Chapter Nineteen
I woke up the next morning hoping that last night was this horrible nightmare. No such luck. I sat up and looked at my roommates. Did they think I boss them around a lot too? But, if they did, wouldn't they tell me to stop? I wouldn't get mad. Maybe. I started to go through my things to get ready for the day, I guess they heard me.
"Hey, Twist. What happened between you and Squid last night?" Dutchess asked me.
I didn't answer.
"Twist? You know that we don't care that you boss us around a little bit. If we cared, TC would beat you up," Princess said seeing that I was a little depressed.
"Trust her, I would so beat you up," TC said with a smile trying to cheer me up.
"Listen, Twist. You're a smart girl, so I'm going to give you a very simple equation. You – Squid very happy future. You don't need him. You saw how he treated Magnet, like he was nothing. We thought they were all best friends, and he just down played them. He might do the same thing to you, you never know. Get over him," Hype said forcefully.
"I can't! He makes me so mad, yet I want him to make me mad. But, last night wasn't just an argument. It made me realize, maybe he really is like that. And he doesn't trust me enough to let me know why! I just…don't know," I said walking out of the tent to the Library. I walked all the way there, to the Mess Hall, and to the site in silence. I just couldn't talk to anybody, and I didn't talk to anybody.
"What you got there, Caveman?" asked ZigZag.
Caveman closed his hand around whatever he was holding. "Nothing, just, uh… I think I might have found something."
"Another fossil?"
"No, I'm not sure what it is."
"Let me see," said ZigZag.
Instead of showing it to ZigZag, Caveman gave it to Squid for some reason. ZigZag followed him. Squid looked at the tube for a long time. One by one, everyone but me dropped their shovels and went to look at it.
"It looks like an old shotgun shell," Magnet said.
"Yeah, that's probably what it is," said Caveman.
"No, it's too long and thin to be a shotgun shell," said Squid still trying to figure it out.
"Hey what's that engraved into the side?" Princess said snatching it away from Squid. "It says KB, with a heart around it."
"Yeah, that stands for Keith Barenger," ZigZag said snatching it away from Princess.
"Who?" Magnet asked.
"He as in my math class," ZigZag said as if it were obvious.
"Yeah, so it must belong to him, huh ZigZag," Magnet said sarcastically.
I got up, finally curious enough to see what it was. I walked over snatched it from ZigZag and said, "It's an empty tube of lipstick." I threw it at Squid head and walked back to my hole.
"Well, I'll show it to Mom," said Squid. "See what he thinks. Who knows? Maybe I'll get the day off."
"Your hole's almost finished," said Caveman. He obviously was still planning that early death.
"Yeah, so?" Squid said turning back around to face Caveman.
Caveman raised and lowered his shoulder. "So, why don't you wait until tomorrow to show it to Mom?" he wisely suggested. "You can pretend you found it first thing in the morning. Then you can get the whole day off, instead of just an hour or so this afternoon."
Squid smiled. "Good thinking, Caveman." He dropped the tube into his large pocket on the side of his dirty orange pants.
Caveman returned to his hole. When the water truck came, Caveman started to take his place at the end of the line, but Squid told him to get behind Hype, in front of Stranger. When I got my water I passed Squid.
"You're an asshole. You do know that don't you?" I asked with more attitude than I thought I had.
"And why is that?" Squid said generally uninterested.
"We all know Caveman found that fair and square. He deserves the day off not you. I don't see why I shouldn't tell Mom tomorrow that Caveman found it not you," I said harshly.
This caught Squid's attention. "Because if you do, I'll make your life a living hell. You won't be able to sleep, eat, or walk without thinking of what I could be planning next."
"Like I don't already," I said walking off back to my hole.
The next morning, I was walking to the Library when I overheard Caveman and Squid.
"You got it?" he asked Squid.
Squid looked at him with half-opened eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he grumbled.
"You know…" said Caveman.
"No, I don't know!" Squid snapped. "So just leave me alone, okay? I don't want to talk to you."
Squid was a really good actor, so good in fact it seemed he actually tricked Caveman into thinking he had forgotten. I decided to go over and set him straight.
"He knows. He just doesn't want Mr. Sir, Mom, or worse the Warden to find out what y'all did yesterday. Just eat breakfast and act normal," I said passing by Caveman, not looking at him once.
