“I’m not doing that again. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
“Noted.” He smiled and handed me a granola bar.
We explored the plateau as the others scaled the ascent. Then the group hiked a half hour to a small lake where we stopped for lunch.
“So, what were you and Frida talking about last night?” Jude asked as we ate.
“Just stuff. She seems lonely at home. We realized we could meet up once the camp is done.”
“That’s going to be weird. I’m not sure I can go back to regular school. I’m considering online school or something.”
“My mom thinks I’d never talk to anyone if I did that.”
“My dad wants me to be all normal. He thinks if I skip ahead I’ll never fit in socially.”
“So, do you?”
“I’m hurt.” He laid his hand over his heart. “Yeah, I mean, none of my friends know I have a photographic memory. I hide my geekiness behind muscle.”
“It’s sad that you feel like you need to do that.”
“That’s high school.”
“So, college?” I asked.
“I’m going to Stanford.”
“Sweet. I’m thinking Colorado State. I want to be a vet like my mom.”
“Oh, yeah, the whole no-meat thing.”
“Not no meat, just no blood.”
“Well, that fits with you turning white as a ghost this morning. And you want to be a veterinarian who potentially performs surgery on animals?”
Feeling my cheeks burning, I turned my face into the wind. “To help them, not to eat them.”
“Aww, I see the difference. So, no hunting for you?”
“No, I won’t be wielding a weapon any time soon.”
Allen called the group to order, and we had a group therapy session, with each of us checking in as to how we were feeling. I almost hated those meetings more than scaling the wall. But then I thought about having to rappel down, and my stomach turned. The views across the lake were enough to distract me as we made our way back to the cliff.
“We’re first, right?” Jude set his pack in front of Allen.
“As long as no one else complains.”
I got my harness on and had Allen check it. Clipped in and with ropes in hand, I stood beside Jude. As with yesterday, the first jump would be the hardest as I couldn’t see over the side. I kept my eyes glued on Jude as he counted down.
On three, I bent my legs and pushed off, my stomach lurching as I careened over the side.
“Wow!” Jude yelled as our feet planted on the rock slab. “That was awesome.”
In a sickening sort of way, I thought, but held my tongue. I just wanted the next five minutes over with. “Let’s do this.”
“Your wish is my command.” He pushed off the wall and rappelled down a good body’s length. I copied him, and jump by jump we scaled down the mountain.
“You didn’t even look scared.” He accused me as we unhooked from the ropes.
“My dentist is going to complain about me grinding my teeth.”
“I can’t imagine how anyone could slight this face.” He ran his finger down my jawline. I froze at his touch, and our eyes met. “And, I can’t believe they let us come down here alone.” He looked to the top as two more campers descended the cliff.
I cleared my throat and stepped back, pulling my camera from my pack.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that. I just made things way awkward. You’re really pretty. I don’t know what happened. I just forgot where I was, went on auto-pilot there for a minute.”
“It was a good pick-up line.” I kept snapping pictures as the two kids neared us.
“Are you going to look at me?”
“Not for a while.” I didn’t want to look into his piercing blue eyes and see the emotion his words seemed to hold. Whether it was his standard line or not, I guessed that his go-to dreamy eyes would be just as bewitching.
“We’re friends. I don’t want to mess that up,” Jude continued.
“Good, I don’t either.” I backed away as the next two campers reached the ground.
Focusing on helping the others with their ropes and snapping candid shots, I kept my distance from him until we resumed the hike back to camp.
“You’re not going to be able to avoid me for two and a half more weeks.” I felt his warm breath on my neck.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Since when are you yearbook staff? You said you wanted to be friends.”
“I do.” I nodded, trying to convince myself that I didn’t feel drawn to him the way he seemed to admit being attracted to me. “I need to ask Beth Anne something.” I increased my pace, catching up to Beth Anne and Ruth. Knowing avoiding him was juvenile didn’t help fight my anxiety about being near him. I focused on interacting with anyone but him the whole hour’s trek to the tents.
We were late getting back, and I left my pack on my cot and headed straight to Dr. Antos’s tent.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“No worries, I heard the hike took longer than expected. How did the rappelling go?”
“I’m not a big fan of heights. I don’t think I’ll be joining a climbing club anytime soon.”
“Yet you were willing to go to great lengths to be in this program.”
“I don’t want to be on medicine the rest of my life.”
“I heard you cut your finger.”
“It was a minor cut, although there was tons of blood.” I took my bandage off, and I couldn’t even see the slice. “Wow, you guys must have some good ointment.” Bending it, I found no trace of the cut.
“All the antioxidants in the food speeds healing. Plus, you were active a good part of the day.”
He had me pick up where we’d left off the previous day, reviewing the hallucinations. I almost made it to the point I’d started hearing their voices.
“And can you describe the characters? Any notable facial features or characteristics?”
I told him about Alena’s milk-white skin, auburn-brown hair, and blue eyes. Then I described Hunter’s light skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. Finally, I pointed out Theron’s and Thanatos’s olive skin, hair, and eyes. I thought about the physical similarities between Dr. Antos and Thanatos, and how Jude had similar coloring.
