Chapter Fourteen
Quarantine
Rochelle was gone just like Cat, but she vanished, before going to bed.
Jake spoke quietly to the leader,"we have more, than one bad situation Chance.Amy, Julie and Page, all awoke covered with red spots. I questioned them, they all had chicken pox. All three had measles immunizations. I think us guys and Lizy, should stay away from the girls. Who knows what tropical illness they have?"
Chance could think of nothing to cause it,"of course you're right Jake,the three girls will be quarantined, to swim camp."
The guys and Lizy moved all of their things to shed camp, they boiled all of their clothing. Amy, Julie and Page, could not go into the supply shed,supplies would be left for them daily.
Amy scratched her arms,"it itches as bad as poison ivy, Chance said, he hasn't seen poison ivy, or poison oak, on the island."
Page looked into her, small makeup mirror crying,"it's all over my face."
Julie felt the girl's forehead,"at least you don't have a fever Page,and none of us feel sick. We don't have to do chores, or put up with the annoying guys."
Amy was confused,"out of the whole group, why us?We eat the same food, live together. No one in our sleeping cabins but us, has red itching spots."
Julie threw her hands into the air,"I give up, I want my mommy."
Amy and Julie got into bed with Page, they cuddled together, consoling each other.
Chance paced,"this camp, never thought of anyone getting sick. All of the reality shows,have medical professionals. What is this poor mans camp?"
Jake worried for the leaders sanity,"calm down Chance, you're the smartest person I know, but you have no medical training. Like you said, we stay away from the girls. Perhaps the red spots will go away?"
Ronny sat down with his friends," I delivered the girls supplies for today, I spoke to them from a safe distance.Amy said, the red spots are worse.I could see them, on all their exposed skin."
Jake made a fist,"I have never felt so helpless."
Chance wiped away a tear,"I need to be alone."
Chance walked into the jungle, leaning against a tree,"you are watching, you have to help us."
Rochelle answered back,"we have seen the illness, they are in no medical danger. Do not speak to us again."
Chance fell to his knees crying, if only Cat was there to comfort him.
The group avoided swim camp, other than to get supplies, and drop them off. It had been three days, the red spots were still there.
Two nights later Chance sat up in bed,"my mind wonders when trying to sleep, I recalled a bad reaction, I had to a new soap. I got a spotty red rash, all over my body. I then recalled, all of the different cleansers, the girls used on the bath tub.Amy, Julie and Page, all took a bath together, after cleaning the tub.I haven't seen anyone else, from the group, use the tub."
Lizy gasped,"you're right Chance, the girls bathed once per day, for three days,then the red spots appeared."
Chance didn't take the time, to put on his shoes ,he ran to swim camp.
Chance heard talking from the tub shack,"girls I figured out what is wrong with you all."
Page walked out of the door, with a towel on,"we thought an oatmeal bath, would help with the itching."
Chance smiled,"the red spots are a reaction, to all of the combined chemicals,you used to clean the bath tub. Since you continued to take baths, the reaction got worse."
Page blew the leader a kiss,"Lenerd Sanders, I could kiss you."
Chance couldn't tell his bunk mates the truth, about how he determined, the girl's condition.Rochelle said, it wasn't a medical condition.If it wasn't a medical condition, then it had to be a rash.what was the one thing, that the girl's were exposed to, no one else was?It was much easier to bathe, from dumping buckets of water, over your body, from the swimming hole. The three girl's, heated several buckets of water, for the tub. Chance was annoyed, it took him days, to figure it out.Rochelle could have told him the truth. Perhaps illness was another test?
Max ran to his boy, dropping an ear of corn, at his feet.The group look up from, their plates in shock.
Matty picked up the ear of corn,"where did you find this boy?"
The dog laid down, at his master's feet.
Ronny licked his lips."don't look at me, as badly as, I want some corn, I'm not willing, to walk forever finding it."
Matty petted the dog's head,"good boy Max."
Amy drop the fork onto her plate."how far could those little legs have walked? I saw Max when I woke up two hours ago."
Julie added to the math,"I saw him when, I brought eggs back to cook, one hour ago."
Kevin recalled," I saw him about forty minutes ago, when I was trying to pee."
Ronny scratched his head,"I don't have a watch, but I saw Max, just before I came to breakfast. He barked at me, then ran in the direction, of the fishing area."
The group put down their plates running to the fishing stream.
Jake was the first to see it,"I can't believe it, look at all that stuff!"
Lizy squealed," I will never ignore that dog again."
Chance scanned the provisions, knowing who left them. Four cages, with a turkey in each cage. Four huge bags of grain for the birds.Three big piles of sweet corn, two rolls of foil, a sack of sweet potatoes, a butter churn. Two ewe goats were tied, ready to be milked.
Amy saw the note laying on a bag of feed,"happy Thanksgiving, from island camp."
Julie's elation was gone," have we been here that long? I wanted to be home, with my family for Thanksgiving."
