In Dangers Way

“Hi, my name is Sam, Sam O’Brien.” Mack turned gazing behind him as if I were speaking to someone else. Twisting back facing me he dropped his book down and said, “Your first time for camp?” “Yea, we’re moving to Onslow in the fall. My dad’s idea, for camp I mean. Well I guess it’s his idea for us to move here to.” I lowered my head then grabbed the back of the seat in front of me as the bus lurched ahead at an abnormal speed. “Did he call you Mack?” “Yea, I’m Mackenzie Lake. Everyone calls me Mack.” He paused as he looked out the window. Reaching up he pressed his closed fist to the window and tried to rub the dust off the glass. The grime was on the outside. He shrugged his shoulders before looking back at me then said, “This is my first time at camp too.” Everyone’s attention was pulled back onto the journey. We didn’t travel far before the brakes squealed as the bus ground to a halt. The chattering only slowed for a moment. Brian reached over to pull hard on the handle to open the door. It appeared to be broken as he growled under his breath something about a piece of junk. Grabbing hold of the metal post that was attached to the roof he leaned back and kicked the door hard with the flat of his foot. Everything was silent except for the feelings of rage being vented at the door. I sure hoped this wasn’t a sign of how the camp was going to be. After three more kicks to the door, it swung open allowing Brian’s face to change back to a normal color, whatever that was. He turned and smiled at us but made no effort to condone or explain his actions. I looked towards Mack and found that he had returned to his puzzle book. I spoke louder so he could hear me above the chatter of everyone else. “Have you just moved here too?” Mack raised his eye brows. Once more dropping his book to his lap and for some reason I felt like I was bothering him. “No, I’ve always lived in Great Village.” He looked out the window then back at me before saying, “About half an hour from here.” He resumed looking at his book. I tried to sound interested as I asked, “How come this is your first time going to camp?” This time when he dropped his book I could hear the agitation in his voice. “I’ve three other brothers and I wanted some time to myself.” Mack twisted in the seat as he watched other people climb onto the bus. Time to himself was likely meant as a clue to me. I let things slide with Mack as I watched a batch of young girls, giggle their way down the isle. Three girls a bit younger than me squeezed into the seat behind me. They continued with a nervous whisper as their eyes likely caught sight of my scar. The last person that climbed onto the bus walked with a swagger down the center of the bus. He was tall and lean with a long nose, or perhaps it was the way he held it up higher. His hair was a silky blond, spiked up in the top allowing the rest to fall like a curtain over his blue eyes. He pulled his shoulders back as he curled his lip up and appeared to be trying hard not to look my way. He scuffed his sneakers along the gritty floor down the narrow isle towards the back seats. Mack was sitting in the last seat of the left side. The right side was empty but still he stood starring at Mack, who was hidden behind his book. Then he kicked Mack’s sneaker. “Get out of my seat.” Mack stood for a moment starring intently into the blue eyes before him. The tall boy stood firm and made no motion to waver in his demand appearing very pleased with his efforts to get a rise out of someone. Brian spoke in a loud voice from the front of the bus. “Hunter, sit down and shut up. I want no fights.” Hunter swiveled around to face Brian before saying, “Who do you think you are?” Brian stepped away from the door controls towards Hunter. “Your father doesn’t own this bus yet.” Hunter looked around at the shabby battered seats and said, “Why would my father want to own a piece of junk like this?” Mack gathered himself up and moved to a seat a few rows closer to me. Hunter took his seat and started to give the rest of the occupants the once over. Brian returned to his controls and said in a loud voice, “We’ll be at the camp within the next half hour.” He pulled the bus back onto the road. The rain started to pound down hard. The sound of the rain on the roof muffled the roaring sound of the engine. The whomp, whomp of the wipers became a repetitive normal rhythm. Then one wiper stopped working properly, skipping over the windshield like fingernails on a chalkboard, then stopped completely. The stranded wiper allowed the rain to blur my vision out the passenger’s side of the windshield. The houses along the road soon gave way to trees on each side of the bus. No control over my destiny once more gave me an uneasy feeling. The dark clouds pressed the sky down closer to the road and bus. Gradually the motor slowed down and the road became more twisty and bumpy. The rain drummed down even harder before Brian finally pulled the bus to a halt. Everyone looked at the doorway now opened, without another incident. There was no greeting except a muddy yard outside. The big lodge stood not more than twenty feet away. He said, “We’re the last bus and kind of late.” I lurched up from my seat starting to move towards the door. Hunter grabbed my shoulder shoving me back into my seat. The unspoken rule of everyone following him caught me off guard. I starred at the back of his head but said nothing. By the time I gathered myself back up, I noticed Mack waiting for me to go ahead of him. Then he said in a low voice just behind my shoulder. “My cousin Jack went to this camp last year. He told me all about Hunter. His father owns all the land around the camp. There’s one thing I know for sure, he’s big on himself.” I was glad Mack spoke to me, I wasn’t alone after all. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. Standing in the bus doorway I gazed around to see two other buses stopped and already empty. The rain had slowed down and it was almost dark making the brightness of the lodge stand out. The enormous log building stood in the middle of the clearing surrounded by forest. I hugged my duffle bag closer to my chest and made the sprint for the lodge. Once inside I had an instant feeling of being at home. The air smelled of pizza and I knew I would love the food. We were all ushered into the main room. It was brightly lit with large wagon wheel lights hanging from the ceiling. The log walls had a brilliant yellow, varnished look. The room was filled with extra large wooden picnic tables. A tall thin woman with a weathered face spoke in a loud voice. “Sit wherever you like. I’m sure it’s been a long day for some of you. I see we have some regulars but I do see a lot of new faces.” She spread her arms out to the sides and said, “Enjoy…I’ll speak more after you eat.” While I followed one of the gigglers to the line for a drink, I gazed around. There was no ceiling only dark stained wooden rafters. Hooked to the wood above our heads were at least a hundred paddles. Each one had a name burned into the wood. Some paddles had pictures painted on them and others were tacked to the walls with blocky letters listing the rules. I noticed each line started with a capital NO. I took a bite of the largest piece of pepperoni pizza. That’s when I noticed it, in the corner of the room at the end of a long line of windows stood a giant wooden Mi’kmaq Chief. It was nothing short of amazing. Mack leaned towards me and said, “My cousin told me, he’s carved out of one single piece of wood with a chainsaw.” Before long the tall woman stood before the tables and spoke in a loud deep voice. “I guess everyone is here now. I would like to get everyone settled before it gets too dark.