Regina had been dreading this day since the moment her mother told her about it. Today was the day Regina was going to camp for 8 weeks. Normally, people are excited to go to camp. Her brother Henry had been raving about all the fun activities he would be doing at camp, but those people aren't Regina. Even though she was going to be able to ride horses, her favorite thing in the whole world, and she'd get to be away from her mother, Regina still cringed at the thought of sleeping in filthy cabins with no running toilets. However, she put all her negative thoughts aside and finished putting the rest of the items from the packing list into her duffel bags.

"Come on Regina, it's time to go!" Cora called from the hallway downstairs.

"Coming," Regina responded with a groan. With one last look at her glorious bedroom with a comfortable bed, an overhead fan, and her phone, all things she knew she wouldn't have for the next 8 weeks, she dragged her bags down the stairs.

"Hurry up, we're going to be late," Regina's brother Henry complained.

"Relax Henry, check in isn't until 2:30, and it's only 1:45," Regina replied. After one last trip into the house to get her sunglasses, Regina got into the car and Cora drove them off to Camp Storybrooke.

"I hope I make lots of new friends," Henry called out from the backseat.

"I'm sure you will. I read online that Camp Storybrooke is the best camp in all of Maine. After all, I only want the best for my darling children," Cora comforted. Similar conversations between Cora and Henry continued for the rest of the car ride, but Regina wasn't listening. She just hoped she wouldn't be stuck with some weirdos or obnoxiously nice kids in her cabin.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the camp, Regina noticed two things: that the camp looked pretty small, and that there were a lot of trees. She just hoped the bugs weren't too bad, as she didn't plan on being eaten by mosquitoes. They checked in, turned in their money for the camp store called "The Trading Post," and headed to the main lodge for health checks. When they were given the confirmation that they weren't sick and didn't have lice, they headed back to the car to get their stuff out. Regina noticed many other kids checking in that looked about her age, but figuring she would just meet them later, she ignored them.

Cora decided to bring Henry to his unit first, since he was bursting with excitement, so the three of them followed the path marked "Oak Grove" to where Henry's group was. They checked him in to his counselors, Gepetto and Pinocchio, and helped him unroll his sleeping bag and stash his duffel bag under the bed before saying goodbye and heading to Regina's unit in "Cherry Hollow." Here is where she would find all the other 11-13 year old campers doing the "Ponytails" session, a.k.a. Horseback riding. Regina checked in with her counselors Blue and Tinkerbelle before heading to her cabin. Never before had Regina been so nervous. She hugged goodbye to her mother then turned to the cabin and pulled open its squeaky door, bringing her bags in with her.

Literally one second after she stepped foot in the cabin, a short-ish, brunette girl with a pixie style hairstyle approached her.

"Hi. My name's Mary Margaret. What's your name?"

"Great, an annoying overly nice girl, just what I wanted," Regina thought. However, she forced a smile on her face and replied, "Regina. My name's Regina. Nice to meet you."

"I'll introduce you to our cabinmates," Mary Margaret continued. "This is Belle," she introduced, pointing to a short brunette girl with glasses. "This is Ruby," Mary Margaret pointed to a tall, thin girl with brown hair with streaks of red in it. "And finally, this is Emma." Regina glanced at the final girl with blond hair that fell in waves, dark blue jeans, and a red leather jacket, despite the 80 degree heat.

"Nice to meet you all," Regina responded. Ruby and Belle voiced a hello, but Emma just grunted from her top bunk bed in the back right corner.

"Don't mind Emma, she's a bit grumpy sometimes," Mary Margaret comforted.

"You know her?" Regina asked.

"She's my cousin," Mary Margaret answered. Regina nodded with understanding and continued unpacking her stuff.

"So, is there anyone else in this cabin?" Regina asked.

"Nope, it's just us, but I know there are three girls in the other cabin," Ruby piped up.

"Okay," Regina frowned. She didn't particularly like any of her cabinmates so far. Mary Margaret was too nice, Belle wouldn't stop reading, Ruby just seemed too chillaxed, and Emma hadn't left her bed since Regina had gotten there, so Regina didn't know what to think of her.

"Everybody out, and grab your swim stuff. We're going to make name tags and then take the swim test," one of the counselors called from outside the cabin. The five girls grabbed their bags with swimsuits, towels, flip flops, shampoo, conditioner, soap, washcloths, sunscreen, bug spray, and water bottles before they left the cabin.

