R_S: Hey there! So I know I wrote this story nearly a decade ago, but I randomly started thinking about Holes and found it… thought maybe I'd do some re-writes to make her less Mary-Sue and fix it up, see if it goes anywhere. I liked parts of Kat, but definitely not all of her. She was extremely flawed.

Thus I'm going to make quite a few differences from what was in both the original draft of this story and others on the site. Things she will NOT do: sing beautifully, draw amazingly, magically charm Zero or really any of the guys for that matter, be inexplicably sassy, have tomboy toughness, dig even close to as quickly as the guys… There's going to be less romance with multiple guys, too. It should be a much better story now, hopefully.

Definitely let me know what you think. I didn't change much in the very beginning, but it goes in a hugely different direction.

Prologue

In retrospect, the boys should have known something was up when they were the only group to have their tent replaced. Dr. Pendanski supervised as the group wrapped up their belongings, and Mr. Sir locked them in the shed. By the end of the day, the trouble-making boys assigned to maintenance duty had erected the deformed monstrosity- a tent with an awkward side room at the back, just bigger than the cot and with a curtain flap to separate it. X-Ray made a valiant attempt to claim the new space, but Pendanski and Mr. Sir were staunch on their position that it was off limits. It was for the new camper, they said.

"Man," they snorted, "the new kid must be a hell of a diva."

They had no idea.

Chapter 1

Welcome to D-Tent

"… And this," Dr. Pendanski motioned toward a dingy looking tent marked with the letter D, "Is where you'll be staying. You're assigned to D-Tent; D stands for 'Diligence'. Now, since you're the only girl here, we have made some adjustments."

Upon entering my new 'home', I found that he was true to his word. There was an awkward little off-shoot in the back, the separating curtain tied to the side. A dusty cot sat in within, identical to the handful of other beds spread around the tent main tent. All in all, my new home was filthy. Fear gripped my heart as I considered how my new, all male, roommates would be. I swallowed.

"Sir, I-I didn't know I'd be bunking with them-"

"Now, now; there's nothing to worry about, Katrina. This environment is ideal for self-improvement and development." I couldn't help but shake my head in disagreement.

"But is it safe-"

He cut in, as if not hearing my concerns, "All the boys are in the Wreck Room right now, but it's about time for one of those weekly sessions I told you about." Dr. Pendanski took her over to a shadowy corner just next to the entrance to the tent. "Wait here while I get them. Now, the boys don't know that their new house mate is a girl, so don't be surprised if they seem a bit… shocked. But like I said, you have nothing to worry about."

"Okay." I nodded, sounding much more confidant than I felt. It was clear he would not listen to a word I was going to say, and his smile felt more pandering than anything else. As he left the tent, I attempted to calm myself down. The last thing I needed was to look weak as a first impression, which would have been a correct observation, but I didn't want them to know that. That thought only proved to make me even more nervous than I already was.

God, what had I gotten myself into? Panic became my very being, now controlling my thoughts. My head swam, a dull pounding vibrating through it. It was impossible to even think. I was finding it hard to breathe, as though some invisible force was squeezing my neck and lungs, getting tighter as the seconds flew by. I could feel the sweat of my palms and wiped them on her pants, which I was allowed to wear until I changed into the jumpsuit. There was nowhere more private for me to change, apparently, which was a horrifying thought. But they were letting me do it in the tent and surrender my clothes after, which was nice I guess. Still, the orange jumpsuits looked suffocating and already filthy.

Maybe I could just run off into the desert and avoid this entire confrontation. I could become like a hobo, killing those lizards I had heard about for food. I shook myself back into reality. Yeah right, as though I was capable of that. I could never eat lizard at all, let alone eat it raw. Besides, the stocky warden from earlier said that there was no water around for miles. I put my face in my hands, cursing myself for being a bona fide city girl.

How the hell was I going to survive out here? For the love of god, I was surrounded by a bunch of testosterone-fueled criminals who had not seen a girl in who knew how long. I should have jumped for a chance at Juvy, where I'd be living in-doors and able to see my family on occasion. It was what any sane person would do, that much was sure… But Camp Green Lake meant a reduced sentence, and I wanted nothing more than to go home. The only good part of the day was my period had just ended, so that was one thing of my mind until I got settled.

