"You are by far the worst pirate I've ever heard of." Some guy who's name I can't remember
"Ah, yes, but you have heard of me." Captain Jack Sparrow
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When they got back to their cabins after breakfast they found Mrs. Doi and Shortie parked at a picnic table that had been pulled to the front of the clearing. On it were several piles of green T-shirts. Shortie waved them over and Mrs. Doi began handing out the shirts.
"During the games," she explained, "each team will be wearing their Team T-shirts. We'll be competing individually in some games and as a group in others but in either instance today we'll all be competing for the Team. The team with the most points at the end of the Games gets a trophy."
Shortie held out some printed papers. "Here's an outline of the day's activities. As you can see there's a big campfire tonight. We'll be sitting there as a team, so be sure to wear your T-Shirts there as well. Remember, we're here to have fun, but, of course, we want to win!"
Danny came out of his cabin a few minutes later wearing his T-shirt and some old jeans that he had cut off just below the knees. The jeans had frayed over time so the pant legs looks like they were fringed with a beard. He was there in time to see Tucker and T'Keisha come back from the dinning hall. They weren't holding hands but they were walking together. That seemed hopeful to Danny.
As T'Keisha went into Hemlock cabin Sam came out. She joined Danny at the picnic table. Sam was wearing black bicycle pants with her green t-shirt, and woven hemp sandals. She started lathering sun block on her very pale legs.
"They not black." he said.
"What?"
"Your toenails, they're not black."
Sam looked to see what he was talking about. Her toes were painted a reddish plume color. "I don't always wear black, you know. Not like some people I could mention."
"Is that green on the edges? How did you get such a thin line of color?"
"It's layered, Danny. When did you become so interested in my toes?"
"I was just noticing, is all."
"I painted my nails green first and after that dried painted the plum on top, making sure to leave just a little bit of the green showing. It's the sort of thing you do when you have a whole evening in a cabin without television." Her voice sort of trailed away as she noticed that Danny was surreptitiously scanning the clearing. Sam wondered who he was looking for. Just then Abigail came out of the cabin and his eyes sharpened by like a setter's finding quail. The would be "Girl in White" was wearing tan short-shorts with something written on the back in blue and black sequins. Danny squinted, trying to read what the message.
"Why don't you go over and ask to read her butt." Sam suggested.
"What?" Danny jerked up. "I wasn't staring."
"R-i-g-h-t. I wonder if Mrs. Doi is going to have another conversation with her."
"It says, 'BRATTitude' if you must know," Aetheria said as she slid onto a seat next to Sam. "Pretty tacky, if you ask me,"
"Sounds more like truth in advertising" Sam snorted. "A Brat with attitude."
Tucker soon came out their cabin and hung around Cabin Hemlock until T'Keisha came out. He was wearing his usual cargo pants with his green T-Shirt. The T-shirt that fit him like a tent. T'Keisha was wearing a divided skirt of a lime green. It didn't go well with the forest green of the T-Shirt. They started out to the beach.
"I thought we were all supposed to wait here and go down to the beach as a group," Danny said.
"I heard that Dash wanted to give them some extra instruction for the three-legged race." Aetheria explained.
Sid and the other Sam soon joined them. Sid was wearing a pair of gym shorts with "Gratiot Central" printed on the side. The other Sam was wearing baggy shorts that made him look like a six year old. "When are they going to get the show on the road?" he wondered.
The wait, in fact was nearly over. A few minutes later, Booger and Porcupine came out of their cabins herding the last of the kids. They formed them up in rows of four and, carrying a green pennant, lead the way towards the beach. Booger tried to lead them in some songs but the only ones he knew, like "Mademoiselle From Paris, France" were a trifle ribald. Mrs. Doi shushed him, then lead them in a few cleaner songs.
Danny was astonished when they got to beach where the games would be held. Mr. Doi's farm hands had brought around a tractor with a drag to rake and smooth the sand, There was no trace of the furious activity out there scant hours before. If it hadn't happened to them, they would never have believed a life or death struggle had taken place.
