Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

The twins move closer to being reunited with their other fathers.

 

 

 

Early the Next Morning – 1 a.m.

 

Katie lifted her head just enough to gaze over at her sister, hearing her regular breathing indicating she was fast asleep.  She didn’t dare turn on any light, not even a flashlight to help illuminate her way, but fortunately there was plenty of moonlight streaming in through the front windows to help her make out her sister’s slim form huddled under the lightweight covers, her chest rising and falling as she snored softly.  She seemed so small under them, so vulnerable, and it made Katie’s heart lurch.

 

In the short time Katie had gotten to know her sister, she had been able to determine that Kaylee was a sensitive soul, one that wore her heart on her sleeve.  To think of her gentle, easily-bruised sister being subjected to such unwarranted bullying by her brute of a roommate made her blood boil.  Partly, too, she felt guilty about being the indirect cause of her torment, because Sandra erroneously blamed Kaylee for what had happened with the canoe.    But she just couldn’t stand by, however, and see her sister harassed like that, and besides, the girl had apparently been insufferable since the first day they had been paired together.  There would time later to confess her transgressions to Kaylee; for now, though, she had something more important she felt she had to do.

 

Quietly rising from her side of the bed, she slowly slid her feet into her sneakers and looked around for something she could use.  Spying one of Kaylee’s metal hair clips lying on top of the dresser, she smiled as she picked one up and noted its sharp, angled end. Perfect, she thought as she pocketed the narrow, thin item into her lightweight jacket lying at the foot of her bed.

 

Stealing a glance over at Christina to make sure she, too, was asleep, Katie retrieved her jacket before creeping cautiously over to the door, turning the knob and hoping that the door wouldn’t make any loud noise to rouse the other two girls and betray her movements.  She heard a slight squeak from the door’s hinges as she held her breath, praying she wouldn’t hear any movement or voice from behind.  Fortunately, the two girls both seemed to be heavy sleepers, because the only sounds she heard were their dueling breaths of soft, regular snoring.  She slowly opened the door enough for her body to fit through and then quietly closed it behind her, letting out a large breath of relief once she was safely outside. 

 

The full moon helped to calm her nerves, despite the fact that she could hear all sorts of odd sounds coming from the surrounding woods. She could readily recognize what must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of crickets chirping nearby, along with the piercing sound of an owl or two.  She could also identify the unique call of a whippoorwill, having heard them near Britin on numerous occasions.  But the other sounds were unfamiliar to her. They almost sounded like a pack of dogs howling – wolves, perhaps, or coyotes?  She also knew from the camp orientation that there were numerous black bears inhabiting the woods along the ground’s perimeter, which made her a little uneasy; she thought she could hear twigs snapping and leaves rustling somewhere not too far away.  She shivered a little in fear, but her resolve outweighed her trepidation as she began to walk along the dirt pathway toward her first destination – the combination reception hall/cafeteria.

 

Glancing furtively around her surroundings to make sure no one was watching – after all, it was one o’clock in the morning, but she still felt she needed to double check – she sighed in relief as she saw no one else lurking around as she walked around the large, two-story building to the rear entrance.  The back door was a single, wooden unit, warped slightly and faded by the countless days of sunshine that had beaten down upon it for so many years.  Katie hadn’t noticed it earlier when she had been walking to her canoe lessons, not really paying it much mind.  But now she was desperately hoping it would be the key to her success.

 

Walking up to the door, she turned the knob first, hoping somehow it was unlocked.  While the door gave way and jiggled slightly, however, it held firm.  She sighed in disappointment as she fished in her jacket pocket for the hairclip she had acquired earlier that belonged to her sister and held it out in front of her.

 

She bit her lip in concentration as she pulled the two ends of the hairclip apart and inserted the sharp, angled end into the lock; she had seen it done numerous times on TV with various instruments, but she didn’t know if it would actually work or not.  She furiously twisted the piece of metal back and forth, wondering why it wasn’t working; it seemed so easy when someone did it on television! 

 

“Damn it!” she muttered in frustration; although her father was known to let forth with a string of expletives from time to time when he was particularly perturbed, Katie tended to avoid them except in times of extreme duress.  She figured that this warranted such an occasion as she rigorously jiggled the doorknob with one hand as she tried to turn the lock with the other.

 

She was about to give up when finally after what seemed like an eternity, she almost fell as she turned the knob one more time and the door suddenly opened; she hurriedly grabbed the doorknob to catch herself as it swung inward.  She gasped , startled, as the door banged loudly against the opposite wall; it had all happened so fast she couldn’t catch it in time, and in the quiet stillness of the night the sound was heightened even more.  She poked her head out the door furtively, peering left and right as she held her breath; she saw no lights come on or voices emerge to indicate she had been detected.  Feeling distinctly like some cat burglar, she let out a huge breath she had been holding as she turned to quietly close the door, leaning against it to slow her rapidly-beating heart as she sighed in relief. 

