On impulse, Shan glanced at Rufus, wondering if he too had detected what the others had not. The boy was indeed staring… but not at Spencer.
Rufus could tell when people were lying.
And from the way those piercing golden eyes had fixed on him, now Rufus knewhecould as well.
There was no time to try to cover his slip. Leonie picked that moment to return, cutting through the crowded square at a pace that wasn’tquitea run. She must have hurried back from the parking lot as fast as she could. Seeing him standing there with the kids—all still breathing and in one piece—she looked distinctly relieved.
“Sorry that took so long,” she panted, brushing escaping wisps of hair back from her face. She scanned the group ofkids, counting heads. “Looks like we’ve nearly got everyone. Has anyone seen-?”
“Hello, idiots.” A lanky blond boy strolled up, his expression a mix of haughty disdain over not-quite-concealed anticipation. “So I’m stuck with you yet again, I see.”
“Ignatius!” Estelle squealed—and then shoved her hands in her pockets, abruptly all preteen indifference. “I mean, oh. You’re back.”
“Like I have any choice,” the boy retorted, the words tasting of soot. “I should complain to my uncle. Speaking of which, I expect eternal gratitude for helping you all with your idiotic scheme. I sounded like an utter idiot, babbling to him about?—”
“Ignatius, you haven’t met our new counselor yet!” Beth interrupted loudly. “This is Shan.CounselorShan.”
“He’s a counselor,” Archie clarified, as if this might have somehow been in doubt.
“Ourcounselor,” Estelle added. “Along with Leonie.”
Ignatius looked at his friends. He looked at Shan, then Leonie. He looked back at his friends.
“No,” the boy announced to the world in general. He spun on his heel. “Not again. Under no circumstances. I refuse.”
“Ignatius?” Leonie said as the boy marched away. “Ig! Where are you going?”
The boy neither turned nor paused. “Home!”
Finley cast a somewhat panicked smile at Leonie as Beth, Estelle, and Archie all pelted after Ig. “Uh, don’t worry. We’ll go get him back.”
“What?” Leonie started, but Finley was already dashing after his friends. She turned to Rufus instead. “Do you know what’s going on?”
Rufus hunched a shoulder in a noncommittal shrug.
“Well, maybe Ignatius will tell the others what’s bothering him. Let’s give them some space for now.” Leonie turned asomewhat forced smile on Tiff and Spencer. “So, who’s hungry? We’ve got snacks!”
Leonie herded the reduced pack into the dining hall. Shan lingered behind a moment, watching the group now clustered around Ignatius. They were too far away for him to be able to make out any words, but it was clear they were having an argument.
Letting out his breath, he followed Leonie. He was grateful she hadn’t askedhimwhat was going on.
One thing was clear. He now knewexactlywhy the kids had invented the ghost story.
And he had to make sure Leonie never found out.
CHAPTER 10
Leonie was starting to worry that convincing Shan to pose as a counselor had not been wise.
Not that he was bad at it.Thatwouldn’t have been a problem. In fact, it would have been business as usual. As head counselor, she always assigned the least experienced new recruit as her own partner. She was used to working with a nervous newbie who needed just as much supervision as the actual kids.
If Shan was nervous, he didn’t show it. He didn’t need handholding, either. Every time she turned around to ask him to do something, he was already taking care of it—handing out drinks, collecting stray dodgeballs, carrying trunks to cabins. He just got on with things, quietly and without any fuss.
Which was just as well, as she certainly had her hands full.
“All right,” she sighed, surveying the carnage. Muffled titters and whispers ran around the dining hall as other packs craned their necks to see what was going on. “Who wants to tell me what happenedthistime?”
“I’m so sorry, ma’am.” Beth, at least, looked appropriatelymortified. Then again, she had for all the previous incidents as well. “I take full responsibility.”
