A/N: Well, it's been a long time since I've written fanfiction. Over the March Break, I got pretty bored and decided to write. After letting some friend the first few chapters, I decided to post it up here. And this story is dedicated to my suuuper best friend, Katie, whom without, I wouldn't have titles for any of the chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Holes. I do, however, own the plot and Vanessa and any other character that might come up in the future that you do not recognize.

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Your Guardian Angel
Chapter 1: New Beginnings

I looked out at the desolate desert before me. Millions of holes covered the dry land and a slight feeling of fear and anxiety creeped into me as I realized that I would soon be at my destination. Looking around the hot bus that I was unfortunately handcuffed to, my eyes fell on the guard that was supposed to make sure that I didn't do anything stupid. When he realized that I was looking at him, a smirk appeared on his face.

I looked away, feeling my face turn red as I did so. Whether it was because I was embarrassed or just angry that the guard thought it was funny that I was being forced to go to an all boys camp, I didn't know. Feeling the guard's eyes still on me, I turned to look out the window again, brushing some of my hair out of my eyes to get a better view. Not like there was anything special to look at.

The bus that kept me trapped like a prisoner, which I guess I am, was slowly arriving at its destination and as it did so, I noticed for the first time the boys that were walking around in plain orange jumpsuits. As the bus came nearer and nearer to them, most looked up in interest to see who their new camp mate would be and I quickly turned my head, fully aware that none of them knew that the person in the bus is a female instead of a male.

When the bus came to a complete stop, the guard got up from his seat at the front and made his way toward me. I tried my best not to look at him since he gave me this weird feeling that I couldn't really put a finger on. As soon as I was free of the handcuffs, I jumped up, grabbed my one suitcase, and quickly made my way out of the bus. As soon as I was out, though, I regretted my decision of trying to run away from the guard. If one guy could make me feel weird about myself, I knew that the next one and a half years here at Camp Green Lake will be hell, seeing as every guy close enough to get a good look at me were staring, making my heart beat fast. I was never the one who liked being the center of attention.

My eyebrows crinkled in confusion as I looked down at my converse, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. With dark brown wavy medium-length hair, dark eyes, and an average build, I was nothing special. There was no need to stare at an average looking girl, was there? Of course, none of these guys have probably seen a girl in months, making their ogling understandable.

I was forced to look up, however, when an aging man in a cowboy hat started talking to me. In one hand, he held a bag of sunflower seeds and in the other, two pairs of those orange jumpsuits all the guys wore. I frowned, knowing I would be forced to wear the uniform also.

"Vanessa Jasmine Reyes?" the man asked while looking down at a clipboard, which probably had all my information on it. I sighed. Well, who else could it be?

"Yes," I said quietly. I was always shy around new people.

The man grunted. "Welcome to Camp Green Lake. I'm Mr. Sir."

I raised my eyebrows when he introduced himself. I felt the need to laugh, but knew better not to. Every guy in the vicinity was still staring at me, making me self-conscious. I tugged at my pink tank-top, nervously biting my lip.

"Just to make things clear, this ain't a Girl Scout camp, missy. None of us is gonna feel sorry fer ya if you start complaining about how hard it is to dig a 5 foot by 5 foot deep hole," he said, shoving a handful of sunflower seeds into his mouth.

"I kinda figured," I said, still barely loud enough for him to hear.

I felt his eyes looking at me suspiciously. The pink tint started coming back to my cheeks. I hated how I could get so embarrassed so easily. This trait I had inherited from my mother.

"Well anyways," he mumbled. Clearly, this was the first time he had heard this kind of reaction. "Here's your two jumpsuits. One is fer when ya're diggin and the other is fer.. well, when ya're relaxin."

He handed the ugly jumpsuits to me and just as he did, a short man with a weird hat and way too much sun tan lotion on his nose came forward. Mr. Sir grunted at him and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief. He was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. Maybe this guy will be better than him, or at least didn't make me feel embarrassed.

"Well, hello there pretty lady. My name is Mr. Pendanski. It's really not that hard to remember. Just think of three words: pen-dance-key. Now I know you've made some bad decisions in the past which have landed you here, but I believe in second chances and am happy to give it to you," all this he said with an overly cheerful voice.

I groaned on the inside. He was just as bad as Mr. Sir, just for different reasons. I tried to smile at him, but my smile was a bit wavy, making it looked like it was forced. Which, of course, it was. But he took no noticed of it.

"You, my lucky girl, have been placed in D-Tent. D stands for diligence. I'm sure the boys in your tent will treat you kindly and with respect."

He continued to talk, but I wasn't really paying attention. Who would ever consider themselves lucky being sent to a place like this? As he led me to the tents that were set up near the far side of camp, he talked a bit more, not noticing that I was in my own little world. I looked around and saw a few guys whispering to each other. No doubt about me. Some even winked, making my face turn a deep scarlet. What if one of those boys was in my tent? I guess I should get used to my face looking like a tomato.

