A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! Fabulously wonderful pixie sticks for the
following exceptional people: Kai/Rei2getha4eva, jazandsas,
Sangfroid/Erin/Whatevah (lol), Kirjava Deamon, loviedove, and Nosilla
(Libby1218)!!! And for the rest of you here is:
Chapter 9
I walked with ZigZag out to where we'd dig. Even though it was still dark, I could kind of see the cracks that crisscrossed the hard dirt. I stuck my shovel in a crack an jumped on it. The blade sank a few inches. Pushing down on the handle, I levered a shovelful of dirt out and dumped it, making sure I did so more than five feet away from my tiny hole. I was *not* going to move my dirt pile. I walked back over to my hole and looked around. The rest of D-tent was staring at me—they hadn't even started digging yet.
"What? You've seen people dig holes before!"
"We were waiting for you to fall over," Armpit explained.
"Me? Fall over? Do I seem like a klutz to you, or something?"
"Don't take it the wrong way, chica! It's just that every new camper always falls because they can't get the shove in," Magnet said.
"Oh, okay. Sorry I didn't live up to your expectations! Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna work on my hole. I got up so's I didn't have to dig during the hottest part of the day, so I'm not about to stand here chatting and wasting time." I jammed my shovel into the ground and lifted out some more dirt.
"Two down, seventy-five point eight billion to go!"
By the time the water truck came, I was almost half-way done. I jumped out of my hole, and followed the boys to get in line. X-ray walked over the front of the line, but I grabbed him by the collar and put him at the end, behind Zero, who I then put second in line, behind me.
"How're likin' diggin' holes, Keing?" Mr. Sir asked.
"Just fine, thank you. I'd like it better if I had a refrigerator full of cold sodas to look forward to, but I guess I can't have everything."
"Damn right, Keing. And if I ever catch you with one of my sodas, ya'll be makin' a trip to the Warden." He squint-glared at me as he turned the spigot off and handed me my full canteen.
"Don't worry. You won't catch me," I told him as I turned my back on him and started back to my hole. I heard the squeak of the spigot, and the rush of water into Apple's canteen behind me. Mr. Sir was too wrapped up in his delusional belief that he had power over me that he didn't hear my challenge.
"Good." I grinned to my self and rolled my eyes. Then I jumped back down and started digging again.
I heard the rumble of a vehicle and looked up to see Mom roll up in a pickup.
"Lunch!" Armpit yelled, and everybody climbed out of their holes. There wasn't any particular order for the lunch line, I was last simply because it took me the longest to scramble out of my hole. I did notice, however, that mine was the second deepest. Apple's was a little deeper.
I grinned when I saw Squid walk past Mom, a handful of graham crackers behind his back. I grabbed a bologna sandwich, a cracker, and two apples. Walking over to my hole, I sat down on the edge and bit into the sandwich. Warm mayonnaise oozed out onto my fingers.
"Oh, God!" I cried. "This is foul-mad-crazy business!"
"Eh, you'll get used to it," Squid said, dropping down beside me. "Cookie?"
"Thanks," I said, grabbing one and using it to scrape off all the mayo. When I was done, I noticed Squid looking at me with his nose all wrinkled.
"Shadow, that's disgusting!" I shrugged, and threw the cracker as far away as I could.
"Not as disgusting as this sandwich! Blech."
"I'll eat it!" said Armpit, coming up behind us.
"I would let you, if there was anything else to eat besides apples and graham crackers. But, since there isn't, I guess I'll have to choke it down." I finished the sandwich, trying not to puke, and ate one of the apples and a cookie. The other apple I put in the arm of my jumpsuit, to save for later.
"Okay, boys. The party's over. Now I gotta finish this damn hole." Squid got up, brushed himself off, and walked back to his hole, and Armpit followed him. I stuck my shovel into the ground, and started to wearily finish my hole.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A/N: Yay, this chap is a bit longer than the others...sorry it took me so long to get it up! Kirjava Deamon, is that what you meant by using the enter key?? As always, please review!! (Reviewers get...um...ICE CREAM!!!)