 

Feeling against the wall with her hands, she closely crept forward several feet until she felt the door of the windowless supply room.  Turning the handle, she opened the door and began to feel for a light switch.  Locating one to the side of the door, she flicked it on, blinking her eyes a few times to try and adjust to the sudden difference.  Her breathing was faster now, the fear of possible detection fueling her body’s adrenalin as she began to look for her target.  Pushing aside several large, plastic jars of mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup, along with a huge container of relish, she finally spied what she was looking for and smiled.  YesPerfect.  Maybe THIS will sweeten your personality, you baboon.  One more item – a standard silver-plated knife, was located in the utensil drawer nearby, which she pocketed in her jacket. 

 

Hefting the large, metal can in her hand and letting out a grunt of surprise at how heavy it was, she slowly lugged it over to the door, flipping the light switch off and bathing the room in blackness once more.  Opening the stockroom door, she reversed her previous steps, walking several feet down the hallway toward the back entrance as she held onto the smooth, cold wall with one hand and the can with the other.

 

A few seconds later, she was back outside in the rapidly-cooling air, holding onto the handle of her precious find as she quietly closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it back the way she found it.  As she lumbered away toward her second destination with her heavy cargo, she didn’t notice the overnight cleaning lady watching her curiously from the nearby shower room, wondering why one of the campers was out at this late hour of the night.  In the bright, overhead moonlight, she had a good picture of the short-haired, slim, blonde girl slowly shuffling away from her, a large can of some kind swinging in one hand as she disappeared toward some unknown location.  The employee – a petite, dark-haired woman named Louise in her 50’s who had been working at the camp every summer for a decade now – furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out what was going on.  Was it simply one of the campers looking for a midnight snack?  That wasn’t unheard of; some kids thought the kitchen should be open, 24/7.  But then why the can?  And how did the girl get in the reception hall?  She knew from cleaning the large building every night that a key was needed to get in.  Did the girl have her own key somehow?  Did she have permission, perhaps, to enter the premises for some reason?  She knew the counselors sometimes conducted overnight camping outings with some of the more wilderness-trained girls but it was unusual for them to send a young camper back for supplies they may have forgotten; normally one of the counselors would take care of it.  But was that why she was in this area so late at night? Was she told to come and get some supplies for their breakfast the next day or for a late-evening campout?  She stood there for several seconds, pondering her choices, before she finally decided that while it was a bit unusual, nothing appeared to be amiss.  Besides, she had started later than normal tonight and was already running an hour behind her typical schedule.  Wiping her hands on a white industrial cloth towel hanging from her waist, she watched the girl disappear into the night before she turned and pushed her large, yellow, rolling, combination bucket and mop containing soapy water toward the community shower building to get to work. 

 


 

By the time Katie arrived near the maintenance shed, her arm was aching from toting the heavy container.  She placed it down near the other object she needed:  a medium-sized, orange, metal step ladder lying against the side of the weathered, wooden, tool shed.  As she stood there thoughtfully, her hands on her hips, she knew this was by far going to be the hardest part of her scheme.  As she tentatively lifted the ladder up, she was chagrined to learn that it was quite heavy, just as she feared.  She was going to not only have to tote the ladder over to her sister’s cabin somehow, but she was also going to have to come back for the can.  There was no way she could carry both. 

 

She sighed in resignation, wishing there was another way; but despite the somewhat unfortunate circumstances, her wish to help her sister outweighed her hesitation.  Squaring her shoulders in determination, she pulled the ladder away from the side of the shed and then lifted it slowly until it was about a foot off the ground.  She grunted softly from the exertion as she slowly shuffled toward the camper cabins, having to carry it a few feet at a time before she had to place it quietly down on its side and lean it against her leg so she could rest a little. 

 

Finally, after several minutes, she managed to reach her destination.  It took her several MORE minutes to lug it up the couple of steps and open the two parts to stand it up in front of the door; she winced and held her breath as the rubberized feet made a slight thud when she adjusted it.  She stood as still as a mouse as she waited for any telltale sign from inside that she had awakened the monstrous beast that she could hear snoring like a lumberjack’s saw, but as she dared a peek through the window, she could make out Sandra’s form underneath the light covers on her bed, still and motionless. 

