Some Things Can’t Be Explained
Beyond the cabins and tops of the trees stood a giant mountain, watching over them. Billy tilted his head back so he could see the top. It was the biggest mountain he’d ever seen, and he felt small standing in its shadow.
In the distance Billy could hear rushing water, and a sound he couldn’t quite place. He waited a minute to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. Yes, there it was again. A howling.
He could tell the instant Dylan heard it too because his eyes got bigger and his mouth fell open.
‘What is that?’ asked Billy, looking around and trying to pinpoint the sound.
‘Monkeys,’ said JJ, dropping their bags next to them. ‘They’re everywhere around here. You’ll get used to it.’
‘Monkeys?’ Dylan exclaimed. ‘MONKEYS?’
‘Yes, monkeys. You know, long tail, small hands.’ JJ smirked. ‘Better watch out – some of them are as big as you. And they’re fierce,’ he said over his shoulder as he went to get more bags out of the van.
Dylan paled. ‘Billy,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t want to fight a monkey.’
‘Nobody is going to fight a monkey,’ Billy said, although he really had no idea. ‘And, if we do, I’ll take the first swing, okay?’ He grinned at Dylan, trying to reassure him. Even though they’d just met, he could tell that Dylan was the kind of kid who was nervous about everything. But Billy didn’t mind – having someone to reassure made him feel useful.
‘All I know about monkeys is you shouldn’t smile at them. Otherwise they’ll think you’re baring your teeth at them and will attack!’ someone said with a southern accent. The blonde girl appeared next to them, remarkably unwrinkled after their hair-raising bus journey. She bared her teeth. ‘Like this!’
‘Got it,’ said Dylan. ‘Won’t do that.’
‘Oh, excuse me, where are my manners?’ she went on. ‘It is a pleasure to meet y’all. I’m Charlotte Bell, four-time winner of Little Miss of the South and two-time ju-jitsu world champion in the under-fourteen category.’ She curtsied.
Dylan and Billy stared at her. Then Dylan shrugged and gave an elaborate bow.
‘Dylan O’Donnell, at your service.’
Not to be outdone, Billy bowed too, a laugh bubbling up inside him.
‘I’m Billy Chan,’ he said. And then with a sly smile he added, ‘And I’ve got multiple surf championship titles.’
‘Of course, this camp is full of overachievers,’ moaned Dylan, but he was grinning. ‘I myself don’t have any titles, although I did once come second in a spelling bee.’
‘What is “Little Miss of the South”, anyway?’ asked Billy.
‘It’s a pageant,’ Charlotte said, as if it was obvious. ‘Where you have to have talents and stuff? That’s why I’m so good at ju-jitsu, because it’s my talent.’ She gave them a ferocious smile. ‘I bet I can beat both of you in an arm wrestle. Heck, I could flip both of you over right now.’
‘I believe you,’ Dylan said quickly, taking a small step back. ‘We’ll take your word for it.’
‘Gather round, campers,’ called Old Gold, who was standing on top of a large tree stump. ‘Now I can formally welcome you to Camp Dragon! Let us all introduce ourselves.’
Everyone formed a circle, saying their names and where they were from. Australia, Japan, India, Ghana, Denmark, France, England and Argentina. Billy had never heard so many new accents before. There were fewer campers than he’d expected though.
‘What a wonderful sight to see all of you here, for the inaugural year of Camp Dragon,’ said Old Gold. ‘Why, you might be asking, have I brought you so far from your homes to this place with log cabins and no internet? You twelve were brought to my attention by someone in your life who knows you very well; perhaps a teacher, a librarian or a coach. I sent out a call to my colleagues around the world for twelve of the best and brightest, and you all are it.’
‘Excuse me,’ said Charlotte, raising her hand. ‘There are only eleven of us, not twelve.’
‘Congratulations, you know how to count,’ said JJ drolly. Charlotte glared at him.
‘Well spotted, Charlotte,’ said Old Gold. ‘I can tell you have a keen eye. You are correct.’
‘I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t correct,’ said Charlotte with a degree of self-confidence bordering on cockiness. Billy was both a little bit in awe and alarmed. She seemed like the kind of person who was very used to getting her own way, no matter what. He definitely didn’t want to get on her bad side.
Old Gold cleared his throat. ‘Yes, well, as I was saying, you have all been brought here for a special reason.’
‘Is he the twelfth person?’ Charlotte interrupted again, pointing at JJ.
Dylan buried his face in his hands. ‘Please, in the name of all that is holy, as my nan says, stop interrupting him.’
