Camp Wacko: The Drones of Summer (9 page)

Not knowing whether this was a rhetorical question or not, we remained silent.

He chuckled. “You may call me Dr. Wackerson. As you may already know, I am the headmaster of this school as well as many others. I’m glad for the opportunity to get to know you better.”

Dr. Wackerson turned his attention back toward me.

“You must be the charming Lilith. Dustin has spoken very highly of you. Come. Let’s take a walk. I would very much like to chat.” He offered me his arm.

My eyes flickered to Dustin for a second. He was glaring at his father. I guessed he saw me look at him, because he inclined his head in my direction. He nodded once, eyes still on his dad.

Taking a deep breath, I accepted Dr. Wackerson’s arm and we stepped outside. As we walked away from the pavilion I caught a glimpse of my friends through the glass. True’s expression was in between terror and worry. Dustin just appeared to be mad.

“I suppose you would like to know what you’re doing here, away from your family and friends,” his father said softly, glancing down at me.

I opted to remain silent, waiting for him to say more. We moved at a slow, leisurely pace, like there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Are you familiar with the saying ‘
Behind every strong man
there is an even stronger woman’
? Well, it’s true.” He smiled sadly. “I had that once. Dustin’s mother was everything I could possibly need to move forward in life. Then one day she was taken from me, just like that, without warning. It showed me how delicate a human life really is. Things nearly fell apart after her passing. Now I want Dustin to have the same thing I did. And he will have that, with you.”

That strange smile of his began to form again as he focused on me now. “Lilith, you have been put through many tests. I think you are almost ready for what’s to come.”

I let this sink in for a minute, wondering just what the heck I was being tested for.

As if reading my mind, Dr. Wackerson began to speak. “After my wife died, I quit my job and locked myself in my only sanctuary, my lab. Surprisingly, a lab is a very good place to think.”

He chuckled at his own lame joke. “I soon came up with an idea. These countries, where they use children as soldiers. They might be onto something. Children are the most creative, active, and clever creatures on earth. What if we all had kids fighting our wars and fixing our problems? It would give the adults time to focus on other pressing matters. Being the resourceful man that I am, I pulled some strings and suddenly had schools popping up all over the nation. All over the world.” He beamed at me. “I have my own army now, growing bigger and stronger by the day. You see, Lilith, everything is almost complete. In a matter of months, possibly a matter of weeks, you will all be unleashed onto mankind. First this wonderful state of California, then the country, and after that, the world.” His expression had turned gleeful now.

I smiled weakly. This man obviously had a screw loose. Before I went running for my life, one question still remained that I was dying to ask. What exactly did he have in mind for me and Dustin?

Of course, the answer was that he wanted us to lead his precious army. As soon as we were old enough, he said, we would be married to strengthen the bond.

Most importantly, Dr. Wacko was confident he had enough people to make a strong army. Plans for world domination would be set as soon as possible. Once his own students were trained, there would be a mandatory call for all children eight years old and up to report to the many training camps he had stationed all over the nation. Parents had to obey, otherwise the consequences would be unspeakably cruel. The government would keep databases of every household and the number and ages of children within that household. If a family made the terrible misjudgment of trying to hide their children or fight against the new laws, officials would have the right to invade their homes and search for the missing children, proceeding to punish the family until the whereabouts of those children were released.

What about the president? Dustin’s father had a plan for that one as well. He already had people working for him in the Secret Service who would be ready to take the proper action when necessary. Of course, certain rights set by the Constitution would have to be overridden. His plan for saving mankind was more important than the mere framework of our whole democratic government. Besides, the system that Dr. Wackerson favored sounded more like a militaristic dictatorship.

The man seemed to truly believe that under his control, the world would be a better place. After the minor chaos caused by the takeover, we would eventually find peace within all nations. More focus would be put on the education of children both physically and mentally. Through the brilliant minds that would surely develop from this plan, we would finally be able to find the answers to questions we’ve been asking for decades. We could reverse the damages of climate change, increase job growth by tenfold, and even bring an end to world hunger. It all sounded to me like justification for the terrible things he was saying. This whole spiel left me speechless. It was the craziest thing I had ever heard. How could a man so brilliant be so…? Well, there really weren’t any words to describe this guy.

“What about Cameron?” I blurted, interrupting him. “How come she didn’t fit your requirements?”

Dr. Wacko had begun to steer me back toward the pavilion, but now he paused. “Oh, but she did. She wasn’t right for my son, but she did have her place. The girl had extraordinary calming powers among the rest of the children. I had only sought to enhance her strengths, make her a better soldier.” His grip tightened around my arm. “You removed her before her full treatment was finished. Dustin didn’t understand what was being done at the time. He only saw Cameron as a girl in need, which is admirable, but weak. I realized that the girl was his weakness. As long as she remained alive, Dustin would be distracted.”

My head started to spin. “She was getting better, wasn’t she?”

His grip loosened a bit, and the crazy man smiled a little. “Yes, she was. Amazingly so. I have to admit, Cameron was a special girl. Unfortunately, she was a distraction for Dustin, therefore a liability.”

My throat began to close. A quiet gargling sound passed my lips. “Are you saying-”

“The security in hospitals is laughable,” he muttered.

That’s when I collapsed, gasping for air as I held myself up with shaky hands. Dr. Wacko moved to help me, but I crawled away. I didn’t want him to touch me.

“It was a traceless drug, slipped into her IV. She didn’t feel a thing,” he said quietly, taking my hand despite my protests.

Forcing myself to stand, I yanked my hand away from him. “I want to go back.”

I got my wish. We made it back to the pavilion. Dr. Wacko freed my arm and I dashed inside to safety. When True and Dustin spotted us, they stood at attention. Noticing the horrified expression on my face, they exchanged a worried glance.

