Chapter One:

Welcome to Camp

Friday 1 June 2001 10:20AM CST

I was staring out at the landscape through the window of the bus as we drove through rural North Dakota. It reminded me a lot of home; lots of fields, farms, and farmers. My dad had woken my brother Derek and I up really early that morning so we wouldn't miss the bus. I tore my eyes away from the endless fields to peek at my older brother, and see that he was "resting his eyes", as he always said when he actually fell asleep on a long trip.

My dad had said (before Derek and I left for camp) this was mostly for our own safety that we leave for the summer. I was thrilled to finally be old enough to go to camp with Derek, but I was also sad that I was leaving my friends behind. They couldn't come. When I asked why, my dad and aunt said that my friends "wouldn't understand"… whatever that meant. But I was happy that my dad was letting me write letters to my friends over summer break.

With nothing else to do, I reached for my blue and green knapsack and grabbed one of the books that my aunt packed for me. I wanted to take my Game Boy with me on the trip, but my dad said that it would be safer if I kept it at home. I was upset, especially when Derek could take his. I brought it up with my aunt who simply explained that Derek was a bit more responsible than me and less likely to lose it (which made me roll my eyes).

I glanced through the book and smiled when I saw that it was one of my favorites: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I opened it to where I left off and continued the read.

I was almost done with another chapter when I heard someone speak up in the seat in front of me.

"Whatcha reading?" someone asked.

I looked up to see a girl with curly orange hair and green eyes staring at me, a smile on her face.

"A book," I said dumbly.

The girl snickered. "Just a book? What's it called?"

I stared at the cover of the book. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," I said. "It's a really cool story."

The girl kept smiling. "Are you a new kid or coming back?"

I tilted my head. "Huh?"

"Sorry," the girl apologized. "Is this your first time coming to camp or are you coming back?"

"First time," I announced proudly. "What about you?"

The girl's smile widened. "First time for me too!" Her outburst made Derek stir a little bit. "Sorry," the girl whispered. "Who's he?"

I giggled. "That's Derek. He's my older brother."

The girl nodded. "Hey, after we get off the bus, we should hang out at camp! Can't much now since I hear that the bus driver doesn't like it when we turn around in our seats—."

"Sit down in the back!" the driver called from the front.

I moved in a way that I was staring at the mirror that the bus driver was staring in. I shrugged at the girl I was talking to. "I guess so."

The girl snickered again. "Lilly," the girl, Lilly, said, introducing herself.

I smiled. "Emma."

"I'm not giving you another warning!" the bus driver called.

Lilly sheepishly sat back down in her seat, facing the front. I returned to reading my book to pass the time (although the urge to grab Derek's Game Boy was really tempting).

After an hour of reading my book, I grew bored and put it back in my knapsack and resumed staring out the window. Instead of the endless fields I'd observed before, we were now driving through a heavily wooded area. I could scarcely see past the thickness of the woods.

"We almost there?" Derek grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Geez, I'm telling dad to never wake me up that early ever again…"

I turned my head to face my brother. "You know if dad didn't wake us up, we would've missed the bus."

Derek offered a lazy shrug. "Whatever." He yawned. "Are we almost there though?"

It was my turn to shrug. "I dunno. This is my first time going to camp. You should know if we're almost there."

Derek rubbed his eyes one more time before focusing them on the window next to me. "Heh, looks like we're almost there." He reached into his pocket to produce his Game Boy. "I'm surprised you didn't try to steal this from me," he said with a grin, his brown eyes focused on the small machine.

"I was tempted," I confessed, albeit a bit sheepishly. "But we promised dad that we'd behave."

Derek shot me a look. "You promised him. I didn't."

I frowned. "You know when dad says to 'behave', he means both of us."

Derek chuckled, his attention solely focused on the Game Boy in his hands. With a sigh, I resumed staring out the window of the bus, wondering what my friends back home were doing.

Friday 1 June 2001 12:47PM CST

The bus finally lurched to a stop in front of a large cabin that had a few counselors outside waiting for us. My excitement started to rise at the sight of the counselors and I was elated that I was finally going to be able to get off the bus and run around. Derek tapped my shoulder to grab my attention. I whirled my head to see him grinning from ear to ear, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"Ready, Em?" he asked, getting to his feet.

