Camp Wacko: The Drones of Summer (2 page)

The “FBI agent” leaned in close, bending down until we were face-to-face. “How about a string of boarding schools known as Wackerson Academy? Oh yes, we know about those too. We’ve had our suspicions about that place for a long time. Interesting that one of them was only forty-five minutes away from the very hospital where you arrived with such…strange company.”

I struggled to maintain my composure. This guy seemed to have done his research. “What do you want from me?”

Again with that ugly smile. “We want you to keep us posted if you ever come into contact with the people who kidnapped you. Our sources have reason to believe they will be contacting you very soon.”

I frowned. Was he kidding? Dustin hadn’t even made the effort to come to the funeral. I was sure I wouldn’t be seeing him again. “Well, your sources are wrong.”

He patted my head like a child. “They’re seldom wrong.” Before I could object, he turned around and walked away. This time I didn’t follow.

“Just how do you expect me to keep you posted?” I called after him.

“Check your right pocket,” he answered dryly, not even bothering to turn around.

Sure enough, when I reached into my pocket, I found a small white piece of paper. Written in hasty chicken scratch was a number. Great, now I could have the FBI on speed dial. Just what I always wanted.

Impromptu Date

LIFE HAS TO go on. No matter how much of the world has shattered around you, the planet just keeps spinning. Last spring I had gone back to my old school merely a week after Dustin and I escaped from Wackerson Academy. My parents were happy to let me try and figure things out first, or even attend another school if I wanted. However, I remained adamant about getting back to my old life. I had missed my friends, the carefree easiness of life in the small town I had grown up in, and even normal school days filled with deadlines and crazy teachers. I wanted it all back. Lucky for me, the education I had received at Wacko Academy was more than enough to allow me to catch up on the work I had missed, and I was able to graduate from eighth grade with the rest of my class.

Now, almost exactly one year later, I was nearing the end of my freshman year at Kindred Valley High. The two weeks following Cameron’s funeral were filled with finals, locker clean-outs, and Regents exams. Soon the summer would be rolling in, and with it a fun vacation I was really looking forward to. Malerie, my best friend since third grade, was taking me and our mutual friend Asialie with her on a family trip to Hawaii. With roots in the tropical state, Asialie assured us that she would show us all of the hot spots. Leave it to her to take charge. After all, she had been the one to approach us on that fateful day she entered our fifth-grade classroom. Along with her name and age, she stated that we would be best friends forever. Of course she was right.

At first I had been afraid my parents would object to the trip. I mean, besides that wacky trip to Pennsylvania, I had barely been out of New York State. However, they surprised me with enthusiastic permission.

“I think a vacation with your best friends is exactly what you need right now,” my mother had reasoned with a smile.

Until then, I had vowed to throw myself into studying, even more so after Cameron’s death, struggling to keep my mind off her and that weird encounter at her funeral.

I convinced myself that whoever that guy was, he had been bluffing, only pretending to be an FBI agent. Probably some jerk just trying to give me a scare. Of course, when I let myself really think about it, I knew that couldn’t be true. He had known too much.

I had taken a break from studying that Friday afternoon to stare at the number he gave me for the billionth time, when my cell phone flashed. Taking a look at it, I saw that I had gotten a text from Malerie.

Heeeey Lil. Freshman Formal’s 2nite! ! ! ! :-)

Sighing, I decided to put the stupid piece of paper down and answer her.

Hey Mal. Is it really 2nite?

The answer was immediate.

Um, of course! Im in student council. Member? Ur coming, rite?

Oh, idk. Probably not..

She barely gave me time to send my answer.

Well u better! !! Asialie & I got u a date!

I stared at the screen, hoping she had made some kind of typo mistake. She couldn’t have meant
date
. She just couldn’t have.

U didn’t.

Of course, now she decided to take forever to answer.

We did. Look I g2g help set up. C u 2nite! ! !

Groaning, I buried my face in my hands. This couldn’t be happening. They had gotten me a date? Just who was this date? I had known all along that the dance was tonight, but I had no intention of actually going. The timing was too soon after Cameron’s funeral. It didn’t seem right to go out partying.

“Lily, someone’s here for you!” Rose, my little sister, called from downstairs.

Oh no. I ran down the stairs two steps at a time, praying that this wasn’t the date Malerie had been talking about.

A young man stood on the threshold, flowers in hand. He appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. It took me a minute to recognize him as Chase, my neighbor. Not only was he my neighbor, but a friend of mine since kindergarten. I had known him longer than anyone else in this town. Lately we hadn’t even talked. I had been too wrapped up in myself to make the effort to reconnect. Now here he was, standing at my doorstep wearing simple black pants and a blue button-down shirt that matched his ocean blue eyes. His dark chocolate hair had been fluffed out a bit, turning his usual mop of hair into a more tasteful mess around his angular face.

He smiled nervously. “Hi, Lily.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I found that I didn’t quite know what to say.

Mom entered the foyer with a smile. “Chase, hi! It’s good to see you.” She stood beside me, giving him the once-over. “You look nice.”

Chase smiled, clearing his throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Mason. Well. I guess you’re wondering why I’m here—”

“I’m so sorry, Chase, but I can’t go to the dance tonight. My friends shouldn’t have made you take me as a date,” I blurted, cutting him off.

Confused, he opened his mouth to speak, but again he was cut off. This time, it was my mom who spoke.

