Chapter Two: I Make A Complete Fool Out Of Myself

I let Ellie drag me to my house, where I find my stepfather, smoking - weed. I ignore him, and head to my room, where I grab a suitcase, and drop several pairs of jeans and several tee shirts. I also throw in a swimsuit, some shorts, my pajamas, and a bag with shampoo and conditioner. I grab a different bag, and drop my contact case, contact sollution, eppi-pen, inhailor, and glasses into it. This is my emergency medical bag. I also throw in my pills for my stomach. I have something known as gastropareses, and I happen to have it bad. I'm able to eat, but it hurts, so I don't eat a lot when ow do eat at all.

Before I leave my room, I stare into the mirror hanging on the back of my doorddi see a girl with jet black hair, piercing green eyes, and a dusting of freckles across her nose. She's tall and thin, with curves the right placesddi may be kind of pretty, but it comes at the cost of having a stomach that is paralyzed, and constant pain coursing through my body, as well as being alergic to peanuts, bee stings, and dairydds much for the five food groups, huh? I grab my bag, and race downstairs. I scribble a quick note to my mother, toss it on the table, and race out to where Ellie awaits me. She and I run to the subway, and she shoves me on. We search for an empty carddwe find one with just a couple people in it, and slide into the backddi notice Sadie Kane talking with a black-haired woman before I turn my full rath on Ellie. "Eleanor Louise Jenkons! You will tell me everything. Right. Now." I add, my voice sliding to the dangerous tone I sometimes use when I mean buisiness. I notice Sadie and her companion are watching.

"I'm sorry, Fergie. I can't explain."

"Your name's Fergie?" Sadie asksddi'm surei'm just another nameless face that always says hi to her.

his Yeah. My mom liked the singer, and was most likely high when I was born, so here I am."

"Your mom does drugs?"

"No, not anymore. She did medical marijauna, which is probably howi got fucked up, but she stopped when I was six. My stepdad does weed, though." I admit. It's not like it's a huge secret anyways.

"What's..." the woman with Sadie asks.

"Weed?" I finish for her. She nods.

"It's marijauna. You can take it for medical purposes, like my mother did, or you can take it for the simple purpose of getting higher than the Umpire State, like my stepdad."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Fucked up mind and body, fucked up home life, fucked up everything else. That's me."

"Wow. You seem to be quite the optimist." Sadie quips.

"Yeah, optomism isn't my thing." I respond, smiling slightly.

When we reach Long Island, Ellie practically drags me off the subway, and through the streets, until we reach a big hill with a pine tree at the crest. She and I run for it, but are intersected halfway through, by a thing with leathery bat wings, a shriveled hag body, and talons for hands. I wonder if she's Dick Cox's wife. She lunges, but Ellie slices her to dust. We troop up the hill, and head down the other side to reveal the strangest camp I've ever been to. And that's saying something.

Ellie laughs, and drags me through the area, pointing things out. The volleyball cghrt, the cabins, the woods, the pavillian, and something she calls "the big house", where she leads me now. Sitting on the porch, two men are playing cards. One is a middle-aged dude, confined to a wheelchair. He wears a tweed jacket, and his brown hair is thinning and graying.

The other man is... well... fat. He has crazy curly hair, that is so black it almost looks purple. His eyes are watery and purple, and he's drinking a Diet Coke with a scowl on his face. It's clear his scowl is a permanent one.

"That's Mr. D, and that's Chiron." Ellie says.

Chiron turns at hearing his name, and smiles. "Ah. Eleanorddi see you've brought a friend."

"Yes Chiron. This is Fergie Moskowitz."

"Fergie? As in the singer?" asks a blond girl, who runs up the porch steps.

"Yes."

"And Hannah Moskowitz as in the author? Are you related? I love her books."

"No. We're not related."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That's Annabeth Chase. She's a camper, but she's been here longer than most of us."

"Okay."

"Fergie, I know you are confused, but we have an orientation film that will explain everything. Also, you can come to me at any time if you have any questions." Chiron says, and just like that, the image shimmers into being in front of me. watch it with rapped attention as I learn the truth. Afterward, Ellie speaks up.

"I'll give her the tour. Annabeth, can you prepare Fergie's bed in cabin eleven?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"So, why ami here?" I ask, as Ellie drags me away, pointing out more things, such as the rock wall, which actually consists of two walls that clash together, spit lava, and throw bolders if you don't get to the top fast enough. I mention something about that being a safety concern, and Ellie just laughs.

"Sweetie, our whole life is a safety concern." I inwardly wonder what that means, but decide not to ask.

When we finally get to cabin eleven, I take one look, and immediately hope that I don't have to stay here long. There are ten bunk beds, but there are about fifty people, and Ellie says that's the first batch of year-rounders, and that others come in later in the years, for breaks and stuff. It's interesting, but there's no way that this is up to safety code. I don't mention this, because I don't really care, but if I were a cop like my mother, I would've gone balistic.

"Everyone, this is Fergie Moskowitz."

"Regular or undetermined?" someone asks.

"Undetermined." Ellie says matter-of-factly. Everyone groans, and looking aroundeai can see why. There are more than enough people in here.

I set my main bag down, keeping my medical bag slung over my shoulderddi saw the caducious over the door, and I'm taking the chance of having my medical supplies stolen. Especially because my life depends on them.

It only takes me five minutes to feel chlosterphobic, and I head out, taking deep breaths of the cool breeze. Ellie asks me for my phone as we walk.

"I can't give it to you." I say as we reach the docksddi sit on the edge, kicking off my flipflops, and lowering my feet into the water.

"You can't have it at camp."

"I have it because I have medical issuesddi need it in case something happens. You know that."

"It's dangerousddphones are as bad as sending up a flareddthere's no better way to get a monster's attention than by using one."

"Well," I reply hotly, "if it's either atract a monster, or die a slow and painful death from lack of oxygen or by choking to death on bile, I'll take atracting a monster or two, thank you very much."

"It's your funeral."

"Seriously? You want me to be unprepared? What if something happened to me because i couldn't get help? Are you that close-minded?"

"No! I'm not that close-minded."

"Who's your parent"0i ask, needing to change the subject.

"Cabin sev."

"Meaning?"

"Appolo. I'm a healer. Sadly, that's all I am."

"You're more than that." a voice says from behind us. I jump, but Ellie just turns around.

"Dad."

"Eleanor."

"Dad, this is Fergie Moskowitz."

"Hello."

"Ust... hey?" I say, phrasing it more as a question.

The two eventually walk off, and I lean my elbows on my knees, dropping my head into my hands. I stare out at the churning waves, wishing that I knew where the helli belonged. I know from the camp orientation film, that "undetermined" means that your parent hasn't claimed you yet. Therefore, my parent didn't care enough about me to claim me.

Noddt can't be it. I mean, I'm used to nobody giving a shit about me, that's just my world, but my father? Isn't he the one who should care? Family first, and all that bullshit? Maybei just need to be patient. I stand, and start pacing, as I do when I'm nervous. Unfortunately for me, I get too close to the edge without realizing it, and fall into Longisland Sound. I kick up to the surface, and grab the edge of the dock.

"Way to go, Fergie." I mutter to myself. "Fall into the lake on your first day. That's a great first impressionddnobody could ever think badly of that."

I drag myself out of the lake, my face burning, and grab my medical bag. I wait for the allergic reaction to hit, but surprisingly it doesn't. I check to make sure my contact is still in place, and head back to cabin eleven.