Four canopies had been set up at different corners, Booger lead them to one and planted his pennant in a holder that had been mounted in the sand.
"This is Team Green's pavilion," he announced. "Between games we should return here. If it gets too hot you can cool off in the shade under the canopy. There's also a cooler of water in the corner and a chest of gatorade (™) if you start to feel dehydrated. It'll be a just a little bit before the game so make yourself comfortable. Just don't wander off too far."
Danny, Sam, Aetheria, Sid and the other Sam plunked themselves down in a group at one corner of the pavilion. Off a ways they could see Tucker and T'Keisha, one leg bound together getting chewed out by Dash. The tall black girl seemed to be wilting under Dash's haranguing.
"Hey, welcome to Team Fenton," Sid called out, motioning for Abigail to sit down with them.
"Team Fenton?" she grumbled as she lowered herself to the sand. She was still wearing her yellow short-short so Mrs. Doi must not have objected. "Why does the team get to be named after him? He wasn't even at the beach last night -- until after the fight was over."
"I was..." Danny stopped. He was about to say he was, too, there, until he remembered that he had been there as Danny Phantom, not Fenton. "...trying," he concluded lamely.
"It's Team Fenton because it was his idea," Sid unexpectedly offered. "If it wasn't for Danny none of us would have been out last night looking for Tucker and his friend, and who knows what would have happened, then. So , yeah, this is Team Fenton."
"But I'm the only one here with weapons," Abigail protested. "I'm the only one here who was prepared."
"Let's take a vote," Sid said. "Who's in favor of 'Team Fenton,' raise your hands?" Outside of Danny who felt that the others should decide, and Abigail who was glowering, everyone else raised their hands.
"Team Fenton it is." Sid turned to Danny, "So, boss man, what's the first order of business?"
"We need to plan for tonight," Abigail said.
Danny, though had been watching Tucker and T'Keisha. Dash had not stopped yelling at them. He looked up at the others, "I'm going to get them away from Dash."
He stood up and started walking across the sand. It was early morning. The sun, though still low in the sky, was already piling on the heat. The entire camp appeared to be here, sitting around at their various tents. Mr. Doi's stable hands were measuring off the beach and painting lines in the sand. They had laid out an oval course for races, and a rectangle that would be a soccer field.
"I'll go with you," the other Sam said jumping to his feet.
"Thanks," Danny said, "but you don't have to. You'll only get in trouble with Dash. I'm used to it so it doesn't matter to me."
"I know a bully when I see one; I used to be one."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Things were going bad for me until my counselor suggested that I 'was expressing my anti-social energies in socially inappropriate ways' and maybe I should try out for football."
"And?"
"He was right. After an afternoon of slamming bodies or hitting the tackling frame I felt tired but refreshed. I didn't feel a need to beat up other people to make me feel good about myself. It was the best advice I've ever gotten."
"Dash is a football player, too. I wonder why it hasn't worked for him?" Danny wondered.
"Some people are just asses," The other Sam said.
They were close to Dash by then.
"Hey, Dash," Danny called out. "Leave them alone. We need to talk to them over there," he motioned back to where the rest were sitting.
"Get lost, Fen-tonie. "I intend to win the Camp trophy this week and these two losers are not going to mess up my chances."
"Yelling at them isn't going to make them any better."
"This is none of your business, twerp, so butt out."
"Come on, Tucker, T'Keisha, we're going." Danny tugged on Tucker's arm to get him started walking.
Dash reached for Danny, "I said to butt out!"
The other Sam seized Dash's arm and held him back. For a moment they stood sizing each other up. Dash was a Senior while the other Sam was at most a Junior. Dash may have had a couple inches on the other in terms of height and reach, but the other Sam was every bit as heavy as Dash. More to the point, he looked like someone who relished a fight. After a moment Dash shook off the other Sam's hand and stepped back. "They better not embarrass me today," he warned before stalking off to where a judge's stand was being erected.
