Author's Note:

Okay, so this is an AU obviously, meaning that Stanley isn't at the camp and the events in the movie/book don't happen in this story. Also, Jennifer (or JC), is made to be the daughter of Stanley Yelnats the third. And I do know that this whole situation is quite unrealistic, but I did try my best to make some things seem as real as they could. Feedback is appreciated! x

I sighed lightly as I leaned my head back against the wall of the bus station bench. Rain pelted down against the pavement - it had been raining for hours. Me and my father had been sitting at the bus stop of hours. It was late at night, maybe around three in the morning, and we were both tired and exhausted from that day's previous events.

"Just give me some more time, please!"

"And why's that? I've already given you time well over the due date."

"I'll- I'll- I'll give you more than I owe!"

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes! Please, just give me a chance."

"Oh, shut up. I'll give you three months. Not a day more."

"Thank you, thank you!"

I let out another sigh, remembering the conversation between my father and the man he owed money to. He owed money to a lot of people, truth be told. My father could never get a job and me being a high school, homeless dropout, no one would ever hire me either. There was no way that we could gather up enough money in time, and we both knew it. His plan was to leave town, but we had no means of transportation. Bus fees were too expensive, the Texas heat was too hot for us to travel by foot. We could have robbed a gas station, but then we'd be no better than the men we owed money to. It was hopeless, honestly.

"I'm going to go to the library," I nodded, pulling out a raggedy old umbrella that I had found earlier that day.

"Okay, I'll be at the gas station," my father spoke, standing up as well.

"Love you."

And with that, I made my way across the road and down the street. I was happy that the library was always open, and even though the librarian was an old, unhappy woman, I still enjoyed sitting in the quiet atmosphere with a good book.

Once I arrived at my destination, I closed my umbrella and silently entered. I gave a small nod toward the librarian, only earning a glare in return, and walked over toward the bookshelves. I liked the miscellaneous section the most - it had manga, old newspapers, etc, etc. There just wasn't just one topic.

My blue eyes scanned over the newspapers, deciding to envelope myself in old history news. I grabbed a random stack and sat down at an empty table, instantly beginning to read the text. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, but once I glanced at the clock, it was nearlyfive a.m.I decided on meeting my father at the gas station, but as I stood to my feet and gathered up the newspapers, my eyes landed on something that interested me.

Kate's Revenge

"Must be apprehended at any cost."

I raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued, and quickly plopped my butt back down into the seat.

Outraged, citizens of Green Lake Clamor for justice!

Tuesday morning, reports from the southerly town implicated the bandit, Kissin' Kate Barlow, in the act of trespassing on the Walker's estate and assaulting the son of land baron mayor, Charles Walker, while he was tending to chores out by their boat house.

My eyes gazed farther down, reading the column with interest.

'Charles is a gentle boy, and a hard worker,' said his father, when asked to make a statement about the event. 'Clearly, this is an unprovoked attack perpetrated by a woman out for revenge for the just and rightful execution of her criminal lover.'

One of my eyebrows raised at the statement, confused as to what her supposed lover did to be executed.

Barlow, who had been described by the townsfolk as a 'sweet and unassuming teacher of poetry and literature,' snapped suddenly one day last January. After the sentencing and trial of her alleged lover, a local, dark skinned peddler of herbal remedies and poultices, Barlow took revenge upon the town's sherif by way of a gunshot wound to the heart for his allowing the guilty verdict to be meted out and the peddler to be shot until dead.

The story saddened me, knowing that the woman probably loved the man to no extent. What a terrible way for love to die.

Kissin' Kate continues to elude capture and imprisonment for her crimes here to manifested, as well as her involvement in the robbery of the Baloonia Savings Bank last month. Allegations continue to build against the bandit. [...] Green Lake continues to suffer from a disastrous drought, but the travelers are still encouraged to come stay with the town and enjoy their hospitality and tourism, especially as their summer festivities draw near.

After finishing the column, I discovered several more newspapers with Kate Barlow on the front page.

Kissin' Kate Barlow claims two more men.

Former teacher seeks revenge.

Kissin' Kate Barlow robs Chicago Pacific.

