Chapter Nine

Jimmy, Blair, Penny, Roddy and Jared were given a hero's welcome when they returned to camp, despite the fact that it was only four in the morning. They were all hustled off to the Infirmary, to be examined by Mr. Finch. Camp In-Ca-Cha was soon crawling with Forest Rangers and State Troopers as Willy Coeter's body was carried out of the woods. Probably considering this the mother of all Code 9s, Miss Miles kept Jimmy, Blair and the others shielded at least temporarily.

"Ten more minutes then back to your cabins!" Mr. Finch glared at Penny, Roddy and Jared before going back out to the front office. They had to leave, but Jimmy and Blair were spending what was left of the night; Blair because he was dehydrated and shocky, Jimmy because he refused to leave his friend alone.

"What's our cover story?" Jared asked in hushed tones. "We can't say anything about the super powers."

"Let's not lie more than we have to," Jimmy advised. His hands had been cleaned and wrapped in bandages; he poked at the wrappings restlessly.

"So why was I in the woods?" Blair asked.

"We all heard about the so-called ghost," Roddy said. "So we can say you saw something and went to investigate."

"Willy caught you following him and took you to that cabin in the woods," Penny added. "Do we go with crazy here or what?"

"Best to play dumb," Jared said. "We don't know what he wanted or why he did what he did. Which is mostly true anyway."

Jimmy nodded. "I wanted to search the woods and you guys came along to see if we could use our CSI skills."

"Which we totally did." Roddy grinned. "Team Kick-Ass saved the day!"

They all laughed, and then Mr. Finch was pushing them out the door, shutting the light as he went.

Jimmy and Blair lay quietly in the dark for a while, Jimmy listening to the comforting sound of his bunkmate's heartbeat. He figured the kid would drop right off to sleep – he had to be exhausted – but ten minutes later he could hear sniffling coming from the other bed. He wasn't sure if he should say something, but his new-found protective instincts rose up.

"You okay?" he asked, rising up on one elbow. He thought about adjusting his vision, but decided to give Blair what privacy the darkness provided. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," was the husky reply.

"Blair."

"It's just…I thought you were gonna fall. And I couldn't…couldn't help you." The kid's next words were muffled by his pillow, but Jimmy could make them out well enough. "I hate being so small."

"I don't see you as small," he said truthfully. "Everything else about you is so big – your loyalty, your excitement, your bravery. You risked your own life to try and save mine. That's huge, Blair."

Silence spilled out between them again, and Jimmy settled back down on his bed. The sniffling quickly stopped and he was glad to have made the kid feel better. That's what he tried to focus on when memories of Willy's last moments tried to replay themselves in his head.

"Good night," he whispered when he heard Blair's breathing began to even out as he fell asleep.

"Mmm too," came the sleepy, mumbled response.

Under the cover of darkness, once he was certain Blair was out, Jimmy turned into his own pillow and cried out all his fear and helplessness until he, too, fell asleep.

*o*o*o*

The following morning it seemed half the camp stopped by the Infirmary on their way to class, even Ginger who fixed them a special breakfast. Speculation was running wild about why Willy had kidnapped Blair; maybe he was a pedophile or a blackmailer or a serial killer. Miss Miles shooed the last of the hangers-on when she dropped by for her own visit.

"I'm so glad you boys are okay," she said, smiling warmly. "You had us worried, Blair."

"Sorry, Miss Miles."

She sat on the edge of Blair's bed. "State Police and Forestry Services are here. There's going to be a full investigation. I can only hope Mr. Barnhardt can keep the news media out of this."

Jimmy and Blair exchanged a look. Between visitors, Jimmy had told his friend about his meeting with the Camp Administrator and they both agreed the man was up to something. Something bad.

"If you boys are up to it, the authorities would like to talk to you. Nothing to be concerned about. They just want to understand what happened."

Jimmy sighed. He didn't want to talk anymore about it. He was tired of thinking about Willy, about how he'd been responsible for the death of another person, even if he was a bad person. Every time he looked at Blair, he was flooded with gratitude that the kid had escaped his ordeal relatively unscathed.

"I'm still really tired," Blair said. He yawned, his jaw practically cracking from opening his mouth so wide. Jimmy hid a grin and absently scratched at his arm; the kid was overdoing it just a bit.

"Of course you are, poor thing." Miss Miles patted him on the head. "You boys get some rest and I'll have the officers come speak to you after lunch. Okay?"

"Yes, m'am." Jimmy's smile fell away as his discomfort increased. It could only mean one thing.

"Mr. Ellison. Mr. Sandburg. Glad to see you both looking so well." Xander Barnhardt came through the door, a wide grin plastered on his face. Miss Miles looked flustered.

"Sir! I didn't expect you…"

"If you don't mind, Nancy, I'd like to have a chat with our camp heroes."

Blair looked at Jimmy fearfully.