With a couple of swift strides the other Sam caught up with the three as they hobbled towards their friends. The other Sam grabbed T'Keisha's free arm and held her up.
"There's a secret to the three-legged race."
"Don't enter?" Tucker hazarded?
"Too late for that. No, what you've got to do is coordinate your walking. Most people when they walk together tend to synchronize their stride. Without meaning to they do 'left-right, left-right,' but because you've got one leg tied together you've got to fight that tendency. Try chanting 'one-two, one-two.' On one, T'Keisha you move your left leg while Tucker moves his right, on 'two' you each move the other leg. Try it?
"One."
"Two."
"One."
"Two."
It took a few steps but Tucker and T'Keisha started walking more smoothly.
"The other thing," the other Sam said, "is you've got to shorten your stride, T'Keisha, while Tucker needs to lengthen his. Each time you move you need to try to move the same length. That way you won't throw the other off.
"And my last bit of advice is not to race. You'll lose so much time trying to get up if you fall down that you're better off walking if that's the best you can do, then trying to run and falling down."
"Wow, you're really good as coaching." Danny said. "You ought to go into coaching."
"Nah," the other Sam said with feeling. "I've got a real problem with authority. If I became a coach then I'd have to start hating myself. You can see how that's not going to work."
"But, but... when you're the authority then...you, you don't have to have a problem with authority...or something."
"I know what you're saying, Danny, but it just doesn't work that way. I'd be just like Dash, I wouldn't know when to quit. So I don't start. Why don't we untie you two. I'm sure you're getting more than a little tired being roped together like that."
Danny quickly knelt and started picking at the knots in the ropes. The other Sam knelt down to help him.
"Wow, Sam, I don't think I've heard you say ten words the whole week before this."
"I don't like talking about myself, but I thought I owed you an explanation."
Once freed, the two kids collapsed in the sand just outside the circle of the others, only to find the circle shifting around to include them.
Danny sat down next to Tucker.
"You and T'Keisha OK?" Danny asked.
Tucker hung his head. "I don't know. I'm not sure I'm OK about last night." he said.
"It wasn't your fault, you were overshadowed."
"I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better. T'Keisha's...She says you explained it all to her but..." Tucker waves his arms in confused circles "I just can't believe I'd ask a girl to make out like that." he finished in a whisper.
"But you didn't, it was the ghost." Danny said.
"But the desire was there, that's what gave the ghost it's opening," Tucker protested. "If I hadn't been such a..."
"Oh, come on, Tucker," Aetheria interrupted. "If you hadn't been panting after T'Keisha you wouldn't have been human."
"But..."
"No buts," she continued. "It's good to be in love with someone and even better when they're in love with you."
"I've never done anything like that before."
"See, that's your problem.. You don't have enough practice!" Aetheria leaned over and rubbed her knuckles into Tucker's shoulder.
"Guys!" Sam interrupted. she asked the girl sitting next to Tucker. "How are you holding up?"
T'Keisha had gotten red in the face, though with her dark complexion it was hard to tell. "OK, I guess." she answered.
"Are we or are we not going to plan for tonight," Abigail interrupted.
"Our plan is, when the ghost shows up, to kick its butt," Sid said.
"You're an idiot."
"I'm an idiot that doesn't believe in worry about things you can't change."
Abigail was working up to a devastating come-back when Shortie came around, all knobby-kneed and long legs, like some kind of a camel and said the Games were starting and send them over to the speaker's stand when Ranger Camp, the Camp Ranger was waiting to address them.
The Head Ranger was a familiar figure to the campers. She made a point of visiting each team at least once a day, usually to deliver any mail and to be available for complaints or suggestions from the campers. Short, square, always in an impeccably crisp uniform, with short, almost mannishly cut hair she was often the butt of jokes about her being "too" manly, even after her husband, a tall, lanky fellow with a heavy tan and greying hair and stopped by for a visit. He was a naturalist at the local community college, Danny had heard. Aetheria had called them "Mutt and Jeff" after seeing them walk together, a comment so obscure that Danny had asked her to explain. A turn of the century newspaper cartoon strip. Not this century, the last century. Whatever. Danny vowed to look it up on the Internet later, after camp.