I read everything on the subject, finding the whole topic to be strange yet interesting. Did they ever catch her? Was she killed? Did they ever find the treasure still hidden away in the dried up lake? All of these questions flooded my mind, and seeing as there weren't anymore newspapers on the topic, I couldn't get any closure. I even searched in the history books and novels, but alas, nothing was there.

I glanced up at the clock. It was only six a.m, so I still had some time left until I needed to meet my father. I headed over toward the computers and quickly pulled up the Internet. As quickly as I could, I typed in Kissin' Kate Barlow treasure.

Few results popped up, but I found what I was looking for. A small article on some random website listed all the information I needed to know.

'Kissin' Kate Barlow reported dead.'

'Was bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard and was pronounced dead on the scene.'

'Her stolen treasure has yet to be discovered.'

'Hundreds head down to Green Lake to try and dig up the loot, but only walk away with blistered hands and a dirty shovel.'

'A few years ago, the dried up lake was turned into a criminal facility center for males under the age of eighteen called Camp Green Lake.'

I quickly searched up Camp Green Lake and sighed lightly when even fewer results loaded. All I could find was that boys were sent there when they committed a crime too dangerous just to be let off with a fair warning (stealing, dealing, etc).

And suddenly, an idea popped into my head. It was risky and perilous, but I was desperate.

"You want to what?" my father shouted, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"What could it hurt? If it doesn't work out, then we know what will happen. It's better than just sitting around and doing nothing," I replied in a desperate and convincing tone. My father sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, obviously conflicted.

"What if you get caught?"

I only rolled my eyes, pushing all of my blonde hair up underneath my backwards, dirtied baseball cap.

"I can pass as a boy, dad."

He stared at me for a moment, silently debating on what he should say. I quickly rearranged my hair back into its original state and sighed.

"I'm doing it, okay? All I have to do is go steal like a car or something."

"A car?" my father shouted.

"I'm not going to become a criminal. I'm doing this for us! All that will happen is that the judge will send me to Camp Green Lake and I can find the treasure. As long as I appear as a boy."

"What if you don't find it?"

"Then I don't find it. Please? At least it'll give us a chance."

It felt like years, until he finally slumped his shoulders and replied a grunted "Fine."

I fiddled with the hem of my oversized hoodie, glancing out the window at the deserted scenery.

Of course I was nervous. If I got caught, everything would be ruined. But it was better than just sitting around waiting for that man to find us.

The area looked disastrous. Holes scattered along the dirt, the sky was clear of any clouds - letting the sun shine down on everything in its sight.

The bus suddenly stopped and the police man yanked me up to my feet, forcing me down the stairs. I stumbled lightly once I hit the solid dirt while the humidity instantly hit my skin.

I already knew that this was going to be hard.

"Fresh meat!" someone called out, forcing me to glance up at a crowd of males gawking at me like I was a peacock. Some had evil smirks printed on their faces, others just looking like they were tired or uninterested.

The police man pushed me along, and in seconds, I was inside a raggedy, air conditioned building.

"Sit down," the officer ordered, standing by the door with his hands crossed over his front. I didn't hesitate on following his command. I slightly fidgeted with the handcuffs around my wrists, but my focus was quickly set on a man who was spitting out some sunflower seeds.

"Uh, hello," I greeted in a scruff tone, deeper than my usual voice. He squinted down at me, licking his dry lips as his cowboy boots clicked against the wooden floor.

"So, you're..." he started, glancing down at a clipboard in his hand, "JC Yelnats?"

I nodded.

"Well, Mr. Yelnats. My name is Mr. Sir. Whenever you speak to me, you will call me by my name. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Sir," I nodded again, making sure to appear serious even though his so called name amused me. Without noticing, the officer unlocked my handcuffs, releasing my red wrists.

"Follow me," Mr. Sir ordered, exiting the building quickly. I trailed behind him, fixing my baseball cap so it covered most of my hair. My hair was quite long, actually, so I had to cut most of it off so it wouldn't bulge out whenever I put it up. It ended below my ears, so even if my cap fell off, my hair would still appear boyish.

"Now. If you want to run away, just do it. I ain't stoppin' ya."

I furrowed my eyebrows at his statement, but quickly understood once I realized that there was nothing but desert for miles.

