We were interrupted by huge rolls of thunder, which made some of the tree branches around us shake.
“Man! Is it too much to ask for one lousy day without torrential rain?” I considered the dark clouds threatening to explode any minute, and then remembered I was wearing my canvas sneakers, which had a few small holes in them. I liked wearing things that were broken in and familiar. This particular pair was more comfortable than my hiking boots, but they would be worthless in the rain.
Beth didn’t have her backpack with her so I felt around in my bag until I found a plastic poncho and handed it to her. I pulled the hood up on my supposedly water resistant jacket. Just in time, too. The sky opened up and suddenly we were engulfed by heavy rain.
“We’re going to have to make a run for it,” Beth shouted over the thunder.
“I can make it to the cabin on my own if you want to go straight to base camp,” I hollered back.
“You sure?” Beth asked. She seemed relieved that she wouldn’t have to go another quarter mile out of her way before getting to her dry, cozy trailer.
I nodded and we parted ways.
One slippery, muddy sprint later, I arrived at the cabin and just stared at the front door. I stomped my shoes on the porch mat, which didn’t do anything to make them less muddy. I took a breath. It was time for me to go inside, even though I was completely unexcited to see two-thirds of the other team. Sucking it up, I knocked on the door with my cold, wet fist.
Chapter 16
“I didn’t grow up hearing a lot about Bigfoot. In England we were more interested in the Cornish Owlman, or the Canvey Island Monster, which is basically a frog on two legs. Who wants to search for a frog?”
—Devan Das, team captain, “Myth Gnomers”
There was no answer, but the distinctive high-pitched sounds of the Xbox came from the other side of the wooden door. I tried the handle and it was unlocked. When I stepped inside, the warm air greeted me like a soft blanket.
Devan and Caroline sat on either end of the couch, Devan playing a video game and Caroline reading, their backs facing the door. They didn’t notice me as I stood dripping and giving the place a once-over.
I was surprised the cabin wasn’t as fancy as I’d imagined. The living room was filled with sturdy, wood-framed couches and chairs—made for long life, not luxury. The décor was sparse, encompassing a few pictures of ducks and deer and other hunting scenes. There was a brick fireplace with a huge pile of logs stacked up next to it. The cabin was probably Duckworthy’s hunting lodge when it wasn’t being used for reality television contestants. The adjoining dining room had been converted into a science lab of sorts. Computers and lab equipment took up the large rustic table, and racks of test tubes and microscope slides covered the sideboard.
“Is that classic Space Invaders?” I asked. “Surprised to see you guys playing something so retro.”
Caroline gave my mud-covered sneakers the stink-eye. Then without a word, she turned back to her book.
Devan hit the pause button and got up to greet me, banging his knee on the coffee table in the process. “You look like you swam the channel to get here.”
I must have looked confused because he clarified, “The English Channel.”
“Yeah, I got it. I watch a lot of BBC. Sherlock, Doctor Who, and other stuff . . .” I said.
His eyebrows joined together like I was a crossword puzzle to be solved.
“Anyway, I came to check on Sophie. Is she awake? Can I see her?”
The eyebrows relaxed. “Yeah, of course,” Devan said. He walked over to a closet and grabbed a towel. “You need to take off your clothes first.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Um, I don’t think so.”
Devan actually stuttered a little. “I just meant that you’re wet and we don’t want you to track in mud. I didn’t mean to say that you had to be naked. Of course. That’d be ludicrous. We’d never do that.” He was doing his nervous babbling thing again. He paused and took a deep breath. “We’ll find you something dry to wear. You can leave your brolly and shoes on the mat.”
“Brolly?” I looked around. “What the hell is a brolly?”
“An umbrella. Some BBC fan you are,” he said, but with a teasing smile that completely threw me off.
I gestured to my sopping wet clothes. “I didn’t bring an umbrella. Clearly.”
