United Seventh Grade

4

  Sam was tired, and she didn’t think Elliot could ever need her help. He was so strong. He could do things she never could do, like sleep in the wilderness, face wild animals, or…live without a Mom.

  She walked back to the dorm room where she had left her things, and no one was there; the girls had gone down to the dining hall. She sat on the bed. There’s nothing for me here, she thought, yet had trouble knowing the difference between her thoughts and her feelings. Elliot would know what I need, she decided. She fished through her suitcase, found her hiking boots, threw them on her feet, and walked outside to go looking for him.

  It was still light when Elliot set out to identify their location. It was a beautiful spot, the kind of place anyone would want to live. Thick forests surrounded them. Granite boulders enhanced the gorgeous lookout points where one could see for miles. The land was farmable in the warm months, and full of minerals to sell if you knew how to mine them.

  Not many people lived this high up for two main reasons: one, because the roads closed as soon as the temperature hit freezing, and two, because once the roads closed, you had no way of getting off the mountain. Most of the buildings at Camp Sunnyside were designed for warm-weather visitors. Elliot knew very well that this “camp” the principal had sent them to could not support them through the cold winter months in the mountains.

  He traced the dirt road trails in his mind, walking and thinking. He would follow them down the hill tomorrow. His mind was racing. He was glad that Julian was on his side. He walked, contemplatively, for about two miles, taking everything in. He circled the entire camp but did not find a road, just a series of wide paths that led nowhere.

  By the time that Elliot was back at the camp, the sun was beginning to set across the mountains, and the dining hall was being blown out to kingdom come.

  Sam found a path that curved around the back of Lookout Lodge, with wooden steps leading to a trail, designed for walking. She followed it, absorbing the handcrafted woodwork, made from branches from this very forest. At the end of the wooden boardwalk, through a thick forest of trees, was another building no one else had discovered. Samantha walked into the unlocked doorway, confident that no one was there, because at that point almost everyone else was in the kitchen, pigging out on pizza and ice cream.

  The wooden door squeaked when she opened it, and a musty smell of moss and wildflowers filled her nose. A stone foyer and a table full of dried flowers is what she first saw. Around the corner was an entrance to a big room, with a raised stage in the front, all covered by a beige rug. Samantha recognized this as some kind of religious place. People came here to pray, she knew. She took off her boots and walked to the front of the room.

  For some reason, Samantha had a feeling that the people who used to live here had to leave unexpectedly. She couldn’t tell exactly why or how she knew, but it just made sense to her that this place was not dead; it was simply being rented out.

  Sam was comfortable with spiritual things. Her Mom was an astrologer, so things like that were always second nature to her. She walked up to the stage and kneeled down. She placed the butter knife on the rug, and began to pray.

  Dear God, I’m sorry for whatever I did to make everyone hate me. Please tell my parents and my teachers that I will do whatever it takes to make them accept me again. I guess I did something wrong; God, please tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. And tell my dog Star that I miss her and love her. Sam.

  And that’s when she heard the fire alarm.

  The boys had quickly destroyed the kitchen, cooking most of the pizzas in the giant ovens, and eating ice cream straight from the containers. In all truth, they didn’t know any better; most of them never had to cook and clean at home. They were kids, and their parents took care of those things. Most of the girls showed up, and found things to eat, too. A group of boys took a crate of eggs and climbed up the old oak tree outside the dining hall. They were throwing eggs at squirrels, birds, and anyone who walked beneath the tree.

  Then, at exactly 6 o’clock, a voice was heard over what seemed to be an intercom.

  “May I have your attention, please, seventh graders.” Everyone stopped eating and looked up, wondering where the voice was coming from.

  “It’s McThorn.” Mark huffed, and everyone froze.

  “Welcome to your new home, students. I see you have found some dinner. Please feel free to order more food from the computer lab, which is set up in the office of Community Hall. I am very proud of you for making it so far. Keep up the good work. For now, enjoy yourselves and get some sleep tonight. It has been a long day. Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., please report to the Community Hall computer lab, and log into the computers for your first day of classes. The log-in codes are the same as last year. Once you log in, you will be able to communicate directly with myself and Jason, your web-based teacher. The computers are only able to access the special intranet we have designed for you, not the internet. If you need to send a message to your parents, simply send it to Jason, and he will deliver it to them immediately. You’re doing great, seventh grade. Keep up the good work!”

  And then it was silent.

  Everyone looked at each other, wondering what to say. Finally, Mark broke the ice and said, “I’m goin’ to the computer lab!” He took off running towards the front door. Suddenly, everyone saw the magic in his idea. We can contact our parents, they thought, send a message to someone out there…order new food. Everyone who was in the kitchen made a run for the door, leaving half-eaten pizza crusts and open ice cream containers all over the counters. The ovens were still on, blazing hot. And someone, no one will ever know who, left a pizza box on top of the gas oven.

