The Kids Aren't Alright

Chapter 59: Ronan

Becca shrugs. "I kinda liked it."

"No!" Finn says, utterly scandalized. "Did I not just make myself clear? There will be no cool names!"

She ignores him, extending her hands in the air as if she can already see our names printed on a billboard. "The Dream Team. It has a nice ring to it."

I nod my head in agreement. "It's certainly going to take a Dream Team to pull off this stunt. We only have thirty minutes of breakfast left, but if Wolsey's still replacing the window in the Director's cabin, that should be enough time to force him to talk to us. Sound good?"

"No," says Finn.

"Yes!" says Becca.

"Then it's decided." I clap my hands on their shoulders like a football coach, summoning up one of my most winning smiles. "Let's go threaten a counselor."

Wolsey is slouched against the side of the Director's cabin when we find him, a fresh pane of glass held delicately in his hands. He looks decently surprised to see us approaching, but attempts a wave anyways— before realizing that he's holding a large, breakable piece of glass, and quickly fumbles to a stop.

"Hello," he says, a quizzical expression taking over most of his long, thin face. "How can I help you three today?"

I decide to skip the formalities and head straight to the point. "We know that there's a monster in the lake, Wolsey. And we know that the Director closed the camp down for three years awhile back. Now, we want answers. So tell us everything you know about what happened in the summer of ′69."

The glass pane drops from Wolesley's hands. It hits the ground with a spectacular crash, and explodes into a million tiny crystalline shards.

"That's it," Finn says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm out."

He tries to bail, but I grab him by the shirt sleeve. "Nobody is going anywhere," I hiss. It's too early in the day to be starting a fight with Finn, but this is important, and I need him to stay. "We came here looking for answers, and I'm not leaving until I find them."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you," Wolsey says in a faint voice. "I should go— get another pane of glass— I am sorry, I really am—"

Finn finally yanks his shirt sleeve out of my hand. "Don't make me break your nose again," he growls at me.

"Oh, shut up. You're being such a drama queen."

"Boys," says Becca sharply. "Your groundskeeper is getting away."

Wolsey freezes mid-stride, looking back at us like a deer caught in the headlights. "I wasn't— I'm not—"

Signing, I turn to Becca and give her a meaningful look. She nods at me. There's an unspoken agreement at camp that Becca is the most convincing person around, and by convincing, I really mean incredibly threatening.

Right now, I need Wolsey to stay. And I'm not afraid to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

"We know what you did," Becca states, stopping Wolsey is his tracks. I give her a subtle thumbs-up, and she continues, this time crossing her arms over her chest, "There's no use hiding anymore. We know all of your secrets, Wolsey, so you might as well start talking now."

Finn is staring at Becca in complete confusion, like he can't tell if she's bluffing or not. Then I think back to our conversation last night and wonder if I've mistaken bewilderment for fear.

Wolsey wobbles around to face us. "You d-d-don't understand," he stammers. His pale blue eyes dart frantically between us and the broken glass, and I can sense the panic growing in him, can see it in his bloodless face and his trembling hands. "I didn't keep this secret because I wanted to— I only did it because the Director ordered me to! Please. I don't want to betray her trust."