"Oh, Darla, you're almost a teenager..." Jessica hugged her little sister. "And you're off to spend the summer at my childhood summer camp... I know this is no Camp Little Moose, but you'll make loads of new friends here, and best of all, Amber will be there too."
"Yeah, luckily I'll get to see her before she sees her Aunt Anita and Uncle Roger in London." Darla hugged her big sister back as she was packed to spend eight weeks at summer camp this year.
"Are we almost there yet? We can't breathe." Patch and Maisy muffled from her luggage.
Darla opened one bag to see the puppy and kitten before she folded her arms with a smirk.
"What're you two doing in there?" Jessica giggled to the pets.
"We wanted to come with." Maisy said.
"Of course you did..." Darla replied.
"Well, we can't let our big girl go out into the world alone." Patch replied.
Darla rolled her eyes. "Guys, I'm almost twelve!" she then whined.
"We know, but we don't want to miss out on anything you might experience at camp." Patch said.
"Well... I guess you could come as long as you don't cause too much trouble." Darla replied.
"So, what're Roger and Anita going to do in London?" Patch asked curiously.
"I hear Anita's going to see an old friend of hers who has a daughter that wants to meet Amber," Darla said. "I wish I could go too, but I should let my best friend be with her family, we have eight whole weeks together."
"Don't you have to meet another girl as well?" Jessica asked.
"Oh, yeah, did I tell you?" Darla replied. "I've been exchanging letters with a girl named Hallie from California."
"I know you'll miss being with Amber, but you should spend some time with new friends." Jessica smiled.
"And I plan to." Darla replied maturely as she was almost twelve now and excited to start this experience.
"So then, what are we waiting for? Let's get this bag zipped up and get ready for the trip to the camp." Maisy smiled.
"Okay, get comfortable..." Jessica told them.
Atticus walked over to Darla. "Have a good time, kiddo..." he then hugged her nice and tight, but didn't use all of his strength. "We'll miss you so much."
"I'll miss you too." Darla smiled.
"Now, remember, I want you to be on your best behavior," Atticus told her. "Remember what I said about meeting Robyn. I know you have a lot of old friends and you might not feel like you might need a new friend, but look, you mailed that girl Hallie Parker once a week during the school year and you two sound close already even though you've never met each other, but you'll spend time together before you start school in the Fall."
"Yes, Atticus..." Darla nodded to her big brother. "I know a lot better... I'm almost twelve."
"Yes, but you'll always be that little seven year old girl we met back in Hollywood..." Atticus smiled with joyful tears in his eyes.
"I know." Darla smiled.
Atticus wiped his eyes.
"Okay, kiddo, let's get going." Jessica smiled as she got into her car and was ready to drive off.
Darla hugged Atticus one last time and dashed to the car and sat in the passenger seat and hooked up once her bags were ready to go to camp. "We're going!"
"Yay!" Patch and Maisy muffled.
Cherry and Mo came to Atticus's sides.
"My little sister's all grown up!" Atticus cried out before grabbing Cherry by her hood and blowing his nose into it.
"Hey!" Cherry glared as she sharply turned to him.
"Oops, sorry." Atticus smiled sheepishly.
Cherry narrowed her eyes in disgust.
Jessica had a long drive ahead of her. When the drive took longer than anticipated, Darla was with a blanket and pillow to sleep some of the trip away. Patrick and Emily were happy enough to drive Darla to camp, but since Jessica went to this very camp when she was Darla's age and it would be a good chance for the two to bond as sisters, they allowed her to do it. Plus, Jessica would get to experience having a road trip with a child as she really wanted to be a mother someday.
Patch and Maisy tried their best to not get too uncomfortable in the bag. It was a bit snug, but luckily, not terribly bad as Patch made it comfortable for both of them. Darla had a strange feeling deep inside herself that this trip would be more than meets the eye. The trip to the camp was a long one, but they soon arrived there. Jessica stopped the car and shook her little sister.