"Oh, well, they're pretty tired…"

One firm look from Mr. Barnhardt was enough to quell any further argument she might have made, and Miss Miles hurried out the door, which closed behind her. The Camp Administrator pulled up a metal folding chair, sitting where he could see both boys.

"You two had quite an adventure, I'm told." He propped his ankle on the opposite knee and leaned back, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world. "How clever of you to find young Blair in the woods, when we were all looking elsewhere."

"I told you he didn't run away," Jimmy muttered.

"How lucky for all of us that you were right. Although perhaps not so lucky for Mr. Coeter." Mr. Barnhardt shifted his gaze to Blair. "James was very persistent on your behalf."

The kid just nodded, his jaw clenched tightly as if he were afraid to say anything.

"I suppose we'll never know why Mr. Coeter did what he did." Mr. Barnhardt's eyes narrowed as he studied both boys. "He said nothing to you? Nothing at all?"

Nothing to implicate you, Jimmy thought to himself. That seemed to be what he wanted to know. But why would the Camp Administrator be involved with someone like Willy? Was it Mr. Barnhardt that wanted to know who the Sentinel was?

"No, Sir," Blair said, having found his voice. "He just talked about things that made no sense."

"Things like what?"

"Superheroes," Jimmy said. "He talked about superheroes like they were real people."

Mr. Barnhardt studied him, lips pursed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Blair jumped in.

"That's kid stuff. He must've been crazy. Grownups don't believe in superheroes, right? Sir?"

"Of course not." The Camp Administrator smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, I'll let you boys get some rest."

"Thank you for checking on us," Blair said, so sweetly that Jimmy rolled his eyes.

Mr. Barnhardt stood, moving the chair back. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be keeping my eye on you two."

With that vague threat hanging in the air, he took his leave. Jimmy laid his head back on the pillow and waited for his skin to stop crawling.

"Man, he's scary."

"Told you so."

"Do you think he'll do anything?"

Jimmy shook his head. "He can't. There's too much attention on us now."

"Well, just be careful, okay?" Blair looked worried and Jimmy couldn't help but smile. It was nice having someone be concerned about his welfare. Bud always was, of course, but sometimes he wondered if that was more out of pity than anything else. With Blair, it was rooted in friendship and that made all the difference.

*o*o*o*

Jimmy and Blair walked back to their cabin after dinner. They'd survived questioning by the authorities, and even tougher questions from the campers who had crowded around their dinner table. Ben had finally chased the well-wishers and curiosity seekers away.

"I think we're camp legends now," Blair said, hands shoved in his pockets.

"I guess."

"Probably tell stories about us around the campfire and everything."

Jimmy chuckled. "I had no idea you were such a glory hound." His hands were still tightly bandaged, ensuring that he'd be unable to participate in either archery or football for the remainder of camp. He didn't mind too much.

As they drew closer to the Jaguar cabins, he could see Hamburger out front talking to a woman he'd never seen before. He was instantly on the alert – he'd had enough surprises the last couple of weeks to last a lifetime.

"Oh, no," Blair groaned.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked. The kid's heart was beating way too fast. He got his answer when Hamburger ducked inside the cabin and the woman turned and caught sight of them.

"Oh, honey!"

She rushed forward, her brightly patterned skirt swirling around her ankles, and pulled Blair into a suffocatingly tight hug, her eyes brimming with tears. Though they didn't look much alike, Jimmy thought it was a pretty reasonable assumption that this was Mrs. Sandburg.

"Can't breathe," the kid gasped, pulling back.

"Oh, sweetie! Let me look at you." She turned Blair's face this way and that, taking in each and every bruise and scrape.

"I'm fine."

"It was a mistake, leaving you here." Mrs. Sandburg let go of her son's face and hugged herself. "What was I thinking? Well, I thought it would be safe, obviously. I knew we should've stayed together."

"What are you doing here?" Blair asked. Jimmy could see that he was embarrassed and a bit angry as well. He wished he could say something helpful, but had a feeling he'd just make things worse.

"What do you mean? I'm getting you out of here! That Mr. Barnhardt will be lucky I don't sue him and his camp."

"What? No!" Blair took a step back. "I still have a week left!"

"Absolutely not. We're going straight to see Alma for a cleansing. My chi is all out of whack, thanks to this."

"I want to finish my classes."

"I'll find you better classes, sweetie. Safer classes. I had your laptop fixed, so maybe we'll find something online."

"Why do you always do this?" Blair's voice had a tremulous quality to it that made Jimmy want to step between him and his mother. "Every time I start fitting in somewhere, you make me leave. I don't want to leave."

"You'll understand when you're older," Mrs. Sandburg said flatly. "It's not easy, being a single mother. I have to make the hard decisions."

Jimmy felt bad for his friend. It was clear that nothing he had to say would sway his mother. Blair was getting upset, and he himself had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't ready to say goodbye.

"Naomi, please."

