Unknown (The Secret Life of Cassie Martin #1)(2)
Before I can climb into the front seat, Jeannie comes running from the house. She hands me a bagel sandwich wrapped in paper towels and a bottle of water before she pulls me into a tight hug. “This will be great for you. I know you’re scared, but I promise you’ll have a great time.”
“Thanks, Jeannie.” I want to tell her I’m not scared, but I don’t. I am scared.
Jeannie walks over to hug Simon next. She whispers something in his ear I can’t make out, but it earns her a smile and a quick peck on the cheek. Afterward, Simon climbs into the driver’s seat.
Juggling my breakfast, I climb into the passenger side, set the water bottle in the cup holder on my side, and buckle in for the long drive.
Simon turns to me as he pulls out of the driveway. “I know you think we’re abandoning you, that you’re being pushed off onto someone else, but that’s not what we’re doing. This place is designed to strengthen your innate abilities. I’ve watched you for the last few months. I know you read faster than anyone I’ve ever met. You also seem to retain what you’ve read. This place will help you with that. There will be kids like you there.”
“Okay.” I unwrap my breakfast sandwich and take a bite to give myself a reason to avoid admitting the truth about his observations.
Having bounced around most of my life, most people ignore me, but Simon notices aspects of me others miss. I pace myself in class, so I appear to read at the same speed as everyone else. I purposely miss questions on exams to blend in with my classmates’ grades. Speed-reading and memory skills barely touch what I’m capable of doing. I can mimic people’s voices and play a musical instrument by ear. I know multiple foreign languages.
Regardless of whether this place has people like me, I still don’t want to go.
Even after I finish eating, the drive remains quiet as I contemplate my future. My eyes blur as I watch the city give way to the monotony of empty highway, grays mixing with staccato lines of white. The sun peeks over the edge of the world, casting a golden glow over the fields. As we continue, I wonder about our destination as the fields turn to hills and then slowly into mountains.
My hands shake from sudden stress, and a light pounding hits my temples. I always know where I am and how to escape if needed. Now, I won’t know where to turn if I want to get out.
I force my voice to remain calm as I glance at Simon from the corner of my eye. “Are we going out of state? Is that why we had to leave so early?”
“We’re not leaving Ohio, but the camp’s not far from the Pennsylvania border. It’s located near a lake.” He sounds reassuring, but I’m leery.
Several lessons in geography and geology give me a baseline about mountains, but if I’d known our destination ahead of time, my reading would have included the local flora and fauna. If this place is designed for smart kids, internet access should be available. My research begins when we arrive.
As I make plans for my time at Camp Odysseus, I wonder why they built a camp for geniuses in the middle of nowhere. Don’t smart kids go to big schools like Harvard? Wouldn’t those places have programs for future enrollees?
While lost in my musings, Simon exits the highway. I focus on his turns. Remembering the way won’t be an issue, but I want to catch anything important that may help me in the future. As we drive, nothing of significance stands out. A small bait shop and convenience store connect via a long gravel drive. Cabins, mobile homes, and tiny houses nestle into the side of the mountain. No cars pass us, and few people linger outside.
Simon turns off the two-lane road and onto a gravel drive, hugged on each side by trees and wildflowers. Had Simon not turned, I’d have missed the driveway. We aren’t on this stretch long before it opens up into a large gravel parking lot. At the end of the space, a large two-story, white building that looks like an old church with its steeple and bell tower in the front sits. Off to the left side, several tables are set up with people sitting behind each. To the right, another gravel lane curves along the side of the mountain.
By this time, the clock clicks over to nine o’clock. Parents mill around with their kids, and everyone seems either happy or resigned to be here. A few younger kids run through the crowd, but most students appear to be my age or older with an equal mix of boys and girls.
Simon pulls into one of the open spots, gets out of the car, and grabs my bag for me. As I climb out the clean scent of the country hits me. It reminds me of when my class went on a two-day field trip at one of the state’s nature reserves. Like then, I miss the sounds of cars and the smells of the city.
With no signs or people giving direction, we walk over to an empty registration table to find out what to do next.
CHAPTER TWO
As the man on the other side of the table greets Simon and me, my attention gravitates to my new surroundings. Down the lane to my right, small, two-story apartment buildings line the way, reminding me of the nun housing near one of my old group homes. The back of the buildings faces the side of the mountain, and, as far as I can tell, no cameras point to the building entrances. Staying there would be perfect. I could sneak out without anyone noticing.
Simon pulls me out of my appraisal with a slight nudge. I raise my eyebrows as I turn to him. Both men wait expectantly, which means I missed a question. Simon smiles down at me and saves me from embarrassment. “Mr. Pratt asked if you’ve ever been to camp before.”