 

Sighing softly in relief at her good fortune, she quietly crept down the steps and hurried back to the tool shed, picking up the heavy metal can from where she had placed it and slowly making her way back to her sister’s cabin.  Placing it on the ground, she plopped down beside it, Indian-style, as she reached inside her jacket pocket and retrieved the heavy, silver-plated knife she had secured earlier.  Years of playing sports had made Katie surprisingly strong for someone so small and slim; it took a few minutes of using the knife as a fulcrum, sliding the end of the utensil under the lip of the cap to pry it slowly up, until she finally succeeded in loosening the top of the can sufficiently to remove it completely.

 

Smiling in satisfaction at the outcome, she lifted the lid off the can and rose to her feet to heft her cumbersome cargo up with her.  She had to place the can on one rung at a time as she slowly ascended the ladder, but finally she succeeded in setting the can on the painter’s shelf attached to the ladder so she could carry out the final stage of her plan.  As she stood on the next-to-last rung of the ladder, she reached over toward the door, cradling the can in both hands as she managed to place it in just the right position:  half-on, half-off the small, narrow ledge over the door, right where any slight movement of the door would achieve the hoped-for results.  Katie knew the wooden doors tended to be warped and would stick in the current humidity, so she was counting on that to work in her favor.

 

Grinning as she imagined  the look on Sandra’s face tomorrow morning, she slowly descended the ladder and folded it back up as quietly as she could, taking care not to bang it on the ground as she carried it laboriously back toward the spot where she had found it. 

 

Huffing slightly out of breath as she took pains to lean the ladder against the side of the wall, just like it had been before, she breathed a huge sigh of relief as she stood back up.  She took a few minutes to catch her breath again before she turned and walked back to her and Christina’s cabin.

 

As she quietly opened the door and doffed her jacket, placing it at the end of the bed, her heart sped up in anxiety as she heard her sister softly whisper, “Where have you been?” 

 

ShitShe had been so careful. Frantically thinking on her feet, she softly answered, “I had to go to the bathroom,” hoping her sister wouldn’t question her any further.  She pulled the covers back and slid into bed, grasping her sister’s upper arm briefly to squeeze it in reassurance as she turned to look into her twin’s face that was illuminated by the moonlight.  “Go back to sleep, Kaylee,” she whispered to her soothingly.  “Everything will be okay.” 

 

The two girls stared into each other’s faces for a few moments until Katie saw Kaylee smile slightly and nod as she closed her eyes.  Both girls were asleep within a few minutes, their two identical blond heads touching each other’s as they drifted off into slumber.

 


 

7:00 a.m. – Next Morning

 

A bloodcurdling scream pierced the early morning silence as the three girls slept; they instantly bolted upright in their beds as they were startled awake. 

 

“What was that?” Kaylee cried out, a little scared.  The voice sounded angry, stunned, and loud – very, very loud.  It also sounded dreadfully familiar.  “I think that was Sandra’s voice,” she added anxiously.  She knew all too well how angry and unreasonable her former roommate could get, and she wanted nothing at all to do with the other girl anymore, especially after what had happened yesterday.  Her goal was to try and stay out of the way at all costs.

 

Unable to resist the temptation of knowing what was going on, though, she and the other two girls cautiously crept toward the front of their quarters and peered out of their window in the direction of Kaylee’s cabin.  Their eyes widened in shock as they were able to confirm that it was indeed Sandra.  The dark-haired, stocky girl was standing near the cabin’s open door, a golden-colored substance draped over her like some loose-fitting garment, her hands held out to her sides and her feet apart as it oozed slowly to the ground.  Her mouth hung open in a mixture of surprise as she blinked to try and keep the gooey liquid from sticking to her eyelashes and getting into her eyes that were blazing with fury.

 

“Oh, my God!” Christina cried out softly as she clapped her hand over her mouth, afraid to make too much noise for fear the overbearing girl would look toward their cabin and see them.  “What is that stuff all over her?”

 

“I think it’s honey,” Katie innocently supplied, trying hard not to break out into a euphoric smile.  Apparently her idea had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams, because Sandra was not only covered with it, she was drenched with it – not one inch of her body appeared to be untouched.

 

They watched as the girl began to scream out a tirade worthy of a salty, seafaring sailor.  “You bitch!  I’m going to fucking KILL you when I get my hands on you!  Get your ass out here, Kaylee!  You are going to be dead when I find you!  Come out here, you coward!  You are going to PAY for this!  I’m going to rip your hair out!  Argh!” She angrily screamed at the top of her lungs while she remained frozen in place, unable to move too easily with the sticky, gooey substance coating every pore of her body.  It was in her hair, in her eyes, and all over her clothing.  The gallon substance had liberally covered every inch of her frame like some thick, amber rain.

