Chapter 5: The Pebble Masters

Evie hated waiting. She wanted to get to the Paperblank Forest. She asked herself what was so important about Mateo's call that Mr. Cornelius had to stop the bus. She huffed and crossed her arms, looking outside to the parking lot. Finally losing her patience, she asked, "Mr. Cornelius, isn't there a schedule we probably have to go by?"

Mr. Cornelius glanced at her in his rear-view mirror. "As long as we get there by 2:00, we'll be fine," he explained.

That didn't help. Evie wanted to run outside, grab Mateo, and drag him back onto the bus. To pass the time, she took the pebble out of Annabelle's pocket. Evie rubbed it up against her shirt and blew on it. Not that the pebble wasn't already spotless.

She jumped when a small voice spoke up behind her. "Oh, what a beautiful pebble. Where did you get it?" A little, brown-headed girl appeared over the back of Evie's seat. Her hair was styled in a bob. She dangled her arms over the headrest. "May I?"

Evie gave her a gentle smile. "Sure." She handed the girl the pebble.

She examined it up and down. "Wow, that's gorgeous. Where did you get it?"

"My grandma gave it to me," Evie explained. "She asked me to find somebody named Mam in the Paperblank Forest."

The girl gave her a confused look. "Mam? Or, did she mean 'Sam'? Oh, excuse me. My name is Ashlynn."

Making a new friend helped Evie through the tense situation. She placed her hand to her heart. "I'm Evie. Evie Amanda Madison."

"Oh wow, really?" The girl grinned. "You can use all three of those names as your own. That's so cool. What do you want to be when you grow up, Evie?"

Evie friendlily scoffed. She proudly closed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm going to be a Pinta Park Ranger, just like Ranger Anthony."

Ashlynn's jaw dropped. "Shut up! You know about Ranger Anthony? I'm like his biggest fan."

It was official. Evie loved her. She got up on her knees and said, "Oh my gosh! Me, too! All I want in life is to meet him."

Ashlynn was very jittery. She was happy to have met somebody who was just as crazy about Anthony as her. "Let's be friends," she said.

"No, let's be best friends," Evie corrected. She moved off to the side so Ashlynn could sit with her.

The new girl quickly changed from her seat to Evie's. "When I meet Ranger Anthony, I'm going to ask him how to speak with nature. I just love nature," she explained.

"I want to patrol the forest with all the beautiful forest creatures." A picture of a forest found its way into Evie's brain. "Anthony can be my mentor." There was a moment of silence between the girls, but then they burst out laughing. They were now thinking about Ranger Anthony.

It wasn't long until Mateo returned to the bus. He climbed the stairs and faced the children. Between clenched teeth, he said, "Sorry, false alarm, everybody." He may have been smiling, but there was definitely some worry on his face. He leaned to Mr. Cornelius. "We need to get out of here. It's the basilisk."

"It can move underground?" Cornelius whispered back.

Mateo nodded. "Yes. Apparently, it's left the forest."

"Why?"

"We don't know," Mateo answered. "Look." He showed Cornelius the screen of his device. On it was a green, topographic map of Abince Town. "We're here, and the creature is here." Mateo pointed at a flashing, red dot moving in on the bus. "However, it can only focus on one thing at a time. So I think we'll be able to lose it if we get on the highway. It doesn't have the mindset to find us if we're with a bunch more cars."

"I see." Mr. Cornelius rubbed his chin. "Nice observation, kid."

"What are they talking about?" Evie asked. "Ashlynn? Whoo-hoo." She waved her hand in front of her new friend's face.

Ashlynn smiled stupidly. She stared at Mateo like a creepy old man. "Isn't he just the most beautiful man you've ever laid eyes on?" she asked in a dreamlike voice.

Evie chuckled. Good, she wasn't the only one who thought Mateo was good-looking.

He slipped his device into his pocket and returned to his seat.

Ashlynn nudged Evie. "Rumor has it he's the youngest counselor," she added.

"But he definitely has a secret of some sort," Evie admitted. "I just wish I knew what it was."

***

Mateo's hypothesis was correct. Mr. Cornelius got on the highway, and they lost the monster. It disappeared from Mateo's map. Whew, that was too close. Mr. Cornelius didn't think the camp director would be too happy if he delivered a bunch of petrified children to Paperblank Village.

