He stood there chewing on what she said. She could tell that her argument wasn't making sense to him.

"No," he said. "You're wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Now she was confused.

"It's not private for humans, either. They don't keep everything to themselves."

"Only if they chose to tell someone," Kylie said.

"Bullshit!" he said. "Look at Helen and Jonathon over there. Are you going to tell me that you, the human part of you, can't see that these two people are attracted to each other? And what about Burnett? You knew he was lovesick for Holiday before I did. You can see it."

Okay, he had a point. But she didn't like him jabbing her with it. "See it, yes. But I can't feel their emotions or smell the pheromones they put out because they want to..." bump uglies "... get it on. And knowing other people can ... do that with me, well, it freaks me out a little, okay?"

He shook his head. "Are you sure it's other people knowing it that's freaking you out? Or is it you knowing what you feel for me that's freaking you out?"

She stared at him. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, that I'm not so sure you want this." He waved a hand between them.

"Want what?" Just like that, she got flashbacks. Flashbacks of having a similar argument with Trey. Oh, please. Not again.

"You and I. Us. You don't want us to become an 'us.' Every time I feel as if we get a little closer, you end up pushing me away. I've asked you to go out with me at least six times and you never answer me. What's up with this?"

Yup, she'd had almost this very conversation with Trey. "It's always about sex, isn't it?"

"What?" His mouth dropped open. "No. I wasn't talking about that."

"So you don't want sex?" she asked, getting angrier by the second. He stood there staring at her as if she'd grown two heads and a tail. And God help her, considering everything that had happened to her lately, she almost wanted to check the mirror to make sure she hadn't sprouted a second head. Ditto for the tail.

"Where the hell is this coming from?" he asked.

Suddenly, she became aware that the crowd had gotten closer to them and several of the people in that crowd had the hearing of a gossiphungry bat. She glanced at her watch and saw it was after two. "Sorry, I'm late."

Kylie stormed into Holiday's office. She dropped down in the seat across from the desk and looked her friend and camp leader right in the eyes. "I hate boys. I'm seriously considering going lesbian."

Holiday's expression was part grin, part groan. "If it was that easy, ninety percent of the women in the world would be gay." She made a funny little face and then asked, "So ... boy problems?" She reached for a can of soda and took a sip.

"More like boys, skunk, and ghosts."

Holiday choked on the diet drink. "Skunk?"

Kylie sank into the chair, feeling defeated and frazzled from her argument with Derek.

"Miranda turned Socks into a skunk. And she can't figure out how to turn him back." No sooner had the words left her lips than Kylie realized it sounded as if she was tattling. "Not that I want you to say anything."

Holiday tried not to smile, but the edges of her mouth twisted up. "She was probably practicing for the show that her mom entered her into when she's back home."

"She explained why she did it. And I don't want her to get in any trouble ... but what if she can't figure out how to change him back? I'm going to be stuck with a skunk for a pet."

Another smile threatened to appear on Holiday's lips. "I'm sure she'll figure it out."

Kylie shook her head and then dropped her hands into her lap. "You have no idea how much I wish my life could just go back to normal. Like human normal? Nobody trying to read my thoughts, change my feelings, or making it my job to save someone's life."

Holiday leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up as if she'd sat too long in the same position. Hands still up in the air, she gave the papers scattered on her desk a frown. "Don't know about human, but normal does sound good sometimes, doesn't it?"

Something about Holiday's mood had Kylie's own concerns shifting. "Is everything okay?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." She dropped her hands and sat up a little straighter as if to put up a front. "It's you I'm worried about, Kylie. You seemed very upset this morning."

Kylie recalled how she'd stormed out of here. "I'm sorry. It sometimes ... it just feels as if it's too much."

"I know it feels like that. But it will work out," Holiday said. Kylie frowned. "You sound like my mom. She always says, 'God won't give you more than you can handle.'"

Holiday chuckled. "And we just wish He didn't trust us so much, right?"

"Yeah." Kylie saw the concern flare up in Holiday's eyes again. "What about your problems?" She motioned to the desk, sensing Holiday was upset.

"It'll be fine ... just have a lot of financial crap to figure out with us going full-time here at the camp. There are teachers to be hired.

Heating units to put into the cabins. And I don't have a clue how we're going to manage it." "I thought the government, I mean the FRU, funded the camp."

"They do to some degree, but when they agreed to let me open the boarding school, they put us on a tight budget. These days even government programs are cutting back." She looked at the desk again. "It's probably not as bad as I think it is. It's just ... Sky used to do all the financial work, and now I'm stuck with it."