Elizabeth, Kate, McKenzie, and Bailey stood on shore, cheering as loudly as they could. The two girls in the center of the pond paid no attention, however. They concentrated on paddling as fast as they could. When they were within yards of the finish line, Sydney turned around to give Alex a high five. “We did it!” she called out.
Alex, caught off guard, was thrown off balance. She leaned to one side, trying to regain control, but it was too late. The boat tipped.
Splash! Two girls fell ungracefully into the water only inches from the finish line.
Sydney stood and yelled, “No! No way! This cannot be happening!” just as two girls from another cabin sailed past them to win the race.
Alex sputtered and pushed hair out of her eyes. The four remaining Camp Club Girls stood in shock until McKenzie broke into laughter.
“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” she called out. “That moment made losing the race worth it!”
Sydney and Alex frowned at her. But then they looked at themselves and their overturned boat, mere inches from the finish line, and the humor of the situation began to sink in. They had to laugh.
“Here, let me give you a hand,” said McKenzie, holding out her arm. Alex and Sydney both reached out, grabbed their auburn-haired friend, and pulled her into the water with them. “Hey!” McKenzie yelled.
“Now that,” Sydney said with laughter, “was the funniest thing I have ever seen!”
Elizabeth watched out the window as buses lined up to transport girls to the airport. The Camp Club Girls sat near the back of the room, frantically jotting down phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Kate cuddled Biscuit, who had been returned to her just moments before.
The camp director, Miss Barr, took the stage, and the noise died down.
“Saying good-bye is always the most difficult part of the camp experience. I know you all have developed some lasting friendships during the last two weeks. I hope each of you will return next year. And now, let’s announce this year’s Discovery Lake champions. As you know, teams have built points during the entire camp. But the greatest source of points comes from the counselors’ award, which is given to the team that has shown loyalty, friendship, and humility throughout the camp. This year, one special group of ladies has exhibited these characteristics in an outstanding way. Camp Club Girls, would you join me on stage?”
The girls looked at each other in shock and rose from their chairs. When they arrived on stage, Mr. Anzer and Mr. Gerhardt joined them.
“These girls have been friendly, sweet, and supportive during the past two weeks. But they have also gone above and beyond what anyone could expect of our campers,” said Mr. Anzer.
Mr. Gerhardt took the microphone. “Girls, you helped me solve the mystery at Discovery Lake, and because of it, my father’s name will be cleared, and he’ll be set free. I’m pleased to award the Camp Club Girls with the title Team Discovery Lake. You deserve it!”
The room erupted in cheers. Elizabeth looked at the audience, and even Amberlie was clapping. Biscuit wiggled in Kate’s arms, and the girls gathered into a group hug.
“We did it!” they called out, whooping and hollering.
“I wonder what mystery we’ll solve next,” Elizabeth said with a smile. Just then her cell phone rang. It was her father, and she stepped away from the cheering group so she could hear.
“How’s my girl?” asked her dad, and she filled him in on their win. “That’s great,” he told her. “I have a surprise for you. When you get home, you won’t even need to unpack your bags!”
“What do you mean?” she asked him.
“We’re going to Washington, D.C.! We leave on Monday.”
Elizabeth had always wanted to visit the capital, and now she had a friend there. After hanging up the phone, she went to find Sydney.
As the girls said their final good-byes and promised to keep in touch, they had no idea that another mystery was already beckoning the Camp Club Girls. From their various corners of the United States, soon they’d be embroiled in Sydney’s D.C. Discovery.
“It was great to find the jewels for Mr. Gerhardt,” Elizabeth commented as the girls hugged each other. “But the real treasure I found…” Elizabeth paused as she looked, in turn, into the faces of Kate, Bailey, Sydney, McKenzie, and Alex. “The real treasure is finding friends like you!”
Camp Club Girls
Sydney’s D.C. Discovery
Jean Fischer
Go 64
Splaaaashhh! Whoosh!
“Watch out!” someone called near Sydney’s ear.
But it was too late. The pent-up explosion of the water landed square against Sydney’s back, knocking her to the ground.
