a nod when they stop, surrounding Julie. “Did you bring what we asked for?”
One of them—unless I’m totally mistaken, her name’s Mellie—holds up the stick with our blue-and-white checkered dishtowel fastened to it.
“Very well. Hand it over, please.” I send Gerry Devonport down to claim our flag, but the girl pulls it out of his reach and speaks up instead.
“Not so fast. We have one condition.”
Oh, they’ve come to bargain with us? This could be interesting. “What do you want?” I ask.
“Nothing from you.” Mellie’s voice is strong and clear, and a crapload of determination sparkles in her eyes. She turns her gaze on Chloe. “We’ve come to save you, and we brought the flag. But we will only trade it if you promise to teach us acting.”
“What the f—”
“Chloe!” I sharply cut off her curse.
Mellie jerks her head a little, tossing her ginger curls off her forehead. “Starting tomorrow,” she adds with a meaningful look at our prisoner.
Ah, this is going to be fun. I struggle to bite back my amusement as I turn to Chloe. “So, what is your answer?”
She glares into my eyes, jaw set, then she silently mouths two words at me. “Fuck. You.”
“Uh-uh.” I shake my head, chuckling. “I don’t think that’s what the girls want to hear.”
“Come on, Chloe!” Julie shouts with a pleading edge to her voice. “It’s just for an hour every day. The girls really want this.”
Chloe’s eyes dart from me to Julie and back to me. “You won’t keep me tied to this post all night if they refuse to give you the flag, right?”
“Oh …” I clap a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I so would.”
“I hate you!” she hisses.
“Nothing new.”
“Drop dead!”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. “Your answer, tiger?”
A growl rumbles out of her throat before she turns back to Julie and the girls’ squad. “Fine. I’ll do it! One hour each day, nothing on weekends. Now, in God’s name, give them the flag.”
Biting my cheek to hold in my mirth is useless after Chloe’s speech. I burst out laughing along with the boys surrounding me. But the girl with the ginger hair keeps a straight face, though maybe there’s a tiny, smug smile pulling on the corners of her lips, as she hands over our flag.
Faithful to my promise, I loosen Chloe’s ties. With a little shock, I stare at her forearms when they’re freed. From all her hard pulling, there are red welts on her wrists now. I rub them gently with my thumbs. Hurting this girl was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, but she doesn’t appreciate my reconciliation effort.
Angrily, she jerks her hands out of mine and stalks away without looking back at us. Julie welcomes her with a quick hug, which I believe Chloe doesn’t appreciate either. At least, she doesn’t jerk out of Julie’s arms and instead walks along with her. The group of girls hurrying behind them cheers in the darkness, even though they just lost our flag.
Obviously, victory is in the eye of the beholder.
*
It’s been two days since Chloe made the deal to do the acting lessons, and I’ve sneaked to the girls’ side of the camp every morning to watch their progress. Not much to report. So far, she’s randomly made them read out sections from a book to train their voices and learn not to mumble. Right now they’re learning some tongue-twisters together. Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew. I chuckle as I fail terribly at getting that mouthful out in a whisper to myself.
To be honest, it was far more interesting spying on her dancing with the girls than it is watching her blabbering with them. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it firsthand right before today’s acting lesson, but after about half an hour of watching the kids dance from her usual throne—the picnic table—she inconspicuously stepped down and joined them in the first line. Way to go, tiger. Of course, I won’t
One of them—unless I’m totally mistaken, her name’s Mellie—holds up the stick with our blue-and-white checkered dishtowel fastened to it.
“Very well. Hand it over, please.” I send Gerry Devonport down to claim our flag, but the girl pulls it out of his reach and speaks up instead.
“Not so fast. We have one condition.”
Oh, they’ve come to bargain with us? This could be interesting. “What do you want?” I ask.
“Nothing from you.” Mellie’s voice is strong and clear, and a crapload of determination sparkles in her eyes. She turns her gaze on Chloe. “We’ve come to save you, and we brought the flag. But we will only trade it if you promise to teach us acting.”
“What the f—”
“Chloe!” I sharply cut off her curse.
Mellie jerks her head a little, tossing her ginger curls off her forehead. “Starting tomorrow,” she adds with a meaningful look at our prisoner.
Ah, this is going to be fun. I struggle to bite back my amusement as I turn to Chloe. “So, what is your answer?”
She glares into my eyes, jaw set, then she silently mouths two words at me. “Fuck. You.”
“Uh-uh.” I shake my head, chuckling. “I don’t think that’s what the girls want to hear.”
“Come on, Chloe!” Julie shouts with a pleading edge to her voice. “It’s just for an hour every day. The girls really want this.”
Chloe’s eyes dart from me to Julie and back to me. “You won’t keep me tied to this post all night if they refuse to give you the flag, right?”
“Oh …” I clap a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I so would.”
“I hate you!” she hisses.
“Nothing new.”
“Drop dead!”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. “Your answer, tiger?”
A growl rumbles out of her throat before she turns back to Julie and the girls’ squad. “Fine. I’ll do it! One hour each day, nothing on weekends. Now, in God’s name, give them the flag.”
Biting my cheek to hold in my mirth is useless after Chloe’s speech. I burst out laughing along with the boys surrounding me. But the girl with the ginger hair keeps a straight face, though maybe there’s a tiny, smug smile pulling on the corners of her lips, as she hands over our flag.
Faithful to my promise, I loosen Chloe’s ties. With a little shock, I stare at her forearms when they’re freed. From all her hard pulling, there are red welts on her wrists now. I rub them gently with my thumbs. Hurting this girl was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, but she doesn’t appreciate my reconciliation effort.
Angrily, she jerks her hands out of mine and stalks away without looking back at us. Julie welcomes her with a quick hug, which I believe Chloe doesn’t appreciate either. At least, she doesn’t jerk out of Julie’s arms and instead walks along with her. The group of girls hurrying behind them cheers in the darkness, even though they just lost our flag.
Obviously, victory is in the eye of the beholder.
*
It’s been two days since Chloe made the deal to do the acting lessons, and I’ve sneaked to the girls’ side of the camp every morning to watch their progress. Not much to report. So far, she’s randomly made them read out sections from a book to train their voices and learn not to mumble. Right now they’re learning some tongue-twisters together. Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew. I chuckle as I fail terribly at getting that mouthful out in a whisper to myself.
To be honest, it was far more interesting spying on her dancing with the girls than it is watching her blabbering with them. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it firsthand right before today’s acting lesson, but after about half an hour of watching the kids dance from her usual throne—the picnic table—she inconspicuously stepped down and joined them in the first line. Way to go, tiger. Of course, I won’t
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