Twitch. The name just seemed to stick. Like gum on an old sneaker.
Like bad grades on a report card. Like his eye on a beautiful car. Like
his foot on the gas pedal. Sorry, got off track there.
"Hey, Twitch." Twitch looked up from his musings about his newly acquired name. He was about three fourths of his way through his third hole and Squid was trying to get his attention. Twitch was a surprisingly fast digger for one so new to Camp Greenlake. Sure, he had blisters the size of footballs on his hands
"It's always the small ones." was Armpit's theory.
"Man, if the smallest dig the fastest then you and Zig would never get done." Argued Magnet.
"I'm not saying that the big ones dig slow."
Twitch listened while he worked. They might not be the brightest or the most friendly but at least his tent mates were good for entertainment. It was just two days after the legendary escape of Caveman. It was one for the books, he was told. Nothing like it before. But D-tent was curiously depressed after such an escape. Most of them stayed in their tent just hanging around, not doing much.
"You think they're alive?" Asked ZigZag one night.
"If they are then I feel sorry for them. They're in hell." Said Squid.
"Man, we're in hell. They're like, beyond it. Or something." Thought Armpit.
"Okay. If we're in hell then they must be in the seventh level of hell."
"I didn't know there were levels in hell. What level are we on now?" Magnet had got interested in the conversation. Twitch tuned them out. He didn't want to know what level of hell they were in. He didn't want to think about Caveman and Zero either.
Twitch didn't sleep well that night. Then again he never slept very well. Even when he was at home on a proper bed he didn't sleep much. Now he hardly slept at all. Just closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Sometimes he wished it didn't wander so freely but he couldn't help thinking, just like he couldn't help twitching.
People thought Twitch twitched all the time. Day, night, rain, sun, cold, heat, Twitch always twitched. It was a given. A fact of life at camp. Spotted lizards killed you. It never rained at Greenlake. Twitch twitched. That's where people were wrong. Twitch didn't twitch all the time. He did most of the time. He twitched day and night. Even when he was exhausted from digging he twitched. He was told once that he twitched in his sleep. In fact the only time he didn't twitch was when he was behind the wheel. That's why he stole cars. To get rid of the twitch that plagued his fingers.
* * *
Twitch looked out the window of the rec. room. That Jaguar was back again. Dr. Pendanski had shoved everyone in there and told them to shut-up or else. Now they were all here milling around and trying to occupy themselves. Some of the bigger boys were doing this by beating up on one another. Twitch was thankful that nobody messed with D-tent. He wouldn't stand a chance against any of them. Twitch felt his fingers dance wildly on his orange jump suit. They knew there was a nice car near by. They could feel it begging to be driven. A shout from Squid awakened him from his musings. "They're alive!" The whole of D-tent rushed outside followed closely by the entire camp.
* * *
It was two days after the big rain and the campers were being bussed back to their respective homes until further notice. It was pitch dark outside. Twitch wasn't sure what time it was. After 1 am. according to Armpit's watch. The lucky ones had managed to go to sleep but Twitch never could sleep in a moving vehicle. Something about the road moving under him always kept him awake.
Armpit was snoring peacefully next to him. Twitch sat and fiddled with his visor. He was bored. There was nothing for him to do. Twitch was just debating on whether or not to wake up Armpit when the bus gave a lurch and a groan and then it quit. Twitch sat up in his seat looking for the cause of their unscheduled stop.
At the front of the bus the driver swore and climbed down from the seat. The door opened and let the driver out. Twitch followed. He was too small to be noticeable and it was dark anyway. Outside wasn't much more interesting. The driver went around to all the sides to make sure that the tires where fine. Having established that nothing was wrong with the tires he came back to the front and glared at the hood. They may be stuck here all night.
Twitch turned his head slightly to the left. He thought he heard an engine in the distance. Twitch was rarely wrong about engines. It was five minutes before the headlights neared the stranded bus. The car pulled in behind the bus and the driver stepped out.
"Need any help?" The bus driver engaged him in enough conversation to occupy the other man.
Twitch ignored the car's driver and came right to the car itself. And stared. There it was. The same car he'd stolen. Or a look alike. It was beautiful. Without a dent or fault. Twitch peeked in the window. The keys were still in.
Caveman wasn't the only one with fate on his side. Twitch twitched.
Squid sat up spluttering. He had been trying to sleep but picking the seat behind ZigZag probably wasn't the best idea. Every time he got close to falling asleep he'd breath down some of Zig's blonde frizz.
"Man, Zig, can't you control your hair?" ZigZag responded with a deep snore. Squid sighed and looked around. Maybe he could trade places with someone. Where was Twitch? He was always up late any way. Squid gave the bus a once over hoping to spot the familiar visor. Then he could get some sleep. But Twitch wasn't there.
"Psst... Hey X-Ray." Squid poked the sleeping form next to him.
"What?" Asked X-Ray groggily.
"Where was Twitch sitting?" X-Ray shrugged.
"By Armpit. Why?"
"He's not there." X-Ray sat up.
"What?"
"He's not there."
Vroooooooomph
The sound was so loud that it even woke Magnet up. The whole bus was up. Squid looked at X-ray.
"He wouldn't-"
"He would."
