Beverley

The dusty ride was a long one. In fact, it seemed longer than the last time I had visited my Aunt Lou, which was when I was in 6th grade, 5 years ago. I liked Aunt Lou, I really did. She was beautiful and polite, soft-spoken yet authorative. I loved the days we would spend at the river, fishing and marveling about how big the fish were. Then we would roast them over the fire and serve them to the rest of the family, proud at their smiles of delight.

Visiting Aunt Lou at Camp Green Lake, now that was a different story. She was always on alert, and had to be due to the fact that she was the warden at a juvenile camp that housed delinquents. Her company was rather dry, beside the fact that there was absolutely nothing to do. I really had no choice though. My mother had skipped town. I wasn't surprised, for this had not been the first time that his has happened.

The bus driver was going slowly as usual. Luckily we were almost there. I could see the camp approaching quickly. I sighed and searched the vast desert. Holes. There were holes everywhere. That's all there was to see, except for the gawking convicts in jumpsuits. I was thrilled that the boys were still out digging, for I didn't feel like dealing with the unexpected arrival of dare I say it—a GIRL—at Camp Green Lake.

Before I had realized it, the bus pulled to a slow and screechy stop in front of Mr. Sir's office, otherwise known as the convict drop off. I looked outside to see if my greeting party has arrived, but alas, nobody was outside. Yet. I struggled to carry my duffle bag, suitcase, and guitar case through the narrow aisle, and down the high steps. I finally jumped off, and coughed at my dusty landing. Carefully, I waddled forward, focusing on not dropping anything. Let's see…Mr. Sir's office was straight ahead, and Aunt Lou's cabin was…

"Beverley? Beverley Walker, could that possibly be you?" a familiar and unfortunate voice called out. I grimaced when I realized who it was.

Dr. Pendanski, who by the way is certainly far from a certified doctor, is one strange guy. I've always been creeped out by his overly-caring ways. He grinned from the counseling office's porch and started to make his way towards my direction. As per usual, he wore the same get up of a buttoned up shirt tucked into high waisted shorts, knee high socks, a wide brimmed hat, and of course; sunscreen slathered all over his nose.

He quickly whipped out his walkie talkie from his waistband, "Lou, yes…I'm on my way there right now—well she…Yes, I'm on my way right now, it's just—No! No I'm not stalling I'm…Yes, I—BEVERLEY IS HERE!" he finally managed to snap into the radio. He held the device to his ear to hear her response. "Yes, right away."

He faced me and beckoned, still intently listening to my aunt. I followed him to his small pickup truck. "Throw your stuff in the back," he ordered.

"Where are we going?" I asked. "Where's Aunt Lou?"

"She's out disciplining. Apparently some boys have gotten into a little scuffle. I was just heading out there myself when you arrived. Lou told me to just bring you along with me."

"Alright," I grunted, trying to shove my guitar case over the side of the truck, while also handling my suitcase. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally climbed into the passenger seat. I swiped the back of my head across my forehead, the heat was already starting to get to me.

D-Tent Boys

"Man, did you see Lump punch Nugget in the teeth?" Magnet whistled. "That must have hurt!"

The boys of D-Tent: Magnet, Squid, ZigZag, Zero, X-Ray, Caveman, and Armpit were all gathered at Magnet's hole, which had a clear view of B-Tent's digging site.

"Jeez, they got the Warden, Mr. Sir, and look, now Mom all over there." Squid said, switching his toothpick to the other side of his mouth.

They watched as Pendanski pulled up behind the Warden's car. He got out of the driver's side and approached the line of smirking boys. Mr. Sir was in Lump's face, yelling about some Girl Scout crap. He really needed a new line.

"Man, I always knew that Lump was a crazy dude," ZigZag's Texan accent drawled. His electric blue eyes darted around suspiciously.

"B-Tent." X-Ray scoffed. "Nothin but a bunch of low-lifes,"

"Hey…" Armpit squinted, peering over at Mom's truck. "Hey! Is there someone else in Mom's truck?"

The boys all shaded their eyes from the sun and stared over at the scene.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the door opened and D-Tent gasped. Two black and blue cowboy boots planted firmly on the ground, and a teenage girl emerged. She wore high waisted jean shorts, and a plaid shirt tucked in, a big brass belt buckle holding everything in place. The strange girl had long black hair and aviator sunglasses perched on top of her head, pulling back the hair away from her face. The boys were silent, stunned.

The Warden hurried around the corner of the cars and embraced the girl. Now the Warden was relatively small at 5'5, but the girl was even tinier. She probably measured in at around 5'2.

"Holy shit." Squid exclaimed. "There's a girl…a living breathing girl at Camp Green Lake! Wahoo!" he threw his hat up in the air and yelled with joy.