“You see, the truth is, no one likes your camp. Your camp doesn’t have enough adventure,” Julian explained. “Mine will be double the danger and double the fun.” He pointed to the rocky outcrop up ahead. “Today’s a free trial day and if they like it, they can come to my camp instead of yours on Monday.”
“You’re a camper stealer!” I argued.
“No, I’m a businessman,” Julian said. “You and your friends had a great idea… I just made it better. So don’t be mad, RF. It’s all for the benefit of the kids. And when they all like my camp better, you can just transfer the money the kids already paid you—to me.” He patted that pants pocket of his. Now I knew it was empty. “I’ll take care of the finances from here on.”
“Imitation is the best form of flattery,” Abigail said halfheartedly.
Pru grunted at her.
“Not only did I promise my mom I’d get a job, but with all these campers, and only one counselor”—he pointed to himself—“I can get her a gift with my earnings. There’s this beautiful crystal bubble bath bottle in the general store that I’d like to buy.”
“No, no, no!” I couldn’t believe he was that cruel. “That’s mine!” I said. He knew about the bubble bath, and he knew that was why I needed to earn enough to buy a new bottle. I was back to yelling. “I’m getting that bottle for Aunt Cora!”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t succeed.” Julian shrugged innocently. “When you pass the money to me, and the kids have fun, you can brag about how you helped launch my fabulous camp.”
Every memory I had that made me think Julian was a decent guy disappeared. “You’re awful,” I told him.
“Awful-ly fun!” he said, encouraging the kids to all laugh at his joke.
“Oliver?” I looked at my little cousin. “Please don’t turn out like Julian.”
Oliver grinned happily. “But I want to be just like him,” he said. “My brother’s going to have the best camp in all of Miradero.”
I threw up my hands. It was too late. Oliver was a mini-Julian!
The group moved forward, leaving me, Pru, and Abigail behind.
What were we going to do?
Pru stepped up. “We have to stop them from going to the rocky outcrop. Not only is Julian a camper-napper, but it’s too dangerous.”
The battle had begun. This was war. I galloped on Spirit until I was side by side with my cousin. I climbed off Spirit and stepped close, nose to nose with Julian.
“Are you up for a challenge?” I asked, repeating the way he’d asked me earlier.
“Possibly.” Julian stopped and turned, intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”
I said, “We’ll have PALs Adventure Camp in the morning on Monday with the O-Mok-See, and you could have your Julian camp in the afternoon, after lunch.”
“And the kids will vote?” Julian asked, getting into the idea.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Whoever has the best day at camp will win the campers, their payment, and the right to buy the crystal bottle. It’s an all-or-nothing contest.”
“Done,” he said.
“Fine,” I agreed.
We shook hands.
Pru and Abigail couldn’t believe what happened, but I figure I saved the day. Just as Pru wanted—no one was going to the forbidden rocky outcrop. At least not that very minute.
Of course, now we have a new challenge. We have to work hard to win the campers over, have fun, and convince Oliver that his brother is nobody’s hero.
Our old camp is not going to be enough. We have to throw out everything we’ve done and start fresh. New games. New prizes. New ideas.
It’ll be difficult, but the PALs are going to throw the best O-Mok-See that Miradero has ever seen.
Did you know the word O-Mok-See is from a Native American tradition where warriors would dance before going out to battle?” Abigail was explaining to the campers what we would be doing that day. “The warriors would get all dressed up.” She pointed to a basket of hats and costumes the girls had collected.
“And they’d paint their horses.” Pru demonstrated by using chalk paint to draw a lightning bolt on Chica Linda.
Lucky added to the story. “The warriors would carry shields and spears.”
“Can we have spears?” Lester asked.
“Uh, maybe paper ones…” Pru said.
“Boring.” Oliver yawned. He was clearly still trying to help Julian turn the campers against the PALs.
“I don’t think that spears and dancing mix well. In fact, that sounds very unsafe to me,” Stella protested.
“I have to agree,” Pru said, looking at Bianca and Mary Pat, who were already pretending to stab each other and staging dramatic deaths.
“Oh, you got me good,” Bianca moaned, flopping to the ground.
“You got me, too.” Mary Pat crashed on top of her sister.
Bianca raised her head. “Save us, Snips.…”
“No thanks.” Snips turned away. He asked Abigail, “Can I paint Señor Carrots so he’s ready for the battle?”
“Of course,” Abigail said. “All the horses will get symbols before we ride.”
“Cool,” Snips said. “I’m going to paint carrots on the señor.”
Bianca and Mary Pat sat up. “That’s silly,” Mary Pat said.
“But adorable,” Bianca said.
Snips groaned.
“Okay, campers,” Lucky said. “We are going to get ready for the O-Mok-See, and then we will compete!”
There wasn’t a lot of time to get everything done before Julian got his turn, so the kids hurried to get costumes and to paint.
“We should have spears,” Oliver muttered as he passed Lucky. “Sharp, pointy ones.”
“I’d like to spear him,” Pru said. “Right in his complaining—”
“You can’t spear the children,” Abigail said matter-of-factly, then noticed that the kids who were supposed to be painting Boomerang were actually throwing the chalky paint at one another. She looked at Pru and Lucky. “Do either of you have a spear?”
Lucky laughed.
The girls went to where some campers were picking out costumes.
Turo helped Lester tie a bandana around his neck. “There,” he said, admiring his work. “You
