Mrs. Pratt finally relented and Nathan hung up the phone. Benjamin looked at his friend suspiciously. He’d never heard Nathan avoid his parents.
“What?” Nathan asked, noticing the look.
“Nothing. You ready to play?”
“Yeah. Let’s win this mission, Sergeant Dragon.”
+++
Nathan thanked Mrs. Dragon for dinner and left out the back door. Benjamin was still pushing penne pasta around his plate.
“Hey, mom?”
“Yes, honey?” Mrs. Dragon kept her eyes glued to her work. She’d already finished her nightly salad.
“Do you still want me to go to that camp this summer?”
The question perked his mom’s attention and she fixed him with a wary look. “Your father and I talked about it and we think it would be good for you.”
Parents were always telling their kids what was good for them. What was that all about? Did they give the same class to all parents?
“Well…I was thinking that…”
Mrs. Dragon interrupted. “Come on, Benji. I know you don’t like this kind of stuff, but…”
“Wait, mom. I was just gonna say that I think I want to go.”
Mrs. Dragon’s look of surprise almost made Benjamin laugh. Not many things surprised his mom.
“That’s a welcome change. How about we talk about it with your dad this weekend?”
Benjamin nodded. “I was wondering if…I just…”
“What did you want to ask me, honey?” Mrs. Dragon looked like she didn’t want the good news to stop. She rarely had anything in common with her son. There were so many things she wanted him to do. It was a delicate balancing act with Benjamin. She knew how smart he was, and yet he didn’t possess the same confidence that his parents had at his age.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, mom, but I was wondering if we might be able to pay for Nathan to go to.”
“That’s very sweet, but I’m not sure the Pratts would allow it, Benji.”
“Why not?”
“Some people are very sensitive about money. They might feel like they owed us. Mr. and Mrs. Pratt are the kind of people that work very hard for what they have and…” she struggled to find the words, “…they don’t like taking or borrowing money from people.”
“What if we just said it was a gift, mom?” The idea brought a smile to his face. “Yeah. If we said it was a gift then they couldn’t feel bad. Didn’t you tell me that people should be grateful when they get a gift? That’s what you told me when I got that sweater with the pig on it from grandma.”
Mrs. Dragon looked uncomfortable. She was in unfamiliar territory. On one hand, Benjamin was a good kid and never asked for anything. Mr. Dragon almost had to drag him to the mall to buy his Xbox. On the other hand, her lawyer brain was being outmatched by the wit of her son.
She groaned. “Let me talk to your dad. I’m not promising anything.”
Benjamin hopped up from his chair, ran around the table and gave his mom a big kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, mom!”
Chapter 16: Plans
After discussions with Mr. Dragon and Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, it was decided that the Dragons would pay for Nathan to go to Camp Wahamalican with Benjamin. Mr. Pratt insisted that it was only a loan and that Nathan would work off the debt over the rest of the summer and possibly the coming school year. Benjamin figured that his parents probably wouldn’t take the money. They were different than he was, but they were always kind and generous.
Nathan practically bounced off the walls when Benjamin told him. He crushed his friend in a tight bear hug until he realized what he was doing, and promptly dropped Benjamin to the ground. Benjamin didn’t care. He was glad to see his friend so happy.
+++
The remaining weeks of school flew. Benjamin got straight A’s for the millionth time in his life.
The three boys, Benjamin, Nathan and Aaron, carefully planned out their camping adventure. They would have three whole weeks away from home. Funny Paul and Little Mikey looked on. Both were a bit jealous. Funny Paul would be spending the summer at his grandparents’ farm in Michigan. Little Mikey was going to soccer camp. He was already a really good player.
“We have to make sure we all get in the same cabin,” Nathan declared. “If anyone tried to split us up…”
“I definitely want to take fishing. Tommy Hiller told me they have bass the size of a car in the lake,” said the normally quiet Aaron.
