The Guardian Trap

Chapter 2: Not So Different

"I think I'm going to pass out on my bed and sleep until dinner." May decided, basketball under her arm. April paused.

"That doesn't seem like a possibility, May." April stage-whispered. On the top of their cabin roof, was their beds. Also, stuck to the flagpole was a stuffed bear....June's stuffed bear.

"Frankie!" Her youngest sister cried, nearly falling off of her back. April's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How did they get those up there?!" She cried, nervously stroking her ponytail. May's eyes darkened.

"I've had enough of this." The middle triplet exclaimed. "Lets go, girls, I'm going to have a talk with those boys."

"May, don't hurt them." April begged, grabbing her sister's arm. May pulled it away.

"No promises." She replied. Her eyes went over to the bushes - and April spotted a rather familiar red hat. "Hey, you three!"

Louie's head popped up from the bushes. "Who, us?"

"Yes, you!" May fumed. "What'd we ever do to you?!"

"You embarrassed me!" Dewey defended, popping up next to his brother.

"Once...." April pointed out.

"Exactly! Once!" May cried. "And you go and make one sister jump into the lake and impale the other's only stuffed animal! Look!"

"We thought that was April's...." Dewey attempted to state.

"That would've been worse! Listen, bub, they weren't involved in your petty grudge! Now guess what? Now those two are involved."

"May-!" April exclaimed, trying to pull her sister away. She wouldn't budge.

"I tried to stop them-" Huey pleaded. Once again, May wouldn't have any of it.

"No. Not listening. I'm done listening."

And with that, May stormed into the cabin, dragging June in with her. April sighed apologetically.

"I'm sorry about my sister," she said, "she can be a little....headstrong....."

"That's one way to put it." Louie muttered.

"We don't need your apologies, it's war!" Dewey declared. April wrung her hands together.

"Fine. Alright." She replied. She glanced at Huey, who returned her sad gaze. With another sigh, she turned and went back to the cabin to help take down the beds.

That night, she awoke to the creaking noise of the door opening. April sat up, and rubbed her eyes.

"May?" She asked, making out the figure of her sister in the pitch black darkness. "Where are you going?"

"On a walk." May replied. "Go back to bed before you wake up June."

"Ok." She yawned sleepily. In the morning, she would come to regret that.

-

"You did WHAT?!"

May winced at the loud shriek produced by her older sister. She hadn't expected April to react like that, she usually responded with panicking and tears- oh wait, there they were.

"They had it coming, they've been nothing but awful to you two since we got here!" She argued. "And we've only been here for three and a half days!"

"The counselors are going to find out." April pointed out, pacing. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"It's not your fault." May scoffed.

"But we're guilty by association!" June cried, squeezing the freshly stitched Frankie to her chest. "We'll go to jail!"