Disclaimer: I am Louis Sachar, bow to me! Just kidding. I don't own Holes.
WOOHOO! It's my first double-digit chapter! It's not very good though. I ran out of Pixie Stix.
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Chapter 10 Not All of Us Can Be a Fast DiggerThe next morning the bell rang and Misty sleepily got out of her bed and remembered something important. It was June sixth. Tomorrow was her sixteenth birthday. She sighed and put on her orange suit.
When she was getting her shovel Magnet noticed she was looking upset and walked to her.
"What's wrong, Spitfire?"
"Nuttin." She mumbled in reply.
"Yo lo puedo mirar, pero yo'M no estúpido. ¿Gravemente, qué está equivocado?" (Translation: I may look it, but I'm not stupid. Seriously, what's wrong?)
"Tomorrow's my birthday, my sixteenth birthday." She replied.
"Maybe you'll get the day off."
"I doubt it."
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Misty's hole was half dug when the water truck came to fill their canteens. She had become a very fast digger since she had come to Camp Greenlake.
"Come and get your water!" Mr. Sir said angrily.
Misty stood in her place, at the end of the line. After X-Ray got his water he walked over to Misty. She figured he was going to make some crack-ass comment.
"What?" She asked annoyed.
He pushed Zero back and indicated that he wanted Misty to move up in line.
"It takes some real fearless person to stand up to me. For that I'm moving you up." He said shortly. Then he went back to his hole and continued digging.
Misty looked at Zero.
"It's okay. Being moved up is really special."
She noticed he looked sad though. And he was cute when he was sad. He was so tiny.
"Next!" Said Mr. Sir annoyed.
Misty got her water and went back to her hole. In a short while she finished her hole.
She had finished her hole half an hour or so after Zero did. After her shower she went back to the tent but she didn't find Zero there, which surprised her.
She guessed he was out walking or something so she went to the Rec Room. He was sitting on a lumpy couch in the empty room. No one else was finished with their holes' yet.
"Hey, Zero."
He looked at her silently.
'Guess he's not in a talkative mood.' Misty thought as she sat down next to him.
~*~Meanwhile~*~
Back in the dusty desert the rest of D-Tent was still digging. Stanley wasn't doing very well and no one would help him. X-Ray, Magnet, Zigzag, and Armpit were almost finished.
When they did finish they went to the Rec Room and left Stanley out in his hole.
"He wasn't done yet." Said X-Ray.
"You could have helped him anyway." Misty replied.
"Come on, Spitfire. He's a slow digger, probably won't be finished with his hole until tomorrow."
"I'll see you guys later. I'm going to go see if he's alright." Said Misty.
She left the Rec Room and took the long walk back to where they had been digging earlier.
Sure enough, Stanley was in his hole. It was a little more than half done and he was sitting in it drinking his water.
"It's hot out here." He said realizing she was there.
"I'll finish your hole for you." Misty said kindly.
"No, I'm okay."
She looked at him. She knew he would miss dinner if she didn't finish it for him.
She jumped into the hole next to where he was sitting and took his shovel.
He got out of the hole and sat on the edge.
"I'm a pretty fast digger. And well, you aren't very good at it. No offense or anything, but not all of us can be a fast digger." She said.
"So why did you do it?" He asked.
"Do what?" She asked throwing another shovel full of dirt in the pile.
"Run away, join the gang, all that stuff you did."
She sighed. She didn't like telling people her story. The only person she did tell was Squid.
"Dunno." She lied.
In a matter of minutes Misty had finished Stanley's hole. They walked back to camp. Stanley went to take a shower and Misty went back to the tent.
As usual Zero was there sitting on the bed.
"I thought you were in the Rec Room." She said.
"It gets too loud after the guys come in. I like it when it's quiet." Zero replied.
Misty sat on her bed and closed her eyes for a few minutes. Knowing that Zero liked her singing she was trying to think of a song. Then one came to her. It was a short song her mom used to sing to her.
"If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs. The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies. As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, he cries to the moon if only, if only. If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply. Reflecting the sun and all that's gone by. Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly. Fly high my baby bird, my angel, my only."
"I like that song." Zero said so quietly it sounded like a whisper.
"Where did you learn that song?" Asked Stanley as he walked into the tent.
"My mom sang it to me when I was little. She learned it from her granddad who learned it from his sister. My great-grandmother was a robber and one time she robbed some one and he gave her his chest of treasure. She opened it and found gold, jewels, money, and a piece of paper. The song was written on that piece of paper." Misty replied.
Stanley looked at her surprised. "What's your last name?" He asked.
"Barlow." She said.
"That person you great-grandmother robbed was my great-grandfather." Stanley replied awestruck.
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Dun, dun, dun! Misty and Stanley's families have a past. But if you've read the book or seen the movie you probably already knew about the Kissin' Kate and Stanley Yelnats I. Oh well, you'll get over it.
By the way, sorry I haven't updated for a while. I'm so lazy sometimes I amaze myself!