Nora

Chapter 1. Just a Dream

It comes to me around noon as I sit on the bench trying to organize the tiny scraps of yarn into their proper color-coded sections. Like a breath of fresh air or the feeling of my body being submerged into a body of water, it comes over me. Suddenly, all the sounds fade to the background and in the blink of an eye I'm pulled even deeper and even more, I'm not at the summer camp anymore.

The scene is vastly different, a deeper, denser forest and though I can't make out much else thanks to the growing black smoke filling the air, I know it's nowhere close to home. But, it's not my time to panic. At least, not yet. I look around, my feet dragging against the crumbling and dead leaves. I don't need psychic powers to know that something is coming and it's not a forest fire.

I can barely make out the treetops but they're there, looming dark shadows that tower over my surroundings and in the distance, I can hear them. Tiny laughs, no, screams. Screams filled with terror and they're heading my way. What was once faraway footsteps draws closer and they sound heavier as they completely surround me but one set from directly in front of me makes me dive to the forest floor, my body folding into the fetal position for fear that whatever burly beast the footsteps belonged too wouldn't run me over in the process. But it never touches me.

The creatures that scurry and scream around me are both there and not there and as the smoke grows and the sky becomes even darker, I can make out big shadows looping through the clouds. Massive wingspans with glowing red eyes. I know they're bigger than they seem and as much as I want to join the stampede of phantom feet, I can't seem to unwind my body. I'm paralyzed but not with fear or terror but because this is what the vision or dream, or whatever it was that this was that I had been suffering from all summer, did. I had long learned that whatever it was, it wasn't mine. In the twisted form of reality, I wasn't in my body, but I felt everything.

There are even heavier footsteps from even heavier creatures moving even closer. Even though I can't make out the bodies running past me in terror, I know how this will end and each time I only curl more into myself as the blood and color drain from my face.

Too late.

Run!

Too late.

The beast draws closer and I can see it and hear it breaking through the clearing. Even with the thick fog of endless black and the soft glow of passing lights, the shadow stands taller than everything. Not the trees, but it's just about and it's terrifying. A beast, a monster with two rows of jagged white teeth and it moves into the clearing until it stands directly over me as I lie, defenseless under it.

I can't think. I can't move. Hell, I can barely breathe. Because there is a drastic difference between the size of the monster before me and everything else around me. But, the moment it looks down, it's eyes glowing red and its mouth pulling back to reveal those rows of glistening teeth, I know it's over.

"Earth to Nora! Jesus! I swear your spacing out is getting like, ten times worse."

I'm back in another blink except this time instead of the monster rushing down to eat me, there's a damp towel being thrown in my face. I lift a hand to try and ward it off but it hits me anyway and helplessly, I ball it into a fist after it does before I look at my best friend.

"What's up with you?" Katie asks, jogging in place before flipping her mane of ebony hair onto her other shoulder and shooting me a mischievous smile. "Or were you just enjoying the view?"

It takes me a moment to even put her words together but movement just behind her lets me know what she's talking about. The "view" is of a few of the boys in our camp counselor group who were at work moving logs for the night's fire. But more than that, it was the main boy I was standing a few feet away from that had forced Katie to say anything at all. While most of the boys had rolled back the sleeves of their camp shirts, others had tied the shirts over their heads to reveal their toned chests and arms or in the case of the boy I was now staring at, all of it was removed.

Connor Mayfield, in all of his six-pack glory, which for a new freshman in high school, was not a bad thing to see. His styled blonde hair, bright blue yet firm eyes, proud nose, and sullenly plump lips, it was obvious that Connor was focused. And sweating. And shirtless. And—

I looked away the moment he looked up but not to meet my eyes just to meet some random space. He lifted and arm to wipe at the sweat on his brow and I swore from the groups of huddled girls probably ogling him, I heard a sigh. I looked at Katie, who was fanning herself.

"Because I could pull up a chair and just sit here all day." She bit her bottom lip and sighed dreamily. "And just soak up these amazing views."

"I wasn't looking at him." I said before looking down at my work. "Also, aren't you supposed to be on watch?"

Katie looked at me and rolled her eyes before pointing to the group of kids in her section who seemed elated playing duck, duck, goose.

"Mason's in charge."

Mason, the current selector of the game didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon with his choice. Tapping his hand lightly on the back of everyone's head, he kept on chanting "duck, duck" while the other kids seemed to grow impatient.

