Pranked (13 page)

Reb opened the screen door and walked in first, with Jennifer behind her. When the roof didn't blow off and things didn't explode all over the place, I followed them. A quick glance around, and I saw that Molly and Jordan were on Side B, but otherwise no one else was there. I breathed for the first time in ten minutes.

“Hey, guys. What's up?” asked Reb.

“Nothing much,” they answered, and since they looked completely normal, I assumed they hadn't seen Melissa crying. All our trunks were closed, and everything looked the way it was supposed to. Whew. I was so relieved I plopped down on my bunk.

“I don't know about you guys, but I need a shower,” said Reb. “I smell like a frog.” She opened up her trunk to get her stuff. And then she froze. She turned around really slowly and looked at Jennifer and me.

“Somebody's been in my trunk.”

My heart sprang up to my mouth. I had to swallow to get it back in my chest where it belonged. I sat up on the edge of my bunk.

“What?” yelled Jennifer, all shocked. I tried to look surprised too.

Reb had this really stunned look on her face. “My stuff is moved.”

“How can you tell?” I asked. It was a stupid question, because her trunk is the most organized space in the entire camp. I think she was a drill sergeant in a former life.

“Because my stuff is moved around and out of place. My clothes are rumpled up—someone's been in here.”

“Who do you think did it?” asked Jennifer. The worst thing anyone could do was go through your trunk. We didn't have any privacy or any personal space, except for our trunks.

Reb just looked at Jennifer. “Do I even have to say?”

“But why? Did she steal anything?” asked Jennifer, which was a logical question.

Reb turned back, like she hadn't even thought of that. She spent about ten minutes sorting through her stuff very carefully. “I don't think so,” she said, all cautious.

If Reb hadn't noticed, I never would've said anything, but she did. I opened my mouth, but the story was stuck way down in my throat, like an old popcorn kernel. I either needed to cough it up or swallow it.

“Oh my gosh, I ought to check my trunk too!” Jennifer yelled all of a sudden. She rushed over and began searching it.

Melissa might as well have left a signed note saying,
While you were out, I searched all your trunks because I think you stole something of mine. Hope you don't mind
.

“I think everything's okay,” Jennifer said after examining all her stuff.

Reb looked at me. “You're awfully quiet. What about your trunk?”

“I'm just so shocked she'd be stupid enough to do this,” I said.

Then I knelt in front of my trunk and looked through it. “Well, I don't see any obvious clues. It's a mess, like always.” It still amazed me that Reb could glance at her trunk and tell immediately that somebody had been through her stuff. I wouldn't notice if a pack of baboons was nesting in my trunk.

“She must have done it this morning. Did you notice anything strange when you came back to change?”

Yeah. Melissa was scrounging through your trunk like a cop with a search warrant. That was pretty strange.
“Not really,” I said.

“I just know Melissa's behind this.” Reb shook her head. “We've been doing stuff to her, she probably got mad, and now she's trying to get back at us.”

“But nothing is missing,” I tried to point out. If I could just convince Reb this wasn't such a big deal, maybe I could prevent a possible murder.

“How do we know she was trying to steal something? She could have been trying to . . . sabotage us. You know, pour shampoo on our clothes or squeeze toothpaste into our shoes.” Reb closed her trunk and frowned. “I
hate
people going through my stuff. Especially here at camp where there's no privacy anyway. Anybody who'd do something like that . . .” Reb pressed her lips together. She was beyond mad. She was seething.

“What are we going to do?” Jennifer asked.

“I don't know yet. But we're
not
going to let this go.”

I knew we were in for a major battle. But there was nothing I could do. I hadn't coughed up the popcorn kernel. I'd swallowed it. So there was no turning back.

When afternoon activities started, Reb watched Melissa like a hawk to see where she was going, and without even waiting for me and Jennifer to follow her, she took off after her. Jennifer and I just looked at each other like,
Oh, great. Here we go
.

Melissa walked down Middler Line with Reb right behind her. With Jennifer and me behind Reb, we looked like some weird parade. I could tell by looking at Melissa's back that she knew she was being followed. She walked with her body all tensed, and she'd turn her head a little bit like she wanted to look over her shoulder but didn't dare.

After we passed the lake, I figured out that Melissa was heading to the riflery range. We were on a dirt path that went through the woods, and all around us the locusts were buzzing in the trees. The idea of Reb and Melissa being around lethal weapons made me incredibly nervous.

Then we got to the riflery range. It was just a wooden platform with a roof over the top, kind of hidden in among all the trees. On the platform were bare mattresses for the shooters, who would lie on their stomachs and prop themselves up on their elbows to shoot. Across from the platform were the stands for tacking up the paper targets. There were girls already there shooting, and we could hear the cracking sound the rifles made.

Finally Reb caught up with Melissa and stopped her.

“I need to talk to you, Melissa.”

Melissa turned around. The two of them stood on the path, face to face. Jennifer and I were a little behind Reb, keeping quiet. Melissa looked a little nervous, but she also looked kind of defiant, which was a first. “About what?”

“Somebody's been snooping around in our trunks. All our stuff's moved around and messed up. Do you know anything about that?”

