Cabin Fever

by Zoe Quinn

  “So?” said Howie. “I mean, no offense to Zoe and Zander, superspeed is certainly impressive, not to mention useful. But he had so many other things going for him, he should have been happy with those.”

  “I agree,” said Amanda. “But Sweep was an egomaniac, and he didn't like to share the glory. Whenever there was a mission that called for superspeed, he had to be partnered up, and that made him crazy. Well, at that time, there was a super-villain called the Haste Maker. He had built a machine that would significantly speed up the rate at which the Earth was spinning on its axis.”

  “Which would have put an end to life as we know it,” said Howie. I caught his eye just in time, guessing he was about to launch into a lecture on gravitational force, and gave my head the tiniest shake. He shut his mouth.

  “That was his plan,” said Amanda. “Well, the Federation knew young Sweep was the best hero for the job, so they sent him after the Haste Maker. He was able to overpower the villain…”

  “No doubt it required an act of unparalleled might on the part of the Sweep,” Simon put in.

  “…but a terrible thing happened. The Haste Maker managed to start up his machine the moment before the Sweep captured him, and once the contraption was on, there was no way to turn it off.”

  “What did Sweep do?”

  “He called in to the Federation to tell them the Haste Maker had been apprehended, but he didn't alert them to the fact that the machine was already working. He knew that all he had to do was tell the Feds to send a hero with superspeed to run around the equator in the opposite direction of the Earth's rotation—that would have thwarted the action of the machine, keeping the spin speed stabilized until the Federation techies could arrive and disengage the Haste Maker's machine. But the Sweep wanted to solve this problem alone, without the help of any other Super. He wanted all the glory for himself. So he flew to the equator and began to run…”

  “But he couldn't run fast enough,” I said.

  “Right,” said Amanda.

  “Is anyone interested in heading over to the canteen for an ice cream sandwich?” asked Simon.

  “What happened next?” asked Zander.

  “Well,” said Amanda, “eventually, the Federation figured out what was going wrong, and they sent a hero with superspeed to do the running. The Sweep was tried by a jury of Super peers and forever banned from the Superhero Federation.” She shook her head.“It was a shame. He had so much to give, and because of his ego, he threw it all away.”

  “I'm glad we don't have anybody like the Sweep on our team,” said Casey.

  “Yeah,” said Sam. “What a loser.” He made an L with his thumb and forefinger and held it to his forehead.“Looooo-ser!”

  “Enough about the Sweep,” Simon said briskly. “I mean, let's not dwell on something so negative.”

  “Simon's right,” said Amanda. “It's a pretty sad story.”

  “Hey, I don't have superspeed, either, but I'll bet I can beat you guys to an ice cream sandwich,” said Howie, tugging his backpack higher on his shoulder and breaking into a run. Everyone laughed and gave chase—though I noticed Zander didn't break into superspeed, and neither did I.

  As I brought up the rear, glad to give my scorching sneakers a rest from running at full speed, I thought about Howie. Mr. Hunt had hoped being at camp would jump-start his grandson's powers, but so far, there was no sign of them. Howie seemed okay with that, but I wondered if deep down he felt left out. I knew that if I were in his position, I would want to be doing all the super things the rest of us were getting to try. On the other hand, I was just glad that we were all getting along so well, becoming not only teammates but also friends. No one seemed to mind that Howie wasn't a proper Super yet—Casey seemed to mind least of all, though I wasn't sure Howie had noticed. All in all, I couldn't have wished to be on a better team.

  All of a sudden, I had a really good feeling about the Courageous Cup.

  After dinner we hung around in the rec room. Casey and I played Ping-Pong against Zander and Dave, but Dave kept using his stretching power and never missed a single point. Melanie kept score and giggled like crazy every time Dave did something stretchy. Girls from the other cabins kept trying to get Zander's attention, which made Megan and me crack up. Howie and Casey played Crazy Eights, while Sam put the finishing touches on the knitted wallet he'd started for his sister in arts and crafts.

