CHAPTER 6
Hot and Cold
On Tuesday, Ellie waited for her cabinmates to get ready for the first activity. In her hand, the Ultra Hypno Change-O hummed with mesmerizing might.
Soon Leona came out of the bathroom. She was brushing frost out of her hair. Mona followed, spinning a snowball on her finger.
Mona froze as Ellie held out the Hypno Change-O. It seemed to fascinate her. She tapped Leona, alerting her to the gadget.
“Isn’t that what you shared—”
“—at Meet the Hero?”
Ellie nodded as the girls approached. “I saw you looking at it,” she said. “If you want, I can give you a closer look.”
As Leona peeked over Mona’s shoulder, Ellie turned the gadget’s dial. The black and white lines appeared, capturing the twins’ attention. The lines spun in rhythmic circles and pulled them into a deep, mind-bending sleep. Their faces went blank. Seconds later, smiles as warm as mittens spread across their cheeks.
“Ellie, you have—”
“—the most awesome stuff!”
“We love your shirt, your shoes—”
“—and your cape!”
“Let’s get the day started—”
“—so we can have fun!”
Mona picked up Ellie’s towel. Leona hurried to grab Ellie’s beach bag.
Ellie watched in amazement. Mom wasn’t kidding, she thought. The Hypno Change-O is strong! It had melted away her cabinmates’ icy behavior.
With Ellie in the middle, the trio went to the lake for Mega Splash Hour. They passed Wendy, who was stacking inner tubes on the dock.
“Wow!” Wendy exclaimed. “The three of you are really getting along. I knew you would.”
Ellie smiled weakly. So what if that wasn’t exactly the truth? At least the twins were being kind to her.
As they came up to the equipment, Ellie wondered if the girls would consider something besides speed skating. Her bottom had a way-bad bruise from yesterday’s attempt.
“Do you want to play a game?” Ellie asked. “Ring toss with the water noodles? Inner tube races?”
“Sure, we can—”
“—do that.”
“Or, if you’d like, we can take a paddleboat ride,” Ellie said. “I can give us a super-powered push onto the water.”
“Of course—”
“—count us in!”
Ellie scrunched her eyebrows. They were agreeing to do whatever she suggested. It must be the Hypno Change-O talking. “I guess we’ll go on a ride. . . .”
The paddleboats were lined up neatly. Ellie went to pluck one from the row, but as she got closer, she realized something. The boats only had two seats.
“Can I go—”
“—with you, Ellie?”
Clasping their hands, both girls waited hopefully for Ellie’s answer.
“Hmm . . .” Ellie bit her lip as she glanced between them. It didn’t seem right to choose one sister over the other. “Maybe you can play Rock-Paper-Scissors, and I’ll go with the winner?” she offered. “I always play that game with my pet iguana. It’s how we pick who goes first in dominoes.”
The pair faced off. “I won!” Mona cheered after her paper beat Leona’s rock. She put on a life jacket and climbed into her seat. “C’mon, Ellie! Let’s go!”
“Right behind you,” Ellie said, giggling. It tickled her to be treated so well. She flew over to launch the craft when she heard someone sigh. The sound stopped her in midair. Leona, looking sullen, was walking off to the side.
“No fair,” Leona muttered. “Mona gets to go with Ellie, and I’m stuck here.” She slumped down onto the dock.
Leona sounds mad at Mona, Ellie thought. Next time I’ll try to include both of them. That way, no one feels left out. She didn’t want to cause any hard feelings, especially between friends.
* * *
At lunch Ellie made sure they all sat together. Her X-ray beams shined through the crowd, locating three empty seats in the corner. She sat down, and the girls flanked her sides like bread on a hero sandwich.
The food was good. But the company was better. Mona kept Ellie’s water glass filled, and Leona glided over to the silverware to grab a spoon for Ellie’s soup. Leona also got more crackers when Ellie ran out.
As Ellie crumbled a cracker into her bowl, something extra crunchy rolled by on the dessert cart. “Ooo, rice crispy treats!” she said. The cart was carrying enough treats for every camper in the hall. “Those are my favorite.”
“Your favorite?” the girls repeated, perking up.
“We’ll save them—”
“—for you!”
Frozen mist sprayed out of the twins’ fingers. It hit the platter, encasing the treats in a block of ice.
Ellie’s face got hot as the other campers glared at their table. They looked at her like she was the dessert-snatching Cookie Crook.
“How, um . . . thoughtful!” she said to the girls. “It’s nice of you to offer. But one treat is plenty for me.” She put her hands on the ice-block, melting it with her super-heating power. The treats were soggy, but after another burst of heat, they were crispier than ever.
After eating, everyone left to test their soaring skills at High-Flying Trampoline Dodgeball. “I’m excited to share the court with you,” Ellie told Mona and Leona. “No doubt we’ll make a mighty team!”
They bounded into the rec center. Campers were hurrying onto the trampoline court. The girls dashed up the stairs to the platform.
“Hold on!” Wendy said, hopping over to them. “One of the dodgeball teams is already full, and the other has only two open spots. One of you will need to sit out.”
Ellie turned to the girls while Wendy went to pass out balls. “I can wait for the next game,” she said. “Go ahead. You two play together.”
“No way!” Leona protested. “Mona got to play with you by herself. Now it’s my turn.”
Ellie paused. “I suppose that’s fair,” she replied. “How does that sound to you, Mona?”
Mona’s eyes lowered to the ground. “Fine,” she said with a shrug. “But Leona can’t hog you all day.” She glided to the bench and plopped down. A misty cloud puffed out from under her, freezing the bench instantly.
This time Mona is mad at Leona, Ellie thought. I should try to smooth things over. She turned toward Mona to do just that, but Leona grabbed her arm.
“C’mon, Ellie!” Leona said, pulling her onto the court. “We’ll beat the other team for sure!”
“I can’t win,” Ellie muttered to herself.