"Roll some of those logs this way!" Allie called, waving a hand from where she stood near the treeline.
I got low with Trevor and Anthony to push the log over the rocky expanse toward her. We'd sawed it down to size, but now it needed scooching to the proper position. It needed to be in line with Allie's vision.
Tim, Will, and Cat built up a wall of flat stones to flank the bay-facing side of the firepit. It would be out of the seabreeze that way. We'd chosen an excellent spot toward the southern end of Stellar's Beach and Campground where tall trees eased the passage of wind as it came in from the inlet.
The chosen ground for our burgeoning bonfire was still sandy, but just a few meters away the brush of the woods. The faint sunlight still lifted above the midafternoon horizon kept our outdoor workspace illuminated. Trevor puffed beside me and I screwed up my brows to appear as if I were making just as significant an effort.
"Ugh!" he panted as we rolled it a final time and straightened, "How many more?"
"We had about one-hundred and fifty tickets sold," Allie said, businesslike as she pointed to where she wanted George Sappho to put the generator he was lugging from his nearby car, "We'll need quite a few..."
"Not what I was planning on doing with my Friday-night," Trevor groaned, "But oh-kay."
Allie surveyed the five, two-meter long trunks we'd rolled over.
"People were told to bring their own seating too," I pointed out, putting my hands on my hips, "Fold-out chairs and things, so how many do you expect we'll need?"
"Hm," she thought, directing seniors Robbie and Michael to place the coolers over on the forest-side of the bonfire-clearing, "I think about four to five people can sit on each of these and surely people will be standing and talking so... fifteen more?"
Trevor groaned again, surveying the beach for the two other groups rolling another set of logs up our way.
"Try eight," I suggested, "People will probably walk the beach too. Not everyone will be sitting at once."
"Fine! Can you bring those around the fire a bit? We don't want them all set on just one side - and make it like theater seating! Layered!"
"Yes, your Majesty," I chuckled, walking to the end of the log to pick it up and pivot it around the bonfire clearing.
"Sara's got muscles!" Anthony laughed, quick to begin pushing the log toward the back side of the clearing now that I'd maneuvered around the stone-tower at the center.
Our afternoon wore on as we continued to saw and roll logs across the beach. Eventually, the log-crew thinned out as the seating situation resolved.
We were reassigned to decoration-duty. The closest line of trees was subjected to bulbous string-lights fed by the little rented generator. There were hot-dog and marshmallow skewers in tall, galvanized pots weighed down with gravel in their pits. An instant-canopy stood against the trees secured with bags of sand that hung from all four of its corners; it housed the food table and coolers.
At the very end of our setup endeavors, Allie began encouraging people to make decorative rock towers out of stones. That was until a senior created a spectacular rock-penis and the activity devolved.
I sighed, glancing eagerly at the s'mores self-serve station.
"Not yet," Allie warned me, shaking a finger, "You'll eat everything before anyone has the chance to get hungry."
"But I've been hauling logs all afternoon!"
"For service hours!"
I groaned resentfully as Cat joined us, sitting down upon the log at my other side, "Trevor's rating our job with the fire; I think we got average marks. He says an A-frame would've been a better choice but... it looks like it's lighting just fine."
She trailed off politely, but her confusion was evident.
"We can camp next summer," I offered, "I'll teach you how to make one.
"Ooo!" Allie squealed, quickly seating herself and drawing in close to hiss, "Camping and skinny dipping! There's beaches across by the lakes that are pretty remote, you know."
"Allie!" Cat went bright pink, much to Allie's giggly amusement, "No way!"
"Yes way! Look, you don't have to skinny dip, but you have to go!"
"No one has to do anything," I chided, affixing her with a gentle stare.
"Will the guys be there?" Cat pressed nervously.
"Maybe~" Allie wiggled her eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes, then nudged Allie, "First guests are arriving!"
She rocked to her feet, all excitement. A few families tracked over from the parking lot, folding chairs over their shoulders with hats and jackets. They'd need the outerwear; I smelled a crisp iciness on the air.
"How come Mason's not here?" Cat wondered absently as she watched Trevor and Will stoke up the fire.
"Stomach bug going through their family," I said sadly and with a shrug.
While the Wardes were excellent at concocting excuses for good weather, they hadn't been so practiced with other types of excuses. Due to the prickliness between the Lawatscoh and the Wardes, the vampires weren't welcome on village-owned lands. Yet they hadn't quite understood why they would need a reason for their absence at the bonfire.
"People know they don't like us," Leo had shrugged.
"Which is a bit of a failing on their part. You all are supposed to keep up a human facade, regardless of supernatural grudges!"