"Ugh..." Darla groaned. "Are we there yet...?"
"The last fifty times you asked that, the answer was no," Jessica narrowed her eyes before smiling to show the front gate of the campsite. "This time, the answer's yes!"
"Wahoo!" Darla cheered.
Jessica smiled as she then did a quick drive in and then stopped her car.
Darla then ran out before falling flat on her face.
Jessica covered her mouth. "You might wanna stretch your legs first."
"Thanks for the memo." Darla muffled.
Jessica then helped Darla up and dusted her clean and looked surprised at the elder counselor. "No way... Is that Marva?!"
Darla merely shrugged.
"That can't be her..." Jessica rubbed her eyes before doing a double take. "Marva was a counselor here when I was your age."
"Either she's still a counselor or she's retired." Darla said.
Jessica looked over.
The grey-haired woman greeted the incoming campers before looking back to her. "Jessica Fudo?!"
"It is you!" Jessica replied.
"Jessica Fudo, well I'll be." Marva smiled.
"Marvus, long time no see." Jessica smiled to her former counselor.
"It sure has been a while, hasn't it?" Marva smiled back.
"I'll say..." Jessica agreed.
"So, what brings you here?" Marvus asked her.
"I'm dropping off my little sister," Jessica smiled as she introduced the young blonde. "This is Darla."
"Hello, ma'am." Darla gave a polite smile and greeting before looking around and looking for her best friend in the whole wide world: Amber Smith.
"Are you looking for someone, dear?" Marva asked.
Darla looked forward. "Um... Well..."
"She's probably looking for her best friend," Jessica told Marvus. "They've been inseparable since second grade."
"Aw!" Marva smiled.
Jessica smiled back. "So, what're you up to?"
"I'm the camp director now until I decide to retire, my daughter Marvus Jr will be helping me." Marva told her.
Jessica looked surprised and curious of this Marva Jr.
Darla seemed to wander from her sister and the older woman as she looked around, passing the swarm of girls and one boy who seemed to be there by mistake, thinking this was a boy's camp. She soon saw a girl over at a pile of luggage having to have finally found her bag until more girls started to pile up their duffel bags on top. "Want some help?" she offered.
"I think I got it." the girl replied as she tried to get her bag.
"You girls new?" Another girl asked.
"Yeah..." the girls replied.
"How can you tell?" the other girl asked as she struggled with her bag by pulling it by the strap.
"You didn't know to grab your duffel before the apes tossed it into the heap," the girl replied, offering to give some help. "I would say you need some serious help."
"We sure could use some help." Darla said as she agreed herself into helping the other girl with getting her bag out.
"Thanks, it's the big yellow one." the girl said.
The other girl then nodded and helped get the bag out from the pile. A girl in a Tie-Dyed shirt found her bag and lifted it over her shoulder before walking off from the group.
"Whoa!" Darla smiled.
"Now that's my kind of woman." the redheaded girl next to Darla said about the Tie-Dyed girl.
"Yo, Tie-Dye, girl!" Darla called out. "Could you give us a hand, please?"
The girl then walked over.
The redheaded girl looked to the bags. "Oh! You're Darla Fudo, you're that girl I've been exchanging letters with last year in school."
"Then you must be Hallie Parker." Darla then said.
"That's me." Hallie smiled.
The two smiled to each other before Darla sighed.
"I wish my brother Atticus were here..." Darla said. "He could do this in a snap."
The Tie-Dye girl soon pulled out Hallie's bag out of the pile.
"Wow, you must be strong..." Darla said to the Tie-Dye girl.
"Hey, you live in California?" the first girl with glasses asked as she read Hallie's bag. "Do you, like, live in Hollywood?"
"Do you live next door to a movie star?" the Tie-Dye girl added in.
"What are you two, Lucy and Ethel?" Hallie laughed. "I've never even been to Hollywood. I live in Napa, that's in Northern California, and I live next door to a vineyard."
"Cool." Darla smiled.
