“This is what I used to daydream about when I wondered what camp might be like!” she whispered to me as we walked. “Sneaking out at night in my pj’s, telling secrets . . .”
I nodded. When Maya put it that way, it did sound like a lot of fun. Maybe I just need to loosen up and enjoy myself, I thought. We’d been so busy over the last couple of days, there really hadn’t been a lot of time for “bonding,” as Bess would call it. And I barely knew the CITs, besides Maya, at all. It would be nice to have a chance to just talk.
Bella led the way down the path toward the lake and stopped when we got to the narrow, sandy beach that led down to the pier. It was where I’d had my crazy swim test the day before, and I shivered a little—whether from the memory or the cold, I couldn’t tell. There were tire tracks cutting through the sand, from the company that had come to rip out the reeds today, I guessed. Maybe that will fix the problem. I hoped so, and tried to erase the memory of the dark figure from my mind.
Bella turned and faced us all. “Let’s have a seat, shall we?” she asked, settling down in the sand. Everyone followed her lead, and we arranged ourselves in a tight circle. The sand was cool and felt damp on my legs. I looked up at the sky.
“Look at the stars!” I cried. A couple of people laughed at my enthusiasm, and I felt a little silly. But it really was amazing how clear the stars were out here, miles and miles from the nearest city. I could make out several constellations. The moon shone brightly too, pale silvery white and nearly full.
“It’s really pretty,” Maya said quietly, and a few others agreed.
“I live in Chicago,” Frankie shared. “We almost never see this many stars.”
Bella looked up. “It is nice,” she agreed. “You know, I brought a flashlight we could use to see, but maybe it’s nicer like this. We can just enjoy the moonlight.”
“Where is everybody from?” Charla asked suddenly. “I know most of the counselors, and we just found out that Frankie’s from Chicago, but where are the rest of you guys from?”
We all went around and talked about where we lived. Bess, George, and I shared a turn, talking about River Heights.
“Sounds like suburbia,” Bella put in, not terribly kindly. “Do you live at the mall?”
“Yuck,” George replied. “Do we have a mall? Yeah. Do I set foot in it more than once a year? No. Do I always regret it when I do go? Oh yeah.”
“That’s ’cause you always try to go around the holidays,” Bess sniffed, then smiled to show she was kidding. “Rookie mistake.”
“I’m kind of from suburbia too,” Janie put in. “Statistically, probably most of us are.”
“Not me,” said Maya. “I live about an hour from here, and my town has, like, two hundred people in it. There are probably more cows than people!”
“Wow! How big is your school?” Frankie asked. “Is it super tiny?”
“My town doesn’t have its own school system. We ride the bus to the county school,” Maya explained. “But it’s still really small!”
After a few more minutes of chatting and getting to know one another, we were startled by a loud throat clearing from Bella.
“This is all super exciting,” she said, with a wolfish look, “but why don’t we get down to the program?”
Bess pushed her hair behind her ear, frowning. “What is the program?” she asked. “I thought this was why we came. Just to get to know one another.”
Bella shrugged. “Like I said, that’s super exciting,” she said, and I couldn’t tell whether she was being sarcastic, “but I had something else in mind.”
She reached behind her and pulled out a tote bag that I hadn’t even noticed her carrying when we’d walked to the beach, which was unlike me. (I glanced surreptitiously at Marcie—Mini-Nancy—wondering if she’d caught it and written it down in her notebook.) Bella reached inside and pulled out a few items. As she spread them on the beach and the moonlight hit them, I noticed a white pillar candle, matches, and . . .
“Is that what I think it is?” Charla asked, scooting back. “I don’t want any part of any—”
Bella’s eyes flashed. “It’s a Ouija board!” she said excitedly. “Has anyone used one before?”
Slowly, Maya raised her hand. Susie and Maddie followed suit.
George snorted next to me, and when I looked at her, I realized she looked totally disgusted. “Bella, you’re not planning some kind of . . .”
But at the same time, Bella blurted out, “I thought we could have a séance!”
A séance? As in, a ritual to communicate with the dead? Automatically looking to Bess and George, I could see they thought this was as bad an idea as I did.
“A séance for who?” Janie asked, looking back and forth between Bella and George. “No offense, but . . . why would we have a séance here?”
Bess abruptly stood. “No reason,” she said, glaring at Bella. “Let’s go, Janie. We should really get some sleep.”
But Janie was still looking to Bella, whose mouth dropped open in dramatic shock. “You haven’t told her?” Bella asked.