I shrugged out of my coat and sweatshirt, left my wet stuff by the front door, and followed him to the bathroom to clean up and change. It felt amazing to wash the mud and grime off of my face with warm water, instead of ice-cold mountain runoff, and then put on the clean, dry clothes that Devan had brought me. They had to be Caroline’s because they weren’t Sophie’s, and I didn’t think the Netherfield boys were into expensive floral-patterned yoga pants with matching tunic tops. Plus the pants were too long and the shirt was too snug—definitely sized for Caroline’s tall, slim Elvish build and not my short, curvy Hobbit bod.
Returning to the living room, I held my arms out wide and turned around in a circle. “Now, can I see my sister, or do you want to check me for fleas, too?”
He looked me up and down and issued a weak laugh. “You’re good to go. I’ll bring you and Sophie some chai.”
“Um, thanks.” I wasn’t sure what chai was, but I hoped it was warm. It turned out Devan had nice manners, when he wanted to be polite, which wasn’t very often as far as I could tell.
Something was off, though. Why was he being so pleasant? Maybe Caroline hadn’t told him that I was behind those bogus scratches. Or maybe they truly didn’t know it was me in that photo of the deer. Most likely they didn’t think I was smart enough to fool them with fake evidence.
Devan pointed me down the hall and I opened the door a crack. Sophie was propped up against a few pillows. Kyle was sitting on the foot of the bed and the two of them had their heads bent over a Scrabble board. It was a sweet scene and I hesitated to ruin the moment. Sophie giggled at something Kyle whispered in her ear, but the giggle quickly turned into coughing.
I went over to her and handed her a glass of water from the table next to her. “Hey, Soph. How’re you doing?” I asked.
She stopped coughing long enough to nod, and take the glass in two pale hands. “More or less okay,” she said with a weak smile. “I’m so happy you’re here!”
I gave her a hug in response. I examined her color, which, while still pale, was a little better. “What did the doctor say this morning?”
I turned to Kyle for an answer, since I knew my sister would downplay it.
Kyle frowned. “The antiviral medicine isn’t working as well as he hoped. She may be getting a bit worse, but he thinks she just needs to wait it out.”
Sophie put her head back on the pillow. “I’ve felt better, that’s for sure. But Kyle’s been great. He’s even let me beat him almost every time.”
He chuckled. “I only let you beat me the first time before I knew how good you were,” he said. “Now I’m out for blood. And I’m still losing.”
“Okay. You’re on,” she said. “Best three out of five.”
“Your funeral,” Kyle joked, while he carefully moved the board and tiles off the bed. “But maybe not right now. You guys probably want to catch up, I bet.”
“Yeah, how’s everything going with the contest?” Sophie asked, her nose wrinkled in concern. “How are Mom and Dad behaving?”
I laughed. “The usual. It’s like refereeing a kids’ soccer game. Noisy. Chaotic.”
Kyle said, “Your parents seem pretty cool though. Seems like you have a lot of fun together.”
“Ha. Fun is maybe not the word I’d use,” I said dryly.
“I would. My mom died when I was really little, and my dad works a lot, mostly traveling to Korea to help launch new tech companies in Seoul. We never did family road trips or anything, even after he remarried.” He stared down at the Scrabble board.
“Oh, sorry. I . . .” I wasn’t sure what to say. I felt bad. He was
right. As embarrassing as they were sometimes, at least my parents were around for us. I ended up blurting out, “That’s rough.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. My dad’s a good guy, just busy. Caroline had it much worse. She hasn’t even spoken to her real dad in years. But now she has us. I wanted to adopt a puppy, but I got a pain-in-the-ass sister instead.” Kyle laughed, but his usually sunny grin seemed partially cloudy.
He moved toward the door. “I’ll be in the other room if you need anything.” He squeezed Sophie’s hand, then left, closing the door quietly.
I gave Sophie a smile. I hadn’t wanted her to get distracted by Kyle, but seeing her so happy, even when sick, changed my mind. “Wow! Pretty cute nurse, huh? He’s risking getting the flu and he’d rather hang out with you than play video games—that’s devotion.”
Sophie sighed. “I know. It’s been so nice to spend time with him, even though I feel awful. He says he’ll come visit us in Ohio on his winter break from school. Isn’t that sweet?”
