Adventures and Such at Camp Batterfly: Part Two

      Be respectful towards one another

      Drink water

      Always use the buddy system

      Sounds good, thought Zita.

      "There's also one more thing," said Lightmite, "And this is new, so everyone please listen up."

      Everyone stopped talking and looked up in interest.

      "We have something very special hidden in camp," said Thornberry.

      Lightmite nodded. "And whichever cabin finds it gets a very special, secret prize."

      "What is it?!" Marissa exclaimed.

      "It's a wooden Warf totem, like this one," Thornberry explained, taking a totem out of her book bag and passing it around. When it got to Zita, she tossed it between her hands and felt the engraved Warf features. She wondered what the mystery prize was.

      "So keep an eye out all summer!" said Lightmite. All the campers, including Zita, nodded enthusiastically.

      Once the totem got back to Thornberry, she stuffed it back in her bag and looked through the clipboard she was holding.

      "Next on our schedule is sports and games at the field!" said Thornberry. "This will be a great time to learn each other's names and get to know one another!"

      Lightmite nodded. "Line up, please!"

      Zita rushed around for someone to line up with but everyone was quickly already taken. Marissa and Deanna had both lined up without her. The Moehog ended up in the back of the line, with a Grarrl who didn't talk to her. They walked in that manner down to the field.

      They were instructed to sit in a circle. Zita didn't know where to sit, so she squeezed herself in between the Grarrl and a Cybunny. They were asked to go around the circle and say their name, where they were from, and one fact about themselves. Lightmite started.

      "I'm Lightmite, I'm from Neopia Central, and I collect shells."

      "I'm Thornberry, I'm from Mystery Island, and I currently have the high score in Faerie Bubbles."

      They went around the circle. It seemed that everyone had something interesting to say. Marissa played the piano, the double bass, and the tambourine. Deanna was from Meridell, and she was a ROYAL Ixi, not a purple Ixi. The Grarrl next to her was Lee, from Roo Island, who loved writing for the Neopian Times. Then it was Zita's turn. She had forgotten to think of something to say.

      "Umm, I'm Zita.... I'm from Terror Mountain, and... um... I like to play games."

      Everyone nodded and they went onto the Cybunny.

      "My name is Sandrine..."

      Why had Zita said that? "I like to play games." How boring did that make her sound! There was a million things she could have said, like how she volunteered at the Advent Calendar, or how she beat everyone in her class at Gormball. Now she wasn't going to make any friends at all! She hid her face in her hoofs.

      After getting to know each other, they played a few more games in their circle, which Zita couldn't bring herself to enjoy. The other pets in Oak Ledge were all laughing and smiling, including, especially Marissa and Deanna. But Zita wasn't having any fun at all. Nobody wanted to be friends with her. Why should they? They already had friends of their own. Why make new friends when one already had the comfort and the security of old ones? She had only been at camp a couple of hours and she already wanted to go home.

      They went back to their cabins to change into their bathing suits for swimming.

      "How are you liking your first day?" asked Marissa in a friendly tone.

      "It's good," Zita lied, with a smile she hoped was convincing.

      "I'm glad," said Marissa. She paused for awhile, and Zita thought she was going to say something else, or offer to be friends, but then she continued, "It turns out Deanna and I do remember each other from last year. She almost capsized my canoe!"

      Marissa and Deanna both laughed. Zita thought that sounded like a lot of fun. The blue Moehog wondered when they were going to go canoeing, but then realized she'd need a partner for that so instead anticipated it with dread.

      "Where do you think the totem is?" asked Deanna.

      Zita didn't answer. She really had no idea. She hadn't even seen the entire camp yet.

      "Maybe it's somewhere on the hiking trail," said Marissa, "Somewhere off the trail, deep in the woods."

      "I don't think so," said Deanna. "We aren't allowed off the trail, remember?"

      "Maybe it's in the lake!" said Marissa.

      "Maybe," said Deanna, rolling her eyes. Marissa didn't notice. Or maybe she did, and just didn't care.

