8

A Long, Long, Long, Long while Later

It had been eleven months since our first attempt to escape with Thomas—almost a year.

He still thought that his brother would be waiting in the forest for him, feeding on small bugs and baby foxes.

None of us really had the heart to discourage him.

Marcus was the mastermind behind the plans. Yes, you heard me. Plans, as in plural.

You wouldn't know it, but he was really creative.

I was dubbed the Negotiator, since I was the only one who had a vocabulary list over fifty words, and because at one incident during the nineteen months I had stayed here, I managed to talk my way out of trouble after an incredibly smart attempt to steal the Walkers' funeral car and simply drive a hundred miles with a half-empty gas tank.

It's a wonder how stupid old people are when you threaten them about the Social Services.
Those two words made Walker squeal like a little girl.

Nick was the one who turned Marcus's plans into reality with his stupid charisma and leadership skills that God never decided to grace me with. He had the strategic skills of a professional speed chess player.

"Don't ever say that again," Nick said.

"But you do have the strategic skills of a professional speed chess player."

Numba-One was just there.

He had no skills whatsoever.

He was actually the bait before Thomas, but he really, really sucked at it.

At one point, we needed him to distract the new security guard so we could sneak into the water-delivery truck that came only once a week.

"Umm… I like yer gun," Numba-One said to the guard. Behind the big burly man, was the truck that seemed to be radiating with an angelic glow from heaven.

"Ain't it beautiful," gasped Nick breathlessly as he stared at the towering vehicle. Other tent members (A,B, and the new tent, 'D') were inside the newly installed Rec Room.

Thomas was playing at the also-newly-installed pool table with some B-Tenters.

Thomas had changed a lot since his first arrival. He no longer pissed in his pants at night, but he still spoke in his sleep, saying 'fire! fire!'

His voice was no longer shaky, but confident and self-assured.

His skinny limbs gained some volume in muscle, and his pale face was close to orange by the dust and the sun.

The cloud of gloom that followed him wherever he went seemed to completely disappear, but traces of it were left in his black eyes that never changed.

It was obvious he was still haunted by his brother.

Each of the members in my tent still had more than a year left in Camp Green Lake. Crimes were not taken as leniently back in the nineteen seventies. You kids these days got it good.

Each of the members also had a motive to get out of there as soon as possible.

Nick wanted to be with his pregnant slut girlfriend.

Numba One had a little sister with autism that was currently being taken care of by an abusive foster family. When he tried to run away and take his sister with him, the foster dad tried to stop him. Numba-One threw a crystal vase at his head and put him into a coma. The mother phoned the police and that's how he ended up at Camp Green Lake.

Now he wanted his sister back. He was eighteen now, so he could start a life of his own.

Marcus wanted to go back to his gang.

Who knew, right? At first we didn't believe him, but he was always managing to get tools, candy, and posters of naked celebrity babes from his 'people back home'.
Apparently there is someone taking his place as leader, and he wants to go back before he is completely forgotten and thrown out into the city to fend for himself. He too was an orphan.

I just wanted to get my revenge on Mr. Whiskers—if he was still alive.

And see my mother.

I really missed my mommy.

But in a way, this place let me go outside the protective zone she had fenced around me.

Everybody knew about our attempts to get out of that hellhole, but no one thought C Tent was ever going to leave camp Greenlake.

They didn't believe in us, those whores.

Some attempts would be planned. Some would be spontaneous—like when an A-Tenter's lawyer came to talk to Walker, and Marcus could not help himself to a test drive of the lawyer's beautiful, red convertible.

The strangest thing about 'C' Tent, however, was the unlikely bond that we had with the Warden's kid, Lou Walker.

Lou started with inviting me over for delicious road-kill possum every Sunday. When the old man found out I had been sneaking dessert to my tent-mates, he sent me to the isolation cabin.

Ten years later, a lawyer found out about the isolation cabin after one of the kids got toe fungus from there and lost his pinky toe. We weren't allowed to have one of those anymore.

When Lou found out, she decided to invite the whole tent for dinner.

If it was one thing old-man Walker could not do, it would be saying 'no' to his granddaughter.

"Missus Walker," said Nick with his mouth full of food, "I never tasted raccoon that was soo good."

The old woman said nothing.

She never did.

I was surprised there were enough seats for the eight of us—The Walkers, Thomas, Marcus, Nick, Numba-One, and me.

Lou was staring at her new guests in her usual open-mouthed, blank expression at all of us hungrily devouring our food.

Her dull, green eyes were sewn on Marcus, which made him uncomfortable.

The cloud of gray hair on his head swished back and forth as he ate.

"I like her hair, Yer hair is like a squirrels hair," she said, smiling.

I sighed to myself.

To my surprise, the boys laughed.

"Sevillo, yo friend is so cute," Numba-One said to me.

