Praise for Wacko Academy
“I’m hooked on Wilkins. I’m so excited for this young lady to keep writing! I imagine Wilkins to be the next Octavia Butler, and that her work now will inspire the next Faith Wilkins.”
— Melissa Morrow, Nefarious Fiddlesticks Blog
“Imaginative, unique and impossible to put down, Wacko Academy by Faith Wilkins is a story not-to-be-missed by young readers as well as adults. Faith Wilkins displays an excellent and incredible talent for weaving a story which flows smoothly and vividly draws the reader in. Her writing voice is one of maturity, yet age appropriate to draw Middle Grade readers in with the slang and vices of that age group. Wacko Academy is the perfect book to grab for even the most reluctant readers. There is mystery, intrigue, humor and a tinge of romance all rolled into one excellent book that both boys and girls will be hooked on!”
—April Pohren, Café of Dreams Book Reviews
Dedication
For my mother, grandparents, and all who have supported me in my writing and dreams for the future. I love you dearly, and I am very blessed to have friends and family like you.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CAMP WACKO: THE DRONES OF SUMMER
Copyright © 2012 by Faith Wilkins
Book Design by Mie Kurahara
eBook conversion by Alliteration Ink
Cover Design by Christian Fuenfhausen
All rights reserved
For information:
Arundel Publishing
36 Crystal Farm Rd., Warwick, NY
www.arundelpublishing.com
ISBN 978-1-933608-84-6
First Edition: August 2012
Table of Contents
A Promise
Impromptu Date
Summer Brawl
No Choice
Change of Plans
Strange Encounter
An Old Friend
Boundaries
Dr. Wacko
Trouble With a Capital T
Evil Planning
Not Your Ordinary Date
Coming Clean...Mostly
Beginning of the End
Initiation
Drone Training
Truth Hurts
Leverage
Too Much Information
Change of Plans
Sacrifice
About the Author
A Promise
THE SUN HAD just started to set. Shining bright in between the trees, the rays made the rich green leaves appear lighter in color. Buds hanging from their stems were beginning to blossom into flowers in beautiful shades of pink, purple, and blue. A slight breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft swishing sound. Other than that, the earth was still, as if it knew what it had lost and wished to pay its respects as well.
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the wind dry the single tear that had escaped down my cheek. Someone squeezed my hand, hard. I opened my eyes to meet my mother’s gaze. She smiled sadly, understanding plain on her face. Her own eyes were shining with unshed tears, even though she hadn’t known the deceased as well as I did.
The deceased. It was weird to think of her that way. Her name was Cameron. She had been my friend. I had found her at the most unlikely place to find a friend, Wackerson Academy. Or, as I liked to call it, Wacko Academy. A school I had been forced to attend after being kidnapped by its crazy headmaster and his son, Dustin. It was a wild ride, trust me, but we had all gotten out safely. We had escaped the school’s grasp. Or so we had thought.
I raised my head to look at the other attendees of the ceremony. The family stood across from us at the head of the casket.
Cameron’s mother, Mrs. Greene, stared straight ahead, lips quivering. She wore a simple black dress and veiled hat.
When the preacher finished his somber sermon and they had begun to lower the casket into the ground, she clutched her husband’s arm like a lifeline. Cameron’s brother, tall, thin, and pale, helped to shovel in the dirt on top of the dark mahogany casket. He paused to wipe sweat from his brow, taking a shaky breath before continuing his task.
Focusing instead on the picture of Cameron as a happy little girl behind them, I wondered just what had gone wrong. After months of surgery and careful monitoring, Cam had seemed to be responding well. She had even awakened once or twice when I had visited her. Although she was still frail, she was beginning to look and act more like herself. Then things took a turn for the worse. Nearly twelve months after we had rushed her to the hospital, she passed away. Her fifteenth birthday had been only a few weeks before.
When the casket was finally in the ground, we slowly began to trickle out of the cemetery until her family members were the only ones left standing where she now rested. My mother approached her mom, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I’m so very sorry for your loss,” she said softly. Thanking her, Mrs. Greene let go of her husband to embrace my mom. They had gotten to know each other over the many times I had visited Cameron at the hospital. I took this time to hug her dad and her brother.
“Cameron was an amazing girl,” I told them, forcing a smile.
Her father gazed at me with sad chocolate-brown eyes. “I know. Thank you for coming.” I noticed that his once salt-and-pepper hair was now completely gray, his forehead creased with worry lines.
Cameron’s brother simply nodded his agreement, staring at the mound of dirt in front of us.
While my mother continued to talk with the family, I wandered farther off into the cemetery. It was such a sad yet beautiful place, the final resting spot for those who had passed on and wouldn’t be returning.
I had just begun to read a glossy black gravestone when something caught my eye. A flash of golden brown skin, dark curly hair. When I blinked, there was nothing. Confused, I turned in a complete circle, searching for whatever had caught my eye. I frowned when again I came up with nothing. Well, that was weird. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought—
“Miss Mason.”
