Secrets in the Shallows

Chapter Two

“Tell me one more time what happened?” Hanna asks. We are still resting on the bench after our kicking fight. A fight where I ultimately won and knocked the wind out of her. Hanna is still trying to catch her breath as she clutches her rib in pain. I am hoping and praying that I didn’t kick her too hard but it must have been a heavy force if I got her to the ground. 

“I already told you,” I say, “I was sitting here and she came up and told me that I was the only way,” I repeat myself. 

“And that she is trying to help you,” she repeats the information back. 

“Exactly,” I nod, “But it was probably my imagination.” It had to be because I know ghosts aren’t real. However, I can’t deny that I felt her hand on my shoulder. 

“You must have a pretty vivid imagination,” she says, trying to make light of the situation, “I heard you screaming from the cabin.” 

“Do you think Heidi heard me?” I ask her, worried that I will look even more crazy.

“Unfortunately, the whole campus probably heard you,” she admits, not sugarcoating it for me. I feel overwhelmed with embarrassment, thinking through the numerous conversations and questions I’m about to have because of this situation. 

“What is that on your shoulder?” Hanna asks. I look over at my striped shoulder sleeve. There is a little dirt on it that I don’t remember getting there.

I try to shrug it off, “I don’t know. I guess it’s from falling off the bench.” I am starting to deflate from the previous events. My head is starting to clear. 

I pull my shirt forward and look at the stain, “Is that the shape of a hand?” The dirty shape is a distinct shape of fingers and a palm of a hand. The prints are on my clothes, clear as day. I blink, making sure I’m not seeing things, but the handprint is still there when I look again. 

“Did she touch you?” Hanna asks, terror filling her eyes. 

“When she approached me, she touched my shoulder…” My voice trails off as I start to remember the memory.

Hanna has this look on her face that I’ve never seen before. It is a mix between fear, confusion, and a little anxiety.       

“What are we going to tell Zack?” She asks.

“Tell him what? That I saw my dead cousin when I was taking pictures outside? Don’t you know how crazy that sounds?” I tell her, knowing that I can’t describe this experience to someone else. 

“Well,” she shrugs, “I kinda believe you. I think he would too,” she says, still not giving me a convincing argument as to why I should tell Zack anything. If she didn’t hear me screaming, then I probably wouldn’t have told her. 

“I don’t know,” I stand up, feeling dizzy. The ground is spinning as I watch my feet carefully, “I need to change my shirt now.” I head for the cabin, stumbling in my path. 

Hanna catches up to me, walking faster than me even though she is the one who got the wind knocked out of her lungs, “He probably heard you scream. What if he asks questions? You know he will!” Hanna won’t stop talking and I want to beg her to give me one free moment so I can think through my decisions. All I want to do is take off this shirt and never look at it again. I would burn it now if I could. 

The cool air from the cabin hits me, helping me relax from the tension built up inside of me. I go up the two steps and to the bundle of clothes inside my still packed-up suitcase.  Hanna is following me around like a shadow. I hear her talking, but I can’t really register what she is saying. I am trying my best to tune her out as I pick out a new shirt for myself. 

“I can’t tell him right now, Hanna!” I burst like a zit, no longer in my world. The chaos is crashing down on my mind. Although I finally have a new shirt on, I can still feel her hand on my skin as if she has left a permanent mark on me. 

“Fine,” she breathes, her face full of hurt, “but I think we should soon.” 

“I’ll think about it,” I calm down, my voice tired, “but I decide when.” 

She just nods, “Okay.” She finally agrees, but I still feel bad for yelling at her. 

I check the time on my phone, “I think it’s time to meet Heidi now. We should go. Maybe that will help our minds.” I say, feeling the tension in the air after I raise my voice. 

Hanna sighs, “Okay,” her tone is unsure as if she is trying to decide how she is going to act like she didn’t just hear me say she saw a ghost. 

“Hanna?” I catch her eyes, “We’ll figure out the truth.” I say with confidence, wanting to believe it. I think if I say it enough then I eventually will. Without another word, we gather ourselves together and go back to meet Heidi for what we should be doing next. 

We meet up with Heidi at the fire pit. Zack and three more new counselors are already waiting for us.  A man with jet-black hair was standing with them. I assume that is Lawrence. His demeanor is stern and serious.  I want to apologize for being late, but I can’t even think straight. My mind is spinning too fast.

“Hey girls, I want you to meet the new people you will be working with this summer. This is Sam,”  Heidi points to a tall and skinny boy with brown hair and blue eyes. “And this is Phineas. They will be helping the boys”. Phineas was of average height with ginger hair. He and Sam both seem standoffish.

