Secret at Mystic Lake (4 page)

He gestured behind him, at the gorgeous vista of the sun setting over the lake.

“That would have been a shame,” I agreed.

For a moment we just took in the beauty of the lake, the quiet calls of birds around us, the wind flowing through the trees.

“I don't mean to be unkind toward the young lady,” Dagger said. “But this won't be the first time I've slept under the stars, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Look at this amazing view, the food we just ate, the companionship—we should be grateful for what we have.”

“I agree,” I said quietly. Dagger was framed in the glowing pink light of sunset now, so dark I could barely make out his features.

Then, just as quickly as he'd appeared, he picked up a branch from the ground and was gone.

WITH CAITLIN'S LEADERSHIP, WE BUILT
a fire and settled our things around it, then dug out the food for dinner and used the campfire to cook hot dogs, buns, and foil-wrapped baked potatoes. It was a simple meal, but when we were finally ready to eat, it was the most delicious food I'd ever tasted. I let out a groan of happiness when I took my first bite of hot dog.

Henry laughed, shooting me a look of understanding. “Like a gift from heaven,” he said with a smile.

“Exactly,” I replied.

Caitlin smiled at me. “Part of it is that we don't
realize how many calories we're burning riding our bikes all day. You really work up an appetite.”

Zoe took a big bite of her hot dog. “That's one good thing about this tour: I can eat this hot dog and simple carbs with no guilt!”

Bess laughed. “Exercise does have its rewards, Zo!”

Zo? Bess already had a nickname for her new BFF?

“It almost makes up for missing
Revenge
tonight,” Zoe went on. “But not quite.”

“Omigosh, I love that show.”

Bess and Zoe immediately huddled to discuss the last season, throwing out character names and plot twists like they were discussing the trials and travails of their closest friends. I glanced at George next to me; she was staring at Bess's back with a dismayed expression.

“I think we've lost her,” I whispered, leaning over to give George's arm a playful squeeze.

“I'm beginning to think we lost her when I asked her to come on this trip,” George muttered. “I thought she'd at least try to have fun, but . . .”

“She is having fun,” I pointed out, nodding at Bess, who was giggling hysterically at something Zoe had said about catfights.

George frowned. “Maybe I should rephrase that,” she said. “I hoped we would have fun together.”

Popping the last of his hot dog into his mouth, Henry suddenly stood up and stretched his arms, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “Well,” he said, looking around at all of us, “I'm really tired. I suppose it's time to retire to my not-tent.”

Dagger chuckled casually, and even Zoe flashed a smile in our direction, but Caitlin's face suddenly went cold.

“Very funny,” she said, shooting a glare up at her brother.

Henry smirked. “Come on, Cait,” he said. “Don't be a spoilsport just because your first tour isn't up to your usual perfect standards. It doesn't hurt to laugh at yourself once in a while, you know.”

But Caitlin's glare didn't lessen. “You can laugh at yourself,” she said, her tone turning cold. “In fact,
that's all you ever do. But some of us have responsibilities. Some of us need to pay for books for college.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I'm sure Adventures and Company will hire you next summer even if there was a tent snafu on your first trip. Don't worry, you'll still be able to pay for books, sis.”

Caitlin was silent for a moment, and I thought she might have calmed down, but then she stood up so suddenly, her paper towel fluttered off her lap to the ground.

“Can I speak to you privately?” she hissed.

Henry looked a little surprised, but nodded. “Um . . . okay,” he said, glancing around at the rest of us. “Excuse me.”

We all watched silently as Caitlin marched off into the woods, Henry trailing reluctantly behind her.

“She seems a little stressed out,” Dagger said, leaning forward to grab a piece of potato and pop it in his mouth. “She should meditate with me tomorrow. You all should.”

George asked Dagger about his meditation practices, and soon even Zoe and Bess started taking part
in the conversation, Zoe gushing about the Bikram yoga class she was taking. I tried to follow along, but my brain was buzzing with all the strange events of the day. I thought back to the moment when the tents went missing—there seemed to be some tension between Caitlin and Henry then, too. It was clear from the moment that had just passed that Caitlin was pretty upset about the tents going missing, even if she tried to hide it from those of us paying for the tour. What had she said just now?
Some of us need to pay for college
? And Henry had said something about Adventures & Company hiring her anyway?

So maybe this little tour was like a tryout for Caitlin—if it went well, they'd hire her next year?

I tried to remember more about what she'd said when the tents went missing, but my eyes were beginning to droop, and my brain was filling with the fog of exhaustion. I didn't know what time it was, but it had been at least an hour since the sun had dipped below the horizon, and it was dark enough that I couldn't see much just a few yards beyond the fire.

“Right, Nancy?”

George suddenly poked me, and I realized that my eyes had been closed. Had I been sleeping? “What?”

Bess looked at me and giggled, her blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. “Feeling a little tired, huh?”

I shook my head. “I guess so. We did do a lot of biking today.”

George nodded. “Well, I was talking about my favorite part of our ride today, but maybe we should turn in instead. I have to admit, I'm pretty worn out too.”