"Plus, I needed a break."

I looked back at Katie. "It's only been fifteen minutes."

"But it feels like four hours." Katie said before making herself comfortable on my bench. "How's your meaningless task coming along?"

I looked at the pieces of string. "Refreshing."

"Said no one ever." Katie said with a wink before pulling at the ends of her frayed shorts and smirking.

"Remind me again how a six-year old can be in charge of other six-year olds?"

"Mason is like, the most responsible kid."

"Because he covers for you all the time?" I asked. "Because that's not responsible. That's called a kiddy crush."

Katie waved a hand in the air. "Say whatever you want, the kids has a special something. I told him he'd be a great manager someday."

I scoffed. "Please tell me that you're joking."

"How is that a joke? I see potential in kids? I'm influencing him and his future."

"By encouraging him to be a manager? You should be telling him to aim bigger."

Katie shrugged. "Hakuna Matata."

"What?"

"Tomat-o. To-ma-to." Katie said.

"You know that's not what Hakuna Matata is, right?"

"Honestly, Norie." Katie said, shaking her head "I took this job to inspire."

"No," I said pushing aside my small mountain of string to shoot Katie a firm look. "You took this job to be closer to Will or at the very least talk to him."

I lifted a finger before she could protest.

"Both of which you haven't done, may I add."

Katie rolled her eyes before folding her legs on the bench. "It's complicated. The whole summer has been complicated and forgive me if I've been focused on our job."

"Which is a joke." I said, motioning to my task. "As we both know."

Katie smiled.

"There's just too many counselors." I continued. "Too many that the older counselors, the ones whose actual job it is to run this place have nothing to do. They're all focused on hanging with each other or bossing us around for meaningless tasks that the kids escape them."

"Well, I can tell you one person who cares waaaay too much about this place."

I shot her a sorrowful look.

"Katie, please—"

She pointed a black fingernail at something just over my shoulder. "And that someone is heading right for us."

Before I could even get another word in, Grayson Mills announced himself with one of his infamous huffs. Tall and lanky, Grayson was probably the only person at the camp that took his job of supervising all of the new trainees seriously. It was more than us just taking care and watching the young campers. It was as if we were in a maximum security prison with cameras and weren't watching children but making tires and every single detail had to be a hundred percent. I had learned over the last few weeks in the camp that Grayson, who had always been a helpless wallflower growing up, only needed a small amount of power. He had thought his supervisor title would give him just the authority he needed to boss everyone who had made his life miserable around. But, that only complicated things and while he had learned his lesson with the popular kids, it didn't go the same way for everyone else.

"Katie!" Grayson said before putting his hands on his hips.

I looked back at him and let out a breath.

Other than being tall and skinny, Grayson was also awkward and wasn't quite sure what to do with his long limbs. His face was full, almost square with his chin and his hair was curly but the most defining features were his ears which had their own set of jokes. His nose was long and big and his thick glasses had never helped the teasing either. He stood in his pressed knee-length shorts, crisp white polo that I had seen him steam with pride and of course the assortment of pins signaling his "authority" lay on his chest just above the camp name signed into everyone's polo's.

"Grayson!" Katie said, faking it all the way. "What's up? How can I be of service?"

"Mind telling me why you are over here when your section is currently losing all sense of control?"

A quick glance revealed that Mason wasn't just going to suck at being a manager one day but that the innocent game from just moments ago had turned deadly as the entire group of kids rolled in the dirt before one boy lunged at another. A chanting of "mud wrestling" had also ensued and as the chaos drew on more attendees, Mason stood proud at the center, screaming with laughter and looking every bit as responsible as Katie clearly was. Even I glanced back at Katie who could only blink at the scene as other counselors jumped into to stop the kids from turning savage. As white polos were damaged with dirt stains, no one had thought to look for Katie except for the one person who had made her accountable.

"I have the nerve to send you back on the first bus into the city, Lee."

Katie rolled her eyes. "You don't even have the balls."

"Katie!" I growled, under my breath to which she responded with an eye roll.

"Or the 'authori-tay'." Katie said in her best Cartman impression voice. "As the PG-13 version of my response would say."

She was playing it off like she had all summer except I could tell it was taking its toll on Grayson who was reeling, his face turning splotchy. It never took much to anger him but Katie knew how to hit all the right notes to get an even faster reaction. But, she was also right. Grayson didn't have the right to send her back home but he did have the right to plead his case and even if the older counselors saw him as some sort of lapdog that they could trust to do his job no matter what, it was also clear that they didn't listen to him. So, pleading his case or not who was going to volunteer to drive Katie back to the city?