Ronny stomped the ground in anger," there are four turkeys,not one. Were going to be here, for Christmas and much longer."
Chance knew this was a test," let's just gather up the supplies, and take them back to camp. We will finish our breakfast, then make an enclosure, for the turkeys,and the goats."
Chance knew it was no where near Thanksgiving, he memorized the dates of the calendar, and had counted every day, since arriving on the island.
Ronny milked a goat,"I just knew we would get stuck doing this Kevin."
Kevin was repulsed,"It figures,the first breast I ever touched, belongs to a goat."
Amy laughed at the teens,"poor things, I mean the goats, not the two of you. I hate how every surprise, means more work for us. The rest of the group, isa gathering bamboo, the goats need an enclosure, as well as the turkeys. We must walk further, finding bamboo, to chop down.That old fashioned butter churn, will take hours."
Ronny was annoyed," why exactly are you here Amy?"
Amy sat down," I'm waiting for milk to churn, take your time."
Megel had no one to complain to about his family, now that his oldest sister Rochelle, had left the island. However he did have one other person, who knew his secret.
Matty was alone with the leader," I'm glad my sister is gone Chance,you should be too. Rochelle is just as mean, as our stepfather. There is nothing she wouldn't do, when given a task."
Chance put bamboo onto a pile," I'm sure the supplies are another test, it is nowhere near Thanksgiving. It is so hard, not telling the others.
Megel picked up bamboo," welcome to my world Chance."
Page was dripping wet with sweat," I hate this place, I want to go home. We're down two people, less people means more chores. I vote for killing one turkey, and freeing the others.I'm tired of working, I want to swim in the ocean. I even dream about doing chores, there is no escape."
Amy sighed," I miss the bath tub, the hot water relaxed my aching muscles. When I go home, I'm never taking a shower again. Chance said that the vinegar, got rid of the cleanser chemicals, but I'm not brave enough, to try taking a bath."
Julie was drenched with sweat," let's take a break, no one will know. Then we drag back, what we have collected.If Chance wants more, he can get it himself."
Kyle's most unlikely friend worked with him,"Steve slow down, you'll strain yourself."
Steve bent over picking up bamboo,"I just want to get it over with. The faster I work, the quicker I can go back to camp."
Kyle smiled,"you never had a job back home, if you had, you would know.The faster you work, the more work you do. The boss will keep you busy, even if you do double the work, as the others. You won't be allowed to go home, before it's either time to, or your co workers, have completed their tasks. Chance is the boss, he says jump, we ask how high?"
Steve took a long drink of water," you make a lot of sense Kyle, I'm going to take your advice. Whoever said that,good looking people are stupid, have never met you."
Kyle returned the compliment," if beauty were brains, you Steve would be a genius."
Steve shyly looked away,he liked being flirted with. He looked forward to being alone again with Kyle.
The next morning Jake killed a female turkey, Kevin pulled out the feathers.Ronny cut off the turkeys head, and gutted it. Chance cut the turkey in two pieces,covered it in tin foil.The Turkey was put into the oven,wood would be added slowly all day.
Dinner time was truly a day of Thanksgiving, the turkey wasn't burnt, or undercooked, it was moist and delicious. The sweet potatoes were roasted over the fire, powdered sugar was added, and thanks to the goats and hard work, butter was added as well.Hot water was added, to the boxed stuffing.Corn on the cob, with butter, was the last dish. For desert, a box of pumpkin cake, was made by Amy.
Amy wiped grease from her mouth, with the back of her hand," to be honest, this is much better than my mom's cooking. I actually like everyone here, unlike our relatives at home, who come over for Thanksgiving."
Page took a large bite of stuffing,"my mother gets so stressed out cooking, and making sure her and dads relatives, don't have a reason to gossip about us."
Julie had butter all over her fingers,"my dad's brother, always shows up drunk, which makes my parents argue."
Lizy had corn between her teeth,"my mother is the perfect host, and God help you, if you forget your manners.Her family is well off,and she acts just like them, when they visit. My father's family are poor, so they're never invited. Truth is, my parents work two job's, they're rarely home, unless they're asleep. I got everything I ever wanted from them,accept their time with me."
Kevin felt empathy,"all of us, have that same story Lizy.We didn't care about much of anything, but having fun. Why should we, with no family around?"
Ronny was suddenly happy,"all we do is work, just like our parents at home. Unlike them, we spend time with one another. We weren't born family, but we have became one."
Chance held up his cup of water,"to the happiness Thanksgiving, we have ever had, cheers."
All of the group held up their cups,"cheers."
It wasn't Thanksgiving, but the group needed it to be.Chance couldn't stop thinking, about what Kevin said,they all had the same story. A light bulb went off, in Chances brain, it was now all clear to him.This camp was a punishment, it was for out of control teens. A boot camp of sorts,meant to break them, of old bad behavior.