Benjamin was just along for the ride. He was happy because his friends were happy. There hadn’t even been any nightmares since finding out about camp. Every time he started to worry about his ‘gift’ he would dive into one of his books about snakes or bears to distract himself. And it worked. Because of camp, Benjamin never thought about Old Kennedy and having to find his ‘chosen path.’ Camp Wahamalican would change that.
Chapter 17: Off To Camp Wahamalican
The morning of the first day of camp came after a whirlwind of shopping and packing. Mrs. Dragon and Mrs. Pratt drove Benjamin and Nathan the three hours to Camp Wahamalican. Aaron’s parents would be taking him separately. The three boys had already agreed to meet up at the large camp totem pole with the red eagle on top after dropping their stuff at the cabin.
Along the way, Nathan did most of the talking as they went through the camp brochures for the thousandth time.
“Everybody says we need to get to the chow hall early,” Nathan was saying. “If we don’t, all the good food will be gone. Did I tell you about…”
And so it went for the three hour trip. Benjamin enjoyed every minute. Nathan was an animated story-teller and had lots of tales to tell about so-and-so camper being attacked by a wolverine or so-and-so camper getting poison ivy all over their private parts. Benjamin laughed even though he’d heard the stories before. He was glad Nathan was coming to camp.
+++
When they arrived at Camp Wahamalican, registration was in full swing. Campers lined up with their parents to find out which tribe they’d be assigned to. Benjamin and Nathan were assigned to the Tomahawk tribe despite Benjamin being younger. Mrs. Dragon had somehow persuaded camp staff to allow the change in procedure due to the fact that Benjamin was two grades ahead of the kids his age. Benjamin figured that his mom had probably used some of her own powers to convince the camp director to let the two boys be in the same tribe.
After they’d paid for the camp store credit (Mrs. Pratt insisted she pay for Nathan’s), gotten their camp T-shirts, and picked up their activities list, the Dragons and the Pratts made their way to the Tomahawk cabin. The slightly musty log cabin was a bustle of activity. Kids and parents hurried this way and that. One boy was crying as he said goodbye to his mother. Benjamin promised himself he would not cry.
Nathan threw his bags on a top bunk and said he’d unpack later. Benjamin took the bed below Nathan and followed his friend’s lead. There would be plenty of time to put their things away. The boys were excited to go exploring.
+++
They said goodbye to their moms (Mrs. Pratt started crying when she hugged Nathan). Benjamin’s eyes got a little watery, but he didn’t cry. After waving to their parents, Benjamin and Nathan headed to the tallest manmade object in camp: the Camp Wahamalican totem pole.
+++
They found Aaron at the totem pole. He was leafing through the class brochure for wilderness survival. It said something about making a shelter out of branches and stuff.
“Let’s go check out the lake,” said Nathan.
They made their way through the tree lined path that they knew would open up to the lake. Benjamin had almost memorized the camp’s layout, as had the others. It was nice to walk in the shade and avoid the buzzing horse flies. They were anxious to see the biggest attraction at Camp Wahamalican.
Walking out into the sunlight, the three friends stopped. Nathan’s eyes popped wide. Aaron’s mouth hung open. Benjamin was speechless. The lake looked like a kid’s fairy tale. Canoes and kayaks were neatly piled
in wooden racks close to the water. A sandy beach that looked like it had been recently raked lay just ahead. In the water just beyond the beach was a large water playground covered in ladders, diving boards, and slides. There were three bouncy inflatables tethered to the play center with ropes.
“Wow!” Nathan exclaimed, and took off running for the beach. The other two followed. Benjamin was admiring the view when they heard a whistle blow. All three boys skidded to a stop and looked for the whistle-blower.
Walking toward them was a tall blonde camp counselor. She looked to be in high school and had freckles painting a pattern under her eyes and over her nose. She was athletic and pretty. A brief whiff of sweet perfume accompanied her arrival. Nathan checked his hair with his hand as she came closer. Aaron just stood patiently and gulped. Benjamin stared at his feet.
“First timers?” she asked, spinning a lanyard around her finger.