  Then some of the kids from the Justice cabin suggested a game of flashlight tag, and the next thing we knew, we were all outside running around, dodging flashlight beams and having a blast. It was especially cool that some of the campers didn't even need flashlights because they could shine light rays from their fingertips or eyes. In the end, a girl named Shannon (Super name: Shadow) won the game because she had night vision, the power to see in the dark.

  Howie and I met up under a tall pine tree.

  “That was fun!” I said.

  “Yeah,” said Howie. “The kids at this camp are great.”

  “They think you're great, too,” I told him. “That one kid was really grateful to you for fixing his flashlight when it went out.”

  “It wasn't a big deal,” said Howie modestly.“When he told me he had the power to absorb people's energy, I figured out that he was probably absorbing the power of the flashlight batteries. All he had to do was shift out of his Super mode and the flashlight worked fine.” He looked up into the evening sky, where dark clouds were drifting in to cover the early stars. “I'm just glad we got the game in before the rain begins,” he said.

  Casey, Sam, Megan, and Zander joined us under the tree.

  “Has anyone seen Mel?” Megan asked.

  I looked around and noticed she was missing.

  “And where's Dave?” Sam wondered.

  Suddenly, Casey began to giggle. When I realized what she was thinking, I started laughing, too.

  “I bet they're off holding hands somewhere,” said Zander, rolling his eyes.

  Sam made a pretend gagging sound. “Gross.”

  “I think it's kinda cute,” I said.“They like each other, and—”

  Suddenly, Howie held up his hand. “Shhh.” He looked concerned.

  “What is it?” asked Casey.

  “Does anyone else smell smoke?” Howie said.

  We all sniffed. I felt a stab of panic.

  “I do,” I said.

  “It's coming from that direction,” said Sam, pointing. “C'mon!”

  We all took off; Zander and I automatically went into Super mode and bolted ahead. Once we crossed out of the main section of camp, we could see the flames, bright orange against the inky black trees.

  Bravery cabin was on fire!

  I'd never been so scared in my life. All I could think was that there might be someone inside the cabin. We hadn't seen Dave since supper. The fire seemed to have just started; so far, only the front-porch timbers had caught. Thick smoke twisted up into the sky.

  “What do we do?” I cried. “Zander, are you fireproof?”

  “Not that I know of,” he shouted.

  The others caught up to us.

  “Hold still, everybody!” said Casey. She pushed her hair behind her ear and tilted her head toward the cabin.“I don't hear anyone inside,” she reported.“The cabin is empty, thank goodness.”

  “We need water!” hollered Sam.

  “Has anyone seen Puff? She could suck up a bunch of lake water and spray it!” I suggested.

  “What about Sunny?” said Melanie.“She could make it rain!”

  “She went with Puff and Amanda,” said Casey.“She's on extra chores after the Mess Hall fog incident.”

  “I heard her telling Simon that she and Amanda were going into town for supplies,” said Casey.

  Suddenly, I remembered the clouds Howie had pointed out. It wasn't raining yet, but maybe with some superhelp…

  “Howie,” I said, my voice anxious, “do you think there's any way we could get those clouds to rain right now? Maybe if Megan were
to fly up into the clouds—could she do something to make it start?”

  “Yes!” said Howie.“If she flies straight into that big cloud and starts moving the moisture inside it around, she can make it rain. Basically, the cloud drops need to bump into each other in order to grow big enough to fall as raindrops. So she'll have to move fast once she's inside.”

  Megan looked serious. “I can try,” she said.

  “Take me with you,” said Zander. “You get us up there and I can help you mix up the moisture at superspeed.”

  Megan grabbed Zander's hand and together they shot up toward the low-hanging cloud.

  I crossed my fingers. The flames were growing bigger, and the smell of the burning cabin was tickling the inside of my nose. By now, other campers and counselors had noticed the smoke and had come running. Simon pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

  Seconds later, the rain began.