Mr. Sir marched us out to the lake, chewing sun-flower seeds along the way and spitting out the shells. He scraped the ground with his boot heel, to maker where each of us was supposed to dig.
The water truck came a little after sunrise. The truck stopped, and the dust cloud drifted past it. Squid took his place at the front of the line Mom filled his canteen. "Thanks, Mom," Squid said. He didn't even mention the tube.
Mom filled all the canteens, and then climbed back into the cab of the pickup. He still had to bring water to Group E. I could see them digging about two hundred yards away.
"Mom!" Squid shouted from his hole. He was starting his big acting career. "Wait! Mom! I think I might have found something!"
Everyone but me followed Mom as he walked over to Squid's hole. Mom examined the tube and took a long look at its flat bottom. "I think the Warden is going to like this."
"Does Squid get the day off?" I yelled over.
"Just keep digging until someone say otherwise," Mom said. Then he smiled. "But if I were you, Alan, I wouldn't dig too hard." Then he left and headed towards the Warden's cabin.
"Are you trying to get me busted?" Squid hissed coming over.
"Oh, am I that obvious?" I said sarcastically. "You might want go back to your hole, there almost back."
It didn't take long for the pickup to pull up. Mom stepped out of the driver's side. A tall woman with red hair stepped out of the passenger side. She looked even taller than she was, since we were all down in our holes. She wore a black cowboy hat and black cowboy boots which were studded with turquoise stones. The sleeves on her shirt were rolled up, and her arms were covered with freckles, as was her face. She walked right up to Squid.
"This where you found it?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said in his stupid twang.
"Your good work will be rewarded." She turned to Mom. "Drive Squid back to camp. Let him take a double shower, and give him some clean clothes. But first I want you to fill everyone's canteen."
"I just filled them a little while ago," said Mom.
The Warden stared hard at him. "Excuse me," she said. She was using that soft voice that I had first heard when we met.
"I had just filled them when Alan—"
"Excuse me," the Warden said again. "Did I ask you when you last filled them?"
"No, but it's just—"
"Excuse me."
Mom stopped talking. The Warden wiggled her finger for him to come to her. "It's hot and it's only going to get hotter," she said. "Now, these fine boys have been working hard. Don't you think it might be possible that they might have taken a drink since you last filled their canteens?"
"It's possible," Mom said.
The Warden turned to Caveman. "Caveman, will you come here, please?"
Caveman looked surprised that she knew his name. He nervously went towards her.
"Mr. Pendanski and I have been having a discussion. Have you taken a drink since Mr. Pendanski last filled you canteen?"
"I've still got plenty left," Caveman said.
"Excuse me."
"Yeah, I drank some," he said after a last hesitation.
"Thank you. May I see your canteen please?"
Caveman handed it to her. She gently shook the canteen, letting the water swish inside the plastic container. "Do you hear the empty spaces?" she asked.
"Yes," said Mom.
"The fill it," she said pushing it into Mom's arms. "And the next time I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it without questioning my authority. If it's too much trouble for you to fill a canteen, I'll give you a shovel. You can dig the hole, and the Caveman can fill your canteen." She turned back to Caveman. "I don't think to would be too much trouble for you, would it?"
"No," said Caveman.
"So what will it be?" she asked Mom. "Do you want to fill the canteens or do you want to dig?"
"I'll fill the canteens," said Mom.
"Thank you."
Mom started to refill the canteens; and the Warden got a pitchfork out of the back of the truck. She poked it through Squid dirt pile, to see if anything else might have been buried in there as well.
"After you drop off Squid, I want you to bring back three wheelbarrows," she said.
Squid got in the pickup. As the truck pulled away, he leaned out the wide window and gave a smart ass wave to me. I just glared after him.
"Zero," said the Warden. "I want you to take over Squid's hole, Stranger will help you. ZigZag and Princess will work in ZigZag's hole. Barfbag and Twist will work together. Dutchess, TC, and Hype will work the wheelbarrows while Armpit, Magnet, and Caveman dig to combine the holes. We're going to dig the dirt twice. We don't want to miss anything. If either of you find something, you'll both get the rest of the day off, and a double shower.
