out. She grabbed a towel, and sat with her legs dangling into the water. She’d had enough of Max, and evidentially, he’d had enough of her too. When she looked over at him, he’d pushed his rubber ring away and let himself float further away. A silent protest. It said it all.
She was alone. Sat down on a beautifully sunny day, in a nice place, but lonely. Over the other side of the lake she could see other teens laughing and joking around near a boathouse.
“You had an argument?” A voice said from behind her. She turned, and saw a lad in black T-shirt, and shaggy hair. He looked like he wasn’t sure whether to be an Emo kid, or an activist. But he had a cute smile, and looked slightly awkward.
“Who? With him?” she grinned at Max who was laid back and paddling the ring around in circles. “God no!”
“God no, eh? That’s a strong response.” He sat down without putting his legs over the side.
“My friends are out there. We all just met about an hour ago…” she stopped abruptly as she wasn’t sure where her story was going, or even why she was telling it. She was babbling and beginning to tell him her life story.
He grinned, and threw a pointed finger out to the lake. “They seem very friendly considering you’ve all just met!”
She shrugged. “Sun and summer, I guess.”
He turned and looked out at Max. “He’s not your type? Or, you not his?”
“I’m not interested in him,” she said and glanced over to see Adam and Nat kissing. “But now it looks like we’re all stuck together for the week!”
The guy seemed amused. “You’ll be okay, I reckon.” He got up.
Jenny instantly felt disappointed. “And where are you going?”
He liked that, she could tell. She wasn’t sure what had come over her.
“I’ve got to get home. I live over there.” He pointed to the other side of the lake, and high up the hill. The roof of a large house could just be seen peaking out from the trees.
“What? In that house?”
He nodded. “Sure. It’s a nice day, so maybe I’ll go and listen to some Elton John.”
“You like Elton John?” She was shocked, then felt strange for her reaction.
“I’m sure many heterosexual men appreciate his music.” He was grinning now. Not so subtle with letting her know his sexual orientation.
“Yeah… sure. I mean, I wasn’t… You know.”
“I know. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
“Really? You coming back here?”
“I might come back tonight for the music.” He winked at her. “My name’s Marshall by the way. I can’t promise any Elton, though.”
“I’m Jenny!” she called as he turned away. He flashed a hand up and never looked back.
Wow! She thought. A cute guy who was also into Elton John. What was the chances of that?
“Who was that?” a voice said from the water. Meg was swimming in followed by Brett.
“That was Marshall…” Her voice trailed off as she was suddenly lost. “He lives in that huge house on the hill.” Her eyes followed him, and her minds played out a thousand scenarios of the future.
Not one of them anything like what actually happened.
Little Miss Evil
Chapter 9 - Giles
T his week was going to be lame, Giles thought to himself. His mum was sat on her best picnic blanket and wondered why he didn’t want to sit down with her. Jesus, she didn’t get it, did she? He was twelve, why the fuck would he want to sit with her. She was slouched in a bikini top that she was too old to wear and was trying to hide behind sunglasses that made her look like she came from the golden oldie days of the 80s! #embarrassing!
“Giles! Not too far!” she shouted to him, putting down some beat up paperback of a book she’d been reading for about a month. It was called Lost Connections. He’d read a bit. It was shit.
“Muuum!” he hissed through his teeth. For Gods-sake woman, he thought. He saw a girl laughing and assumed it was at him. He was hardly a little kid, was he?
He brushed his hand through his shock of red hair and stomped off away from her. She was gesticulating to him before giving up and returning to reading. She might finish it in another month.
His mum told him he’d have a good time. Get away from the troubles he’d had at school. If only she knew exactly all of the troubles he’d got into! He smiled to himself. She did her best, he guessed, but it wasn’t much fun. She probably needed a man, though he didn’t want to think about it. It grossed him out.
Last week she’d said that his friend Rupert could come
too. That would’ve been awesome. But Rupert got caught looking at nudies on the internet, so he was grounded. It meant he was here at this camp on his own.
He got to the water and looked out at all the girls in their swimming costumes. Most were a lot older than him. Slowly, as he stood and surveyed the lake, a smile grew across his ruddy cheeks.