 

Katie smiled in self-satisfaction over her achievement, unable to control herself, but as she turned to look at her sister her good mood instantly vanished to be replaced with concern.  Her sister’s face was white as a ghost and her blue eyes were wide with fear.  When Katie had planned this latest stunt, she hadn’t thought about the ramifications of what might happen.  She hadn’t stopped to consider what Sandra might think or what she might do in retaliation.  She had only been intent on avenging her sister over how the obnoxious girl had unfairly treated her.  Now, however, it appeared her good intentions might have backfired.  “Kaylee,” she began, not quite sure what she was going to say but feeling like she needed to reassure her somehow.  She wanted to tell her sister what had happened, but somehow the words failed her at that moment.

 

“She is so angry,” Kaylee whispered as she shrunk back from the window.  “She’s going to come looking for me, I just know it, and I had nothing to do with this!”  Her eyes filled with tears as she continued to back away from the window until she bumped up against the end of the bed and she weakly sat back down, her shoulders slumped with dread.  “Oh, my God.  What am I going to do?  I didn’t do it!”  She bit her lip in an attempt to stop the tears, but it was futile; they slowly trickled down her cheeks as she wrung her hands in worry.

 

Katie’s heart sank.  Why had she thought this was such a good idea?  Now they were in even bigger trouble.  She sighed, knowing she was going to have to tell her sister the truth, and then they were going to have to figure out how in the hell they were going to get out of this impossible predicament.

 

She and Christina turned away from the window to walk back toward the beds, Katie sitting down next to her sister while their roommate plopped down on her own bed.  “Kaylee, I have to tell you something,” her sister began as she took her hand, but it wasn’t necessary.

 

Kaylee’s eyes widened in epiphany as she stared back at her guilty-looking sister.  “It was YOU, wasn’t it?  YOU put the hole in the canoe, and YOU were responsible for what happened to her now, weren’t you?  That’s where you were last night, wasn’t it?  You were arranging that little accident out there!”

 

“Kaylee…”

 

“Why, Katie?  Why did you DO it?  It’s only going made her even madder!  I’ll NEVER be able to stay here now!  Why would you DO that?”  She turned her head away from her sister in anger, unable to look her in the face.  They had been growing so close together, and now her sister went and did this? 

 

“I’m sorry, Kaylee,” Katie replied sincerely, regretting now what she had done.  At the time, it had felt so good, so right; in fact, Kaylee herself had been highly amused at Sandra’s reaction to being pitched from her canoe into the murky water below the other day.  But now it was obvious to both of them that the initial feeling of triumph was quickly being replaced with fear and worry.  “I was just so angry at her for how she was treating you and I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing!”  She tried to explain, but Katie angrily snatched her hand away and refused to look at her.  “She doesn’t have any proof that you had anything to do with it,” she added, trying to reason with Kaylee, but she knew her words were hollow.  It didn’t matter if she had concrete proof or not; the girl would undoubtedly blame Kaylee for it – she already had.

 

Kaylee whirled her upper body back around to face her sister, her eyes flashing.  “It doesn’t matter, Katie!  She thinks I did it now whether I did or NOT!”  She stood up abruptly, her arms hugged around her chest; she had no idea what to do now.  There was no way she was stepping outside her sister’s cabin at the moment, but on the other hand, she figured it was just a matter of time before the other girl came looking for her over here.  It was the logical place for her to escape to after last night.  “What am I going to do?” she cried out to her cabin mates.  “She’s going to skin me alive!” 

 

Katie stood up, her face a reflection of the guilt she felt.  “We’ll work something out, Kaylee, don’t worry,” she told her, although frankly she had no idea what that would be.  “Just let her cool off for a while.”

 

“As if that’s going to help,” Kaylee huffed at her.  “That’s not going to change her mood any!”  She shook her head.  “Katie, how could you DO that?  Do you realize what’s going to happen now?  Even if she doesn’t manage to kill me, they’ll still blame me and kick me out anyway!”  Perhaps that was the worst part of all.  She hated to see the look of disappointment in her father’s eyes when they called to tell him that she had been expelled from camp because of her behavior, and now the sister she didn’t even now she had was going to be torn apart from her again, maybe forever.

 

“Come on, Kaylee!  Our father couldn’t blame you for what that bully did to you!  You were just defending yourself!  Or I was defending you… Or I was pretending to be you defending yourself… Oh, never mind!  You know what I mean!  There’s no way he’s going to be mad at you over trying to protect yourself from that stupid gorilla!”

 

“Maybe not,” Kaylee conceded stiffly as she leaned against the corner wall, making sure she couldn’t be seen from the outside; she could still hear Sandra screaming in rage nearby and it made her terrified.  “But I’m still scared.  What am I going to do?”

