How To Be a Heartbreaker

Chiron was having a busy day. With all other administrators preparing for the summer arrivals, an unscheduled arrival was his responsibility: a daughter of Aphrodite. A eleven-year-old by the name of Lacy. The shy blond's claiming had been a curve-ball, seeing as she possessed little qualities of a typical Cabin 10 camper. He needed to make fast arrangements to get the girl situated so he could return to his usual duties.

The only person who knew that particular cabin better than Aphrodite herself was Drew Tanaka. She was head camper, after all. Who better to watch over their newest sibling than her?

Chiron approached her the morning after Lacy had been claimed. He found Drew loitering around the Apollo cabin, chatting flirtatiously with Will Solace.

"Drew?" He came up behind her.

She didn't respond.

"Drew!"

"What?" Drew responded in a reflexively snappy tone. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Oh, sorry, Chiron. I thought you were someone else."

"It's okay, Drew. I have a job for you."

"I'm a little bit busy right now..." her brown eyes glanced at Will, who was beginning to walk off.

"I'm just gonna go..." Said Apollo son as he backed away.

Drew held out a finger. "Stay." She told him, still facing Chiron. "What's the job?"

"You know the new Aphrodite camper, correct?"

"Little blond girl?"

"Yes."

"I know of her."

"Well, since you are the head counselor, I suppose you wouldn't mind taking her under your wing for the time being? No more than a week."

Drew crossed her arms over her chest. "What makes you think I would want to do that?"

Chiron knew how these kids worked. And if Drew worked the way all the other girls did, he would just need to throw in an extra incentive.

"I'm sure Mr. Solace would be happy to accompany you."

Will was caught by surprise. "I would...?"

"Of course you would! You know your way around camp."

Drew reasoned with herself. If she got to spend a week with Will Solace and the only catch was that some little girl would be joining them, the choice was easy. Just look at him. He was gorgeous.

She uncrossed her arms and rested them on her hips. "I'll do it."

Drew found Lacy in Cabin 10, bent over her trunk arranging her meager supply of clothes. She leaned up against the door frame and watched her for a moment. Lacy wasn't nearly as neat as the other campers. Piles of t-shirts were strewn around her, hopefully about to be folded, but something didn't make Drew think so. Her hair hung in a barely-intact blond braid, and it was awfully frizzy, to be completely honest. She had her work cut out for her.

After seeing the pile grow and grow, Drew had seen enough. She sauntered over to the girl on the floor and planted her heels inches away from her hands, which were rifling through it. Lacy's had to tip her head all the way up to see the owner of the feet. When she did, she scrambled to her feet and stuttered out a "hello".

"What's your name again?"

Lacy blinked at the sixteen year-old in front of her, standing tall like a queen addressing her subjects. She'd already told Drew Tanaka her name three times. "Lacy Woods."

"How do you spell that?" Drew asked, cocking her head to one side as if she actually wanted to know how to properly scribe this little girl's name.

"Just like it sounds..." Lacy said slowly.

"You know what?" Drew narrowed her eyes at the new recruit. "You've got a really bad attitude..."

The eleven-year-old felt the color drain from her face. For such a pretty girl, Drew could be quite threatening when she wanted to be.

Her expression softened. "...I like you. Remind me of a young Drew Tanaka."

Lacy pasted on a smile as she tried to figure out if that was a compliment. The older of the two turned on her stiletto heel and click-clacked across the cabin floor. Lacy took a moment to take in her surroundings. Cabin 10 looked like an OCD seven year old still in the "princess stage" had been appointed interior designer. Frilly pastel curtains lined the each window, matching with the furnishings on every surface. Even the boys' side was no less neat than than the girls'. The whole place made Lacy want to take a dozen different colored paints and splatter them on every wall, right after rumpling the sheets. It felt like a hotel. Not a home.

Drew returned with a hot pink leather-bound journal in her manicured hands. She smiled briefly at Lacy and presented it to her.

Lacy's blue eyes scanned over the cover. Cabin 10 Rules was printed in swirly script across the front. She regarded it questioningly. "Rules?"

Drew scoffed. "Of course. Everyone needs rules. Just take it, okay?"

She did as told. The book was heavy in her hands. No one had told her that there would be rules.

"Don't think of them as rules. Think of them as... helpful hints!" The head counselor flitted her hand in the air. Her eyes swept over the younger girl. "And it looks like you're going to need them... no offense. It's just that you don't figure out how to be a heartbreaker overnight. And that," she tapped the journal, "might as well be the regulation handbook."

The other campers had long since fled to lunch, leaving Lacy corned with Drew. It had been an eventful morning. On top of learning her mother was a goddess, for crying out loud, now she had to deal with this. "Can I read it later?"

Drew shook her head gravely, sitting on the edge of the nearest bed. She patted the space next to her. The newest Cabin 10 resident gingery sat next to her.

"Listen, Tracey-"

"It's Lacy."

"Whatever. It's rough around here for an Aphrodite camper. I'm not going to lie. It's not always easy to be one the most desired and envied girls at camp. And if you don't know how to play the cards right, you're going to find yourself losing the game. This book is your new best friend. Every camper since 1978 has filled those pages with everything you could ever need to know."

"How come I've never heard of it?"

Drew shrugged. "We only lend it to the campers who are desperate."

Lacy was noticing that Drew had this way of making a blatant insult sound like nothing more than an innocent statement. She cast a side-long glance at the girl who seemed to know everything. Her eyes told a different story. They were... sad. And lonely. "Oh. Well, thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, hon. " The brunette's bubble-gum pink lips turned up in a smile. "You know Will? Really cute Apollo counselor? He's helping me look after you. We'll start the tour after lunch, kay? Does three work for you?"

The blond nodded.

"Be sure to read that cover to cover. This is your Bible here at camp." She rose and began walking to the door.

"I'm Jewish!" Lacy called after her.

"Then it's your Torah!" Drew called over her shoulder before flinging the door open and briskly ambling over to the mess hall.

After she left, the cabin was filled with a heavy silence. Lacy sighed. The newfound Aphrodite child fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Drew and Will. Her lifelines for the next week. Two people, one of which probably didn't look at her very fondly, and other she had never spoken to.

It was going to be an interesting week.


Author's note: Hope you enjoyed it! Please don't be a ghostie; leave a review! I'm open to any feedback :)