What started as a tense situation was now a peaceful drive through Pinta Country. The bus passed gorgeous farmland and woods. Each farm had green, rolling hills with hay bales on them. The trees were tall, but nothing like Paperblank's. The journey took about four hours.

Evie and Ashlynn took the time to learn more about each other.

"So, your family has some secrets, yeah?" Ashlynn asked while she and Evie played with Annabelle.

Evie adjusted the hat on her doll's head. She slipped the pebble back into her pocket. "They sure do, Ashlynn, but they never tell me."

"Don't you just hate those stubborn family members?" Ashlynn challenged. She brushed Annabelle's hair with a small, red brush.

Aside from them, the other children also chatted with one another. New friendships rose out of the earth everywhere.

Mateo, though, tried to take a nap. The back of his head hit his seat, and he shut his eyes.

"So, have you ever been to the Paperblank Forest?" Evie asked Ashlynn.

She shook her head. "No, this is going to be my first time."

"Me, too." Evie enjoyed that they had so much in common. Glancing at Mateo, she winked at her new friend. The young girl cleared her throat. "What about you, Mr. Mateo? Have you ever been to the Paperblank Forest?"

"Ugh." Mateo opened his eyes, but he gave Evie a friendly smile. "I have, Evie."

"Eek!" the girls squeaked.

"Wha-what's it like?" Evie stammered. Nervous, she grabbed Ashlynn's hand. Her other hand tugged at her seat's leather. She did not want Mateo's sexy, Spanish-like accent to go away.

He didn't know what it was, but the little girl was starting to grow on him. He glanced at her with his deep brown eyes and explained, "The Paperblank Forest is beautiful. I have never seen such a variety of plants and animals. And the trees. Oh, the trees. You feel them watching over you." He seemed to enter a dreamward.

Evie sighed. "You're so beautiful, Mr. Mateo." She then realized what she just said. "Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl hid behind her hands.

Mateo chuckled. Now that he was thinking about the forest, an eleven-year-old hitting on him was the least of his worries. "The Paperblank Forest is also mysterious," he added. "After all, there's an old legend that a little boy disappeared from it sixty years ago."

"Whoa, really?" Intrigued, Evie sat up straight.

Ashlynn mimicked her.

"Indeed," Mateo said. "We'll learn about it tonight. The village is going to hold a banquet to welcome us."

"A banquet? Like the one King Benjamin threw for Anthony?" Evie inquired.

Mateo tensed a little, but he soon relaxed his shoulders. "Yes, little one. The villagers call it the Feast of Peace." He yawned. "Girls, I'm a bit tired, so I think I'm going to rest my eyes a little."

"Tired? What exactly do you do all day?" Evie wanted to know.

"Let's just say I run around a lot," was Mateo's answer. He crossed his arms and leaned his head up against his window.

An awkward silence followed, but then Evie and Ashlynn leaped with joy. "He talked to us!" they said at the same time.

"Oh, I hope he's our counselor." Ashlynn was already getting jittery.

"Me, too," Evie agreed. She'd much rather have a young counselor than an old, cranky one. Besides, there was just something about Mateo that comforted her.

***

The trip to the village was brutal because everybody was eager to start their camp activities.

After what felt like forever, Mr. Cornelius made the announcement of the day: "Children, welcome to Paperblank Village."

"Yes!" The children piled up at the windows so they could look out.

The bus bounced up and down on a dirt road. The forest was breathtaking, with its rainforest-like trees, rushing streams, flowers, and ferns. Tree branches hung over the road the bus drove on.

A family of deer munched on some plants. There was a buck, doe, and fawn. Ears twitching, they looked up from their meal.

The bus turned into an open area. Its trees were spread out, and a stream cut through it. A neatly polished, white bridge was over it. At the other end of the stream was a tunnel. There were trees on either side of it. Their appearance reminded Evie of a fireplace. The tunnel was the pit, and the trees were the flames. It was miraculous, yes, but she didn't see a village.

"Where's the village?" Ashlynn finally asked.

The other children were also perplexed.

