Free Slayers by C. J. Hill Page B

better.
    After class while Dr. B erased the white board, she went up to talk
to him about it. When he noticed her, he stopped erasing and smiled at her. “Did you get situated in cabin twenty-seven?”
    She tapped her fingers against the edge of her notebook. “Um, I wanted to talk to you about that …” How could she put this without insulting the longtime campers who came early every year to help him set up? “I’m not sure I fit in with the girls in twenty-seven. Do any of the other cabins have openings?”
    The smile dropped from his face, and she knew her efforts at diplomacy had failed. She had wounded him with the question. “What’s the problem with cabin twenty-seven?” he asked.
    “Well, they’re such a tight-knit group already, and I understand that. They’re comfortable with each other, and I’m new, and …” And Lilly and Alyssa were petty. “I think it would be better if I moved to a different cabin.” As far away from cabin 26 as she could be, only she didn’t add that part, either.
    His eyebrows drew together in concern. “Perhaps you got off on the wrong foot with the advanced campers, and if that’s the case, I apologize for them. They’re a wonderful group of kids—and you haven’t even met Bess and Rosa yet.” He laid his hand on her shoulder. “Give it a chance. Lilly and Alyssa are coming to invite you to have dinner with them. I’m sure they’re waiting right outside.” He patted her shoulder. “We’ll talk about this again in a day or two.”
    A day or two? She didn’t even want to put up with Lilly and Alyssa for dinner. Only it seemed unreasonable to say so. Tori managed a weak smile, mumbled, “Okay,” and walked out of the room.
    Lilly and Alyssa were nowhere in sight, which shouldn’t have surprised her. Dr. B didn’t understand teenage girls as well as he thought he did.
    Tori caught up with a group of kids from her class and walked toward the cafeteria with them. She was about to go through the cafeteria doors when Lilly and Alyssa strolled up to her. Instead of appearing
friendly, the two girls seemed mildly put out. “Hey, we’re here to get you for dinner,” Lilly said.
    “Thanks,” Tori said, “but I’m going to eat with the people from my class.”
    Lilly and Alyssa blinked at her, apparently unwilling to believe she’d turned them down. “You’re supposed to eat with the advanced campers,” Alyssa said.
    “Oh. Well, I’m not really an advanced camper, so I’m going to eat with the regular campers instead.”
    Lilly scowled. “Suit yourself, but Dr. B won’t like it. You’re part of Jesse’s team.” Then she spun on her heel, and both she and Alyssa stalked off, their blonde hair swishing angrily. They headed toward a cart, which made Tori wonder if they ate meals back at their secret camp. She didn’t watch to find out.
     
     
    Dinner consisted of hamburgers and fries, although the food had been given cutesy names. The potato wedges were now “dragon’s teeth,” which in Tori’s mind made them less appetizing. She had to keep reassuring herself that they were fried potatoes and that putting them in her mouth wouldn’t break her teeth into little shards.
    Tori ate absentmindedly, letting the conversation flow past her like she was a boulder in a stream of words. That’s what it always felt like when she was in a large crowd. The voices sounded like multiple sound tracks lying on top of one another, and she either had to concentrate and block out all but one conversation, or she relaxed and let them all wash around her.
    Then she heard her name. Not called. Just spoken. Someone was talking about her. She glanced in that direction and saw Jesse, Dirk, Lilly, and Alyssa standing against the far wall by the door. They were staring at her and stopped talking when she looked up.
    She forced a smile, which only Dirk returned. Even indoors his
surfer-boy blond hair had gorgeous highlights. Probably all natural. He didn’t look like the