"Hello everyone. My name is Blue and I will be one of your counselors," a short woman with brown curly hair pulled back into a bun introduced. "This is Tinkerbelle, your other counselor," Blue said, pointing to a woman wearing a forest green shirt with blond hair, also pulled back into a bun. "Now, before we make name tags, let's introduce ourselves." They formed a circle and went around, saying their name, age, and favorite color. Regina learned the names of the girls from the other cabin: Mal, a girl with a bright blue tank top and blond hair that reached to about her chin, Victoria (Vicki) De Vil, a girl with blond hair with many black streaks in it and a white puffy vest lined with fur, and finally, Zelena, a girl with wildly curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and a wicked grin that led Regina to believe she was up to something. The 8 girls went over to the picnic tables to make name tags, and when they finished, the counselors assigned them buddies.

"Once you get a buddy, you have to stay with her for the rest of the summer. Wherever you go, your buddy must come with you. You also have to share a horse with your buddy. It may not seem fair, but these are the rules. Now, here's the list: Mary Margaret Blanchard and Ruby Hood, Belle French and Zelena Wicked, Mal Dragon and Vicki De Vil, and Regina Mills and Emma Swan." As soon as she heard the list, Regina's stomach dropped. She had been hoping to be with Mal or Vicki from the other cabin, since they seemed nice, but at least she wasn't stuck with Mary Margaret.

"Okay, let's form a buddy line and head to the pool. It's time to take your swim test," Blue announced. The campers formed a line, two-by-two, and followed Blue and Tinkerbell to the pool house. They changed into their swimsuits, and went through the door to the pool.

When they emerged, they noticed they weren't taking their swim test alone.

"What are they doing here?" Mal asked in disgust, pointing to the eight boys standing by the pool.

"They're going to take their swim test with you," Tinkerbelle, answered. A couple people groaned, but stopped when they noticed Blue glaring at them.

"Don't be rude. This pool is big enough for all of us," Blue chided. The girls mumbled a few "I'm sorrys" before getting into the pool.

"All right boys and girls. My name is Ariel and I am the lifeguard here," a woman with long red hair and a blue-ish green swimsuit introduced. "For the swim test, I need you all to swim to the other side and back. You may not do backstroke or touch the ground. Understand?" They all nodded, and she gave them a signal to go. They took off, paddling toward the other side of the pool. Ruby took the lead, swimming much faster than anyone else due to the fact she was on swim team for two summers in a row. When they got back to the original side of the pool, Ariel told them to go back to the other side, since it was deeper, so they could tread water for three minutes. Regina, Mary Margaret, and a few of the boys struggled to stay afloat for three whole minutes, but in the end they all managed and passed. Ariel also had them do a "tip test," which is when you put on life vests and put a canoe into the water. First, you have to get into the canoe. Next, you work with your two partners to tip the canoe over. Then, you get in the sunken canoe and paddle it over to the shallow end, drain all the water out, and flip it upright again. Finally, you get back into the canoe and paddle back to the side of the pool. Ariel explained that this test trains you so you know what to do if your boat tips over when you're canoeing in a lake. Regina struggled with getting back inside the canoe, but with help from Mal and Vicki, her two partners, she managed.

"Congratulations, you all passed," Ariel announced once they had all finished. "Now go take some showers and meet your counselors by the flag pole for closing flag ceremony."

"All right girls, we are in charge of flag ceremony today," Blue told them, once they had all showered and changed. She assigned each of the different roles, with Regina being the caller. "Okay, Regina, I just need you to read the commands on this card aloud so everyone can hear you." Regina nodded, but deep down she was still a little nervous. She didn't really like speaking in front of other people. However, she swallowed her nerves and began the ceremony.

"Horseshoe attention. Please remove all hats, bandanas, and sunglasses. Color Guard attention. Color Guard advance." Everyone in the Color Guard, the group of people taking down the flag, began walking toward the flagpole. "Color Guard halt. Color guard, retire the colors." The Color Guard began taking down the flag, and when they were almost done, Regina read the next cue. "Please join in singing 'Taps'." Regina didn't have a clue what "Taps" was, but she just listened to the others singing, telling herself she could always learn it later. Once they finished "Taps" and the flag was folded, Regina read for the Color Guard to retreat, and she dismissed everyone else.

"Time for dinner," Blue called out, just as the cook, Granny, came out to ring the bell. "I need you to line up in two lines in front of the door right behind the boys.

Soon after Regina had gotten in line, she felt small arms hug her from behind.

"Hi Regina," Henry called out from behind her.

"Hey Henry," Regina replied, hugging him back. Though he could be annoying sometimes, Regina had to admit that she had missed him today, and she was glad to see him again. "Are you having fun?"

