This fic is inspired by the tumblr Descendants Summer Camp AU post by 'ben-florian'. Please check out their blog as they have amazing content! Also, please read the A/N at the bottom of the fic, and thank you!
Chapter 1: A Summer Morning
'The smallest drop can begin an ocean'
There is a secret place hidden beneath the trees, deep into the forestry surrounding the little town of Auradon. A place built on the foundations of happiness and raised with the walls of generosity. This place was Camp Auradon, a state-renowned summer camp for all ages.
Camp Auradon resided on the edge of the Auradon lake with numerous yellow-and-blue painted cabins, sets of canoes of the same colour docked at the edge of the large lake. Numerous sets of flowers sprouted from the evergreen grass, decorating the winding gravel paths around the campground. An outdoor stage stood proud at the very centre of the camp, counselors already setting up equipment in the early hours of the morning in preparation for the campers to arrive.
Blue banners with yellow lion crests hung on the cabin doors, proudly displaying the emblem of the camp. Numerous sunny yellow tables had been set outdoors near the campfire pit for an inauguratory welcome back picnic, red vased flowers being placed in the centre of each table.
The camp was founded by the two mayors of Auradon; Belle and Adam Beast. The two had become the heart and soul of the community of Auradon ever since their election twenty years prior, and with Belles love for children and learning, she along with her husband founded Camp Auradon.
They appointed their close friend and confidant to run the camp as the 'Head Councillor', to many known as Fairy Godmother. She was a kind and generous soul, and ran the camp with dignity and kindness. She easily made each and every summer memorable, both for the councillors and campers.
On the other side of the lake, just a short canoe trip away, lay another camp, this one far less jolly that the first. Camp L.O.S.T was a summer camp for 'problematic' children, a camp designed for the rehabilitation of these children. Underfunded and understaffed, the camp was the exact opposite of Camp Auradon, with broken canoes and poorly furnished cabins.
The cabins were built of rotting wood, with patches of the walls plastered with scraps of metal. Paint splatters could be spotted all over the small cabins, graffiti decorating the walls. Cracked window panes allowed light in the otherwise dark cabins, flower pots with wilting plants sitting on the rusting window ledges.
One of the biggest characteristics of Camp L.O.S.T was the fencing. Although positioned next to a lake, tall wired fences surrounded the camp, put in place as 'security measures' as some people called it. This prevented campers from leaving and people from coming in.
The gravel paths were unkempt and grubby, mismatching tiles outlining the edges. Dull multicoloured cloths served as banners, hung between the cabins with graffiti and drawings, and often with the infamous camp slogan, 'Long Live Evil'. Mismatching cracked lightbulb fairy lights ran across and all over the campground, acting as lights for when the sun went down.
To Mal, and to many others, Camp L.O.S.T was home.
Mal was the daughter of Maleficent, who created and ran Camp L.O.S.T, along with her three co-head councillors. She was nicknamed the 'Mistress of all Evil' by the campers, and in a way, she wore the title with pride. She was ruthless and cruel, claiming it 'built character' when challenged.
Mal loved her mother. She challenged her to be strong and independent, to be evil. Mal ruled the camp with an iron fist as a councillor, just like her mother. Along with her three friends, Evie, Jay and Carlos, she was an unstoppable force in the camp.
Behind her silken purple locks lay fiery green eyes that could peer into your soul, framed by beautiful long lashes and chiseled by a set of pointed eyebrows. Her skin was ghostly pale, decorated by delicate freckles, softening her features. Her lips were plump and round, leaving room for a dainty thin nose to complete her face. She was the spitting image of her mother, yet still held the childhood innocence Maleficent had lost decades ago.
It was the beginning of the summer of her junior year, which she would once again spend in Camp L.O.S.T. It was her yearly routine, to spend her summers as a councillor. Her mother was driving them both to the camp in her large black van, the radio drowning out any worrying sound the van may have made.
"Gooood morning Auradon!" the radio presenter began, Mal rolling her eyes at his unnecessary cheeriness, "It's the beginning of yet another sunny summer here in our city, and you know what that means? That's right! Camp Auradon will be returning for yet another summer! And-"
Maleficent immediately turned the radio off, "Enough with that. It's always Camp Auradon this and Camp Auradon that. But I'm telling you Mal, this year is our year. Destiny awaits us."
