camper the size of a bus?'
'Did we.'
'I had to back halfway down the mountain to let it by. A real bitch.'
'Wasn't much fun,' Scott agreed.
Nick watched Julie waiting by the outhouse. Soon the twins came out, and she pushed in. When the door banged shut behind her, Nick turned away. He looked toward the two cars to make sure nobody was tampering with the packs.
There was no one in sight. For all he knew, the valley was deserted except for the nine of them and the ranger. But somebody had to belong to those other two cars, so it couldn't hurt to keep an eye on the equipment.
The last time he'd seen Julie she was just a skinny kid, a tomboy. Now she had breasts and everything. She was as cute as any cheerleader at Samo, and she would be camping with him for a whole week.
The thought of that made Nick very nervous. If only she were plain, or fat, or even ugly, he might be at ease with her and they'd have a good time. How could he manage to be himself, though, with someone like Julie around?
She would probably spend the whole week ignoring him.
Probably goes steady with a football player. Messes around a lot, too. Girls like her always do. Just not with guys like me.
Who needs her?
Behind Nick, the door banged. He looked around. Julie was striding toward her father, her long legs slender and tanned, her hands flat inside the front pockets of her shorts, the white of her bra visible through her T-shirt. She glanced at Nick, but looked away quickly. Her hair bounced and swayed as she walked.
'Don't wear your eyes out,' his father said, coming up behind him.
Nick's face grew hot. 'I won't,' he muttered.
They headed for the car, walking well behind the others. 'She sure is something to look at.'
'She's all right.'
'All right, my ass. She's a knockout, and you know it. Now if I was in your shoes, I'd be right in there striking up an acquaintance.'
'Yeah, well. '
'You don't want her thinking you're stuck up.'
'I'm not stuck up.'
Approaching the car, Nick watched Julie pick up her backpack. She lifted it by the straps and swung it onto the trunk of her father's Olds Cutlass. Balancing it there, she turned around. Her eyes met Nick's for a moment, as if to make sure he was watching. Then she leaned back, hooking one arm through a strap, twisting, slipping her other arm into place. She leaned forward. The pack tipped against her. She stood up straight; the pull of the straps drew her shoulders back. Nick found himself staring at her breasts, which seemed more prominent than before.
He turned away to put on his own backpack. When he looked again at Julie, she was wearing aviator sunglasses and a red beret that made her seem like some kind of commando.
That's a sharp hat, he could tell her. Sharp? She'll think I'm a turkey. An awesome hat. That's better. But he didn't say it. Instead, he picked up his walking stick.
'Hey,' Julie said, 'is that a real blackthorn stick?' She walked toward him.
Blushing, he nodded.
'Can I see it?'
He handed it to her.
'Hey, this is nice.' She ran her hands along its polished, knobby shaft.
'I got it in Ireland.'
'Really? We've been there. Where did you buy it?'
'Some gift shop near Blarney Castle.'
'No kidding? We were there. Benny got a shillelagh at that place. Blarney Handicrafts?'
'Yeah, that's the place.' 'Did you kiss the Blarney Stone?' she asked.
'Sure.'
'How about the stairs going up there?'
'Pretty hairy.'
She laughed. 'Kissing the stone was a cinch after those stairs. Did you get the gift of gab?'
'I'm not sure it worked on me.'
'Let's get this show on the road,' Dad called.
Julie stayed beside Nick as they walked over to join the rest of the group. With Mr. O'Toole and Dad in the lead, they hiked across a meadow. Ahead, Nick saw a wooden trail sign.
'Have you ever been up in this area?' Julie asked.
'Not around here. We've been into Mineral King, Yosemite, lots of places. Parts of the John Muir Trail. How about you?'
She shook her head, making her blond hair sway. 'I think it's really neat to go where you haven't been before.'
'Yeah, like exploring.'
'And you never know what you'll find.'
They reached the trail, a wide dusty track leading into the forest. The sign beside it read juniper lake, 2 mi.
'If it's all right with everybody,' Mr. O'Toole said, 'we'll stop there for the night.'
'Fine by me,' Dad said.
The arrow pointed to the left. They started to walk. The straps felt snug on Nick's shoulders. The pack, though heavy, rode easily on his back. He took a deep breath. The hot air smelled of dust, and flowers, and pine, and he caught a hint of perfume from Julie. She stayed beside him as they walked.
She's not so bad after all, he thought. This could turn out good.
Ettie's leg muscles trembled from the strain of squatting. Finally, she straightened up. She looked at what she'd done. With both hands, she scooped up loose soil. She sprinkled it onto the pile of her feces. 'Into the dirt,' she said, 'I commit the essence of my foes. As their essence is obscured, so let all traces of their presence be banished from this canyon, that those who seek them might find no cause to trespass here.'
She brushed her hands on her dress.
'That'll do it,' she muttered.
She backed out of the crevice and sat on a block of granite. This high on the slope, she was still in sunlight. The shadow was not far below, creeping slowly upward as the sun sank closer to the opposite ridge.
There was already a nice breeze. It made her sweaty dress feel cool. Raising her arms, she let the breeze chill her sodden armpits.
Merle appeared, off to the right, mounting the crest of the small ridge that separated the lakes. He wore one blue backpack, and carried another. As Ettie watched, he started climbing the shadowy slope. He didn't get far before abandoning the pack in his arms. With the other still on his back, he made his way higher, leaving the shade behind. He clambered over boulders, scurried up steep granite slabs, and finally vanished. From where Ettie sat, it looked as if he'd stepped through solid rock. She couldn't see the Fissure that led into their cave.
A few moments later, Merle reappeared. He sprang down the slope, going to retrieve the second pack.
Though still angry with him, Ettie had to admit she looked forward to checking out the booty. If the couple's tent was any indication, they'd come well equipped. Probably had a camp stove and a couple of nice sleeping bags at least. A stove would come in real handy. Wouldn't put up smoke like the cook fires they sometimes built in the cave. And their ratty old sleeping bags weren't much good against the night's cold. There'd be food, too. Probably enough to keep them going for a few more days anyway. They'd been talking about another raid on campers over by