Dazed, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the hot summer sky. The water swirled around her whole body. From a distance she heard happy shouting and water gushing onto the street.
A fireman’s face appeared above her. “Are you okay, little girl?”
Little girl? Little girl! I’m twelve years old! I’m not a little girl, mister.
The indignation snapped Sydney out of her dazed condition. She looked up and saw that two firemen were now looking at her anxiously. Carefully they helped her to her feet.
“Are you okay, little girl?”
She looked in the fireman’s face. He seemed so worried that her irritation melted.
Sydney looked down at her soaked gray tank top and shorts. “Yes, sir, I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you,” she added, remembering her manners.
Sydney Lincoln had been talking to one of her neighborhood friends. She hadn’t even noticed the firemen at the fire hydrant behind her. And she sure hadn’t realized she was in the direct line of the nozzle the men were releasing.
Still out of breath from the shock of the water, Sydney dropped onto the curb in front of her house. She tore off her running shoes and socks and stuck her bare feet into the gutter. She watched as the water from the hydrant down the street shot into the air and out the nozzle. The neighborhood kids laughed and splashed in its flow.
As Sydney’s clothes began to dry in the torrid sun, the water rushed along the curb like a river. It streamed between Sydney’s toes and sent goose bumps creeping up to her knees.
Sydney lived in the middle of a row of brick houses. The two-story houses were connected so they looked like one long building. The only windows were in the front and the back. The houses were close to the street, and each had a narrow front porch with three steps leading to a tiny front yard and the sidewalk.
The screen door on Sydney’s house swung open, and her mom stepped outside. “Sydney, have you seen your aunt Dee yet?” Her curly black hair was pulled back with a blue band to keep it off of her face.
“No, Mom,” Sydney answered. “I ran past the Metro station looking for her, but she wasn’t there.”
“Well, when she gets here, you two come inside. Dinner’s ready.”
Sydney dipped her fingers into the water and splashed some onto her long, thin arms.
“Don’t you want to come in by the air-conditioning?” Her mother fanned herself with a magazine. “Aren’t you hot in the sunshine?”
“No, Mom,” Sydney answered. She didn’t think it was necessary to tell her mom about her little brush with the explosion of water.
The cell phone in the pocket of her pink shorts buzzed. Sydney took it out and found a text message from one of her best friends, Elizabeth Anderson. It said: Almost packed.
Sydney tapped a reply on her keypad: Can’t w til u get here.
Sydney and Elizabeth had met at Discovery Lake Camp, and although Elizabeth lived in Texas, they talked every day. Four other girls had been with Sydney and Elizabeth in Cabin 12B. They were Bailey Chang, Alexis Howell, McKenzie Phillips, and Kate Oliver. When camp ended, Kate set up a website so the girls could stay in touch. It was password protected, so it was like their own secret cabin in cyberspace. They’d all bought webcams with babysitting money, chore payments, and allowances so they
could see each other and talk online. The Camp Club Girls—as they liked to be called—made webcam calls, sent IMs, and frequently met in their own private chat rooms.
Sydney continued typing her message: WILL PIC U UP @ D APORT @ MORO.
“Sydney, I really wish you’d come inside.” Sydney’s mother crossed her arms.
“Okay, in a few minutes, Mother!” Sydney said without looking up.
The screen door slammed shut.
This was the worst heat wave Washington, D.C., had seen in twenty-five years. Everyone had air conditioners blasting. The energy load was way too much, and the night before, the power had gone out. Sydney hated being in total darkness. She was relieved that today seemed normal.
Pack shorts, she typed. Really hot here!
While she sat texting, Sydney heard the thump, thump, thump of music getting closer and closer. A green jeep raced around the corner, and the booming bass from its stereo echoed inside Sydney’s chest. In the passenger seat, Aunt Dee held on to her tan park ranger hat to keep it from flying off of her head. The jeep screeched to a halt in front of Sydney’s house, and her aunt hopped out.
“Thanks for the ride, Ben!” she yelled over the music. “See you tomorrow.”
