FireSweet

People like Pipit

            But two days did come.  My alarm went off at 4 a.m. and I begrudgingly rolled out of the warmth and comfort of my bed.  My things were already in the car, and all that the car needed now was me.  I scowled at the darkness that was the world before the dawn, putting my headphones in my ears so I wouldn’t have to listen to my mother and brother chattering happily at this hour.  The drive was supposed to take seven hours, leaving my home in Angola and going all the way to Tuscarora.  I had looked up its location yesterday on the computer, it was deep in the mountains, a town so small I hesitated to call it a town at all.  It would be the polar opposite of my coastal hometown. 

            I stared out of the window in the back seat of the car, watching everything familiar slide away.  The monotony lulled me to sleep within a few minutes, and I managed to remain unconscious for the remainder of the trip.  It was Max who woke me up when we pulled into the dirt parking lot of Effugere. 

            I glared at him as he loomed over me, his head sticking in the door from out in the sunlight.

            “Come on Darling, we’re here!  So get a smile on your face and get used to your new home.”

            I sat up groggily and tried to scowl at him, but he sent me a meaningful look and left suddenly.  I climbed out of the car and began to step after him, but my vision was suddenly obscured by a balding man in a white suit. 

            “Why hello there, young lady!  Is this your first year here at Effugere?”

            I studied him, keeping silent so I could bite back the stinging comments that rose to my lips.  He was a portly man with shining eyes and a shiny head where his hair was gone.  There was a white walking stick in his left hand with a bronze knob on its top.  He was looking at me expectantly, waiting for the response that would never come.  My mother unfortunately chose to intervene at this point.

            “Hello Lord Pipit!  This is my Darling daughter, she is Max’s sister.  She seems to be a bit shy now, but I know she is looking forward to her year at camp.  Right, Darling?  Won’t you say hello to Lord Pipit?  He’s in charge of everything here at Effugere.  Be polite Darling.”

            I rolled my eyes at the pair of them and walked around to the trunk to get my bags.  I snatched them up and walked around the far side of the car, trying to slip off, but I was blocked by Lord Pipit’s frame yet again.

            “I sincerely apologize, Darling, but I must ask to continue to hold some of your precious time so I can tell you a few of the rules here at Effugere.  There are very few, so I promise it will be brief.”

            I tried to sidestep him, but he launched into his speech anyway, and I was forced to listen.

            “All cabins here are open for bunking.  Age and grade do not matter.  Sexes of course, may not share cabins, and the pink cabins are all female, blue for male.  The opening dinner will begin promptly at six o’clock sharp this evening.  During the meal you will receive your schedule for the year and the exclusive opportunities that we offer here at Effugere.  It is going to be a fantastic year!  Full of fantastic and promising young ladies and gentlemen!  You may not understand it now, but everyone finds a home at Effugere.”

            I nodded and he stepped to the side.  I walked away from him without a single backward glance at my mother or Lord Pipit.  That no longer held appeal for me, and if I had been forced to endure any more optimistic euphemisms from a man with a last name like “Pipit” I was going to pull the smuggled knife out of my baggage and stab myself to spare the torture.  I had the sinking feeling that he saw himself as some great motivator, the kind that would spit out overused inspiration that was intended to blow young minds away.  If this man or any other thought that I could be stuffed into a frilly dressed and made to prance around then they had another thing coming.  I wouldn’t stick around or force myself to endure the plaguing trials of a year in this camp of my nightmares.