Chap. 2
Diggin' Holes
"So Charlie, what you in for?" asked X-ray. Charlie stirred her fork in the discolored slop the kind folk at Camp Green Lake like to call food.
"A shit load. Pick one," she started counting on her fingers, "Grave robbin', larceny, broke into a few houses and office buildings too. Basically, I'm just a master pickpocket. That's what they pinned me with at least. I was liftin' a wallet of some pretty-boy 'entrepreneur' right as a cop car pulled up. I bailed, and they caught me about five blocks down the street. Then they figured it was me doin' all that other crap. But I would have gotten away if that damn lady with her dog hadn't shown up. I tripped over the dog, and nearly got run over by a friggin' moped!" She raised her elbows up to show the guys the scars from where she had fallen.
"Dang girl!" exclaimed Magnet. The rest of them began to laugh.
"Well, since you didn't dig today, how 'bout givin' up your bread to someone who did?" X-ray reached across the table. Charlie plunged her fork into the table, right between X-ray's fingers. The table got quiet.
"Look 'X-ray', I'm no chump, so don't mess with me. Murder ain't on my rap sheet yet, let's keep it that way, ok?" she pulled her fork out of the table and started to eat again. Zigzag chuckled nervously. The rest of D tent just stared at her in sheer amazement.
"Hey man, get up." The group shuffled out to the 'library' when the horn sounded the next morning. Most of the guys were yawning and rubbing their eyes. Not Charlie. She stood there, wide-awake as Mr. Sir handed her a shovel.
"Thank you, Mr. Sir," she said with a slight smile. She handed the shovel to Caveman, who was walking between her and Zero.
"Hold this for a sec hun," she said sweetly. He stuttered, trying to say something, anything to her as they walked. She put her hair up in a messy bun on top her head, and reclaimed her shovel from him. He was still mumbling incoherent nonsense as she sped up to walk with the others.
"Uh, um, uh . . . you're welcome?" he finally got out. He gave Zero a bewildered look. Zero countered with a very annoyed expression, and walked on. "What?"
The water truck was seen a mile away coming from the camp. The gigantic dust cloud trailing behind it was a large indicator. Mr. Sir pulled up next the gathering teenagers. Charlie hopped out of her hole and got in line for water behind Zero. She came up to Mr. Sir and handed him her canteen with a pleasant, yet poisonous smile.
"Get any blisters yet girly? Don't worry, they won't ruin those soft hands of yours. It'll turn to callous soon enough."
"Blisters? Why Mr. Sir, I don't bleed." She took her refilled canteen and waved a hand around for all to see.
"It's the grave robbin'. She's gotta dig up the bodies herself." Zigzag whispered to Squid. Charlie strolled by him and they swiftly exchanged glances. Zig giggled to himself and started to dig again.
Zero climbed out of his hole and hacked the last bit of saliva he had into it. Charlie gave him a funny look.
"Y'all spit in yer holes when you're done?" Caveman nodded to her. "Well," she said measuring her hole, "why not?" She got out of her hole and spat into it. The rest of the guys stared at her.
"Hey, hey how she do dat man?" asked Magnet.
"Grave robbin'," replied Charlie with a small smile. She winked at Zigzag. "Hey Zero! Dude! Wait up!" The rest of D tent looked at each other, completely amazed. They all wondered what this girl had in store for each of them.