"Mr. Barnhardt is putting me up in the guest cabin for the night, and first thing tomorrow we're leaving. So pack up your things." Mrs. Sandburg gave the kid a kiss on the cheek, which he endured with a stony expression. "It's what's best, honey."

Blair looked like he was going to cry, and Jimmy had to say something.

"Mrs. Sandburg? I'm Blair's friend. Jimmy Ellison." He started to put out his hand and then remembered the bandages. "I don't know what Mr. Barnhardt told you, but Blair saved my life. He's a big hero."

He rested one hand on the kid's shoulder. "You should be real proud of him."

Mrs. Sandburg gave him a considering look. "I heard the whole thing, of course. Thank you for what you did for my son."

"Mom…"

"I'm sorry Blair. I've already called Alma. And I want to get you away from the negative energies in this place. It's my job to keep you safe."

"Weren't worried about that in Egypt," Blair replied, his voice laced with bitterness. His mother frowned.

"We're not discussing that. Be ready first thing, I don't want to linger here any longer than I have to. Pleasure to meet you, Jimmy." With that she turned and walked away, Hamburger reappearing on the scene with an apologetic look for Blair as he showed her the way to the guest cabin.

"I hate her sometimes," Blair said under his breath.

"At least she came," Jimmy replied.

"Do you think they called your dad too?"

He shrugged, used to being disappointed. "Probably. I can guarantee he won't be coming to check up on me. All's well that ends well, that's his motto."

By unspoken agreement they walked past the cabins and down to the lakeshore. They sat at the end of the dock, legs hanging over the edge.

"I wish I didn't have to go." The sadness in Blair's voice reminded Jimmy of the boy who'd cried himself to sleep that first night at camp. Funny how things changed.

"You have a laptop, right?"

"So?"

Jimmy bumped him with his shoulder. "So, we can e-mail. It's not like we'll never talk to each other again."

"You'll really write me?" Blair asked hopefully.

"Sure I will. And you can call me anytime."

The kid grinned, looking relieved. "You know, I'm going to do a lot more research on Sentinels. I bet there's lots we don't know about your powers."

"Yeah, well, you better read up on Guides too. Now that I have one, I want to keep him."

The kid blushed, but the light of excitement continued to burn in his eyes. "I will. I'll be the best Guide ever!"

"You already are, Chief."

They sat in companionable silence for a while. Jimmy planned on doing some research himself, but not about Sentinels. He wanted to know more about Xander Barnhardt. He hated leaving things unresolved. He just knew the man was up to something, and he vowed to find out what.

When it got too chilly to sit by the water, Jimmy and Blair headed back to the cabin. Jimmy burned with the unfairness of the situation. He felt like he'd gained so much in the last few weeks, and now he was going to lose it. As he fell asleep, his last time to be soothed by Blair's heartbeat, he couldn't help but feel that Mr. Barnhardt had done this on purpose. To keep the Sentinel from his Guide.

*o*o*o*

As promised, Mrs. Sandburg was ready first thing in the morning. Jimmy and Blair had exchanged contact information the night before, and now stood awkwardly beside the rental car.

"I made something for you." Blair shoved a piece of pottery at Jimmy. It was a tall, somewhat lopsided mug. There was a sculpted J on the front of it and the whole thing had been glazed forest green. Carefully carved into the bottom was the kid's name and the date he'd made it.

"This is great! Thanks." He was absurdly touched by the gesture. He wasn't without his own, either. Always an early riser, he'd enlisted some help from a classmate of Blair's from photography class. They'd printed out the pictures the kid had taken. They'd all been good – he had a really good eye – but the only one Jimmy had kept for himself was the picture of the two of them together.

"To remember camp," he said when he handed over the plastic envelope.

Blair took the photos, his eyes shimmering with tears. "How'd you get these?"

"Burke helped me."

"This is awesome. Thanks, man."

Unsure what else to say, Jimmy pulled Blair into a quick hug. The kid hugged him back fiercely.

"You're my best friend," he whispered, voice thick with emotion.

Jimmy bit his bottom lip, his chest constricting. "You're mine too, Chief." And who'd have guessed that would be true, especially with a scrawny little kid like Blair? It was crazy, but for them it worked.

"Let's go," Mrs. Sandburg said from the driver's seat. She was looking a bit misty-eyed herself.

"I better hear from you when I get back home," Jimmy said.

"Promise." Blair got into the back seat, clutching the photos to his chest.

As the car drove away, Jimmy stayed tuned into the kid's heartbeat for as long as he could. When the sound of it had faded away, the loss was deep and biting. It was as if he'd lost a little piece of himself. But he knew it wouldn't be gone forever. The Sentinel and the Guide would be together again.

"Promise," he whispered. And walked back to camp.


AN: The final chapter. Or is it? I have a sequel teasing around my brain, but don't get too excited because I have lots of other stuff in there right now too. LOL!

Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed. I had a lot of fun writing these guys as kids and I hope you had fun reading them. I'll be back with more Sentinel fics, so stay tuned!