Mateo came to the rescue. He appeared behind Evie and Ashlynn and pointed out the window. "Look up at the trees."

They obeyed. Their jaws dropped at what they saw… treehouses. Paperblank Village was full of them. Roped bridges separated different sections of it. There was a drugstore, grocery store, a small hospital, and further in… cabins. Clothes waved from clotheslines.

A young girl hung up some of her dresses. Her eyes landed on the bus. She smiled, excited to know it was the time of year for campers to visit Paperblank.

Evie admired every treehouse. "Wow, this is so cool." She could not wait to go exploring.

The bus pulled up to an enormous maple tree. It had looming branches. Four people stood under them: the rest of the counselors and the camp director. It became all too clear that Mateo was the youngest member of the camp staff.

He helped the children off the bus.

One by one, they thanked Mr. Cornelius and sauntered outside.

"Watch your step," Mateo said to each child. "Watch your step. Watch your–"

"Whoa!" Evie slipped on the last stair.

Before she could fall, Mateo caught her. He had incredible reflexes. He twirled her a little bit and then set her down in front of him. "See? What did I tell ya?"

Evie felt like she was melting. "Tha-Thank you," she stammered. She hugged Annabelle to her cheek.

Mateo smiled. He gave her back a gentle push, so she wouldn't get separated from the other campers. However, his smile vanished when the last one got off the bus.

The young man freed his device from his pocket and checked the map again. Right now, it looked like his subjects were safe. Nothing blinked on the map, indicating the basilisk was nearby. Therefore, he put the device up and took a deep breath. He had to admit, he was a little bit nervous. He had never been a camp counselor before. He also feared how long it would be before the campers realized who he was. Mateo was never the best at trying to blend in. Heck, it was kind of difficult when you were a celebrity.

Behind him, luggage carts–like those seen at airports–pulled up to the bus. They had the fun job of unpacking the campers' belongings and delivering them to their cabins.

Mateo escorted the children over to the maple tree.

"Wow," they said while pointing out the treehouses. Some of them were much higher up than others.

Evie paused in her tracks because she heard the same voice that called her back home. "Help," it begged. It sounded like it came from the main part of the forest, which was beyond the tunnel.

"That voice again," she murmured.

"Do what?" Mateo approached her from behind.

Evie jumped, but she forced a smile. "Nothing."

"Evie, what are you doing, girl?" Ashlynn called. "We're about to get sorted into our groups!"

"Sorry, Ashlynn. I'm coming." But Evie still felt nervous.

The camp director, Ms. Julie, was one of the people waiting for the campers under the maple tree. Her counselors sat on its lower branches.

At the sight of the children, they got up and stood in a line.

Mateo joined them. He nodded at Ms. Julie.

She returned it.

Ms. Julie was a middle-aged woman who had auburn hair and green eyes. On top of her head was an orange and yellow baseball cap that had a picture of the forest stitched on it. She was dressed in a top with a similar color scheme and jean shorts. Her white and black sneakers snuggled the ground like toes in a blanket. She lifted her hands and clapped. "Welcome, aspiring rangers. Welcome to the Paperblank Forest. I'm Ms. Julie, the camp director. We are so happy to have you here."

Mateo stood next to the oldest counselor, a seventy-year-old man named Mr. Jenkins. He was bald in a few places, but he still had white, sideburn-like features on each side of his scalp. There was a leather wristwatch on his left wrist, and a pair of brown glasses were over his eyes. He wore a blue-gray shirt, a vest over it, and gray pants and shoes.

The old man whispered to Mateo, "You seem a little tense, Mateo."

"I'm fine," Mateo lied. Except, he knew he was screaming on the inside.

"Relax. You're going to do great," Mr. Jenkins said. He had been working with summer camps almost his whole life. In a way, he was Mateo's mentor.

"It's not the camp I'm worried about," Mateo admitted.

Evie noticed his uneasiness. "Poor guy. He looks so scared."

"Well, you can't blame him. This is his first time as a counselor," Ashlynn said. "I'd be scared, too."

The area was eerily quiet, in Mateo's opinion. No birds chirped. Heck, he couldn't even hear the stream and trees speaking. He felt like something was going to happen.

"Will you calm down?" Mr. Jenkins asked.

