Natalie's Secret #1

by Melissa J Morgan

  “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” A clipboard was thrust under Natalie’s nose. She followed the clipboard up and found herself looking into the face of an older woman wearing a fluorescent orange sun visor and a stripe of zinc down her nose. No one in New York City wore sun visors. At least, not anyone Natalie knew.

  “Natalie. Natalie Goode,” she managed, after taking a moment to recover.

  The woman looked at her clipboard briskly. “Natalie Goode. New York City.”

  “That’s me.”

  “Well, Natalie, I’m Helen Proctor. I’m the camp nurse. Right now, I’m helping all the campers find their bunks. You, my friend, are in the third division. Kathleen is your division head. You’ll love her. And you’re in bunk 3C,” the woman told her. “Your counselor is Julie and Marissa will be your CIT.”

  “CIT?” Natalie asked. Was that anything like the CIA? Or NPR? Probably not.

  “Counselor-in-training,” Helen explained. “It’s the division between the oldest campers and the counselors. The CITs wait tables in the mess hall, and they’re each assigned to one bunk.”

  Natalie nodded. “Cool,” she said. At least, it sounded cool. Time would tell.

  Helen leaned forward, crouching next to Natalie. She pointed toward a thin dirt path leading away from the field. “If you follow that path, you’ll see that it curves around. That path runs through the main part of the camp—the bunks, the mess hall, and the rec hall. Head down that path and stick to the left. The fourth bunk you pass will be 3C.” She patted Natalie on the shoulder reassuringly.

  “Great,” Natalie said, unconvinced. “Um, thanks.” She looked around to see where Alyssa had gone, but she had already disappeared. There could be no more putting it off. She was here at Camp Lakeview, on her way to the bunk.

  While on the bus, Natalie had somehow managed to convince herself that camp might not actually be that bad. She had even dreamed of bunks like log cabins, cute little cottages like the ones she and her mother stayed in when they went on vacation. But now, suddenly, her mouth was dry and she felt sweaty and nervous. She willed herself to relax. Your bunkmates will be cool, she told herself. There’s going to be a girl there who’s into just the same kind of music that you like, and there will be someone who’s way funny and wears the same size clothes as you, and you can share jeans and give each other manicures. And you can take a nice, long shower after you’ve unpacked so you can start to feel human again. She imagined herself digging her thick terrycloth robe out from her trunk and hanging it just outside a nice shower stall. She’d turn the water on full blast and melt away the travel grime. Then she’d change into her most comfortable track pants and snuggle under her covers until dinnertime. Maybe she’d even blow her hair out—first day of camp, and all.

  The path curved around, and Natalie hung a left, just like Helen had told her to. Almost immediately, she came upon a cluster of . . .

  No. No way.

  It just wasn’t possible. There was no way that these crumbling, paint-chipped shacks were the bunks. As in, where she was expected to live for eight whole weeks!

  The ramshackle structures couldn’t have been less similar to the log cabins of Natalie’s fantasies. They barely looked like they would make it through the summer, they were so dilapidated. The bunks were constructed of flimsy-looking planks of wood that had probably been a uniform color once upon a time, but age and weather had rendered them a dull and faded shade of gray. “Windows” were screens without shutters or panes. Natalie wondered what happened when it rained.

  Swallowing hard, she counted to the fourth building and stepped up toward it slowly. Looks can be deceiving, she reminded herself. Don’t judge a book by its cover. She racked her brain for any other clichés that could offer any small bit of comfort. Someone had tacked a big pink posterboard to the front door. “WELCOME, BUNK 3C,” it said. The sign was decorated with glitter and lots of girls’ names. It was hard for Natalie to imagine that in just a few moments all those names would be actual people—people she’d be sharing one big room with for two whole months. She had never shared a room before, ever, other than for a sleepover party. Just do it, she decided. It was time to just jump in. Here goes nothing, she thought, and pushed the door open, stepping into bunk 3C.

  Natalie couldn’t believe that her own mother had paid money for her to stay here. Or that there were girls who were looking forward to living in a bunk. She didn’t know how she was going to make it.

  The door clacked shut behind her, bouncing on its hinges. The fact that the door didn’t have a knob or any other lock-type mechanism did not escape her. But she couldn’t dwell on such matters. Because the bunk itself had many, many other problems.

  Six bunk beds were lined up on either side of the small, square room. Two single beds were arranged just beyond the main bunk “area,” obviously intended for the counselors. The thin, stained mattresses bore little resemblance to the fabulous bed she’d been dreaming of. And sleeping on a top bunk was clearly out of the question. She’d never fallen out of bed, but she sure wasn’t eager to tempt fate from eight feet in the air. The top bunks had some sort of railing, but she wasn’t interested in taking chances.