Chapter 9
I walked with ZigZag out to where we'd dig. Even though it was still dark, I could kind of see the cracks that crisscrossed the hard dirt. I stuck my shovel in a crack an jumped on it. The blade sank a few inches. Pushing down on the handle, I levered a shovelful of dirt out and dumped it, making sure I did so more than five feet away from my tiny hole. I was *not* going to move my dirt pile. I walked back over to my hole and looked around. The rest of D-tent was staring at me—they hadn't even started digging yet.
"What? You've seen people dig holes before!"
"We were waiting for you to fall over," Armpit explained.
"Me? Fall over? Do I seem like a klutz to you, or something?"
"Don't take it the wrong way, chica! It's just that every new camper always falls because they can't get the shove in," Magnet said.
"Oh, okay. Sorry I didn't live up to your expectations! Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna work on my hole. I got up so's I didn't have to dig during the hottest part of the day, so I'm not about to stand here chatting and wasting time." I jammed my shovel into the ground and lifted out some more dirt.
"Two down, seventy-five point eight billion to go!"
By the time the water truck came, I was almost half-way done. I jumped out of my hole, and followed the boys to get in line. X-ray walked over the front of the line, but I grabbed him by the collar and put him at the end, behind Zero, who I then put second in line, behind me.
"How're likin' diggin' holes, Keing?" Mr. Sir asked.
"Just fine, thank you. I'd like it better if I had a refrigerator full of cold sodas to look forward to, but I guess I can't have everything."
"Damn right, Keing. And if I ever catch you with one of my sodas, ya'll be makin' a trip to the Warden." He squint-glared at me as he turned the spigot off and handed me my full canteen.
"Don't worry. You won't catch me," I told him as I turned my back on him and started back to my hole. I heard the squeak of the spigot, and the rush of water into Apple's canteen behind me. Mr. Sir was too wrapped up in his delusional belief that he had power over me that he didn't hear my challenge.
"Good." I grinned to my self and rolled my eyes. Then I jumped back down and started digging again.
I heard the rumble of a vehicle and looked up to see Mom roll up in a pickup.
"Lunch!" Armpit yelled, and everybody climbed out of their holes. There wasn't any particular order for the lunch line, I was last simply because it took me the longest to scramble out of my hole. I did notice, however, that mine was the second deepest. Apple's was a little deeper.
I grinned when I saw Squid walk past Mom, a handful of graham crackers behind his back. I grabbed a bologna sandwich, a cracker, and two apples. Walking over to my hole, I sat down on the edge and bit into the sandwich. Warm mayonnaise oozed out onto my fingers.
"Oh, God!" I cried. "This is foul-mad-crazy business!"
"Eh, you'll get used to it," Squid said, dropping down beside me. "Cookie?"
"Thanks," I said, grabbing one and using it to scrape off all the mayo. When I was done, I noticed Squid looking at me with his nose all wrinkled.
"Shadow, that's disgusting!" I shrugged, and threw the cracker as far away as I could.
"Not as disgusting as this sandwich! Blech."
"I'll eat it!" said Armpit, coming up behind us.
"I would let you, if there was anything else to eat besides apples and graham crackers. But, since there isn't, I guess I'll have to choke it down." I finished the sandwich, trying not to puke, and ate one of the apples and a cookie. The other apple I put in the arm of my jumpsuit, to save for later.
"Okay, boys. The party's over. Now I gotta finish this damn hole." Squid got up, brushed himself off, and walked back to his hole, and Armpit followed him. I stuck my shovel into the ground, and started to wearily finish my hole.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A/N: Yay, this chap is a bit longer than the others...sorry it took me so long to get it up! Kirjava Deamon, is that what you meant by using the enter key?? As always, please review!! (Reviewers get...um...ICE CREAM!!!)