Melissa glanced past Reb's shoulder and looked at me. I shook my head very slightly. The look on her face told me she'd gotten my meaning.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Gee—let's see. Somebody was snooping in my trunk, and Jennifer's trunk, and Kelly's trunk. You're the only other person on our side of the cabin. I doubt Rachel or any of the Side B guys did it. I'd say that makes you a prime suspect.”

Melissa looked at me again, and I looked back at her. All she had to do was deny everything. Just keep quiet. Not admit to a thing.

“Well, aren't you a real girl detective!” she said, all sarcastic. Jennifer and I looked at each other in shock. Where did mousy Melissa get off with such a gutsy answer? But she wasn't even done.

“It just so happens I've got a mystery of my own. My favorite bracelet is gone. I think somebody stole it. Maybe the Girl Detective can solve that one.” Melissa crossed her arms and looked Reb dead in the eye. The pop of rifle fire sounded like firecrackers.

Reb stared at her, obviously not having a clue what she was implying. “SO?”

“Don't you get it? Cabin 1 has two mysteries: your invaded trunks and my missing bracelet. If you solve either one of them, let me know.”

Reb looked confused for a second, but then the lightbulb over her head finally went on. “Are you saying you looked in my trunk for your stupid bracelet?”

“It's not stupid. It's very valuable. A family heirloom. It was my grandmother's.”

“I don't care if it's Queen Elizabeth's! Did you search my trunk?”

“Did you steal my bracelet?” asked Melissa.

“Are you asking me or accusing me?” said Reb.

“Seems like you're accusing me of trespassing,” Melissa shot back.

“Seems like I have a reason to. But there's one big difference here. You've basically admitted going through my stuff. But I didn't steal your bracelet.”

“Look, all I care about is getting my bracelet back. You can take anything else of mine. Anything. I don't care. But I've got to have my bracelet.” Melissa's voice shook a little, and I thought she was going to start bawling again, but she didn't. “It can't be replaced. I just want you to know that.”

“I did not steal your bracelet! Are you going to stand there and say I did?”

“Considering all the things you've done to me, I wouldn't put anything past you, Rebecca Callison. Not even theft.”

“You're calling me a
thie
f
? Is that what I'm hearing?”

Was Melissa shaking? I couldn't tell. Could Reb see that she was shaking? Melissa put her hands on her hips and looked right at Reb. “Did I stutter?”

Reb was actually stunned. I saw her freeze for a split second. Nobody ever challenged her like that. Ever. But then she recovered.

Reb's voice was a whisper. An unbelievably creepy whisper. “Excuse me, but have we met? Do you even know who I am?”

Just listening to it made me break out in goose bumps, and she wasn't even talking to me. She stepped up to within inches of Melissa's face. They were practically nose to nose. Melissa drew back a fraction, and there was sheer terror in her eyes. But she stood her ground.

“Let me introduce myself,” Reb whispered. Slowly, very slowly, she reached down, picked up Melissa's hand, and shook it. “I am your worst nightmare.”

And when Reb said that, I knew it was all over. No hope of a peace treaty. She'd formally declared war.

After lunch there was a huge stampede, with everyone trying to get through the dining hall doors at the same time. We all wanted to check our little wooden cubbyholes on the dining hall porch for one thing—to see if we got any mail. Every single day I got a huge thrill at this time because I never knew—would I get any mail today?

I'd been pretty lucky all summer. Hardly a day went by when I didn't get at least one letter or e-mail. But when I reached into my mailbox and pulled out an envelope with a Camp Crockett insignia on it, I almost fainted right there on the dining hall porch. Above the insignia was a name printed in ink: Ethan Hurley.

Ethan had written me a letter! My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe.

It's kind of stupid, but that moment was one of the happiest in my life. I hadn't even read what he'd said, but right now, the world was absolutely perfect.

Reb and Jennifer came up beside me. I was still in a daze.

“Get any mail?” asked Reb.

I looked at her and Jennifer. “A letter from Ethan. The Camp Crockett guy.” I held it up and showed them the envelope, and my hands were actually shaking a little.

“OMIGOD! OMIGOD! OMIGOD!” Jennifer screamed. “Open it!” Everyone turned around and looked at us.

Being very careful not to tear the envelope too much—I didn't want to demolish the first letter I'd ever gotten from a boy—I opened it up and started reading. Jennifer and Reb were breathing down my neck, and I kept moving to keep them from reading over my shoulder.

Hey Kelly—

What's up? I guess you heard we're gonna have another dance on Sat. That's pretty cool, huh? Dustin says he's going to ask Melissa to dance again. What a stud, huh? I was in the doubles tennis tournament last week. Me and my partner did pretty good but we got elliminited. Hope your having fun at Pine Haven. Camp's okay but I'm really looking forward to my birthday in August, plus we go on vacation to Hilton Head SC then too. I'll send you a postcard if you give me your home address. See ya Sat.

Ethan

“What'd it say? You are sooo lucky. I hate you,” said Jennifer.

Reb was chanting, “Read it! Read it! Read it!”

“You guys, leave me alone. Can't I have any privacy?”

“No, none. We're your sisters. C'mon, you guys always make me read my e-mails from Wes,” said Reb, coming up to take the letter out of my hand.

“Okay, fine, but be careful with it! Don't get your grimy fingerprints on it!”