I turned to find myself facing a tall man in a black suit wearing dark sunglasses. His thin lips were set in a straight line, like he didn’t really want to be there. His light brown hair had been slicked back. Not the best look for him, in my opinion.
“Yes, and you are…?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
The ends of his mouth twisted up into what was supposed to be a smile. “Agent Cooper. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
I’m sure you’ve heard of it?”
I nodded, waiting for him to go on. Already, I didn’t really like this guy very much.
“Good. Nice to know they’re teaching you kids something useful. What are you now, fourteen?”
I clenched my teeth. “Fifteen.”
The agent shrugged, indicating his indifference. “Anyway, we have been watching you for quite some time, Miss Mason, and we think you can help us with something.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure there’s anything I would be able to help you with.”
The man attempted to smile again. “Oh, but there is.” Hands clasped behind his back, he began to walk. Reluctantly, I followed.
“First of all, we know you lied to the police. That story about your foggy recollections of who kidnapped you wasn’t entirely true, was it?”
Refusing to meet his gaze, I kept my expression blank.
“You have no proof of that.”
He chuckled and stopped in his tracks, staring at me until I was forced to look up. Behind those shades, his eyes were impenetrable. “Last year, you had a new little friend. A few m
onths after you made this friend, you disappeared, only to pop up again at a hospital with terribly disfigured children. Funny thing. Your new friend conveniently went missing during all of this, never to be heard from again.
Another funny thing. After a little digging, we found that a person matching his description has been to many different schools, but with a different name each time. And soon after he arrived, someone went missing. Usually a child. Would you happen to know anything about this?”
I crossed my arms against my chest, unimpressed. “Not in the slightest.”
The “FBI agent” leaned in close, bending down until we were face-to-face. “How about a string of boarding schools known as Wackerson Academy? Oh yes, we know about those too. We’ve had our suspicions about that place for a long time. Interesting that one of them was only forty-five minutes away from the very hospital where you arrived with such…strange company.”
I struggled to maintain my composure. This guy seemed to have done his research. “What do you want from me?”
Again with that ugly smile. “We want you to keep us posted if you ever come into contact with the people who kidnapped you. Our sources have reason to believe they will be contacting you very soon.”
I frowned. Was he kidding? Dustin hadn’t even made the effort to come to the funeral. I was sure I wouldn’t be seeing him again. “Well, your sources are wrong.”
He patted my head like a child. “They’re seldom wrong.” Before I could object, he turned around and walked away. This time I didn’t follow.
“Just how do you expect me to keep you posted?” I called after him.
“Check your right pocket,” he answered dryly, not even bothering to turn around.
Sure enough, when I reached into my pocket, I found a small white piece of paper. Written in hasty chicken scratch was a number. Great, now I could have the FBI on speed dial. Just what I always wanted.
Impromptu Date
LIFE HAS TO go on. No matter how much of the world has shattered around you, the planet just keeps spinning. Last spring I had gone back to my old school merely a week after Dustin and I escaped from Wackerson Academy. My parents were happy to let me try and figure things out first, or even attend another school if I wanted. However, I remained adamant about getting back to my old life. I had missed my friends, the carefree easiness of life in the small town I had grown up in, and even normal school days filled with deadlines and crazy teachers. I wanted it all back. Lucky for me, the education I had received at Wacko Academy was more than enough to allow me to catch up on the work I had missed, and I was able to graduate from eighth grade with the rest of my class.
Now, almost exactly one year later, I was nearing the end of my freshman year at Kindred Valley High. The two weeks following Cameron’s funeral were filled with finals, locker clean-outs, and Regents exams. Soon the summer would be rolling in, and with it a fun vacation I was really looking forward to. Malerie, my best friend since third grade, was taking me and our mutual friend Asialie with her on a family trip to Hawaii. With roots in the tropical state, Asialie assured us that she would show us all of the hot spots. Leave it to her to take charge. After all, she had been the one to approach us on that fateful day she entered our fifth-grade classroom. Along with her name and age, she stated that we would be best friends forever. Of course she was right.
At first I had been afraid my parents would object to the trip. I mean, besides that wacky trip to Pennsylvania, I had barely been out of New York State. However, they surprised me with enthusiastic permission.
“I think a vacation with your best friends is exactly what you need right now,” my mother had reasoned with a smile.
Until then, I had vowed to throw myself into studying, even more so after Cameron’s death, struggling to keep my mind off her and that weird encounter at her funeral.
I convinced myself that whoever that guy was, he had been bluffing, only pretending to be an FBI agent. Probably some jerk just trying to give me a scare. Of course, when I let myself really think about it, I knew that couldn’t be true. He had known too much.
I had taken a break from studying that Friday afternoon to stare at the number he gave me for the billionth time, when my cell phone flashed. Taking a look at it, I saw that I had gotten a text from Malerie.
Heeeey Lil. Freshman Formal’s 2nite! ! ! ! :-)
Sighing, I decided to put the stupid piece of paper down and answer her.
