R_S: The further into the story I get, the more I have to re-write… huge chunks of this were just so annoying…
This is dedicated to KeysandGuitars, who is the first person to take the time to review the rewrites. Thank you so much.
Chapter 4
The Little Things
"Rise and Shine!"
"Up n' at 'em!"
Katrina awoke to a trumpet sounding in the distance and the yells of Dr. Pendanski and Mr. Sir calling campers from their beds. It was still dark out, the sun just barely beginning to peek over the edge of the horizon, and she felt completely unrested. The sounds of the boys dragging themselves from bed or letting out a few extra snores drifted through her flap, and she listened dully as the anxiety of her first day sunk in. She slowly lifted herself up and stretched as X-Ray's authoritative but cranky voice cut across the tent.
"Get up, girl! We ain't waitin' for you to fix your make-up."
That earned a chuckle from most of the guys, and she pouted but did not answer. Instead she stripped off her skimpy layers and pulled on the uniform before brushing her hair up into a messy bun. Whether or not it worked was difficult to say without more than a tiny hand mirror, but she hardly figured it mattered. Boy crazy as she was, her hair was going to end up being the least of her worries with all sweat and no make-up. Rolling up her pant leg, she ran a hand over her calf and frowned slightly. She would be good for another day or two, but shaving was going to become a problem, and forget about armpits and other areas. Maybe she could talk to the warden about it somehow, though explaining to the boys why she needed to go over there promised to be a terrible experience…
Kat pushed the thought from her mind; better to focus on the immediate issues of her first real day as a camper. She silently calmed herself as she re-tied the arms of her jumpsuit around her waist. This time, though, she also grabbed the gloves she had been issued and tossed them onto the bed to dig out her toiletries again. She carefully stepped out and dropped her eyes, embarrassed to find the boys changing. They were mostly dressed, some just pulling on t-shirts and heading out to brush their own teeth. Zigzag, she noticed that he had a serious case of bed-head, making his already insane hair spike out even more. She fleetingly wondered if he ever brushed it.
"Morning." She offered softly.
"Morning." Armpit answered through a yawn, and Magnet offered a tired wave.
"You should be fine to go out alone this early," X-Ray told her dismissively, as though she had asked. She nodded even though he wasn't looking and shuffled out of the tent. But Squid, it seemed had, the same idea and followed behind her brusquely. Her presence went ignored by some, but for other campers it served as a form of coffee, perking them up immediately. None approached, however, partly from fatigue and partly from the decidedly unfriendly expression on her bunk-mate's face.
"Y'look like shit." He quipped through a mouth full of toothpaste and spit violently on the ground beside her. Kat only made a hum of acknowledgement. He was right, that much she was able to gather from her tiny reflection. But perhaps, she reasoned, that was for the best. It seemed that, for once, less attractive was maybe better, if it meant getting the other tents to leave her alone. And to be honest, she was not above playing the pity card- maybe she could get away with less digging or something, being a girl and all that. It would probably make everyone hate her, but if she could manage to swing some of her perks D-Tent's way then she thought maybe they would not mind so much.
Her companion rolled his eyes impatiently as she took a moment longer than him to finish. His annoyance spurred her on, and she rinsed quickly, wiping her face with the little towel. He eyed the fabric for a moment, and she hesitantly offered it to him, noting the tiny bit of toothpaste stuck to his cheek. That received a dismissive sneer, but he did wipe the side of his mouth with his sleeve, pink coloring his cheeks for a moment. He would not, she noticed, head back toward the tent until she did, his annoyed gaze spurring her forward. Bashfully, Katrina trudged away from the water with him in tow, other campers quickly taking their place.
"Good morning, m'lady." A random boy interrupted mockingly with an exaggerated bow. His friends sniggered, and her step stuttered in response. She looked back at him with big eyes and started to give a small nod of acknowledgment, but she was quickly ushered forward. Squid's hand found the small of her back, gently but firmly moving them along as he fixed her gentleman caller with a heavy glare. It was oddly comforting. She could feel the warmth radiate through the thin cotton t-shirt, a welcome reverie from the surprisingly cool air. Mornings and nights were colder than expected, and she was glad she had the foresight to bring pajama pants and extra socks. That was going to get really dirty really fast, though, and something told her putting it into the communal laundry was a poor decision. She would have to wash them in the shower with her.
As the pair approached the tent, a few of the other boys exited toward the spigots, and Squid quickly removed his hand and brushed ahead of her. He did not want them to be seen touching, she supposed- no good for his tough guy façade. His absence was oddly missed. Despite his standoffish demeanor, she was quickly finding that he was likely one of the safest boys to be around. He was not bad, only in for some petty theft, and he had no patience for the other boys messing with her. Kat liked that, and the knowledge that she at least had some people around she could trust genuinely eased the tension in her shoulders as she cut through the tent. Even if he only looked after her as the tent's second in command, it was still appreciated. Five minutes later, she and the rest of D-Tent exited the canvas housing as a group, fully dressed and ready as they would ever be to start the day.