I reached for my knapsack and pulled it over my shoulders. "I am!" I exclaimed.

Derek laughed, playfully messing up my hair. "All right. When we get off the bus, I'll take you to your cabin."

I pouted. "I don't need a babysitter!" I insisted.

Derek shook his head, his short brown hair immovable. "Dad wanted me to make sure that you found your cabin without a problem."

"I bet Erik won't have someone to take him to his cabin when he comes next year," I muttered.

Derek offered a goofy grin. "Depends if Auntie Heather will come with us." Derek stepped back so I could walk in front of him. "You know how protective she is of him," Derek whispered.

"I think after we pulled that prank on him, she's keeping him in her sights at all times," I whispered back.

Derek laughed. "I know! Who would've thought that honey and white feathers would actually make Erik look like a chicken?"

"It was worth the time-out I got," I said. "What did dad punish you with?"

Derek frowned. "I'm not allowed to watch T.V. for a month after I get back, and I think he's asked a few other counselors here to keep an eye on me."

We eventually got off the bus and headed towards a spot that wasn't crowded with kids. I stared around the large group to see that there were kids ranging from seven years old to around sixteen. I hated to admit it, but the older kids scared me a bit.

The camp was disguised as a summer camp for kids and teenagers, but it was actually a secret base for training future Assassins. My dad always said that it was better to have us train in a secluded spot in the woods with teachers of various skill sets instead of staying home and learning from him and Auntie Heather.

"The other bus will have our gear," Derek said, pulling me from my thoughts. "It should be here in a bit." He scratched the back of his head. "Usually the first day is free for the campers to walk around and get to know the area. Did you remember to bring that letter we have to give to that girl?"

I set my knapsack on the ground, opening the side pocket and fishing out an envelope that was addressed to someone with the initials S.A.W. On the envelope was a rectangular black mark where the stamp should have gone. "Right here," I said, showing Derek the letter. "And that package is on the bus with our other clothes?"

Derek nodded. "Yep. So when that bus comes, we'll grab our travel cases and the box, find our cabins, then we look for them."

"Sounds like a lot of work…" I mumbled.

Derek grinned. "Trust me, Em, this is the only easy day we get here."

I put the envelope back in my knapsack and shouldered it. Derek did the same.

"Do you know what cabin you're in?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I forgot to ask dad before we left…"

Derek smirked. "No worries, Em. They always have a board with the cabin assignments."

Derek led me to the board where they posted the cabin assignments. To my surprise, there were a lot of kids around my age huddled around the small space. Derek whistled.

"Wow… good luck getting in there, Em," he said.

I crossed my arms. "I'll be fine."

Taking one more look at the group, I walked forward and managed to slip through the large crowd of kids and up to the front, where I searched for the "H's". Once I found my name, I hurried back over to Derek, who found a stump to sit on.

"I'm in cabin number twenty-two," I told him.

He stared at me, perplexed. "How'd you get that so fast? It's a mob!"

I turned my head towards the other kids before I turned to face Derek. "I dunno. Just did."

Derek shook his head for a second before leading me down a path that eventually revealed cabins on each side of the dirt path. I could see kids inside the buildings, laughing, unpacking, or heading out to scour the camp and see where everything was. A few were heading back towards where the buses were, likely to grab their other bags.

"Cabin number twenty-two," Derek announced. "And it looks like you already have a roommate!"

I hurried up the steps, opening the door to see the girl from the bus, Lilly. Lilly turned around at the sound of my entrance, a smile on her face.

"Emma!" she exclaimed. "You're in my cabin?!"

I nodded. "Yep!"

Derek came in after me. "Nice place," he commented.

Lilly stared at Derek. "You're Emma's brother, right?"

"Yeah," Derek said casually. "I'm just helping Emma get adjusted and then I'll show her around the area."

Lilly smiled. "Well, I'm Lilly. Where do you two live?"

"New York State," Derek said.

Lilly nodded. "I live in Chicago."

"A city kid?" Derek quipped. "Must be a change to be out here where there's no cars blaring their horns."

Lilly nodded. "It is, but I think I'll like it. I just hope I don't get used to the quiet before we have go back."

