Chapter 2: Arrival of the female camper
"Slinkman!" cried Lumpus into the bus. "What's taking you so long? I mean how long does it take to walk off a bus?!"
"I'm coming, sir" he replied. "I'm just talking to the new bean scout. She seems too scared to come off. She doesn't think the boys will like her."
"They will like her! I'll make them like her if it gets me closer to Jane Doe!"
After being comforted by Slinkman, the shy girl stepped off the bus carrying her toy bunny Cuddles.
"Boys, this is the new bean scout" Slinkman told them. "Yes. She's a girl. Her name is Claire. I know how you probably feel about this but please make her feel welcome; she's new here."
"Oh sure, Slinkman" said Edward slyly. "We'll make her feel welcome, alright"
Slinkman didn't realise Edward was being sarcastic. "Well good" he said smiling. Then he began to talk to Claire about the camp & so forth but she wasn't really listening. She was too busy looking at the other campers. She noticed a cream coloured platypus named Edward shouting at an orange monkey named Lazlo and ordering the other campers around. How tough he is to have the other scouts do what he says, she thought. He's so brave & able to speak his mind. He seems so tough when I'm not. I bet someone like him would be able to protect me. Her heart began to beat faster, her cheeks went red & she began to sweat. What is this feeling? She asked herself. Could it be that I'm in love with him?
"Claire" she heard Edward say. Edward. The person calling her name was Slinkman. "Claire" he said. "Are you listening?"
"Oh" she said, coming back into reality. "Sorry Slinkman"
Slinkman sighed. "I'll just get your uniform" he told her.
"Hey let her wear what she wants Slinkman!" interrupted Lumpus. "Anything that'll make the scouts like her so I get to see more of Jane Doe!"
Slinkman sighed again. "All right" he said. He turned to Claire. "We'll just get you a sash & neckerchief, dear" he said and went inside. Lumpus followed.
The boys turned to Claire. All of them were glaring at her- apart from Lazlo who still wanted to be friends.
"So, you like joining boy scouts, do you?!" Edward asked her threateningly. "You do know that you're a GIRL and girls belong at Acorn Flats?! Why don't you just get lost because no-one wants you here!"
Claire's heart was broken in two. The boy that I'm in love with doesn't want to know me, she thought sadly. But why? Out of all the emotions I've ever experienced, heart break is the worst. Her eyes filled with tears.
Claire felt shy of crying infront of everyone but tears kept dropping from her face.
"Aww she's crying" sympathised Lazlo. "Maybe we were being a bit mean to her" he said to the others.
"Mean" repeated Clam.
Lazlo went over to her. "We're sorry" he said. "Do you want to be friends?"
She just looked back at him shaking.
"She seems scared" he said. "It's ok" he told her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Do you want to play with us?"
"Yeah" they all said.
"You've all gone soft!!" Edward shouted at them.
