Despite the odd situation, Mark found himself quickly becoming friends with Jess. She was genuinely nice and outgoing, a happy-go-lucky girl with a positive outlook on life. Mark found it a little refreshing, compared to the mopey depressed teens he was used to hanging out with. Even Anna could be quite moody sometimes. It was fun to just cut loose, act like a kid again and laugh with Jess.
Their friendship had a rocky start. Mark wasn't up on the latest fads for young girls so he didn't have much to talk about with Jess. It didn't help that campers were forbidden from bringing any type of electronic device, including smart phones and tablets, so Jesse could not show him what or who she was talking about. (It was a different situation for counselors, of course, and Anna had been allowed to bring her phone to the camp).
Still, Jess seemed to have an almost endless supply of jokes. They were corny and childish, but Mark couldn't help but laugh at more than one of them. Jess filled him in on the camp and a little bit about her life. Mark was intentionally vague about his own life, but Jess sensed his reluctance to talk and didn't press the issue.
Mark was honestly surprised when the bus pulled to a stop in front of the main hall of the camp. Time seemed to fly by when he was talking with Jess. He hardly noticed that several hours had passed during their long road trip. But the darkness outside the bus as they exited indicated that quite a bit of time had passed - the day was long gone and it was now nighttime.
The campers shuffled through the large oak doors of the entrance to the main hall, herded by the counselors. Mark tried to make his way over to Anna, but Jess pulled him into the mob of wild kids and he found himself pushed away from her.
Mark gasped in shock at the sight that greeted him inside the main hall. A huge hairy beast stood inside the main entrance. It was over seven feet tall, with a snarl etched eternally on its wolf-like face. The body was broad and muscular, resembling a bear. Its hands seemed almost human with five digits outstretched and reaching towards unsuspecting prey. But each digit ended in a very inhuman long, sharp black claw. The creature assumed a digitigrade stance, standing on the balls of the long, thin wolf-like paws that were its feet.
"What is that thing?" said Mark softly.
"Oh, that's Fang. It is - or rather was - a Shunka Warkin. They caught it stalking around the woods surrounding the camp. Supposedly there are others still out there so they stuffed it as a warning to the campers, to keep them from wandering around camp alone at night," said Jess.
Mark shivered and Jess chuckled.
"Relax, Mary. It's just a silly story they tell to keep us from sneaking off. The thing isn't real. It's just some parts of a wolf stitched together with an old bear skin or something. Come on - let's go see what cabin we got," said Jess.
Mary followed Jess over to the wall in the auditorium of the main hall. There were several large tables in the center of the room. Jess had already explained this was where they went to eat, but also where they met for announcements and other gatherings. Tonight was all about bunk assignments. The counselors tried to maintain order, but the wild girls ran all about, pushing one another to see where they would be sleeping. Thankfully, Mark saw that he would be in the same cabin as Jess. Unfortunately, Jill would also be staying in the same cabin.
It's just for one night, thought Mark. It won't be that bad.
Jess eagerly led Mark through the camp to their assigned cabin. She had an advantage because she had been to camp before, so they reached the cabin before most of the other girls. They were able to select a good bunk bed to share, close to a window so they could enjoy a nice breeze through the window screen. Jill had arrived even earlier, her little cadre staking out the area near the small window air-conditioning unit that fruitlessly tried to cool down the cabin.
As they got ready for bed, Mark had a little problem. Because he and Anna hadn't planned on Mark becoming a young girl for this trip, they didn't have time to pack any clothes. On the bus Mark wasn't worried because he had expected Anna to come by and change him into a counselor before bed. But it was getting late and she had yet to make an appearance.
"Don't worry, Mary. I am sure they will find your luggage. You can wear some of my pajamas tonight, " said Jess.
Mark was again grateful to have met such a nice girl. He changed clothes and slipped into bed. Their counselor soon came by and turned off the lights. She warned all the girls to stay in the cabin, lest they fall victim to one of the Shunka. A few of the campers scoffed nervously but the majority of them looked a little scared.
"Goodnight, Mary, " said Jesse as she yawned. "I can't wait to show you the lake tomorrow. We can go swimming or boating or even fishing. Can you swim? I hope so... but it's not a big deal if you don't know how. It would be a lot of fun to teach you. Oh, and there is this really cool hiking trail with lots of flowers and even some berries you can pick and eat. Yeah, it's gonna be so much fun....."
Jess soon fell asleep but Mark stayed wide awake. He hated to break Jess' heart, but he was anxious for Anna to finally show up so he could finally change into a counselor. He kept one eye open, staring at the door in the dark.
But Mark wasn't the only one still awake. Jill watched him, with a mixture of curiosity and hate. Jill was sure the strange new girl was planning something. Could she be working up the nerve to sneak out? Jill didn't think so. Mary seemed kind of cowardly. But she had been brave enough to challenge her, something few other girls in camp had ever dared to do. It didn't matter. Mary was up to something and Jill intended to find out what. And to make sure she got into trouble for it, of course.
Jill smiled as she continued to secretly watch Mary from across the room of the dark cabin.