Beth glowered, but went. It was clear she wasn’t about to come back and apologize any time soon. Probably not before the rest of the summer.
No doubt the other kids wanted to yell at him too, but Archie wasn’t about stick around to give them the chance. T-shirt rucked up around his front paws, he blundered off the field. Conleth called something after him, but he let the words slide through his ears without trying to make sense of them.
Bears didn’t have to understand. Bears didn’t have to listen to people telling them how they’d disappointed everyone. Bears didn’t feel bad about being a stupid, useless failure who always got everything wrong. Bears didn’tgetthings wrong. Bears were just bears.
It was so much easier to be a bear.
He let himself slide away for a little while, taking refuge in the warm, safe, uncomplicated world of his animal side. Try as he might, though, he couldn’t lose himself forever. All too soon, his bear was nudging at him, pushing his human self into the driver’s seat.
Better now,his bear told him firmly, fading back into his mind.Safe. Can’t hide in den through every season. Time to come out.
With a sigh, Archie uncurled from behind the woodshed, shaking the lingering tingles from his arms. He’d lost his shoes and shirt at some point, but at least he still had his shorts.
He must have been a bear for longer than he’d thought. When he got back to the field, a couple of junior counselors were coiling up the tug-of-war ropes and taking them away. A lot of families were still milling around, but there was no sign of his pack mates, or Conleth.
That was fine by Archie. There was only one person he wanted right now. The only person he could count on to always be there for him. Who would always love him, no matter how badly he messed up.
And she was…nowhere to be seen.
“Mom?” Archie said uncertainly.
Last time he’d seen her, she’d been standing right here. And he knew he was in the right spot. His nose wasn’t nearly as good in human form as it was when he was a bear, but he could still catch a faint, lingering trace of her scent.
She must have seen him shift. Maybe she’d gone after him, but hadn’t been able to keep up. Bears were fast, after all. She was probably searching for him right now.
Well, it would be easy enough to follow her trail. And when he found her, he’d convince her to take him home. And then he could go away and never come back to camp again, and…and he wouldn’t be around to ruin everything anymore, and everyone else could be happy.
Archie sniffed, rubbing his eyes. Then he hitched up his shorts, and set off in search of his mom.
CHAPTER 36
“Mom?” Paige called.
Her attempts to cajole an inconsolable Hetta out of a locked bathroom cubicle had been a resounding failure. In the end she’d had to give up, leaving Hetta’s dad to wait for his daughter to be ready to come out and talk.
And in the meantime, apparently, her own family had completely disappeared. She couldn’t find Conleth either, or any of her campers. Most of the kids were still out in the fields playing camp games with their families, but there had been no sign of her own pack. She was starting to worry that something had happened.
As if this day needed anymoredisasters.
Since she was running out of other places to search, she tried the girls’ cabin. “Mom? Anyone? Is there anybody here?”
She was answered by a sniff. “Just me, ma’am.”
“Beth?” Paige went into the girls’ dorm room. “You should be with your mom. What are you doing here all by yourself?”
Beth huddled on her bunk, face puffy from crying. “Uncle Conleth sent me away to think about what I’d done. I said something really horrible to Archie, ma’am.”
Paige sat on the bed next to her, a little distance apart. “Are you sorry about it now?”
Beth nodded vehemently. “I know he wasn’t really trying to cause trouble. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”
“Everyone loses their temper sometimes. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to take it out on other people, but if you apologize, I’m sure Archie will understand.” She sighed. “Especially under the circumstances. We’re all under a lot of stress today.”
Beth fidgeted with her blanket. “Parents’ Day isn’t going to plan, is it, ma’am?”
“No, it isn’t,” she admitted. “In a lot of different ways. But it’ll be okay, Beth. We’ll get through it somehow.”
Beth didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, in a tiny voice, she asked, “Are you going to reject Uncle Conleth?”