"We live in the country," I offered. "So we're used to the quiet."

Derek stared at the twin beds on either side of the cabin. "Looks like this one's yours, Em," Derek said, pointing to a bed that looked freshly made.

I set my knapsack on the bed. "I'm ready, let's go," I said to Derek.

"Don't forget that letter," Derek reminded me.

I quickly grabbed the note and smiled. "Now I'm ready."

After Derek set his belongings in his cabin (cabin number twenty-nine), we hurried to the bus that had our extra bags. I was glad that there weren't a lot of kids yet, so finding our bags was easy. But I didn't find the package that Auntie Heather gave us.

"'Scuse me," I said to a teacher, "I'm looking for a package."

The teacher turned around. "Oh, all packages are over there," he said, pointing to a small pile.

"Thank you!" I said before running towards the boxes and finding the one addressed to "S.A.W." quickly.

"Hey, Em!" Derek called. "I'll take our bags to our cabins. Wait for me here, got it?"

I nodded. "Got it!"

I didn't have to wait very long, since Derek was really fast and came back about fifteen minutes later. Almost immediately, we started searching the camp for the recipient while Derek was giving me a quick tour of the place.

"We'll meet at the mess hall for dinner," he explained. "It's also where you'll find out which teacher you're assigned too."

We passed by more cabins, tirelessly searching for the person with the initials S.A.W. Eventually, we were on the third area of cabins when I sighed.

"Maybe she's not even here?" I offered to Derek. "I mean, Auntie Heather did say that she might not even be here and we've been looking for hours. My feet hurt."

Derek glanced at me. "We can't give up yet. We still have the mess hall to check and maybe the lake."

"If you say so," I murmured.

When we finished searching the area where the cabins were, Derek led me to the lake, where there was a single person wearing a white-hooded, sleeveless shirt seated on the beach. I noticed that there were a few canoes and a dozen or so kayaks sitting in a rack of sorts.

"'Scuse us," Derek said to the person. "We're looking for someone. Could you help?"

The person turned their head slightly. "Who're you looking for?"

I cleared my throat. "S.A.W.," I said. "We have a note and a package to give to her so she can give it to her mom." I lifted the package a bit.

The white-hooded figure frowned for a second before getting to their feet and facing us. It was easy to tell that this person was a girl. But I was a bit confused by the bracers she wore. Not a lot of people wore bracers anymore, especially since they gave us away. But perhaps she was just wearing them for show?

"Call me Sam," she said casually as her eyes drifted to the black label on the envelope.

"Sam," Derek said. "We have a note from our aunt." Derek glanced at me. "Em?"

Sam rested her shades on me. "Em? That's a short name…"

"It's short for 'Emma'," I explained as I handed her the note and then the package.

Sam took the note and read it swiftly, her eyes hidden behind the tinted glass. Once she finished reading the note, Sam used her hidden blade on her left arm to cut the packing tape and opened the box (which made me realize that the bracers weren't just for show). I could see a goofy grin on her face as she pulled out a fake tarantula.

"Hm. It seems your aunt has a good memory," Sam quipped. She put the fake spider back in the box, tucking it under her arm. "My mom used to tell me stories that tie in with this. Cheryl and Heather. So who's your mom of the two?"

"Cheryl was our mom," Derek said. "Heather is our aunt."

Sam's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, was your mom?"

Derek and I both frowned. "Our mom died when I was only a year old," I said softly. "My dad doesn't like to talk about it much and neither does my aunt."

Sam fell silent, murmuring something too low for me to catch again. "I'm sorry," she muttered, a bit louder for us. "My condolences."

"My dad and aunt say that I look like her. They say that I have my mom's eyes and hair," I mumbled. "But I also look like my aunt, too." I stared up at Sam. "My mom and aunt were twins."

Sam smirked. "I heard tell that Cheryl and Heather liked to play pranks against those who couldn't tell them apart." Sam crossed her arms. "But from what I know, they were good women."

"I'm going to be the best I can be, just like my mom," I said boldly (causing Derek to chuckle).

Sam knelt on the ground, messing up my hair. "You will be," she said, pulling her hand back. "So long as you don't give up easy."