The "too mannish" crack was one hard for Danny to understand. His mother did all sorts of things other women didn't -- ghost research and development, traveled to Ghost /Ectoplasmic conferences around the world, fought ghosts, ran a corporation, cooked brownies, wiped his face when she thought it was dirty. For Danny it was stranger hearing Tucker's mother always deferring to Tucker's Dad because in Danny's family if his Mom made a decision and his Dad disagreed, he'd hear about it. Sam, too, was never afraid to give her opinion, which was one of the things he liked about her. In contrast, T'Keisha, who seemed to be a nice girl and all, always hesitated before expressing an opinion. Was she being too "girly"?
The Head Ranger was unloading a canned speech, welcoming everybody to the Game, explaining something of the nature of the games. Points would be awarded to each team according to how they finished in each game and the team with the most point would be declared winner and given a trophy. But she cautioned this was about having fun and learning to work together, and not about winning. Danny had to snicker at that. He was forever hearing people in school, as far back as Pre-K, saying that this or that was not about winning but having fun. But if it wasn't about winning why did they have a trophy for the winner, why were they passing out ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers. As long as there were trophies and ribbons to win, then this games were all about winning.
There were eight other adults on the stand beside the Head Ranger. They were wearing black and white stripped referee shirts. Sure enough Ranger Camp introduced them as local volunteers come to help judge the games.
With that the Head Ranger called out "Let the Games Begin!" and pulling out a whistle from around her neck, gave a shrieking blast.
The counselors lead their teams over to a starting line on the beach. The first game was a simple race, down the beach, around a number of obstacles, and back to the starting line. The time from the first and last finisher for each team would be added together and the team with the best overall time would be declared the winner. "Try and not trample anyone," they were warned at the conclusion of the instructions. After making sure everyone was in line the Head Ranger unexpected pulled out a starter pistol and fired it. Danny nearly tripped over the kid on front of him who had flopped into a ball at the unexpected loud sound. He helped the boy up and started jogging towards the obstacles at the far end of the field.
Running -- well, athletics in general -- wasn't Danny strong suit, so he figured a steady jog would get him there and back somewhere in the middle of the pack. Running too hard would leave him winded and exhausted before the race was over.
The obstacles at the far end proved to be various pick-up trucks parked in the race track, forcing kids to dodge around them, cramping them in close quarters between the tails of the trucks and the sidelines of the course. He could see Sam in the distance amidst the lead clot of runners. T'Keisha, towering above all the other racers was further back but still well ahead of him. Tucker was a short distance ahead but as they turned and weaved their way back through the trucks and the goal line, Danny could see that his friend was already on his last legs. Risking a quick look behind him, Danny realized that he was the next to the last kid from their Team. He put on a burst of speed, passing Tucker and a couple of the younger Team Green members before crossing the finish line and collapsing flat on his face. Moments later Tucker fell down next to him, wheezing like an asthmatic whale.
"Come on, Fen-tonie, Geek Boy, get up. There's a lot more challenges to do today. There's no time to panty-waists!" Dash kicked sand in their faces has he strode up. With a groan Danny climbed to his feet, then extended a hand to help Tucker get up.
They staggered over to the Team Green pavilion where Porcupine was explaining the next game. This she called the "Tea Service Carry." Each member in turn would race across an open space to a table fifty feet away. There they would find a lunch room tray and a plastic cup. They were to fill the cup with water from a bucket on the table, place the cup in the tray and carrying the tray race back to the other side without spilling the water and dump it into a bucket there. Then the next person in line would race over and pick up and tray and so on for thirty minutes. Team members might have to go back and forth two or even three times. At the end of the thirty minutes each buckets would be measured and the team with the most water in the bucket would be the winners.