"If you want to go dry up in the desert, be my guest," he continued as we entered another building, this one being smaller but full of orange jumpsuits, boots, and other plain clothing.

Orientation was simple. I caught on quickly on what I was supposed to do. I received two sets of clothing, one for working and one for relaxation. I was meant to dig one hole each day, the measurements guided by the length of my shovel. I was supposed to be digging to build character, but I wasn't stupid. I did my research and I knew what they were looking for. Hopefully, I would find it before them. I was also told to beware of yellow spotted lizards, seeing as one bite could kill you instantly.

I was introduced to the counselor, Dr. Pendanski, a dorky man who wore too much sunscreen on his nose and a hat too big for his head. He seemed friendly, but even his cheerful smile and happy eyes made me feel odd.

"Now, you'll be staying in D-Tent," Dr. Pendanski nodded, giving me a tour of the whole place. I disliked being looked at when we passed by the other campers. I knew it was just because I was new, but for some reason, I felt like they knew I was a girl.

"That's the mess hall, cafeteria, rec room, showers," the counselor spoke, motioning to each building and room, not before describing what each area was for and all its details. He told me how to not upset the warden, and explained to me that it wasn't Mr. Sir after I thought it was. He told me how the showers had one knob for one temperature, cold. And how even though the food was distasteful, I'd get used to it.

"Aye, mom," a voice called out, making both of us glance toward three boys, "Who's the new kid?"

I shifted uncomfortably, but remained to appear careless with the whole situation.

"This is JC. He's going to be your new bunkmate," Dr. Pendanski smiled, the others only sighing and rolling their eyes, obviously not wanting my company.

"What about barf bag?" one of the boys asked.

I raised an eyebrow at the name - barf bag? Was that a nickname, and if so, why was he given it? That's disgusting.

"Lewis won't be returning. He's still in the hospital," Dr. Pendanski replied in a concerned tone.

I wondered why he was in the hospital. Then again, it was probably best for me not to find out.

"JC, this is Rex, Alan, and Theodore," the counselor continued. I gave each boy a subtle, pursed smile, keeping quiet in an attempt to not set any of them off. I was in a male facility center. I wasn't stupid - most of them had probably done something horrible and had short tempers. I wasn't going to mess with any of them.

"Yo, my name's X-ray," started the boy in glasses, "That's squid, armpit, and that's mom." He pointed at Dr. Pendanski and I wanted to chuckle at his so called nickname. Probably because of his annoying motherly like vibe.

"They all have their little nicknames, but I prefer to use the names their parents gave them; the names society will recognize them by," Dr. Pendanski replied, rolling his eyes and scoffing lightly, "Theodore, why don't we show JC his cot?"

In a matter of seconds, I was inside the D-tent. On the way over, Dr. Pendanski explained that the D stood for diligence. The three others just groaned, probably annoyed at how positive he was. And if I was being honest, it was annoying me too.

I glanced around the tent. I wasn't happy with it's condition. It smelt like dirty feet and vomit. Also the humidity did nothing but make everything worse. Theodore lead me to my cot, and it's condition was horrible as well. At least I found out where the vomit smell was coming from. At that moment, two more boys walked in.

"Hey, I'm magnet," one boy introduced, pounding my fist in a very boyish manner before turning toward the other, "That's Zigzag."

'Zigzag' was freakishly tall, at least two feet taller than me at least. His hair was sticking out in every direction and his eyes were open wide as if he was surprised. He didn't say hello, only examined my appearance and then slowly walked toward his cot.

"And this is Zero," the counselor spoke, pointing toward a smaller boy laying in the corner, "You know why they call him zero? 'Cause there's nothing going on in his stupid little head."

I furrowed my eyebrows instantly at his bluntness. Dr. Pendanski ruffled his hands through the boy's hair, an evil smirk printed on his face. It was like he gained satisfaction from teasing a boy who was much younger and smaller than him. How pathetic. Zero instantly rolled over and I felt even more guilty for some odd reason.

"Did you tell him about the lizards?" Zigzag piped up, shifting his large eyes back and forth between me and the counselor. I examined him a bit more. He seemed either extremely paranoid or extremely hyper. I couldn't tell which.

"Now, Ricky. Let's not scare JC."

