I succeeded in trailing the patrol car all the way to the golf course without being spotted. Within a few yards of the course, the car abruptly halted. The boy got out and stood at attention until Dr. Wacko stepped down from his seat and ordered him to start walking. There was something almost robotic about the boy’s movements as he walked alongside the man, as if his legs had been tied to stiff blocks of wood. They continued toward the trees, moving so fast it was somewhat of a struggle to keep up.
As we came closer, I realized they weren’t going for the trees at all. There was a vast section of freshly mowed grass leading down to the thick line of foliage surrounding the golf course. A group of at least twenty to thirty people was standing there in the clearing, seemingly waiting for the boy and his master to arrive.
Now there was only so far I could go without being spotted, so at some point I was forced to stop and watch from a distance. The group of people were in a specific age range. No one seemed to be over eighteen. They all wore the same uniform of a black army-style coat, fatigues, and combat boots. Not one of them moved an inch as Dr. Wacko and his young companion made their way down the hill toward them. Their faces were completely void of emotion, not even breaking a sweat in their heavy clothing.
The boy stood in front of the group, placing his right fist across his chest as some kind of signal. Almost immediately, they all repeated the gesture, stepping into a perfect square formation in one fluid movement. The boy shouted out an order and the little army sprang into action, marching to and fro like perfect robot soldiers. All the while Dr. Wacko stood to the side watching, that creepily giddy expression plastered on his face.
The sound of another patrol car reached my ears. With no time to fully process what I had witnessed, I had no choice but to get out of there. I didn’t stop running until I made it safely back to my dorm room and nearly passed out from exhaustion.
One thing was for sure. Dustin’s father was not joking when he said his army would be ready within weeks. The group I had seen tonight may not have been very big, but I was sure there was definitely more where they came from. It was time to take some serious action. Otherwise, California was going to have a very rude awakening.
Not Your Ordinary Date
I TRIED TO warn Dustin about these latest developments, but I couldn’t even catch his attention long enough. The stupid boy was still too busy showing off to his perfect macho girlfriend. Unfortunately, True insisted on gaining Candy’s trust. What better way to do so than to offer to help her out with her first official date with Dustin?
To my dismay, she accepted, insisting that we help her get ready in her own dorm room. Her roommate, Sheila, was a total slob. She left her junk strewn all over the floor. When Candy asked her to pick some of it up, she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to listening to her iPod, her messy head nodding to the music.
We trudged through the sea of junk and headed for the bathroom. It was spacious and the counter was surprisingly free of clutter, so we were able to set down all the cosmetics we were going to use to give Candy her makeover. I started applying smoky gray eyeshadow to her lids while True searched for the right dress back in the war zone of clothing and accessories.
“Why are you doing this for me?” Candy asked after a moment, closing her eyes so I could apply eyeliner.
“Because,” I said, “every girl deserves to have the perfect first date. Even at a place like this. Look up at the ceiling, please.”
She obeyed. “Maybe…but I get the feeling there’s something else on the agenda here.”
I paused for a second before picking up the mascara wand. “OK, so maybe there is something else.”
After I had finished Candy’s eye makeup, she looked up at me expectantly. “Which is…?”
My friend with the perfect timing took this chance to make her grand entrance with the dress. While Candy changed, True and I discussed whether to just ask her about the secret group. I had already filled True in about the strange little army Dr. Wacko was forming, so we both knew the stakes were getting higher by the minute. We definitely needed help and these people could be our only hope.
Candy came back and we abruptly ended the conversation. She dazzled in her slender emerald evening gown. The makeup was perfect, if I don’t say so myself. Dustin had to be coming to pick her up any minute now, so she hurried to grab her purse and make her way to the lobby, with True and me close behind.
Dustin sat in one of the purple lounge chairs, playing with a little red yo-yo. He shot up to his feet the minute he heard us coming down the stairs. Tucking the toy back in his pocket, he regarded True and me with a cordial nod. Then he saw Candy and you know what happened after that. Total puppy mode. True, bless her heart, found something to fix on Candy’s dress and hair, leaving me alone with Dustin for a precious few minutes.
I took the time to give Dustin a hard pinch, snapping him out of it for the moment. He jumped, immediately staring down at me. “What was that f—?”
“There are things you need to know. Your dad wasn’t kidding when he said he was building an army,” I whispered, cutting him off.
He stopped rubbing his arm to stare quizzically at me.
“What?”
“When your date is over, just come and find me. Okay? It’s about time we had a little chat.”
Dustin took a breath to say something, but Candy had already escaped True’s fussing.
Giving his shoulder a friendly punch, I forced a smile. “You look good, Romeo. Have fun.”
I watched as he linked her arm with his, feeling a strange tug from deep inside my chest. He flashed a confused glance back at me. I waved halfheartedly. The curfew was in a few hours, but I had a feeling that really wouldn’t matter.
True and I hung out in the lounge area for a while, chatting with the other girls who stayed behind while their roommates were out and about around campus. Unlike the other academy I had been forced to attend, no one really knew who I was. Well, they did, but nobody knew me as the girl wonder sent just for the headmaster’s son. For once, I was simply Lily, and it felt good.
