Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

girls trudged off, looking dejected, and I almost felt bad for them. This was a pretty tough game for six-year-olds. I was surprised we didn’t give them clues.
    “That was close,” I said to Grace. “I’m going to get out of here before anyone else comes looking.” I didn’t get much farther before my path was blocked by a group of pez arguing over which cabin to explore. I ducked into the trees to avoid being seen. When I came out the other side, I took a shortcut behind the arts and crafts cabin and almost ran right into Alexis, who was dressed as a fairy. I dove in front of the porch before she could turn her heavy wings around and see me.
    My best bet was to get back to the path down to the lake and find Em. Maybe she had better luck than I did. The first area of the path was deserted, but as soon as I reached the hill leading to the lake I stopped and rested by a moss-covered rock. It was getting dark and that was only going to make it harder to find Cole. I bitterly swatted a mosquito away. That was when I saw Court whiz by me.
    “HEY!” She spotted me and backtracked. She sat down on the rock next to me. Her dark hair, also sprayed green, was covered in pine needles. She must have been cutting through the woods. “A group of pez almost spotted me so I bolted,” Court said, sounding out of breath.
    I laughed. “Court! You’re not supposed to move once you’ve gone into hiding. The campers are supposed to find you.”
    Court folded her arms defiantly. “You’re one to talk. You haven’t even gone into hiding yet!”
    “That’s true,” I admitted sheepishly. “I’m still looking for Cole.” I relayed what Grace said. “She thinks I should find Tim and he may tell me what Cole is.”
    “What’s he dressed up as?” Court asked me.
    “Kung Fu Panda.” I giggled.
    Court grabbed my arm, getting green paint on my white shirt. “Sam, I just saw a panda hanging out by the counselor lounge! That must be Tim!” The two of us looked at each other. “I’ll go with you,” Court said. “We’ll take the woods. No one will see us.”
    It was hard to move quickly with all the trees and branches. First, my wig got pulled off by an unruly bush. Then Court snagged her green stockings on a tree trunk. Even though the sun hadn’t gone down completely yet it was dark in the woods; the only thing I could see was Court’s flashlight leading the way. Finally we made it to a clearing. Court held me back as a group of pez marched by with a disgusted-looking Gabby. Elmo, whoever he was, was right behind her with some marshmallows. When the coast was clear, we ran for it. After a detour around the inground pool, we made it to the counselor lounge where Tim was sitting on the steps. Even without Grace’s tip, I would have known it was Tim. He was sitting with his panda head in his hands and his hair and face were drenched with sweat.
    “What are you guys doing up here?” he demanded when he saw us. He fumbled to put the panda head back on, but it tumbled down the steps.
    “It’s okay, Tim,” I told him. “It’s Sam and Court.” I reached down to pick the mask up. I handed it back to him. “We’re not spying. We were looking for you.”
    “Is Grace okay?” Tim asked, looking concerned. “I told her the tennis courts were a dead giveaway.”
    Court elbowed me. “I think Grace is fine. Congrats on the Color War news.”
    Tim beamed proudly. “Thanks. I’m really stoked.”
    “Tim, we were hoping you could help us find someone,” Court said. “Cole. Do you know what he’s dressed as?”
    “We’re not supposed to give away costumes, remember?” Tim pointed out. “It ruins the fun of the game.”
    No wonder Grace liked Tim. He was just as anal about camp tradition as she was. “I know,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone who Cole is. I just need to know myself. There’s something really important I have to tell him.”
    Tim looked at me curiously and smirked. “OH,” he said in a way that