Hit the Beach (11 page)

“Seriously,” Madison continued, “this is worth fifteen points. We should think about it for a minute.”

“All we have is a minute,” Teeny said. “We have to get back soon. It’s almost twelve.”

They started back on the path toward the ELC building. Will and Teeny were tossing around the little rocks they had collected near the beach. Suchita was in charge of the shells. Logan had stuck a dead beetle in his pocket—for proof that they’d seen the biggest bug. Ann had their master list in hand. She kept stopping to scribble new notes.

Madison wondered what more she could be writing. Who had made her the group leader?

As they all walked along, a cluster of kids from the Butterflies and the Crabs scuttled past. They laughed as if they knew something no one else did.

“Hey,” Teeny called out to the two groups. “Did you see the alligator?”

“Ha-ha; very funny,” retorted one of the other boys.

“There’s no alligator!” a girl said with a laugh.

Will turned around to catch Madison’s eye, as if to say,
See, no one else thinks there’s an alligator either, so why don’t you just give up on the idea already?

But Madison wouldn’t give up.

She let the other groups pass and walked on behind her five teammates, surveying the path, checking the brush for signs of a real alligator. Was there one hiding in the pond that everyone had missed? The gator
had
to be somewhere. But where? Madison glanced up at the main ELC building. In a window of one classroom, she saw a miniature whalemobile.

She stopped short.

“Wait! That’s it!” Madison screamed out.

Will and Ann turned around. The rest of the group raced back to where Madison stood.

“I know where the alligator is,” Madison declared with a huge smile on her face. “I know! I know! Drumroll, please …”

“Come on! Just spill. Where is it?” Logan asked. “We only have a few minutes before time’s up …”

“Remember that place we saw on the tour? The room with the stuffed owl and the dolphin posters and …”

“The giant plaster alligator!” Will said.

“Wow,” Suchita said. “I didn’t even think of that! Leonard didn’t say it had to be real. A fake alligator. Of course! You are so smart, Madison.”

Madison blushed at the compliment, especially at the idea that it came from someone who hardly knew her. “Thanks, Suchita,” she said.

“You are a total genius,” Logan said.

Ann nodded in agreement, but for the first time all day she didn’t say much. “I wish I’d thought of that,” Ann muttered under her breath.

“Yeah, well,” Will said. “You didn’t. But that’s cool. We’re a team. All for one and one for all, right?”

Madison started to laugh. “A team,” she said.

Was she still blushing?

“Shhhhh!” Teeny whispered. “I see the Flounder and Dolphin teams coming down the path.”

The six Egrets stopped talking and tried to act cool as the other camp kids passed by. Once the other group had walked on (with suspicious looks on their faces, because they knew
something
was up), Ann took charge again.

“So, now that we know we will win for sure,” she said in her most authoritative voice as she checked one of the last items off the list, “let’s celebrate.”

“Not so fast,” Madison said.

“Yeah, don’t count your eggs before they hatch,” Teeny said.

“Chickens,” Suchita said, laughing. “Don’t count your chickens.”

“Oh, yeah,” Teeny giggled.

Madison, Will, and the others laughed again, too. Everyone was feeling a little looser now. They were this close to the finish line—and to winning.

What could be better than that?

As the groups approached the main building, Leonard and the rest of the camp staff welcomed back the scavengers with a loud round of applause. He told everyone that the staff had been observing the groups as they proceeded through the different areas of Camp Sunshine—from the mangroves to the pond to the beach. Then he asked a few random questions about animal habitats. Before the hunt, only a few kids could have answered the questions. But now everyone knew the answers. The scavenger hunt had been a success on many levels, and now everyone understood a lot more about Florida wildlife.

Before the time came to review the scavenger-hunt sheets, Leonard and the camp staffers dismissed everyone for lunch. Madison and her fellow Egrets could hardly eat their turkey sandwiches and tangelos. They wanted to know who had won—for real.

“Attention, everyone!” Leonard shouted. “We have our results. Would everyone give me your attention, please?”

The groups sat patiently as the answers were read for each question. By the third question and answer, it was clear that the Butterflies, Crabs, and Flounders were all in trouble. They’d forgotten to cross off “lizard” or “rocks” or one of the other items on the list. Meanwhile, the Alligators, Dolphins, and Egrets were running neck and neck—until the question about fish came up. The Dolphins had said they had seen a fish, but hadn’t been able to identify it correctly. Madison’s group had named carp as the fish in the pond—and so had the Alligators.

