The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 4

Corinne Packel had her bags packed. Standing beside her were Nory and Kenna. Behind them stood Jesse, smelling fresh from the shower he'd just taken. In supervising position, a.k.a. the front step, sat Lora, criticizing every move. "That's dangerous, Kenna," she'd said sharply the second Kenna put her foot on the knotted tree, ready to climb. Now she was watching Jesse closely in case he would kick up a cloud of dry summer dust. She claimed it would ruin his freshly washed hair when the dust, having been kicked up, barely reached up to his knees. 
Corinne hummed a few notes from Tepre Aupre, a song she'd recently learned to play on the clarinet, her chosen instrument. She suddenly remembered something. "Can you go get my clarinet?" she asked Lora, as horrified as if it had already been lost. As Lora rushed inside, the buses pulled up, with Camp Rhiswile printed on their sides. Corinne chose the closest one and stepped inside as the doors closed around Corinne and the others. "Goodbye, home," she whispered. "I'll remember to write you letters."

*  *  *

Only as Corinne stepped  into the waiting bus did she realize how hot it had been outside. They'd been playing and hadn't much considered the heat. The bus had fans blowing soft, sweet air into the atmosphere. Corinne sighed. Her eight years in Philadelphia had taught her to handle the "slightly warm" air. They hadn't owned a fan since Corinne was a baby.

"Should we sit together?" Nory asked Corinne, bringing her back to the present time. Corinne nodded, uncertain. Kenna had already found a seat next to a boy who was making toot noises with his lips that Corinne found rude. Nory, though, did not seem to agree. "That's how you play a trumpet," she informed the boy. Nory played the horn and had tried the trumpet. She should know, thought Corinne.
Nory motioned to a seat near the back of the bus. "Too bad we can't sit with Kenna," she said unhappily. "She tells the funniest stories."
"Now look who gets to enjoy them," Corinne said. She pointed to the boy Kenna had decided to sit with, who was laughing at something she'd said.
The ride was uneventful. When the bus stopped, everyone got up, trying to beat each other to the door. Kenna was one of the first to make it to the door. When she did, she turned back. "Come and see our new camp," she whispered to Corinne.

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 3

"What in the world," said Corinne Packel. She was sitting on her bed, in the dark, with Kenna and Nory beside her. They were looking over the edge, onto the trundle bed, where Jesse was lying, tangled, in a pile of blankets. He was still active: Writhing all around in such a way that you'd think he'd hit his head on something, but he never did.

"Jesse, stop that and get some sleep," said Nory seriously. For once, Jesse lay still, covering himself with the knotted blanket as best as he could. The pillow had flown off the edge when he was still in motion, so he didn't use that. But Corinne wasn't fooled. "Jesssssssse," she warned.

"Sleepyhead," Jesse mumbled. Then: "Helpi'msleepingwanttohearideawhatisitwanttohearsecrethelpme."

"Nonsense," grumbled Kenna. She leaned down to the lower level of the trundle bed and slapped Jesse on the back. "See? You're awake. Now close your eyes and go to sleep." She sat back up proudly.
"Like Jesse would ever listen," Corinne grumbled to Nory. Nory whispered something to Kenna, who slumped down. "The meeting's started," she said, without much enthusiasum.
"Kenna and I found something," Nory announced. She grabbed something--in the dim light, no one could see it, they just heard crinkling noises. A flashlight was turned on--by Kenna, no doubt--and bright light illuminated the wrinkled paper. Corinne scanned it, looking for key words like she'd been taught to in second--or was it third?--grade. "Does it mean what I think it means? she asked.
"Yes," Nory said. "We're going to camp."