When everyone was lined up and ready the Head Ranger again fired her starter pistol. The first people running across the sand ended up with the cup tipped over and a tray full of water, which they nonetheless drained into the bucket. People who dropped their cups had to go back to refill it. There was lots of screaming and shouting as team members encouraged each other to run or walk, or walk faster or be more careful. The loudest voice of all was Dash's, encouraging, coaching but too often hectoring and belittling those he felt weren't doing a good enough of a job.
When Danny's turn came he raced across the sand, filled his cup, turned and fell down in a rut that had been dug by so many people turning on the same spot. He popped back up, refilled his glass and power walked back to the bucket. He felt pretty good that most of the water was still there when he poured it in.
"Hey, Fenton, try to stay on your feet next time!" Dash shouted at him.
With a glower Danny went to the back of the line to wait his next turn.
It seemed like almost no time at all had passed when the Head Ranger's gun sounded again. A yardstick was thrust into each bucket and to Danny's surprise Team Green was declared the winner, by a scant half-inch!
The kids trooped back to their pavilion and collapsed while the farm hands carried away the tables and set up the next contest. Most of the kids lined up for a drink of water then flopped in the shade. The sun had really turned into a scorcher.
As the last of the tables were carried away the tractor snorted into life and came out, pulling its drag to level the sand again. As it chugged off the beach a couple guys came out and drove in a couple staked, then measured off one hundred feet and set up a second pair of stakes. A pick-up drove up to the first set of poles, it's bed mounded with gunny sacks.
"Danny, you can't put this off forever. We've got to talk about tonight." Abigail had squatted down next to him. But Danny wasn't listening. Squatting had stretched her shorts so tight than all he could think about was what keeping the "BRAT" from separating from the "Titude".
Before he could say anything Dash was passing among them chivvying them over to the truck where Booger and Shortie were holding piles of gunny sacks in their arms, passing them out to team members as they arrived.
Danny was climbing into his sack, trying to find a way to hold on to it and hop without falling over when he noticed Sam standing beside him. "What was Ms "BRATTitude" going on about?"
"She wants to plan for tonight."
"We probably should," Sam replied as she rolled up the sides of the sack in a practiced manner in her hands and easily stepped into the bottom.
"How do you do that?" Danny asked
"Pantyhose. You learn how to do stuff like that when you're a girl." she answered. "So what did you tell her?"
"Abigail? Nothing. My plan is when the ghost comes. to hit it with everything I've got."
"And the rest of us?"
"Stay out of the way."
"That's not much of a plan."
"I'm open to suggestions."
"Call your Dad."
"Not that one."
Sam took a few exploratory hops, adjusted her hold on the sides of the gunny sack. She hopped back to Danny. "OK, then, Call your sister."
"Jazz?"
"She could sneak out in the Specter Speeder, drop off a few heavy-duty blasters and get back with no one the wiser.
"mmmm" Danny grunted equivocally.
"Who else are you going to call? Vlad? Scar? Vlad doesn't help anybody but himself. Scar might help but the collateral damage is something we'd have to think about. Besides for all we know, she just might decide to conspire with the ghost to take over the world."
"I left her interdimensional cell phone at home with my other cell."
"Hey, Fenton. Listen up!" Dash barked, ending their conversation.
A sack race is pretty straight-forward. Because there were so many kids competing there would be six heats with eight campers from each of the four teams in each heat. Boys would race in one heat and girls in the next to make it more fair. Looking around him Danny didn't see where the boys had any natural advantage over the girls, or vice versa. Everyone looked equally ill-at-ease. Dash was pushing campers into the starting line for the first heat, then pulling them out as he saw which other campers from the other teams were be competing. He was apparently trying to win this race heat by heat.
Danny found himself pushed to the starting line. "Try not to trip over your own feet this time, Fen-Tone!" Dash snarled.
"Give it a rest, Dash," Danny called back. "You're sucking the fun out of the whole day!"
But if Dash heard, he didn't make any response.
The starter gun went off and Danny started hopping, cautiously at first, being more careful to stay up and in making any speed. But as he got half way across he found a rhythm and was able to increase the length and frequency of his hops. His last hop took him flying over the finish line to crash in pile on the sand. He was surprised to see that most of the other starters were still working their way across the field.