They both looked out of the window in time to see a convertible zoom of into the distance. Twitched honked and waved his visor out the window. He'd finally found a cure.
"Hey, Twitch." Twitch looked up from his musings about his newly acquired name. He was about three fourths of his way through his third hole and Squid was trying to get his attention. Twitch was a surprisingly fast digger for one so new to Camp Greenlake. Sure, he had blisters the size of footballs on his hands
"It's always the small ones." was Armpit's theory.
"Man, if the smallest dig the fastest then you and Zig would never get done." Argued Magnet.
"I'm not saying that the big ones dig slow."
Twitch listened while he worked. They might not be the brightest or the most friendly but at least his tent mates were good for entertainment. It was just two days after the legendary escape of Caveman. It was one for the books, he was told. Nothing like it before. But D-tent was curiously depressed after such an escape. Most of them stayed in their tent just hanging around, not doing much.
"You think they're alive?" Asked ZigZag one night.
"If they are then I feel sorry for them. They're in hell." Said Squid.
"Man, we're in hell. They're like, beyond it. Or something." Thought Armpit.
"Okay. If we're in hell then they must be in the seventh level of hell."
"I didn't know there were levels in hell. What level are we on now?" Magnet had got interested in the conversation. Twitch tuned them out. He didn't want to know what level of hell they were in. He didn't want to think about Caveman and Zero either.
Twitch didn't sleep well that night. Then again he never slept very well. Even when he was at home on a proper bed he didn't sleep much. Now he hardly slept at all. Just closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Sometimes he wished it didn't wander so freely but he couldn't help thinking, just like he couldn't help twitching.
People thought Twitch twitched all the time. Day, night, rain, sun, cold, heat, Twitch always twitched. It was a given. A fact of life at camp. Spotted lizards killed you. It never rained at Greenlake. Twitch twitched. That's where people were wrong. Twitch didn't twitch all the time. He did most of the time. He twitched day and night. Even when he was exhausted from digging he twitched. He was told once that he twitched in his sleep. In fact the only time he didn't twitch was when he was behind the wheel. That's why he stole cars. To get rid of the twitch that plagued his fingers.
* * *
Twitch looked out the window of the rec. room. That Jaguar was back again. Dr. Pendanski had shoved everyone in there and told them to shut-up or else. Now they were all here milling around and trying to occupy themselves. Some of the bigger boys were doing this by beating up on one another. Twitch was thankful that nobody messed with D-tent. He wouldn't stand a chance against any of them. Twitch felt his fingers dance wildly on his orange jump suit. They knew there was a nice car near by. They could feel it begging to be driven. A shout from Squid awakened him from his musings. "They're alive!" The whole of D-tent rushed outside followed closely by the entire camp.
* * *
It was two days after the big rain and the campers were being bussed back to their respective homes until further notice. It was pitch dark outside. Twitch wasn't sure what time it was. After 1 am. according to Armpit's watch. The lucky ones had managed to go to sleep but Twitch never could sleep in a moving vehicle. Something about the road moving under him always kept him awake.
Armpit was snoring peacefully next to him. Twitch sat and fiddled with his visor. He was bored. There was nothing for him to do. Twitch was just debating on whether or not to wake up Armpit when the bus gave a lurch and a groan and then it quit. Twitch sat up in his seat looking for the cause of their unscheduled stop.
At the front of the bus the driver swore and climbed down from the seat. The door opened and let the driver out. Twitch followed. He was too small to be noticeable and it was dark anyway. Outside wasn't much more interesting. The driver went around to all the sides to make sure that the tires where fine. Having established that nothing was wrong with the tires he came back to the front and glared at the hood. They may be stuck here all night.
Twitch turned his head slightly to the left. He thought he heard an engine in the distance. Twitch was rarely wrong about engines. It was five minutes before the headlights neared the stranded bus. The car pulled in behind the bus and the driver stepped out.
"Need any help?" The bus driver engaged him in enough conversation to occupy the other man.
Twitch ignored the car's driver and came right to the car itself. And stared. There it was. The same car he'd stolen. Or a look alike. It was beautiful. Without a dent or fault. Twitch peeked in the window. The keys were still in.
Caveman wasn't the only one with fate on his side. Twitch twitched.
Squid sat up spluttering. He had been trying to sleep but picking the seat behind ZigZag probably wasn't the best idea. Every time he got close to falling asleep he'd breath down some of Zig's blonde frizz.
"Man, Zig, can't you control your hair?" ZigZag responded with a deep snore. Squid sighed and looked around. Maybe he could trade places with someone. Where was Twitch? He was always up late any way. Squid gave the bus a once over hoping to spot the familiar visor. Then he could get some sleep. But Twitch wasn't there.
"Psst... Hey X-Ray." Squid poked the sleeping form next to him.
"What?" Asked X-Ray groggily.
"Where was Twitch sitting?" X-Ray shrugged.
"By Armpit. Why?"
"He's not there." X-Ray sat up.
"What?"
"He's not there."
Vroooooooomph
The sound was so loud that it even woke Magnet up. The whole bus was up. Squid looked at X-ray.
"He wouldn't-"
"He would."
They both looked out of the window in time to see a convertible zoom of into the distance. Twitched honked and waved his visor out the window. He'd finally found a cure.