Sarah Sanchez rounded a corner. Her black suit was soggy from the sun beating down on her. Her black hair was tangled in a mess-her rubber-band hair tie had broken. She shielded her eyes from the rays with her hand as she gazed across the sandy plains. All she saw was holes. Holes here, holes there.
"Yo, Jackson!" Sarah called, spotting a girl by the name of Amanda Jackson. Sarah had a code: She was to call all the girls by their last names, and they were to answer.
"Yeah Sarah?" Amanda called back, stepping towards Sarah.
"Thanks," Sarah said, pulling Amanda's hair tie out and running off, tying her hair back at the same time and smirking.
"SANCHEZ!" Amanda called after her.
Sarah stopped and turned around.
"What did you call me?" Sarah demanded.
"Nothing...I didn't say anything."
"But I'm positive I heard something," Sarah said, "And it can't be the wind, because there is no wind at B' Lake, is there?"
"No..."
"Watch your back, Jackson," Sarah said, starting towards the plains. Her shovel was slippery in her hand, and she heard the whistle of Ms. Selznik. Sarah walked over to her, and she pointed the girls away into the plains. They were digging-again. Sarah learned early on-as one of the first residents of this 'camp'-that this particular camp was founded after another---Camp Green Lake. That camp had been made for guys. It was, supposedly, tougher then Blue Lake. The guys would dig all day in orange jump suits with a galloon of water that got filled up 7 times a day. Not to mention, they had to dig a six-foot hole, whereas, Blue Lake "campers" had to dig a four-footer.
"Size doesn't matter," Sarah had said when she overheard Selznik and Georgeia talking.
As Sarah started her first hole of the day-one of many since she had been such a resident for three years-her head already began to ache. The messy knot on top of her head was soaked with sweat. Yet Sarah said nothing-she watched the sunrays as the other girls groaned-she was the type. Sarah had a motto:
You don't cry over spilled milk
But you do need a towel to clean it up
Whether the others knew what she meant, didn't matter to her. She saw what she saw as she dug.
Time passed and soon she was heading back to the camp. She tripped over a stick and fell into a hole.
"SHIT!" She cursed, and looked at her swollen ankle.
'Probably sprained," She told herself as she got up. A sharp pain shot threw her leg.
"Damn," she whispered, making her way back to her tent.
"Sarah!" she heard a girls' voice as she angrily pushed open the tent door and plopped on her stiff-canvas bed.
"Yeah?"
"Why were you late?" The annoying, high-pitched voice of Samantha Resepago sneered to her.
"Have you ever heard the story of that girl who asked too many questions?"
"No..."
"Good. You shouldn't, it sucked," Sarah said, picking up her bag. She changed quietly and tossed aside the sweaty, rags they called clothes. Sarah lie away in her bed as she watched the sun set. It had been years since she had seen an evening that actually meant something to her. Now, she saw the stars and the moon, and she didn't care. Back for years ago, when this "tough cookie" had only been a mere 10-year-old, she loved the stars. But everything had changed since she had been to B' lake.
Sarah rolled over and felt her swollen ankle. She was going to have to dig again tomorrow---and that wasn't going to help it heal. It would cause her more pain, that's for damn sure.
Sarah groaned as she heard the whistle call. She rolled out of bed immediately and changed quickly. She threw aside her sleeping clothes and walked out, heading toward the shovel cabinet. She was the first one up---most likely the first one to finish her hole. She walked under the narrowed eye of Selznik, as she made her way to fresh digging ground. She didn't dig though, her ankle was throbbing, and so she sat.
"Sarah," Selznik demanded, "Get up and off your lazy behind and start digging."
"I don't see you digging," Sarah snappily replied back.
"I, am not a criminal delinquent."
"Coulda fooled me."
"Dig."
"No, I don't think I will, Alka-Seltzer."
"Report to Boone's office, now, Miss Sanchez."
"Alrighty then!" Sarah said, using her shovel to heave herself up. She winked at Selznik and made her way to the owner's trailer. Yes, trailer. Not office, trailer. She knocked noisily on the trailer door. Soon Margaret Boone answered. Her flaming eyes suggested Sarah best be somewhere else.
"What do you want?" Boone said.
"Ask Selznik."
"Tell me, Sanchez. I don't like mind games."
"Yeah, and I hate digging but I still have to do that, now don't I?"
"Shut it, Sarah," Boone said, "come in. We can have a nice chat here, don't you think?"
Sarah grumbled nonsense as she sat down in the chair in front of Boone.
"What did you do this time?"
"Well. On this bright, sunny, morning, I felt like 'hey, wouldn't it be nice if I could tan today? Why yes, I think I'll tan.' Unfortunately, Selznik disagreed and suggested I dig holes. But I was tanning."
"But I think you should keep your attitude in touch, Sanchez," Margaret said, "wouldn't that be nice?"
She inched closer to Sarah, now she was only a few inches away from her face.
"I don't think so," Sarah said, smirking.
"I can't take this girl," Margaret muttered to herself, she opened the door to the trailer and yelled, "GEORGEIA!"
Soon, the bumbling, clumsy, big-nosed assistant came running to her.
"Yes?" she managed.
"Call Green Lake. Tell them they have a new recruit."
"What?" Sarah sputtered, were her ears deceiving her?
"You heard me. Pack up your stuff-you're moving to Green Lake."
"That's a guys camp!"
"You certainly seem tough enough to handle a few guys, Sanchez."
Sarah left cursing under her breath-now? Now she was to go? After three years of her comments now was the time to send her? She angrily threw open the tent door.
"Where are you going?" Sneered Samantha.
"Green Lake," is all Sarah muttered as she packed her things before leaving. The other girls were in a mild state of shock.