"His name's not Ricky. It's Zigzag, 'aight?" Rex scolded, now sitting down on his cot whilst glaring up at Dr. Pendanski.

Dr. Pendanski had made Theodore my 'guide', probably because he seemed like the most sensible one among the group. Once everyone had left for dinner, I stashed some tampons behind my cot, obviously for mother nature's present each month. It was quite hard smuggling them in. I first had them hidden in my jeans and went to transfer them into my jumpsuit pockets, but Mr. Sir immediately snatched them away.

"What are these?" he questioned with squinted eyes.

"There, uh, for my nose bleeds. I have them a lot, actually. If I don't carry those around just in case, I'll end up bleeding everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It's like Niagara Falls-"

"Alright, alright," Mr. Sir insisted, cutting me off.

It was like he had never seen tampons before, and for that, I was lucky. I made sure to bring enough - I had to be sparse with them though. When I made the plan to come to Camp Green Lake, I made sure to take all the precautions of being a teen girl. I also knew that coming here would worsen my hygiene. I wouldn't be able to shave, properly bathe, etc, etc. But for my father, I had to do it.

I walked through the food line, pursing my lips at the brown liquid that was dripped onto my tray.

"Thank you," I nodded faintly, grasping my tray and walking toward the center of the cafeteria. As I was looking for somewhere to sit, I heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey, JC, come here, boy." I glanced over and seen that it was Ricky, sitting with all the others from D-tent. I shuffled over quickly, and as he scooted himself and his tray over, I squeezed in next to him and Magnet. Some of them were still in their orange jumpsuits, while others had tank tops on or just regular shirts.

I was very thankful that I was given a flat chest. Glancing around, I realized that I'd eventually be forced to just sport a white tank top. And even though for most of my life I hated my boy-like chest, right then, I was glad.

Before anyone could say anything, Rex had leaned up and snatched my bread off my tray. I furrowed my brows at the boy, confused as to why he would steal my food when he still had a full tray.

"You didn't dig today. So, Imma' take your bread. 'Aight?" he spoke, smirking lightly while I only nodded slowly in defeat. Once again, I didn't want to fight with any of them.

"So, what'd they get you for?" Squid asked with a full mouth. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and reached up to begin eating the suspicious soup set on my plate.

"I, uh, tried stealing a car," I confessed, eyes focused down on the food. I didn't feel comfortable talking to any of them. What if my voice gave away the fact that I was a girl? What if they noticed my neck and how it didn't have an Adam's apple? I didn't want to get close to any of them. I wasn't there to make friends. I was there to save my father's ass.

"Really?" Rex asked in a sarcastic tone, "How'd you get caught? Forgot to change gears?"

Most of the table laughed at the joke. It was probably unbelievable considering of my small frame and bony limbs. My appearance made it seem like I could do no harm. And even though I appeared that way, I had stolen a car to get myself into Camp Green Lake. While the table laughed, I glanced over at Ricky who was just staring intently at the side of my face. He wasn't even laughing, just staring, which made me even more uncomfortable.

"Actually, I drove it into a lake."

They all laughed even more while I relived the horrible flashback of me plunging the vehicle into the water and almost drowning. But luckily, the police dived in and yanked me out before I was completely underwater.

"What kinda' car was it? A bug? Nissan Juke?" Squid teased while chuckling.

"A Bugatti Veyron," I replied lightly.

They all fell silent as if I had just murdered a man.

"Yo, how'd you get your hands on that?" Squid asked.

"Yeah, that's like the fastest car ever," Theodore added.

"Expensive too," Magnet nodded.

"Did you hot wire it?" Rex questioned.

I chuckled softly at their rambling, the only two staying quiet being Ricky and Zero.

"I was, uh, walking down the street and it was just sitting there with the keys in the ignition," I spoke truthfully. I guess they all expected some extravagant criminal story, and once they were let down, they dropped the subject and began talking about non-important camp things that I didn't care enough about to listen to.

That night, I lied awake listening to the snores and sleep talking of the other campers. I didn't know what time it was, but it was late. I wish I could've gotten some peace and quiet, because if you're a light sleeper like me, every little sounds wakes you up. I knew I'd be tired in the morning. I also knew that pulling this whole thing off was going to be hard, but I didn't care.