"Yeah, there is," you say, doing your best to sound open and friendly. "I just talked to Caitlin, and she told me that you tried to recruit her. I guess you were just trying to find more people to help, and I can understand that, but she really doesn't want to help you."
Lianna winces. "Yeah, I kinda got that," she says in a rueful voice that makes you wonder just how much Caitlin yelled at her before she came back to yell at you. "I just wish she'd see things from our side, you know?"
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"It's hard being out here," she says quietly, gazing out into the trees. "We're all alone. And now suddenly we have two people with magic here at the same time?" She shakes her head, eyes going wide and wondering with the thought as she looks back at you. "It's the first time we've met anyone who's got magic besides Josephine. So when we found out that Caitlin was here, too, we had to try. It doesn't mean you're any less amazing, Pika Shimon Capela," she adds, as she gives you a brief, rare smile. "Just that we need all the help that we can get. I didn't realize that Caitlin would react the way she did."
At least you know where Lianna stands now. That doesn't solve all of the problems, but you didn't think it would.
Next
"Hey," you begin softly. Lianna catches the change in your voice and looks over to you with gently curious eyes. "It's been really great talking to you," you begin. "And I think you're great. You've got a really good heart. You aren't like anyone I've ever met, and I want to be with you all the time. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Next
Lianna leans in, wrapping her slim strong arms around you, and touches her lips to yours.
You're so close you can catch Lianna's scent, and she smells like the Timeless Circle—like evergreen and sea salt and the fresh spring breeze, the breeze as light as the touch of her hair where it's slipped free of her ponytail to brush lightly across your cheek.
She draws back just enough for you to be able to see her smile and the bright sparkle of her eyes. They look green today, catching the color from the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
"You're amazing," she whispers. She cradles you in her arms, as gently and reverently as if you were a precious work of art. "And you want to be with me."
Lianna's smile lifts higher.
And then she can't find any more words. She just holds you, and you stay like that for a long moment in the spring sunshine.
Next
The rest of the day passes like all the others that you've spent at Camp Cedarcrest, but you're seeing everything in a new light now.
For example, the photos of smiling campers and staff on the walls of the dining hall…and the people who look exactly alike in photos thirty years apart. Are they parent and child, or is it the same person who's been coming back year after year and never aging?
Then there's Tom and the way he always lurks around the edges of the campgrounds. Now you know what he's watching for.
And of course the way people feel incredibly devoted to the camp, even when they can't put their finger on exactly what their happy memories are.
But you're seeing the other side of Camp Cedarcrest, too. The kids like Maddie and Ava, who are lonely everywhere except here. The shine in Zoe's eyes when she talks about feeling like she's part of something bigger than herself. The way all the campers band together, working on arts and crafts and sports. The way Cody beams when he finally gets a bull's-eye in archery; the way Ariel stands taller every time she learns something new. The way Justine wakes up happy and refreshed, as if she hasn't had any nightmares at all.
It's all the same, but it's all different.
Next
As you go through the motions of an ordinary Camp Cedarcrest day, you start to wonder: how much does Ms. Martin know about all of this?
Nobody in the Timeless Circle mentioned Ms. Martin at all, which makes you think that she probably doesn't know about it. But everyone in the Timeless Circle is keeping a lot of secrets, so maybe Ms. Martin does know, and Josephine just didn't tell you.
The one person who would know for certain is Josephine. You already want to help her, so why wouldn't she tell you what you want to know?
Or you could ask Ms. Martin. You're in this to save Camp Cedarcrest, after all. What would you even say to her, though? "So, did you know there are a bunch of spooky immortal people living in the forest right next to your camp? And that they're taking time energy from your campers? Yeah, time energy. That's a thing. What are you going to do about it, huh?"
If she doesn't already know, then that story will sound pretty outrageous. But if she does know, then how can you be sure she'll trust you? She might not want to help the Timeless Circle the way you do. But, on the other hand, if you can get her help to help the Timeless Circle, she could be a powerful ally to have on your side. Either way, you'd have to sound pretty trustworthy to get her to believe you and trust you.
Or you don't have to talk to anyone at all. If Ms. Martin knows about the Timeless Circle, there will definitely be some evidence in her office. If you can sneak in, you'll be able to find it. (You'll have to go there physically. Clairvoyance wouldn't let you rifle through file cabinets or open drawers; it only lets you see what's out in the open. And if you're looking for secret documents, you're pretty sure they won't be out in the open.)