"Well," Amanda said, "this place should be a bit lighter since she's leaving."
"Oh yes," Samantha agreed snottily.
"Yo, Jackson!" Sarah called, spotting a girl by the name of Amanda Jackson. Sarah had a code: She was to call all the girls by their last names, and they were to answer.
"Yeah Sarah?" Amanda called back, stepping towards Sarah.
"Thanks," Sarah said, pulling Amanda's hair tie out and running off, tying her hair back at the same time and smirking.
"SANCHEZ!" Amanda called after her.
Sarah stopped and turned around.
"What did you call me?" Sarah demanded.
"Nothing...I didn't say anything."
"But I'm positive I heard something," Sarah said, "And it can't be the wind, because there is no wind at B' Lake, is there?"
"No..."
"Watch your back, Jackson," Sarah said, starting towards the plains. Her shovel was slippery in her hand, and she heard the whistle of Ms. Selznik. Sarah walked over to her, and she pointed the girls away into the plains. They were digging-again. Sarah learned early on-as one of the first residents of this 'camp'-that this particular camp was founded after another---Camp Green Lake. That camp had been made for guys. It was, supposedly, tougher then Blue Lake. The guys would dig all day in orange jump suits with a galloon of water that got filled up 7 times a day. Not to mention, they had to dig a six-foot hole, whereas, Blue Lake "campers" had to dig a four-footer.
"Size doesn't matter," Sarah had said when she overheard Selznik and Georgeia talking.
As Sarah started her first hole of the day-one of many since she had been such a resident for three years-her head already began to ache. The messy knot on top of her head was soaked with sweat. Yet Sarah said nothing-she watched the sunrays as the other girls groaned-she was the type. Sarah had a motto:
You don't cry over spilled milk
But you do need a towel to clean it up
Whether the others knew what she meant, didn't matter to her. She saw what she saw as she dug.
Time passed and soon she was heading back to the camp. She tripped over a stick and fell into a hole.
"SHIT!" She cursed, and looked at her swollen ankle.
'Probably sprained," She told herself as she got up. A sharp pain shot threw her leg.
"Damn," she whispered, making her way back to her tent.
"Sarah!" she heard a girls' voice as she angrily pushed open the tent door and plopped on her stiff-canvas bed.
"Yeah?"
"Why were you late?" The annoying, high-pitched voice of Samantha Resepago sneered to her.
"Have you ever heard the story of that girl who asked too many questions?"
"No..."
"Good. You shouldn't, it sucked," Sarah said, picking up her bag. She changed quietly and tossed aside the sweaty, rags they called clothes. Sarah lie away in her bed as she watched the sun set. It had been years since she had seen an evening that actually meant something to her. Now, she saw the stars and the moon, and she didn't care. Back for years ago, when this "tough cookie" had only been a mere 10-year-old, she loved the stars. But everything had changed since she had been to B' lake.
Sarah rolled over and felt her swollen ankle. She was going to have to dig again tomorrow---and that wasn't going to help it heal. It would cause her more pain, that's for damn sure.
Sarah groaned as she heard the whistle call. She rolled out of bed immediately and changed quickly. She threw aside her sleeping clothes and walked out, heading toward the shovel cabinet. She was the first one up---most likely the first one to finish her hole. She walked under the narrowed eye of Selznik, as she made her way to fresh digging ground. She didn't dig though, her ankle was throbbing, and so she sat.
"Sarah," Selznik demanded, "Get up and off your lazy behind and start digging."
"I don't see you digging," Sarah snappily replied back.
"I, am not a criminal delinquent."
"Coulda fooled me."
"Dig."
"No, I don't think I will, Alka-Seltzer."
"Report to Boone's office, now, Miss Sanchez."
"Alrighty then!" Sarah said, using her shovel to heave herself up. She winked at Selznik and made her way to the owner's trailer. Yes, trailer. Not office, trailer. She knocked noisily on the trailer door. Soon Margaret Boone answered. Her flaming eyes suggested Sarah best be somewhere else.
"What do you want?" Boone said.
"Ask Selznik."
"Tell me, Sanchez. I don't like mind games."
"Yeah, and I hate digging but I still have to do that, now don't I?"
"Shut it, Sarah," Boone said, "come in. We can have a nice chat here, don't you think?"
Sarah grumbled nonsense as she sat down in the chair in front of Boone.
"What did you do this time?"
"Well. On this bright, sunny, morning, I felt like 'hey, wouldn't it be nice if I could tan today? Why yes, I think I'll tan.' Unfortunately, Selznik disagreed and suggested I dig holes. But I was tanning."
"But I think you should keep your attitude in touch, Sanchez," Margaret said, "wouldn't that be nice?"
She inched closer to Sarah, now she was only a few inches away from her face.
"I don't think so," Sarah said, smirking.
"I can't take this girl," Margaret muttered to herself, she opened the door to the trailer and yelled, "GEORGEIA!"
Soon, the bumbling, clumsy, big-nosed assistant came running to her.
"Yes?" she managed.
"Call Green Lake. Tell them they have a new recruit."
"What?" Sarah sputtered, were her ears deceiving her?
"You heard me. Pack up your stuff-you're moving to Green Lake."
"That's a guys camp!"
"You certainly seem tough enough to handle a few guys, Sanchez."
Sarah left cursing under her breath-now? Now she was to go? After three years of her comments now was the time to send her? She angrily threw open the tent door.
"Where are you going?" Sneered Samantha.
"Green Lake," is all Sarah muttered as she packed her things before leaving. The other girls were in a mild state of shock.
"Well," Amanda said, "this place should be a bit lighter since she's leaving."
"Oh yes," Samantha agreed snottily.