CHAPTER EIGHT
Somebody's Watching Me
Camp Black Bear, Dunkirk, NY: Saturday, June 2
Kurt placed his $45 jar of Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt alongside his
Nécessaire sandalwood body wash from Nordstrom on the small shelf built into the shower stall. He turned on the water and scrolled through his Facebook feed while he waited for the water to warm. He then sat his phone on one of the sinks and entered the shower stall. He draped his beige towel over the shower door and stepped underneath the spray. The hot water felt amazing pelting his skin.
His day had started at dawn when he crawled out of bed and made his way down to the lake. He was not too surprised to find Dave there, sitting on the sandy beach, staring out at the water. Kurt sat beside him, cross-legged, his favorite blanket draped over his shoulders. The two had sat in silence as they watched the sun rise over Lake Erie.
After grabbing coffee from the Welcome Center, Kurt went about readying the cabin for the arrival of the campers the following day. According to the roster Teddy had given him the previous day, Kurt had five campers assigned to his cabin. There was 13-year-old Austin from Philadelphia, a pair of 16-year-olds named Darren and Grant who were best friends who had been coming to Camp Black Bear since they were twelve, 13-year-old Miles from Queens, New York and 15-year-old Zack from Little Rock, Arkansas. In addition to decorating the cabin, Kurt had even taken time to write a letter to each of his assigned campers.
Kurt squirted body wash into his lavender loofah and scrubbed his body. As he reached for his shampoo, his phone started playing "Like Father, Like Son" from one of his favorite musicals, Aida. Kurt shut off the shower, reached for his towel and quickly wrapped it around his body. He stepped out of the shower and walked over to the sink. He reached for his phone and saw his dad's picture flashing on the screen.
Kurt hit 'accept' and asked, "Everything okay, Dad?"
"Of course," Burt said. "Was calling to check on you. It's strange not having you and Finn here. Carole and I miss you both."
"I miss you and Carole, too, Dad," Kurt said, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder. "How are things back home?"
"Nothing much to report. Carole and I went to Breadstix for dinner. I had the grilled salmon and a salad."
"I'm proud of you, Dad."
"How's camp?"
Kurt caught his reflection in the mirror over the sink. He saw the huge grin plastered on his face. He tried to recall the last time he had smiled and really meant it. "I think I'm going to like it. It's really beautiful here and everyone's been so nice."
"And how is Finn adjusting?"
"As far as I can tell he's liking it here as well. He seems to be hitting it off with the other counselors. I think this is going to be good for him."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that," Burt said. "I was worried I'd have to watch him mope around the house all summer."
"Well, so far, he hasn't mentioned Rachel since we've been here, so I take that as a positive sign."
"Carole says she spoke with him earlier and he told her that he was partnered with some guy named Sanders."
"Anders," Kurt said. "And yeah – four of the counselors are returning this year so Jake and Katie, the camp directors, paired myself, Finn, David and Santana with one of the returning counselors."
"Ah," Burt said. "Who'd they pair you with?"
"Their name is Teddy," Kurt said. "I really like them. We have a lot in common. We like the same music and have the same taste in movies. They're going to NYU in the fall."
"And Santana and Dave? How are they doing?"
"They're fine. The counselor Santana's paired with used to date the counselor that's partnered with David so that's sort of awkward but other than that, they seem to be adjusting just fine. David's been uncharacteristically quiet today, but I think he's just taking it all in. We had a lot to get done today to get ready for the campers."
"Hmm," Burt said. "I spoke with Paul and he said Dave missed their call this afternoon. Mind checking on him?"
"Sure. I'll check in with him at dinner tonight."
"Thanks, Kurt. I'm sure it's nothing but Paul worries. Rightfully so."
Kurt thought back to earlier that morning when he and Dave sat on the beach by the lake. Dave had not said much during that time, but Kurt had assumed he was just trying to enjoy the peace and quiet. Kurt felt an uneasiness settle over him. He wondered if something was going on with Dave.
No, he thought. If something's going on, he would tell me.
"Well, Carole's calling me. She's got me hooked on The Bachelor. We've been going through all the seasons you've TiVo-ed."
"Funny. When I suggested we watch The Bachelor you said, and I quote: It will be a cold day in hell before I ever watch that garbage."
"All I can say is, you'll understand when you get married," Burt said laughing. "It's so good to hear your voice, Kurt."
"I'm glad you called, Dad. Tell Carole I said hello and tell her I send my love."
"Will do, kiddo. I love you, Kurt. Talk to you soon."
