Mystery at Camp Esther: White Feathers Academy, #2

By Phyllis Cherry

Halo's life changed the day she flew up to study with the angel academy. Now she has wings of her own, and so does Midas, the big golden dog and her best friend. They are ready for their first real mission--a dangerous one that could cost them everything.

 

Arriving at Camp Esther, Halo and Midas become the target of a killer after helping an injured man. But they are determined to fulfill their mission, even if they are not sure what it is.  Could it be helping Marie, a lonely teenager confined to a wheelchair?

 

Marie's dreams often come true and foreshadow the danger surrounding Halo and Midas. Things are further complicated when Halo questions the sincerity of Marie's new crush. Could he be the person who hurt Midas? Halo doesn't know who to trust.

 

At the camp, accidents, sabotage, and death threats happen, and everything points to the new girl and her dog. Someone wants them to fail their mission and will kill to get rid of Halo and Midas. Will they survive return to White Feathers Academy as failures, or will this mission cost them their lives?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953335777

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my beautiful granddaughter Holly Williams.

May your angels watch over and keep you until we meet again

LEAVING PLANET ASIA

PROLOGUE

THIS MESSAGE ARRIVED at six bells today.

To: Halo Havens and Midas

From: Angel Asia

Subject: Your Mission Assignment

Time: Eleven Bells

Notes: Arrive prepared for immediate departure. Enclosed is an audio-visual aid for your information prior to your journey.

Angel Asia

Midas, we have an assignment! I’ll read it to you. I reached out and pulled him close while I read the message. He’s been my partner since the day I found him injured and half dead on White Feathers Island.

He wagged his big bushy tail in celebration of the news.

We’d flown up together on graduation day, or Birth Day as it was called at White Feathers Academy, a school taught by angels. I was one of the children who didn’t live to reach an age of accountability on Earth. We didn’t have any details of Midas’ first life.

Asia, our guardian angel rescued me after an automobile accident on Earth ended my first life. My android friend, Koze, and I convinced Dr. Leaf to allow me and my friend Jet to take care of Midas at his small animal hospital. Midas healed and became one of Dr. Leaf’s precious WFA rescue animals. This happened before Midas sacrificed his life to save ours during our final days before Flying Up or graduation as it was sometime called.

ARE YOU READY, MIDAS? I glanced around the small cottage we’d called home since our arrival on Planet Asia. I wore my new graduation uniform with the specially made blouse to accommodate my new wings.

Midas marched ahead of me to the door, gave a positive woof and, without looking back, we closed the door behind us and walked forward to discover our future.

It was difficult to look and feel confident when my stomach was doing flip-flops. I lifted my fist to knock, but the door opened automatically.

You may enter now. Angel Asia will be with you shortly, an animated voice told us. Her office was one large room with a clear glass floor-to-ceiling wall that faced an enormous tree with glistening gold, rust, and orange leaves and a trunk larger than the width of our cottage. We stood speechless and stunned by the beauty of the garden outside. Then Angel Asia floated inside her sparsely furnished office.

Congratulations! You’ve completed the first phase of your training and are ready for your first mission assignment. Angel Asia’s musical voice was almost hypnotic. Her unbelievable mismatched eyes, one with a brilliant blue iris, and the other one violet like the color in a rainbow, focused first on me then Midas.

Yes, ma’am. I was both afraid and hopeful of our new assignment. Midas used his right paw and a positive nod to indicate his answer.

You will be transported to Camp Esther, a summer camp for young boys and girls, on the planet Earth. Your video information includes a map of the area surrounding the camp as well as the location and names of the buildings and facilities. You have twelve weeks or eighty-four Earth days to complete your mission. Angel Asia paused for questions, but I held my mouth in a tight straight line to keep from revealing how frightened I was.

Halo and Midas, you have survived many obstacles during your training here and at White Feathers Academy. I am confident you will complete your assignment with honor. Your mission is to help and protect at least one person, regardless of the cost, including your own life and safety. You will face deadly challenges from unknown sources. She paused, emphasizing the danger facing us.

Halo, you will intern in the camp kitchen under the tutelage of Miss Bird Wells and her mother Mabel Wells. Midas will assist you.

Midas straightened his broad shoulders at the mention of his name.

Halo, your Earth age is eighteen.

How can that be? I stammered in complete surprise. I flew up to Planet Asia on my thirteenth Birth day, and I’ve completed only one course of study. How did I lose so many of my teenage years?

Earth time is different. Planet Asia is light years away and in another galaxy from your previous homes.

Angel Asia glided smoothly across the floor, opened the door to the garden, and ushered us toward the great tree.

