Camp is the one word my brother and I understand differently. Drustan knew it as a fun place where he could learn to be normal, while I knew it as a waste of time. Then again, Dru was actually enrolled; I camped out somewhere hidden that surrounded the actual camp. Our mom would drop Dru off then would leave after giving me my orders off: "Protect your brother." I would keep an eye on Dru during his activities then I'd bum dinner, make sure that he made it back to his cabin, and then I would go back to my set up in the woods.
This year we are at a Christian summer camp in Iowa called Camp Foster. By looking around I could already tell that people may be a problem. The girls looked like they wanted to jump me and boys were so confused over my gender that they may want to talk with me. I must say I do a good job hiding the fact that I'm a girl. Most people think I'm a guy and that's the way I want to keep it. "Dylan, I'm in a section called tent city towards the back of the camp." Drustan said. Yes, I even shortened my name to make it unisex. "Alright let's go get you set up." I told him, ushering him from the crowded sign in area. Tent city is the perfect location, surrounded by woods and partially secluded from the rest of the camp. I can easily sneak in and out at night in this area.
I followed Dru for the first day to see what I needed to do. I found out that he only had morning activities and afternoon free time to do anything dangerous. Other than that they eat, sleep, and have a campfire at night for teachings. I decided that I only need to watch Dru during free time, the rest are heavily supervised by councilors. The first campfire was mostly just introduction to the councilors. The was four main councilors who run the entire camp: Anna, Uriel, Zachariah, and Castiel. The first three put me on edge, but Castiel was different from the rest of them somehow.
After campfire, I snuck into the woods behind tent city. The spot I chose to make camp was near the horse ranch at the very back of the camp. I made a bed out of a few blankets and a pillow and set my backpack up in a tree. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to sleep. I made a daily routine to swim in a spot on the lake where no one swam, watch Dru, eat, and come back to sleep. It was working out well until the fourth day we were there.
I was swimming like normal, but when I began walking ashore I spotted a figure. "I thought I heard someone down here." The figure spoke in a deep voice. "Well your hearing works. You're Castiel, right?" I asked walking further up shore. "Yes and your brother called you Dylan?" His deep voice rang. "You spoke with my brother?" I asked thinking of anything that work for an attack, mental or physical. "I noticed that you were only around for the afternoon and dinners." He said matter-of-factly. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that he actually noticed. "Well, here I am." I said trying to make a plan of action, but he threw me off balance with each knew sentence. "I must ask if you are a girl why are you called Dylan?" He asked genuinely confused. I tensed up to my full height of 5'10". "What makes you think that I'm a chick." I said trying to erase all femininity from my posture. "If you where a boy you would bunk with your brother not camp out in the woods. You also have the body of a woman." He answered the second part a little hesitant. Damn, he must have found my camp area. "Well, you're the first to figure it out. My name is Dylania, we just shorten it." I said giving him a once over. He looked about late 20's. He had a low bass voice and a disheveled look that was almost cute. He had short dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a very annoying, monotone expression.
"It is a beautiful name, why do you shorten it?" Castiel asked, pressing too hard. I looked directly at him finally finding something to attack with. "What is an angel doing running a summer camp?" I challenged. I could faintly see the outline of wings and then I looked to his eyes and could see the faint glow of his grace. "How do you know of that?" He asked keeping an emotionless look on his face. "My mom's a hunter. We've run into a few of your brothers in the past. I even know how to see if you still have your grace." I said coolly. "My brothers, sister, and I are doing a sort of missionary work here." He said as if we were talking about the weather. This guy was infuriating, but he was putting up with my bullshit, so he deserves a few points.
"We shortened my name so that certain hunters don't know that I'm a girl. My mom raised me to believe that being a woman is the easiest way to show people you are vulnerable." I said, answering his question since he answered mine. It was nice to tell someone about my mom and her job. "Your mother is wrong. Being a woman can be a powerful strength." He said. I ignored the comment because I couldn't come up with a witty comeback and put my jeans on over the wet boxers I was wearing with a t-shirt. I went to grab my leather jacket, but a hand grabbed my wrist. I felt an incredible shock go through me like a fire coursing through my veins. Instead of jumping the angel like my body was telling me to, I turned to face him. "I did not mean to over step my boundaries." He said dropping my hand like it burned him. Then he walked away leaving me desperately confused.
The next couple days went by without a problem, except that I wanted to jump the angelic councilor every time I saw him. I started staying around for campfire to see if the biblical lessons would help wash my head of Castiel. It didn't help when he taught a couple of them. It was actually amazing how he spoke of God. He was so different from the others who only focused on the rules God has placed on humans. Zachariah was the worst of them, he always spoke of how unworthy humans are, how we didn't deserve God's love. Castiel though, he sounded like he truly loved God. When he spoke, all of the world's flaws fell away.