Hey Mal. Is it really 2nite?
The answer was immediate.
Um, of course! Im in student council. Member? Ur coming, rite?
Oh, idk. Probably not..
She barely gave me time to send my answer.
Well u better! !! Asialie & I got u a date!
I stared at the screen, hoping she had made some kind of typo mistake. She couldn’t have meant date. She just couldn’t have.
U didn’t.
Of course, now she decided to take forever to answer.
We did. Look I g2g help set up. C u 2nite! ! !
Groaning, I buried my face in my hands. This couldn’t be happening. They had gotten me a date? Just who was this date? I had known all along that the dance was tonight, but I had no intention of actually going. The timing was too soon after Cameron’s funeral. It didn’t seem right to go out partying.
“Lily, someone’s here for you!” Rose, my little sister, called from downstairs.
Oh no. I ran down the stairs two steps at a time, praying that this wasn’t the date Malerie had been talking about.
A young man stood on the threshold, flowers in hand. He appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. It took me a minute to recognize him as Chase, my neighbor. Not only was he my neighbor, but a friend of mine since kindergarten. I had known him longer than anyone else in this town. Lately we hadn’t even talked. I had been too wrapped up in myself to make the effort to reconnect. Now here he was, standing at my doorstep wearing simple black pants and a blue button-down shirt that matched his ocean blue eyes. His dark chocolate hair had been fluffed out a bit, turning his usual mop of hair into a more tasteful mess around his angular face.
He smiled nervously. “Hi, Lily.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but I found that I didn’t quite know what to say.
Mom entered the foyer with a smile. “Chase, hi! It’s good to see you.” She stood beside me, giving him the once-over. “You look nice.”
Chase smiled, clearing his throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Mason. Well. I guess you’re wondering why I’m here—”
“I’m so sorry, Chase, but I can’t go to the dance tonight. My friends shouldn’t have made you take me as a date,” I blurted, cutting him off.
Confused, he opened his mouth to speak, but again he was cut off. This time, it was my mom who spoke.
“Dance? You mean the Freshman Formal? That is tonight, isn’t it? Of course you’re going, Lilith. It’s a Friday night. You’ve been working on your homework all evening. Why wouldn’t you be going?” She gazed at me with raised eyebrows.
I glanced back at Chase, who was standing awkwardly at the door. He was gripping the flowers so hard, he was sure to choke the very life out of them with his strong hands.
“I…I don’t have a dress!” I spluttered.
Mom’s expression didn’t change. “Yes, you do, remember? That pretty red one we got you for Malerie’s birthday last year. You never even got to wear it. Come on, it should be in my closet.”
I stared at her openmouthed, completely dumbfounded, unable to come up with another excuse. How had she found out about the formal, anyway? I couldn’t recall ever telling her about it. Sometimes I wondered if my mother was some kind of mind reader.
“Please come in, Chase. It will only take a minute to get this one ready.” Mom smiled, closing the door behind him and steering me toward the stairs.
Poor Chase could only obey and stand to wait in the foyer, with my sister talking his ear off.
I waited until we were alone in the upstai
rs hall before I whispered, “But Mom, I don’t want to go. I have to tell Chase to go so he can get himself a real date.”
I started back toward the stairs , but my mother caught my arm.
“Lily, that boy came here with flowers to take you to your last dance as a freshman. Why don’t you want to go?”
Shaking my head sadly, I looked away. “Because Cameron—”
“Would have wanted you to have fun. You need to have some fun, Lily. This past year has been very rough, especially for you.” Mom placed a warm hand on my shoulder, inclining her head in Chase’s direction. “Come on, don’t keep the poor kid waiting.”
With a sigh, I nodded. “Okay, Mom. You got me.”
She grinned, leading me to her bedroom closet. I had to admit that my dress was absolutely perfect, even though I hadn’t been there to pick it out myself. The long, dark red skirt gracefully swept out from the bodice in layers that were trimmed with lace. Once my mother was done with me, my hair fell past my shoulders in thick curls. Berry-colored lip gloss and blush matched the ensemble perfectly.
By the time we finally descended the stairs, poor Chase had to have been waiting for nearly a half hour. He didn’t seem to mind, though, as he leaned patiently against the banister while Rose forced him into playing twenty questions. It was a good thing my two little brothers were over at their friends’ house; otherwise Chase would have been drowning in kids.
They both stopped to stare when I reached the foyer.
With a deep sigh of relief, Chase finally handed me the hand-picked bouquet of wildflowers. “You look great, Lily.”
I smiled. “Flowers? Let me guess, Malerie’s idea.”
With a bashful grin, he nodded. “Yeah. Do you like them? I would have bought some, but I’m kind of broke at the moment. When I get the money, I’ll get you a real bouquet, if you want.”
Laughing, I gave him a hug. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”
Chase’s mom had agreed to drive us there, so my mother gave us both a hug and took pictures before sending us on our way. Truthfully, I thought they were all making a big deal out of nothing, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
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