JJ scoffed. ‘I’m not a camper. I’m practically a camp counsellor. I’m here to help my yeye.’ Billy remembered that yeye meant ‘grandfather’ in Mandarin. JJ pointed over everyone’s heads. ‘That’s the twelfth camper.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Apparently my yeye sees something special in her too. Although who knows what.’
Everyone turned to see a Chinese girl with a round face and two long black braids hurrying towards them.
‘I’m sorry I’m late!’ she said, going to stand next to Old Gold. ‘I was taking a nap and slept through my alarm. I was having the most delicious dream.’
Old Gold sighed, rather heavily. ‘Everyone, this is Liu Ling-Fei. And, as JJ says, she is our twelfth camper.’
Ling-Fei grinned widely at everyone and waved.
‘Now, where was I?’ muttered Old Gold. ‘Ah, yes. It is my privilege to welcome you all here. I know from your nominations that you are all looking to improve your language skills, but here you will achieve more than that. You will discover yourselves. I challenge you to open your minds and your hearts. You will only get out of this special place what you put in.’
‘A bit of a tall order for a summer camp,’ said Dylan under his breath, nudging Billy in the ribs. Billy swallowed a laugh. Despite Dylan being unlike any of his friends at home, he was starting to think maybe he wasn’t too bad. Even if he wasn’t a surfer and everything seemed to make him anxious.
Old Gold untied his necklace and plucked a bead from one of the ends. He held it in front of him between his finger and thumb. ‘This is your first assignment,’ he said. He took the bead and tossed it directly at Charlotte, who caught it right away. The bead gave off a light purple shimmer and was about the size of an acorn. Old Gold smiled as he pulled another bead from his necklace and tossed it to Dylan, who fumbled it between two open hands before letting it fall to the ground.
‘Does this mean I fail the first assignment?’ asked Dylan, looking morose.
Old Gold let out a deep laugh. ‘No need to worry, Dylan. A little dirt won’t hurt.’ Old Gold continued to pull beads from his necklace and toss them around until everyone was holding one. ‘Each of your journeys here at Camp Dragon will be a personal one,’ he said. ‘I want you to close your eyes, open your minds and your hearts, and think about what you want most from your time here.’
Billy held the bead in his hand and closed his eyes, feeling a bit silly. He opened them again and saw that everyone else’s eyes were shut, their expressions earnest. He sighed and closed his eyes again. He was here now. He might as well try. He rolled the bead in his palm and thought about how far he was from home. How different everything felt here. Nothing was familiar. Even the air smelled different from the salt-scented ocean breeze he was used to. As the wind rustled his hair, he listened to the insects and birds chirping around him, the distant rushing water and the occasional howl of the monkeys. He thought about how far from home he was, and it gave him a pang in his chest.
Focus, he told himself. What did he want from his time at camp?
On the journey here, Billy’s only thought had been how much he was dreading the summer at this camp and all the things he would miss at home. And now as he stood, listening to the new sounds and breathing in the mountain air, a tiny trickle of excitement crept in. If he had to be here, he might as well have a bit of an adventure. This felt like the kind of place for that.
The bead sparked unexpectedly in his hand and his eyes flew open. Old Gold was staring straight at him. Billy shut his eyes quickly, feeling as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Billy shook his head, trying to refocus, but before he could gather his thoughts Old Gold clapped. ‘Very good, very good. I hope that helped centre everyone.’ He walked round and collected the beads, stringing them back onto his necklace. For a moment, Billy thought his bead was glimmering. And were some of the other beads too? He blinked. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light.
‘Now, what would you think if I told you that these beads are going to help me divide you into groups for the summer?’ asked Old Gold with a grin.
‘I’d say that you are absolutely off your rocker,’ Dylan said cheerfully.
Old Gold laughed. ‘I like your honesty,’ he said. ‘Even so, that is what I’m going to do. You might have noticed I’m just a bit old…’ He paused and winked, as if letting them in on a secret. ‘Over the years I’ve learned that some things can’t be explained, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let them guide you.’
Old Gold ran the necklace through his fingers and closed his eyes, humming to himself and rocking back and forth.
‘This does not seem like a legitimate way to group us at all,’ said Charlotte, crossing her arms. ‘Surely we should be divided into groups based on our skills?’
Billy couldn’t help agreeing. Now, not only was he stuck on a mountain in the middle of China with no mobile-phone service, he was also at a camp run by an old man who believed in magic beads.
‘Billy Chan!’ Old Gold thundered, and Billy jumped.
‘Dylan O’Donnell!’
‘Charlotte Bell!’
‘Liu Ling-Fei!’
