After Vivian watched Archie drag his family away from the crowd, she debated following. Part of her wanted to find out what kind of dirt she could get on him. But another part of her was worried.
He looked so unhappy. She’d never seen that expression on his face before, and it made her wonder if there was more to Archie than she’d thought.
But she shook that thought out of her mind. She had a job to do.
Miss Hiss was out in front of her office with her clipboard, giving orders in a low, clipped tone, and all the counselors were scurrying around like a pack of worker ants under her commands, corralling parents and kids and keeping them in the approved areas. She wouldn’t actually do anything abusive under the watchful eyes of the parents who paid the bills, but everything about her demeanor suggested only barely repressed violence.
To avoid her, Vivian ducked around the main building toward the arts and crafts cabin and saw Amanda walking out the door.
“Um, hi?” Vivian called, as sweetly as possible. Amanda turned at the sound of her voice, the door to the arts and crafts cabin still open behind her.
“Hi, Vivian, what are you up to?”
Vivian walked up to her and shrugged. “Nothing, really,” she said. “I mean, my parents aren’t coming today, so . . .”
Amanda smiled at her, and when she spoke there was pity in her voice. “That’s got to be tough.”
“It’s okay,” Vivian said. “They’re traveling, so I knew they wouldn’t be able to come. I just . . .”
“I guess there’s not much to do around here today if your parents aren’t here,” Amanda said. “But I think Ms. Hess is planning on the kids giving a swim demonstration later—you can do that, even if you’re on your own.”
“I know, but that’s not until after lunch,” Vivian said, and kicked at a clod of dirt. “I guess I was just wondering if I could get some stuff to make bracelets, or something? Just to kill some time.”
Amanda nodded. “I guess so,” she said, looking over her shoulder into the arts and crafts cabin. “But I need to get out front. I’m supposed to be meeting the parents—”
“I’ll be quick, I promise!” Vivian said. “And I’ll make sure the door is locked when I leave.”
Amanda paused, then smiled again. “Well, I’m not supposed to let kids in there unattended, but if you promise you’ll just be a minute, it’s probably okay.”
Vivian beamed at her. “Thank you so much!”
Amanda held the door open for her. “The door will lock behind you once you leave, just make sure it’s pulled shut.”
“I understand,” Vivian said.
She gave Amanda another big smile, and then walked into the empty arts and crafts cabin. The lights were off, and it was dim, but she already knew where she needed to go. First, she grabbed some embroidery floss, without even looking at the colors. It was her cover story, after all. Then she quickly walked to the back storeroom, where Amanda kept the nicest art supplies. It was unlocked, with just an old screen door covering it like the ones on the bunks. Stepping inside she could see metal shelves that held paints, clay, and other art materials. There was sculpting clay, the kind you use to make real sculptures, and all sorts of fabric and markers, the nice kind, not the cheap ones they used most of the time at Camp Shady Crook. And there, on a shelf toward the back, was a stack of paint kits. She opened the one on top—it was filled with beautiful, untouched tubes of paints, all in a little silver suitcase, with brushes and a palette and everything.
Vivian snapped the case shut and then briefly wondered what all this stuff was for, if the campers were never allowed to use it. Amanda always said there wasn’t enough to go around, which was why when a kid wandered back here to get crayons or some extra construction paper they were forbidden to take any of the higher-quality supplies. But there was plenty here, even if some of the boxes were old and a little dusty. It seemed unfair, really, that kids who liked art as much as Sasha could never use this stuff.
But Vivian didn’t have time to contemplate the inner workings of Camp Shady Crook. She had a job to do. She examined the stack of paint kits. There were only five of them, and she didn’t want Amanda to notice one was missing, especially right after Vivian had been in the arts and crafts cabin alone. But they were half hidden behind a box marked BLICK ART MATERIALS, and so with a little shoving, she was able to take a paint kit and then move the box so it hid the rest of them almost completely.
But the box of paints was large, and, she realized, extremely conspicuous. There was no way she was going to get it back to her cabin undetected, even with most of the campers distracted by the visiting families.
So close to winning the bet, and now a camp full of people stood between her and the Rainbow Smelts cabin, and all of them would definitely notice her carrying a large silver case. Plus, if Amanda came back and found it missing, she’d know instantly it was Vivian who took the paints. She was the only kid who had been alone in the arts and crafts cabin, after all. Getting caught by a counselor before she even won the bet was not at all part of her plan.
That’s when she spotted the small window at the back of the storeroom. It was closed with one of those old-fashioned flip locks, and, once she tried to lift the sash, she realized it probably hadn’t been opened in years. But she finally pried the window open, and then moved it up and down until it slid freely. Then she closed it very carefully so that only a small opening remained—just enough for her to get her fingers in from the other side.
She’d wait until dark, sneak out, and then come in through the window and get the paints. Even if Amanda figured out they were missing, she’d have no way of connecting the crime to Vivian. She gave a shiver of pleasure at her own ingenuity, which only partly masked the uncomfortable feeling she had about stealing something that was valuable enough they didn’t let any of the campers touch it. Even if she didn’t completely understand Miss Hiss’s motivation. Honestly, it was almost like the whole camp was a con bigger than even she could contemplate.
Leaving the window just open enough, she walked out of the storeroom, grabbed the embroidery floss she’d left haphazardly on one of the tables, and let herself out of the cabin, closing the door carefully behind her until the lock clicked.
Once the parents had all left and the tired campers had returned to their cabins for the night, she would go back through the window, grab the paint case, and then bring it to Sasha. The bet was as good as won.
There was a part of her brain that still worried about actually stealing something, but as she kept reminding herself, it was for a good cause. As soon as she won the bet, she’d come clean to Sasha and put the paints back. She’d have beaten Archie and gotten back on top, Sasha would still want to be her friend, and nobody—not Amanda, and definitely not Miss Hiss—would be the wiser.