  When we reached the computer lab, we were met with a locked door. Mark grabbed the door handle and shook it, trying to get it open.

  There was a sign on the door, in the glass. Tanya read it out loud so everyone could hear.

  “Computer Lab hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Door will be opened and locked automatically at these times.”

  “What time is it?” Someone shouted.

  “6:05.” Tanya said, looking at her watch.

  Another disappointment loomed over us, and we walked wearily back towards the Lodge, hoping to find entertainment in the movies and video games.

  And then the fire alarm went off. It blared across campus, throughout every room. Someone yelled, “The kitchen!”

  Black smoke burst out of the kitchen window. Brian, Mark and three other boys ran around back to the kitchen door.

  “Is this a good idea?” Brian asked before they went inside. He knew that firefighters died all the time from inhaling smoke. He had no idea how to fight a fire.

  “It’s small,” Mark said, panting from running so fast. “There are extinguishers near every stove. Grab one!” And the boys stormed in to put out the blaze.

  Apparently, there was a sprinkler system installed in the kitchen. It went off just as the boys entered the smoky room. White powdery foam that smelled like chemicals sprayed onto the stoves, and Mark sprayed down the rest of the smoldering pizza box with a hand-held extinguisher.

  The stovetop fire was stopped before it got out of hand. The window near the stove was blown out and the walls and stove were black. The entire kitchen was now covered in a blanket of white foam. But everyone was okay.

  Slowly, the others came in from the back door as well as through the front doors of the dining hall. Feet sloshed through the foam, which covered most of the kitchen floors. Mark leaned against the counter and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked over at Brian, and held his hand out for a shake, saying “Thanks, dude.”

  When Tanya walked in, her shrieks broke the solemn mood.

  A noise came out of her that sounded like an animal, definitely not human.

  Everyone covered their ears, and when she was done, Mark said to Tanya, “Someone said you started the fire.” He smiled viciously. He couldn?
??t help it. Something in him just wanted justice done.

  “What? You know you started it, so you better just shut up before I…” Tanya had to stop talking then, because Mark and Brian, in hero mode, took off running.

  Around 6:30 p.m., the message was relayed from person to person for everyone to meet at Lookout Lodge. It was the biggest building in the camp, and had a giant room with high ceilings, big couches, and lots of chairs where everyone could sit comfortably together and talk. Brian found an old cowbell on the fireplace and started to ring it outside, calling out, “TOWN MEETING! LOOKOUT LODGE! COME ‘N GET IT!” over and over again.

  Eventually, everyone arrived. The boys had set up all the televisions they could find around the perimeter of the central room. Movies and video games were playing non-stop. It was like a game room. They found board games and set them up on the tables. Sports equipment was brought in from the closets of Community Hall, and footballs and basketballs were streaming through the air. Two of the boys had brought a whole pizza back to their room before the fire, and were eating it on the couch. Some of the girls brought a tub of ice cream over from the kitchen and were laughing and eating at the same time.

  For the most part, everyone was fine. There never was a town meeting that night. It was more like a party.

  Elliot sat outside on the porch, listening to the night critters and looking at the stars. Sam found him there and sat down next to him.

  “Where were you all day?” she asked him.

  “I walked down the road a little, looked around to see what’s here,” he said.

  “And what did you find?” Samantha asked.

  “Nothing,” he answered, and the two of them sat in silence, gazing off into the dark night.

  5

  The next morning, Julian woke up on the floor in front of the living room TV. Brian was lying there beside him, the remote control still in his right hand, his mouth wide open in deep sleep. The moose head clock on the stone wall said 8:30 a.m. Julian remembered the principal’s message from the night before. Their first class started at 9 o’clock in the computer lab.

  He raced to his room to put on some clothes, waking people up as he sped by them. There were girls sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor of the great room. They had been afraid to walk to the Holly House in the dark. They woke up as he sped by complaining that he was being too loud.

  Julian shared a room with V.J., who was already awake. They agreed to walk to class together. They stopped in the Dining Hall on the way there, half expecting a hot breakfast to be ready and waiting for them. But all they found was the same dirty kitchen with white foam, dirty dishes and empty food containers scattered everywhere. They salvaged a box of cereal, two bowls, spoons, and milk, and ate breakfast at one of the round dining tables.

  “How come no one else is up?” Julian asked V.J.

  “Because they don’t care,” V.J. said. “Look who we’re dealing with. Most of our class never cared about their grades. Half of them hate reading altogether. I’m sort of glad that they have a choice now, because I can finally learn something without having to sit there while some kid disrupts the entire day.”