This tree is named Liquid Gold. It is a secret portal for intergalactic travel. I will travel with you to your new home, but my time there is limited. Halo, you may feel a sense of vertigo as we spin through time toward our destination. Hold my hand, and I will comfort you and Midas on your journey. She held my hand in hers and touched Midas on his head as the tree surrounded us with its branches and the wind whistled while we were whisked into a new and unknown world.

FLYING AROUND

1

THE SUN WAS STILL SLEEPING behind the hills when three unlikely visitors tumbled out of the sky onto the freshly sodden lawn of Cabin Number Eleven, Camp Esther.

Angel Asia folded her magnificent silver-white wings gracefully into the sheer fabric of her long, gauzy dress and waited patiently while I struggled to fold mine without embarrassing myself. Midas scrunched his massive shoulders like a pro. He had the wings in, wings out, fade and forget thing down pat. At least he didn’t brag when my efforts to do simple things failed.

Wow! Am I the only one who’s still dizzy? I asked no one in particular.

Fold your wings. You must not allow anyone on earth to see your wings. Angel Asia spoke softly but with authority.

I’m trying to hurry, but the ground keeps moving under my feet. I wiggled my shoulders one more time, and my wings collapsed neatly beneath the fabric of my new shirt and under the skin on my back.

Our wings were new and still an awkward and awesome presence on our backs. The first time I tried to land, I swan-dived into a cushiony cloud. The event happened during the last few days of my classes. I was still learning.

Angel Asia led us up the neat pebble path to the door and handed me a key. My hands shook as I opened the door and peeped inside our new home. Midas led the way, sniffing and inspecting every inch of the tiny wooden cabin.

Angel Asia strapped a flesh-colored link on my wrist. This is a wrist link so you will be able to communicate with the people here. It is similar to the communication system we use on Planet Asia.

Now, press the star button on the dial.

Koze! The moment I touched the star button, my android friend appeared wearing his familiar red bodysuit, knee-high black boots, and matching wide belt with a gold-star clasp. I reached out to touch him and screamed when my hand slid completely through his image.

He isn’t the real Koze! I exclaimed.

He is as real as he ever was. You are seeing a hologram, a three-dimensional image of Koze. The hologram is a program in his database. He is able to search for answers and reply instantly, no matter where in the universe you happen to be.

The star-shaped pupils of his eyes began to flash, and his hearing antennas twirled, then I touched the star button, again initiating his recitation of the instruction menu in his familiar singsong voice.

Is this magic or what?

I am not magic. I am an android, Koze answered me.

Angel Asia glided around the room demonstrating how the light fixtures, appliances, and locks for doors worked. I realized my life was changing. Life on Earth promised to be vastly different from the highly efficient world of White Feathers.

Angel Asia then handed me a small white pouch she’d had concealed in the folds of her dress.

The people on Earth must purchase food, clothing, and other necessities. This pouch contains money, coins, paper bills, and one credit card. She showed me a small card with my name and Cabin eleven, Camp Esther printed on the front. If this card is stolen or misplaced, inform Koze immediately.

I nodded and placed the pouch in the pocket of my jeans.

We’ll complete our mission. I promise, Midas agreed with a hearty woof.

We walked out the door just in time to see the first glimmer of sunlight peep through a cloud. Angel Asia tucked one of my unruly curls behind my ear then gave Midas a pat on the head and whispered, You are beloved.

She unfurled her wings and disappeared into a whirlwind of fiery light.

Thank you. I love you, I yelled into the morning silence and tried to control the tears blurring my vision. Angel Asia was gone. Midas rested his head between giant paws and groaned as we watched the sun begin its upward journey from the eastern horizon.

RACE YOU TO THE LAKE. I took off running down the sandy road behind our cabin with Midas matching my pace. We leaped into the air together, unfurling our new wings in almost perfect unison.

We wanted to explore Starrs Lake, which, according to the map Angel Asia gave us, was a short distance from our cabin. We soared above groves of fragrant orange trees, following the twisting, sandy road toward the lake. I dug into my jeans pocket, took out one of the smooth pebbles I’d found in our new yard, and skipped it across the water. Midas immediately did a nosedive, retrieved it, or maybe one like it, and teased me by pretending to give it back then flying away before I could catch him. We played, soared, and tagged each other before starting the final loop around the lake when a loud screeching noise interrupted the morning silence.

Midas, did you see them? A speeding black car had forced a shiny gray van off the road, sending it careening downhill toward the lake. Fortunately, it skidded and crashed into a tree instead of landing in the lake. I immediately began folding my wings while still in midair, and, the minute my feet touched the ground, I ran toward the van. A gray-haired man with a bloodied face slumped, unmoving, over the steering wheel. What was I supposed to do? Midas flew after the rogue car then circled back, after losing them, and landed beside me. I remembered the dial pad on my new wrist link and stabbed the star button for Koze. His hologram immediately appeared, evaluated the situation, and said, Dial 9-1-1. Explain to the person answering the call that you have witnessed an accident on the road near Lake Starrs and a person inside the vehicle needs emergency assistance.

