Chapter 1: Camp
Petra's .
"But I don't want to go. I can't leave you guys alone all summer! Ethan and I haven't been apart for more than a week before!" I cried. It was the summer before 8th grade and Jeremy and Tim were dropping me off at Camp Loyola, a Christian summer camp. In Canada. Canada. Without Ethan, my twin brother.
"Petra Alee Lennon-La Croix, stop whining. You and Ethan need some time apart. He has to learn to stand on his own. You can't spend your whole life protecting him." Jeremy scolded. I huffed, but all he did was offer a sad smile. Tim was already carrying my stuff up to Cabin 11, my home for the next 4 weeks.
"Dads, if you do this to me, I'll never forgive you. You can't keep us apart." I begged. I was trying my hardest not to cry. Ethan was completely silent. Icy, almost. He would always be like that if it wasn't for me always being there, coaxing him out of his shell.
"I'm sorry, Pet. But this is for your own good. You need to learn to exist without having to watch out for Ethan. And so does he." Tim apologized, slightly out of breath from hauling all my crap up the massive hill between us and Cabin 11. Jeremy sweet talked him into carrying it all up. Typical. He was like Ethan: subdued and easily swayed. I was like Jeremy: aggressive and abrasive.
"Fine. Be that way. Good-bye." I said tersely. I turned to Ethan. His face was paler than normal and he was trembling slightly. Like a scared little rabbit. Leaning forward, I pulled him into a tight hug.
"Please. Don't go." he whispered. "I can't do this without you."
"I know, E. It's only 4 weeks, it'll go fast. I'll be home soon. I love you." I replied. Ethan whimpered what vaguely sounded like an 'I love you', before pulling away.
I watched as they climbed back into the car and drove away. Ethan's face stayed pressed to the window and it broke my heart. I trudged up the hill to Cabin 11, getting more and more depressed with each step. Eventually I reached the cabin.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the door made my heart skip a beat. Along one wall was a massive crucifix. And several other crucifixes all around the cabin. That wasn't the problem; sure, Ethan had been an atheist since before he could spell it, but I believed in God and Jesus. The problem was the silence. It was never silent at home. I couldn't remember a time when I could hear my own thoughts. And I loved it. But all of that was gonna change now.
This was going to be a very long 4 weeks…
The next morning I got up early to take a shower. The counselor, Mindy, had told me that if I went before 7 a.m., I could use the boys shower. Which had much better water pressure, according to her. I could go without sleep for a good shower.
The other girls in my cabin were strange. It turned out that all 4 of them -Kayla, Olivia,
Izzie, and Tori had all known each other since they were 4 and were best friends. Which was great. Day 2 at camp and I'm already an outcast.
I reached the bathhouse. It was a short, squat building half-way into the woods. It was quiet, too. But this was good quiet. Peaceful quiet, not stark quiet. I walked in and set my stuff in a shower, humming that song that had been playing on the radio for what seemed like the whole ride up. I started to get undressed, but all of the sudden I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
I turned slowly, like someone who had just learned they were standing on a minefield and was trying to out maneuver the explosives. Right there, leaning up against the wall, was a boy. "Aaah!" I screamed. He shot up as I pulled my shirt back down, remembering I had started to get undressed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled, pressing my hand against my heart. He
smirked.
"Uh, I should be asking you that. This is the boys shower, FYI."
"You're so clever I may die." I dead panned. He narrowed his eyes, I narrowed mine.
"I guess I'll be seeing you around, shower girl." he said, before turning and walking straight past me. I could feel him brush against me ever so slightly.
I was infuriated. But also intrigued. He was certainly clever and quick. Also his brown hair and fox=like features were sorta…cute.
I took my shower in peace and quiet. The water pressure was as good as Mindy said it would be. Breakfast passed by in a haze. The other tables were loud and raucous. Ours was still silent. For best-friends, Kayla, Olivia, Izzie and Tori sure didn't talk a lot. Or maybe that was because of me. I wasn't one of them and they didn't know how to treat me.
Just then, a counselor stood up on top of his chair. "Attention! It's time to announce our pairs for the summer. Your partner will be by your side all summer long, so try to get along. Some of you will be with same sex buddies, others not. I don't want any complaining. When I read your name, stand up and go outside with your buddy. Okay, first we've got…"
He read through name after name. Soon enough half of us were gone. Then he called my name.
"….Petra Lennon-La Croix and Mark Fitzgerald." he yelled. I stood up and headed for the door….and it turns out Mark Fitzgerald is none other than the biy from this morning.
"Hey, shower girl. This'll be fun." he laughed. It was a dry, mocking laugh; not a nice one. I smacked him on the shoulder. Hard. "Or not." he gulped.
Please review! I'm gonna do alternating one chapter with their time at camp, then one now, with a flip P.O.V.