X-Ray made a point of letting her know which shovel was his shovel, due to its reduced length. A tiny voice in the back of her head commented that he really should have been a gentleman and given the lady the smaller and thus lighter shovel, but she silenced it. Chivalry was dead, she supposed, and he did have to dig twice as much as her. After grabbing some shovels, while explaining their secondary use as a measuring stick (that explained X-Ray's attachment), and their usual morning meal, honey covered tortillas that tasted like cardboard and sugar, all the campers assembled in front of Mr. Sir's office for their daily debriefing. To their surprise, it was the warden who stood in front of them that morning rather than Mr. Sir or even Dr. Pendanski. She was dressed in what she was often seen wearing: a pair of jeans, a set of boots, and a button up blouse. Despite the lack of sun, she wore a pair of sunglasses and a cowboy hat with her hair pulled back in a braid.
"Jeez, what do you think the warden's doing out here?" Zigzag asked. The other boys just shrugged in response, but he shot Katrina a furtive glance. The specifics might have been a mystery, but there was only one thing – or rather person – it could possibly be related to.
"So that's the warden?" inquired Kat. Looking down at the breakfast in her hand she grimaced and decided to wait a while before eating it. She wasn't hungry, never was right after waking up, but she didn't want to waste her only food before lunch, even if it looked moldy. Her stomach felt hollow without any other food in it, and this did not look like it was enough for a full morning of digging.
"Yeah," Squid answered, not even turning to look at her from where he stood at her elbow. She nibbled breakfast careful. She had thought Mr. Sir was the warden but did not want to further embarrass herself by saying so.
"She looks nice… Is she?"
"Wouldn't know; never really met her before; just seen her talkin' with Mr. Sir."
"Oh."
Sighing, she looked back down at her tortillas again; worried they'd get dusty if not eaten. She attempted to take a bigger bite, but the breading was so tough she had to rip it by clamping down with her teeth and pulling with her hands. The boys laughed at the effort she made.
"You like it, chica?" Magnet smirked, one eyebrow raised. She noticed the boys folding theirs to stuff each one fully in their mouth, apparently the preferred method of consumption.
"Um, it's alright…" Before anymore teasing could be done, they were interrupted.
"Good morning… Katrina, is it? How is this vision of beauty on such a fine day?" One of the guys asked in mock suaveness, friends laughing from a few feet away. That seemed to be the usual scene, one cocky bastard shooting his mouth off for an audience. Kat remembered this particular kid as one of the boys from A-Tent who had been watching everything happen the night before and cheering on his buddies. She felt dislike and unease bubbling in the pit of her stomach.
She offered a soft "Good morning…" and dropped her gaze to fiddle with her breakfast, hoping that was the end of their interaction. She was trying not to get honey on her hands. With the tiniest shuffle, she moved back from him a millimeter, closer to Squid and Armpit. He only leaned in a bit closer.
"Say, how would you like to have breakfast with us?"
D-Tent watched him untrustingly, some with clenched fists. They were ready to come to the rescue if need be, she could sense it. Katrina shifted slightly in nervousness and shook her head.
"Wha's that?" He pressed, leaning in further, "I didn't hear you."
"No, thank you." Her eyes darted up to meet his gaze for a moment before dropping down.
"You sure, beautiful?"
"Yeah, the chica's sure." Magnet interrupted.
"Did y'all not hear us yesterday?" Squid continued angrily, playing with the toothpick in his mouth. The boy glared at them.
"Back off-"
"Why don't you back off?" Zigzag asked calmly, stepping forward so he towered over the offending male. His adversary noticeably paled, backing away.
"Whatever, dude." Turning, he departed with his friends.
"Thanks guys," Kat said for what felt like the hundredth time since she had gotten there. Squid gave her one of his derisive snorts, which she was getting used to fast, but Zigzag offered her a weak smile.
"Girl, why you so polite?" asked Armpit.
"Yeah, girl, I woulda just dished it out n' sent him packin'." X-Ray nodded.
"We can't keep dealin' with this all day," Squid sniped, "you gotta learn to tell 'em to stick it where the sun don't shine." And with a sturdy hand, he pulled again by the small of her back deeper into the group of them so she was affectively surrounded. At that moment, Mr. Sir stepped out from his office. In his mouth were some sunflower seeds and in his hand more were waiting to be eaten. He disgustingly spit a seed over the railing to his left, nearly hitting one of the boys from another tent.