  “They did it!” said Sam.

  The rain fell in fast, heavy drops that instantly became a deluge, dousing the fire. The flames sputtered and sizzled, then died, leaving the charred porch railings black and smoldering.

  Megan and Zander landed moments later; they were both still damp.

  I ran over to them. “That was awesome, you guys.”

  “You were the one who thought of the clouds, Zoe,” said Megan, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes.

  “And Howie was the one who knew what to do to make it rain,” said Casey.

  Zander walked over to Howie and shook his hand. “Nice going, pal.”

  Howie grinned.

  “All right, campers,” said Simon, waving the onlookers away. “Nothing to see here. Everything turned out fine.”

  I was about to walk away, but Simon put a firm hand on my shoulder.“Not you guys,” he said, looking around at our group. “You stay.”

  While we waited for the others to leave, Howie took off his jacket and offered it to Megan, who was shivering in her wet sweatshirt. When everyone was gone, Simon said in a low, somber voice, “Where's Melanie?”

  I shot a glance at Casey—neither of us was giggling now. Melanie would be mortified if we told Simon that she and Dave were off enjoying a moonlight walk together.

  “Campers…this is important. We have to account for everyone. I need to know where Melanie is.”

  “I'm right here,” came a voice from behind us.

  We all whirled around to see Melanie and Dave emerging from the path that led to the lake. They were looking a tiny bit pink-cheeked and were walking at least three feet apart, like they wanted to make it perfectly clear that they were not holding hands. But then again, three feet was no distance at all for Dave's superstretchy arms.…

  “Whoa! What happened?” Dave asked, taking in the smoldering cabin.

  Simon lowered his eyes. “Perhaps you can tell us,” he said, a note of sadness in his voice. When he looked up again, his gaze was fixed on Melanie.“It looks like someone set the Bravery cabin on fire,” he explained.

  It took a moment for his accusation to sink in. When it did, Melanie's blue eyes grew round. “Do you think I did this?” she gasped, her voice trembling. “I would never, ever do anything like this, honest!”

  “I know you wouldn't,” Simon said reassuringly. He stepped toward her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Not on purpose. But, well …” He paused. “I know how tricky it can be for beginner Supers to keep their powers in check.”

  Everyone looked away, and I was sure they were remembering how Mel had accidentally singed Zander's shirtsleeve that morning. Not to mention what she'd done to Amanda's whistle at the first training session.

  “Especially,” Simon went on, “when they've got other things on their minds. Now, I'm not blaming you entirely, Mel.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It's partly my fault, because I saw you two walking by here earlier.”

  “You did?” said Dave.

  Simon gave him a smile. “I should have stopped you, but far be it from me to stand in the way of young love.”

  Dave and Melanie looked miserable and embarrassed.

  “Is there any chance,” said Simon, his English accent very gentle, “that you accidentally shot a spark out of your eyes when you walked past this cabin?”

  I could see Melanie struggling to remember. “I don't know,” she admitted. “I guess I can't say for sure whether I did or did-n't.” She sniffled.“But if I did, I didn't mean to. It's like you said, I wasn't thinking about my power, so maybe it just happened. I could have given the cabin a superstare. I truly don't remember if I did.”

  “Or if you didn't,” Simon added kindly but pointedly.“I guess we'll never know for certain.”

  Back at the cabin, Melanie went directly to her dresser and began taking clothes out of the drawers.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Packing. I'm leaving.”

  “Why?” asked Megan. “Simon didn't say you had to leave.”

  “No, he didn't,” said Mel.“But I can't trust myself to stay here. The whole place is made of wood…the cabins, the picnic tables, the canoes! And let's not forget the millions of trees. I can't risk starting any more fires!”

  “But you don't know for sure that you started that one,” I reminded her.“An electrical short could have caused it. Or one of the lanterns on the porch could have blown over.”