I started pressing the numbers.

I cannot stay here with you. You must answer the questions. Koze disappeared. A vehicle with flashing lights and a loud siren raced toward us while I was still explaining the accident and trying to describe the condition of the driver to the voice on the link.

Four men dressed in identical outfits jumped out of the shiny red vehicle and carefully removed the gray-haired man safely from the van and onto a stretcher. A second car with flashing lights stopped beside us, and two men wearing official-looking uniforms got out and started asking me questions.

Are you the person who called about the accident? one of them asked.

I nodded.

The other one looked directly at me. Your name?

I stuttered, H-halo Havens, sir.

Address? he asked.

I didn’t know what to say.

Where do you live? he repeated, studying me more closely.

Cabin Number Eleven, I answered.

Where is that?

I’m Halo Havens. I live in Cabin Eleven at Camp Esther with my dog, Midas.

He nodded to acknowledge the policeman, although the officer didn’t seem to notice.

Did you see the accident?

Yes, sir. The man in the van, the one who is injured, was driving, and the other car moved fast, crowding him off the road and down the hill. It’s a good thing the car hit something before it went into the lake.

Can you identify the driver of the other car?

No, sir. How could I tell them I was flying above them when they ran the van off the road?

We’ll give you a ride home, the policeman volunteered.

Oh no, we need the exercise, but thank you anyway.

He looked at me suspiciously then handed me a card. Here’s my information in case you remember anything helpful. You can just call the station.

Yes, sir. I’ll call you if I remember anything else. Midas waited patiently beside me, and when the police got back into their car, we did the fade and forget memory trick Angel Asia taught us. We were supposed to protect our real identity. I looked around, trying to decide which way was home, and saw something move in the orange groves bordering the lake. Midas sat perfectly still, ears pointed, and I knew he saw it, too. A tall person wearing a brown hat with a bill and holding a pair of black cylinders to his eyes looked in our direction then quickly disappeared into a thick growth of bushes and weeds. I said, "Fade and forget," again and tried to project the thought as far as I could. I wondered how long he’d been watching.

THE TALL MAN SAW THE van try to avoid the speeding car then hit a tree instead of plunging into the lake the way he’d hoped!

As if messing up my plans to destroy Chan Lee’s father wasn’t enough, the van hit something instead of going into the lake. He might still be alive. The man cursed, balled his fist, and smashed it into the palm of his hand.

I should have driven the car myself instead of trusting those stupid minions to handle the job. He let the binoculars hang loose around his neck and stepped out of the overgrown thicket in order to get a better look at the crash site. He was suddenly distracted when a big golden animal dropped out of the sky and landed beside the smoking van. Then, out of nowhere a tall, skinny red-haired girl ran toward the wrecked van. Where did she come from? he grumbled.

The girl was talking into a gadget on her wrist and, while she was still talking, the sound of sirens and flashing lights interrupted the serenity of the quiet lakeside drive.

I must be seeing things. Maybe I’m just so mad, my brain is in overdrive. I need to control my temper. I can’t lose control of the situation now. I’ve planned this for years, and there’s too much at stake to let one stupid mistake ruin everything.

He watched the tall, slender girl talk to the police while the EMTs removed the injured man from the van, put him in an ambulance, and raced toward Starrs Hospital.

He saw the police drive away and the girl walk back through the orange groves with the giant animal. He got into the four-wheeler he’d hidden and left, still talking to himself.

Okay, so the plans hit a snag. I still have some extremely important business to finish, and I need to stop imagining things. Unless the dog really can fly. Imagine the reward for a dog with wings. He chuckled.

HOME AGAIN

2

WALKING HOME INSTEAD of flying took longer than we’d planned, and both of us were hungry. The can of tomato soup in the pantry had a metal ring to pull and open it. I poured the soup into a glass bowl since the metal box called a microwave clearly said to use only glass, paper, or plastic to heat things in it. We heard a knock at the door just as I started to press the start button. Midas immediately assumed an alert position, while I cautiously opened the front door. We relaxed a little when we saw two women, one carrying a basket with something that smelled delicious inside.

Hi, I’m Bird Wells, and this is my mother, Mabel. We wanted to be the first to welcome you to Camp Esther. The petite blonde lady talked fast, her hands constantly moving, and she had a pretty smile. We put together a little snack for your dinner in case you didn’t have time to shop.

Hi, I’m Halo, and this is Midas. I opened the door so Midas could offer his paw to each of them, which resulted in smiles all around.

