”You have beautiful hair, Erika. I’m sure you hear that all of the time though.” The nurse commented. Samantha worked to control a grin. “Only lately has anyone noticed.” Erika glared at Samantha. Camp Kumoni By Anistasia Allread Edited by Alexis

Camp Kumoni 46
“Damn!” she cursed.

The inside of the cabin was a mess. Toilet paper was strewn everywhere. In the middle of the mess stood twelve empty toilet paper rolls, and four silly string cans. On the wall over Tricia’s bed was the word OAK in silly string.

Erika stepped back out the door and began shaking the flour off her head. She carefully ran her fingers through her hair to help rid her tresses of the powder.

She sat down on the step wanting to cry. Visions of ‘the plague’ sprang up in her mind; images of being tripped in the lunch room, a full tray spilling across the floor. Memories of laughing, lots of laughing. Being pointed out as the stupid, clumsy kid. Walking through the halls of school, others laughing and pointing as he passed, only to later find derogatory notes on the back of his clothes. After school, finding his bike, his transportation home, taken apart and left in pieces.

Erika put her head in her hands and tried to block out the past. ‘The Plague’ is past. Eric didn’t exist here. ‘The Plague’ didn’t exist here at camp. Only a pretty girl, named Erika.

“Oh my God,” Samantha exclaimed! “Erika, are you alright?” Her footsteps quickened. She plopped down next to Erika and took her in her arms. “What happened?”

“Flour bomb.” Erika was too tired to cry. “The cabin was hit. It’s a total mess.”

“I heard you were back. What happened at the hospital?”

“Seven stitches, back here.” She lightly cupped the back of her white dusted head.

“Anything else?”

“No. Well, except for almost getting ratted out. I need to figure a way to get into Hobbs office this afternoon and change information in my file.” She looked up at Samantha, the ribbons in her hair fluttered in a slight breeze. “I came to change into some clothes, but I. . . I just can’t deal with this right now.” She nodded towards the cabin.

“You stay here; I’ll get what you want.” Samantha offered. She stood up and started into the cabin, then turned back to Erika “What do you want?”

“Just a pair of shorts, underwear, and a T-shirt.”

“Bra?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’ll grab a towel and we can go down to the showers so that you can get that crap out of your hair.”

“I can’t.” Erika sighed heavily. “First off, I can’t get my stitches wet for a week. Second is that if I get the flour wet, it will turn to paste in my hair.”

“That sucks. We’ve got to go tell Hobbs.”

“I’m done with Hobbs for the day. She almost found out twice about our secret. I just want to get into some comfy clothes and relax.”

“Shit, this cabin is a mess.” Samantha exclaimed from the doorway. “This is going to take forever to clean up.”

“I know.” Erika muttered to herself, remembering Eric’s locker that had been caked with silly string. It took forever to clean not only the locker but all of the books, papers and clothing that it contained.

“They flour bombed our beds too.” Samantha called in disgust. “Here you are she came out of the cabin. Bits of toilet paper and silly string clung to her body.

“Let’s go see the nurse, first.” Erika suggested. “Maybe she’ll have an idea.”

Samantha hugged the clothes to her chest with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Erika’s waist, guiding her down the trail.

“I heard you were back.” Tricia ran up with a smile. “I’m so sorry, Erika. I should have never enticed you into a diving competition. Are you alright? Why are you covered in white powder?”

“She was flour bombed when she walked into the cabin.” Samantha explained.

“Flour bombed? Seriously?”

“The cabin is a wreck.” Samantha elaborated. “Toilet papered and silly stringed. Our beds are flour bombed too.”

“Are you all right?” Tricia’s voice was filled with concern.

“I think so.” Erika shrugged.

“Where are you heading now?” Tricia inquired.

“To ask the nurse if there is a way to get this flour out of her hair.” Samantha looked at Tricia, worry written all over her face. “She isn’t allowed to wash her hair until her stitches come out.”

“You got stitches? How many?” Tricia sounded hurt.

“Seven.” Erika stated.

“Tricia, could you tell the rest of the Columbine that our cabin was hit?”

“Sure.” Tricia turned to walk down the trail.

“See what Rachel wants to do? Whether we retaliate or bring Hobbs in on it?” Samantha asked her.

Tricia nodded as she went in search of her new cabin mates

* * *

“What happened to you?” the nurse exclaimed seeing the dust covered Erika.

“Flour bomb,” Samantha explained.

“Is there a way to get this flour out of my hair?” Erika asked the nurse. “The nurse in the ER said not to wash my hair.”

“Where did this happen?” The nurse ushered the two girls into the office.

“I just came back from the ER with Director Hobbs and decided to change into something more comfortable.” Erika explained. “All I did was open the door to the cabin and I was hit in the head by a bunch of flour.”

The nurse had Erika sit down in a chair. “Let me see what they did to you at the hospital.” She gently and carefully inspected the sutures on the back of Erika’s head. “I’ll be right back.” The nurse stepped out of the office.

“She isn’t going to talk to Hobbs, is she?” Erika wondered.