“Uh huh,” Nathan manage to say.
“Didn’t they tell you not to go near the water until your swim test?”
“No.” Nathan’s face turned pink and then red.
The older girl cocked her head and looked from one boy to another. She grinned.
“You three gonna give me trouble this session?”
“No, ma-am,” said Nathan.
“Uh uh,” said Aaron.
Benjamin shook his head.
“Well good. I’m Isabelle, the head lifeguard. What are your names?”
Each boy mumbled their name.
“Good to meet you and welcome to camp. Now why don’t you all head up to the chow hall. The opening ceremony starts in fifteen minutes. You won’t wanna miss it.”
Without another word, Isabelle turned and walked back toward the lifeguard tower. Nathan whistled softly.
“Wow…” he said.
The other boys just bobbed their heads.
+++
Camp Wahamalican’s director was an older man name Mr. Hendrix. He reminded Benjamin a little bit of Old Kennedy. Mr. Hendrix had long white hair that he tied in a ponytail. He was wiry trim and wore khaki shorts. Benjamin could tell he was a nice man by the way he smiled and joked with the campers. It was funny that adults thought that kids couldn’t tell whether a grown-up was nice or not. Benjamin could always tell by a smile (real or fake, nice or not) or their eyes (kind or mean, happy or angry).
Mr. Hendrix told the campers about Camp Wahamalican’s history and how it had once been an Indian burial site.
“And sometimes the ancient Indian elders come out at night to say hello,” Mr. Hendrix said. There was silence in the large room. “But don’t worry, we’ve made sure only the nice ones stuck around.”
There were nervous chuckles and a couple whimpers from new campers. Benjamin wasn’t worried about ghosts.
After telling them about the camp rules and eating schedule, the campers were released to their tribes. Tribe Tomahawk’s chief was a tall skinny red haired boy named Tony. He said they could call him Tomahawk Tony. The younger boys laughed. Tomahawk Tony gave his own set of rules (no talking after midnight, no sneaking food into the cabin, etc.) as they walked back to the Tomahawk cabin. There were a total of twelve Tomahawk campers. Since it was a tribe for twelve-year-olds, Benjamin was the youngest.
When they arrived back at the cabin, Tony asked Benjamin to stay outside. He waited until the other boys spilled in to speak.
“Benjamin, I’m not sure how you got assigned to this cabin.” Benjamin eyes widened a bit. He didn’t want to be sent to another tribe. “.But Mr. Hendrix said you’ve skipped a couple grades. I just wanted to make sure you’re going to be okay with the older guys.”
“I came with two of my friends, Nathan and Aaron.”
“Nathan’s the tall kid, right?”
Benjamin nodded.
“Okay. But you make sure you come tell me if anyone picks on you. I don’t put up with bullying in my tribe,” said Tony, seriously. Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay.”
“Good, now why don’t you go get changed for your swim test.”
Chapter 18: Mystery
Benjamin, Nathan and Aaron breezed through the swim test. Aaron had been on swim teams since he was seven. He’d already been picked out by one of the counselors that coached the camp swim competition.
All of the Tomahawks passed the highest level of swimming. That meant they could do any of the water activities and use the water playground. They all hooted and hollered as they split into teams and played a game called ‘walk the plank.’
Nathan, being the strongest and one of the fastest of the Tomahawks, ended up winning. Benjamin was one of the first to be thrown off. He didn’t care. It was still fun and none of the boys treated him like a baby. That’s what he’d wanted. It probably helped that the other Tomahawks already knew that he was best friends with Nathan. Benjamin was glad about the decision to invite his friend along.
+++
After swimming, they hiked back to their cabin and grabbed clothes to take showers. They cleaned up quickly and followed Tony to the chow hall.
Their first real meal at Camp Wahamalican felt like a feast. Everyone was hungry after the excitement of the day. Benjamin ate two hamburgers and a huge pile of fries. Nathan ate three hamburgers and saved room for three helpings of dessert.