“I’ll say,” I replied, trying not to let jealousy creep into my voice. “No one hangs out in Ohio in the winter for the scenery.”
“I know, right?” She started to giggle again, but her lungs weren’t strong enough for it. I helped my sister with her inhaler. On top of the flu, she had severe asthma, which was usually under control, but one little cold or sinus infection could really compromise her breathing.
“Better?” I asked, putting my hand on her forehead to see if she had a fever, but she felt more clammy than anything else.
Sophie grabbed my hand and held it tight. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
I sat down on the bed next to her. “Me, too. I’ve missed you. Plus, look around. It’s like a fancy mansion compared to our tents. Poor Lyssa.” I shook my head. “We don’t even have regular TV, never mind cable and video games.”
“I know! I bet she would kill for a frozen pizza.”
“You have pizza? I only got offered chai, whatever that is. I didn’t want to ask.” I stood.
“It’s tea with spices in it. His grandmother showed him how to make it. Isn’t that sweet?” Sophie asked.
I imagined Devan cooking with a grandmotherly figure, which was a pretty cute image, as much as I hated to admit it.
“I guess, but I need some actual food, too. I’ll get us something real to eat from the kitchen.”
“You’ll have to sneak it by Caroline, or else you’ll get a lecture about the dangers of wheat and gluten.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she’s a pretty serious health food nut.”
I frowned. “She’s a serious something, all right.”
Now Sophie frowned. “Come on, Sam. She’s not so bad. She’s been really nice to me since I got here. I know she comes off as elitist, but I think she’s just, sort of, shy.”
“Hmmph. As shy as the plague.”
“Okay, maybe not shy, but, I don’t know,” Sophie searched the ceiling for the right words. “Not good with people, maybe? I think she has a hard time letting people get to know her. Kyle says she has trust issues.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Huh.” That made sense, considering what Kyle just said about her dad.
Sophie continued, “The whole time I’ve been here, she’s been mostly in the lab, hunched over a microscope, like she’d rather deal with germs and microbes than people. But then yesterday, she came in here with some delicious garlicky soup and gave me a whole rundown about how the ingredients are anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial and stuff. She made it just for me. To help me get better. That’s pretty nice, right?”
“Or she wants you to get well so she can kick you out of here,” I deadpanned. And keep you away from her brother. I stopped myself from saying more.
“Well, either way, it was a nice thing for her to do. And I think the soup actually helped. So, maybe try to be civil to her, Sam, okay?”
“Fine. I’ll try.” I smiled at Sophie, to show her I meant it. “But now I’m getting us lunch. And not some hippie-ass health soup. I’m going for the good old-fashioned overly processed deliciousness.”
The kitchen wasn’t exactly gourmet, but it was decent. I found a small microwave pizza in the freezer. While it cooked, I wandered to the doorway of the living room to see what the preps were up to. They had switched off the video game and were watching the news.
Devan had his fist over his mouth like he was trying not to scream. Caroline and Kyle exchanged concerned looks, and Caroline put an arm around Devan’s shoulder.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Not really,” he said in a husky voice, shrugging Caroline’s arm off. Without even glancing at me, he stormed down the hall and slammed the door to his bedroom behind him.
“Something I said?”
Caroline jumped up out of her seat. “I’ll go see if he’s okay,” she said.
Kyle held out his arm. “Let me. After the Jake thing, I think you two still need some space.” He took off down the hall to Devan’s room. Ouch. I guessed that Kyle had been filled in on Caroline’s pine-fresh make-out session.
Caroline slumped back onto the couch and glared at me. “This is your fault.”
“Excuse me? How do you figure that?” I asked, peering down the hallway, as Devan’s door opened and Kyle stepped inside. The door slammed shut again.
“You told Devan I was cheating, which is bull. And now he won’t talk to me.”
I gritted my teeth. “I know what I saw. And heard.”
“No, you don’t,” Caroline said. “I was only fooling around with Jake because he’s hot and I was all kinds of bored. And now Devan’s acting like I stole the crown jewels and I blame you.”
“Hey, don’t blame this on me! I’m not the one who was screwing around with the host of the show, on the first day of the competition.”
