CHAPTER 4

Mel had changed into her bathers and was heading towards the showers when she was blocked by an A-Tenter. He looked to be about two years older than her, she estimated. He was handsome, she decided, with deep set green eyes and curly blonde hair. He had a friendly face, but she was still wary of him. He smiled and she waited to see what would happen.

'I've heard you're the new recruit, just arrived yesterday,' he stated. She nodded, shifting her weight to her other foot, impatient to get to the showers.

'Today would have been your first digging.' What was he getting at? she wondered.

He reached out for her hand, and she stiffened. Seeing her wariness, he pulled his hand back. 'Your hands must be killing you, I only meant to check them – I have some bandages in my Tent,' he offered. Mel relaxed slightly.

'I'm Mel. You are…?'She asked.

'Mark. I saw you wandering towards the showers and realised you must have come back early from the digging. Don't go into the showers with your hands like that, it will makethem worse. If you bind them first it keeps the blisters together until a callous is formed. I learnt the hard way,' he laughed.

'Don't you have a nickname?' she asked, as all of D-Tent had them.

'Oh no, that's just D-Tent tradition. I'm A-Tent. Our tradition is to take turns helping the new person out digging for the first week or so, each of us taking turns. That way their bodies adjust without ruining their hands,' he said, nodding towards where her hands rested.

'Oh. But I promised Zigzag that he could bandage them for me,' she said, before realising how childish it sounded.

'Your boyfriend?' he asked. Mel blushed.

'No, just a friend. I suppose he wouldn't mind if you bound them for me, once I explained things to him.' His smile widened.

'My Tent is this way,' he motioned past the showers. She suddenly realised she was dressed only in her bathers. If she was going to o walking around Camp Green Lake, she should get dressed first. She coughed.

'Do you mind turning around while I quickly get changed?' she asked, after a brief check to make sure no one else was coming around the corner. Immediately he turned his back. She slipped on her jeansand a yellow tee – a spare set she had brought along with her. She tapped him on the shoulder when she was finished and his eyes widened slightly.

'You're not supposed to wear casual,' he whispered, looking around him as if someone would discover them and get them into trouble. Mel shrugged.

'If anyone asks I can just tell them it's for feminine reasons. After all, I am the only girl here. Any questions will stop there.' She followed him through a corridor and faltered as Mark entered A-Tent. She took a deep breath and followed him in. It was empty. She released her breath. It was exactly the same as D-Tent, a little messier but still the same. She sat down on the closest bed and waited as Mark brought out some bandages, a bottle of water and a piece of cloth. She looked up at him questioningly.

'I need the water and cloth to rinse the dirt off, and then I'll bandage it,' he explained. He wet the cloth slightly and took her hand in his, facing it palm up. He gently dabbed it against her palm and she gasped – it stung like hot coals. After he had finished cleaning both hands, he bound them tightly. She curled her fingers and experimented with the limits of the binding. She looked up when he spoke.

'You'd better get going – the rest of your group will be back soon and wondering where you are.'

'Mark?' she asked. He looked at her. 'Thankyou for everything. Will we be able to talk later?'

'Sure, you can come around any time, thankyou for trusting me,' he answered. She closed the door after her, after one last smile at him and hurried down the hall when she saw a group of boys coming towards her in the opposite direction. She turned the corner and entered the shower. After rinsing herself quickly, she dried herself, changed and went back into D-Tent. She took out her diary and wrote another entry in, stopping when Zero entered by himself. She smiled at him.

'Hello. You've finished and had showers?' she asked. He nodded. He walked around and looked up, questionsfilling his eyes. 'My diary,' Mel explained. 'I write my thoughts down in it, and what happens each day. It helps me deal with emotions.' He nodded and sat down watching her as she finished writing. He opened his mouth, as if to ask her something, when the rest of D-Tent came in, talking loudly. 'I'm sorry, ask me later,' she mouthed at Zero. He sighed in understanding and watched with regret as she put her diary away.