It wasn't until the night before we were supposed to leave that the reality of the flaws was shoved back in my face. I had been eating dinner when Drustan came up to me and told me mom was on the phone. I went to an office phone and picked up the receiver, dreading what my mom was going to say. "Mom, it's me."After those words everything went down from there. She told me that we were to stay here a minimum of two more weeks, but knowing my mother we will probably stay the whole twelve weeks. After she said goodbye, I slammed the receiver down and out of the dinner hall toward my camp. The problem was that Castiel was standing in between me and my destination.
"Dylania, you are upset." He said in that irritating way that he does, making me lose control of myself. I grabbed his arm and drug him to the woods near my camp and kissed him. At first he was so shocked he didn't do anything. Then once he got a hold of himself, he pushed me away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." I said before running to my campsite. I sat down onto my makeshift bed in pure disgust with myself. What was I thinking kissing an angel? Not only are we more than a millennia apart in age and maturity, we belong to two completely different races. He is an angel and I am just a hunter, though all of this doesn't even matter anyway because he doesn't want me.
The next two weeks went by awkwardly. I would try my hardest to avoid Castiel, but he would always turn up everywhere I went. Whenever I saw him I always ran, I felt like a coward but I couldn't face him. Then when I thought things couldn't be worse, Mom called again and, like I had predicted, she said that we were staying here for the rest of the eight weeks. That pushed me over the edge. I was fed up with our mother leaving us places so she doesn't have to take us with her on hunts. So, I went to go let off some steam by fighting with a tree.
It only took a few punches to make my knuckles bleed, but I barely felt it. I hadn't even realized that I was hurt until someone grabbed my arm. Surprised by the contact, I grabbed my attacker and threw them up against the tree I had just been punching. When I finally looked at the intruder I found the bright blue eyes that I have been trying to avoid. "What are you doing, Cas?" I asked.
"You are hurting yourself." Cas said emotionlessly. His response shocked me to the point I dropped him from the tree. "What does that matter?" I scoffed rhetorically. I went to start punching another tree, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. "You are hurting yourself." He repeated. "I am not your responsibility." I hissed trying to shake his grip. "Every person on this ground is my responsibility, especially you." When he said that, my heart skipped a few beats. "Why especially me? I can care for myself." I said. Geez, could I be anymore girly? My heart racing, wanting extra attention from a guy I can't have. I am going to make myself gag.
He sighed before continuing. "The four of us were each given a child that we had to watch over. You are mine." I couldn't believe what he was saying. I believe in demons, angels, even God, but a guardian angel? When I didn't say anything he dropped my hand. I have always believed that angels were too busy in heaven to care about humans. With so many questions running through my head, I resumed sparring with a tree. I only got one punch in before I found myself pinned between the tree I had just punched and very angry looking Castiel. "As I have said before, you are hurting yourself." He said his voice low and harsh. He had one of my wrists pinned above my head with his hand and his other arm was pinning my shoulder to the tree.
Trying to keep my body from over-reacting, I kept my mouth running. "That can't be true. Angels don't just hang on your shoulder. They have more important things to do." I rambled. His eyes narrowed dangerously then his lips came crashing down on mine. It wasn't a sweet kiss that you see in old movies. Once, I began to kiss back it was just the two of us letting out our frustrations. When we finally broke away for air, all of our negative emotions had been vented out. "So you do have emotions after all." I said smiling. "And you have a beautiful smile." He replied. Instead of blushing I kissed him again, the right way this time. He kissed me back and things went from light and sweet to hot and heavy. We didn't stop until I had his shirt off and he was tugging at mine. I stilled his hands and led him to my camp. Once we were on my bed of blankets, we resumed our heated session.
I'll admit that I've never actually had sex before. I've used sexual tension on both guys and girls to get something I needed, but I never went all the way. With Castiel it felt right. I wasn't using manipulation. It didn't feel like we were doing something wrong. While we are together like this, we are the only two people alive. The best part was the way that he looked at me it was a look of pure adoration and loyalty. A look that could only be rivaled by the look he gets when he talks about God. I would travel to hell just to see that look. I only hoped that I was showing him the same.
When we fell back on the bed sated and tired, we just laid in each other's arms. We didn't talk; we just divided our attention between the stars and each other. "What will happen after camp? I'm pretty sure your job was not to sleep with your charge." I said after several hours on the brink of sleep. Cas looked at me confused for a moment then he answered with such an innocent look on his face it made me question if we actually just did what we did. "I will stay with you." He made it sound so simple. "I am in a new state every week. It will be difficult." I said lowering my head. He took the tip of my chin and raised it to make me look at him. "I could stay with you in hell if it came to it." He said seriously. I smiled, kissed him, and then began to drift into unconsciousness. Before I fully fell asleep I could have sworn that I felt warm feathers encircling me and then I heard his voice ring in my ear. "I will always be with you, for I am an angel with a shotgun ready for your command. I am yours from now until forever."
My mother always told me that the only fate is that which we make for ourselves, life has proved me otherwise. Destiny has thrown so much my way that I have come to learn that you can never know what will happen next, but even though my future was unsure, Castiel was the one thing that I could believe would remain constant. "Forever will be an awfully big adventure."