Hurricane Gregory

H U R R I C A N E G R E G O R Y � Part 1

Prologue

A small crowd of kids formed a line just outside the door leading into the large building, housing the main cafeteria at the camp site. The building was situated on a large tract of land, hidden deep in the woods which extended over most of southern Georgia. The camp site was just north of the Florida state line and many organizations reserved the facility for their youth summer camps.

This week, it was a church in Metropolis, which had reserved the camp grounds for about 75 kids, ages 10 through 16. They scheduled to be there for about a week. There would numerous activities, including hiking, fishing, camping, and the like. The main building housed the cafeteria and a series of classrooms, along with a library, recreation center, a football field and a baseball field. There was an outdoor swimming pool, even though most campers preferred the large lake just a mile from the grounds.

The campers had spent most of the afternoon hiking through the woods. They all lined up cheerfully, waiting their turn to have their hunger silenced with some hearty vegetable soup and a large bowl of spaghetti. Almost all the campers had made it back to the cafeteria. The counselors had thought all the campers had made it back.

Even though most of the tired and hungry campers were had their minds on supper one among them, a tall African-American boy had another more pressing concern. He was not like the other kids. Thanks to his powers he could not be hungry. His “nourishment,” such as it was came directly from the sun. He could eat but he certainly didn’t have to. As for feeling “tired,” it would take more than a day’s activities in summer camp to tire this boy out. He was worried. His younger brother, Jamie, and his brother’s best friend, Gregory, were missing. They had not returned with the other kids and the camp counselors had not yet noticed their absence.

“Holy moly” Wesley thought to himself, as he peered around the cafeteria while he waited in the mess hall serving line. “Where are Jamie and Greggy now?”

Ten minutes passed. All the other kids had been served and seated or were cued up in the serving line. Only Jamie and Greggy were unaccounted for.

As Mr. Staples walked past, Wesley called to him.

“Yes, Wesley…” the man answered, while he perused the schedule of activities for the following day.

“Have you seen Jamie and Greg?” Wesley asked him. “They’re not anywhere around here. I’ve looked all over the mess hall and I know they’re not still in line.”

Mr. Staples looked around. Not seeing any sign of Greg or Jamie he replied, “I haven’t seen Jamie or Gregory. They’re bunking in cabin 14. Could you go down there and check? And then please come straight back here and let me know whether you’ve found them, or not. Alright?”

“Yes, sir…” Wesley replied. He stepped out of the line and headed for Greg and Jamie’s cabin.

As soon as Wesley realized he was no longer in view of anyone, he vanished into thin air.

In an instant, the tall, black, teenage boy seemed to materialize right in front of the entrance to cabin number 14.

“Jamie?” he called as he knocked on the door.

There was no answer. With his x-ray vision, he peered through the opaque walls. He saw eight bunk beds, neatly stacked against each wall, with numerous backpacks, books, maps, and clothes cluttering the cold, concrete floor. The cabin was deserted.

Wesley closed his eyes for a moment, while he tilted his head down. While looking at the floor, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Why wasn’t Jamie at the cafeteria? Why didn’t he come back for dinner, as they had all been instructed to do? Why do these things always seem to happen every time Jamie went out and paired up with Greg, his best friend? All these questions filled his mind. They fueled his frustration and made him very angry.

Wesley turned around and disappeared once again. A fraction of a second later, the super-powered boy materialized out of sight at the rear of the cafeteria. He circled the building and entered through the front door. He gave the room a quick glance but, his hope that Jamie and Greg might have returned in his absence, was in vain. There still was no sign of either boy.

“Mister Staples…” Wes said to his counselor, who had already taken his seat at the large table. “Jamie and Greggy aren’t in their cabin. May I go and look for them?”

Mr. Staples looked up at him, concerned.

“I’d rather not have you go out into the woods all by yourself, Wesley. Why don’t we go out and look for them together?” he replied to the boy.

Of course there was no way Jamie could ever get lost. He knew too well that Jamie was capable of flying out of the woods and getting back to the camp on his own, very easily. But Wes was trapped. No ordinary boy had any business venturing into the woods, all by himself. Although Wes was far from ordinary; he was a super boy, he could not afford to compromise his secret, so he was obliged to accept Mr. Staples’ perfectly reasonable proposal, that he accompany Wes as they went to search for Jamie and Greggy. Little did Mr. Staples realize; his present would greatly hobble Wes’ efforts.

After a few moments, Mr. Kyle Staples and Wesley walked out of the building and made their way towards the woods. Wesley decided to stay with his counselor for a few moments. He knew that he could find Jamie in a heartbeat, by just flying over the woods or running through the brushes at super speed. He was just waiting for the right moment to break away, so he could be on his own for a moment…

* * *

To be continued


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