“Dance? You mean the Freshman Formal? That is tonight, isn’t it? Of course you’re going, Lilith. It’s a Friday night. You’ve been working on your homework all evening. Why wouldn’t you be going?” She gazed at me with raised eyebrows.

I glanced back at Chase, who was standing awkwardly at the door. He was gripping the flowers so hard, he was sure to choke the very life out of them with his strong hands.

“I…I don’t have a dress!” I spluttered.

Mom’s expression didn’t change. “Yes, you do, remember? That pretty red one we got you for Malerie’s birthday last year. You never even got to wear it. Come on, it should be in my closet.”

I stared at her openmouthed, completely dumbfounded, unable to come up with another excuse. How had she found out about the formal, anyway? I couldn’t recall ever telling her about it. Sometimes I wondered if my mother was some kind of mind reader.

“Please come in, Chase. It will only take a minute to get this one ready.” Mom smiled, closing the door behind him and steering me toward the stairs.

Poor Chase could only obey and stand to wait in the foyer, with my sister talking his ear off.

I waited until we were alone in the upstairs hall before I whispered, “But Mom, I don’t want to go. I have to tell Chase to go so he can get himself a real date.”

I started back toward the stairs , but my mother caught my arm.

“Lily, that boy came here with flowers to take you to your last dance as a freshman. Why don’t you want to go?”

Shaking my head sadly, I looked away. “Because Cameron—”

“Would have wanted you to have fun. You need to have some fun, Lily. This past year has been very rough, especially for you.” Mom placed a warm hand on my shoulder, inclining her head in Chase’s direction. “Come on, don’t keep the poor kid waiting.”

With a sigh, I nodded. “Okay, Mom. You got me.”

She grinned, leading me to her bedroom closet. I had to admit that my dress was absolutely perfect, even though I hadn’t been there to pick it out myself. The long, dark red skirt gracefully swept out from the bodice in layers that were trimmed with lace. Once my mother was done with me, my hair fell past my shoulders in thick curls. Berry-colored lip gloss and blush matched the ensemble perfectly.

By the time we finally descended the stairs, poor Chase had to have been waiting for nearly a half hour. He didn’t seem to mind, though, as he leaned patiently against the banister while Rose forced him into playing twenty questions. It was a good thing my two little brothers were over at their friends’ house; otherwise Chase would have been drowning in kids.

They both stopped to stare when I reached the foyer.

With a deep sigh of relief, Chase finally handed me the hand-picked bouquet of wildflowers. “You look great, Lily.”

I smiled. “Flowers? Let me guess, Malerie’s idea.”

With a bashful grin, he nodded. “Yeah. Do you like them? I would have bought some, but I’m kind of broke at the moment. When I get the money, I’ll get you a real bouquet, if you want.”

Laughing, I gave him a hug. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

Chase’s mom had agreed to drive us there, so my mother gave us both a hug and took pictures before sending us on our way. Truthfully, I thought they were all making a big deal out of nothing, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it.

Summer Brawl

THE PARTY HAD just begun when we arrived. We made our way through the crowds of people and into the cafeteria. A glorious display of food had been set on a humongous table that had been created by clustering together a bunch of smaller cafeteria tables. My mouth watered as I took in the bowls of candy, trays of chocolate chip cookies, and platters of grilled chicken, finger sandwiches, potato salad, and other tasty summer dishes.

“Lily!”

I turned around just in time to feel the full impact as Malerie nearly tackled me to the ground with one of her signature hugs.

“I knew you would come!” she squealed, curly hair bouncing as she finally let me go. With a mischievous smile, she gave Chase a wink. “Long time no see, stranger.”

Louis wasn’t too far behind. As always, Louis Jennings was dressed to impress. He looked handsome in his black suit and an emerald green bow tie that matched his charming hazel eyes. So far, he was the only boy there who had actually taken the trouble to wear a full suit, rather than just pants and a formal button-down shirt. I hoped he and Mal had come together. They had been shyly sidestepping the fact that they had had a crush on each other since the sixth grade.

“Why, Lily, how ever did you get such a hot date?” Asialie gasped, feigning surprise as she sashayed up behind Louis.

“You two are so gonna get it,” I growled. Setting my eyes on Louis, I raised an eyebrow. “Did you have any part in this?”

Hands in the air, he slowly backed away to stand next to Chase. “Nope. This was all them, I assure you.”

Asialie rolled her eyes and looped her arm with mine. “Come on. You can plot your revenge later, but for right now, let’s go get our party on!”

Malerie took my other arm and helped her to steer me toward the gym, with Louis and Chase close behind.

If it wasn’t for the open gym doors leading to the outside and the school mascot painted on the gleaming floors, I would have thought we had stepped into a nightclub. The lights had been dimmed to make room for the flashy strobe lights coming from the DJ booth. Streamers in all different shades of blue hung from the ceiling, turning it into an endless sky. Music blasted from giant speakers standing on either side of the booth.

Louis offered Malerie his arm, which she coyly accepted. They stepped onto the dance floor together and soon disappeared within the sea of swaying hips and shuffling feet.

Asialie shouted something unintelligible and disappeared after them, seemingly vanishing into thin air. Well, that left me and Chase.

I turned to him and shrugged. “Might as well dance.”

We started to dance right where we stood, shaking our hips and throwing our hands in the air with the rest of them. With a start, I found myself having the most fun I had had in a long time.