Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

44. Somethin's Rotten in the Camp of Itsa Craftsee

Once they'd gotten everything settled in at the cabin- which wasn't much- they headed back out towards the Crafting Circle, a gazebo set in a small, shallow pit in the center of the camp.
Several other campers were already working on crafts; some were making dreamcatchers, others making tie-dye shirts, and a few were... Knitting sweaters?

Blades tilted his head a bit, "Hmm..."

"Camp activities have certainly changed since I was here..." Graham mumbled, "Why isn't anyone swimming or hiking?"

Then they heard Chickadee's voice blare out of a megaphone, "That's it, Campers! Keep it up and you'll have a dozen more dreamcatchers done by sundown!"

"I think that's why," Cody murmured.

Blades tilted his head the other way, "Doesn't a dozen dreamcatchers seem like a lot?"

Before they could really discuss this, Chickadee saw them standing there.
"Graham-Bam!" She hollered, jumping off of the table she'd been standing on and hurrying over. She grabbed one of the sweaters on the way, and then held it and a pair of knitting needles out to him. "You're the counselor, how about showin' 'em how it's done!?"

"Oh! I erm... Sure."
Graham took the needles and moved them, but really, he was only destroying the existing loops in the process. "Oops."

Chickadee frowned and then held the sweater out to Cody and Blades. "How 'bout it, boys?"

"Sorry, never learned." Blades replied, which Cody knew was a absolute lie; he'd seen the bot crochet an entire blanket in just a few hours of quiet one afternoon.

Cody decided to step in, "Uh, Chickadee? Is there anything else we can do besides crafts?" He asked curiously.

Chickadee gave an enthusiastic grin, "Oh sure! We have tons of hikes!"

Hiking was sounding a lot better, maybe their first day here wouldn't be so-

"-To the Post Office!" Chickadee finished.

That... Wasn't quite what they had in mind.

Nevertheless, they followed her up the slope and through the campground, over to a small shed which she opened to reveal contained several cardboard boxes. "I've been meanin' to git some of these up there for a while! Nice of you boys to volunteer!"

The Burnses shrugged in confusion, but Blades' demeanor had changed a little. He was still being polite and following directions, but not as cheerfully as before. Cody had to wonder what was going on with him.

Chickadee handed each of them a box and then climbed into her ATV. "Post office is five miles uphill! Good luck!" And then she was gone again.

Graham sighed, "Now I remember why I don't like camp... Blades, you okay?"

Blades hummed thoughtfully, "Something doesn't seem right here..." He whispered.

"How so?" Cody asked, "I mean, so far we're doing Chickadee's chores, but-"

"It's not that..." Blades frowned. "... Those other campers down there were knitting and making way more dreamcatchers and sweaters than necessary, and I don't know a single teenage boy that actually likes to knit and weave. They didn't look like they were having fun, and if they're not having fun doing it..."
The copter tilted his head, "...Why are they doing it at all...?"

"Hmm... I see your point. Maybe we can ask them when we get back- discreetly, of course."

They wandered up the sloping road for a little while longer, not talking much beyond asking how each of them was doing.