The idea of feeling 'settled' in a place like Green Lake made my stomach churn.

The sounds of people entering the tent snapped me out of my reverie. I took a tentative step rearward, causing my back to collide with the wall of the tent. Six boys entered, and I genuinely thought I would vomit.

"Hey, how come all our stuff's been moved around?" one called out rudely. He wore baseball cap over a shirt he had wrapped around his head, toothpick poking from his lips.

"Yeah," another one continued, adjusting his oversized glasses, "I didn't leave no spare clothes folded up on the bed." There were shouts of agreement from the other boys.

Another one, I did not see who, added, "You can't do that, homie, I know my rights!"

"What's the deal, Mom?" I furrowed my brow in confusion at the name but remained silent. I was too terrified to breathe, let alone speak.

"Well, boys," Dr. Pendanski explained walking into the tent. In his hands was a crappy looking chair which he promptly placed down in the center of the 'room', and it was clear he was choosing his words carefully. "I neatened up a bit. I thought it would be a gentler way to welcome your new roommate into this environment."

A tall, blond boy snorted, unruly hair bouncing. "What kind of a fruit needs that kind of privacy?" The first boy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Even Zigzag doesn't have a set up like that." I couldn't help but feel my nervousness increase tenfold. There was no way they would accept me, not when they were already pissed just because their stuff was moved a little. I was going to die out here, in the desert, never to be seen again. They would through my body in one of those holes where no one would ever find it…

"If you'd all get chairs from outside and set them in a circle, I'll explain. We're having our session in here tonight. Theodore," he turned toward an unusually fat boy, "please fetch an extra seat for our newest addition."

He angrily muttered, "The name's Armpit." Under his breath, but begrudgingly complied. I filed the nickname away carefully; it would not due to make enemies by calling someone the wrong thing. If he preferred something gross, I'd go along. Soon they were all sitting in an uneven circle, an empty chair between Armpit and Dr. Pendanski.

"Now, in this case it's necessary to have that special corner set up." He explained calmly, "You're new roommate is… different than you're used to."

"… Different how?" the guy with glasses asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Dr. Pendanski sighed, "You'll see." Turning, he called me "You can come out now." I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air until it felt like they would burst. Unfortunately, they did not, and I was forced to move obediently toward the group. As soon as I stepped out, I felt their eyes boring into me.

Narrator's POV

"Um… h-hi." Stuttered the young brunette stepping out of the shadows. She nervously played with her hands and brushed a stray bit of hair from her face where it had escaped from her braid. She roughly adjusted the straps from the two large sports bags on her shoulder.

"Boys," Dr. Pendanski announced, "this is your new roommate Katrina. Now I want y'all to give her a nice big welcome." All was silent for a few moments before Squid spoke up indignantly, toothpick nearly falling from his mouth.

"But she's a girl!"

X-Ray rolled his eyes. "Really, I thought she was a squirrel." He softly whacked his friend upside the head, "Man, duh she's a girl!" a couple of the other boys chuckled nervously, unsure of how to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, don't be a stranger Katrina," Dr. Pendanski called out before motioning to the chair beside him, "have a seat." She hesitated but slowly complied, squirming under the campers' unblinking stares. The overstuffed bags were kicked under her seat.

"These are the boys from D-Tent," he explained, "To my left is Alan, then José, Ricky, Rex, Zero, and Theodore." Before he was even finished introducing them, there were shouts of disagreement.

"Ignore him," X-Ray growled, "Their names are Squid, Magnet, Zigzag, n' Armpit. I'm X-Ray and he's Mom. Got it?" Rather than verbally responding, Katrina nodded unsurely. She was still uncomfortable from all the stares she was receiving. Again, an uneasy silence filled the tent.

"Is it safe?" Zigzag asked unsurely. He received a few odd looks at the question, causing him to elaborate. "To have a lady here, I mean."

Magnet chuckled, "Naw man, didn't you hear? She was sent by the government to destroy us all. It ain't the least bit safe." The boys laughed.

"Man Zig, drop the paranoia."

"No," Squid cut in, "I think he means for her. This ain't the best place for a girl, how the hell's she gonna dig a five foot whole every day?" Everyone took the blonde's reasoning into consideration.

