Some Kind of Wonderful (Puffin Island 2)

One look told Zach that for Travis, Starlight Adventure was more torture than treat and he didn’t need to read the boy’s file to know what was going on. It was all there, written on Travis’s face and the way he responded to the world.

He cloaked himself in desperate layers of “I don’t care” and Zach knew all about that. He’d worn the same layers. He knew that caring made you hurt more and that withdrawing was the only way to protect yourself. He’d done the same thing.

As a barrier against cruelty he’d learned to shut off his feelings. He’d been so good at it that he no longer knew how to access that part of himself. When he’d been with Brittany the first time he’d tried to force himself to feel, but the only emotion that rose to the surface had been panic.

It seemed that the techniques he’d used to survive were irreversible and he’d long since given up trying.

He wondered if it would be the same way for Travis or whether he was still young enough to be prepared to give trust one last go.

Careful to keep his distance, he kept his voice casual as he talked to the boy. “Hey, did you remember your bug dope?”

Travis gave a brief nod. His gaze skidded warily to Zach and then away again as if he was checking the exits.

Zach recognized the gesture and it made him feel sick.

“I could use some help here. This stuff weighs a ton.” He could have lifted it one-handed, but he wanted to pull the boy in from the margins. He wanted him to know there were people he could trust. That the world wasn’t a black pit waiting to suck you in and swallow you whole.

Travis hesitated, then stepped forward and loaded the oars onto the trailer.

He didn’t look at Zach, as if not making eye contact somehow reduced the risk.

“Heron Pond is a cool place.” Zach talked as if the conversation wasn’t all on one side, keeping the topic easy and neutral. “First thing in the morning it’s so still it’s like looking at glass. Throw a stone in there and you can see the ripples spread halfway across the water. But you’re going to need that bug dope. There are insects so big they could swallow you whole without chewing.”

There was a spark of something in the boy’s eyes. Interest?

“Did I hear someone say bug dope?” Brittany strolled up to them, a baseball cap embroidered with Camp Puffin jammed onto her head. “You haven’t seen bugs until you’ve dug in Egypt. First thing you do when you wake up in the morning is check your boots for scorpions.”

Travis sent her a cautious look. “No shit.”

She ignored the language. “At night we used ultraviolet torches to check for them. There’s a compound in the exoskeleton of scorpions that causes them to glow in UV light. It means we can see where they are. They show up as a ghostly green color. Fluorescent. Remind me to show you a picture.”

“Gross.” But he looked fascinated.

“Truly gross.” She tightened the straps of her backpack. “And you don’t want to be bitten by one of those suckers.”

“Would you die?”

“No, but it would hurt like a—” She broke off and grinned. “It would hurt a lot.”

Travis was about to ask something else when a few of the children hovering nearby decided they wanted to hear more about scorpions, too.

As they drew closer, Travis retreated.

Zach saw it happen.

Brittany saw it, too. “Hey, more scorpion tales later, folks. Right now we have a hike ahead of us.” She walked over to Travis. “I hate to admit this in front of Zach, but this backpack is too heavy for me to manage with my wrist in a cast. You look pretty strong—” she eyed Travis’s skinny frame “—would you carry a couple of things for me? You’d be my hero.”

The boy stared at her. The idea of being anyone’s hero was clearly an alien concept. “I guess. If you can’t manage.”

“I don’t want to load you down.”

“I can handle it.” He swung his backpack off his back and as he did so his T shirt rode up, exposing a livid scar on his stomach.

Zach saw Brittany’s eyes narrow and then she was delving into her own backpack, carrying on as if nothing had happened. “If you could carry my sweater and raincoat that would be great,” she said casually. “You better walk up front with me. I’m going to need that sweater if it gets cool.”

She could just as easily have hollered for it, but she obviously wanted to keep the boy close and Zach approved of that decision.