“Do you think it’s a coincidence that the bad guys have dark coloring?” Dr. Antos brought me out of my assessment.
“Like some kind of childhood fairy tale?”
“Most villains have dark features,” he pointed out.
“I guess.”
“And Ivy had green eyes like yours. Do you know her other features?”
“No, I didn’t hear anything about how she looked other than her eyes.”
“Do you see your eye color as a striking feature?”
I shrugged. “I like the color of my eyes. They stand out with my light skin and hair.”
“Well”—he stood—“think about that tonight, and we’ll discuss it more tomorrow.”
Could it be I was just trying to make sense of good and evil? It wasn’t like I’d seen a lot of bad in my life. Aside from my problems with the buzzing sounds and the hallucinations, my experiences growing up had been good. Was it so boring I had to create something more exciting?
Reminding myself that schizophrenia was a diagnosed psychological condition with measurable and reversible symptoms, I made my way to my tent and then back to the supply station. I couldn’t control the visions any more than I could control the sunrise and sunset, could I? The causes of schizophrenia were thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. As far as I knew, neither of my parents suffered from the disease. Obsessed with his work, Dad marched to his own drum. Maybe he had an undiagnosed psychological disorder.
My family ate healthy and lived in good areas. What stresses had I experienced when I was little and recently? Did Mom and Dad’s relationship problems cause me stress as a young child? Did the ringing sensation cause the episodes
of hallucinations?
Thinking it was too hard to track the cause, I focused on my gear. I didn’t like wondering if something Mom or Dad did caused my problems. Maybe I was too sensitive. Being distracted, it took me twice as long to clean and put away the ropes, harness, and clips. When I finished, I realized it was dinnertime.
“You’re going to want to steer clear of the protein dish tonight.” Jude’s hot breath caused chill bumps to form on my neck.
“Yeah? Why?” I craned my neck towards the food table to avoid him noticing my reaction to his presence.
“Ground venison in the sauce.”
“Hmm, thanks for the head’s up.” Turning to face him, I noticed he already had his plate loaded with a rare slab of meat, a hunk of bread, and salad. “Why are you eating that? I thought you lived for game animals.”
“I can’t eat the tomato sauce.”
“Oh, well, hopefully they have a vegetarian option.”
“You might be eating plain noodles.”
“That works.” I’d reached the front of the line and picked up a tray. “Don’t wait for me. I’ll catch up.”
“That’s fine. I like talking to you.”
If it hadn’t been clear he liked me before, it was then, and the whole camp had a front row seat. Head high, I told myself. The rules didn’t prohibit us from talking to each other.
Taking our seats, we ate in silence till Frida joined us. “I hope I’m not the odd man out now.”
“Never,” I told her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.
“You guys make the most unlikely pair.” Jude pointed between us.
“What, bad girls can’t have nice friends?” Frida kissed me on the cheek.
“Don’t call Camille a bad girl. She’s just shy.” Jude winked at me.
Frida rolled her eyes. “It’s always the quiet ones you should look out for.”
“You guys are the worst.” I half-stood, pretending to leave.
Frida pulled me back down. “How was your day? I heard about a cut”—she pointed at me—“and missing bracelet.” She eyed Jude over her glasses. “How was rappelling?”
“Terrifying,” I said as Jude exclaimed that it was awesome.
“Our group is going tomorrow. I can’t wait.” Frida wrapped noodles around her fork, dipped it in the meat sauce, and took a huge bite.
My stomach turned, and my noodles lost their appeal. “I’m done.” I stood, meaning to stow my plate.
“No, missy.” Frida grabbed my arm. “I’m not doing a kitchen run at midnight with you. Sit down and eat.”
Figuring she was right, I finished my plate while she caught us up on the camp gossip between bites.
“Good morning.” Jude’s voice rang out as I reached the food prep tent the next morning. “How are you? Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thanks. You?”
“Yep, I love how quiet it is out here.”
“The very thing I find unnerving.”
“Want some tea?” he asked. “I’m getting a cup for myself.”
“Sure, thanks.”
“I’ll be right back.” His eyes seemed to sparkle as a smile spread across his face.
“Well, someone’s got a boyfriend,” Beth Anne said as I joined her at the fruit station.
“It’s not like that.”
“He’s getting tea for you.”
“Okay, he’s being really sweet.”
“Just don’t get caught sucking face.”
“Eww, that just made that experience seem less appealing.”
I focused on not cutting my finger, and within minutes Jude appeared in front of us.
“Ladies.” He set a mug in front of me. “Jasmine, no sugar for you, and Beth Anne, two sugars for you.”
“Wow, impressive Jude, your mother must have raised you right.” Beth Anne lifted the mug to her lips.
Jude cleared his throat. “Actually, it was my grandmother.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Beth Anne clutched his forearm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“That’s okay.” He retreated to the meat-prep area, joining John and picking up a knife to cut the sausages.
“Well, that wasn’t awkward. Remind me to never talk to him again.” Beth Anne tossed me another pineapple.
Finishing our morning chores, our team gathered in the mess tent.