  Julian agreed with V.J. It was hard to be the good kid when you were surrounded by bad kids. Yeah, they were all friends because they’d known each other so long, but that didn’t mean they had to like each other.

  The boys finished eating and added their dirty dishes to the pile in the kitchen sink.

  They were the first to arrive at the computer lab, and the doors opened easily. The computers were new, and they both logged in successfully. A message came up in bright, bold colors that read, “Good morning seventh grade. Your program will begin at 9 a.m. sharp. Please wait patiently.” Some of the others started streaming in, including me and Nicky, but when 9 o’clock arrived, most of the seventh grade was still missing.

  The program started. It began with an announcement, “Please place your headphones on your ears, then press Enter.” Inside the headphones, Julian heard the voice of a friendly man, talking directly to him. The man introduced himself as Jason, the online instructor. Our new teacher. He said, “Good morning Julian. Thank you for making it to class on time. I have chosen some activities that I think you will enjoy so follow the prompts and begin. Your first assignment is to take the multiple-choice Reading Placement Test. Please try your best, and remember to read all of the choices before you select your answers. I have great faith in you. Good luck!”

  Julian began the test. He liked to read, but he hoped it wasn’t going to be too hard. Even though he was smart, he got anxiety during tests. He was always afraid that the questions would be too confusing for him, afraid that he would fail. And it didn’t help that the passages they had to read were always so boring.

  The first article was entitled, “Preventing Bear Attacks.” It told of ways to stay away from bears, and said that if you found yourself face-to-face with a wild bear, the best thing to do is play dead. The next part talked about the kind of foods that bears ate. One of the things was dead animals.

  Julian had to stop and re-read that part. Wait a minute…he thought. Why is it okay to play dead if a bear eats dead animals? Wouldn’t he think you were food? He couldn’t figure it out. A tight knot began building in the top of his stomach. Now not only was the article confusing, he still didn’t know what he should do if he sees a bear. And Elliot had already told him that there are bears up on the mountain. He started feeling a strong desire to go home, and he missed his parents in a painful way.

  The next article was called, “Foraging for Food in the Wild.” It taught ways to figure out which foods are edible and which were poisonous, and had lists of edible plants and animals that he was told to memorize, as he would be quizzed on them later.

  When he finished the placement test, a “Congratulations!” screen flashed up and Jason appeared on the screen.

  “Great Job, Julian!” Jason said. “Now, click on the Intranet icon, and send a message to your folks back home!”

  Julian felt a wave of relief and joy come over him. He found the message board, and started writing like wildfire, telling his mother and father everything that had happened to him so far, and begging them, using good spelling and grammar, to please, please, please, come and get him.

  The students who arrived after 9 o’clock were unable to open the door to the computer lab. A robotic, female voice came on as they tried to turn the door handle stating, “Sorry. You are tardy. You will need to make up your work tomorrow. Please try to make it to class on time.” They were left dumbfounded. The kids who decided to show up really just wanted to email their parents.

  The seventh graders were hungry. A group of them was rifling through the kitchen trying to make some lunch, but it was impossible to see through the giant mess of dirty dishes, pizza boxes, and dried up white foam that was covering all of the countertops and rolling over onto the floor. Roaches had appeared everywhere, and the girls screeched when they saw them. Some of the girls – and boys - were so terrified by the roaches that they refused to go into the kitchen and said they’d rather starve than see those roaches ever again.

  “What are we going to do about this mess?” Mark asked Brian.

  Mark and Brian knew that they would have to take charge, but they had no idea how to get their classmates to chip in and help clean the kitchen. Mark knew that people would listen to him because he was the oldest, and the biggest. Brian felt like he needed to help, because he felt sad for the other kids who felt so helpless.

  Finally, Brian remembered something the Principal had said to him after he’d gotten in trouble for starting a food fight. “Your behavior sets an example for others to follow.”

  “We’ll clean it up, and make some dinner, then we won’t let anyone have any food until they sign up for their kitchen duty time.”

  Mark looked at him for a minute. He didn’t like the part when Brain said, “We’ll clean up,” but he knew it was the only way t
o get through this problem, and he didn’t mind the work. After all, they had nothing else to do since they were locked out of the computer lab.

  They got to work cleaning dishes, mopping the floor. It turned out to be sort of fun. While they cleaned, they brainstormed ideas for the big dinner they would cook, and the other items they would order from the central computer. Brian found some duct tape and a plastic tablecloth in the storage room, and used it to cover the broken window. Once the kitchen was clean, the roaches disappeared and went back into the wall and the ceiling and the other places where they live.