"A whatyard?" the Tie-Dye girl asked.
"A vineyard," Hallie explained. "It's where you grow grapes to make wine. That's what we do. Me and my dad, we own a vineyard."
'Parker, Hallie!' Marva Jr called to announce the redheaded girl's cabin. 'Arapaho!'
'This camp might not be that bad.' Darla thought to herself.
Hallie then left with Darla and their new friends, Zoe and Nicole as she then asked them if they knew how to play Poker. Jessica went to help Darla get ready into her cabin as she was one of the few adults from home still there to help out before she would have to drive back home all alone.
A limo was then pulling up into the camp gates as Amber came off of one school bus and looked around. "Darla?" she looked for her best friend in the whole wide world, but couldn't find her yet. She soon saw who was coming out of the limo. Amber then turned as the limo stopped. "Wow, way cool limo!"
A sharply dressed man came out from the driver's seat and let a redheaded girl with her hair down with a headband in ecru white clothing as she stepped out and smiled at the sights of the summer camp.
"Hi!" Amber extended her right hand. "I'm Amber Smith."
"Oh, you're Anita's niece." the girl replied with an English accent.
"That's me." Amber smiled.
"It's so wonderful to meet you." the English girl smiled.
"Annie, right?" Amber smiled back.
"That's correct." Annie smiled.
The man smiled down to them.
"Oh, hello." Amber greeted.
"I'm Martin, Miss James's butler and caretaker when her mother is away or her grandfather is busy." the man smiled.
"Hello, Martin..." Amber shook his head. "I'm Amber Smith, my Aunt Anita Dearly also works in the fashion industry, well, of course she did before she moved to a farm with my Uncle Roger and their dogs."
"Doesn't she still work as a fashion designer?" Annie asked.
"Yeah, but she can't go into work personally since she lives on a farm now." Amber explained.
"Oh, well that is a shame..." Annie replied. "I bet she's a very lovely woman."
"You have no idea..." Amber sighed about her favorite aunt.
"Anyway, shall we get to your checklist, Annie?" Martin asked.
"Of course, Martin," Annie nodded, then looked to Amber. "Oh, would you excuse us?"
"Go right ahead, my dad and I do the same thing when I'm with him for back to school." Amber giggled.
Annie smiled as that was something they also had in common. Martin took out the list and went over it with Annie. Annie looked up to Martin so they could go over the list before he would go to leave her here for the next eight weeks. And after he went over the list with Annie he brought a deck of poker cards. Annie checked everything that he said and smiled to the deck of cards.
"A spankin' new deck of cards," Martin smiled as he showed the deck to Annie. "Maybe you'll find someone on this continent who can actually whip your tush at poker."
Amber hid a giggle.
"I doubt it, but thanks," Annie smiled. "Thanks for bringing me here, Martin."
The two of them soon hugged. Martin seemed weepy from the hug. Annie gently held him and then let go once they finished.
"Now remember, if you change your mind and want me to pick you up at the end of camp, I'm only a phone-call away." Martin reminded Annie.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Annie promised with a smile. "Really. See you in eight weeks, Marty, o'pal."
"Miss you already, my Queen of Heart." Martin smiled back.
Amber was happy to know that Annie was being brave. Annie and Martin then shared a secret handshake and dance together. Amber looked curious.
"It's just something only we do." Annie explained to Amber.
"Oh, okay." Amber then smiled in understanding.
After Martin left, Annie and Amber both left for the cafeteria.
"Annie James?" Marva Jr called out.
"Over here." Annie smiled.
Amber then walked with Annie so they would find out where their cabins would be, she hoped that they could maybe have the same cabin and maybe even with Darla if she could ever find her best friend in this swarm of girls. And where luckily she was given the same cabin as Annie.
'I'm so excited to spend the summer with my new friend.' Amber and Darla thought to themselves, referring to Annie and Hallie. Unknown to them, the two best friends would soon be in the middle of a war when Annie and Hallie would meet.