Still, the clock seemed to be going extra slow. One hour passed and then another. There was no sign of Dustin or Candy. As it got closer to curfew, the girls began to trickle away up to their rooms. Finally Casey, who now served as our dorm leader, announced that it was time for everyone to get to bed. She would be making her rounds in five minutes to make sure everyone was tucked in. Reluctantly, I began to follow True up the stairs.
“Wait,” Casey called, stopping everyone in their tracks. “Has anyone seen Candy?”
Right on cue, the girl in question came bounding through the door, breathless. Her cheeks flushed and dress slightly ruffled, this was the most disheveled I had ever seen her.
“I’m here,” she gasped, leaning against the doorframe for support.
“All right, everyone upstairs,” Casey ordered with a cheery smile.
Giggles and teasing followed Candy as she made her way up the stairs. She simply smirked, not saying a word. When she passed me and True, she paused.
“I finally figured out what you want,” she muttered with a sly smile.
Without saying anything else, she made her way up the stairs and down the hall to her room.
That night was one of the worst nights I had since my arrival. For some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep at all. Two full weeks had already gone by without any contact with the outside world. For all I knew, Agent Cooper and the rest of the FBI had fallen off the face of the earth. I could only wonder what the heck was taking them so long. Dustin was a whole other issue. He probably didn’t even remember what I had told him before he went off on his perfect date. From the sly look on Candy’s face, it had probably gone well. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, had to tell him.
For the tenth time, I rolled over to face the wall, hugging the pillow like a teddy bear. This was going to be a very long night.
Coming Clean…Mostly
; “LILY?”
I shot up in bed, immediately looking at the clock. It was four in the morning. Two more hours left until the wake-up calls began. I must have finally dozed off.
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I yawned. It took me a minute to realize the voice hadn’t been my roommate’s. With a few blinks, my vision came back in blurry focus. I let out a startled yelp, bunching the covers around me up to my chin.
Dustin sat perched on the end of my bed, staring at me. In the hazy darkness of the early morning, I could barely see his face.
“How’d you get in here?” I hissed.
He shrugged, inclining his head in True’s direction. “How’d she get out?”
I glanced over at the empty bed. That was weird. I hadn’t even heard her leave. We usually alerted each other when one of us was about to go out for a little late night snooping.
“She’s resourceful,” I quipped.
Dustin chuckled. “I’m sure she is…and I bet you are too. Just what have you been up to, Miss Mason?”
“You mean while you were busy following your little girlfriend around?” I crossed my arms. “And I would really appreciate it if you didn’t call me that.”
Dustin stood up, moving to stand beside me. He leaned in close, placing both hands on the mattress, caging me in with an arm on either side of me. His face was now merely inches away from mine. “I can’t tell whether the cause of your crankiness is lack of sleep or just plain jealousy.”
I sat frozen in that position for a minute before ducking under his arm to reach for my now ordinary glasses. “You wish, Lover Boy.”
He laughed quietly, straightening back up. “You said it was time we had a chat. So let’s talk.”
I rolled out of bed, walking to the closet to pull on a sweater and sneakers. “Let’s. But not here.”
“Course not. I know a place we can talk privately.” Dustin climbed onto the windowsill. “I’ll meet you outside.” He gave me a little salute before disappearing out the window.
Showoff. I finished tying my shoes and headed out the door, opting to just take the stairs like I had before. Dustin might have been an expert window jumper, but I sure wasn’t.
He was already moving when I caught up to him, not seeming to care about anyone seeing us. The sun had already started to inch its way over the horizon, sending a small splash of color across the smoky sky. There wasn’t much time. If Casey came to the room with both of our beds empty, it wouldn’t be good.
After a few minutes of walking, Dustin came to a halt. I glanced around. We stood in front of a vast lake encircled with greenery. The quiet was peaceful but unsettling. Such silence caused my ears to ring.
Dustin sat cross-legged at the edge of the lake. I took a seat next to him, pulling my knees up to my chest. Neither of us uttered a word, simply staring across the shimmering water.
I could see Dustin more clearly now. His crew cut was growing out and his wavy locks of hair had returned. He continued to stare straight ahead. “So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath, I confessed to following Dr. Wacko and the boy to the golf course, describing the strange robotic movements of both the boy and the members of his little army. Once this was said, I really didn’t want to stop. I wanted to tell Dustin about True’s suspicions about Candy, the truth about Cameron’s death, and even my involvement with the FBI. Still I forced myself to wait, allowing everything I had told him so far to sink in.
He didn’t say anything for a minute or two, picking up a rock and skipping it across the water. After three or four skips, it plunged into the lake with a soft plunk.
“Maybe that’s what my father meant when he said he has a surprise for me. He’s supposed to be showing me later today.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I should have been paying more attention.”
I nudged him with my elbow. “Yeah, you should have. I understand why you didn’t, though.”
