The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 11

Corinne awoke to golden sunlight streaming in through the window. She sounded the morning bell in her mind: "Bring-a-ling-ling!" Ever since Nory had told the story of the history of the morning bell in Babyland, she'd imagined the bell here, in the U.S.
A loud thump came from the floor near the door. Mira had scampered out of bed and was doing cartwheels on the creaky wooden floor of the cabin. She launched herself into the air, did a flip, and landed. "Am I bothering anyone?" she asked innocently.
"Yes," Kenna grumbled. She rolled out of bed and onto the floor. Mira and Corinne laughed. A few seconds later, Kenna joined in.
Kenna's hair was straight, since it hardly ever got messy. Mira's sleek black hair was as straight as ever. Only Corinne's hair was as tangled as if each of the hairs was a snake and she was Medusa. She grabbed a brush out of her camp bag, which was under her bed, and began combing her hair. She got dressed along with Kenna and Mira.
Lisa entered through the wooden door. "It looks like you've settled in," she said, walking around the cabin. Mira had sorted her things into neat piles. Kenna had rarely taken anything out of her jammed suitcase. Corinne had made her one large pile as neat as possible, but it wasn't easy.
"Breakfast time," Lisa said. "I'm supposed to get you into a straight line, but I don't like straight lines. I'd prefer if you were in a group."
The entirety of Cabin 14* crowded, as best as they could with such a small group, against the door. Lisa, who was naturally the tallest of the four, leaned over, and with a long-fingered hand, opened the door. Everyone burst out into the open area and breathed in the morning's fresh air. Then they set off into the woods, towards the dining hall.
It was a noisy place, warm because of the constant moving. Lisa directed the group towards a wooden table that was so smooth that there was no thought of getting splinters from it. The food was bagels and toast, which Corinne enjoyed every minute of.
But something unexpected was happening while Corinne--and most other people--were eating. The mysterious camper** concentrated, and then teleported herself in such a way that when she reappeared, she was close enough to the table where the people of Bunk 14 sat to hear what they were saying, but far enough so no matter what, no one knew what she was doing. "Yes, we have them here," she hissed into her phone. "They're ready for convincing."

*Why is it Bunk 14? Corinne P. : Chapter 5
**Hear more about the mysterious camper: Corinne P. : Chapter 9

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 10

It was slightly after dinner. The food had been macaroni and cheese, one of Kenna's favorites. Speaking of Kenna, Kenna's counselor had agreed to a switch, which meant that Kenna was now in Corinne's cabin!
Kenna was sitting on her new bed. "I'm so glad I can be with you!" she was saying. "I didn't know anyone in my cabin! They had all been to camp before and had friends and..."
"Now you know how I felt when I first came to America," Mira said, interrupting Kenna. It was the first time she'd spoken this evening.
Corinne stroked Kenna's baby doll, who was named after a character in a good book. This baby doll was wearing a pink dress with parallel/perpendicular fuchsia lines running through it, and it had been the subject of many earlier fights. She considered how lucky she was to have stolen it from Kenna without notice.
Lisa came into the cabin. "I see you're all settled in," she said. "It's nearly time for bed."
Something made Kenna look over at Corinne. "What are you doing with Bianca?" she demanded. Bianca was, of course, the baby doll.
Corinne sighed. She handed Bianca back to Kenna, and until bedtime, the four of them played.
Later, as Corinne was brushing her teeth, she considered the day. It had been a good day. Everyone seemed happy as they got into bed--even Corinne.

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 9

Corinne gasped. "I don't want to be alone in a cabin with Mira!" she explained. "No offense to Mira, of course," she added. Mira hung her head.
Suddenly, Kenna's eyes lit up. "Can I transfer to your cabin?" she asked Lisa.
Lisa sighed. "I'll talk to your counselor. Meanwhile, it's time for dinner. Mira, show Corinne the way to the dining hall."
Mira took Corinne's hand. Kenna clutched Corinne's other hand, and the two of them were pulled along by Mira, into the forest. Kenna shouted, and Corinne grinned. "It's like going on a roller coaster," she told Mira.
The group, however small, was pulled along. A watching camper grinned. She typed something in on her miniature laptop computer, then, hidden by the abundance of trees, followed them.
It was not long before Corinne caught sight of the dining hall. It was a large brown building, seemingly made from strips of dark wood. A narrow stream of campers were going into the building. Corinne, Mira, and Kenna followed them, trying to blend in.
But not their follower. She ducked around the corner of the building and answered her ringing phone.
"Yes," the girl said. "They're here. I'm ready."