“We also have one more girl here. This is Amelia. She will be bunking with you girls.” Amelia is gorgeous and almost intimidating. Her dark hair is short and curly. Her skin is tan. She is wearing white shorts and a striped spaghetti-strapped shirt. Hopefully, she will be a potential friend here. 

“First, I think we should have a meeting to discuss the roles and expectations for this summer. We can sit here at the firepit, and get to know each other a little bit.” Heidi smiles, sitting down with her clipboard on the log bench. 

We gather in a circle around the firepit. Hanna, Zack, and I share a log bench in front of Heidi. Sam, Phineas, and Amelia sit to the right of me. I am starting to feel a little division between the group. Hopefully, that will change. 

Lawrence takes a spot next to Heidi, and she gets started with our business meeting. 

“For today, I wanted to discuss what you guys will actually be doing this summer. We are a team now, and I think we should act like one. It’s going to be a lot of fun! There is not going to be a lot of separation between boys and girls other than bed checks. Bed checks are really important. After we have cleaned up at the end of the day, you guys will check outside to make sure no one is out after curfew. Girl counselors will be in charge of the girls’ cabins and boys vice versa. The curfew for the campers is nine. Your curfew is 10. I trust that you guys won’t be out past your curfew, so I will not be checking on you to make sure you’re in our assigned cabins. Can I trust you?” She asks us, exchanging a look with each counselor. 

We all nod in silence. This is the first time I have seen Heidi be stern today.  Her mood shifts the air slightly. 

“Great!” She smiles again, “You guys will also have breakfast before the campers. Your breakfast is at 8:30. The campers report to breakfast at 9. This way, we can set up while they’re eating. After breakfast, you can go to the chart I will have set up in the cafeteria each morning. During breakfast, we will go over your tasks. Some tasks also require partners so either way you’ll never be alone. I also need you guys to participate in activities with the campers. Make them feel welcome. Is there anything else I am missing?” She turns to Lawrence. 

“We trust you guys will work this summer, and I am so excited to see what this summer has in store for all of us. I think Heidi covered just about everything.” Lawrence turns back to her as if he is done being out of the spotlight. 

“Okay, we will discuss any questions you have over dinner. The kitchen staff should be cooking us something tonight.” She rises, implying that we should all follow her lead. 

We move forward, following Lawrence, but Heidi stays behind us. I feel her eyes right behind me as I walk, and I am wondering if she has an alternative motive. 

“Grace?” She says, her voice is unsure. I turn around to meet her nervous smile. 

“What’s wrong?” I search for the answer before she says anything, hoping that I didn’t commit some imaginary crime. 

“Oh! Nothing!” She laughs, “But, I heard that you are a photographer as well as a reporter. I was wondering if you would like to take photos during activities. You know, for inspiration. Most importantly, for the article you’re writing for Camp Jasper Wood.” 

Relief washes over me, “Yes! I was planning on that anyway,” I am fighting the urge to ask her about Alaina, wanting to know if she saw me kicking and screaming on the ground moments before our first counselor meeting. Was I kicking at just the air or was she really there the whole time? I’ll never be able to know for sure. 

“Good! We’ll discuss more details later, of course. There is so much to be done.” 

We are all settled in the cafeteria. The inside is filled with rows of wooden picnic tables on each side of the walls. There is an open space in the center. 

“You guys can take a seat. Lawrence and I will go and see what the kitchen staff has planned!” Heidi takes off to the back where there are two doors on the side of the wall. 

 I find myself pacing as I explore the walls of photos on the left of me. There are group photos of campers dating back from last summer to the year that the camp opened. 

I study the photos, scanning each face. The fashion trends change each summer. The whole wall is a time capsule of memories from Camp Jasper Wood’s past. 

I stop at the year 1999 photo when I see a face that looks familiar. I feel my heart drop into my stomach, frozen in my place. There is a girl in the photo that looks just like Alaina. Her big smile stretched ear to ear. I’ve seen her face in pictures before and my heart would ache for not knowing her. Now that I might’ve met her ghost, I feel a sense of fear coming over me. I don’t want to see her lost soul again. 

“What’s the matter?” Hanna comes up beside me, following my eyes to the photo. Her face becomes a shade paler. 

“Oh wow,” She lowers her voice to almost a whisper, “That’s her alright.” 

“I wish I knew her when she was like that,” I lower the volume on my voice too, “the girl I saw today scared me.”

“I know,” Hanna chuckled slightly, “I have the bruised rib to prove it.” 

I force a laugh, “I’m sorry about that.” I apologize, remembering how hard my feet went for her rib cage. 