Zoe nodded and stretched, yawning the same kind of exaggerated yawn Henry had faked earlier—except hers seemed real. “Yeah, let's say good night,” she agreed. “Our cozy tent beckons.”

Bess glanced at George and me uncomfortably, like she was feeling a little bad about the tent situation. But I shook my head at her.

“And my cozy sleeping bag beckons,” I said. “Honestly, I'm so tired tonight, I don't think it matters whether I'm in a tent or not. I'm going to be out cold as soon as I'm horizontal.”

Bess smiled, looking a little relieved.

We all stood—Dagger, too—and Bess and Zoe walked over to their tent on the outskirts of the clearing, while George and I grabbed our sleeping bags to set them up just outside the fire circle. Dagger said good night to all of us, took his sleeping bag, and started walking down the rocky slope to the lake.

“I saw a little flat area down here to set up my sleeping bag on,” he said, when he turned and saw me watching him curiously. “I love the sound of water lapping the shore.”

That sounded nice. I nodded. “See you in the morning, Dagger. Sleep well.”

As George and I went to leave the fire circle, a figure suddenly came bursting out of the darkness—Henry!

“Hey!” he said, looking around at the empty fire circle. “Everyone going to bed?”

George nodded apologetically. “We're pretty tired,” she admitted. “You and Caitlin have been gone awhile. What happened to her?”

Henry's face started to tense, then stopped abruptly, like he suddenly thought better of it. He made his face neutral. “Oh, she went to bed,” he said. “Said she was feeling tired. Our sleeping bags are set up in the meadow, right over there.” He pointed only several yards away, but it was so dark that I couldn't see much of anything beyond his fingertip.

“Okay,” said George, nodding awkwardly. “Well, good night.”

Henry smiled. “Sleep tight,” he said, walking over to the fire and starting to push some rocks over what remained of the embers. “Hope the mosquitoes don't bite.”

As I shot George an alarmed look, Henry turned back around with another smirk. “Just kidding,” he added. “The mosquitoes made such a buffet out of my legs, they must be full by now. Unlike the bears.”

George shook her head. “Such a joker,” she muttered, picking up her sleeping bag and stepping over one of the big logs that circled the fire pit. “Ha-ha.”

I followed George sleepily about fifty feet away
from the fire pit, then did as she did, spreading my bag on the ground. We went together to use the makeshift bathroom Caitlin had dug out near an old oak tree in the woods, then came back and settled into our nice, cozy sacks. The air had gotten a little cool, and the flannelly warmth felt really good.

I settled my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. “The air smells nice,” I said. “Kind of misty and piney.”

“I know,” George agreed. “Tents or no, I'm really enjoying this trip.”

“It just got a little breezier,” I said, turning over onto my side and hugging my pillow. “It feels good.”

I settled into my favorite sleeping position, letting my jaw drop open on the pillow, and felt that delicious
I am in the perfect position, about to drift off
 feeling spread over my body.

That was when the first drop hit me on the shoulder.

I blinked my eyes open, surprised, just in time to see the sky open up as it started to pour.

I SHOT UP INTO A
sitting position. Rain poured down onto my hair and dripped into my eyes, and the driving streams and the dark made it hard to see George's face just a few feet away.

When I finally could see her, she didn't look happy.

“Son of a biscuit!” she hissed.

At that moment several things happened at once. I heard Caitlin let out a little yelp, presumably as she woke up and took in what had happened. I saw Henry run over from where he'd been lingering at the fire pit, I guessed to help his sister. And then, after a moment,
a small but blinding beam of light hit me right in the face. I squinted, trying to see where it was coming from, and saw that a dark figure was shooting a flashlight out the front flap of Zoe's tent.

“Guys, come in here!”

It was Bess's voice.

I squirmed out of my already-soaked sleeping bag and looked at George.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked, already on her feet and shoving her folded-up bag under her arm. “Let's get in there!”

I pulled my sleeping bag off my feet and balled it up into something small enough to carry, then sprang up and darted across the meadow toward the flashlight beam. I pushed into the narrow fabric entrance, and I immediately felt the slick, squishy feeling of a sleeping bag beneath me, followed by a yelp from Zoe: “Hey, watch it!”

George pushed in right behind me, knocking me off my feet and sending me sprawling over Zoe's head.

“Arrgh!” she whined. “Guys! It's pretty tight in here.”

Bess had pulled the flashlight back inside, and now she aimed it at the wall so we could all see one another in the ambient light. Whoa! Zoe was right—the tent was teeny, a little tight for two people, really. For the four of us (and our sleeping bags) to fit in there, we were going to have to sleep practically on top of one another.

I pulled myself back into a crouch and crept over Zoe, trying to settle myself in a little pocket of empty space by the door. “Sorry, guys.”

“Don't be sorry,” said Bess, but I heard Zoe sigh loudly. “We couldn't leave you out there to get soaked,” Bess went on. “This is, like, the worst bike tour ever! Did you guys see Caitlin and Henry?”

“No, but I heard her yell.” Like me, George was clearly struggling to find space in the tiny shelter, and now she swung her rear end around and settled it on Bess's sleeping bag. Bess wordlessly scooched back to make room. “I'm sure they're used to bad weather, but I don't think anyone's very happy about this shower.”