Dustin smiled sheepishly. “It’s not what you think, you know. I’m not just spending so much time with Candy because I like her. There’s something kind of strange about her. I can’t really explain it. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is. I guess I got a little too sidetracked.”
“I see.”
This time it was my turn to skip a rock. After one measly skip, it plopped right into the water.
“You know,” I said, “True thinks there’s some kind of secret group amongst the attending campers, focused on getting out of here. According to her, your girlfriend might be a member. Sounds kinda crazy, doesn’t it?”
He finally looked at me, but I continued to focus on the spot where the rock had disappeared into the water.
“No,” he said slowly. “It doesn’t. The people around here aren’t stupid. That’s why they’re here. They know something isn’t right and they want out. I mean, you do too. Right?”
I nodded. “Right.” Dustin was still staring at me. “Lily, is there anything else I should know?”
Without thinking about it, I brought my hand up to my arm. The tracking device was supposed to be there, but for all I knew it wasn’t even working anymore.
“When you came to me that night at the dance, I wasn’t telling you everything,” I confessed quietly. “Someone else had come to me first. Someone who was supposed to help me get out of here. Now I think I’m on my own again.”
I took a peek up at Dustin through my eyelashes. He frowned. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to make sense of what I had just told him.
“Just who is this someone?” he whispered.
The second I took a breath to speak, I knew I was going to tell him. Then maybe he could help me figure out why I couldn’t get into contact with Agent Cooper.
Before I could say anything, my eyes strayed to the watch on his wrist. I nearly had a heart attack. There was only ten minutes left until the wake-up calls. I had to get back.
With this in mind, I jumped up. “I have to go.”
Dustin said something to me, but I had already begun to book it out of there. In a matter of seconds, I could hear his footsteps echoing mine behind me.
“Lily, wait!” He caught up, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me to stop for a minute. “Who’s supposed to be helping you?”
Shrugging his hand off, I just shook my head. “I have to get back. I’ll tell you later.”
Taking a step back, he nodded. “Fine, but this conversation isn’t over.”
I flashed him a quick smile before turning and running the rest of the way, praying that I would make it in time.
Beginning of the End
LUCKILY, I MADE it just in time. Somehow True was already there, seemingly fast asleep in bed as if she had been there all night. When I questioned her about where she had been, she told me she had been simply looking around to see if she could find any kind of information that would help with our plans of escape. Unfortunately, she hadn’t found anything very promising.
As usual, all campers made their way to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast before training began. Rumors of an upcoming training session in the woods had already begun to circulate, sending a sense of anticipation rippling through the group. Since every day was different and seemed to escalate in weirdness, there was a great possibility the rumors were true. If some campers had still thought this was just an ordinary camp, they weren’t thinking that now.
“Hey, Lily.”
I turned to find Candy at my side. Since Dustin and I had that little talk, there had been no sign of him all morning.
“I just wanted to thank you for helping me last night. We had a great time.” Her smile faded and she leaned in a little closer. “You and your friend are right about me, you know.”
I nodded slowly, lowering my voice. “Have you guys made any headway?”
She smirked. “Nice try. I have a friend who would like to meet you. Both of you. I’ll let you know when and where later.” Then she was gone, lost in the sea of hungry kids
.
As it turned out, the rumors had been correct. Right after breakfast, a selected group of us were ordered to pack up our training gear and follow the counselors into the forest. This time, True and I made sure not to lag behind. We were just as eager as everyone else to see what waited for us at the end of the trail.
We came to a small clearing that was obviously man-made. Where the tress stopped, clusters of stumps began. However, that wasn’t the main focus at the moment. Standing before us in perfect formation was the little army I had seen the other night. Their leader stood at the head, hands clasped behind his back and mouth curled into a permanent grimace. To his right, nearly as expressionless as the other soldiers, was Dustin.
The other counselors stepped forward to join them, creating a wall.
“I guess you are all wondering what you’re doing here.” It was Dustin who had spoken. “You have all been chosen for a specific training course. This is meant to test your combat abilities. Bring you to your limits. We are very close to the end of training and the beginning of our ultimate mission.”
He began to pace. “Get into a line.”
A few of us just stood there, wondering just who put him in charge. What I wanted to know was why he had started parroting his father again. One moment he was talking to me about getting out of here and shutting this whole thing down, the next he was acting like he owned the place already. Sometimes I couldn’t keep up.
He turned to face us, eyes in slits. “Did I not make myself clear? Get into a line.” His voice had turned to ice, hard and cold.
We quickly formed a line without a word. True stole a glance at me, raising her eyebrows slightly. I shrugged, eyes quickly scanning the rest of the line and finding Candy amongst the group. She was staring a hole into Dustin’s head, probably wondering where her boyfriend had gone.
“Now that’s more like it.” Dustin began to slowly move down the line until he reached me.
“You will all be paired with a few different sparring partners. We will see how you do and start from there. But first”—he turned his attention to me—“Lily, would you please come forward and face me for a moment?”
Camp Wacko: The Drones of Summer Page 8