Mabel was about my height, five foot seven, wore big dark-rimmed glasses, and anchored her silver-streaked hair on top of her head with a shiny clip. The paw-shake clearly pleased her, and she rewarded him with a soft red ball, which she took from her basket and rolled it across the cabin floor. The result was instant friendship.

Miss Bird moved in a fast fluttering motion while taking the warm bread, cheese, and fruit from the basket and placing it on our kitchen countertop.

You’re here at a good time because you’ll have a chance to get to know the permanent employees before the summer staff arrives. Miss Bird fluttered around the living-dining area before settling down in one of the kitchen chairs, since the only other one was a big, comfortable stuffed chair, which she probably guessed was mine.

We hoped to meet Miss Asia. Did she bring you here today?

She did, but her time was limited. I could see their disappointment and wondered if they had met or talked with Angel Asia before our arrival. She probably called herself Miss Asia because she definitely wouldn’t want them to know she was an angel.

Are you permanent residents of Camp Esther? I’d never heard the term summer staff or resident staff but did want to know the correct names for the people here. I wanted to avoid talking about Angel Asia, too.

Yes. Before moving here, we traveled a lot because my father was in the Army. We were in England when he died and decided to come back here while we made decisions about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to live. I heard Camp Esther needed a cook, so I applied and got the job. Mother came along to work in the kitchen with me. We loved everything about the camp, the location, the staff, and especially the campers, so we decided to make it our permanent home. Camp Esther employees must provide their own funding because it is a nonprofit organization. We had some savings, bought the cottage behind the Breadbasket, and started a catering business during the off-season. I hope you’ll love being here as much as we do.

Thank you. We’re looking forward to our time here. When do we need to arrive at work tomorrow?

Seven a.m. Do you think you can find it?

We have a map for the campus, and it looks like an easy walk. Midas is looking forward to his first day of work, too.

Great! We’ll leave now so you can enjoy your dinner, and we’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Miss Bird blew air kisses and Mabel gave me a hug and Midas a head rub, on their way out the door.

The warm bread, two kinds of cheese, and the bowl of sliced fruit were wonderful, plus there was an unexpected bonus treat of cookies. Midas cleaned his bowl of Angel Asia’s special wishberry kibbles quickly.

Meeting our teachers was exciting, and we looked forward to tomorrow morning. I kept thinking about the poor man driving the van and prayed he would recover. I wondered why the black car ran his van off the road.

THE BREADBASKET

3

PROMPTLY AT SEVEN O’CLOCK the next morning, we reported for work at the Breadbasket, Camp Esther’s dining room and kitchen. Midas knew he might need to stay outside while I learned how to do my new job, so we were relieved by Mabel’s warm greeting, which included showing Midas the big, padded basket near the back entrance of the kitchen. After a few sniffs and a thorough inspection, he made himself comfortable.

Today, we’ll prepare lunch for the small staff employees and, after lunch, I have a nice surprise for both of you. I hope you like lasagna, Mabel said, while I struggled to tie the big white apron around my neck and waist. Your job is to chop the onions, celery, and tomatoes.

The items on the countertop didn’t look like the wishberries from WFA. Chopping food was something else I’d never done. The robots at White Feathers Farm planted, harvested, and processed the wishberries that grew there, and all our food and beverages were made from them. The big knife and plastic board were a new experience for me, too. What was more, the things called onions smelled bad and caused tears to run down my face.

Wait a minute. I’ll show you an easy way to cut the onion. Mabel came to my rescue by demonstrating how to slice an onion in half, then quarters, eighths, and finally into small pieces. I doubted I’d ever be able to chop as fast as she did, but her method was better than what I was trying to do.

What’s that smell? I asked when a new aroma surged from the big skillet Miss Bird was stirring.

Ground beef, locally grown with almost no fat. The cattle are raised here in Starrs County, she answered proudly.

Meat from animals? I felt queasy just thinking about raw meat.

Oh, my goodness. You’re a vegetarian. She stopped stirring long enough to give me a sympathetic look. Never mind. We need to introduce some vegetarian dishes to our catering menu, and now is the perfect time to start. Don’t worry. I make a tasty meatless lasagna.

I struggled for several minutes chopping the one large onion and was proud of my accomplishment despite watery eyes. Then Mabel added the chopped onions from her board to mine, which emphasized my need for improvement.

The lasagna looked and smelled great. Two young men arrived just as we’d finished setting the table. They looked exactly alike, with bright-blue eyes, blond hair, great smiles, and I doubted I’d ever be able to tell them apart.

Hi. I’m Don.

And I’m Ron. Their voices even sounded alike.

"And this is Halo Havens, our new intern. Ron and Don are in charge of maintenance and