Chapter 6: Kennedy at Camp

Kennedy walked back into the office after talking to Mr. Glastonbury. "Now, off with you three," Lauren told Charlotte. "Get settled in your cabin, and get ready to have an enjoyable two weeks."

Charlotte walked with them a few feet, and then waved at their suitcases, sitting lonely now, in the road. "You two get your things. I'm past due at the cabin." She pointed it out to them and hurried off.

Kennedy got hers and joined Harriet and they too started up the hill. But Harriet was more interested in talking.

"I never expected camp to be such an adventure!" Harriet told Kennedy.

"Neither did I."

"Can I ask you a personal question, Kennedy?"

"Sure, Harriet."

"What did you mean when you said that when it came to you, Charlotte is barking up the wrong tree?"

Kennedy stopped, trying to think fast. Mr. Glastonbury could say all he wanted to about needed to make rash decisions when you're fighting a vampire, but this was Harriet, her friend! The problem was Kennedy wasn't sure exactly what Harriet was asking. If Harriet was naive, she might not know at all sex with women, and all of her comments were just an innocent expression of her feelings. Or she could be asking in the full awareness of the ins and outs, as it were.

"Have you seen the way Charlotte looks at us? Me, some, but you more?"

Harriet frowned and shook her head.

"She glances at my breasts every minute or two. Yours, she stares at."

Harriet glanced at Kennedy and then looked away. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Kennedy agreed. "I was just telling her that I wasn't interested in her. Also, that girl I rode with made it pretty clear that she thought that some of the counselors did more than look."

"Oh," Harriet repeated, obviously surprised. "It wasn't like that last year."

"I think it depends on what cabin you're in and which age group you're with."

Harriet glanced at Kennedy, and her voice dropped considerably. "I think... I think I'm like her."

Kennedy remembered something from a few years before. Odd, she thought, how your mind works sometimes.

"Mr. Glastonbury told me once that the easiest kind of test question was true and false." Harriet nodded. "Followed by multiple choice and then various kinds of essay questions.

"My problem, Harriet, is in this I don't know how to answer. True, false, neither, both. I just don't know. I can't make up my mind if the answer is A, B, C or D."

"I kind of figured."

"Harriet, you're my friend, right?"

"Yes. And you're mine."

"Friends have to be honest with each other, Harriet. And the truth is that I'm a little curious about Charlotte, but don't think I should go there. I am far more curious about you, and if I go anywhere, you're the first person I'd pick."

"I've thought about it," Harriet said. "I've never actually done it... unless you count what I do by myself."

"I don't think that counts."

They arrived in front of the cabin. "Do you?" Harriet asked and then blushed.

"In my dreams. I'm terrified of doing it awake, because I'm not sure if I could stop."

Harriet giggled. "I know just what you mean!" She hitched herself up and Kennedy followed Harriet into the cabin.

Charlotte greeted them. "I'm afraid it's a long tradition at Camp Wanakena that bunks go to the first person who dibs them. There's one open towards the bathroom, there's a bottom bunk open by the front door."

Kennedy glanced at Harriet, whose eyes went towards the interior of the room. "I'll take the one by the door," Kennedy said with confidence.

"There is a number on each bunk, and around the room are closets, each with a number. You may unpack here in a bit. Right now, I'd like to introduce myself to everyone. And we can introduce ourselves as well."

She called them over to one end of the main room. There were two tables there, with space for everyone to sit.

Kennedy looked around. There was the main room in the cabin, that occupied the full width of the building, about thirty feet by thirty feet. Then there was a hallway that led back further, a hallway that wasn't centered, but offset to the left as she looked at it. At the end of the hall, she could see a door, plus it looked like the hall split north and south.

"This is the Fox Cabin," she told everyone. "I'm the cabin counselor, Charlotte Tangier." She put her hand on another girl's shoulder, standing next to her. The girl was pretty tall, red-haired and very thin. "This is my friend Amelia Newman. My friends call me Charlie, and Amelia's call her Amy.

"There is a bathroom to the right as you walk away from the main cabin. On the left is a laundry room. Beyond those, are three doors, one to the left and one to the right that have our names on them. There is a door in the middle with no name on it.

