Song: "Themyscira" - Hans Zimmer
Evie had a slight cramp the next morning. The faded pain pinched her gut. She wondered if it was the result of something she ate. She kicked her sleeping bag off her. "Good morning, Euphorbia," she whispered to the fairy.
Euphorbia yawned. She looked a little better today than she did yesterday, thanks to the moon's rays. Her dress was still pale, but it was no longer white. She could also finally fly a little bit after sixty long years.
Evie offered the fairy her hands. She fluttered into them. "How are you feeling?" Evie wanted to know. She dropped one hand and patted her belly.
"Wake up, campers!" Mateo's voice startled her, as well as her friends. He appeared at the ladder's top. Well, at least he didn't sleep in again. "Our first lesson is today," he explained. Evie was relieved to see that he looked a little better, too. What happened the day before with him was scary.
The young man was already dressed. His new, matador-like jacket was blue with gold lace. He definitely had a way with fashion. Although, Evie kind of missed his ranger uniform. She noticed he still wore a glove over his right hand.
The camp tried to have the Brook and Madison families eat together at breakfast, as an attempt to rebuild trust. Evie's group members and Sam were momentarily stuck with Mr. Jenkins. The dining area had been rebuilt after John destroyed it. For the most part, everybody serving themselves looked happy. Mr. Jenkins, though, acted a little weird around Sam.
The seventy-year-old man gasped. He scanned the young boy up and down like a laser and quietly asked, "Sam?"
Sam set his fork down on his waffle. He sipped his orange juice. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ashlynn, Emrys, Amanda, Tate, and Mr. Jenkins' group members confusingly watched the awkward moment.
"We were friends sixty years ago," Mr. Jenkins explained. "Don't you remember?"
Sam shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I've never seen you before." He looked at his reflection in his fork.
Ms. Julie paced back and forth behind her campers. She kept a close eye on them.
Mateo and Evie's breakfast with their family members did not go well. They shared a long wooden table, in which each party sat on either side of it. A china bowl filled with fruit separated them. They were near the buffet table and under a cluster of lights.
Mateo's exhaustion showed. He almost nodded off multiple times. Eventually, he could do no more. His face fell right into his bowl of cinnamon oatmeal. Plop! Bits of it scattered around the table.
Keegan burst out laughing. "Oh, this is the best thing I've seen all morning," he said.
"Mateo!" Maria quickly pulled Mateo's head out of the bowl. She picked up her napkin and rubbed the oatmeal off his tan cheeks. She temporarily felt his forehead. She sighed, relieved. At least he didn't have a fever anymore.
"I need coffee," Mateo said. However, coffee did not help. He was too tired. He closed his eyes and clutched the bridge of his nose. What started as exhaustion had turned into a searing headache.
Maria took his hand. "You okay, babe?" she inquired.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Mateo lowered his arm, sighing deeply.
Ms. Brook glared at Charlotte and Keegan. "I told you he was exhausted."
Where things went wrong was when Evie discovered the reason behind her cramp. She felt something wet on her chair. The little girl lowered her silverware. She looked down and blushed. "Oh my God. Um... Mom?" Evie cleared her throat.
Keegan sat in between his wife and daughter. Both he and she glanced at her.
"What is it, dear?" Charlotte inquired.
Evie chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm in a bit of trouble." She emphasized with her thumb and index finger.
"What's wrong?" Charlotte got up. The rest of the family members followed her every move.
Evie put her hands under her thighs. She shuffled uncomfortably in her chair. Dang, she really liked her yellow jumpsuit, too. "You know how I told you I have a small cramp today?" she asked her mom. "Well, I think I know why."
"Oh my gosh!" Charlotte's face lit up. "You just got your first period!" Her grin stretched beyond her cheeks.
Evie blushed. She pressed her knees together. Her mom did not have to say that out loud.
Maria and Mateo chuckled.
Charlotte clapped her hands together. She jumped up and down. "My daughter is a woman!"
Evie gulped. "What am I supposed to do?"
Mateo wanted to help her. No, he had to. She was his camper. It was his duty to look after her. Besides, there were plenty of times when he had to run to the store for Maria's period. He swung his legs out from under the table and stood up. Mateo walked around it. He started to approach Evie. "I can get some towels," he said.