“I don’t know.” Samantha tried to soothe her friend. “I hope not.”

The nurse was back before they knew it and held out a soft bristled brush. “I’m going to carefully brush your hair.” She came around behind Erika. “This will help get most of the flour out. Then I’m going to send you down to the showers.”

“But I was told not to wash my hair.” Erika protested.

“Well, they didn’t foresee you getting flour dumped on your head.” The nurse pulled the brush through her hair. “Shampoo and conditioner are chemicals that could weaken the stitches. A little bit of water, this once, won’t do much.”

The white powdery flour was pulled from her hair and lightly fell to the floor. “You have beautiful hair, Erika. I’m sure you hear that all of the time though.” The nurse commented.

Samantha worked to control a grin.

“Only lately has anyone noticed.” Erika glared at Samantha.

“Okay, I’ve gotten most of it out.” The nurse smiled. “Now it won’t turn to glue when you rinse it.” She turned to Samantha. “Could you take her to the showers and help her? Be very careful of these stitches though.”

“Uh, sure,” Samantha agreed.

“I want to put some ointment on that after your shower.” The nurse instructed.

The two girls walked out of the infirmary and towards the showers.

“Tricia said that the cabin got hit.” Rachel and Krystal met them on the trail. “How bad?”

“It’s a mess but we should be able to get it clean.” Samantha explained. “It’s mostly toilet paper and silly string. Erika got the brunt of it when she opened the front door; a flour bomb hit her in the head.”

“Are you alright?” Rachel looked upset and worried.

Erika nodded. “Yes.”

Rachel looked to one then the other. “Do we know who did it?”

“OAK is scrawled on the wall with silly string” Samantha bit her lip. “But I wouldn’t go jumping to conclusions. They are already spending their free time working for Hobbs. It could be another cabin trying to frame them.”

“Or it could be Oak getting even for Josh, and the work time.” Rachel growled.

“Let’s not react until we get some evidence.” Samantha cautioned. “I’ve got to get Erika to the shower to get the rest of the flour out of her hair. I’ll be up afterwards to help clean.”

Samantha held the door to the shower room open for Erika.

“I can do it myself.” Erika told Samantha.

“No. The nurse told me to make sure you didn’t rip those stitches out.”

“I can do it.” Erika insisted.

“We’ll just keep our bathing suits on.” Samantha leaned past Erika and turned on the shower.

The cheerleader stripped out of her shorts and pulled off her T-shirt revealing her two-piece bikini. Erika was suddenly aware of her male bits straining against its restraints.

“Go on, get in.” Samantha urged. She assisted Erika out of her hospital robe and gently guided her into the hot water.

Erika stepped in and turned around a full circle, getting all of her wet except for her head. She then put her face under the warm spray, feeling the hot water warm the blood in her veins, and start to wash the tension from her muscles. She also used the spray to hide her face from looking at the beautiful form in the bikini standing beside her.

She turned around to let the water beat down on her shoulders, and wiped the water from her face and eyes, being careful not to scratch herself or poke herself in the eye with her acrylic nails. When she opened her eyes, she was staring Samantha in the face. Water droplets from the shower beaded up on her perfect skin. Her eyes looked through her lashes giving her a submissive look. Erika leaned in and kissed the cheerleader. She felt Samantha’s arms reach around her neck pulling her in tighter. Erika’s hands found Samantha’s waist and enjoyed the feel of her flat abdomen and her slightly wider hips. She pulled her closer.

Samantha pulled away slightly and squinted at Erika through the barrage of shower spray. “I care about you a lot, you know.”

Erika nodded. She couldn’t tell if Samantha was crying or if the beads of water on her face were from the shower. She turned so that the water hit them both on one side. Then she lifted her hands to wipe the water gently away from under Samantha’s eyes with her thumbs. She pulled her face closer, her lips, meeting those of Samantha’s. Samantha pulled Erika into a tight hug, and then gently pushed away. “Let’s get this flour out of your hair.”

Gently, ever so lightly, Samantha assisted in rinsing Erika’s hair, being extremely careful of the area where the stitches were.

After a bit, Erika turned the shower off and grabbed a towel. She quickly wiped most of the water off of her body and bathing suit, then draped the towel over Samantha and began drying her. She gently dabbed the droplets from the blonde’s face. Samantha looked up at Erika, tears welling in her eyes.

“You scared me today.” Samantha admitted.

“I’m sorry, It was an accident.”

“I know.” Samantha bit her plump lip. “But I don’t want to lose another sister.”

If someone had plunged a knife into Erika’s back it would have been less painful then the pain that just erupted in her heart. Erika took in a long shuddering breath, and attempted a smile. She turned away from Samantha and fiddled with her clothes. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She choked back some tears.

Samantha leaned in, and kissed Erika on the cheek. “You get dressed and see the nurse. I’ll go and see if I can get the cabin cleaned up.”

“Okay.” Erika avoided looking at her.

As soon as she heard the shower room door close, Erika slumped on the bench and let the tears flow.

SISTER!? Her brain screamed.