"So, as you all know, you're here to learn the basics of being a Pinta Park Ranger," Ms. Julie said to the campers. Her smile did not leave her face. "Now, can someone tell me what a Pinta Ranger solely relies on when they're on a mission?"

Instantly, a little girl's hand shot up. "Ooh, me! It's nature, right?" She didn't even guess; she knew she was right.

"Yes!" Ms. Julie gave her a round of applause. "Well done–"

"Amanda," the girl said. She was a biracial youth who had poofy, brown hair.

"Now, we're going to get you sorted into your groups," Ms. Julie explained. She reached behind her and picked up a clipboard from another one of the maple's low-lying branches. She gestured at the counselors. "There are four counselors and twenty of you, so that's five campers per group. However, before we do anything, we need to lay down some rules."

Rules? No fair, Evie thought she was away from them.

Ms. Julie's voice was stern. "There will be absolutely no horseplay or bullying. You are required to stay with your counselors during your camp activities. After all, we don't want to lose any of you in the forest. Bedtime is 8:00 every night."

"Aw, but, Ms. Julie," the children groaned. "We're tweens."

Ms. Julie chuckled. "Yes, but you're still growing." She flipped through the pages of her clipboard and eyed each one carefully. "Ah, yes, the most important rule of all... Stop and don't move a muscle if you hear a strange sound in the forest."

Multiple question marks appeared over each child's head. "Why?" they inquired.

Ms. Julie's next sentence sounded like a joke, but Evie could tell she was serious. "Well, unless y'all want to take a trip through time, I don't recommend it."

"A trip through time?" Evie asked. What was she saying?

Mr. Jenkins gulped, suddenly bombarded by memories.

Mateo comforted him by patting his shoulder.

Ms. Julie's grin returned. "All right, now it's time for the fun part." She stopped on the last page in her clipboard. Each camper's name was on it. Next to them was the name of the counselor they were with. It was either Mateo, Jenkins, Ashley, or Georgia.

The children held their breaths. Evie and Ashlynn were especially nervous. What if they weren't with Mateo?

The first counselor to step up was Mrs. Ashley. She was the second youngest, standing in her early thirties. She had smooth, medium-length red hair and green eyes. She wore a tan outdoor uniform. Over her head was a ranger-like cap.

"Andy, Susan, Luke, Jennings, and Zack, y'all are with Mrs. Ashley here," Ms. Julie announced.

One girl, Susan, whispered, "Yes," and clenched her fist. She and the rest of her group members joined Mrs. Ashley.

They exchanged quick nods with one another before they stepped off to the side.

Mrs. Georgia was next. She was an older woman, but not as old as Mr. Jenkins. She wore her black, graying hair in a ponytail. Over her head was a red headband. Her sweater blended in well with her short-sleeved shirt, leggings, and sneakers. She was also a bit plump.

Ms. Julie went down to the next set of names: "Emery, Candice, Suka, Langston, and Michael, y'all are with Mrs. Georgia."

Ashlynn and Evie were getting really nervous. It was down to two counselors: the oldest one and the youngest one. Their hearts beat so rapidly; they felt like they were going to come flying out of their mouths.

Mateo grew more fearful than he already was. He counted to ten in his head. He, Evie, and Ashlynn waited.

Finally, Ms. Julie said, "Ritchie, Anji, Clover, Monte, and Patience… Y'all are with Mr. Jenkins."

Evie and Ashlynn gasped. Did they hear that right? If they did, then that meant…!

Ms. Julie confirmed it for them. "That leaves Evie, Ashlynn, Tate, Emrys, and Amanda with Mr. Mateo."

"Ahh!" Evie and Ashlynn screamed at the same time. They had him! It was a dream come true! They had Mr. Mateo! Even better, they were together. The girls rushed to their counselor before even the other group members could move their feet. "We're in your group! We're in your group!" they cheered.

Mateo laughed feebly. "You sure are."

Emrys, Amanda, and Tate soon entered the picture. Every child was about eleven years old.

The nerdy girl adjusted her glasses. Just being close to Mateo, she blushed.

The boys, Emrys and Tate, merely bowed their heads. Tate had curly brown hair and blue eyes. Emrys, on the other hand, had black hair. One of his eyes was hidden behind a tuft of it. Emrys was emo-like, but Tate looked like any other good boy. He was just a little shy.

