Page 17 of Let's Go To Camp!

Sophia forked some of the baked beans into her mouth and nodded. “Yeah, this is better than my mom’s even! And her beans are pretty legendary at our family cookouts.”

She then peered across the table to where Maisie sat. “Earth to Maisie.” She waved a hand, trying to get her new friend’s attention. “You okay?”

It took the words a few seconds to register. Finally, Maisie said, “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. It’s just…Derek is over there and he keeps looking this way and then talking to his friends.”

“Should I look?” Sophia asked. “Or is that too obvious?”

Sitting beside Maisie, so having the same view, Naomi said, “I’ll describe what’s going on. Let’s see…he’s with two women and one guy. All look to be in their thirties.” She studied the four for another moment and then added, “No one seems to beromantically involved. They aren’t holding hands or being overly familiar, if that makes sense. It appears as if they’re all just friends.”

Sophia nodded. “I wonder if they’re all as annoying as you’ve told us Derek is.”

Maisie watched the four from across the room, too, for another moment before she finally shrugged. “Hey, I’m not going to let him ruin my time. He isn’t even doing anything right now. I’m going to enjoy this good food. And my awesome friends!”

Sophia and Naomi voiced quiet cheers and the three dug into their trays, ready to savor the good cooking.

But Maisie couldn’t completely forget about Derek.

Something told her trouble was brewing.

***

Maisie, Naomi, and Sophia stayed around after supper, mingling with other Littles and trying to meet as many new people as possible.

Then, after dark, they’d gone to the large bonfire where they’d roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.

“That was amazing!” Maisie admitted.

“Yeah?” Sophia asked. “So you’re having a good time?”

They continued to walk along the trail toward their cabin. Even though night had fallen, and the mountains were dark, they could still see fine thanks to the well-positioned lights every few yards. Without those, it would have been pitch black out there.

Maisie thought about it for a moment and then said, “I’m having a great time!”

“Guys,” Naomi said in a nervous tone, halting on the path for a moment.

Maisie and Sophia stopped walking and turned to face their friend.

“Everything okay?” Maisie asked.

Naomi nodded. After a moment, she explained, “I was just listening. I thought…I heard something.”

A chill traced Maisie’s spine. She told herself she was being ridiculous. They were perfectly safe there in camp.

But now that Naomi mentioned it, and she’d stopped long enough to listen, too, she couldn’t help but feel as if they were being watched. It seemed as if eyes were on them.

“Where was the noise coming from?” she whispered, not knowing why she was bothering to be quiet. If someone—or something—was watching them, they already knew right where they were.

Naomi pointed to a row of trees and bushes off to the side of the trail.

That was the area Maisie had zeroed in on, too, having heard the faint sound of a twig snapping. Or something like that.

“Oh crap! What if it’s a bear?” Sophia whispered, moving closer to the other two girls.

“Should we find a stick or something in case we need to defend ourselves?” Naomi pondered.

Maisie’s eyes began to scan the ground for any makeshift weapon she could find when a loud roar resounded, filling the night and echoing off the mountains.

Something charged out of those trees.

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