"I wish destiny would lose our number," Mal muttered to herself, turning to watch the trees blur by them.
She knew the winding forest paths by heart, could walk them blindly and still arrive to her destination. The forest was her home, always had been and always would be. Besides, swimming in the lake on a warm summer night was the best way to end summer.
They arrived at the camp fairly early, only Evie and her mother already present. Evies mother, nicknamed the 'Evil Queen', was dressed in yet another one of her blue velour joggers and matching jumper, the word 'QUEEN' embroidered with rhinestones on her bottom. The moment Mal spotted her best friend, a grin stretched across her lips.
Evie was unequivocally beautiful. With her dark blue hair and perfect complexion, it was no wonder that campers over the years had fallen for her on numerous occasions. She was smart, smarter than she gave herself credit for. With her dark chocolate brown eyes and red-painted lips, she was a powerful spirit in the camp.
Mal jumped out of the van as soon as they'd parked, making her way to her best friend calmly. Although she was more than excited to see her, her mother had very strong opinions on emotions, and publicly displaying those emotions.
"Love is for the weak," she'd say, "One day you'll understand that."
"Looking good E," Mal greeted, using her childhood nickname for her best friend, "New jacket?"
"I made it myself," Evie replied proudly, referring to the dark blue washed leather jacket, "Matches my eyes, don't you think?"
"Ladies!" Maleficent interrupted, clapping her hands, "We have work to do, do we not? Where are Jafar and Cruella?!"
"There's been some traffic from the city," the Evil Queen answered as she gracefully plucked her eyebrows in her hand mirror, "You know how those two are."
Maleficent groaned in annoyance, "Fine, we'll start on our own then. Mal, help me unload the van."
Unknown to them, Camp Auradon was nearly ready to reopen their gates. Councillors of all ages rushed around the camp to prepare the final touches, fluffing pillows and laying down blankets. The weather was perfectly sunny, yet something was missing. Someone was missing.
Ben nervously bounced his leg in the backseat of his parents yellow convertible, the summer breeze blowing through his hair. He knew they were late, and he couldn't wait to get back to the camp. It was his escape, his freedom from the overbearing school projects and parent expectations.
"Theres never any service here, is there?" his mother, Belle, mused to herself as she held her phone up in vein, a pair of brown sunglasses neatly tucked at the top of her curly brown hair, "Adam darling, how long 'till we're at the camp?"
"Only a few more minutes sweetie," her husband replied sweetly, "So Ben, are you excited? This is a very important year for you if I'm correct."
Ben nodded, "Godmother is appointing me as her co-councillor."
"That's amazing honey!" Belle called to him, still holding her phone up for reception, "Oh Adam darling, how long left?"
"We're here," Adam Beast replied, the bright yellow and blue banners of the camp soon becoming visible.
Although they founded the camp, Ben knew his parents weren't very invested in the camp activities. They didn't know much about the happenings of the camp, yet their names were always the ones printed on awards and trophies for the camp. Nevertheless, Ben kept a smile on his face. He was home, and he was ready to-
"Benny-boo!"
The moment his father parked the car, Ben was hit with a wet kiss on his lips by none other than his girlfriend, Audrey. The two had been dating for only a few months, having met in highschool the year prior. Audrey had signed up for the camp councillor programme, meaning the two would be spending the summer together.
"Hey," Ben replied in mild shock, not expecting the brunette to be so chipper, "How long have you been here?"
"Only a couple of hours," Audrey replied nonchalantly, already in her camp counselor yellow top, "Everyone's been waiting for you! Come on!"
"Go on son," Adam Beast encouraged, "Lovely to see you again Audrey."
"Goodmorning sir," she replied respectfully as Ben climbed out of the convertible, "You must be excited for this summer, especially with the new de-"
"Lets talk about that later, shall we?" Ben's dad interrupted, "Ben, why don't you give Audrey a tour of the camp?"
"Sure," Ben agreed easily, holding his arm out for Audrey to take, "Shall we?"
