R_S: So this chapter is a little shorter, because it's where I started the complete overhaul of the plot. After this, it picks up, I think.

Chapter 7

Truths

It was best to keep her eyes down when cutting through Camp Green Lake, that much Katrina knew for certain. The boys might stare or make side comments, but they mostly would not engage unless they thought she might humor them. Getting brushed off in front of everyone was bad for their image, she supposed. From behind her, she heard one of the boys yelling about the things he wanted to do to her- things that would make a sailor blush. She quickened her pace, glancing sidelong for a familiar face. Forget playing tough, she decided, from then on she was sticking to those boys like glue.

Looking up, Kat noticed that she'd reached her shower. The walls were much higher than in the boys' showers, reaching far above the showerhead. There was also a door with a lock and hooks to hang personal items on inside. Stepping into the stall, she hung her spare clothing on a hook and stripped herself of her work clothes, which were promptly hung on yet another hook. Outside the wall, she could hear the boys loitering around, trying to get a peak in, but the wood was sealed up tight. Still, their presence outside unnerved her, and she was glad she took heed of the boys showering in boxers or swim-trunks. She had set aside one bra and pantie set to wear into the stall, just in case, and changed into them before coming out of the tent.

Slipping in her shower tokens for the day and grasping the soap, she prepared to wash quickly. Dr. Pendanski had informed her that the boys' showers lasted five minutes and though he was not certain of her shower's length, had told her not to expect any different. The low pressure pushing out the icy water kept her clothing from getting wet. It was a stark contrast to the searing heat of the air, and she yelped loudly at the sudden, sharp contact. From outside, boys' laughter echoed, and she shivered at the proximity more than the cold.

She rubbed herself down mercilessly, as if trying to wash off her very being. She had been bathing like that for months, ever since Malcom and Derek. Kat thought that with Derek gone, dead from an overdose, her nerves would ease, but that was not the case. She could still remember everything from that night as though it was still happening- the sights, the sounds, the burning of her throat so intensely sore from screaming. She could taste it. She could still feel the touch, and it burned.

Or perhaps, she joked bleakly to herself, that was the sunburn. Her skin had already begun to blister and peel, leaving her skin damp on the walk back. She had rubbed her shoulders and arms down gently but meticulously, rupturing each section so it could drain. She knew it was the wrong thing to do, but she did not need to hear the guys mocking her about being gross and wet from it later. The lotion she had planned to ration was apparently going to be used much sooner than anticipated.

Her shower ran for 10 minutes on the one token, twice as long as the male showers, and the other campers lingered less-than-stealthily around the entire time. Kat had half expected the D-Tent boys to come around and shoo them away, given their actions that afternoon, but the small gathering remained undeterred. The knowledge they were out there, only feet away as she stood exposed, sent a shiver down her spine. At one point, she thought she heard a gentle push on the door to test for a lock, but that could have been her imagination. Perhaps she was just on edge, she thought, pulling on her clean jumpsuit. She grimaced at the wetness of her shower-underwear seeping into the orange material, but there was nothing to be done until she reached her tent.

Gathering her belongings, Katrina gently unlocked the door with a dull clunk and slunk out. Some of the boys made a vague attempt to feign disinterest, but many examined her openly as she crossed the sandy open lot. She felt safe, though, walking in broad daylight for all to see. Honestly, she was in the tent during most of the hours she worried about male intentions. Nonetheless, as the sole female camper she preferred to travel quickly.

Returning to D-tent, she put her stuff of to the side and made sure she was fully presentable, out of habit more than anything else. It really did not matter what she looked like, she knew, but you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. She brushed out her quickly drying hair and tied it back, and she changed her soggy underwear, leaving them hung over the frame of the cot to dry. The wet spots left on her uniform felt awkward, but they were drying quickly under such extreme heat with no humidity. Exiting the space, she made her way quickly to where the familiar boys were. A couple of the guys loitering outside eyed her appreciatively and one let out a wolf whistle, but no one explicitly bothered her.

The wreck room was busy, loud and thundering with activity. Or at least it had been before Kat walked in. It felt like walking into a snake pit, the way everyone's eyes watched her with a predatory shine. The boys had not expected her to come into their man cave and were openly sizing her up. She was grateful when Squid and Zigzag appeared to flank her, the former with a tough glare and the latter with a dopey grin.

"Didn't think you'd come." Zigzag admitted. She only shrugged in response. A camper across the room was lifting weights, and he made a point of adding more and trying more than he really should. Kat ignored it, sticking close to her tentmates. The boys started to return to their previous activities, but none seemed to fully take their attention off of her. Beside her, Squid and Zigzag smelled like dirt and soap, a comforting contrast to the stuffy rankness of the building. She wrinkled her nose slightly as they reached the rest of the tent, and X-Ray snorted.

"Too stanky for ya, princess? Wouldn't wanna upset your delicate sensitivities." Her gaze dropped. They always did that. One or all of them would do something super sweet or helpful or gentlemanly, then they would turn around and fire shots at her seemingly out of nowhere. She went moved toward an empty chair, but Zigzag dropped into it almost immediately. It must have been his seat before they went and got her. So much for him being excited she came, Kat figured.

