The Daredevils, page 12
“Thanks,” Penelope said, “but keep your voice down.”
“I’ve got a question,” I said, interrupting their little romance. “If we set the trap now, how do we know a different car won’t drive through it first? I know it’s a one-way road, so we don’t have to worry about anyone coming from the other direction, but how can we guarantee P.E. will be the first to hit the trap?”
“I like you, Loretta,” Penelope said. “You’re all business.”
“You can say that again,” Waylon remarked.
I punched him in the shoulder.
“P.E. listed his phone number on the camp information sheets,” Penelope explained. “As soon as we have the trap set, we call him—from a school phone so that he can’t trace the number; I’ve already found one we can use in the robotics building—and pretend to be from Central Office. Something has come up and we need him to get there straightaway.”
I was impressed. “You’ve done your homework.”
Penelope nodded. “You can’t send a man to do a woman’s job,” she said.
I smiled. It was involuntary, and I couldn’t help it. What can I say, I liked this girl—and so did my brother. Waylon gazed at her with equal parts admiration and puppy love. He’d found a girl who was more like him than his own twin sister. That hurt, but now was not the time to dwell on feelings.
“Let’s do this,” I said, “before somebody notices we’ve disappeared.”
Penelope glanced around, checking to make sure the coast was clear, and then she took off, running down the road. Waylon and I were right behind her.
When we reached the first trash can, she immediately began attaching the wire to the handle, wrapping it around and around. Waylon played lookout while I took the other end of the wire and ran it across the road. I rigged up the second can like I’d seen Penelope doing, making sure to pull the wire taut. The whole operation was over in a matter of minutes. It was so simple, yet so smart—and as we’d soon discover, so effective.
With the wire in position, we raced back to the dumpster. Penelope and Waylon returned to robotics and I scooted off to the soccer fields. If all else went according to plan, it wouldn’t be long before P.E. was hurrying to his car.
It went better than planned.
I don’t know what Penelope said to P.E. over the phone, or if any call from Central Office would’ve garnered the same response, but he came running out of his office like he was on fire, and after almost tripping and falling, he got into his car and peeled out of the parking lot. Squealing his tires got everyone’s attention, which meant every pair of eyeballs was watching as he sped down the road and tangled with the car catcher. He never saw the wire. He never slowed down.
Those metal cans came flying in from the sides with incredible momentum. It was a direct hit. They crashed into P.E.’s precious car just as Waylon had predicted, like a giant pair of cymbals, and let me tell you, the musical note that rang out sounded glorious.
P.E.’s car came to a screeching halt. Garbage filled the convertible and scattered all over the road. He tumbled out and after taking one look at his Corvette, proceeded to have a meltdown. “No!” he cried. “No!”
Shouts and laughter filled the air all around me.
“Whoa!”
“Wow!”
“Did you see that?!”
Yup, I’d seen it. I thought Waylon’s bobcat trap was the best ever, but Penelope’s car catcher just took that prize. It was spectacular.
I gazed over the field, taking immense satisfaction in the multitude of campers laughing at P.E. And then who did I see? You guessed it. Leon Hurd stood near the landscaping truck and trailer parked against the curb with his eyes locked on me. He smirked when I saw him. I was the wolf, but I immediately looked away. I couldn’t risk giving myself up. The question was, what did he know? There wasn’t anything I could do about it now, so I turned and jogged across the field, blending in with all the innocent campers running around, hooting and cheering.
Was it fun? Yes. But it wasn’t like we got off scot-free. There were consequences. (More on that later.)
We didn’t have a chance to celebrate or even talk about it at camp, not with everyone around, so as soon as we got home Waylon burst into my room, spewing praise for his girlfriend.
“That was incredible!” he exclaimed. “Isn’t Penelope the best?”
I’d held it in as long as I could. No more. The wolf lashed out. “You know what, I’m sick of hearing about your little girlfriend,” I snapped. And I meant it. What good was being the wolf if I didn’t have a pack? Waylon was ready to ditch me for this girl.
I could see he was surprised by my attack, but he didn’t hold back either. “Just because you can’t make any friends doesn’t mean that I’m not supposed to.”
“You call yourself a friend?” I shot back. “You’re so preoccupied with that girl that you’ve completely forgotten about Louie. Some friend you are.”
“I can’t wait for middle school. I’ll finally have a chance to get away from you.”
That cut deep, but I wasn’t about to show it. “Until you need me to save you again,” I snarled. “Because if it’s not Leon Hurd, it’ll be somebody else, and you know it. But don’t come crying to me for help. You can ask your girlfriend.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
“You think you’re so tough,” Waylon said. “You can prove it. Tonight is your rite of passage.”
I wasn’t expecting that. It came out of nowhere. “Tonight? I don’t even have my rite of passage planned,” I said.
“I do,” Waylon replied.
“I thought it was up to me to choose it.”
“Not this time,” Waylon said. “Your test has been revealed to me.”
“And you think I’m doing it tonight?”
He nodded. “You have to.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “Bring it on.”
