Free Lights Out! by Laura Dower Page A

inside to get the sleeping bag while the rest of the group waited outside.
    “Nice cabin,” Hart joked.
    “Which cabin are you in?” Madison asked.
    “Over there.” He pointed toward a clearing and row of very tall evergreens. “It’s exactly the same as yours only one of the screens is busted, so mosquitoes attacked us last night.”
    “Bummer,” Fiona said.
    Aimee appeared with the rolled-up sleeping bag, stink and all.
    The gang headed to the main lodge to claim their prize.
    Madison walked a little slower than the group. She didn’t want to fall in any hidden mud puddles along the way. She’d run out of spare pants.
    Hart was friendlier than friendly as they walked along. He was talking about math class a lot because he was getting a bad grade. Madison learned that he had a parrot as a pet. She wondered if that was weird. She was a dog person, but what was a bird person like? Did they make a good match? Even though M.A.S.H. had said N-O to marriage, Madison wasn’t ruling out the possibility of dating.
    With every step, Madison watched Hart sweep the flip of brown hair off his face. Now and again she’d catch a glimpse of his eyes looking right at her.
    Madison handed the orange bag over to Egg and Drew halfway to the lodge. The bag was a bit clumsy to carry. Aimee could barely carry her sleeping bag. Was this really what camp was supposed to be?
    “I wish we’d come up with something smaller that was smelly,” Aimee complained.
    “At least we’re all here to carry the stuff together,” Madison said.
    Mrs. Goode wasn’t there when the group showed up with the items, but Ms. Quill was. She placed the objects in a marked bag and thanked Madison and her friends.
    Everyone stood around congratulating themselves for finishing the contest.
    “Wait—what time is it?” Lindsay asked aloud.
    “Five-oh-seven,” Drew announced, proudly showing off his diver’s tank watch. Drew’s parents were rich, which meant he had the latest, greatest toys. “Did I tell you guys that I can play Quasar on my watch?” he added.
    “What’s happening at five, again?” Madison asked aloud.
    “We have to practice for the talent show,” Egg said, stopping short. “We should split, guys. Hart, didn’t you say we’d meet up with Ivy to practice the song at five?”
    Hart slapped his forehead. “Yeah!” he said. “I totally forgot.”
    “Ivy?” Madison said.
    Although she was glad that it was her company that made Hart so forgetful, she was equally appalled that he would ditch her to go find Poison Ivy. She regretted turning down the boys’ offer of singing a group song to sing with her BFFs instead.
    Had she made the right decision?
    “See you at dinner!” Egg cried.
    “See you later, Egg,” Fiona said, but he was already out of earshot.
    The other boys ran off, too.
    “Sometimes I feel like Egg doesn’t care if I’m dead or alive,” Fiona said dejectedly.
    “That isn’t true,” Aimee said.
    “I guess we should go practice,” Lindsay said.
    They marched off through Jasper Woods toward Maple cabin.
    Almost halfway back, Madison realized that she’d left her jacket behind in the main lodge, so she turned back to retrieve it.
    The sky overhead looked threatening again, which did nothing to settle Madison’s escalating nerves. She was tired of rain and mud. She didn’t feel like practicing for a song she couldn’t sing that well, anyway.
    Madison wished she could be sitting at home so she could snuggle with Phinnie. Then everything would be all right.
    As she walked along, Madison spied the orange tower sticking up through the trees. In the late afternoon sun, it didn’t look as ominous as it had before, but it still gave Madison hives. How would she climb to the top—in front of everyone?
    Would Ivy climb to the top successfully? Madison took some comfort in the fact that whatever goes up must come down. She hoped that in Ivy’s case, the coming-down part involved a hideous, loud crash.
    Madison