And so, the race for first place was between the Alligators and the Egrets.

It all came down to the last question.

“I want to congratulate the Alligators team,” Leonard said. “You guessed correctly that the alligator on the list was the sculpted one in the nature room. Of course, I figured maybe you guys would guess correctly, considering your team’s name …”

The Alligators high-fived each other in celebration. One of the members cried out, “Number one!” with his finger held high in the air.

“Wait!” Ann spoke up. “We guessed that, too—”

Madison grabbed Ann’s arm. “Hold on,” she said. “Look at Leonard. He’s not done yet.”

A smiling Leonard waved at the Alligators. “I’m afraid you weren’t the only team to find the alligator on the list,” he said.

The Alligator team members stopped celebrating, just like that. They looked deflated.

“Our Egrets team also answered correctly,” Leonard said.

“So it’s a tie!” one of the Alligators cried out.

“Not exactly,” Leonard said. “There was the extra-credit question, don’t forget.”

Madison felt her whole body turn cold.
The extra-credit question?
They’d forgotten to fill that in. She wanted to sink through the floor.
How could they have forgotten something so important?

“Oh, no!” cried one of the kids on the Alligators. “The extra-credit question!”

The entire Alligators team looked upset.

Leonard, however, was still smiling.

“Egrets,” he announced proudly, “you are our scavenger-hunt winners! You correctly answered enough of the items on the list—which, with your extra-credit notes, win today’s hunt. Congratulations!”

The other campers and staff members let out a roar and started clapping like mad.

Madison turned to her teammates, who were smiling from ear to ear.

“How did we do it?” she asked aloud.

Will shook his head. “We got all the answers.”

“But—” Madison said. “We didn’t fill in the last part, the extra-credit part. We only put down where the gator was found—”

“No,” Ann corrected Madison. “At the last minute, I saw that we forgot the extra credit. I filled it in.”

“You?” Madison cried with disbelief. “Whoa. That’s amazing. You’re—”

“Yeah, well …” Ann said with her all-knowing tone. “I told you we’d win. And I was right, right?”

Madison bit her tongue. Ann
was
right. They reached out and shook hands, but Ann quickly pulled Madison toward her for a squeeze.

“I told you when we met that we would make the best friends, didn’t I? And if it wasn’t for you and me, we wouldn’t have gotten half the stuff on the list,” Ann gushed. “See? And so I was right about that, too.”

Madison grinned. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her friendship with Ann just then, but she did know she was happier than happy to win.

Later in the day, when Stephanie and the other parents and guardians came by to pick up the campers, the sky opened up. A hard, pounding rain poured from the gray clouds that had been threatening for part of the morning. It lasted only for a few minutes, but everything outside, including Madison and the rest of the Egrets, got drenched.

Still, it was a case of perfect timing. The rain had held off long enough for the Egrets to win the prize—a tin trophy emblazoned with six words:

CAMP SUNSHINE

SCAVENGER HUNT

FIRST PLACE

Madison felt proud. She’d worked together with her teammates—even Ann—to win. Camp seemed like a positive adventure now, certainly more positive than it had the day before.

She couldn’t wait to tell her BFFs all about it.

T
HURSDAY MORNING BEFORE HEADING
over to the ELC, Madison sat in front of Dad’s computer monitor. Her laptop was still acting up, although Dad had promised it would be repaired soon. But since he continued to let Madison use his machine, there was no problem.

She logged into TweenBlurt.com and headed for the BloggerBlurt area, signed in with her password, and clicked the start key:
NEW ENTRY
.

Madison had been thinking all night about what to write. She had a lot to say. Her fingers raced across the keyboard.

08-12 early morning!