  The floor was wooden, scuffed, and looked likely to splinter off. She thought gratefully of having packed her striped, rubber flip-flops. Crooked wooden cubbies were built into the walls, obviously intended for the campers’ belongings. She was supposed to unpack her clothes and just leave them in open shelves for everyone to see? Wouldn’t they get dusty or dirty or . . . well, she couldn’t really think of anything too terrible that would happen to her stuff, but still—it seemed like a bad idea.

  Thinking again of her grand plan to shower, Natalie cautiously made her way into the bathroom. How bad could it be? she asked herself. She was instantly sorry that she had.

  Oh. That bad.

  It wasn’t the sticky, stained floor that bothered her (she did have those striped flip-flops, after all). Neither was it the no-frills row of stall showers facing the far back wall. Oh, sure, she could see even from the doorway how mildewed and moldy those curtains were. The fact that the toilet-paper rolls were soggy with humidity wasn’t a great concern.

  No, what freaked Natalie out was the toilet. Specifically, the state of one toilet—one of only two that twelve girls were expected to share. On top of this toilet was the hugest, slimiest, squirmiest, and all-out grossest spider Natalie had ever seen. Even if someone had been able to kill this spider—and frankly, she wasn’t really sure that that would even be possible—its spidery, icky essence would live on. On the toilet seat.

  Well, she just wouldn’t use the bathroom. Ever.

  Natalie crossed to one of the sinks that stood in a row on the opposite wall of the shower stalls. She glanced at her face in the mirror—no good news there—and splashed some water across her cheeks. She patted her face and walked back into the sleeping area of the bunk.

  “So, you’re Natalie? Or are you Alyssa or Chelsea or Grace?”

  Natalie looked over to see a petite blond girl talking to her. “I’m Julie,” the girl continued, smiling widely. “I’m going to be your counselor this summer.”

  Julie had bright, clear blue eyes and freckles covering every visible square inch of skin. Her hair was short, straight, and shiny. Her skin was scrubbed clean, and her complexion was fresh. Julie looked like a very “perky” person. Natalie had her doubts about “perky” people and couldn’t help but be slightly wary of Julie. But of course, she had to at least try, didn’t she?

  “I’m Natalie,” Natalie said, introducing herself. She coaxed what she hoped was a passable smile to her face.

  “Right, I knew I had a one-in-four shot because the tri-state buses just arrived. So it was either you or Alyssa or Grace or Chelsea. Chelsea’s from Pennsylvania,” Julie explained.

  Natalie was a little relieved that Julie was just organized, not a mind reader. “A girl named Alyssa was on my bus. So was a Grace. They’re both eleven. So it’s probably them,�
�� she reasoned, feeling a little more relaxed to know that there would be at least two people in her bunk who weren’t total strangers.

  “Well, in that case, I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Julie said. “I arranged everyone’s luggage—I mean, the stuff that was shipped beforehand, anyway—in front of a bed. Yours is right there,” Julie said, indicating the second bunk in the right. “Alex will be in the same bunk bed, so since you’re here first, I guess you get to choose top or bottom. Lucky you.”

  “Well, I personally prefer the bottom. But what if Alex does, too?” Natalie worried.

  Julie laughed. “These things usually work themselves out. If Alex is dead-set on a bottom bunk, there will definitely be someone willing to trade with her. You’d be surprised how many girls actually prefer the top bunk, you know,” she said. “Look—Karen does.”

  For the first time, Natalie noticed that there was another girl in the bunk. She was hunched quietly over in the corner.

  “Hey, Karen,” Natalie said. “Where are you from?”

  Karen spun around. “I’m from Chicago,” she said.

  Natalie blinked. “That’s a long way away,” she commented.

  “My mother grew up in Pennsylvania, and she used to go to this camp for years and years,” Karen said. “So that’s why she sent me here. My plane got in really early this morning—I’ve been here forever.”

  Natalie nodded, taking Karen in. Natalie wasn’t a snob, but she was pretty confident, and she made friends and could read people easily. A quick glance told her all she needed to know about Karen. The girl had thick brown hair pulled back into two braids going down either side of her head. Natalie knew lots of girls who wore their hair that way, but on Karen it really looked babyish, rather than cute. The hair, coupled with Karen’s brown-and-green striped capri pants and a T-shirt that said LAKEVIEW ATHLETICS suggested that Karen was weird. Natalie’s heart instantly went out to her. “Well, it’s good that you had time to settle in before things got really crazy,” Natalie told her.

  Karen just shrugged and dove back into her trunk, leaving Natalie feeling a little bit foolish. She’d only been trying to be friendly, after all. It wasn’t her fault Karen was odd. Also, if she’d been here all day, why was she still unpacking? Bizarre.

  Stranger yet was when Karen re-emerged from inside of her trunk with three stuffed animals. Teddy bears? Natalie thought incredulously. “Cool bears,” she offered, trying again to keep an open mind.

  Karen nodded coolly. “The rest are in my duffel.”

  The rest? Natalie thought. Yikes.