"Get over there before I put you onto kitchen duty for the rest of the day."

"Oh that would be a blessing." Katie said before looking back at her group. "Mason! At ease kid! Lighten up! Where's my little boss dude?"

Mason instantly stopped laughing and as if Katie had flipped a switch, he ran to help get control of the screaming 1st graders. Within minutes, they were manageable and while the counselors looked relieved, it had taken its toll on them.

"You put Mason in charge…again?"

Katie shrugged. "He's a good kid."

"You can't have a single six-year old watch another group of six-year olds."

Katie pretended to take his words into consideration, complete with her tapping her chin as she stepped closer to him.

"You're right, Gray—"

"Don't call me that. For the last time, don't call me Gray—"

"I'll just pick the best and brightest of the group and that way, they can totally share the responsibility." Katie slapped his shoulder with appreciation though judging by the way Grayson flinched after it was done, maybe it was a little too much appreciation.

Red as a tomato now, complete with a pulsing vein at the center of his forehead, Grayson looked ready to explode and I draped an arm over Katie, forcing a smile.

"I think what Katie really means and wants to say to you, Grayson is that she clearly made a mistake." I gave a firm nod at Katie who scrunched up her brow in response. "And promises, yes like always, to do better next time."

Grayson shook his head, a shade lighter but still frustrated. "Have you ever even watched children before?"

Katie shrugged. "I've watched a bird once."

I fought the urge to sigh as I remembered the story. In sixth grade, the class pet, Charlie the parrot. Charlie the parrot that Katie had had to take home and after a mere thirty minutes of giving the bird attention had draped a sheet over the cage and left Charlie in the dark for the entire holiday weekend. Till this day, Charlie freaks out whenever Katie so much as near his cage. Overreacting, she had called it but it was clearly more than that.

"Birds are not human beings. Human beings are more complicated than birds."

True.

"Same thing in my book. We all eat and sh—"

I covered her mouth before she could let the word out but Grayson's eyes were already bulging.

"Have those eyes of yours open any wider and they might roll out of your skull." A smart and snappy voice joked, earning a small hiccup of giggles in response. I took a breath before joining everyone else as we turned around to face it.

The words had come from Jules Mayfield who was the living wannabe version of my grades most popular girl, Ashley Hammels. Jules was petite and thin and though she lacked Connor's signature pearls of blue, she was still cute. It was also clear she would grow up to be Connor's opposite in the looks department. She popped her bubblegum and twirled a lock of her blonde hair before looking up at Ashley.

"Though I can't imagine that helping you given your current social standing. One more thing to not have going for you." Ashley said before giving Grayson a look-over. "Not that you ever had anything to begin with."

"You were going to say 'shit', weren't you?" Jules asked, forcing other giggles from her small crew of minions.

Grayson looked at Katie as if it were her fault Jules, a seventh grader, had cursed and while that may have been true given Katie's not fit to counsel anyone younger than her and issue with Charlie, it forced her to get defensive.

She glared at Grayson. "Not my fault she knows the word. I mean look who's she's attached herself to ever since we got here."

"I know you're not blaming me for your doing, Kay-tee."

Katie turned her glare on Ashley and I stared between the two of them. Two sworn enemies ever since pre-school flaring up right before my eyes. It wasn't just that Katie and Ashley didn't get along or came from different walks of life. It was that Ashley had always been handed things for as long as we had known her. A flip of hair or eye fluttering got her whatever she wanted with no questions or strings attached. While Katie and the rest of us had to fight for what we wanted.

But, Ashley was popular, rich, and of course beautiful. Flowing ebony hair that cascaded down her back in elegant waves and brilliant and flawless tan skin. She was curvy and polite when she needed to be but cruel when her power was tested. She was real and honest but it all depended on her tone. Popular with all the guys and the envy of nearly every girl, it was about getting on her good side and staying there. Though she wasn't a bully unless she absolutely needed to be, it was just the shine that she let out that made people give her a second glance, like Katie and to a certain extent, me.

"Back off Camel."

Ashley glanced at me, literally casting a look to me from under her nose and I felt myself shrivel inside.

"Better get your little girlfriend, Nora. Your girl is getting crazy."