 

Katie walked over and grasped her sister by the shoulders; this time, fortunately, Kaylee didn’t pull away as they locked gazes on each other.  “We’re going to lay low for a little while until Sandra finishes blowing her stack and we can think of a way out of this,” she told her firmly.  “Surely she’ll have to go take a shower to try and get it off.  She can’t just stand there, unless she wants to attract bees or Winnie the Pooh.”

 

Despite their dire predicament, Kaylee had to smile slightly at her sister’s attempt at levity.  If it hadn’t been for the fact that Sandra was furious with her, the entire episode would be quite funny.  The thought of Sandra standing there as a portable beehive was still amusing, regardless of the circumstances, but her worry over what might happen was overshadowing it.  “I guess you’re right,” she admitted.  “But we can’t stay in here forever.”

 

“No,” her sister agreed.  “But it’s the best we can do for now.  Stay put,” she told her as she looked over at Christina.  “Christina, go over to the window and see what’s going on.  The erupting volcano seems to have died down a little.”  Indeed, the girl could no longer be heard screaming at the top of her lungs, which was a definite improvement.

 

Christina nodded as she rose from her bed and walked over carefully to the window.  She poked her head around the side of the window frame to observe what was going on.  “One of the counselors is with her now,” she reported to the other girls.  “She’s talking to her.  Oh!  She must have told her to come with her, because they’re walking away, toward the showers.  I think you’re right, Katie – she must have told her to go wash it off.”  She watched as another counselor appeared, walking over to observe the sticky, golden-colored mess surrounding the front door of the cabin.  “There’s another counselor and some other woman standing near the cabin now, looking at your handiwork,” she added as she turned to give Katie an appreciative smile.  “You really made a mess over there.”

 

Katie had to grin slightly at her, unable to hide her satisfaction over the turmoil she had caused the other girl.  She felt bad that Kaylee was probably going to be blamed for what happened, though.  “I tried to be thorough,” she told Christina.  “My dad always says to do it right or don’t do it at all.”  Of course, her father was normally talking about it in the context of her playing sports or being meticulous in her artwork, not participating in malicious pranks, even if it WAS for a good cause. 

 

Suddenly, the overhead speakers wired to several telephone poles spread throughout the camping area crackled to life.  An authoritative-sounding man’s voice boomed over the P.A. System. “Kaylee Taylor-Kinney, please report to the Operation Manager’s office immediately.” 

 

“Oh, no!” Kaylee groaned; it seemed her culpability was already being called into question and Sandra hadn’t even been hosed off yet – or whatever they were going to do with her.  “They already know!” 

 

“Calm down, Kaylee,” Katie told her sternly, feeling awful that her sister’s name was being broadcast throughout the camp; the whole thing felt suspiciously like being called to the principal’s office.  “She’s not exactly innocent here, either, you know.”

 

“Yeah, but you did a better job of it than SHE did,” her sister countered as she stood up, unsure what to do.  She sighed in resignation and defeat; she might as well face the music and suffer the consequences, she decided, even though she was the innocent party. 

 

Her sister almost looked smug as she replied, “Yeah, I was pretty good, wasn’t it?  I can take care of myself,” she added proudly.  Her look of pride, though, faltered as she noticed her sister’s worried look.  “It’ll be all right,” she repeated.  “I’ll come with you and tell them what really happened.  They can’t blame YOU for what I did.”

 

“But even if they kick YOU out, you think I would want to stay now?” her sister pointed out.  “Sandra would still kill me.”  She sighed in desolation.  “No, I can’t stay here, either, Katie.  She wouldn’t leave either one of us alone now.  Besides, I wouldn’t want to stay here if you’re gone, too,” she admitted softly, realizing how much she had come to care about her sister; despite her anger over what she had done, she knew she only had her best interests at heart and had done it for her.  Now that they had finally found each other, though, were they going to be torn apart once more?  How long would it be this time before they saw each other again? 

 

To her sister’s shock, Katie’s face suddenly broke out into a beaming smile.  “Of course you wouldn’t!  This is our big chance, Kaylee, don’t you SEE that?  This is perfect!  Absolutely perfect!”  Her eyes lit up – this couldn’t have worked out better if they had tried…

 

Kaylee looked at her sister like she had grown another head.  “What in the world are you talking about?  They’re going to separate us again!”

 

“Exactly!” Katie exclaimed excitedly.  “Don’t you get it?  We both wanted to get to know our other father, didn’t we?  Here’s our chance!  It’s what we’ve been hoping for!” 

 

Kaylee shook her head in total confusion until, suddenly, the cloud lifted and for the first time that day she smiled a true smile.  “Yeah… This is the greatest thing that could have happened to us!”  They had been trying to figure out a way to seamlessly slide into each other’s identities when they left camp, and it seemed the method had fallen into their laps.