"Love you, too, Dad. Bye."
Kurt ended the call and started to gather his things. He exited the shower room. The evening air was cool and felt great against his warm skin as he moved towards cabin 3. Once inside, he quickly slipped on a pair of Calvin Klein boxers and went about drying his hair.
Thump.
Kurt craned his head towards the small closet in the corner of the room next to the air conditioning unit.
"Hello?" He instantly felt dumb. Clearly there was no one else in the room.
Thump.
Kurt pulled on his Camp Black Bear t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts that hugged his thighs and gripped his butt. He then moved over to the closet and pressed his ear against the door. He heard nothing.
Pull it together, Kurt. You're in the middle of the woods and your mind is playing tricks on you.
"Kurt, what are you doing?"
Kurt jumped and yipped like one of those tiny dogs rich Beverly Hills housewives carried around in their Chanel bags. He spun around and saw Teddy standing in the doorway. Kurt placed his hand to his chest and said, "Teddy – you scared the crap out of me."
Teddy held both of their hands in the air and said, "Sorry – I knocked first." They let the door close behind them and stepped further inside the cabin.
Kurt perused Teddy's attire and felt a twinge of jealousy. Teddy's dark brown dreads were pulled up into a top knot. They wore a red, gold and black daishiki paired with black harem pants with a tribal pattern on them and a pair of pristine, black Chuck Taylor low-top sneakers. There were rings on every finger and a silver ankh hanging around their neck.
Kurt was used to being the one making the bold fashion choices and here was someone else giving him a run for his money.
"I wanted to let you know we're having a campfire tonight. Just us counselors."
"That sounds fun," Kurt said.
"Anders is already getting the fire going. I thought we could go together."
"That's fine. Just give me a moment." Kurt moved over to the chest of drawers next to his bed and opened the top drawer. He removed a dark red bandanna and carefully secured it around his neck. Kurt checked his reflection in the mirror above the chest of drawers and ran his fingers through his hair. He would have liked to spend a little more time on his hair, but who did he have to impress anymore? Not that Blaine ever noticed his meticulous grooming habits, or the time spent choosing the perfect outfits for their dates.
Kurt turned around and gestured for Teddy to lead the way.
"Hope you like s'mores," Teddy said as they stepped outside.
The sun was gone, and the stars were beginning to gather in the night sky. Kurt could hear the drone of cicadas and the sound of laughter in the distance.
"I've never had them before," Kurt said.
Teddy looked over at Kurt and said, "Seriously?"
Kurt nodded. "I'm pretty green when it comes to the summer camp thing."
Teddy grinned. "Well, we're gonna have to change that. Prepare to have your mind blown, Kurt Hummel."
Kurt Hummel was sitting on a damp log beside a roaring fire eating a charred hotdog off of a coat hanger. And he was loving every minute of it. Eight faces were lit by the glow of the campfire Anders and Finn had built. Kurt took a bite of hotdog as he observed his friends, old and new. Dave was laughing with Pari like they were old friends. Kurt looked over just in time to see Santana smash a s'more in Finn's face. Anders was stoking the campfire and Mel and Teddy were arguing over which was the better condiment for hotdogs: ketchup or mustard.
Kurt could hear the crackle of the fire over the chatter and the laughter, and it warmed him from the inside out. He took a sip from his water bottle and looked up at the sky. The stars seemed so low he felt like he could reach up and grab one. He lowered his head and locked eyes with Dave. He smiled and Dave smiled back before turning his attention back to Pari.
"Kurt Hummel." Anders' voice seemed to echo all around them. "A little birdy told me you liked to sing."
Kurt looked around and all eyes were on him. His face felt warm all of a sudden and he was pretty sure it wasn't because of the campfire. He shrugged and said, "I've been known to carry a tune."
Santana rolled her eyes and said, "Puh-leeze, Kurt's basically like the second coming of Judy Garland."
"Why, Santana, I do believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Kurt said.
Santana sighed and said, "I'm losing my edge."
"Seriously," Finn spoke up. "Kurt's like one of the best singers I know."
"Why don't you sing us something?" Pari asked.
"Yeah, Kurt," Teddy said. They reached behind them and pulled a ukulele out from behind the tree stomp they were sitting on. "Sing us something."
"You guys do not want to hear me sing," he said.
Santana groaned and said, "Oh for god's sake, sing Kurt. It's not like Frodo and Hairgel are here to hog the spotlight."
