Camp Alien by Pamela F. Service

Author:Pamela F. Service
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group

Vraj definitely did not like the idea.

The next night I met with her at our regular spot, the hill of the lone pine. “You expect me to take part in stupid, childish native games?” she spluttered as moonlight glinted dangerously off her teeth.

“Lighten up,” I said, averting my eyes from those teeth. “Your job here’s nearly done.”

“One egg’s still missing,” Vraj snapped as she paced around the tree.

Annoyed, I sat down on a fallen log. “Then look for it. Or maybe somebody miscounted. Anyway, the eggs are safe from hatching now, tucked away from light in that pit. You’ve got to wait around for the ship so you might as well have some fun.”

“This will not be fun.”

I shrugged. “OK, then it’s duty. Planned or not, you’ve involved a lot of native kids in completing this mission. Opal has been a help, and it was Scott and Melanie who scared the Gnairt from their tent. And remember all those kids who collected your eggs? They deserve some payback. If you take the part of a laser-projected Draco, some of the kids will have fun doing the play and others will have fun watching it.”

“As a member of the Galactic Patrol Corps, it’s beneath my dignity to … ”

“Bah. You’re a Cadet. And is dignity more important than honor? Aren’t you honor bound to help those who have helped you?”

Her grumbling wasn’t translated, but finally she snarled, “All right, what do I do?”

“We have permission to rehearse during rest periods starting tomorrow. If you sneak down to the fire circle and watch, you’ll see what’s expected of Draco. It’s easy. All you have to do is stalk up to Andromeda, look fierce, and threaten to eat her.”

She grumbled again.

“Come on, I can’t believe your species doesn’t have plays.”

“Of course we do! We have highly developed art forms. But this is … ”

“This is your chance to be a star. Most members of the Galactic Patrol Corps never get a chance like this. And here you’ve lucked out on your first assignment.”

She scowled but didn’t contradict me. So I’d been right all along. This was her first assignment. She probably wasn’t much older than me.

She kept grumbling like a small green volcano, but finally accepted the role.

For a couple of days, the play consumed the energies of two cabins, Opal’s and mine. Bessy and Jessy were thrilled to be acting with a real, experienced actress, the Hollywood-bound Melanie. Following Scott’s lead, even Ramon and Carlos got into it. Rehearsals were a bit ragged because not everyone had learned their lines, but Melanie flounced around like a temperamental director, shaming them into it. Occasionally I saw a flicker in the bushes. Our surprise cast member.

The campfire area on a bluff overlooking Lake Takhamasak made a good stage. Log seating sloped up from the flat clearing next to the fire circle. The luau pit had been in part of that clearing so some of the dirt was soft. However, most of the stage area was hard packed and perfect for acting.

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