  Finally, the boys brought out hot dogs and hamburgers, set up a serving line, and started to cook. Delicious smells wafted outside through the broken window in the back of the kitchen, and seventh graders began appearing at the kitchen door like lost puppies begging for scraps of food.

  “Come on in!” Mark waved to everyone who showed up. “You can eat as soon as you sign this agreement.” He handed a clipboard to the crowd, and no one dared to complain.

  Elliot was about a mile west of the camp when he saw smoke drifting up from among the trees on the side of a hill. Campfire, he thought. There’s someone there.

  He veered off the dirt trail he had been following, and headed straight for that fire. Even though he made himself – and the class – a promise to never stray from the path alone, he felt that this was one of those times when he needed to break the rules. He took out a ball of string from his survival kit and let it fall on the ground behind him, a guide to help him find his way back to the trail.

  He could smell the wood burning. Whoever had made the fire was not very good at it, because it was mostly smoke.

  As he neared closer to the campsite, he heard footsteps, and the rustling of leaves. He stopped in his tracks. This could be some serial killer hiding from the law, he thought. He let a few minutes pass before he snuck behind a grove of wild rhododendron and peeked through the trees at a small clearing where someone had set up a tent and was hanging their laundry to dry on the branches of an oak tree. And that’s when he saw her. Elliot’s heart almost stopped for a full second. It’s Miss Robles, he realized.

  Samantha had been following Elliot all afternoon. After class was let out, she went looking for him, and saw him walking through a mountain stream collecting rocks. She didn’t want him to be mad at her for looking for him, so she just sort of dragged behind far enough away so he wouldn’t see her. Sam wanted to tell Elliot about the little church she had found, but she was afraid he would laugh at her. She still felt uneasy about telling him.

  When he veered off the path, she knew something was up. Soon, she could smell the smoke, too. Finally, her curiosity became so intense that she forgot about her worries and walked right up behind Elliot, who was hiding behind a bunch of rhododendron bushes.

  “Oh my gosh! Miss Robles!” she screamed, and ran bounding through the bushes towards the fire.

  Miss Robles screamed in shock and fear, probably thinking she was being chased by a mountain lion or something. She jumped up and looked around for a place to hide, but gave up. Her cover was blown. She hugged Samantha and smiled.

  “Hi Samantha. How are you?” She asked calmly.

  “HOW AM I? How do you THINK I am? I’ve been kidnapped and stolen from my parents, left on the top of a mountain to die!” Tears started coming down her cheeks and soon she was sobbing into Miss Robles’ khaki fishing vest, which was full of a variety of different camping tools.

  “Oh, Sam, I know it seems hard, but you need to hang in there. You’ll see. There’s a great prize waiting for you at the end of this experience. Is that Elliot with you?” She asked, looking into the woods.

  Elliot came out into eyeshot, walking slowly over to Miss Robles and Sam.

  He said, “Why are you here?”

  “I was worried about you,” she said. “All of you.”

  Elliot was quick to respond, “Well, apparently, we are perfectly fine, and we have everything we could possibly need for our Seventh Grade Enrichment Experience. You had something to do with this, didn’t you? Was it your idea to kill us off?” His eyes were wild with anger.

  Miss Robles remained calm. She knew Elliot so well by now, and she knew he would not resort to violence, that his reactions came from a deep inner pain he had experienced when he lost his mother, and the new hurt that he felt when his father ignored him.

  “No one is trying to kill anyone,” she assured them both. “It wasn’t my idea, all of this, but truthfully, I think it’s a good thing. Your class never tried to change. School became a joke after third grade when the reading tests got harder and everyone learned that if someone was bad you wouldn’t have to do work because the teachers would be distracted.”

  “You knew that?” Sam asked, and this time Miss Robles rolled her eyes. “Duh!” She said, and they laughed.

  “Please don’t tell anyone I’m here,” she asked Samantha and Elliot. From the looks of her campsite, it looked like she was planning to stay for a while. She had a small Recreational Vehicle, or RV, with a little awning off the side, a table, and one chair. The tent was set up outside as an extra room.

  The two students looked at each other and understood. They liked having an important secret, and they liked having an adult nearby that they could go to if they needed help. They liked the fact that Miss Robles cared enough about them to risk her life spying on them to make sure they were safe. Their eyes clicked, and they knew.

  “Okay,” Sam agreed, and for the first time in three days, she felt happy. “Can we bring you anything?”

  Miss Robles nodded and said, “I could go for a burger and fries!”

  They all laughed, and Sam and Elliot headed back to camp.

  As they walked up the hill, Samantha and Elliot came up with a new plan. It was something the teachers and parents would never see coming.