  Natalie crossed over to the cubby wall and looked around again. Before she could even take a breath, though, Julie’s bright, blond face was close to her own. “You can pick any cubby that you like!” Julie asserted, sounding like she thought this was a huge source of comfort to Natalie.

  Four weeks, Natalie thought. It would only be four weeks until Visiting Day. Then her mother would come up, see the horror of Natalie’s surroundings, and bust her out of Lakeview once and for all. There was no way her mother could be immune to things like moldy shower stalls and spiders on the toilet seats, right?

  Was there?

  chapter THREE

  “Can somebody please get the door for me? Ugh, I think I broke a nail!”

  Natalie was sitting on the edge of her bed, actually hard at work filing her own nails, when she overheard the cry for help. She had finished unpacking over an hour ago, and had witnessed each new bunkmate walk in. There were only two more left to arrive, and the suspense was killing her. Glad to have something to do, Natalie sprung up and raced to be of help.

  She threw the door open to be greeted with the sight of a very pretty older girl. “Hi, I’m Marissa, your CIT,” the girl said, green eyes wide. “Thanks for opening the door.” She sounded slightly out of breath, and she was balancing a bright pink milk crate overflowing with tons of cool stuff: a metallic blue iPod, a pair of fuzzy purple slippers, a hot pink clip-on lamp . . . Natalie’s eyes flickered over the goods, appraising what Marissa had thought to bring. She’d have killed for the purple slippers, now that she saw the floor of the bunk.

  “I’m Natalie,” Natalie said. “And you probably want to get by.” She stepped aside to let Marissa in. Marissa rushed in and immediately dropped her things on the floor next to the unclaimed single, then turned to embrace Julie.

  “I’m so glad we get to work together!” Julie squealed, running her fingers through Marissa’s wavy, light brown hair. “And I cannot believe how long your hair got!”

  “You cut yours!” Marissa giggled.

  “I did, too,” a bold voice interrupted.

  Natalie rolled her eyes. After just a few hours in the bunk, she already knew that voice all too well. It was Alex Kim. Alex had arrived just a few minutes after Natalie and had instantly made herself at home. It wasn’t that she was so awful, really, just that . . . well, she was a Camp Lakeview regular. This was, like, her fifth summer or something. She knew all the ropes and was definite model-camper material, which made Natalie feel a little weird. Back in New York City, after all, she was the one who knew everyone, was friends with everyone, was the center of a million different groups of people. But obviously things would be different at Lakeview. For one, Marissa and Alex were embracing like long-lost relatives on a daytime soap opera.

  “It looks great!” Marissa gushed, stepping back to admire Alex’s straight black hair. Natalie herself thought the haircut was a little basic, but she supposed it suited Alex.

  “Yeah, I needed to cut it to get it out of my face during soccer,” Alex said, “but I like it so much that I’m probably not going to grow it back.”

  “No, short hair’s great,” Marissa said. “Now we can put all sorts of cool clips and stuff in it. And if you’re feeling bold, we can even use some eye makeup, once your hair is pulled off your face.”

  Alex grimaced. “Gunk around my eyes? No, thanks.”

  Natalie smiled to herself, thinking of her own makeup kit stashed under her bed. At least that was one thing that she and Marissa could share.

  “Are you into makeup?” Alex asked, turning toward Natalie. She was so direct that she somehow made it sound like an accusation.

  “Um, yeah, I am,” Natalie said, somewhat taken aback. She felt like she was expected to apologize for it or something.

  Alex took a long look at Natalie, checking her out. Natalie bristled unintentionally. Who did this girl think she was? Just because she had been here a few summers in a row? That wasn’t so special, in Natalie’s opinion.

  Well, Natalie knew at least one other girl here, and right now, she was especially glad for that. “Hey, Alyssa,” she called out in the direction of the ceiling. Alyssa had shown up just after Natalie (the two of them having been on the same bus, and all), and had taken a cool fifteen minutes to put her things away before diving onto the bunk on top of Natalie’s (it seemed like Julie had been right about the whole top bunk thing. Alex and Alyssa had swapped almost instantly). Alyssa had been there ever since. Natalie was into her and her whole low-key approach to camp. Alyssa seemed like the type of girl who hardly ever got bothered by anything.

  “Yeah?” Alyssa called from her perch on her bed.

  “Wanna go outside and play cards until the cookout? I will totally kick your butt at rummy 500.”

  There was a pause during which Natalie wondered if she’d somehow said the wrong thing. Maybe artsy, sensitive girls didn’t like to play cards? Then, finally, “Yeah, right,” and the sound of a ballpoint pen being capped. Natalie almost couldn’t believe she’d succeeded in tearing Alyssa away from her notebook.

  “We’re leaving for the cookout in an hour!” Julie called as the girls left the bunk. “Don’t go far!”

  Natalie wasn’t planning on going far, of course. But the stuffy bunk and everyone’s unpacking was starting to make her uncomfortable. And for the first time since she’d arrived at Lakeview, Natalie felt like she could use some fresh air.
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