“I can fool around with whoever I want. But I wasn’t cheating. And do you really think I would need to go to Jake for help? I’d hack into the production computers if I cared enough, which I don’t.”
“Really?” I said skeptically. “You don’t care about winning two hundred grand?”
Caroline turned back to the television, like the conversation bored her. “Not at all. The money’s going to the school, not to us.”
I didn’t respond. It was so freaking unfair. They didn’t even need the money.
“So is that what Devan was so upset about, just now? The whole Jake thing?”
“No. It’s about something else. I guess you don’t know who his parents are,” she said, only half paying attention.
“How would I? It’s not like we have visiting day here at Sasquatch summer camp.” I may have had streaks of compassion like my sister, but I sure as hell didn’t have her patience.
Caroline huffed a little and picked at one of her nails. “Dr. Das is a huge deal in the archaeology and art conservation worlds. He deals with ancient artifacts and saves them from natural disasters, war, and stuff. He’s been on 60 Minutes.”
“So? What’s that have to do with anything?”
“His dad is in Syria right now. There were more bombings last night. It was on the news just now.” Caroline flicked the TV off.
“Oh my god! Is his dad okay?”
Caroline finally looked up at me. “We don’t know. Devan got special permission to use the phone. He left four messages on his mom’s cell, but she apparently doesn’t get much signal over there.”
“His mom is there, too?” I didn’t blame him for being freaked out. I got nervous when my dad drove during snowstorms, but that was nothing compared to having both your parents off in a war zone.
“She’s an art history professor at SOAS University in London, so she sometimes goes with him to help.” Caroline stood up. “They shouldn’t have been anywhere near where the bombing happened. They were working further to the south. But Dev usually gets at least a text from his parents every day. So this is strange.”
“Wow.” I was glad my dad stuck to
the occasional exploding Bunsen burner.
“Wait, what happened to your sweatshirt?” Caroline had stopped in her tracks and was staring at my black hoodie which was hanging up on the back of a chair near the kitchen.
“Huh?”
“Your sweatshirt. How did you rip it?”
I peered over at the sweatshirt across the room, confused at her sudden change of subject. “I don’t know. I guess it happened when I fell. Why?”
She continued to stare at my sleeve for a moment. “What? I don’t care. Just curious,” she answered sharply. “I could fix it for you, if you want. While you’re here. I have a sewing kit.”
“Uh, okay.” What was happening? Caroline held out her hand, and I took the slightly damp sweatshirt off the chair and handed it over to her. She folded it in her arms, so the rip was on the top, and headed into the dining room laboratory.
“Well, thanks,” I replied, but she had already disappeared into the lab. That was weird.
The microwave dinged and I grabbed the two plates and headed into my sister’s room, wondering if maybe I had misjudged Caroline. She seemed so concerned about Devan’s parents. And then she offered to fix my sweatshirt. Maybe Sophie was right, and Caroline just took some getting used to. Or maybe she had some MIT genius trick planned and was several steps ahead of me.
Sophie and I nibbled our lunch, trying not to drip cheese all over us. “This is so good!” My sister said in between bites. “I’ve had nothing but soup for days.”
“Hey, Sophie?”
“Mmm,” she said with a mouth full of food.
“Have you noticed anything strange about Caroline or Devan?”
She reached for a napkin to wipe her chin. “Not really. Devan sings bad ’80s music in the shower when he thinks we can’t hear. That’s kind of funny.”
Not exactly what I had in mind. I couldn’t really pry further without giving her a reason for my suspicions. I wasn’t about to tell her what Lyssa and I had done, or that I was worried Caroline had figured out it was us. Plus, I still didn’t want Sophie to know about Caroline and Jake’s little rendezvous, because then I’d have to explain why I didn’t report Caroline’s cheating to Colin. Sophie’s angelic conscience wouldn’t abide cheating on either side, and she’d want us to come clean. However, we needed that prize money to save our house and pay for college. Risking having the contest cancelled just for the sake of a little honesty wasn’t an option. So, I’d just have to scope things out myself when I got the opportunity.
Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things Page 12