“You’re forgiven,” Hanna laughs, rubbing her rib as if she is reliving the incident all over again. 

“I know this will change what I came here for,” I say, “But I need to keep focus so no one expects anything.” 

Hanna looks over her shoulder to make sure no one is eavesdropping, “Where are you going to begin? With this article or investigation?” She says, still whispering. 

I hesitate, trying to remember if I’ve even written a rough outline. I thought when I arrived the story would just come to me, not the ghost of my dead cousin. I was unprepared for that. So was Hanna’s ribcage. 

“You came here to tell Alaina’s story the right way, and hopefully try to make sense of it. What if you try to solve it too?” She says. I hope she lowered her voice well enough so no one heard that. I look over at the table of camp counselors, but no one has looked up or noticed that we are in the middle of a conversation. 

“I don’t even think that’s possible,” I look back at her, hopeful that she will have some sort of idea since she is the one who brought up the idea. 

“Tonight,” she clears her throat, “the admissions cabin. We can track down your family. Get the information from them that we need,”  She says. 

“Track them down how?” I ask, trying to read her mind. 

“Public records, phone numbers, addresses.” She says. I didn’t expect to drag her into this with me, but I feel like I have no choice. 

So, instead of fighting it, I say, “Okay,” I agree, “After everyone is asleep.” 

“What are you guys doing over there?” Zack shouts from the table, his way of motioning us to come over to where the others are. 

“Just looking at the camp photos,” I tell him as I make my way to the picnic table with everyone else. I search for the mood on everyone’s faces, but they all look so awkward and shy still.  

“So, where is everyone from?” The tall and skinny one speaks. His name is losing me again. I finally settle on Sam, as we make eye contact.

“I’m a Jasper Wood local. I can’t imagine anyone traveling far just for summer camp,” I say, lightening the mood as best as I can. Hanna makes eyes at me and I wonder if everyone else can tell if I’m lying or if that’s something only a close friend would catch. 

“I know we’re all locals. Does everyone else go to Jasper City College?” He asks, implying that he also goes there. I feel like I would remember him since the place is so small. Then again,  I just couldn’t remember his name. 

We nod, silently. Amelia is still sitting quietly next to Hanna on our side of the bench. Sam, Phineas, and Zack are across from us. 

“Do you think this summer will be fun?” I ask. My question seems useless now, but the lack of conversing is making it hard to stay comfortable. 

Sam nods, “Yeah. Well, as much as working with kids can be.”

“Middle schoolers,” I correct him, “A lot of them.” 

“How did you guys hear about this place?” Sam asks again. I feel like he is trying to be the leader. It doesn’t take much effort, since everyone else doesn’t seem to care. 

“I am actually a reporter for the Jasper Reporter. I am supposed to be doing research here.” I say, forgetting the part about the mystery that surrounds my family. 

“Wait, hold on, you chose to come here? Out of all places?” Sam’s voice raises a little bit. I don’t understand how someone could be in this much shock about my research topic for an article. 

“Yeah… is that bad?” I ask, trying to figure out if he’s judging me. 

“No, I’m just surprised. Why did you choose it?” he smiles, studying my face. 

“It seemed like the one with the easiest access,” I tell him, leaving out the part where I was the one who pitched the idea to my editors in the first place. 

“There isn’t much history though. I thought it would be boring,” he says. Clearly, he hasn’t been paying attention like I have. I thought everyone my age knew about Alaina. She even has a memorial at the park for everyone to see. Perhaps he hasn’t put the two pieces together. 

“You guys have been looking in the wrong places then,” Phineas chimes in, almost as if he is offended.  His voice echoes in the room. 

“What do you mean?” I ask, intrigued by his statement. However, I feel like I already know what he is talking about. 

“You mean, you don’t know the legend that haunts this camp?” He meets my eyes. 

“What are you talking about?” I lean in, wanting more. The statement surprises me, knowing someone else knows about Alaina’s story too. 

Before he opens his mouth, Heidi and Lawrence come back from the kitchen holding trays of fresh grilled cheeses and hot sandwiches. 

“Dinner is served!” Heidi smiles. 

I lean back from the table, disappointed I never got to hear the rest of Phineas’s story. I make a mental note to ask later. I want to know what Phineas knows about Alaina and the legend she has left behind. He may be a way for me to get some sort of direction. 

Another part of me is worried that he already knows my connection to this camp and he is trying to get the truth out. I shake it out, remembering that I haven’t seen Phineas a day in my life and there is no way that he would do that much in-depth research about my family.

That is the lie I keep telling myself anyway.