"Now that we're all in our groups, it's time for y'all to see your cabins," Ms. Julie chanted. "Remember, stay close to your counselors. We'll meet up for the Feast of Peace in a little while."

Each counselor nodded to show they understood. One by one, the groups parted ways. Ms. Julie's job was to remain present until each group found their way to the treehouses.

Mateo was still a bit on edge, but Evie's presence relaxed him. Again, he did not know why. The time had come for him to officially be a counselor, so he needed as much emotional support as he could muster. "Well, are we ready, troops?" he nervously asked.

They vigorously bobbed their heads up and down.

"Then it's time to climb some treehouses," Mateo added. There was a bit more confidence in that sentence than last. Only, before the group could even move, it happened again.

The trees glowed up. Not only that, but a rumble knocked the children off their feet.

The mysterious voice practically screamed in Evie's head, "Now! You need to do it now! His life energy is fading."

"What in the–?" was all she could say. The pebble glowed in Annabelle's pocket. An invisible force dragged Evie to her feet. It pushed her toward Mateo.

"Evie, what do you have in your pocket?" he asked. There was a touch of horror in his voice.

Evie pulled out the pebble. "This," she answered. "It was a gift from my grandmother." She and Mateo were nearly blinded by how brightly the trees and pebble glowed.

Ashlynn, Emrys, Tate, and Amanda held their hands up to their faces. They needed something to protect their eyes.

"What's going on?" Ashlynn asked.

Paperblank villagers hurried out of their homes so they could see what was happening. At the sight of the last camp group, their eyes widened.

A woman said, "It's the Pebble Masters."

Mateo snatched the pebble from Evie's hand. He glared at her and asked, "What are you doing carrying something like this around?" Now he understood why the basilisk left the forest earlier.

"I thought it was just a pebble," Evie protested.

"This is not just a pebble," Mateo snapped.

"Then what is it?"

The same invisible force pushed Mateo toward Evie before he could answer. He kept calm by replaying memories of him and his fiancée in his head.

Ms. Julie jumped into the fray. She grabbed Ashlynn, Emrys, Tate, and Amanda. "I need to get you guys out of here."

Ashlynn was horrified. "But what about Evie?" she asked.

Ms. Julie smiled feebly. "She'll be fine. We just need to let the pebble calm down."

"But I don't understand what's happening."

Next to Ashlynn, Emrys scoffed. "We don't either, dude. Trust us."

During the phenomenon, Evie and Mateo started to fight. Wind blasted through their hair. It was crisp but powerful.

Mateo pulled the pebble away from the young girl. "I can't let you have this. It's too dangerous."

Evie glared. "But my grandma gave it to me! How can you say something like that? Keep in mind that you were the one who turned all freaky on her back home. She gave it to me because she trusts me. I think it's safe to say that I'm being more mature here than you."

"Why, you little–!"

The voice interrupted the confrontation. "Stop fighting! We're running out of time!" She was obviously a little fed up.

"I'm not going to stand here and get insulted by an eleven-year-old!" Mateo argued. "I'm the adult. You're the child."

"If you're the adult, then you will give me back my pebble."

"I refuse."

Evie blew up. "Give it back!" With those words, she dove for Mateo. Her free hand touched the pebble. Officially, she and Mateo both had it in their grasp.

The trees stopped glowing, and the wind died. Except, the pebble still shimmered. Evie and Mateo were back in front of the maple tree. There was silence, dead silence, and then the pebble attacked.

A force of light energy came between Evie and Mateo. It smacked Mateo right in his abdomen, but Evie got off clean.

The young man keeled over in pain. "Ahh!"

The pebble chucked both him and Evie apart as if they were merely rag dolls.

Evie slid on her back toward the stream and tunnel (she ended up losing Annabelle).

Mateo crashed into the ground and rolled toward a hill at the base of a few more treehouses. He clutched his tummy with both hands.

The pebble rose into the sky and rushed to Paperblank's gate–the tunnel itself. Away it went, and it wasn't long until it vanished in the mass of trees.

The Pebble Masters had freed the Green Guardian.