"Yep! We even got to 'hop,' which means set the table for you guys," he responded. "That reminds me, we're going to teach you grace now. Bye."

"Bye, Henry."

"Is that your brother?" a boy in front of Regina asked. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and spoke in a crisp, British accent. Regina had to admit, he was kind of cute, in the good-looking kind of way.

"Why do you care?" Regina snapped, annoyed as to why this guy was asking about her brother.

"I was just asking. My brother Roland is also in the younger resident camp group. I think they might be in the same cabin. I'm Robin, by the way."

"Oh. My name's Regina," she answered, feeling kind of guilty for snapping at him. "Which one is he?" she asked.

"He's the boy jumping up and down with the long, brown, curly hair and glasses."

"Aww. He's so cute."

"Yeah. I'm really lucky to have such a great little brother." Just then, the young boys started the grace, stopping Regina and Robin's conversation. They followed along, and were then led into Storybrooke Lodge for dinner.

"You want to sit by me?" Robin asked.

"Sure," Regina replied. Normally Regina wouldn't eat with boys, but Robin seemed like a good guy, and besides, who else was she going to sit by? She sat next to Robin. Emma, Belle, Henry, Roland, and two boys from Robin's cabin joined them.

"So, have you been to camp here before?" Regina asked Robin, as she dished herself some pasta and peas.

"No, this is my first time here. It's actually also my first time in America."

"Really? Wow. So, how did you find this place."

"Well, my mum actually came here as a kid before she met my dad and moved to England. She has always wanted to send me here, she was just waiting for Roland and I to both be old enough. Have you been here before?"

"No. This is my first time too. I didn't even want to come in the first place, but my mom forced me. She said it would be good for me, but I don't really know how. I would have refused, but she at least had the decency to sign me up for Ponytails, and I love horses, so I reluctantly agreed."

"Oh, do you take lessons?"

"Yeah, but only once a week. I want to compete, but my mom won't let me until I'm 13. But what about you? Do you take lessons?"

"Not in horses, but I take archery."

"That's cool." Their conversation continued for the rest of dinner, and Regina started to like him more and more. She only hoped Robin shared the same feelings she did. However, even if he didn't, Regina told herself she would be fine with just staying friends.

After dinner, the counselors handed out popsicles and they played Gaga Ball for about half an hour before the opening campfire. Regina had never played Gaga Ball before, but Blue and Tinkerbelle explained the rules. It's like dodgeball, but you can't pick the ball up. You hit the ball with your hand, keeping it on the ground, and you try to get the ball to hit other players on the foot or leg. If the ball hits you, or you hit the ball out of the Gaga area, you are out. Regina had never been very athletic, so it was no surprise to her when she was the 2nd person out. They played a few more rounds until the counselors announced it was time for opening campfire. Regina made sure to put on a lot of bug spray since the mosquitos were horrible this year, but she still got bit a lot, and she had to constantly swat away mosquitos. For opening campfire, Midas, one of the counselors for Robin's group, made a fire. While it burned, Blue, Tinkerbelle, Pinocchio, Gepetto, Robin's other counselor Jiminy Cricket, and Rapunzel and Cinderella, the counselors for the young girls, led songs and performed skits. They sang "The Princess Pat," "Juicy Moose," "60's Party," and "Baby Duck." Regina thought "The Princess Pat" song was especially silly. After all, what kind of princess sails across the seven seas and brings whatever "a rigabamboo" is. She was pretty sure there was no such thing as a rigabamboo that could save a boat from sinking. The counselors also did a couple skits like "Raisin Bran" and "Tink's Candy Shop." Her favorite was the candy shop one. In this skit, Tinkerbelle called up several counselors and campers to be different items in her shop like a sign, door, bell, welcome mat, cash register, and more. When someone was assigned an object, they were told to say something, and Tinkerbell would critique them until they said it just right. Then, at the end, the customers asked where the candy was, and Tinkerbell would reply "What do you mean? I've got all these suckers." Though it was kind of stupid, Regina still enjoyed the counselors making a fool out of themselves.

Once they finished, the campers were led back to their cabins, and they got ready for bed. Regina only hoped she would be able to sleep on the thin mattress on the top of her bunk bed. Thankfully, Regina didn't have to share with anyone, so she could put her stuff on the bottom bunk, but she only hoped no one in her cabin kept her up at night with snoring, talking in her sleep, or even talking to someone else. She would at least have to try, though, so Regina put her PJs on, brushed her teeth, and got into her sleeping bag, wondering what she would do the next day.