"We're far more involved in the social life of this high school than we've been at others," Kira had backed me, "It'll look weird if we don't attend without a reason!"
Paul had begrudgingly taken two sick-days from the hospital to give credence to the stomach bug story. I had thanked him profusely.
"Do you think you'll catch it?" Cat asked, biting her lip.
"No," I shook my head, "Mason and I aren't really like that..."
It was my turn to become a little disgruntled.
"Me and Will neither," she said quickly.
"Going slow is good."
"I agree," she said, though she was a little hesitant, "Will and I have known each other for a really long time. I feel like it would be fine if he kissed me, but he seems pretty nervous. Have you and Mason...?"
"Once. Last weekend when we went hiking."
I brought together my hands and hovered them over my mouth, warming them. In reality I was trying to distract from the little blush in my cheeks.
"That's pretty romantic; did he pick a good location?"
I nodded into my loosely intertwined fingers, "Mountaintop."
"Mason's good," Cat lauded, putting her chin in her palm, "Oh, and you should tell Allie. She'll kill you if I know something she doesn't."
"Right," I snorted.
Twilight darkness started to gather. The way from the gravel parking-lot was well-lit by the string lights so many people easily tracked across the sand toward us. Among the throng, a triple-set of folks caught my attention; a pair walking in tandem to carry a third between them.
"How's it going?" I called, trotting up.
"All well and good," Ray said, though his voice strained as he balanced between the pair, an arm each around a neck for support.
"What do you sound winded for?" Scott teased through breaths, "You ain't the one carryin you!"
"Shuddup," Terry huffed, "Both'uh'ya."
"Do you have chairs?" I asked.
"Brought one out for Ray, the rest are in the van," Terry jerked his head to the parking lot and I jogged over.
They were setting up at a prime spot in front of the fire when I returned, "Good you came early! You have the first pick of marshmallows and water bottles. If you want other things you've got to pay for them."
"No beer?" Terry asked, much to Scott's exasperation.
"I'm afraid not; it's a school-sponsored event," I laughed, clapping my hands together and rubbing them in anticipation, "So what can I get you all?"
"Hotdogs on skewers and a water each," Scott said gratefully, handing me a twenty, opening up his chair, and settling in.
"Coming right up!"
More and more people filtered in at their own pace, talking and laughing as the darkness drew close. The hotdogs sizzled over the fire on thin, metal skewers, mine included.
"They didn't allow me to eat anything until guests showed up," I explained quickly, still glancing around warily for Allie all the same.
"There wouldn't have been any left for the rest of us!" Terry pointed out.
"That's what Allie said too - I'm not that bad."
"Not as bad as Caleb and the others," Ray agreed, pulling his hotdog away from the fire.
I held my skewer between my knees and peeled apart a hotdog bun for him, "Speaking of; where are they?"
"They're eating elsewhere and coming mainly for the stories and s'mores."
"Stories should start when?"
"There's a story every thirty minutes or so," I explained shortly.
"You're telling all of 'em?"
"No, no, just the first - did I forget to give you a program? Shoot - " I pulled the little pamphlet out of my pocket and offer it up to Ray and Terry.
They read as Scott prepped his hotdog.
"Where's your costume, kid?" Scott frowned.
"Yeah, where's your Halloween spirit?" Terry demanded and I raised an eyebrow at him, "What? Can't you tell what I am? A fisherman! Check out the hat!"
Indeed, the Salty Sailor's logo on his baseball cap was weathered of color.
"I do have to get changed. Guard my hotdog for me."
"What do you want on it when it's done?" Scott asked, taking Ray's hotdog to the refreshments tent for condiments.
"Everything!" I shrugged, walking backward toward the parking lot.
Allie joined me, quickly linking arms and striding with short and fast steps.
"We can change between cars - take turns keeping a look out. I have a set of quilts we can hold up!"
"Cat-?"
"Already over there!"
We reemerged ten minutes later - only a few minutes out from the start of my storytelling. We'd adorned in a variety of pinks; thick sweaters and matching skirts with fleece lined-leggings beneath it all to reference the movie we'd watched a few weekends back. Allie's pink beanie stated in bold lettering: 'On Wednesdays, we wear Pink!'.
Apparently, the fact that it was Friday didn't matter too much.
"Alright!" Allie enthused as I finished braiding my hair in a long rope, "You're up, Sara!"
I tied the each end of the braid with a pink bow and draped it over my collarbone.
"You got it," I nodded, flexing my fingers to ward off the emptiness of my stomach.
Dinner would be cold by the time I got to it. I sighed.