Jimmy Sunglasses got me the red Chokochakee shirt like he promised, finalizing my induction into the Tochoco cabin. Still, nobody spoke to me, other than a proverbial head nod or wave. I’d be apprehensive too. It’s an unwritten understanding that the kid that comes late to camp is the issues kid, and the last thing you want in your cabin is added drama. So you wait it out. See what he’s like. Is he a burnout? Are his parents separated? And if everything seems normal, then you start a dialogue.

The nature hike started in an orderly fashion. It helped that everyone’s bellies were stuffed with scrambled eggs, toast and sausage. Normally, an hour-long trek through the forest would incite chaos, but our minds were numbed with satiation.

Archery was interesting. I had trouble seeing the benefit of teaching a bunch of ten-year-olds to use a bow and arrow. But it was fun.

“Last year, a counselor got shot,” a short kid whispered to me. He had thick glasses and his hair was smashed on one side. “In the foot,” he added. I figured he was the kid who did it.

And so the days went. From sunrise to sunset, activities were sandwiched between breakfast, lunch and dinner. And each night, the counselors concluded the day with another story dramatized from the tops of the tables. This camp had things in such sensible working order it was almost robotic. And I was beginning to feel okay with Aunt Ellen’s decision to send us here.

I hardly saw my sister. Kaylee had her cabin with her own activities. The only time we came together was at the dining hall, and even then we were at opposite ends of the room. But she was always smiling and laughing. I, on the other hand, was thinking about dad.

That night, after lights out, the kid with the thick glasses came over to my bunk.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi.”

“I’m Pete.”

“Kevin.”

“You want to go see what the counselors are up to?”

And I thought to myself, this kid is trouble. He wouldn’t want to go see if he didn’t know they weren’t doing something. And he wouldn’t ask the issues kid if he didn’t think it might get us in trouble.

“Sure.”