Chapter Fourteen
Maisie, Naomi, and Sophia were walking into the cafeteria the following morning when Declan’s voice called out.
“Hey,” he said with a warm smile as he was heading out the door while they were heading in.
“Hey, yourself,” Maisie said. She wished she had something cleverer, but that would have to do for now.
Her eyes darted to Naomi and Sophia, seeing the smiles on their faces.
“We’ll go get us seats,” Naomi said.
They hurried inside and Maisie stepped to the side, so she wasn’t blocking the door, standing against the building.
Declan kissed her.
She loved how fast things were moving with him. Of course, the quick pace might be because he’d literally kissed her within minutes of meeting her a couple of days ago. The memory made her laugh.
None of it bothered her, that was for sure.
“I had a great time last night,” he said.
“Me, too,” she replied, looking up into his eyes.
“Any more trouble after I left your place?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Thankfully, everything was quiet.”
“Good. I’ll be over at the pools all day. But if you need me, come get me.” He grinned. “Maybe you can drop by and ride some of the slides.”
“I can’t wait!”
“To see me? Or swim?”
She giggled. “Both. But mainly…swim.”
“Hey! I’m offended.”
They kissed again.
“I’ve got to get to a quick staff meeting,” he said. “Remember, stay out of trouble and we’ll meet up later.”
She smiled as she watched him go.
“I’m a good girl,” she called out.
Something in the glance he cast over his shoulder suggested he might not believe that.
She just giggled and blew him a kiss.
***
Maisie had rejoined her friends and was eating breakfast when Derek had the nerve to slide onto the bench and sit right at the table across from her.
“Heard someone threw eggs at you! That’s awful.”
Maisie scowled, wanting to wipe that arrogant smirk right off his obnoxious face.
“But my theory is that you faked the whole thing,” he continued. “I mean, you all did steal eggs, after all.”
“That’s a lie!” Maisie said.
Derek shrugged. He smiled at her for a moment before slowly standing up. “I was looking forward to my time at camp for months.”
“And I was looking forward to mine!” she answered back.
He continued as if he hadn’t even heard her. “I can’t believe you’re a freaking Little, too! The last thing I wanted was for you to show up, ruining this experience with your awkward nerdiness. So why don’t you just make this easier on yourself and leave now? You’re not cool enough to be here.”
With that, before she could even answer, Derek turned and strode away.
“Man, talk about a jerk!” Sophia said.
“That was completely uncalled for,” Naomi added. “And I’m of a mind to go over there and tell him just what I think!”
Before Maisie could say anything else, a man wearing blue coveralls walked up and said, “You’re Maisie Cooper, right?”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “Name’s Hal. I do lots of odds and ends around this camp. Keep it runnin’.” He shifted the toothpick between his lips from one side of his mouth to the other. “Anyway, just delivered a package to your place. Left it on your porch.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
He smiled. “Don’t mention it, honey.”
Once the man was gone, Maisie smiled. “That’s from Eli!” she whispered loudly.
Naomi and Sophia giggled.
They hurried through the rest of their breakfast, eager to see the treasure that awaited them.
***
As it turned out, it wasn’t just a single treasure.
“What all did he send?” Sophia asked.
The Littles were in the main room of the cabin, marveling at what they saw in the wooden crate that had been express shipped to them from Mountainville.
“This will probably tell us,” Maisie said, picking up a letter that rested on top of the weapons. She read it aloud. “Hi, new friends. Please find the enclosed tools to help you on your journey. My friend, Stryker, designed these, and we believe you’ll find them most useful in your endeavors. There are egg blasters, silly string launchers, and tried-and-true water guns, though these are much more high-power than what you’re used to. Instructions are included. Have fun, be careful, and don’t get caught. Sincerely, your friend, Eli.”
“This is awesome!” Sophia cheered.
“Hey, and you know, Chloe never took back those eggs that were put in our fridge,” Naomi pointed out. “So we have ammo.”
“We need to plan our attack,” Maisie told them.
“Well,” Naomi said with a smirk, “what are we waiting for?”