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 8

Corinne Packel cautiously opened the cabin door. She and Mira timidly peeked outside.
Kenna was the one who had made the crash. She was near the cabin's doorstep, impossibly tangled in a mess of ribbon and string and more. "Hi," she said. "This place is too messy!" Then she spotted Corinne. "You mean...you're not tangled?" she asked incredulously.
Corinne shrugged. "It's easy not to," she replied.
Kenna grimaced. "Can someone please untie me?" she begged.
Mira leaned over. "Do not worry," she said. "I will do it."
In an impossibly short time, Kenna was untied. "Thanks," she said. "By the way, remind me again why Nory calls me Henna Penna."
The afternoon seemed to pass quickly as Mira and Corinne played with Kenna. They ventured into the forest, and Kenna demonstrated "the climbing of the average tree." Mira brought out her photo album and told stories of what it was like in China. Corinne showed them how to make a leaf berylanditandie out of regular leaves.
Soon, Lisa came back. "I'm afraid that you girls will have to sleep in Cabin 14 alone. By the way, it's time for dinner."

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 7

As Corinne Packel looked at her new cabin, she looked back on her life. A year ago, or even a couple days ago, she would never have imagined herself at summer camp, staring at a cabin. It was amazing.
The cabin was seemingly wooden. It had windows and one electric light hanging from the ceiling. There were three bunk beds.
A girl with luscious black hair with a barrette in it smiled at Corinne. "Hello," the pretty girl said to Corinne. "I am Mira."
Corinne managed to say, "Hi. I'm Corinne." She regarded the bunk beds. "Which bunk do I get?"
Mira shrugged. "I will take this one," she said, motioning to the top bunk of the third bed.
Corinne nodded. She selected the bottom bunk of the first bed and set her stuff down on it. Lisa went out of the cabin, probably to collect the other girls.
Mira began making her bed. "I have gone here, to this camp, since my family first came to America, when I was five. My brother and I were scared. But everyone was so nice. I like it a lot." She spread the sheets out on the bed. "Aren't you going to make your bed?"
Corinne nodded. She took the sheets out of her camp bag and began making her bed. "So you have a brother?" she asked.
Mira nodded. "He's my twin. He's very funny and good at sports. But he is annoying, too, sometimes. He kicks a ball at me. I play sports, too, but then I am caught unawares."
Mira opened her mouth to continue, but she stopped when a large crash came from outside.

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 6

Corinne P was being led through a forest.

It wasn't a particularly nice forest. It was the usual kind of forest, with knotted trees and a cold wind. Corinne shivered.
"We're almost there," the counselor said to Corinne. The counselor was tall and athletic, with black hair pulled back into a braid and sunglasses on her head. "So, you're Corinne Packel, right?"
Corinne nodded. She wished for her clarinet, which she'd left behind. The clarinet was beautiful. "I play the clarinet," she announced to the counselor.
"I'm Lisa," the counselor told Corinne. "I used to play the trumpet."
"Why did you stop?" Corinne asked, eager to hear the rest of the story.
"I had to practice too much," the counselor explained. "I bet you do, too."
Corinne had to practice a lot. She liked it, though. "I do," she admitted. "But it was fun."
They had come to a point where the trees made a kind of arch, which lead outside of the forest. Corinne raced up ahead. She burst out of the forest and stared at the group of cabins in front of her. 
"Cabin 14," Lisa said. "It's waiting for you."
Corinne ventured inside. She set down her bags and looked at Cabin 14.

The Life of Corinne P. : Chapter 5

Corinne clutched her stuff. Taking a deep breath, as if she was going to play one long note on the clarinet, she looked out the door.
There was too much to see. There was a lake, cabins, a big green field of grass, a building with seats outside it that Corinne assumed was the dining hall, and much, much, more.
A counselor who was standing outside of the bus, just beyond Kenna and Corinne looked at Kenna. "Six?" she asked. "Cabin 7." 
"But I'm not six!" Kenna protested.
The counselor sighed. "Seven? With me." She eyed Corinne and Nory, who had just come out of the bus. "Wait for your turn," she said strictly, and Corinne was reminded of Lora. 
As the strict counselor walked away, another took her place. "How old are you?" she asked Nory.

"Eleven," Nory answered. The counselor pointed her towards a clutch of green cabins in the distance and said,"Cabin 11."
"That's her age!" Corinne exclaimed, but the counselors took no notice. Nory walked toward her cabin.
"What about me?!" Corinne screamed. No one looked at her. No one checked to make sure she was still there.
Corinne felt sad. Everyone was going off to their cabins without her. What could she do?
Just then, a counselor noticed Corinne. "Cabin 14," she said to Corinne. "If you're 10."
Corinne nodded. She was ready.