"This isn't a great turnout," Evie mused worryingly to Mal, gazing upon the small number of campers gathered around the campfire pit.
"Maybe there just aren't as many rebels as there used to be?" Mal suggested, eying Jay and Carlos as they set up some microphones on their rundown stage, "Have you seen Freddie anywhere?"
"She's helping Uma in the kitchens," Evie replied, twirling her black councillor lanyard around her finger, "Do you know why our parents have been acting off all day?"
"Beats me," Mal shrugged, leaning against the cabin banister, "But then again, it's our parents we're talking about."
"And finally, the stage," Ben finished his tour, hand firmly clasped in Audreys, "What do you think?"
"It's... Quaint," Audrey decided, watching the campers run around happily, "Is it always this lively?"
"That's the best part," Ben smiled, spotting a couple of new children, "There's lots of new kids this year, usually we only get a couple."
"Might be because of the new development," Audrey mused, causing Ben to furrow his eyebrows.
"What new development?" he asked in confusion. His parents had never mentioned it, not that he remembered at least.
"The new development for a camp expansion?" Audrey reminded him, "They want to demolish the other camp across the lake to build an extension of Camp Auradon. Daddy is in the office talking to your parents about it now."
Ben froze. He should've been told about this, shouldn't he? He was co-head councillor now, he should be impacting on the decision as much as anyone else was. Without a word, he turned around, quickly making his way to the office cabin.
"Benny-boo!" Audrey called, "Did I do something wrong?!"
"Stop!"
Ben burst through the office doors, his eyes meeting the large construction model placed on the table in front of them. Audrey's dad stood at the head of the table, flanked by both Ben's parents and Fairy Godmother. They all seemed shocked at the sudden outburst from Ben, yet he continued.
"You can't demolish the other camp," he began arguing, stepping further into the office, "Their season has already started! You can't send all those kids home!"
"Now Ben, I knew you'd have your doubts but-"
"No," Ben interrupted his father, "I'm co-head councillor. I also get a vote in this."
"We understand that honey," Belle interrupted, placing a gentle hand on his arm, "But Camp L.O.S.T just hasn't generated enough money to keep its door open. We're going to have to shut it down, for the good of our camp."
"But what about all the children? The councillors?" Ben urged, "Have Camp L.O.S.T even accepted the offer?"
"I'm about to go there now with the paperwork," Audreys dad interjected, "They couldn't refuse the offer even if they wanted to."
"No," Ben protested, "I had an idea."
He paused, everyone's eyes fixated on him.
"I'm the next in line to inherit the camp, right?" he turned to his mother, who nodded in confusion, "What if I decided to take it now?"
"What do you mean?" Adam Beast suddenly urged.
"If I take the camp now, I can decide the fate of the project," Ben concluded, turning to Audreys dad, the family lawyer, "Could I have the paperwork?"
"Ben, what are you doing?" his mother hissed, watching in horror as Audreys dad pulled out a file and a pen.
"What's best for the camp, mother," Ben replied respectfully, quickly signing the document, "The camp is under my name as well now."
"You can't inherit it until you're eighteen," his father protested, "It's all in the file!"
"But he can gain a large percentage of creative and commercial control over the camp if he so chooses, which he has," Audrey's dad informed the group, reviewing the document.
"I understand I can't stop the demolition if the other camp agree to it," Ben began, taking a deep breath.
"And so, I've decided as my first proclamation... That all campers and councillors of Camp L.O.S.T be given a chance to spend the summer in our camp."
A/N: So... Yet another new fic...
I'm so, so sorry I haven't been updating, but I've had a writers block with my other descendants stories lately. Nevertheless, the moment my eyes fell on the tumblr post by ben-florian about a Descendants summer camp AU, I knew I had to write it. And yes, I did contact ben-florian online to ask for permission to use the prompt, so please check out their tumblr!
I haven't felt this passionately about a fanfiction prompt in a long while. The bulk of the plot has already been written out, and so I hope to post weekly if not bi-weekly chapters for this story. As always, please review, favourite and follow this story as this lets me know you enjoy my writing. If you have any suggestions or ideas, as always feel free to leave them in the reviews or pm me!
Until next time!