“Big day, team,” Allen called as he approached. “We’re cutting study sessions short for a drive to the coast. It’s going to be the only sunny day this week, and we’re taking advantage of it.”
“Whole camp?” Beth Anne asked.
“Whole camp,” Allen confirmed.
“Nice.” John jumped from the table. “It’ll be good to get out of here.”
“We’re getting a meal at a lodge near the beach, so we won’t be back till late. You’ll want to pack for a day trip.”
I spun my bracelet on my wrist, wondering how the day with Jude would play out. I liked spending time with him, but there was no point in getting attached. Eva’s voice descended on my psyche. “You think much too logically for a teenager,” she’d once told me.
Focusing on the prospect of a sunny day on the shore, I hurried through breakfast and packed my day bag with a wetsuit, flippers, snorkel gear, and an extra change of clothes.
“This is so awesome.” Frida ambushed me as I stuffed my backpack full. “I so need a day like this.”
Realizing Frida’s presence helped me with my space-from-Jude problem, I let out slow breath. “I’m glad we’re going to have some time together.”
“I knew you’d warm up to me.” She wrapped her arm around my neck and scrubbed her fist on my head.
“You have brothers, don’t you?” I asked, sliding out of her grip.
“Oh, God, three of them. How about you?”
“Just one. Hey, Jude told us this morning that his grandmother raised him. I think it’s kind of a touchy subject. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Wow, thanks for mentioning it. The likelihood of me putting my foot in my mouth with that one was high.”
As we made our way to the study tent, I saw the counselors loading kayaks onto the top of the bus. Sweet, I thought. Water sports I could do. Finding an empty computer, I started my work. My scores the past week were better than they’d been all year, and I figured being able to concentrate without thinking of the visions played a big part.
The bell rung at nine, and we gathered around the bus for a head count.
“We’re sitting together, right?” Frida linked her arm through mine.
“Course.”
We loaded the bus, with Jude and John taking the seat across from us.
“I get motion sick. Can I take the window seat?” Frida asked.
“Sure.” I let her slide in front of me. Sitting down, I noticed Jude’s long leg stretched into the aisle, and I tucked my feet under the seat in front of me.
Within minutes Frida started snoring beside me, and I fit my earbuds in my ears and closed my eyes. When the bus’s engine stopped, I opened my eyes to see the sun above the ocean.
Jude let out a long whistle. “I would pay a lot to see that view.”
I roused Frida and zipped up my jacket. Lifting my pack to my shoulders, I followed the others outside. We helped unload the kayaks and trekked them to the beach. Setting the boat on the sand, I walked to the water. Even with the sun nearly at its peak for the day, it hung low in the sky, giving the low clouds an orange hue. The water felt ice cold against my fingers, and I shivered.
“You’ve got tons of gear. Do you like love the water or something?” Frida joined me.
“Yeah, sorta, I guess. My friend loaned me all the gear. I’ve always wanted to go kayaking.” I started to braid my hair as we made our way to the others.
Once the counselors reviewed the rules and handed out lunches, we were released to wander in groups of three or more.
“Guess you guys are stuck with me.” Frida hooked her arm in Jude’s and mine.
“Works for me.” Jude motioned for John to join us.
“What are we doing first?” Frida asked as John approached.
There were a few seconds of silence as we looked at each other.
“Maybe we hike first and boat last in case we get wet,” I suggested.
“That makes sense.” Jude lifted his pack to his shoulders.
We turned south. Even though the cliffs rose sharply, the beach was wide and flat. It was low tide, and the sand was hard all the way up to the rocks, making it obvious the entire area would be underwater once the tide rose. Around a bend, a giant rectangular boulder sat alone at the edge of the water. Several smaller stones dotted the shore beyond.
Approaching the tall rock, Jude put his foot in a groove.
“I’m going up. Who’s with me?”
“I’m in.” John let his pack slide off and set it on the rocks, pulling ropes out.
“You guys brought climbing gear?” Frida asked.
“What did you bring?”
“A wetsuit, although it doesn’t look like we have any surfing waves today.”
As they unpacked the gear, several others joined us at the base of the rock. I looked at the top of the rock, at least seventy-five feet up. There were a lot of good holds, but just thinking of being halfway up the face had my pulse racing.
“Okay, who’s in?” Jude asked. “I think we should go one at a time.”
“Go for it.” I stepped back from the boulder.
Frida, Beth Anne, and I watched as Jude scaled the rock and John belayed.
“This is going to take a while. Are you guys going up?” I asked.
Each of them shook their heads, and we proceeded south. When the sand ran out, we found a trail, taking it to the top of one of the cliffs.
“You didn’t want to watch Jude and his muscles scale that rock?” Frida asked.
“I felt like we were wasting time.” I snapped some pictures of the coast. “Hey, you two get together.” I took a picture of them, and then we all huddled close to get a selfie.
“Let me see that.” Frida took the camera from me. Scanning to the north, she stopped. “Hey, Jude and John are on the top. Look.” She handed me the device.
Through the lens, I spotted them pacing the small space on top of the rock. Framing them, I took several close-ups and wider angles.
Kingdom of Darkness (Kingdom Journals Book 2) Page 9