Full and happy, the campers were ushered to their first camp fire. There would be one every week with the final fire coming the night before they all went home. Tonight the camp counselors would perform skits and tell ghost stories.
The entire event went off without a hitch. They were all laughing and retelling the best jokes as they walked back to the cabin. Benjamin stifled a yawn when he noticed a flickering light in the distance. He asked Tony about it.
“Oh, that’s some old guy that’s lived up in the hills for years. Lots of stories about him. Make sure you stay away from his place. I heard about a kid that got chased out with a shotgun…”
Benjamin wasn’t listening. Instead, he was staring at the flickering flame on the hillside. For some reason it felt like it was calling to him.
That night the nightmares came back. Benjamin tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bunk. At one point he caught himself just as he was going to roll off the bed and onto the floor. Somehow he didn’t wake anyone. None of the dreams stuck. He couldn’t remember what they were about. The dreams merely left him with a feeling that he was falling…or was it flying?
Chapter 19: Camp Stuff
The first full day of camp was filled with activity. Benjamin enjoyed all his morning classes, but was ready to see his friends at lunch. The other older kids that weren’t in Tomahawk looked at him funny all morning.
Nathan couldn’t stop talking as they ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a layer of crispy crunchy potato chips in between. It was a habit Benjamin had recently picked up from Nathan.
“I wish you guys were in my archery class,” said Nathan. “It was awesome. The counselor said I have a natural gift.” Benjamin’s ears perked up at the sound of the word ‘gift.’ “Can you believe it? I’ve never even picked up a bow before!”
And so it went for the rest of lunch. Benjamin told his friends about what he’d learned in craftsmanship, and Aaron instructed them in the proper way to hogtie a prisoner. The counselor teaching his wilderness survival class was a tough old Marine who liked to demonstrate his knot tying techniques on campers. It was all in good fun, of course.
Lunch was done and the three companions split up for their afternoon sessions.
Benjamin was headed to the lake for his first canoeing lesson when someone called his name.
“Benjamin!”
He looked around, not picking out the voice until the other campers cleared. Benjamin’s eyes widened. It was Emily, the girl he’d saved.
“Benjamin!” Her smile was wide as she made her way over. Benjamin marveled as her ponytail swung and bounced as she walked.
“Hey!”
“Hi.”
&n
bsp; “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah.”
She waited for him to say something else. Instead he kicked a rock and avoided her gaze.
“Are you okay?” asked Emily.
Benjamin didn’t know how to reply. Whenever he saw her in the halls at school he’d had a whole period to think about and muster the courage just to say, “Hi.”
“I’m okay. When…uh, where are you going?”
“Oh! I’m going to canoeing. You?”
He blushed. “Uh, me too.”
“Great! Can I walk with you?”
He nodded and they went on their way. As they walked, she talked and Benjamin tried not to say anything stupid or trip over his feet.
This was Emily’s second summer at camp. She liked the classes he’d chosen. She’d taken most of them the summer before. Canoeing was the only class they had together. It made Benjamin a little sad.
Emily hadn’t come with anyone. She did have a lot of friends from the summer before. Some of them waved to her as they neared the lake.
“Have you ever canoed before?” she asked.
“Just a couple times with my dad,” croaked Benjamin. He couldn’t seem to make his mouth work the way he wanted.
“I tried it last summer during free time. I think it’s gonna be a really fun class.”
“Yeah,” he managed to get out.
Emily was right. Canoeing turned out to be a lot of fun. The teacher, a slightly chubby teenager named Rankin, was really funny and made the nervous campers laugh. He was also very serious about safety and made sure each camper could recite the rules before they were allowed into a canoe.
Despite his size, Benjamin took to canoeing like a bird to flight. By the end of the hour he’d manned the back of one of the canoes and was easily maneuvering in and around the floating buoys. Even Rankin noticed.
Benjamin Dragon - Awakening (The Chronicles of Benjamin Dragon) Page 6