 

Christina peered over at the two girls whose heads were huddled together, unable to fathom their secret conversation or their sudden change in demeanor.  “I don’t understand…” she sputtered out helplessly.

 

Both girls burst out laughing as Katie said, “Let me explain it to you…”

 


 

Perry Winters’ Office – Ten Minutes Later

 

Winters looked up as the door to his office opened; he recognized Wanda Coltraine, one of his seasoned counselors. 

 

“Yes, Wanda?” he asked politely, one brow rising curiously.  He noticed the normally unflappable woman appeared hesitant, or was it confused?

 

“Uh… Kaylee Taylor-Kinney is here, Sir,” she reported as she stood in the doorframe. 

 

The man’s demeanor turned serious; he had been told briefly about what appeared to be an ongoing personality conflict between two of the girls, and after this morning’s episode, he knew it had to be handled forthwith.  He also knew from previous experience with Sandra that it was best to talk to the other party separately, or there was a good chance this Kaylee girl wouldn’t leave with all her fingers and toes intact.  He had had several previous ‘discussions’ with Sandra and other campers in previous years who didn’t seem to adhere to her ‘standards’ of conduct or bow to her every wish like she wanted, and none of them had ended very pleasantly.  The girl always seemed to have a martyr complex, acting like everyone was out to get her, and despite his displeasure with her, Sandra had yet to do something drastic enough that would constitute full and permanent disbarment from the camp.

 

“Send her in,” he instructed the woman with a sigh.  He shook his head slightly in confusion as the woman continued to stand there.  “Is there something else?” he asked a little curtly; he was in no mood at the moment for games.

 

“She brought her sister with her,” Wanda advised him.

 

Probably for moral support, Winters thought.  He wasn’t aware this girl had a sister, but he knew it wasn’t uncommon for more than one member of the family to attend camp together, especially if it was their first time as in this case and the girl was a little apprehensive about the whole experience.  He would have probably preferred to speak to her alone, but he supposed if she didn’t mind, it shouldn’t matter to him, either.  “Very well – bring them both in,” he told her as he steepled his fingers into an upside-down “V” on top of his wooden, pitted-looking desk and waited for the girls to enter.

 

As the woman stepped aside, however, and he got a good look at both girls, his mouth hung open.  Except for the difference in their clothing, both blondes walking in somewhat hesitantly were completely identical in appearance.  Same hair, same face, same body frame; they even walked the same.  He looked from one and then to the other before asking, “Kaylee?”

 

To his consternation, both girls answered “yes” simultaneously.  What sort of game were they playing with him?  “No, I need Kaylee.  Which one of you is her?”

 

“I am,” both girls answered as if with one voice as they stood there, both with their arms crossed over their chests as they faced him like two sides of a mirror. 

 

“This isn’t funny, young ladies,” Winters told them with a growl.  “One of you has some explaining to do regarding this morning’s events concerning Sandra, your roommate.  And I also need an explanation for what happened to her canoe.  One of my cleaning ladies saw someone matching your description early this morning coming out the back door of the reception hall where the food supplies are stored, so I can place you at the scene of the crime, so to speak.  And I understand you and Sandra have had words in the past.  I also know one of you wasn’t in the cabin you share with Sandra last night, at least according to her. So I repeat – which one of you is Kaylee Taylor-Kinney?”

 

“I am,” the girls joined in together once more as they peered down at him innocently.  Inside, though, Katie was seething.  The man was acting like Sandra was almost an innocent party here; the nerve of that girl!  Of course she wouldn’t report the reason WHY Kaylee hadn’t spent the night in her cabin!  If she had, the man would know just how horrendous the girl was being to her sister.  For the moment, though, she forced herself to bite her tongue; if she didn’t, it might well destroy everything she and Kaylee were working toward, and that was a much bigger prize worth waiting for.

 

Winters’ eyes narrowed in anger; just what were these two girls trying to pull?  “Okay, now that’s enough, young ladies!” he scolded them sternly.  “This is a very serious matter!  You are facing some very real consequences for what one of you did to Sandra this morning.  Now I suggest the real Kaylee speak up and admit her involvement in these incidents, or I will be forced to impart my punishment on both of you!” 

 

The two girls looked at each other, knowing no matter how much they wanted to present their side of the story, if they did, it might jeopardize their plan.  The idea that Sandra may get off scot free, though, grated on Katie’s nerves and she had to say something.

 

“What about Sandra?” she countered.  “She’s not exactly innocent here, either.”