"I won?" he asked.
"Second." one of the refs told him.
"I finished second!" Danny breathed, elated. "I actually didn't suck at this!"
He pushed the sack off his legs and stood up, handed the sack over to one of the stable hands and joined the rest of the kids in the first heat in cheering on the second heat.
Sam was in that group and came flying across the sand. It looked like a tie between her and a member of Red Team. The refs conferred and finally awarded the blue ribbon to the Red Team. Dash was suddenly on the winner's end of the field, complain to the refs about their call. He was getting red in the face when Ranger Camp came over.
"The decision of the refs is final," she told him. "I've talked to you before about this, Baxter. It's only a game." Then taking him by the arm pulled him back to the other side.
What was that all about Danny wondered. He turned to find Sam and gave her a congratulatory hug. They sprung back almost as quickly as they hugged, "Eww, you're all sweaty," Danny said.
"Girls don't sweat, they glow."
"You're all 'glowy' then. You must be a quart low on the water, you're 'glowing' so much."
Sam laughed. "You weren't shabby in your race, either," she said.
"Second place, a personal best!"
Sid came over in the next heat. He spilled half away across and struggled to get back on his feet. Dash was yelling at him so much that Sid almost dropped his sack and marched back to Dash fist clenched, but he remembered where he was, turned to the finished line and limped across, the last in his heat.
T'Keisha and Abigail were in the next heat. T'Keisha's height worked against her. She had to bend over so much to grasp the top of the gunny sack that it was hard for her to hop and keep her balance. Abigail tried to hop too fast and nearly tipped over a couple times. Tucker and the other Sam were in the fifth heat. Tucker was trying to do some fancy footstep, more like running in the sack then straight-forward hopping. He tripped over his feet half-way across, rolled over and get back to his feet and finished the race with slow, lengthy hops. The other Sam did something even odder. He pulled up one foot and hopped across balanced on a single foot. And he did it with such speed and skill that he was first across the line. Aetheria ran in the last heat. She made no effort, taking small hops at a leisurely pace. Dash was screaming so much at her that he broke out in a fit of coughing.
Aetheria was flapping her T-shirt to cool over as she came over and joined the others, even though she was the least sweaty of the lot. "What fresh hell do they have in mind for us," she inquired. That turned out to be the Egg Toss.
Two very long lines had been drawn in the sand. Everyone partnered off and took their places on either side of the line. Counselors came down the line passing out eggs, making sure everyone was properly behind the lines and so on. It seemed like forever before everybody was ready.
The other Sam was just pass Tucker on Danny's right. "Any advice for winning the egg toss?" Danny called to him
"Don't catch the egg with you chin!"
"Any other advice?"
"Cup the egg when you catch it. It's the sudden stop that breaks them. Don't try to catch them one-handed." The other Sam called back. "But if you've never done this before -- expect to be covered in egg!"
When the Head Ranger's pistol fired Danny tried a high slow lob to Sam but it fell short. She had to almost dive over the line to catch it, one-handed no less. When it was her turn to lob it back to Danny her pitch was low and fast like maybe she was trying to hit him. Danny caught the egg next to his face and was astonished to find that it was still intact.
T'Keisha wasn't so lucky. Her egg hit her hand with a loud splat and sprayed yolk all over her arm. Tucker was crestfallen as the refs ushered him out of the line.
Danny's second toss was much better, it landed softly in Sam's hand without making her have to chase it.
After the third round of tosses there were only a dozen pairs of kids left. The refs had everybody take a step back so there was a longer range for the toss. Danny thought his toss had gone well but Sam had to step back to reach for it but as she did so her feet slide on some loose sand and she went sprawling. The egg smacked into the sand in a gooey mess next to her head. "Out!" a ref shouted as Sam shrugged her shoulders in apology.