I pretended not to hear them and continued eating, the oil dripping off my chin.

Lou was enjoying the attention. She wasn't used to being around people younger than forty.

"Flower, why ain't you laughing?" she asked inquisitively.

Thomas snorted and grinned at Lou. "You call him Flower?"

"Cause he's so pretty, like a flower."

The boys laughed adoringly.

I couldn't believe it! They found her stupidity… cute!

It's a trick! Can't you see she's a conniving, evil daughter of Satan?

"Matter of fact," said Nick, tapping his fork on his chin and reminiscing, "He did look like a flower the first day he came here with his beer belly and pink overalls…"

Lou giggled, which made everyone else giggle, except Mrs. Walker of course.

Oh God. I wish I was dead.

The grandfather clock in the next room played 'My Bonnie' in a lazy, minor-chord.

Walker wiped his mouth and put down his fork.

"Well. It's time for you boys to—"

We all got out of our seats in a blink of an eye and hurried out.

"Not so fast. You gotta help with the dishes. This ain't a girl scout camp."

God I hated when he said that…..

None of the other guys knew about our Sunday dinners. Walker actually said if anyone found out, he would stab our knees until our calves were severed off, and then eat them for dinner.

I imagined him lifting the platter lid in front of a bright and smiling Lou, ready to feast on Human Limbs 'a la carte.

After the cleaning of the dishes, I thought we were free at last.

"I wanna show you my dollies!" Lou screamed excitedly, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

Walker laughed nervously and shook his head. "Now, now, Lou. These boys have to wake up early tomorrow to dig their holes. They can't stay for dollies."

Lou frowned, her freckled face dimming a little and her pigtails wilting. Then she lit up with a smile again.

"I want to dig holes, too!"

Walker and my tent members laughed again.

"Aw, lil' girl. You can't dig holes," Numba-One said. "Only men can do that. Girls are too weak."

Lou crossed her arms. "I can do it! I dig holes for worms in the back yard all the time!"

Walker shook his head. "These are big holes. For big people."

"But I'm the same age as Flower!" she protested.

It was true.

Although she acted younger than she was, Lou was fourteen, turning fifteen. She was even older than me.

Older.

And yet her grandfather refused to see that she'd even grown boobs already. I mean, not that they were much bigger than mine, but still...

Walker's voice became firmer to Lou than usual.

"It's time to go to bed."

"Grampa, I wanna dig a hole tomorrow," she said.

This caused us all to raise out eyebrows.

Walker said, "Only bad people dig holes. The boys are bad. They have to dig holes. It builds character."

Lou smiled sweetly. "I wanna build character!"

Walker giggled lovingly and patted Lou's head. I shivered. Who knows what is living in her hair?

"But you already have lots of character!"

Walker coughed, "Honey dumplings, you can't—"

"Oh for God's sakes, Trout. Let her do what she wants."

The voice came lady Walker. She was standing like a ghost in the shadows.

Her voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I looked around. Everyone looked shocked.

Even old-man Walker's face froze in time. His mouth was open slightly, and his jaw was moving up and down, struggling to find words.

"There's never enough people to dig. You know that. It's time for Lou to learn her family responsibilities," she said in a cold, raspy voice.

I wonder what she meant by that.

I had never been so scared of a person in my life.

I could tell Lou was not used to her grandmother speaking either because she was also frozen in place, her green eyes wide with wariness.

It took a while for old-man Walker to come to his senses. He shook the shock out of his head and placed a hand on Lou's shoulder.

"I think it's time," he said.

I looked at Marcus. He had the same facial expression as Nick, Thomas, Numba-One and I. We didn't know what was going on, but we had a feeling there was much more going on that what appeared.

"So I can dig tomorrow?" Lou's face brightened.

Walker laughed. "Yup. And yer gonna be diggin a hole every day from then."

Lou's nose crinkled. "But I just wanna dig one hole."

"No!" Walker said firmly, which surprised her. "Yer gonna keep diggin holes until I say so. Get used to diggin holes as a part of your life."

Lou's eyes welled with tears, but she didn't say anything.

Then she said, "then I should sleep early too, huh?"

Walker patted her back. "That's my girl," he kissed her on the cheek.

Imagining old man saliva on my cheek was a nightmare. But Lou just smiled.

"Say goodnight to the boys," he said.

She turned around and hugged me. I didn't have the urge to push her off anymore. I could just stare at her with pity and awe and confusion.

"Gnight, Flower... Gnight 'C' Tent."

Then she walked upstairs.

It suddenly daned on me that Lou, in fact, was human.

And this place was as much of a jail for her as it was for us.

Except we deserved it and she didn't.

Things have changed for me! but that's okay. I feel the same. I'm on my way, and I say

THINGS HAVE CHANGED FOR ME!

love, peace, and pure ecstatic happiness,

LeMoNsOuR