Camp Green Lake. That's what this story is about. My name is Deyna. Deyna Pendanski and I'm a girl. Despite popular belief otherwise that is. I came to Camp Green Lake by choice. Yes, that's right. I wanted to dig holes out in the hot sun everyday. Why you ask? This and more will be explained in:
How I met Stanley Yelnats
By Deyna Pendanski
Chapter 1
I was in D tent. D for me stands for Dad, which is what Pendanski is to me. It started out with me being a secret and only the grown-ups knew about me. I used to live in the Warden's cabin. To "earn my keep" I would dig holes around her house, do her laundry, and help her make nail polish (not my favorite of the three). Sometimes I even filled in holes that the boys had dug. In any sense, I did everything that the boys did.
I don't know what brought this action on, but the Warden decided it would be safer if I joined the campers - as a boy. The plan was simple. The nest time the bus came, I was to stow away on it. Then it would bring me back in a few weeks. When the bus finally came, it carried a curly-headed kid about my age and a head taller than me. I stared a long time at him until Pendanski ushered me away. While everyone was eating, I was led onto the bus. Pendanski handed the guard and driver some money. He told them to keep quiet and to bring me back in two weeks. I stayed with the driver and his wife. They kept me digging each day, to keep my hand callused; but enough about that.
The two weeks passed swiftly and I was soon on the dusty bus back to my home. I had on a knitted stretch hat to hide my hair and a regular boy's outfit. My chest was tightly bound so it didn't look too noticeable. The bus stopped and the guard took off my handcuffs. He led me to Mr. Sir's office and opened the door for me. Mr. Sir turned around and spat some sunflower seeds into a dirty jar.
"Sit down, Deyna." He pretended to read my file (in case anyone was looking) as I slumped down in a chair. He handed the guard a Dr. Pepper and almost handed me one too, but he chuckled and put it back in the fridge.
"Sorry Deyna, but you ain't gonna' get no special treatment no more." He directed me outside to another office. He gave me a pair of boots, socks and two orange outfits.
"Everyday you must dig a hole…" he rambled on for a while and I stopped listening.
"Dress in here." He pointed to a closet with no windows. I quickly dressed into an orange outfit and opened the door. Pendanski walked in at the same moment.
"Come on Deyna." He walked out so I followed.
"Who are you?" I said, trying to talk lower. He looked at me like I was nuts. He soon caught on though.
"I'm Dr. Pendanski, your counselor. You're in D Tent." I couldn't help thinking that D stands for Dad. He opened the tent flap and let it close so that I would have to open it too.
"Now, boys, I want you to meet Deyna." There were six boys in the room and eight cots. Three of the boys were black, two were white and one was Hispanic. Pendanski gave me half a wink and left. I smiled and looked around the whole tent. One of the black boys stood up and adjusted his obscure glasses.
"So you're Deyna, huh?" he studied me as if trying to figure me out.
"Deyna? I thought that was a girl's name!" one of the white boys said. Everyone laughed until the boy with the glasses spoke again.
"Quiet Squid." He stared at me again. "There's something odd…" his voice trailed off. "I'm X-Ray." The Hispanic boy smiled and slapped "Squid's" arm.
"I'm Magnet, and this is Squid." The other white boy was "Zigzag" and the big black boy was "Armpit". And X-Ray said that the small black boy was "Zero." He never spoke a word; he just stared at me. I remembered myself just in time and held my caring smile.
"Hey, so you talk? Or are you just like Zero?" X-Ray broke my concentration.
"Which bunk is mine?" I said, trying to look tough. Magnet pointed to the bunk next to him.
"You get the bed next to me, man." I put my things into my crate and started opening up my sheets.
'Oops,' I thought, 'guys don't make their bed.' I finished putting on the fitted sheet and stuffed the other one under my pillow.
Pendanski broke the silence (and stares) when he walked in.
"Well, you're talking so loud in here that I couldn't hear myself think." Pendanski's joke was not accepted. He cleared his throat and went on.
"All right boys, its shower time. Come on, let's go." They all followed him out but he came back.
"Deyna, the nicest boy here is going to be your mentor. His name is Stanley but they call him Caveman. I think he should be due soon. He's got curly hair." The word "Pendanski" echoed from outside the tent so he quickly left.
I got up and slowly looked at my surroundings. A few pairs of boxers were hanging on the wall along with hats and some shirts. I ran my finger on the top of the crates and looked inside them. They all had the essentials and a keepsake in them. One was a TV Guide dated March 22, 1998 with Star Trek on the cover. I ran my finger over the worn cover, smiling. Another was a baseball mitt. And yet another was a rubber octopus. I stopped when I saw a picture in one of the crates.
'It must be someone's parents.' I thought to myself. I slowly brought out my keepsake and set it in my crate. It was a worn but loved copy of Salamandastron.
"You like books huh?" said a voice in the doorway. I moved slowly towards the voice as if it hadn't scared me. I came face to face with the curly-headed kid from the bus.
"What's it to you?" I said, all tough-like. He raised and lowered one shoulder.
"Are you Caveman?" I said, knowing the answer.
"Yeah, why."
"Pendanski told me that you're my mentor."
"Oh, so you're Deyna." My heart stopped. Did he know?
"Pendanski told me to look for you. Come on, its time for showers." He beckoned me out the door and I cautiously followed.