They met at the end of the line and watched as Sid and the Other Sam battle it out with a couple boys from the Blue team. Whether it was from his football training or something else the other Sam had an amazingly deft touch when it came to catching the egg. The two teams backed up move after each toss until they were over thirty feet apart. Sid launched the egg in a high lob that the other Sam caught cradled next to his waist. Then the boy from the blue team tossed his egg. It, too, was high, but short. His partner leaped forward to catch it, landing on his face in the sand, a moment later the egg crashed down on his forehead. With a whoop the Other Sam threw his egg high into the air and ran over to Sid, grabbing him in a big hug. "Num-ber One!" they chanted.
Everybody grouped back at their respective pavilions, cleaned the egg off their faces where necessary and rested in the shade. Mr. Doi's crew cleared off the beach again, smoothed it down with the tractor and painted fresh lines for the last event of the morning -- the three-legged race.
Abigail came across again demanding that they have a have a meeting about fighting the ghost but everyone was too hot and tired. She stomped off as far away as she got get in the pavilion before squatting down away from them, leaving her "BRATTitude" clearly on display.
"You know, at some point we are going to have to have a meeting about tonight," Sam said to no one in particular.
The three-legged race was also to be run in six heats, because there were so many kids involved. Ribbons were to be awarded to the fastest couple from each team as well as a ribbon to the team with the best overall time. Danny and Sam choose to be partners.. They went over to the starting line where couple counselors were tying legs together. From there they hobbled over to the starting line. Danny could see Dash further down the line haranguing some of their other teammates. Tucker and T'Keisha were already in line a short ways away from Dash.
Abruptly Danny dragged Sam around and made for their friends, squeezing their way in between another couple. They'd barely gotten in place when Dash came up. Danny gave him an angry glare. Dash glared back for a moment, then someone bumped him and with an "Excuse me, Dude" the Other Sam hopped into place on Tucker's other side. He turned and gave Dash a fixed stare as well. After a moment the counselor moved on to criticize the rest of his team.
The other Sam smiled as Dash left, clapped Tucker on the shoulder and wished him luck. His partner was a small mousy girl with the unfortunate name of Katrina. Danny recognized her from around the camp but didn't really know anything more about her. He wondered if the other Sam had picked her intentionally or had she just been there when he needed a partner.
The race was a hundred yards long, a lot longer than necessary Danny thought. The Head Ranger's gun boomed over the lake and the race was begun. Tucker and T'Keisha were off in a flash, the sound of them chanting "one-two, one-two" trailing faintly behind them. Danny and Sam both tried with start with the right foot and lost valuable time arguing over who was leading. Eventually Danny let Sam lead -- because she was the stronger athlete. They caught up with the middle of the pack quickly and were hobbling towards the front as they crossed the finish line. They took fourth place, which was more than Danny ever expected. The other Sam was in fifth. He had effectively picked up Katrina and carried her while racing on just his two feet. Apparently he was better at giving advice than following it.
The surprise was Tucker and T'Keisha who had finished first in their heat! They had raced like a smoothly working machine, using T'Keisha's long legs to carry them forward, using Tucker's stronger legs to kick them forward when they touched down. Everyone from Team Green had surrounded the two, cheering them on. Tucker himself had nearly screamed himself hoarse by the time Danny and Sam had been able to work their way in close. They exchanged hugs, pounded each other on the back and screamed some more. The refs finally had to come in and move them on so they could run the remaining heats. And when Tucker and T'Keisha's time remained unbeaten at the end of the races it was time all over again for screaming and cheering.
That was the end of the morning half of the game. The counselors brought the kids around to their separate pavilions for a quick discussion about the afternoon events. These would be team sports as opposed to the all-camp events of the morning. There were four games to be played on the beach -- volleyball, soccer, the 400 yard relay and baseball. In the lake there would be water polo, freestyle swimming, a relay race and canoe racing. Campers were told to pick one land and one water sport. Danny didn't care to get wet that afternoon so he picked canoe racing and the volleyball for his land sport. Since everyone wanted to play volleyball he found himself reassigned to the 400 yard relay. As if adding insult to injury, Sam had chosen the freestyle as her water event.