      All three pets had finished changing, so they left the cabin. Marissa and Deanna quickly ran off and abandoned Zita for their friends. They were about fifteen minutes early. ("Better early than late," Thornberry would say.) Zita stood alone and waited desperately for one of the counselors to tell them it was time to go. Some of the other pets were playing cards to pass the time. Zita wished she had brought cards.

      Soon enough, Thornberry told them to line up and yelled, "Onward!" as she led them on the trail into the woods.

      The trail to the lake was so long and steep Zita couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to walk back up. There were a few groans from the other campers and even counselors that verified her worries. Marissa made her way to the front of the line, bounding along with what seemed to be perpetual energy. Deanna scuffled along near the middle, occasionally glancing up nervously at how far down they had gone.

      Eventually, at the bottom of one of the largest hills Zita had ever encountered (second only to Terror Mountain itself) they reached the lake. It was a nice lake, as far as lakes went, thought Zita. It was surrounded by a dock, and divided into different sections by buoys. They were met by an electric Flotsam with a life guard shirt.

      "Alright, everybody into the lake," said the Flotsam. "Time for swim tests."

      Oak Ledge obeyed, and marched into the water. Zita followed slightly behind them, hoping the water wasn't too cold. It was freezing.

      "My name is Water Muffin," said the Flotsam, "and I am your lifeguard. We will be doing swim tests to see what level you are. Depending on what level you are, you'll be able to swim in different parts of the lake."

      Oak Ledge nodded. They looked impatient. They had probably all heard this stuff before.

      Water Muffin went over all the pool rules. No one was listening but Water Muffin didn't look like she cared. Finally she was done. It was time for swim testing. Zita backed up until she was last in line.

      "Marissa," said Water Muffin, "Since you seem so eager, how about you go first?"

      Marissa nodded eagerly. Zita watched as Marissa was asked to do the front stroke, then the back stroke, then the side stroke and then was asked to tread water. She did every task flawlessly.

      Water Muffin smiled proudly. "Get out, you're a blue."

      "Finally!" Marissa hollered ecstatically, climbing out of the lake.

      The rest of the pets went one by one through their tests.

      After each one Water Muffin told them "Blue," or "Yellow," or "Red."

      Then it was Zita's turn. She was feeling confident. She knew all the strokes.

      "What's your name?" asked Water Muffin.

      "Zita."

      "Can you swim, Zita?"

      "Yes, I can!"

      "Can you swim freestyle to the other side of the dock?"

      "Sure!"

      The Moehog swam her very best, but only made it halfway before she was stopped.

      "Make sure you put your face in the water," instructed Water Muffin.

      "Okay."

      Zita put her face in the water and swam on, but only made it another quarter of the way before she was stopped again.

      "Reach more with your arms," said Water Muffin.

      "Okay."

      The back stroke and side stroke went the same way. She wasn't even asked to tread water.

      "You're a yellow," said Water Muffin.

      Zita climbed out of the water and went to meet the rest of Oak Ledge, who were standing around in red, yellow, and blue swim caps.

      "What color?" asked Lightmite.

      "Yellow."

      "Not bad," said Lightmite. She took a yellow swim cap and wrote "Zita" on one side and "OL," presumably for Oak Ledge, on the other.

      "Alright," said Water Muffin, once Zita had her cap on, "Reds, you can only go in the first section, yellows, you can go in the first two sections, blues, you can go anywhere, just not past the dock."

      Everyone nodded.

      "You have free swim for the rest of the time!" said Water Muffin, climbing up the lifeguard chair. Everybody cheered. Apparently free swim was the best.

      Oak Ledge dashed back into the lake. Marissa and Deanna, both sporting blue caps, jumped in where Zita wasn't allowed to swim. There were plenty of red and yellow caps, but they all seemed to be playing with other people. Zita was too nervous to approach them. So instead she sat in the sand and played with it. She didn't make anything in particular, she just sifted sand through her hoofs.

To be continued...