Another thing was that I was always treated like Katie's keeper. As if she was some sort of wild animal and while that may have been true judging by the look she was giving Ashley now, it burned me inside because it was Ashley's way of demeaning people. As if we were beneath her or another category of human.

"Why are you even here, anyway? Showing your spawns how you rule your kingdom?"

Ashley smirked. "You calling me a queen, now?"

"You wish."

"Your words, not mine." Ashley said. "I don't have time for whatever drama you've got going on. I'm just passing through."

Katie's glare deepened. "In shorts that I know can't be protocol."

Ashley looked down at her shorts that were indeed shorter than every other girls. Though, she did have a shirt tied around her waist. But, the crop-top she was wearing didn't help.

"Jealous because you're about as flat as a board?" Ashley asked, her eyes widening innocently.

"Or is that no guy in their right minds other than clown boy here would ever look at you?" Jules piped up.

High-fives ensued after that and then it was Grayson's chance to speak.

"Ashley, you should get back to your task." He managed, weakly, but words nonetheless.

Ashley scoffed. "I am. I'm taking a sun-filled walk with my group."

"Getting in with touch with nature." Jules added. "Best counselor here."

Ashley smiled before turning to Connor. "Working up a seat there, Connor?"

He didn't answer, but he did glance at her. A look that started at her feet before ending at her hips.

"Looking good out there though! You and Will are on a roll together!" Ashley said throwing in a wave and a little hip jutting as Will looked up at her too, his face red and dripping with sweat but still hit enough to make a girl want to walk over and wipe him down, like Katie.

"Hey, Ash." Will greeted and I knew even though he was being nice, it made Katie boil inside which judging by the look Ashley shot her after, all worth it.

"Later, losers." She sauntered off with her group of camp followers and Jules and her group in tow, except for Ellie, Jules's best friend.

A quiet girl who clearly didn't fit into the group of Ashley's wannabes, it was bizarre that Jules was even friends with Ellie. While she wasn't ugly or anything, Ellie was soft-spoken and gentle and always defended her bestie, claiming the little "demon-spawn" in training as Katie called her, wasn't as bad as she appeared. Of course, nearly everyone found that hard to believe with the way that Jules walked around and while Katie had been trying to convince Ellie to go out and find other friends, it wasn't working.

Ellie stared up at me with kind brown eyes and brown hair in soft curls around her heart-shaped face. Her soft and pale skin was a sharp contrast with her rosy lips but in a good way. Shooting Katie and I a kind smile, she shrugged before running after Jules and the others.

"Little diabolical demons." Katie growled.

"Get back to work." Grayson spat. "One more mess up and the back end of the kitchen is all you'll see."

I placed a hand over Katie's arm to keep her from responding and instead, as Grayson walked off, she kicked up dirt before groaning.

"Omigosh this is a terrible waste of my summer vacation."

"You signed us up for this claiming it was going to be the best summer vacation we had ever had."

"Because it was just supposed to be us and the boys we love."

"I don't love—"

"Love? Like? Gosh Nora, it's all the same and honestly right now after that does it even matter?"

I decided it wasn't the time to challenge her and pulled my strings closer.

"Well it's not. We're gonna have to learn how to play along and just deal with it."

Katie scoffed.

"Plus, this is significantly better than us being separated and you in Japan somewhere working like a dog for your uncles."

Katie smiled.

"Point."

"I know." I said, smiling softly. "I should get like, all the points."

Katie nodded, throwing her hands up before relaxing.

"It's just…this isn't what I thought our summer would be, ya' know?"

I nodded.

"What did you think it would be like?" I asked after a moment.

Katie looked around and I joined her. We were somewhere in Upstate, New York. Surrounded by endless rows or trees and greenery. Cabins nestled right at its center and here we were at Camp Witchitzoo (an extremely sad name) surrounded by the people who had made middle school hell for us and who would follow us into high school but hopefully there would be other kids to focus on. Regardless, there was no denying that we were here and for now, the camp was as close to reality as we could get. Whether we wanted that or not.

"I just…" Katie sighed again before looking at me. "I really thought that it would be a memorable summer. Adventurous. Amazing. Or the summer we made an incredible group of friends that we would see this coming year the likes of which no high school on the globe could ever see."

"Sounds like a really good dream." I said, nudging her gently with my shoulder.

Katie laughed under her breath before bouncing to her feet and shaking herself off.

"Yeah, I guess." She said before starting back to her group. "Too bad I woke up, huh?"