"C'mon, Kurt," Dave said. He gave Kurt a thumbs up and said, "You've got this."
Kurt sighed and said, "But this is a one night only performance. Any requests?"
Teddy grinned and said, "You know "American Pie"?"
Kurt scoffed and said, "Do I know "American Pie"?" He thought back to when he was a little kid. Burt hadn't been able to afford a babysitter back then so when he would pick Kurt up from school in the afternoons, he would bring him to the garage. Kurt would assist by handing Burt tools and they would listen to the radio. One of their favorite songs was Don McLean's "American Pie". Every time the song would come on, both Kurt and Burt would sing along. It was the only time Kurt would ever here his dad sing.
Teddy began strumming the ukulele and said, "Show us what you got, Kurt."
Kurt closed his eyes and listened to the notes Teddy was playing. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile," he sang. "And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while."
Everyone sat with rapt attention as Kurt powered through each verse with ease. After the first verse, Teddy abandoned playing and sat and listened to Kurt sing. Towards the end of the song, Kurt stood up and gestured for everyone to join him in singing the final chorus.
"Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye and singin' this'll be the day that I die."
Applause and cheering broke out once the song concluded and Kurt took a bow before sitting back down on the log.
"That was fucking awesome, Kurt," Anders said.
"I concur," Mel said holding up her water bottle.
Dave locked eyes with Kurt and said, "Good job, Kurt."
Kurt told everyone thank you and dipped his head so no one could see how red his face was becoming.
Pari hopped up from the log she was sharing with Dave and said, "Now that the sing along is over, I think it's time for a story." She turned to Anders and Mel and asked, "What do you guys think?"
Santana rolled her eyes and said, "Don't tell me we're about to tell ghost stories."
"You have something against ghost stories?" Anders asked.
"I just think they're lame," Santana said.
"Well, lucky for you, my story isn't a ghost story," Anders said. "It's a true story actually. Something that happened here, in this very spot, almost thirty years ago."
"So, we're really doing this," Santana muttered.
"It's Camp Black Bear tradition," Mel said. "And Anders tells the story the best."
Anders slowly stood up and started walking around the campfire. "As I said, this story is about something that happened here nearly thirty years ago. Camp Black Bear wasn't open back then. This was just a regular camping ground where high school kids would come and hang out and get drunk."
Kurt marveled at Anders' theatrics. He looked around the campfire and saw that everyone else had settled into the story that he was telling.
"On one particular evening, a group of kids from the nearby high school drove here to hang out, drink, smoke pot … all that jazz. They were sitting around a campfire like this one." Anders gestured to the fire blazing in front of them. "Then one of them got the bright idea to tell a scary story. Apparently, there was a groundskeeper who lived in a small cabin right by the lake. During the summers he would go around and pick up trash and make sure all of the fires were put out. People say that Sam – that was the groundkeeper's name – was a little funny in the head but he mostly kept to himself.
"Then one day," Anders continued, "Something happened, and Sam just snapped and as the story goes, he went into his cabin, grabbed a chainsaw and then he killed every single person he could find at the campground. By the time the authorities got here, Sam was gone and till this day no one has seen him."
Anders looked around the campfire with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
"Is that it?" Finn asked, confusion written all over his chocolate-stained face.
Anders shrugged and said, "Yup."
"No offense but that story's pretty lame." Santana flipped her hair over her shoulders.
"Santana's right," Mel said. "The story's pretty lame – but it was told to us last year therefore it's only fair we tell it to you newbies."
"Any other Camp Black Bear traditions we should be made aware of?" Santana asked.
Before any of the senior counselors could respond there was a loud snap. Kurt slowly turned his head in the direction of the sound.
"Um, what was that?" he asked.
"It's probably just a raccoon," Teddy said.
"Or Bigfoot," Dave suggested with a laugh. Santana threw a marshmallow in his direction and he deftly dodged it.
Pari yawned and said, "You losers can stay here and tell spooky stories. I'm going to bed."
"I think I'm gonna crash, too," Mel said slowly rising to her feet. "This was fun. We should do it again sometime."
Anders looked down at his watch at said, "It's not even ten o'clock yet, you guys."
Snap. Crack.
"Okay, that's definitely not a raccoon," Santana said.
"I'd just like to remind you, we're in the middle of the woods," Pari said. "There's wildlife all around us. You better get used to it."
Crack.
"Okay, I'm out of here," Kurt said standing up. He turned around just in time to see a figure emerge from the crush of trees behind him.
The figure was holding a chainsaw.