The young driver waved and drove off.
Gotta go, Beth, Sydney wrote. Ant D’s home.
Sydney stood and wiped her feet on the grass. “You’re late again,” she said. “Mom’s mad.”
“I know,” Aunt Dee apologized. “There was trouble at the Wall.” She took off her ranger hat and perched it on Sydney’s head. Aunt Dee always blamed her lateness on her job at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Sydney didn’t understand how she could be so enthusiastic about a long black wall with a bunch of names carved onto it.
“So what was the trouble?” Sydney asked.
“I’ll tell you at dinner,” said Aunt Dee. She linked her arm through Sydney’s. “It’s hot out here, girlfriend. Let’s go inside.”
By the time Sydney washed and sat at her place at the table, Mom and Aunt Dee were already eating. Sydney had learned at camp to pray before every meal. So she bowed her head and said out loud, “Dear Lord, make us truly grateful for this meal and for all the blessings of this day.” She noticed that her mom and Aunt Dee stopped eating and bowed their heads, too. “And please keep Dad safe,” she said. Sydney always added a blessing for her dad, who was serving in the military overseas.
“Amen!” Mom and Aunt Dee chimed.
Sydney poured iced tea into her tall glass and scooped pasta salad onto her plate. “So what happened at the Wall?” she asked, reaching for a piece of French bread.
“Someone spray-painted the sidewalk last night,” Aunt Dee replied. “Graffiti.”
Sydney’s mom got that look on her face—the one where her forehead turned into wrinkled plastic wrap. “You mean vandalism,” she said. “I think it’s just terrible what kids do these days—”
“How do you know it was kids?” Sydney interrupted. Her mouth was full of creamy macaroni. “Kids aren’t the only ones who do bad stuff.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Aunt Dee.
“Most times it is,” her mom argued. “Just look around our neighborhood.” She waved her hand toward the kitchen window. “Vandalism everywhere! Who do you think did all that? Not the adults. The kids don’t care about our community. Do they care that this neighborhood used to be a military camp to help slaves that escaped from the South? No! They just want to mess up the nice things that good folks worked so hard to build.” Sydney’s mother sighed and took a long drink of her iced tea.
Mrs. Lincoln worked at the local historical society, and she was very protective of the neighborhood and its landmarks. She liked to talk about how, in the old days, kids had manners and didn’t do anything wrong. Sydney hated it that her mom blamed everything on the kids in the neighborhood.
“There are good kids, too,” Sydney argued. “You don’t see my friends and me running around spray-painting everything. Give us some credit!” She looked at her plate and pushed the rest of her pasta salad into a neat little pile. “We care what happens.”
“We don’t know who did it,” said Aunt Dee, trying to stop the argument. “Someone painted ‘GO 64’ in front of panel 30W—in orange paint. Ben and some other volunteers scrubbed it this morning. They’ll work on it again tonight when the air cools off some. They’re having a hard time cleaning it. Pass the bread, please.”
“What does ‘GO 64’ mean?” Sydney asked, handing her the basket of bread.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Aunt Dee answered. “We’re wondering if the number 64 is a clue to who did it. Ben said that in some rap music, 64 means a 1964 Chevrolet Impala. Another volunteer plays chess and said 64 is the number of squares on a chessboard. We don’t know what it means.”
“Maybe it’s Interstate 64,” Sydney’s mom suggested. “There’s construction on that freeway and plenty of orange construction cones. Maybe the orange paint is to protest all that.”
“But if it’s about the freeway or a car or a chessboard, why would they complain by painting graffiti at the Vietnam Wall? Besides, Interstate 64 is in Virginia,” Aunt Dee said.
“Yes, but there’s some military bases out that way,” Mother said. Then she added, “It’s probably just kids.”
The air-conditioning kicked in again, and a cool draft shot from the air vent, making the kitchen curtains flutter.
“The Wall’s lighted at night,” Sydney said. “And the park police keep an eye on all the monuments. So why didn’t anyone see who did it?”