I closed my eyes as we entered a tent marked 'D', bracing myself for any cat calls or gasps that would for sure come out of the boys' mouths. But surprisingly, I was greeted with silence. Still, I was afraid to look. I was pretty sure my face was still as flushed as if it was a red bell pepper.

"Jose! Alan!" The man who had three words for a last name exclaimed. Oh great, there was people in the room. I was beginning to hope that we were alone so I wouldn't have to deal with any boys just yet.

Opening my eyes, I quickly took in my surroundings. There were 7 cots in the tent; each had a crate either beside or underneath it. I guessed these were for our personal belongings. Soon enough, my gaze fell upon 3 boys, each lying down on their cots. One was clearly Hispanic and another wore a do-rag and was chewing on a toothpick. Both boys were staring at me, shocked expressions on their faces. The third boy was also looking at me, but his expression was curious, not dumbfounded. He was African-American and from what I could tell, was a bit shorter than me.

The only person who seemed oblivious to all this was Mr. Pendanksi. The man sure could chat up a storm.

"This is Vanessa," he informed the boys. "She will be your new camp mate."

The boy with the toothpick finally got out of his stupor and managed to get out a sentence. "But… she's a girl."

Did he really have to say it like it was a bad thing? You'd think he'd be grateful to have a person of the opposite sex live with you if you haven't seen one in so long. On second thought, that could also be very bad.

My thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Pendanski gave a little chuckle.

"Of course she's a girl, Alan. We've decided to experiment and see what it would be like to have this camp co-ed."

The boy named Alan groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Squid!" He turned to me. I could feel my face getting hot again. He was very good-looking, better than most of the boys I know. His face distracted me so much, I didn't even pay much attention to his name. But really, why would anyone want to be called Squid?

"That's Magnet," he said, nodding towards the Hispanic boy.

Magnet smiled warmly at me. He gave me the feeling that he would be really easy to talk to. "Hey, chica," he said in a heavy accent.

"Oh, and that's Zero," Squid added. I couldn't help but feel that it was just an afterthought. He was just being polite. "He doesn't talk much. I suggest that you don't even try to get anything out of him."

This was when I realized that I hadn't even said a single word yet. I figured I should at least say hello to make sure they know I'm not dumb or don't appreciate their kindness or anything.

"Hey. Um, I'm Vanessa, but you can just call me Nessa. No one really calls me by Vanessa anymore."

Mr. Pendanski smiled. I was sure that he thought that he had done his job well and that we were hitting it off to a great start. He turned and headed back out of the tent.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Vanessa, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask any of the boys in your tent. They're all very nice and helpful. If it's something serious, then don't hesitate to come to me," he said before he disappeared, covered by the tent flaps.

I turned to the boys again. They had all gone back to eyeing me. I groaned to myself, asking why I had to be so self-conscious. Brushing away the hair that had fallen to my eyes again, I tried desperately to think of a good way to start a conversation.

"So… which cot do I sleep in?" Oh yeah, great conversation starter. I should really consider a job in script writing, I thought bitterly to myself.

Magnet pointed to a cot, which, coincidentally, was right in between his and Squid's and right in front of Zero's. Great, now instead of going into a corner by myself to have some peace, I'm stuck right smack in the middle of the guys who are probably going to ask me a ton of questions. Well, after they get over the shock of having a girl in their camp. Which should be soon.

Hesitantly, I walked over to the cot, putting my small suitcase down beside it and lied down. I did all this without looking up but knew that their eyes were still on me. Closing my eyes, I tried to think of something happy. It didn't work. Soon, my head was filled with images of me doing something clumsy, something I usually did when I was the center of attention. Well, actually, something I did on a daily basis, center of attention or not.

I turned my body until I was laying on my side and opened my eyes. Bad idea. My eyes locked with Squid's own and out of surprise, I jumped up, lost my balance, and fell off my cot.

There was 5 seconds of silence and then roars of laughter could be heard coming from Magnet and Squid. There was some sort of creaking, showing that someone was getting out of their cot and suddenly, I felt a pair of hands grabbing my arms and pulling me up. Just great. I had to make a fool of myself already.

"Are you ok?" Magnet asked as Squid let go of me when he was sure that I was able to stand up on my own.

"Umm, yeah I'm fine. I was just, uh, surprised is all," I said as I got back down on my cot. "Um, do you guys mind? I just want to have some sleep for a bit."

"Sure thing, chica," Magnet said, getting up. "Me and Squid were just about to leave for the Wreck Room anyways. See ya around."

I closed my eyes as I heard two pairs of feet walking out. The silence calmed me, making me feel at peace for the first time I had arrived. Soon, I drifted off to sleep, not realizing that Zero was still in the tent with me.