“Oh, I will,” he promised. Then he turned and stormed out of my room, leaving me standing there.
Between my brother and Penelope, Louie and his mom, and Leon Hurd popping up everywhere I least wanted him to, I was a mess. I was sad on top of angry, on top of confused and scared. Scared of losing my brother to a girl that I actually liked. How was that even possible? Scared for Louie, trapped with his crazy mother. And scared of what Waylon had planned for my rite of passage—because there was no way I could back out of it. No matter what.
I dressed in my freshly laundered sneak-out clothes while Waylon was stuck trying to find something new. His skunk attire was history. Mom made him throw it out.
We met outside our bedrooms just before midnight and had nothing to say to one another. I wasn’t excited about my impending rite of passage, but I was anxious to check on Louie. It had been too long since we saw him last—even if it had only been a few days. After what happened, I think you can understand how I was feeling. The question was, had it been long enough for his mother to cool off? We were about to find out.
“Going somewhere?” Mom asked from the darkness.
Waylon and I both jumped but held in our screams. We didn’t answer, because what were we supposed to say?
“Come in here, please,” Mom said.
We stepped into the living room and saw her sitting on the sofa, Dad next to her, only their faces lit by the sliver of moonlight shining through the window. If they weren’t our parents, I would’ve said they were ghosts. It was eerie—the stuff of movies!
“Did you really think I was just going to let you sneak off again after what happened?” Mom’s head said.
We still had no answer for her, and Dad was not rushing to our sides this time. Clearly, he was still in the doghouse.
“Well, I’m not,” she answered for us.
“Mom, please don’t stop us,” Waylon begged. He couldn’t bear the thought of our quest ending. I could hear it in his voice. “We won’t do anything more with animals, I promise.”
I glanced at him out the corner of my eye. What did he have planned? I worried. Maybe I did want her to stop us.
“I’ll admit, I was a bit alarmed when your ponytail and Blankie disappeared, but I can’t say I wasn’t glad to see that happen,” Mom confessed. “So against my better judgment, I let things go. And look at how that turned out. I’m not about to make that mistake again.”
Waylon wasn’t giving up that easily. “Has Dad told you about our quest?” he asked.
“Yes,” Mom replied.
I was actually happy to hear that. If there was more that Dad had kept from her, then his next stop might’ve been on the curb.
“The directions we found call for us to do certain things at night,” Waylon explained, which wasn’t entirely true, but that was okay.
“Mom, can I talk to you in private?” I said. I didn’t see us getting out of this jam, so I had to take a shot. But let’s be clear, I wasn’t doing this for Waylon. I did it for Louie.
She rose from the sofa, and we stepped into the kitchen. I told her how I was trying to toughen Waylon up to get him ready for middle school. I told her about the many things we’d already done and how going along with Waylon’s nighttime fire ceremonies was part of it. But I never mentioned Louie.
“Your father took me out to your site,” Mom said. “Quite impressive. I can see how building it must’ve taken a lot of work.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “So that’s the sort of stuff we’ve been up to. You don’t need to worry. If I actually thought Waylon was going to trap a bobcat, I would’ve said something, and Dad too.”
Mom laughed. “I almost wish I could’ve seen how things played out with that skunk.”
I shook my head and laughed along with her.
“You know, your father and Uncle Rusty spent countless hours exploring those woods when they were kids. Your escapades have brought back good memories for him.”
I nodded.
“I suppose that’s why I’m going to let this continue, but no more sneaking out. As your mother, I want to know where you’re going, when you’re going, and who you’re with. And I want to know when you get home. That’s never going to change, so you might as well get used to it.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“And I know your father stressed to come to us if you ever need help with anything. Anything at all. And I want to make sure you know that’s still the case.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Good.” She hugged me then. “You can get your brother and go. And please, be safe.”
“Promise,” I said.
In hindsight, I’m not sure I would’ve said that if I’d known what Waylon had in mind for my rite of passage. Because like I said, there was no way I could back out. No. Matter. What.
We were late getting to Louie’s, but that didn’t matter. He was ready and waiting. He slipped out a first-floor window and met us in the underbrush behind his house after spotting our headlamps. No ladder and no trickery this time.
“Let’s go,” he urged, keeping his voice low.
There was so much to say, but we saved talking until we reached the fortress and settled around the Circle of Stones. Waylon got right to work building our fire, the stench of skunk still lingering in the air.
“We didn’t know if you’d be able to make it,” I said to Louie, breaking the ice.
“I was hoping you’d come tonight. I pleaded with the Forest Spirits to send you.”
Waylon smiled at the mention of the Forest Spirits.
“It’s been hard staying away,” I said, casting my brother a sideways glare, “after what happened last time.”
Louie nodded. “My mom’s been on high alert since she caught you, constantly scanning the yard, refusing to sleep. I begged the spirits to keep you away until it was safe. Thankfully, with the help of her pills, she finally crashed a few hours ago.”
“Why does your mom need the pills?” Waylon asked, unable to keep that question in any longer.
“To keep the nightmares away,” Louie replied.