"When the wheelbarrows are full, you are to dump them away from this area. We don't want any dirt piles to get in the way."
The Warden decided to watch us the remainder of the day. I had to admit it was easier than digging my own hole, but I wish I was back in my circle of solitude. At least there, I didn't feel like I need to make conversation.
"So, Emma, what's up with you and Squid?" Lewis asked me.
"Absolutely nothing. He is forever dead to me. I want to die wriggly in pain while we're all here digging, so nobody can do anything to help him," I said coldly.
"I take it things aren't well then?" he jokingly said.
"Shut up," I said trying not to smile.
We dug until each hole was well over six feet deep and wide. Which was just the cherry on top of a great day.
"Lewis, help me out," I said.
"No, you're a big girl who can figure things out for herself," he said trying to get out himself.
"Lewis Micheal Robinson! You help me out of this hole right this minute," I yelled up at him.
"No, but I will go get someone else to help you out. Be right back," Lewis yelled walking away.
I sat down in the bottom of the hole thinking about things, when I heard Lewis's voice.
"Yeah, she fainted. She's in the bottom of that hole," he said.
"Where? Which one?" I heard the to unwelcome voice of Squid ask.
"This one," Lewis said. And the next thing I new, Squid came crashing down on me.
"Lewis, this isn't funny! Help me out!" I yelled ignoring Squid.
"Barfbag! I thought you said she was unconscious?" Squid yelled above my cursing.
"Oops…I lied. Well, since you to a stuck down there, I'll just sit here until you two talk," Lewis said sitting on the edge of the hole.
"There's nothing to talk about. He's a jerk that is broken beyond repair," I said looking at Squid.
"For once, I agree with you. I would rather do anything than talk to Twist about how ungrateful she is," Squid said looking at me.
"Ungrateful? Ungrateful? How the hell am I ungrateful?" I asked in shock.
"You came here and every single guy outside of D-Tent was talking about how much they want to get into your pants, and how much they would do to reach that goal. I made sure they never even got near you! And you don't even realize how much danger you're in because of it," Squid said.
"What? You don't think I realize how much danger I'm in. I'm in a male majority populated facility and have a very high chance of getting raped. I know I'm in danger. And thank you for keeping them away, but I never asked you to. So, don't except me to kneel down before you, when nothing has even happened yet! Lewis get me out of this damn hole before I hurt someone!" I yelled.
"Ha! If I let you out of this hole now, you'll kill me!" he said laughing.
"Damn straight!"
"Why don't you just ask Squid to give you a boost?" he smirked.
"Because I don't want him touching me," I said.
"Oh, I seem to recall when you were tackling me to ground," Squid said in a stupid know it all way.
"Yeah, that's before you turned into an ass!"
"When did you tackle him?" Lewis interrupted.
"After you sent that stupid letter! So, it's your own fault really," I said slyly up to him. "And it's your fault that he knew I had any remote feelings for him anyways! Maybe, that's why he got a big head and we are having this argument. It is your entire fault!"
"Stop turning the blame on me, I didn't do anything that made you have feelings for him. So, it's your entire fault really," he said mocking me.
"Ah, Squid. Give me a boost," I said turning around.
"No. Hey, wait a minute. I can get my self out of this hole," he said lifting himself up.
"I hate you both!" I screamed up at them.
"Well, Squid we won't get any sleep if we leave her down there. So, help me get her up," Lewis said as though it was some big hassle.
They both reached down and grabbed one hand each and pulled me up. I really thought about slapping them. But, I just walked away, took my showers, and went to the Mess Hall for dinner.
The Warden came in and talked to us. "All right, today was a good day boys…and ladies. Tomorrow, we all do it again!" Then she went back out.
"I wonder how she knew all our names," Caveman said as he walked back to the compound.
"She watches us all the time," said ZigZag. "She's got hidden microphones and cameras all over the place. In the tents, the Wreck Room…"
"The shower," Squid said obviously gesturing to something.
"Squid, he said microphones, not microscopes," I said smirking while getting up and going back to my tent.
I had my doubts about those supposed microphones and cameras. I didn't think they could make cameras that small. Microphones, maybe. I realized why Squid didn't want to talk to Caveman about eh tube at breakfast. Squid was afraid the Warden might have been listening. Too bad she wasn't.