Perhaps this week wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
He saw her there. Splashing in the water. She looked gorgeous! Not like the stuck-up bitches from school. This was a woman. She must be eighteen! She had long hair and huge boobs!
Some guy was splashing around with her. He looked like a meathead. Probably couldn’t do equations and shit.
Giles looked back at her; he felt his phone in his hand. He had to find out which cabin she was in!
“Hey!” he looked and saw the guy with her was shouting at him.
“What?” Giles replied. He didn’t have a problem with talking to idiots. Even steroid guzzling dickheads.
“You a perv?” The guy questioned.
Giles wasn’t sure how to answer that. Technically he was. He was nearly thirteen and male. Who wasn’t?
“Huh?” he responded.
“Leave him, Brett,” she said playfully. “He’s only young.”
“What?” Giles said out loud before he even realised. “I’m sixteen,” he lied.
“Then you’re a little runt. The kiddie section is over there!” The guy Brett laughed. “You might be able to get an inflatable unicorn there!”
“What? To shove up your arse!” Giles spat. His teacher insisted he had anger-management issues. He told her he just hated arseholes! His teacher had tried not to laugh.
The guy puffed out his chest, but the angel, calmed him down.
Giles smiled. “You’ll wait!” he said and walked off.
The danger of the large guy didn’t even cross the mind of Giles. All he could think about was the girl.
And what she might look like naked.
Little Miss Evil
Chapter 10 - Keith
H e turned the laptop slightly to the side so as the screen couldn’t be seen by anybody outside of his reception cabin. He glanced up and saw that nobody was paying him any attention.
Nothing new there, he thought.
He looked out at the lake, to where the three new girls were. Then in disgust, he realised they’d already hooked up. Bloody whores! No sooner had they arrived, then they had stripped down and sold their skin to the first boys they’d seen. Even though he’d seen them first! Did they not realise that?
He gritted his teeth and peered down at the screen. Slowly he flicked through the different cameras that had been subtly planted all around the campsite.
For security purposes.
He actually laughed out loud to himself. No matter how many times he said it, or even thought it, he knew it wasn’t the case. But it was a good guise that would keep him out of hot water.
The screens flashed visuals from various trees and poles situated throughout the campsite. There were many more in plain view in the activities hall, canteen, and even as far as the perimeter of the property a quarter of a mile behind him.
He looked up again, just in case a coach load of cheerleaders had arrived looking for a place to stay.
Alas, there were none. His finger moved the cursor on the screen to another icon and double-clicked it.
More screens appeared. These were secret screens. Small cameras of high resolution that were inside a handful of the cabins. Undetectable to the eye unless you were to get a stepladder and look carefully at the ceiling.
The girl’s cabin was of course one of the ones fitted with the camera. He’d watched them as they’d gone in. He’d began to get excited as they pulled out their swimwear.
But then a family from Birmingham turned up, the guy was a talker. One of those men who had done everything and wanted to tell you all about it. Keith wanted to take the screwdriver that sat innocently on his desk and shove it not so innocently into one of the guy’s eyes. I bet he’s never done that before, he laughed to himself. But his fantasy was cut short by the guy asking more questions. One after another they fell from his mouth. Keith did his best to sound accommodating, then sent them off with the promise that within the cabin was a folder that should answer all of his questions.
Although, Keith had thought, it was not that big…
The guy scooped his kids up and his fat wife waddled after him, barely able to keep up.
When he clicked back onto the screen, the girls were already dressed in their swimsuits, and looked like they were almost ready to leave the cabin.
He was deliberate in his actions for the secret cameras. The ones not for security. He’d installed them a while back when he was just a worker, helping out his uncle one summer. But his uncle had since long gone, and now he was the man in charge. If the cameras were found, he’d deny all knowledge of them, hence why he kept the two sets completely separate.
He was a genius. He knew it. That’s why he couldn’t upgrade the cameras to the ones he wanted. It was the evenings before they went out that the good stuff happened. On his downtime, he searched the footage to find the juicy stuff.
