The younger girl looked relieved. A few campers grumbled, but most everyone looked excited. Except not Ford or Shannon, who both had the same bored expressions. Marty’d overheard them talking about how their parents had forced them into coming. Blackmailed into it, Shannon had said—camp or no new car for college. Ford had announced she’d had to choose between this and the summer with her grandparents on a farm. Shannon and Ford seemed to want everyone to know they thought the camp was definitely not lit.

Marty focused on the ranger and put Shannon and Ford out of their mind.

“All right then,” Chase said, “first, gear check. Let’s make sure you’ve all got what you need to start out with. Anyone who doesn’t have all their gear will have to go back for it and come up with the rearguard. Which means you will have all the cleanup detail when we get ready to leave.”

Quite a few campers grumbled, mostly good-naturedly, though. Marty laughed.

Alisha called out, “Let’s line up by cabins. Shouldn’t take long.”

Reluctantly, Marty joined the other campers from cabin eight, some of whom, they noticed, sent wary glances in Shannon and Ford’s direction and shifted away from them in the newly forming line. The staff spread out, each one taking a cabin to check on what the campers had packed.

Dr. Davenport came over to their group and stopped in front of Marty.

“Want to show me what you’ve packed?”

“Sure.” Marty pointed out the items in the outside pockets and then opened the top. They held it open and verbally ran down everything inside.

“Good. Nice job.”

Someone snorted.

“Thanks.” Marty didn’t look around. They shouldered their bag and waited. They were used to that too.

“Shannon?” Dr. Davenport said, moving down the row. “Ready?”

Shannon, looking bored, held out her bag. “Whatever.”

After a minute, Dr. Davenport said, “I think you might have forgotten a couple of things.”

Shannon sighed. “Really?”

“Your water,” Dr. Davenport said, “which you’ll definitely need, and the snakebite kit. You have one, don’t you?”

“Why should I have to worry about that?” Shannon said. “You’re the doctor. Isn’t that what you’re here for? In case one of us gets a mosquito bite?”

Marty took a quick glance at the two of them. Other campers were watching too. They wondered if Shannon liked the attention. The doctor seemed unbothered by Shannon’s snide tone.

She said, “I will be carrying emergency supplies, yes, but should you be separated from the group, or if for some reason I am, and you need any of the gear, especially the snakebite kit where time matters, you would not want to wait to find me. You’ll have to go back to your cabin and get that and your water bottle.”