 

Winters eyed the girl intently, wondering if she was sticking up for her sister or herself; apparently, though, she wasn’t willing to say either way.  “What about her?” he asked, his eyes boring into the young blonde’s.  He noticed she didn’t flinch, though, as she stared him down evenly, her lips pursed together impertinently.

 

“She’s a big, mean bully,” he was told.  “She has tried to make life horrible ever since camp started.  Why do you think my sister and I wound up sharing a cabin last night?  It was because Sandra kicked one of us out.”

 

Winters sighed; he was hoping he was about to trip one of the girls up, but they were on to him.  “She will be dealt with as well, if that is the case.  I’m sure if she was doing what you said, there were witnesses to it.  But the fact remains that you participated in behavior that is clearly grounds for expulsion, rather than bringing it to my attention as procedure dictates.  So unless you have a defense for what you did, or are denying it altogether, and unless the REAL Kaylee fesses up right now, I have no choice but to recommend both of you be expelled from this camp for the rest of the duration.  Now what’s it going to be, ladies?”

 

The two girls turned their heads to look at each other, their lips pursed firmly together as they remained silent.  Inside, though, they were doing somersaults of triumph, because they knew soon they would be seeing the father they never really knew.  Katie, though, was still worried about her sister’s welfare.

 

“But what about Sandra?” Katie persisted, not wanting her sister to find the horrible girl back in the cabin when she returned.  “What about her showing up?”

 

“Sandra was taken to another office upstairs after she had her shower.  She will remain there until the both of you leave and then will be brought down here to talk to me.  I can assure you that she will not be returning to the cabin she shared with Kaylee until after your parents or guardians pick you up.   Now you have one last chance to admit which of you is the real perpetrator.  What’s it going to be?”

 

The girls remained stonily silent and stood their ground as Winters nodded curtly.  “Very well, then,” he stated, perturbed.  “You have thirty minutes to go pack your things and then report to the registration office down the hall.  You will wait there until your parents arrive to pick you up. If for some reason they are unable to do so promptly, you will be placed upstairs in the counselors’ quarters until they can.  Understood?”

 

The two girls nodded, actually feeling excited over what they were about to do.  Their departure was going to be under less than optimal circumstances, but it was really going to happen – they would soon be meeting the father each had never really known.  Now the real work would begin first – they not only had to learn everything they could about each other, but they also had to work behind the scenes to reunite their fathers once they took their sister’s place.  It would be a daunting task, but one that would reap substantial rewards if they could pull it off.  No, not if, when, because they HAD to – it was time to get their family back together somehow.

 

“Very well,” the man replied as he reached over to pick up the phone.  “You can return to your cabins and begin packing your things.  I will contact your parent or guardian to let them know what happened and that you are to be picked up immediately.”

 

As the man spoke, Katie had a sudden, dreadful thought before they could leave; what if Periwinkle told their fathers that each other’s sister was involved? If he did, everything they had worked for would be for nothing, because their fathers would know that they were aware of each other.  It would destroy everything they were working toward.  It was too soon – their fathers couldn’t know, at least not yet.

 

“Can you give us a few minutes?” Katie asked the man unexpectedly, noticing Kaylee turning to stare at her in shock.  This was NOT the way they had agreed to handle this.  She knew she was veering from their plan, and she also knew Kaylee had to be wondering what was going on and whether she was changing her mind.

 

As if reading her thoughts, her sister began, “Ka..,” catching herself before she said the whole name as Katie put a finger to her lip in a silent request for her to be quiet.  She nodded, frowning at her sister as she wondered what she was up to but following her wishes.

 

Winters eyed them carefully for several seconds, wondering if one of them was about to break.  He really didn’t want to wrongfully punish both girls if he didn’t have to, although their little ‘show’ was beginning to annoy him.  Finally, he pushed back from his chair and stood up.  “You have five minutes,” he told them as he passed them on the way out. 

 

As soon as the door closed behind them, Kaylee whirled to look at her sister.  “Katie! What are you DOING?” she cried out.  “We were about to get what we wanted!” 

 

“Were we?” her sister countered.  “What’s going to happen when Periwinkle tells our fathers that Kaylee AND HER SISTER are both being expelled!  They’re going to know!”

 

Kaylee’s eyes grew big as saucers.  “Oh, my God, Katie, I didn’t think about that!  What are we going to do now?” she cried.  They had come so far and now it was all going to be blown to pieces.

 

Katie sighed; she couldn’t think of any other way.  “We’re going to have to tell Old Periwinkle the truth and hope that he helps us.” 

 

“Are you kidding me?  Why would he help US?  We refused to cooperate with him just now.” 