"All three of those rooms have double beds, instead of bunks. Amy and I have agreed that we are going to split the 'door open all the time' duties. Tonight Amy's door will be ajar, and if you need anything after lights out, see her. Tomorrow her door will be closed and mine will be ajar, see me. Do not go through any closed bedroom door, in this or any other cabin. You may knock if you feel you must have the attention of the person inside, but you yourself, will never open a closed door.

"You are expected to be in this cabin at all times between lights out and morning call, which is six thirty in the morning." There were groans from several of the girls.

Kennedy blinked. Her first thought was that they were a bunch of wimps, because she got up much earlier than six thirty every morning. But that led to what she did after she got up -- which was spend an hour exercising. At a guess, the cabin didn't have a weight or training room.

Charlotte continued on. "There was a code of conduct we sent to you with registration. Most of the items are common sense. Don't steal, don't even 'borrow' without permission. To be honest, for most serious infractions the punishment is a quick return home.

"Which brings me to the Fox Cabin's own Rule One. What happens in this cabin stays in this cabin. If you see or hear anything here, it stays here. You don't get sent home for gossiping, but you will be sent to another cabin. Odd thing about that, the Skunk Cabin starts each camp session empty, but there are usually two or three girls in it before it's time to go home. You will find that, like skunks in the wild, skunks are pretty much avoided at Camp Wanakena as well.

"As far as I'm concerned, so far as Amy is concerned, you are all mature adults. As mature adults we make up our own minds about things, particularly when it comes to ourselves.

"Lights out comes at ten PM Monday through Thursday nights. It's eleven thirty on Friday and Saturday and eleven on Sunday night. After lights out you have exactly sixty minutes to talk, read, do whatever you want in your bed. And yes, I mean that, too."

There were giggles and blushes from some of the girls, Kennedy noted, but most nodded sagely.

"Masturbation is what I mean, ladies. There are some things that are best done in the privacy of our bedrooms. Alas, we don't have our own bedrooms here, nor do we have much privacy. Once upon a time I was your age. At your age, there was no way I could have gone cold turkey for two weeks. I'd have had trouble managing two days.

"So, who does what, who moans the loudest, who thrashes the most... you just forget it, do you hear? I might add that in this room, there is exactly one person per bed, after lights out.

"If you wish to talk to a friend, you will come and sit at the tables and speak in lowered tones, and only for an hour. The only light will be the night-light in the bathroom.

"The cabin is to be swept each morning, the sinks and toilets scrubbed. There are towels that will be set out in the morning, and those should be used to wipe down the walls of the shower. It is very important to get a passing grade each day on the Director's Inspection.

"Why is that important?" Charlotte asked rhetorically, and then waved at the back of the cabin. "It's because of that third bedroom. Each morning I will entertain nominations for 'Foxy Lady of the Day.' You can nominate yourself or others can. If you pass the daily inspection, as a cabin, then the counselors will vote every evening, selecting an outstanding camper from each eligible cabin. Skunks, I might add, are never eligible.

"If you are the 'Foxy Lady of the Day, ' you can spend the night in the bedroom by yourself." She paused and looked around the room. "Or, you can invite a friend to join you for a sleepover. She doesn't have to be from this cabin, if you tell me at least a half hour in advance."

This time there were no giggles, but a few blushes. "What you do is your choice, do you understand? And no, just one friend."

This time there were twitters as well as giggles and blushes.

"Camp Wanakena is about having a good time for the next two weeks," Charlotte reminded them. "It isn't about embarrassing each other or ourselves. Some of you already have friends here; others of you will make new friends while you're here. Some friends are closer than others. That's the business of those friends, not anyone else.

"Pushing isn't very friendly. And I want to be very blunt here, ladies. Pushing when it comes to sex is one of the very few things you can do that will get me truly angry. Mostly when someone messes up, I feel sorry for them. Pushing, ladies, is for boys. Not us."

She looked at the dozen girls sitting at the two tables. "Have I made it clear? Is there anyone who doesn't understand what I'm talking about? Please, I realize that the urge is not to raise your hand... if that's how you feel, please, talk to Amy or me and we'll explain. Ignorance, ladies, is your greatest enemy on the road to adulthood. Ignorance is cured by education. Stupidity is usually not curable at all. Be smart."