Keegan did not let him get near his daughter. In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet. Keegan shoved Mateo's chest. The force at which he did knocked him back.
Mateo tripped over his own feet. He plummeted onto the wooden floor.
Keegan held his arms up to Evie and Charlotte. He narrowed his brown eyebrows.
Within seconds, Maria was at Mateo's side. His mother slammed her palms on the table top. It shook like the ocean during a raging storm. The china bowl fell over, causing the fruit to spill.
For a second, Mateo lost his calmness. "I just want to help! Why can't I, for once, do something right?" The impact into the ground agitated his sore tummy. An eerie pain engulfed it.
Keegan grabbed a cup of water. He tossed the whole drink in Mateo's face.
He choked on it and coughed.
Keegan put the cup down. "Why don't you go get other women pregnant?" he asked. "I'm sure that's your favorite hobby. I wouldn't be surprised if you already have twenty children, you creep."
Mateo, now dripping wet, shut his mouth. The guilt over Maria returned.
Ms. Brook stood up for him. She stepped in front of him and Maria. "How dare you spread lies about my son!" she snapped at Keegan. "He has never gotten a woman pregnant until now. He always asks her for consent. Heck, he never dated before her. Maria's been his only girlfriend. They love each other, so it's okay."
"No, Mamá, it's not okay," Mateo whimpered. "He's right. I'm a creep. This is all my fault."
"Sam heck it is!" Keegan said. "That woman does not deserve you. I don't care if she's your only girlfriend. You got an innocent twenty-one-year-old pregnant."
Keegan's words offended Maria. "Leave him alone!" she fought. "It was an accident! You're the creep here, Mr. Madison, not him. Come on, Mateo. We don't have time for this." She clutched Mateo's arms.
He groaned as she helped him up. The pain in his belly worsened, as well as his headache. He just wanted to lie down. Maria pulled him out of the fray before Keegan could bully him further.
He and Ms. Brook continued to argue.
While they were distracted, Charlotte took off her blue sweater. She tied it around Evie's waist. Charlotte held her hand out to her. "I'm sorry you had to get dragged into this, Evie. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
Evie took her hand. She hopped down from the stained chair.
Charlotte picked it up. She put her free arm around her daughter's shoulders. As she led her away, the little girl looked back at Mateo. What was it about him that her father disliked so much? He was a good man, and he did not deserve to be treated so horribly–not so close to his wedding. It was supposed to be a happy time for him and Maria.
***
Charlotte and Evie returned to Evie's cabin. They found Euphorbia playing with her pebble. She rested on top of the cabin's table and sprinkled magic over it. She stopped what she was doing at the sight of Charlotte and Evie.
Charlotte took Evie's suitcase down from the loft. She tossed it onto one of the couches. Charlotte opened it. She dug out a new outfit.
Curious, Euphorbia dropped her pebble. She floated over to the suitcase and landed in it. As if she were a cat, she dove under a few of Evie's dresses. She was drawn by the human scent. It was very foreign to her.
Charlotte almost closed the suitcase on her, but Evie luckily saw Euphorbia before she could.
"Mom, Euphorbia's in the suitcase!"
"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry." Charlotte scooped the fairy out. She set her down on a coffee table in front of the couch.
Mother and daughter slipped into the bathroom for some privacy.
Euphorbia returned to her pebble. She picked it up and rubbed her finger across it. She temporarily looked out the window to Paperblank's canopy. It looked like she was thinking.
Evie and Charlotte soon came out of the bathroom. Charlotte had Evie's old clothes in a plastic bag. Evie now wore a pair of jeans and a white top with a light green sweater over it. Her curly blonde hair dangled in front of her breasts.
Charlotte patted her back. "There you go. You're all set."
"Thanks, Mom."
"No problem." Charlotte winked. "I need to look out for my daughter." She shuffled over to Evie's suitcase.
Her daughter nervously rubbed her hands together. She also looked like she was lost in thought. Her mouth gaped, but nothing came out. She finally mustered up all her courage and inhaled deeply. "Mom, why does Dad hate Mateo so much?"
Charlotte stopped herself from closing her suitcase. She shuffled uncomfortably. A few trickles of sweat ran down her temples.
"Why do you keep secrets from me?" Evie added.