“The lights were out,” Aunt Dee reminded her. “The whole city went dark for a while, and the park police were busy with that. That’s when it happened, I’m sure. Anyway, it’s a mess, and we have to clean it up fast. The TV stations are already making a big deal out of it.” She dipped her knife into the butter container and slathered butter onto her French bread. “I had such an awful day at work. Everybody blamed everyone else for letting it happen. Like we would let it happen! People don’t know how hard the Park Service works—”
“May I be excused?” Sydney asked, swallowing her last bite of pasta.
“You may,” her mother answered.
Sydney put her dishes into the dishwasher. Then she went upstairs to her room.
The computer on Sydney’s desk was on, and her screensaver cast an eerie blue glow on her yellow bedroom walls. Syd’s bedroom had no windows, so it was always dark. That was the trouble with living in a row house. If your room was in the middle of the house, you had no windows. She flipped the switch on her desk light and tapped the spacebar on the computer. The monitor lit up, and Sydney noticed that McKenzie Phillips was online. She sent her an IM: Talk to me?
The phone icon on the computer screen jiggled back and forth. Sydney clicked on it, and McKenzie’s freckled face appeared. She was sitting at the work island in her family’s kitchen. “What’s up?” she asked.
Sydney turned on her webcam. “Not much,” she said. “I just finished dinner.”
“Me, too,” McKenzie replied. “Well, almost.” She held a slice of cheese pizza in front of her face so Sydney could see it. “We ate early because Dad and Evan have to drive some cattle to pasture. Then they want to practice for the rodeo this weekend.” She pointed to the blue baseball cap on her head. Its yellow letters said Sulfur Springs Rodeo.
“I didn’t want to hang out downstairs,” Sydney told her. “Someone spray-painted graffiti by the Vietnam Wall last night, and Mom blamed it on kids again.”
McKenzie took a bite out of her pizza. “I saw it on the news. Why did she blame it on kids? I mean, anyone could have done it.”
“She blames everything on kids,” Sydney answered. “I think it’s because a lot of the kids around here get into trouble. I try to tell her that we’re not all like that, but she doesn’t listen. Lately she doesn’t listen to anything I say.”
“My mom’s like that, too,” McKen
zie said. “Nothing I do is ever right.” Her face lit up. “Hey, the news said it was orange paint, right?”
“Yeah,” Sydney said, fidgeting with her cornrows. “Orange graffiti that said ‘GO 64.’ So what?”
“So maybe it’s some crazy nutcase with Agent Orange.”
“Agent who?” Sydney asked.
“Agent Orange!” said McKenzie. “Agent Orange was a chemical they used in Vietnam. I read about it in school. It made some Vietnam soldiers really sick, and some even died. So maybe it wasn’t a kid who wrote it. Maybe it’s a guy who got Agent Orange, who’s mad at the government and wants to get even. By the way, I can’t see you well.”
“You think too much,” Sydney answered. She pulled her desk light closer to her computer and bent it toward her face. “They’re trying to figure out what ‘GO 64’ means. My aunt and mom think it could be about some sort of car or highway or maybe even a chessboard—”
“A chessboard!” McKenzie screeched. “A person who plays chess won’t spray-paint a national monument.”
“I know,” Sydney said. “Some gang member probably wrote it. Anyhow, I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“I can see you fine now,” McKenzie said, changing the subject. “So when is Elizabeth coming?”
“She and her uncle Dan are flying in from Texas tomorrow,” Sydney answered. “Aunt Dee and I are going to pick them up at the airport at four. We’ll take her uncle to his hotel, and then Elizabeth will come here to stay with us.”
“Can Elizabeth’s uncle Dan get around all by himself?” McKenzie asked. She twisted a strand of her shoulderlength hair around her fingers. “I mean, he’s in a wheelchair and everything.”
“As far as I know, he can,” Sydney answered. “Elizabeth said he plays wheelchair basketball and competes in wheelchair races, so I suppose he gets around just fine by himself. I’m sure once he gets to the hotel, his Vietnam buddies will help him out if he needs help.”
Camp Club Girls Get a Clue! Page 11