“Nightmares? Of what?”
“I don’t know. Just nightmares. There’s no time for this. We must proceed, and our first order of business is honoring Trapper Waylon.” Louie rose to his feet, taking us by surprise. He had plans.
“Many champions and great warriors have said that while the result matters, it’s the journey one takes in trying to get there that is truly important,” he began. “It is for that very reason we celebrate Trapper Waylon. For even though you did not catch the elusive bobcat, that was not because of lack of will or effort. If anything, your relentless pursuit is seen as inspiring. The Forest Spirits are not frowning; they are looking upon you with admiration.”
Listening to Louie talk, I began to wonder, How did we even get here? (That was something I’d ponder more before we got done this summer.) I wished there was a camera crew with us, because we would’ve made one good movie.
Waylon stood, his face highlighted by the glow from the flames. “I appreciate your remarks,” he said. “Thank you. But I can only move on after fully conquering the challenge presented to me, and I did not do that. The Forest Spirits will offer me another opportunity when the time is right, and when they do, I’ll be ready.”
“Another opportunity to trap the bobcat?” Louie asked, his voice cracking a bit.
“No,” Waylon replied. “A wildlife animal patrol group was able to capture and relocate the bobcat. It’ll need to be a new challenge.”
“You mean the bobcat is no longer in our area?” Louie asked.
“That’s right,” Waylon confirmed.
“Phew,” Louie replied, not even trying to hide his relief.
It didn’t matter how mad Waylon and I were, Louie’s reaction made both of us crack a smile because Captain Camo was the one who was trying to be all serious and strong. It took him a second, but after learning the bobcat was out of the picture, Louie was able to regain his composure.
“We accept your position and await your next challenge,” Captain Camo said to my brother. “In the meantime, we present you with a small gift.”
A gift? Really? These two never ran out of ideas.
Louie went to his pack and pulled out the surprise. When he turned back around, he held a coonskin hat in his hands. Where did he get that thing?! I wondered.
“Heroic explorers sometimes wore these,” Louie said. “It’s time you have your own. You’ve earned it.”
Waylon was all smiles. He took the hat and slipped in on. It was a tad big for his head and looked goofy, but it was perfect. Waylon’s chest swelled. I’d hoped Louie’s thoughtfulness would soften my brother up so he’d go easy on me with the rite of passage—but so much for wishful thinking.
“I’m honored,” Waylon said. “Thank you.”
Louie wasn’t quite done. He pulled a new harmonica—new, meaning one we hadn’t seen before—from his pocket and began to play. He chose a lively tune for this occasion. In response, Waylon danced around the fire, keeping one hand on his head to stop the coonskin hat from falling into his eyes. The celebration didn’t last long, but it counted.
When Louie’s playing came to an end, so did the dancing. Waylon took over at that point.
“The Forest Spirits have brought us together under this majestic night for another reason,” he announced. “Loretta, it’s time for your rite of passage.”
Louie gasped. “But I thought we got to make up our own!” he cried.
“The Forest Spirits chose to reveal Loretta’s to me,” Waylon explained. “Call it the twin connection. It cannot be ignored.”
“Relax, Louie,” I said. “This challenge is for me, not you.”
With all the confident pretending I was doing, I could’ve won an Academy Award, but what choice did I have? As the fearless leader, as the wolf, and especially because of our fight, I needed to be brave and accept whatever challenge my brother had for me. No matter what.
Waylon took a deep breath. “Loretta, you must count coup for your rite of passage.”
“What?” Louie didn’t understand.
Neither did I.
“To count coup was the greatest achievement for the Plains Indians,” Waylon continued. “This was accomplished by performing incredible acts of bravery in the face of the enemy, with the highest honor going to those that touched the enemy warrior and then escaped unharmed.”
My breathing had quickened along with my heart rate, but I remained still and stone-faced.
“Your rite of passage is to count coup,” Waylon repeated.
“Wait, I’m confused,” Louie interrupted. “I don’t get it. Who’s the enemy she has to touch?”
Waylon didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. P.E. Bubba and Leon Hurd were formidable adversaries, but they weren’t nearby, and they weren’t the scariest. That left only one option.
“Who’s the enemy?” Louie asked again.
“Your mother,” I whispered.
Louie gasped.
“She’s not really an enemy,” Waylon was quick to clarify. “Don’t take it the wrong way. But she does present a certain risk.”
“A certain risk? You’re crazy!” Louie cried. “You saw her. If my mother catches Loretta, she’ll—”
“Exactly,” Waylon said. “It has to be dangerous in order for it to qualify as counting coup and for it to be considered as Loretta’s rite of passage.”
“No, it’s—” Louie tried protesting again.
“I’ll do it,” I said, silencing them.
This counting-coup idea had come to me when I was at my maddest, after Loretta had said those things about Penelope and about me not really being Louie’s friend. I was so angry I never stopped to consider the danger involved. I told myself I didn’t care because I thought I hated my sister. But this was real. There was definitely danger. Except I couldn’t call it off. Not now. No matter what.