A tinkling sound wafted by her ear. Euphorbia landed on her shoulder. She sat cross-legged and put her pebble on her lap.
Charlotte took a deep breath. She glanced at her daughter. "You might want to sit down, Evie. It's a bit of a long story."
Evie was prepared for anything. She felt so grown up right now. She plopped down on the couch next to her suitcase.
Charlotte bumped it off to the side, sitting next to her. She picked up her daughter's hands and gave them a small squeeze. She leaned in close to Evie's ear. This was a family matter. Euphorbia had no right to know the situation.
"It happened twenty-five years ago in this very forest," Charlotte whispered.
That was all the Green Guardian heard.
***
Evie's sneakers bounced against the soggy floor of the Paperblank Forest. She hopped over the village's stream and headed for the tunnel. Her excitement bubbled inside her like lava. She tripped, but she caught herself before she could fall. The journey through the tunnel was quick and easy. Bats soared by her head, and a few deer trotted past her. Evie ignored them. Currently, she was lost in a world of amazement.
Euphorbia clutched her shoulder sleeve so she wouldn't fall. She and Evie reached the other end of the tunnel. They found the camp crew. Everybody was in a small meadow that was just behind a line of trees. There were a few grassy hills. Flowers grew on each one.
Evie tried to catch her breath. Hers and Euphorbia's eyes sparkled at who they saw–Mateo. Evie now knew why he was such a talented ranger.
He performed a fabulous display of a nature show.
The campers, counselors, and camp director eagerly observed him. The crew crowded around one of the hills. A few children leaned their backs up against it, and a few others sneezed when pollen got in their nostrils.
Mateo held his rope in his hand. He twirled it a few times and tossed it into a tree. It reacted by offering him one of its branches. The young man climbed on top of it. The tree picked him up from the ground. He released his rope and held it behind his back. Mateo leaped from tree branch to tree branch. They looked a little bit like a staircase. He had incredible balance. He danced a little bit the whole time. Yep, he definitely felt better.
"Wow." That was the only word that left Evie's lips. She and Euphorbia joined the camp crew.
Ms. Julie came within reach of them. "There you are, Evie. Mateo told me what happened." She smirked. "So, a big day for you, huh?"
Evie smiled proudly. She placed her hands on her hips. "It sure is, Ms. Julie."
Ms. Julie pushed her toward her group members. "Go on. Your friends are waiting for you. We're about to begin the first lesson. Mateo's just giving y'all an insight into the world of the Pinta Park Rangers."
"Well, he's pulling it off very nicely," Evie admitted, winking at Ms. Julie.
Mateo backflipped through a ring of leaves the tree created with its branches. He landed on his feet at the base.
The children clapped.
Chuckling, Mateo scratched the back of his head. He lifted his hand over him. At his command, white and pink flower petals broke off from the other trees behind him. They wisped by his hair and circled the campers. The petals took on the forms of magical creatures: mermaids, dragons, fairies, and even centaurs.
The campers laughed. They jumped up and reached for each figure.
Mateo inhaled deeply. His smile left his face, and he lowered his hand. He turned his back to the children and took hold of his nose again. He had to keep this up. It was his job. At least the first lesson was never the hardest. Besides, he promised Maria that nothing was going to go wrong, unlike the day before. She was not very happy that he got himself drunk. For her sake, Mateo had to prove that he was indeed okay and didn't need a doctor–that he was the Ranger Anthony the Union remembered.
A flower centaur trotted around Evie. She laughed as she lifted into the sky. The warm wind whooshed through her curly locks. The centaur touched her small hand. The petals were the softest things in the world. Evie was now even more excited about the first lesson.
Euphorbia lay down on the child's shoulder. She used her pebble as a pillow. She had changed from energetic to feeling extremely tired, just like Mateo. Strange. It was like they, too, shared a connection, and it left the fairy wondering... Who on Earth was Ranger Anthony?
Mateo released his walkie-talkie-like device from his pocket. He checked the forest's topographic map for the basilisk.
His flower creations left the group. They soared through the gap above and into the blue sky.
Now back on the earth, Evie and Ashlynn grabbed each other's hands. They jumped up and down.
"Today's the day, Evie!" Ashlynn said. She threw her arms around her friend. "We're going to become Pinta Park Rangers!"