Old Gold opened his eyes. ‘The beads tell me you four belong together,’ he said. ‘And who am I to disagree?’
Old Gold divided the remaining eight campers into two more groups, and beamed at everyone. ‘I think we are off to a very good start, don’t you?’
The campers eyed each other warily.
‘Now,’ Old Gold continued, ‘I’m sure you’d all like to get to know each other, and you can do that over lunch. But first I want to introduce you to the other camp counsellors.’ He gestured to three adults standing on the edge of the group – two women and a man. ‘This is Lee laoshi, Feng laoshi and Wu laoshi,’ he said, putting the Mandarin word for ‘teacher’ after their surnames. The other camp counsellors waved. ‘If you have any questions, or need anything at all, you can find us in the main cabins in the centre of camp. Now off you go to the canteen!’
‘Well,’ said Charlotte when they reached the canteen, ‘we should probably sit together, shouldn’t we? If we’re going to be part of a team. I’ll admit all my pageant training has made me fiercely competitive – I’m going to want to win all the activities we do.’
‘It isn’t about winning,’ said Ling-Fei earnestly. ‘It’s about the experience.’
‘That’s what people say who don’t usually win,’ said Charlotte. ‘Now that you’re on my team, Ling-Fei, you can get used to winning.’ She winked and flounced off to get her tray.
The food was plentiful and delicious. Billy devoured mountains of fried rice and all the dumplings he could eat. So far, the food was the best part of Camp Dragon. He still wasn’t sure what to think about the other campers, especially his new teammates. He liked Dylan all right, and Ling-Fei seemed nice enough, if a little strange. And he figured he’d rather have Charlotte on his team than be competing against her. He didn’t doubt her commitment to winning.
‘I’m so pleased we’re all on the same team,’ said Ling-Fei with a shy smile at the group. ‘Now that we’ve met I can feel that we’re going to be friends, can’t you?’
Her heartfelt enthusiasm made Billy feel awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Sure,’ he said. Maybe the easiest way to get through the next ten weeks at camp was to just go with the flow. He was good at that. The brief spark of excitement he’d felt when he’d been holding the bead upon arrival had sputtered out, leaving him feeling resigned. He wondered what his friends at home were doing right now.
‘Don’t you ever feel as if you’ve been waiting your whole life to meet the right people, for something to happen? And then when it does… BAM!’ Ling-Fei threw her hands up in the air for extra emphasis, startling Dylan, who dropped his chopsticks.
Ling-Fei laughed, the sound tinkling like bells in the air. ‘This feels like that,’ she said. ‘Can’t you feel it?’
‘I think all I’m feeling is a bit of jet lag,’ Billy said with a yawn. ‘I’m going to go find my cabin. And maybe take a nap.’
If Ling-Fei was disappointed by Billy’s lack of enthusiasm, she didn’t show it. Instead, she nodded. ‘Good idea! Let’s all go and find our cabins.’
It turned out that Billy and Dylan were sharing a cabin, and Ling-Fei and Charlotte had the one next to them. The other campers were sharing cabins with their groups too. Billy was glad that he was sharing a cabin with someone he’d already met.
‘I’m going to go find some wild flowers to decorate our cabin,’ Charlotte announced. ‘Interior decorating is another one of my talents. Come on, Ling-Fei, you can show me where to find some.’
Billy was pretty sure he’d never met anyone with so much confidence, or so many self-professed talents, as Charlotte. She seemed like the kind of person who constantly demanded attention and, right at this moment, Billy found her a bit draining. He was relieved to see her and Ling-Fei head out of the cabin and into the woods.
But it wasn’t just Charlotte. It was everything. Being at camp, meeting new people, hoping that everyone liked him. Billy wished he was back in California. Even though he would never have admitted it to them, he missed his parents. And his know-it-all older brother, Eddie. He wondered what they would make of all this.
He knew what they would tell him though. His mom would tell him he was lucky to have such a great opportunity. His dad would tell him that he’d be happy he’d done this, when he was older. And Eddie… well, Eddie would ruffle his hair (he knew Billy was vain about his hair) and tell him to suck it up, but then he’d say that he was proud of him for being brave enough to go so far from home.
With the thoughts of his family comforting him, Billy went to check out his cabin with Dylan. It was remarkably plain, with two beds, two desks and two chests of drawers. That was all. There was a communal bathroom that everyone at camp shared. Billy had never shared a bathroom with anyone but his family, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
‘Billy,’ said Dylan as they unpacked their bags, ‘I should probably tell you I snore.’
Billy sighed. It was going to be a long summer.