I grinned. "I won't."

"That's good," Sam said. "Thanks for giving this to me. I'll be sure to take care of it."

"Sorry for bothering you," Derek apologized.

Sam smirked. "Don't worry about it. I needed to stop daydreaming."

Derek and I both nodded before rushing off back towards the mess hall, where it looked like everyone was hurrying to. After pushing our way through the doors, Derek wandered towards a group of boys that were waving him over.

"Go. I'll see if I can't find Lilly," I told Derek.

Derek nodded once before heading towards his friends. As I wandered around the mess hall a few teachers stared at me, whispering things before falling quiet when I would look at them. Uncomfortable that the teachers were talking about me, I hurried to find a table. Luckily, I found a table that had a few girls around my age sitting there so I joined them, hoping they didn't mind.

"Hey!" one girl greeted. "I'm Kylie. What's your name?" the girl, Kylie, asked.

"Emma," I answered promptly. "Can I sit here?"

Kylie smiled. "Yeah! We're just waiting for the counsellors to tell us that we can get our food. That bus ride was long."

I nodded. "I know."

One girl, a girl with wavy blonde hair smile. "Hello," she greeted, her voice thick with an accent. "I'm Zoey. I'm from France."

"France? That's so cool!"

Zoey smiled. "Everyone else thinks the same. I'm only here for the summer, though. My mom and dad are in Germany right now doing something important over there."

"I hope that when they pair us up with a teacher I don't get Mr. Orson," another girl, Haley, said.

I suddenly became curious. "Mr. Orson?" I repeated.

The Haley nodded. "Mhm. Rumor is that Mr. Orson is the meanest teacher here and always makes his groups do the toughest courses," she whispered.

I cringed, hoping I didn't get Mr. Orson. I wasn't the fastest person or the strongest—I was seven and not a lot of people expected a seven year old to be able to do what an adult could.

"I hope I don't get him, then," I mumbled. "Derek said that one kid was actually removed from camp because Mr. Orson told the other teachers that the kid wasn't ready."

Kylie nodded. "I believe it. Mr. Orson is tough. A few of the other Assassins wanted him removed from camp, but Mr. Miles said that Orson was only doing his job." Kylie leaned forward. "I also heard he intentionally picks the kids that have parents that are high up in the Order have a parent that's a highly regarded Assassin, so he can target them."

I gulped. My dad was high up in the Order and my mom… Auntie Heather said that she was called "Snake" when she was still around. I bit my lip, hoping that no one would notice how quiet I fell. But then again, Derek was the same as me. Same mom and dad and he didn't get Orson as a teacher his first year. Lilly joined our group a little bit later and a few minutes after she arrived, food was served.

"When do we find out which teacher we have?" Lilly asked after drinking some milk.

Kylie swallowed some of her mac 'n cheese. "After supper," she said.

Suddenly, my desire to eat wasn't exactly high anymore. I pushed some food around and asked my mom to not let me get Mr. Orson. I'd rather have anyone else. Anyone.

Tuesday 14 January 2014 10:07AM EST

Dr. Clark poured some ice water in glass for me as I finished talking.

"So, a lot was expected of you when you were young?" he asked. "Because of your parents' status in the Order?" Dr. Clark set the pitcher down.

I offered a nod. "Yeah." And later I would find out that it wasn't just my parents' status' in the Order, but my heritage.

"Do you think that too much was expected of you at such a young age?" Dr. Clark asked.

I sipped some water. "Well, looking back at it now from an adult's point of view, no. It wasn't a lot." I set the glass back on the coaster. "But back when I was a kid, yeah. I was scared that I wouldn't be the Assassin that everyone expected of me."

Dr. Clark wrote something down. "I'll guess there's more to this story than you're telling me." He set his pen down. "Tell me about Samantha. I see here in your file that her name comes up quite a lot—."

"You think?" I retorted. "Geez, I'm telling you a story back when I was a kid for crying out loud!" I crossed my arms. "Sorry for cutting you off, but I'll tell you more about Sam later in the story. Sound good?"

Dr. Clark sighed. "Well then, please continue. What happened after that first day at camp?"

I offered a thin, unamused smile. "Let's just say, luck wasn't in my favor that night…"