Chapter 32 #3
“Nah.” Estelle waved at the others, who were already playing together in their shift forms. “You go have fun. I’m kinda tired, anyway.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep her company,” Honey told Finley. “Maybe don’t wrestle Archie though, okay?”
Finley flashed her that sweet, sharp-toothed grin. His form shimmered. With a flick of his tail, his shark soared away.
Estelle plopped down next to Honey. She heaved a huge, heartfelt sigh, watching her friends play. “I wish I could shift.”
A pang of longing twisted Honey’s own heart. And even though it was impossible, she couldn’t help thinking: So do I.
* * *
They returned to camp at midday, dirty, hungry, and happy. Buck was lounging outside the dorms, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets.
“Hey, kids,” he greeted them. “Have fun?”
“We shifted and Finley gave us all a ride on his back and I fell off!” Archie said with great satisfaction.
Buck surveyed the mud-covered boy. “So I see. Go get washed and changed for lunch, kids. Honey, hang back a sec.”
She frowned at him. “Something wrong?”
“Yep.” Pushing himself off the wall, he put an arm around her waist, drawing her close to his side. “There. That’s better. Go on, kids. You’re big boys and girls, you don’t need us hovering over you every minute of the day.”
Honey’s cheeks went pink, but she didn’t pull away. She waved a hand, shooing the pack in the direction of the cabins.
“ Now they’re acting like mates,” Estelle said under her breath, smirking. “See? My plan was a total success.”
“It wasn’t your plan,” Beth retorted. “Don’t go trying to claim all the credit.”
“Speaking of which…” Finley waved. “Hi, Ignatius! Are you feeling better?”
The dragon shifter had been sitting on the steps of the boy’s bunk. As the rest of the pack approached, he stood up. There was something odd about his expression; a new hesitancy, not at all like his usual arrogance.
“Hi,” Ignatius said. “Can I… talk to you all?”
“That depends.” Estelle folded her arms. “Are you going to call us idiots and go on about your stupid uncle?”
Finley elbowed her. “Give him a chance, Estelle. He did help with Buck and Honey, after all.”
A low growl rumbled in Rufus’s chest.
“It was his plan,” Finley insisted. “And it worked, didn’t it? That shows he’s not all bad.”
“Actually…” Ignatius looked at Rufus. “You were right. I was lying, earlier. I didn’t care about Buck and Honey. I… had my own reasons for wanting her to go out last night.”
Claire frowned. “What kind of reasons?”
Ignatius shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. The point is, I manipulated all you—all of you into doing what I wanted. Finley, you wanted to trust me, and I took advantage of that. I’m sorry.”
There was a small, baffled silence.
Estelle broke it first. “I’m still waiting for the part where you sneer and tell us we’re all idiots.”
“Look, I’m trying to apologize, okay?” Ignatius snapped. “I’ve never done this before. What do you want me to say?”
“How about that you’ve been a giant motherloving jerk?” Estelle retorted. “And that you’re sorry for treating us like dirt.”
Ignatius rolled his eyes. “I’ve been a giant motherloving jerk, and I’m sorry for treating you like dirt. Happy now?”
Estelle glared at him. “Only if I get to punch you in the face as well.”
“Estelle.” Finley laid a calming hand on her arm. “I think he really is trying to apologize. Rufus? What do you think?”
Rufus stared at Ignatius, studying him from head to foot. The other boy fidgeted, but held his ground.
After a moment, Rufus’s tense body relaxed. He nodded, his expression turning thoughtful.
“Rufus says as far as he can tell, Ignatius means what he’s saying,” Finley translated. “I think we should accept his apology.”
“It won’t mean anything unless he’s going to change, though,” Beth pointed out. She folded her arms as well, giving Ignatius a skeptical look. “Are you going to be a model camper from here on?”
“Probably not,” Ignatius admitted. “But… I’ll try.”
“I say we give the giant motherloving jerk a chance.” Flora punched Ignatius in the shoulder, in a mostly friendly way. “We can always go back to hating his guts if he slips up.”
“Thanks,” Ignatius said dryly. He hesitated, looking at the other boys. “There’s one other thing. Can I move into the dorm?”
Finley blinked at him. “You mean, into our room, with the rest of us?”
Ignatius shrugged, his shoulders hunching a little. “I’m told it’s an essential part of camp. If I’m stuck here, I might as well resign myself to embracing the full experience.”
“That would be fine by me.” Finley looked around at the other boys. “But we should all agree. Rufus?”
Rufus was still watching Ignatius, brow furrowed a little. He cocked his head to one side.
“If you just said something, I didn’t hear it,” Ignatius said. He added, somewhat defensively, “My uncle had me work on my mental shields, so that it would be harder for any enemy to manipulate me with mind control powers. I don’t know how to drop them.”
“We can work on that,” Finley said, smiling. “Rufus says he’s fine with you moving in. Archie, what about you? We all need to agree.”
“Wellllll…” Archie narrowed his eyes at Ignatius. “Do you snore?”
Ignatius stiffened, a shadow of his old offense crossing his face. “No!”
“ I do,” Archie said, chest swelling with pride. “Real loud. Also, sometimes I turn into a bear in my sleep and roll out of the bunk.”
“He does that a lot,” Finley sighed. “You really sure you don’t want to stick with your private room, Ignatius?”
“I’m sure.” Ignatius cleared his throat. “And… I always thought, if I ever had some friends… maybe they could call me Ig.”