He looked back up at the girls and hoped they would go dancing that night. Why wouldn’t they? What else were they going to do? Apart from the local village pub, there was nothing for miles, unless they drove out. That almost never happened on the first night.
Then his Spidy-senses were tingling as he saw some little ginger-kid aggressively pointing his fingers at one of the blokes who’d hooked up with the girls.
The little fucker had balls, he’d give him that. He might also be trouble. He’d seen him with his mum. She was pretty hot in a MILF-next-door sort of way.
Then he was walking purposefully back towards the Reception.
Keith wondered what he was up to.
“Hello, sir,” Keith said with all the effort he could muster for this kid.
“Yeah, hi. So, one of the girls out there. She wanted an extra pillow for her cabin. I said I’d take it for her.”
Keith was engulfed by the thick stench of bullshit, but still amused nevertheless. “She did, did she?”
“Yep.”
“Which one?” He looked out at them. It was a good excuse to take a long hard look at the girls, if he was honest. The beefcake was looking worried, which was a bonus.
“Her. The brunette with the big…” he made a gesture to large round breasts. “Hair.”
Keith nodded. “Yes, so I’ve noticed. What number is she at?”
The lad suddenly looked worried. He knew he’d been rumbled. Not just that, but that perhaps the whole of his plan was completely shit at best.
“It’s slipped my mind,” he said. “Big pillow though.”
“For her big…” Keith mirrored the hand gesture. “Hair?”
The kid grinned. “Yeah!”
Keith liked this kid. He knew he shouldn’t. But there was something about him that reminded him of himself ten years ago.
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. You find out her cabin number…” he stopped as if now deciding to go back on what he was going to say.
“And what?” The kid was excited.
“We’ll see if we can’t get you inside…”
“Really?”
“It’s a secret though, yeah?”
The kid nodded and headed off. Who knew whether Keith would ever see him again.
Then Keith looked up and saw him. Marshall.
He hated him. Mr Bigshot who’d gone off to university thinking he was to good them all. And here he was back for the summer looking like some city drop out. But worse still was that he came to the camp even though he wasn’t paying a penny! He didn’t care who he was, he shouldn’t have the right.
Keith felt himself go red with anger as he saw him just walk up to the sweet one of the three girls. The one Keith thought he might have a chance with, and tried snatching her away!
> His hand was on the screwdriver gripping it hard before he even realised it.
“You’ll get what’s coming to you,” he muttered to himself. And a whole movie of nastiness played out in his mind.
The camp had acres of land where you could easily dispose of a body in.
And then he remembered his mother and was overwhelmed with guilt. If there was one thing in the world he hated, it was disappointing his mother.
He was daydreaming and only realised it when somebody sung out a, “Yoohoo!”
He looked up and was met by the smiling faces of two familiar old coots - Dorothy and Fred.
Dorothy had a face that had grown more manly with age, deep lines on her face were powdered over with a light tone nothing like her complexion. She had a mouthful of false teeth that never stopped moving due to gossip, and complaints, and the beginnings of a moustache to keep her upper-lip warm. Her husband Fred was often seen walking behind, his head down like an obedient but downtrodden hound.
“Hello,” Keith said. He did his very best to be polite, but the words hurt in this throat. He wanted to see what the two of them looked like, laid dead and with dirt being thrown on their bodies.
“Your mother has you working all hours of the day, doesn’t she?”
Keith shrugged. What the hell else was he going to do? It’s not like he had a host of dates lined up.
“Where is she?” Dorothy asked. “I’ve not seen her this week.” She nudged Fred, just in case he wasn’t paying attention.
“Nah,” was all he added.
Keith let out a sigh. It wasn’t this old bat’s business, but she would be chatting away to anyone who would listen to her. “She’s gone to Huntswood Cove. She got a relative there… we’ve got a relative there,” he quickly corrected.
“Oh,” Dorothy said with a puzzled look on her face. It was like his mother should’ve asked permission or something. “She never mentioned it last week.”
Who fuckin’ cares! he wanted to say, but instead responded with another shrug, and replied, “She only called a few days ago.”
Dorothy looked at Fred, whose eyes had found something a lot better to look at and had stolen his attention. Another elbow to the ribs had him back with them.