OMG OMG OMG I am so XCITED we won this contest today. We = me and the other peeps in my group: Teeny, whose real name is Anthony, Suchita, Logan, Will, and Ann (who is really clingy but I’ll tell u more about that l8r). N e way, we’re called the Egrets. That’s a cool name, right? Don’t make some crack like we’re for the birds LOL—because we are truly THE BEST of everyone. We had to search for all this stuff on the beach today and in the woods, too. OMG again—am I making any sense? I just can’t believe we won something. I wish I could scan in a picture of this trophy and show you—winning first place in anything is such a cool feeling. Actually, I wish I could show u what all the other Egrets look like, too. It’s so weird becoming a part of this new group and having 2 get along w/everyone. We are ALL so different. These peeps are nothing like u guys. :>( But I’m dealing. Of course I miss Phinnie a little bit, too. No one 2 snuggle with @ night … boo hoo. SO … how r u? F: how’s sunny CA? L: Do you have tea in the afternoon in London and did u c & take yr picture w/a beefeater yet? That’s a question fm. my dad, actually. A: W ^ in FH? Have u seen Hart a lot? He hasn’t e-mailed me yet even tho he promised. I’m a little bummed. Maybe I should send him this blog link and my password to read this. No, on second thought, maybe I shouldn’t. Then he would find out how much I really, really do like and miss him. Yikes! And don’t you DARE say that 2 him, Aim, ok? How’s the dance practice coming? Did yr brothers come home from their summer vacations & jobs yet? Oh well, I just heard this HUGE clap of thunder and Dad sez I should get off the computer so I will. BFN! Post yr blogs ASAP!!!


Madison hit
POST
and waited for Dad’s computer to acknowledge that everything had gone through correctly. She was about to log off, but then she realized that she had not surfed the BloggerBlurt area of the site to see if her BFFs had made any posts of their own. So she ignored Dad’s warning and looked up Aimee’s, Fiona’s, and Lindsay’s blogs. As luck would have it, all three had posted something the night before.

Madison skimmed Aimee’s first.

08-11


True or false: Ivy Daly is not only mean but she’s dumb.


Answer: What do you think?!


I went over to the pool yesterday to go swimming w/my mom during their open lap swim time. And I saw Hart there (yes, Maddie, he wuz looking very tanned and I must admit—cute with a capital C). So I was in the water doing the crawl and Ivy and her drones must have come in when I was swimming & not looking. Next thing I knew, I bobbed out of the water & saw Ivy talking 2 Hart like he was her BF (not best friend but BOY friend) or something. She is so full of herself. Maddie—Hart TOTALLY blew her off like more than I’ve ever seen him do b4 so u have NOTHING 2 worry about. But I wished I had a camera to take a picture of what happened. It would be super good 4 blackmailing her!! LOL. Okay—that’s all from home. Off to dance class again. I’m getting really good at pointe. I wish you could all c me—but I’m making a video so don’t worry—maybe u’ll c me when u get home and we can have another slumber party. OK so blah blah buhbye.


Madison reread Aimee’s blog and had another good laugh about Ivy. It was good to hear that Hart was still “in like” with Maddie, or at least seemed to be. The thought of Poison Ivy squirming with embarrassment after Hart’s rejection gave Madison almost as much pleasure as winning the scavenger hunt had.

She clicked on Lindsay’s blog next. Lindsay had posted a smiley face on the top of her entry.

08-11 (Wednesday, nighty-night from London)


Maddie when I read one of yr BLOG pgs I wuz thinking hard about that fortune u got on Ask the Blowfish b4 we left. Didn’t it say something like WILL BE YOURS FOREVER or something like that? Well, isn’t the new cute guy @ Camp Sunny (or whatever) called WILL????? Maybe that’s what your fortune means. Like WILL will be yours forever. If not that is just too much of a weird coincidence doncha think? What do Fiona & Aim think?


BTW: 2day we went on a double-decker bus and took a tour. It is really tiring going all over sightseeing but I liked Picadilley (I think I might have spelled that wrong?) Circle (or maybe it’s square). We did some shopping too. My Aunt Mimi would be so proud—I bought this incredibly funky pair of earrings. I know u will all want 2 borrow them—except 4 fiona, who doesn’t wear dangly stuff. :>)


I miss u guys and Far Hills and even Dan (Who has not sent me another e-mail yet but my fingers r SO crossed.) It is way harder 2 crush on someone long distance, right??? I really hope Dan remembers me after vacation. P.S.: no, still no QTPIES 2 crush on here. Not yet BUT I’m waiting. More fingers crossed. Oh well. LYMTCCIAMC (which means: Love ya more than chocolate chips in my Aunt Mimi’s cookies). A bazillion hugs 2 everyone wherever u are.


Fiona’s blog was the last one Madison read.