'He's got a point,' Katrina thought sourly, 'I've never done manual labor before in my life. I can't dig a hole that fucking big! I'm lucky if I can make a five-inch hole! Oh god, oh god, what am I gonna do…'

"We don't expect her to." Dr. Pendanski answered nonchalantly. The entire tent turned to him confusedly. "Katrina will be digging each hole over the course of two days instead. I'm sure she can handle that." She winced slightly, but thanked her lucky stars that she was being given a break.

"Still, it don't seem like a good idea…" the tallest boy continued. Katrina could not help but note that all the boys used poor grammar, wondering if she should try to assimilate and do the same.

"Ricky," Dr. Pendanski sighed, "there's nothing for you to-"

"Naw, I don't think that's what Zigzag means." Magnet stated, the meaning of his friend's thoughts finally dawning on him.

"Please elaborate, José."

"How's this chica gonna be treated by the other tents? They ain't seen no girls in a while." Armpit let out a low whistle.

"He's got a point there, man." The big guy stated, "What's a girl like that gonna do to handle 'em all?"

"Well, you'll just have to take her under your wing." Was the response, the counselor looking into each boy's eyes as he spoke. "When we placed Katrina in this tent, that was on purpose. We made her your responsibility. You boys are to look after her, and if anything happens I'm holding you partially responsible. Is that understood?" All the boys wordlessly nodded.

That was vaguely comforting. It was the one thought that had been plaguing her, the concern that kept her heart pounding against her ribs and her head light. These boys seemed kind enough, given the circumstances. Perhaps they would stay true to their word and protect her? In all honesty, she doubted it. She was likely to be a nuisance to them, shoved aside and left to survive on her own. She bit back tears, instead choosing to focus on the conversation.

"Good. Now, why don't we start off by saying a little bit about ourselves? This way you can get to know Katrina and vice versa." Dr. Pendanski ordered.

"Is what we say going to be put in a government file so it can be used against us in the future?" Zigzag inquired suspiciously. Dr. Pendanski rolled his eyes while the boys began howling with laughter. They silenced themselves, when Katrina let out a small giggle, and stared. Her eyes shot to the ground, a pink tint painting her cheeks and a nervous smile pulling at her lips. The guys couldn't help but grin a bit.

"You'll have to excuse Zigzag. Squid read his file, says he suffers from 'Acute Paranoia'." X-Ray chuckled, "Thinks the world's out to get him."

"You got any weird quirks like that?" Armpit randomly asked. She blushed and shook her head, not quite trusting her voice yet.

"What, you don't talk girl?" She nodded and slowly opened her mouth in order to answer his question but was cut off by Dr. Pendanski.

"Let's not talk about personal matters, such as our health." He ordered, borderline angrily.

For the next few minutes, each boy told their story and was forced to 'reflect' on their lives. Through the entire session, no one took their eyes off Katrina, who was sitting with her head down. Her sweat-logged hands were constantly gripping something- either her seat or her clothes or even each other. It was a telltale sign of extreme nervousness. Finally, she was called forth from her silence.

"Katrina, do you want to tell us why you've been sent here?" Dr. Pendanski asked. She considered telling them the truth, that it was all a misunderstanding, that she did not belong there, but none of them were going to listen. If anything, the lies would serve her better here- give her street cred that would maybe keep her safer. Kat licked her lips, carefully finding her voice.

"I stole from a convenience store… shot the clerk." Her voice was soft and low, uncertain as she anticipated the group response. Their eyes widened, mouths dropping a bit. There was no doubt in her mind that none of them had been sent to Camp Green Lake for murder and simply left the detail out of their stories. They clearly had not expected it from her, either.

"Well," Dr. Pendanski's smile felt almost feral to her, and she shifted in her seat as he spoke, "I don't think you boys'll have to worry too much about keeping an eye on her. That's enough for one night, I think. Please make sure our young lady gets settled, and I'll see you all tomorrow." He all but skipped from the tent, leaving her to the judging eyes of her new camp mates. Their gazes were heavy on her form, and Katrina cursed her stars.

What had she done to deserve all this?

End Chapter

R_S: So there's the somewhat re-edited first chapter. Not much to change in this one without going into an entire overhaul, which I really didn't want to do… by the 6th chapter, though, pretty much everything changes, though. It gets a lot better, I think.

Please let me know how you like it =)