Dustin’s crazy father smiled coolly at all of us. “You were correct, my son. Lilith is a wonderful girl. She will make an excellent spouse.”

Both Dustin and I winced at the word. Dr. Wacko seemed not to notice, for he had already turned to True.

“Ah, so you’re the daring Trudence. Come now. There is much to discuss.” He beckoned for her to follow.

Having no choice in the matter, she obeyed. Since I was visibly unsettled, she wasn’t too eager.

The mad scientist turned his head slightly. “Dustin, escort our lovely guest to her room. It’s getting late.”

Just like that, they were off into the night. Soon after their departure, I headed out with Dustin close behind. My mind buzzed with all that had been said to me tonight.

“So, I guess he told you about his plans for us,” he hissed through clenched teeth as he drove the golf cart across the grounds.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Your dad’s a little…”

“Off his rocker? Not all there? A few fries short of a Happy Meal? I know. Still can’t believe I ever thought otherwise.”

I stared out into the night. Everything was so quiet. The campers must have been in their dorms by now, getting ready for bed or just lounging around. There wasn’t even the sound of chattering bugs like usual. It was as if they had sensed the danger and left.

There was nothing I wanted to do more than to leave this place. What Dustin’s father revealed about Cameron had to be enough information for the FBI. The guy had practically admitted to premeditated murder. Had he even told his own son what he had done?

Dustin glanced my way. “Listen, no offense, but I don’t think I want to marry you. You’re great and all, but guys like me like to fly solo, date other girls.”

I rolled my eyes. “No problem. I have no plans for getting married any time soon. Besides, I wouldn’t want to marry you anyway.”

“What?” he gasped, feigning hurt astonishment. “But I’m irresistible.” He slowly ran a hand through his hair.

Laughing, I shrugged. “Looks like I’m immune to your charm.”

We came to a stop in front of my dorm. He hopped out after me. It was time to say our goodbyes for the night. I froze, the words at the tip of my tongue. He had to know the truth about Cameron. The smile slipped from his face, a confused frown taking its place. “What’s wrong?”

I wasn’t sure where to start. Everything was wrong. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. What Dr. Wackerson had said to me tonight was the final straw. I was done. Either Agent Cooper kept his word or I would find my own way out of this mess.

“Lily.” Dustin gently placed his hands on my shoulders, steadying me. I had started to shake without realizing it. “I will do everything in my power to stop my dad from going through with this crazy plan of his. I’m going to need your help.” He searched my face. “Are you up to it?”

Wiping away a stray tear, I could only nod. For some reason, my voice box refused to work at the moment.

It continued to be stubborn as Dustin gave my shoulders a soft squeeze before climbing back into the golf cart. I watched him go, staying frustratingly silent. He had only gone a few yards before he suddenly stopped and looked back.

“You look great, by the way.”

He drove off, going as fast as he possibly could. I could hear him whooping with joy from the rush as I turned to go inside, wondering why I hadn’t been able to tell him anything.

Trouble with a Capital T

ALL I COULD hear were the huffs and puffs of the other runners. Sweat ran down my forehead along my nose, clothes clinging to my body. I felt like barfing. My vision was getting blurry and it wasn’t because I had left my glasses in the dorm room. There was a loud pounding in my head that pulsed through my ears.

We had been running this track for the past hour. The heat was getting to be unbearable. You’d think I’d be used to this, since I used to run the track every day at my school back home, but this was far worse. For one thing, this track was way bigger. Furthermore, I had never had to run for this long. I don’t think even the cross-country team had to run this long. There were two-minute breaks, of course. But they were only long enough for us to get some water and rest for a second. Then we were off again.

I watched Dustin zoom past everyone. I still hadn’t been able to tell him the whole truth. I certainly couldn’t do it now. He ran a whole lap ahead of me. Why did he even put himself through this stuff? He was the headmaster’s son. He’d probably already been trained. He had told me once that he had learned everything he needed to know by the time he was around eight. So he was just showing off. What made things worse was that True trotted right behind him. As you may have already guessed, I’m not that great of a runner. Never have been. Probably never will be.

I thought back to last night. Once Dustin left, I had immediately tried to contact Agent Cooper. However, when I pressed the special button on my handy-dandy frames, nothing happened. Only snowy static filled my vision. I was forced to remove the glasses entirely. I tried shaking them, tapping them against my knee. Nothing worked. The lenses showed only static. When I pressed the button again, the static cleared, but the overall problem still remained. I could no longer communicate with the FBI.

Trying hard not to panic, I had quickly checked the recording device. Well, that was still working at least. There wasn’t any need to keep recording, because Dr. Wacko had said pretty much everything they needed to hear. Now all I had to do was to make sure it stayed safe and hidden. I decided to hide it under the bed in one of the many new shoe boxes found in the closet.

Right after I had slid the shoe box under the bed, True had arrived, appearing just as drained as I felt. She told me Dr. Wacko had plans for her too. She would be second in command. Apparently that meant she’d be overseeing all the kids that entered this advanced academy. She would also become the main recruiter and motivator. True was as creeped out as I was. There was no doubt about it. This psycho had to be stopped. Since I had no idea how to regain contact with Agent Cooper, I would have to find my own way to make this happen.

Back on the track, the horn finally sounded, signaling that we were done. Many dropped right where they were. I crawled to the overhang where everyone gathered for water and Gatorade. Everybody was dead on their feet. It was still fairly early in the morning and we’d already run for an hour. The camp counselors told us we had forty-five minutes to do whatever we wanted, then we were to report to the gymnasium and wait for further instructions. Some camp.