Dead of Summer

“Does that mean our deal is off?” I can’t help the tremor in my voice, or the way I pull him closer, like I’m afraid he’ll sprint back to camp and murder everyone on principle.

“No.” Kayde reaches up, his now-free hand gripping my jaw and keeping my face turned up to his. “It just means I’m going to make you regret not slitting my throat when you had the chance, Summer.”

Before I can say anything. Before I can come up with something to tell him or force an apology from my lips, Kayde releases me and brushes past, heading back toward Camp Crestview with no interest in whether I’m following or not.

And I’ve never wanted to run away from here more than I do in this moment, knowing that Kayde is nothing if not true to his word.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Every time it rolls around, I remember that Hiking Day is both my favorite and my least favorite day during the week-long summer camp sessions. To an extent, I love hiking. I like hiking alone, certainly, or with Kinsley. I’d probably even like hiking with Liza.

But with a hike that takes up most of the morning and makes me need to be up and moving earlier than usual, it’s not always easy to remember how much I enjoy hiking these woods.

Especially with sixty-odd kids to protect from nature and the elements.

By the time I’ve picked through my breakfast and eaten a little over three-fourths of it, I’m slightly more awake than I’d expected and looking around to see how the kids are feeling about today. Sometimes campers beg to get out of it, so we’ve started offering camp activities as an alternative to hiking, though it’s mostly crafts and swimming in the pool. Still, it gives the less hiking-inclined campers something to look forward to, instead of dread.

I prefer it this way. As a kid who’d gotten bullied for her non-athletic-abilities, I know how it feels to be embarrassed and self conscious about an activity.

As my eyes wander around the dining hall, I check to see if Redtail is almost finished eating. I’ll need to wrangle them when they are, since I know they’re excited as hell to get on the trail. Last year we’d seen the bird we’re named for, and they’re sure an elk.

I’m still sure it was just a very buff and tall deer, though I won’t ruin their illusion about it. Especially since it means my repeat campers are looking forward to this instead of dreading it. Even Ari hadn’t asked to stay behind, though half of me had expected her to.

“We’re not together,” Kinsley whines, sitting down beside me with her plate of food. She throws me a biscuit and a small packet of blackberry jam, and I realize that I’m not as full as I’d thought. But then again, who can turn down a biscuit?

“I know,” I sigh, pulling it apart and distributing the blackberry between the halves. “I’m with Kayde and Daniel again today. Looks like whoever made the schedule decided not to swap cabin groups around like we usually do.” I doubt it was Fink. He barely ever plans things here, and certainly doesn’t show up to check on how everything is going after the first couple weeks of summer.

If I had to guess, I’d say Daniel made the schedules. And then copied them over and over so he could get it done as quickly as possible. It’s definitely a Daniel thing to do.

“Please don’t let his kids try to kill you again. Or at least, I don’t know, dodge whatever projectile comes toward your face?” She glances at me, her eyes searching my face. “God, that looks painful.”

I grimace at her words, fingers inching up towards my black eye that I hadn’t really bothered to try to cover. It’s not worth wearing makeup I’m just going to sweat off, and who the hell would I be fooling? Every single person at Camp Crestview knows what happened yesterday, and that I got one hell of a bruise from it.

“Yeah, it’s not like my favorite face decoration,” I admit with a low sigh, my fingers inching higher over the black eye until I’m rubbing the scar that bisects my eyebrow. That, of course, won’t go away in a few days like the bruises will.

And I wouldn’t want it to. The scar proves I didn’t die, that I survived my father, just like I’ll survive Kayde.

If Dad couldn’t break me, a camp counselor with an ax certainly won’t get the honor of it. Flashes of last night flicker through my brain as my teeth sink into another piece of biscuit, and I can’t help the way my eyes rove around the dining hall until almost involuntarily. Then I find myself looking at the back of Kayde’s head.

He’s not sitting with Darcy today. She’d been his normal meal companion since camp started, but today he’s just with Daniel at a small table near the corner. Darcy is sitting with Liza and Shawn, and I swear she’s shooting daggers at Kayde whenever she gets the chance.

I guess she really is still pissed about last night at the campfire. Whatever specifics he’d given her seems to have cooled her love for him.

But I doubt it’ll last. Darcy is nothing if not as tenacious as a cockroach. She’ll decide it’s my fault in another few hours and be back all over him, thinking she can sway his feelings in her favor.

If only she knew that it’s better that he doesn’t like her.

Shoving the last piece of biscuit into my mouth, I get to my feet with my finished plate and mug of coffee in my hands. “See ya,” I mumble around my mouthful, heading to the kitchen to dump and clean my plate. It only takes seconds, and I skirt past Darcy on the way out, who throws a look my way that tells me I was right.

I just should’ve accelerated my time table for her shift.

Her look gets returned with my sweetest smile, but I don’t bother trying to look friendly as I head to my kids’ table to gather up the girls buzzing with excitement. Already I hear the word elk whispered reverently, like a soft plea for the same miracle they swore they saw last year.

I won’t ruin it for them.

“You guys ready?” I ask, shoving my hands into the pockets of my joggers. It doesn’t matter how hot it is outside; I’d rather sweat than get ticks crawling up my legs. Instead of my normal sneakers, I’m wearing my old and beautifully worn-in hiking boots laced up to my ankles, and a snug tee exposing my arms is the only mercy I give myself to the late July heat. Though, I do wear bug repellent bands on both of my wrists in an attempt to keep myself free of insect bites and problematic guests accompanying me back to camp.

All the girls get to their feet instantly, their plates and cups already cleaned and in the sink. They stream outside as I follow, heading for the small empty area beside the front of Otter Hall to wait for the other cabins joining us. My girls mill around, clearly impatient, until the doors finally open again and both Kayde and Daniel stroll out with their boys to meet up with my girls.