Camp Clearwater

  Chapter 14

  The Bond Between Friends: Luna’s Story

  Conflicted about whether to go or stay, Cindi and Luna decided to head back towards the base camp. Cindi worried if she could find her way. All the trees looked the same, but she knew some had been discretely branded with Camp Clearwater’s logo. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the double “C” markings because she knew they were going in the right direction. A surge of energy pushed her forward when she thought about the injured group waiting for her at their make-shift camp, and she quickened her pace. Without any complaints, Luna silently walked slightly behind her.

  “I’m glad I brought my rope,” Luna said after several minutes of silence as she and Cindi walked through the woods.

  “Yeah, that was great that you had it.”

  Both of them were breathing hard from the exertion of the walk, so neither spoke again for a few moments. Luna wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Did you see the way Jacob and C.J. went down that steep cliff?”

  Cindi responded. “It was pretty remarkable.” She lifted the hair from the back of her neck in a futile attempt to cool down.

  “Remarkable? Remarkable doesn’t say half of it.” Luna turned to Cindi and shook her head. “C. J. looked like some spider monkey.” Cindi started giggling and Luna joined in.

  “It’s funny now, but it wasn’t when it was happening. Mind you, my heart was racing,” confessed Cindi.

  “I didn’t think we were going to make it there for a while,” said Luna. “My heart almost stopped beating when I slipped and the rocks nearly hit Jacob. I don’t know how I was able to hold on.”

  “Me neither.” Cindi made a frantic face as she relived the moment.

  “I can’t believe Jacob got hurt.”

  “Of all people, we really need him to be well and strong,” said Cindi.

  “I couldn’t believe he fell and got hurt. He will be alright won’t he?” asked Luna.

  “Yes, C.J. will see to it. They are both tough.”

  “Not like me, although I do have a tough life,” said Luna.

  Cindi squinted her eyes questionably at Luna but said nothing. “Oh my gosh! I’m so hungry!” Luna complained.

  “Me too,” Cindi blurted. “I wish we could find something to eat.” She looked around at the fir and pine trees and scoured the mossy, overgrown roots.

  Out of the blue Luna said, “One of my friends went to Disney Land, and they ate chocolate-covered crickets. Maybe we can find some crickets to eat, even though we don’t have any chocolate to pour over them.”

  “That would be gross and nasty, but we have to do what we have to do. Shhhh... We need to be quiet so we can listen for them.”

  “We don’t really need to be quiet until we find them; we just need to look. They hide during the day under some sort of stuff with shadows,” Luna explained. Cindi and Luna began overturning every nearby rock, broken tree branches, and foliage until they found a small group of crickets. They both tried to nab them before they jumped away.

  When Cindi and Luna caught some, they could feel the crickets squirming around trying to escape their grasped hands. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes, I’m hungry and people on Survivor and other reality shows eat them, and it never seemed to bother them.”

  “We should eat them at the same time,” Cindi suggested. “Here we go,” Luna sighed. The both swallowed and gulped them down. They could feel the legs tickle the inside of their throats.

  “Yuck, that was gross,” said Cindi.

  “Yes, it was nasty, but maybe it will put something inside our stomachs. Where’s the water? I need some quickly,” demanded Luna.

  “Here you go, but save some for me too. I’ve got to get this disgusting taste out of my mouth too. Do you feel like trying to eat any more?” asked Cindi.

  “No,” said Luna with no hesitation.

  “Me neither, I’m full,” laughed Cindi. “I can’t believe people actually pay money to eat those. I’m sure the ones at Disney Land taste nothing like what we just ate.”

  “Yeah, I guess we should keep looking for something else. How much longer ‘til we get back to the camp?” asked Luna.

  “Oh a few hours if we walk fast. I really hope I’m going in the right direction. I usually have a good sense of direction, but I’ve been totally turned around which isn’t like me. I don’t understand where I took a wrong turn. These past few days have turned out to pretty much be a disaster. I’ve completely lost track of time. I don’t even know what day it is; do you?”

  “No, I can’t remember.” She tried to think about the days that had passed but everything started running together. I can’t think about it anymore. Have the groups you’ve had in the past been so much trouble?”

  “No, nothing like this year, but there have been so many changes. Katherine, the owner, couldn’t keep the camp up and running and she didn’t want to lose it, so she applied for some government grants, and that changed everything. This is the first year we have had court-ordered kids come, and I can tell things will be getting harder. This will probably be my last year as a counselor. It is more than what I signed up for.”

  “Why did you become a counselor?” asked Luna.

  “Because I needed to figure out how to solve my own problems, and I wanted to help kids solve theirs. I had a pretty rough home growing up. My dad was very strict, and he had a bad temper. My mom never stood up to him. I used to hide under my bed to keep from being beat. He had real anger issues.”

  “Sort of like Jacob?” asked Luna.

  “Yes, but worse.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I tried to stay clear of him and not make him mad. I left the first chance I had and went to camp here. It was life changing for me. I loved it, and it was one of the best experiences of my life; that’s why I’ve been coming back ever since. Enough about me, what’s your family like? Do you feel like talking? If you don’t, that’s okay, we can just walk. I’m perfectly fine with the quiet.”

  “No, that’s okay. I don’t mind talking about my family although my life story isn’t very good.” Luna said.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Cindi repeated.

  Luna walked and kept quiet, and then she began to open up. “I know, but I need to talk with someone. I think you will understand.”

  “Thanks for trusting me.”

  “I guess I will start from the beginning. I was about six when my parents got divorced. No one in my family really gets along. There is a lot of fighting and arguing. I don’t think anyone in my family likes each other which makes me think I need a boyfriend to make me feel better about myself and to give me someone to talk to,” said Luna. This was actually the first time she had this thought and had never said that to anyone before. The revelation surprised even her.

  “You are a good person, Luna. You have good qualities. You are great at organizing and being prepared, and I think you’re really a sweet girl,” said Cindi.

  “Thanks,” blushed Luna who wasn’t used to hearing good things said about her.

  “My family makes me feel bad about myself most of the time; actually most of my boyfriends don’t treat me good either. I guess you might say, I have low self esteem,” confessed Luna.

  “Well you should think higher of yourself. You’re pretty and nice.”

  “Do you really think so?” asked Luna. She kept staring down as they walked and avoided making eye contact. It was easier for her to share if she didn’t have to look Cindi in the eyes. She wondered if Cindi really did think she was pretty and nice and all the other things she said about her were true or if she was just playing the counselor game. She waited for Cindi to answer.

  “Yes, I do, Luna. You have many good qualities, and you shouldn’t be with a boy who treats you badly. You deserve better. Don’t settle; somebody nice will come along just wait and see.”

  “I hope so. I get in relationships because I
don’t want to be alone, and I need someone to talk to outside my house. I don’t really get along with most girls. I tend to mostly be friends with boys. I’m not really sure why.”

  “I understand. That’s really not that unusual but trust me, it will happen. One day you will find someone who will treat you right and care about you. You have to hang out with the right people though. If you only hang out with people who disrespect you, then you’ll never find Mr. Right.” Cindi gave her a hug and they continued walking.

  “Thanks, Cindi for talking to me.”

  “You’re welcome, any time.”

  “Does this still look right?” asked Luna.

  “I believe so; I don’t think it will be much longer. I hope everyone at the camp is doing alright and that we make it back before it gets dark.”

  “Cindi…will you do me a favor?”

  “Yes, I’ll try. What is it?”

  “Do you promise not to tell?” asked Luna.

  “You mean about your family?”

  “No, about us eating crickets.”

  Cindi nodded and chuckled as they continued looking for markers.

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