 

Katie huffed in exasperation, knowing they were running out of time AND ideas.  “Well, can you think of any other suggestion?  He’s bound to tell our fathers about both of us when he calls, unless we can convince him otherwise.  Do you want to take that chance?”

 

Kaylee swallowed hard.  She knew her sister was right – there was too much riding on this.  “No,” she admitted.  “But do you really think he’ll help us?”

 

Katie shrugged.  “There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”  The two girls stared at each other for a few seconds until Kaylee nodded her agreement and Katie walked over to open the door.  For once this time, she referred to the man by his real name.  “Mr. Winters?  We need to talk to you.”

 


 

The operations manager of the camp rubbed his hand through his hair restlessly as he sought to digest what he had just been told.  Not only had the girls come clean about which one was Kaylee, they had also told him about an incredible tale of not only separation but also how they came to be miraculously reunited.  Despite what Kaylee’s sister had done to the other girl, by the time they were done explaining everything he couldn’t help feeling sorry for them.  He had been adopted as a young boy and hadn’t even discovered the truth about it until he had reached young adulthood; he had learned about it merely by accident one day.  He had been rummaging through his parents’ attic after they had been killed in an auto accident and had found the adoption papers, along with his mother’s old journal, detailing every part of their decision to adopt him.  He could still remember the feelings of regret, shock, and even anger he had felt that he had never been told.  Now, as the girls explained their own situation, those feelings had returned and he couldn’t help identifying with their joy of discovery as well as their anguish.

 

He looked over at the two girls sitting across from him; marveling once more at their appearance – if they were wearing the same clothes, he would find it impossible to tell them apart.  The only thing that slightly differentiated itself between them was a slight variation of inflection in Katie’s voice.  Other than that, they were a set of identical bookends.  To think they had been separated for over a decade now – he couldn’t even begin to fathom it.  Despite his own adoptive parents’ duplicity, at least he had never been forced to be kept in the dark regarding any other siblings he had – he had been an only child.  That didn’t mean he couldn’t put himself in their situation, though; how many days had he spent wondering what his real parents were like and yearning to know them?  This changed everything. 

 

“Wow,” he murmured as the sisters finished their incredible tale.  “I was looking for the truth from you, but I had no idea.”  He looked across his desk at the two girls who were sitting so close to each other, their shoulders touching.  He thought himself a good judge of character – in his job, it was a valuable commodity – and he could tell these two girls were telling the truth, not only about this Sandra girl but also their unbelievable tale of separation.  He was sympathetic to their situation, but at the same time one of the girls had definitely broken the rules. 

 

He sighed.  “I can assure you that this Sandra will be dealt with appropriately, and if your side of this story is validated, she will be banned permanently from returning,” he told both girls.  He looked at Katie as he added, “And I appreciate why you did what you did, Katie.  But the fact remains that you took matters into your own hands and could have seriously injured another camper.  That is a flagrant violation of our rules of conduct and calls for an immediate expulsion.  I’m sorry, but I will still have to carry out my original decision.”  He turned his attention to Kaylee.  “On the other hand, Kaylee, you appear to be innocent of any wrongdoing, so if you wish to remain here for the duration of your stay you may.”

 

To his surprise, though, both girls vigorously shook their heads.  “No!” they echoed loudly in unison.  “You first!” they added, again as of one voice.  Kaylee grinned at her sister.  “Tell him,” she urged her.

 

“No… We want to BOTH be expelled!”

 

“What?” he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.  “Why?”

 

“Because we WANT to go home – with our other father!” Katie explained as her sister nodded.  “We WANT you to call them and make them come and get us!”

 

“Ahh,” Winters exclaimed with a smile.  “Now I get it.”  He curved his mouth up in amusement.  “Well, aren’t you two just the perfect little sneaks?” he complimented them as the two girls smiled.  “Well, then, I think that can be arranged.  I’ll just say either you or Kaylee did it depending upon which father I call.”

 

The two girls beamed at his response.  “Yay!” they both screamed in delight as they stood up and hugged each other.  “We can’t wait to be expelled!” Kaylee told him as they jumped up and down ecstatically. 

 

Winters laughed.  “Well, I must say – that’s certainly not the usual reaction I get!”  He stood up and walked over to the door to open it back up.  “I’ll make the calls now, then, and sound as stern as I can.  In the meantime, you girls go get packed.  You’ve both got quite an adventure to embark upon!”

 

As he watched them practically run from the room in glee, he had to smile.  He still didn’t quite condone what Katie had done for her sister but he could certainly understand it.  And if he could help to reunite their family together, then, it would be one of the most satisfying things he had ever done.  Shaking his head in amazement as he watched the two girls hurrying out the door, arm in arm, he turned to carry out his mission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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