Her gaze subtly drifted across the crowded room. "Is it always this crazy in here?" She asked softly, as though afraid to let any boys other than D-Tent hear her voice. But it was true- even quiet, antisocial little Zero was there, hovering around the outskirts of their group.

Squid nodded, "Usually. Not always this bad, though. Think you just got fans."

"Y'know, it was empty 'till a few minute before you came in… all those guys really hangin' around while you was showerin'?" Magnet asked. She nodded.

"Jeez, that's creepy, yo." Armpit muttered. "You got a lock on that thing?"

"Yeah, it's fine… they tried to look in, but they can't." She played with her fingers, shrugging. It would do her no good for them to know how afraid she was.

"Warden can," Zigzag reminded, "bet she put cameras in yours too."

"Dog, there ain't no cameras in none of the showers, you gotta stop that shit." Armpit rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, man, you scarin' the girl." X-Ray barked, leaning back against the wall.

For the rest of the time in the Wreck room, D-Tent mostly ignored her as they did Zero. The difference, however, was that while Zero was relegated to the outskirts of the group, she was kept firmly in their midst. She could feel the eyes of the other campers sliding across her form, noting where they could make out the subtle bulge of a bra strap or examining the graceful curve of her neck. It gave her the shivers. That was why the boys kept her close, she figured. Maybe they were gentlemen, or maybe she was a status symbol. Either way, she appreciated the solidarity. Zigzag and Magnet made a few cursory attempts at conversation, but otherwise she mostly spaced out and rested her exhausted form until they tapped her on the shoulder.

"C'mon, we're headin' back to the tent." She moved obediently and without comment, just relieved to be included. They marched out of the room, laughing all around her. Zigzag pulled Squid into a headlock, but the slightly smaller boy was laughing. There was a deep camaraderie, despite the way they hazed and roughed each other up. Maybe it was a boy thing, she thought, or maybe this environment just bred lack of trust.

"Hey, girl! Wait up!" A voice cut into their serene moment from behind. She paused out of habit. In her peripheral vision, she saw Squid roll his eyes and shoot her a glare, but the damage was done. Some boys jogged up to her with what she was sure were meant to be charming smiles.

"Whacha want?" X-Ray asked rudely, but the guys ignore him. That seemed like a big mistake, Kat thought to herself; X-Ray was not one to be ignored.

"So listen, darlin'…" That was the first time someone at camp called her 'darling' other than Squid. It felt wrong, somehow, coming out of the burly guy's mouth.

"We was thinkin', this camp is a real scary place for a girl to be all alone."

X-Ray raised an eyebrow ("Oh, were you?") but continued to go ignored. He was not going to stand for that, Kat knew. The boy paused but, realizing that she was not going to say anything in responds, barreled on again quickly.

"So I was thinkin', you might need someone to take you round, in case you don't feel comfortable. I could be that guy." He shot her a suave smirk that, in a different situation, might have charmed the pants off of her. Given the circumstances, however, it only made her more anxious.

"I'm sorry," by now X-Ray's voice was deadly flat, "did we not make ourselves clear enough earlier?" Armpit and Squid both stepped up, getting in the boy's face.

"Lemme repeat myself," Squid growled, "we are responsible for the girl. Anythin' you think you'd be gettin' from the warden, that's ours. Y'all don't talk to her."

"She D-Tent's girl, homes." Magnet added, shaking his head. "We ain't given up any chance of reward for nothin'."

So that explained it then, Kat thought to herself. The warden was ostensibly going to give them special treatment for keeping an eye on her. The evidence suggested as much, she supposed, given the shower token incident earlier that morning. She filed the information away thoughtfully. That would be her ticket to safety, evidently. The boys could not care less about her or her wellbeing, but as long as she delivered on tokens and lunch and whatever else, she was golden.

This would be a long sentence, she thought to herself for the umpteenth time.

The boy seemed undeterred, gazing past her escorts to stare Katrina down and look her right in the eyes. "That's fine," he said smoothly, "but what're you willin' to give me to chase guys away from the shower stall, cupcake?" She stuttered staring back at him with wide eyes, uncertain what to say. Armpit grabbed his collar and threw him down.

"That ain't no way to talk to D-Tent's lady." Zigzag told him, the boys standing above his fallen form, but the boy only glared back up at them all. His eyes found her again.

"Look, you won't last long as the only girl here. You wanna survive, you better make sure you belong to someone n' fast. I'll be in F-Tent when you change your mind."

Squid's tight hand on her arm told Katrina it was time to go as he all but dragged her back toward the tent. She did not see what happened with the F-Tent boy behind them, but the rest of the boys showed up in tow rather quickly. She shrugged off Squid's arm, feeling closed in.

"I'm gonna go lie down." She whispered and disappeared behind her curtain. The F-Tent boy was right, but Kat had no idea what to do about it.

End of Chapter

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