"Listen up," he growled by way of greeting, quieting everyone down immediately, "The warden's got a few things to say." The woman stepped forward, folding up her sunglasses and tucking them into her shirt.
"As I'm sure you're all aware by now," she drawled, looking across the crowd of boys, "we have a female camper joining us for the time being." The boys erupted into hoots and hollers.
"Don't we know it!" One called. The boys began laughing even harder, though no one could point out where the comment originated.
"Enough!" Mr. Sir yelled, instantly quieting the male gathering.
The warden continued as if nothing had been said, "Because of this, changes have been made. There is a separate shower stall a few yards from the others. Do not use it. That is exclusively for her use. Outhouses have been put in near the showers as well, to be used at your discretion. Keep them clean or else you will be using holes again. And above all, treat your new campmate with respect. Any issues that come to me will result in disciplinary action, no warnings. Punishment will be swift, sever, and damn certain, so do not test this."
The warden stepped back and Mr. Sir came forward to take her place, "Let's get diggin' boys!" The warden gave him a pointed look, "Er… and girl." Chuckling, the campers turned and headed to their counselors so they could be told where to dig.
"Dr. Pendanski," the warden walked towards D-Tent, "I think double shower tokens are in order, don't you agree." He looked confused.
"Er, yes… but for what?" he winced slightly as she glared at him before rolling her eyes.
"You certainly weren't doing anything about A-Tent continuously bothering Katrina, but," Turning, she smiled with a forced pleasantness at the boys, "these fine young men have been chivalrous enough to step forward. Now, are you going to tell me that they don't deserve anything for their good deed?" Dr. Pendanski vigorously shook his head.
"No, of course not, they'll get their tokens once they get back from digging."
"Good… and the nice young lady has been given an adjusted digging schedule, as I ordered?" He nodded.
"Of course, though I still don't see why. The boys have been doing perfectly fine, why wouldn't she?" The warden glared once more.
"Are you aware, doctor, that women have more strength in their legs than in their arms, while men are the exact opposite?"
"No." he mumble, angry for being made a fool.
"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that."
"No, I didn't."
"Well, now you do. Under those circumstances, I don't think it's really fair to make her dig so intensely. Don't you agree?"
"…I suppose." She smirked.
"You suppose?" the warden turned to D-Tent, "X-Ray, does that sound fair to you?" she caught the boys off guard.
"Uh… No, it doesn't." He answered.
"Good," she smiled, "Zigzag, don't you agree that it's better for a lady to dig a little less than a man?"
"Yes ma'am," he agreed politely, "I do."
"Squid, do you agree?"
"Yes'm." He nodded.
"Magnet, Armpit?" They nodded as well.
"Yes."
"Yeah." She turned back to Dr. Pendanski.
"Well these boys seem sure, such gentlemen. Now, I want everyone in D-Tent to get extra shower tokens, no exceptions. Katrina," she turned to the girl, "we'll have a meeting to go through your belongings and discuss any concerns you might have soon."
"Yes, ma'am," she nodded, blushing, "thank you."
"Oh of course! Have a nice day, kids." Turning she walked back to her car and drove back off to her cabin.
"Come on, let's go." Dr. Pendanski stalked away with a sour look on his face, his group following close behind. Kat moved closer to the boys as they walked.
"I thought you said you'd never met the warden before." Kat commented uncertainly.
"We haven't." Squid answered without his usual malice. Extra shower tokens would do that, she thought.
"Then how did she now your nickname"
"She's got the whole place wired with tiny cameras and microphones. They're everywhere. In the tents, the wreck room, the showers. I'll bet she even put some in those new outhouses, too." Zigzag commented in his usual worry. For a moment, a look of horror washed over her face, much to the boys' amusement. She had believed him for a moment, before the ridiculousness of such an assertion settled in. The rec room yes, probably, but not the showers or outhouses. She offered them a small, embarrassed smile. Zigzag's particular brand of silliness would take some getting used to, but it was sweet. At least he had taken to talking to her, it seemed.
"Man, in that case she must watch me every day." Magnet bragged, looking proud and posing. Kat flushed at the thought.
"Dude, he said cameras and microphones, not microscopes." Armpit grinned. All of D-Tent split into laughter; even Zero cracked a tiny smirk at his tent mate's jab.
"Aw, shut-up man. You're makin' me look like an idiot in front of the lady." He turned around and winked at the brunette, attempting to smile flirtatiously. Squid rolled his eyes.
"You don't need Armpit's help with that." More laughter erupted from the group, and she gave her first real, true smile. Camp Green Lake was going to be incomparably awful, that much was certain, but perhaps D-Tent was more of a silver-lining than she had first anticipated. After all, it was the little things in life.
End of ChapterR_S: Leave a nice review, please!