With the assignments made and a few last notes about when to return to the beach that afternoon the kids were sent back to their cabins to clean up for lunch,
Danny was poking at the congealed square on his plate. Was is food? The advertised tuna casserole or some sort of mattress foam? Sam's vegetarian plate with its carrots and salad and cup of yogurt looked more appetizing than this.
He had stuck his head under a shower for a second back at the cabin and felt better for that but the heat in the dinning hall was oppressive. And it seemed like the kids were laughing and screaming louder than ever. At least he was sitting with friends and it kind of surprised him to say that. Tucker and Sam were there, of course, but Sid, Aetheria, the other Sam, T'Keisha and the little boy, Larry, were all there, too. Even Abigail was there, sitting on a corner, scowling because no one else wanted to talk about plans for that night. This was quite a change from last year when he mostly act by himself. He cut off another section of the "casserole" and drowned the piece in catsup. It tasted like a hot dog bun -- without the hot dog. Oh, well, that was better than before.
A commotion on the other side of the dining hall pulled his eyes away from lunch. Dash and a counselor from the red team -- "Bulldog" was it? -- were facing each other, looking like they were about to get into a fight. Danny had missed most of that had been said but the word "cheater" was floating in the air. Danny wasn't sure who had said it.
Mrs. Doi got up from where she was sitting with some of the other girl counselors and spoke to Dash. In the suddenly hushed dinning hall her words were audible to everyone.
"Such rudeness is unbecoming, Dash Baxter. You show no respect for your competitors."
"I was just teasing him, Mrs. Doi," Dash answered back. "The man can't take a joke."
"Then you should quit teasing him," Mrs Doi said, trying to pull Dash towards his seat. "If the joke is not shared then it just becomes bullying."
Dash shook her off. "The only reason Bulldog's so upset is that he's a loser and his team sucks at gymnastic."
"I don't cheat and I don't like being called a cheater." Bulldog took a step towards Dash. Dash, who was about three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Bulldog, just laughed. "Bring it on -- if you have the guts!"
Mrs. Doi reached down and grabbed a pitcher of ice water from the table next to her and dumped it over Dash.
"Hey, old lady, what's the idea!" he shouted, wiping the cold water out of his eyes.
"You were getting hot under the collar, you needed to cool down."
There was a quiet titter from some of the other counselors.
"Oh, yeah? Well, here!" Dash grabbed up someone glass and threw the water at Mrs Doi.
She stepped out of the way causing the water to splash on a girl further down the table.
The girl leaped up with a curse and threw the contents of her glass at Dash.
"She started it!" Dash hollered back, pointing to Mrs Doi. "Why don't you throw your water at her?"
"Because you're the jerk who got me wet." the girl said as she stomped off for some dry towels.
"Fat ass." Dash called after her.
"What do you call her, Dash?" Porcupine suddenly asked. She had been sitting next to the departing girl.
"Nothing," Dash replied. "She just got a big butt, that's all."
"Right..." Porcupine stood up, grabbed a pitcher and threw its contents on Dash. "You're a jerk. That's what you get for being a jerk." She stormed off.
Dash reached down and picked up a bowl of pudding and started to throw it but Mrs Doi, who had retreated to the side when the water throwing began, slipped in and grabbed Dash's arm.
"We do not start a food fight," she said.
"Get away from me," Dash snarled and shoved Mrs Doi hard. There was a scuffle of chairs behind him and before Dash could turn around three of the male counselors have thrown him to the floor and pinioned his arms fast. They dragged him to his feet and, kicking and cursing, carried him over to one of the exits to the dinning hall and throw him out. Dash was all set to charge back into the hall but the glare from the three guys still in the doorway suddenly convinced him otherwise.
Mrs. Doi was getting back to her feet from where she had fallen. Several of the counselors circled around her asking if she was all right. She waved them off, sat back down at her table, picked up her silverware and quietly resumed eating.
"Wow! Dinner and a show!" Sam quipped.