  Melanie shook her head. “I just can't take the chance.”

  Casey looked dismayed. “So you're leaving?”

  Melanie nodded.“First thing in the morning. I'll call my folks and tell them I've got really bad poison ivy or malaria or some thing, and they can come and pick me up.”

  “We'll miss you,” I said.

  “I'll miss you, too.”

  The cabin got very quiet as Melanie continued to pack. I

  knew that for the moment, at least, there was no danger of my cabinmate's accidentally starting a fire with her eyes…because they were filled with glistening tears.

  While Megan, Mel, and Casey were getting ready for bed, I dug my communication device out of my backpack and went out onto the porch.

  “Central Communications,” answered a familiar voice.

  “Hey,Thatcher. It's Kid Zoom.”

  “Zoe! So nice to hear from you. Enjoying camp?”

  “Well, we had a pretty scary incident tonight, and now Melanie's leaving.”

  “Melt is leaving camp?” Thatcher asked, surprised. “That's awful.”

  “I know. But we can't talk her out of it.”

  “So what can I do for you, Zoe?”

  “Can you patch me through to Grandpa Zack, please?”

  “Don't tell me you've run out of underwear already!”

  “Thatcher!” I laughed. “Boy, you really do know everything, don't you?”

  “It's my job.”

  I waited while the device buzzed and flashed, connecting me to Grandpa's wavelength.

  “Zip here.”

  “Grandpa!”

  “Zoe, sweetheart. How are things at Camp Courageous?”

  I told him all about the fire, and how I'd thought of the rain clouds and how Howie had taught Megan how to make it rain.

  “Howie?” Grandpa interrupted. “Not Howie Hunt?”

  “Yep.”

  “Howie's at Camp Courageous?” Grandpa laughed. “Well, I guess that secret is out. So tell me, when did his powers appear?”

  “They didn't, yet. Mr. Hunt forced the counselor to let Howie stay. Don't worry, though, I'm looking out for him.”

  “Good girl.”

  “Grandpa, that's not the only secret that's out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I drew a deep breath. “I met Zander.”

  There was a long pause.

  “Zander,” Grandpa said. “Your cousin.”

  “I saw his name in the family tree and I meant to ask you about him, but I forgot, and then I came to camp and there he was. He didn't know anything about me, or you. I told him the little bit I l
earned from your scrapbook, but now we're both wondering why we never met, or even heard of each other.”

  “Zander's grandfather Zeb was my cousin,” Grandpa told me. “We grew up together, came into our powers mere weeks apart—we even went to camp together. We were very close. Well, time went on, we grew older, married, and started our families. Gran and I had your dad, and Zeb and his wife, Cheryl, had a daughter, Zia.”

  “Another Z,” I said. “Big surprise.”

  “Zia was a Super.”

  “Oh. That's nice.”

  “Well, I thought so. But I never got a chance to tell Zeb that, because as soon as Zia's powers showed themselves, he cut off all ties. I had no idea why. Best I could surmise was that since your dad was not a Super, Zeb didn't feel my family was good enough to associate with his, which had produced two Supers in a row. I never heard from him again. I called him a few times, but the conversations were always very awkward. It was like he had nothing to say to me.”

  “That's kind of stuck-up,” I said.

  Grandpa gave a sad chuckle. “I suppose you could call it that. And then Zia got married and she had baby Zander. The only reason I was able to put Zander's name in the family tree was because I read about his birth in the Superhero News. And when his powers arrived, around the same time as yours did, there was a whole story about him in the Superhero News because he was the third consecutive Super born into that family. That's very unusual. The Federation is making a big fuss over Zander.”

  “So are the girls in the Fearless cabin,” I said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind. So Zander and I don't have to keep our family connection on the DL?”

  “No, you don't have to keep it on the down-low. I'm glad you found each other. Family is important. Who knows, maybe nowZeb and I will reconnect and I'll finally find out what went wrong between us.”