He threw a suspicious glance at the bus driver he was not supposed to see for another three months.
The bus driver stared back at him.
"You have seen nothing!!" Calvin yelled, pointing a finger at him.
The driver grunted and closed the doors.
Calvin walked up the steps and into the narrow bus.
He cut his eyes from side to side.
Calvin appeared to be one of the first people to have been picked up.
The only other people he saw were Moe, Moe's gang, Alex and some other kid with buck teeth.
Calvin sat down with Hobbes, A good five or six seats away from Moe.
As the bus engine revved up and began moving again, Calvin unzipped his duffel bag and began riffling through it.
Hobbes watched him.
"I'm hoping you packed some OFF?" He asked, hopefully.
"Are you kidding?" Calvin demanded, looking up. "Do you think I'm leaving my property without something to protect myself with?"
Hobbes breathed a sigh of relief.
Calvin then went back to shuffling through... well, basically the contents of his entire room.
Finally, he found the comic book he was looking for, zipped the bag back up and sat back down in his seat.
"But you can be sure when those morons aren't shoving construction paper, canoes and hiking boots in my face, I'm going to be nice and busy with my comic books." He said, flipping through the pages.
"Well, I guess summer camp, can't be that bad." Hobbes decided, looking out the window. "I mean, at least we'll have people watching and taking care of us. Unlike your Dad's famous camping trips."
"True." Calvin said, looking up from the comic book. "But that doesn't change the fact that Moe's coming. One kid who I hoped I wasn't going to have to deal with for the rest of the summer."
"Well, on the one hand, at least it's just one kid from your school." Hobbes commented.
Just then, the bus slowed.
Calvin didn't even look out the window, as the bus came to a complete stop and the doors opened.
Calvin and Hobbes both heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, but only Hobbes expressed any interest to see who it was.
When he saw, his eyes popped open.
"Calvin?"
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Never mind what?"
"Hi, Calvin!" Said a cheerful voice.
Calvin looked up.
It was Susie Derkins.
Calvin stared at her for a long time.
"So I'm assuming Leatherface is getting on, next, right?" he said, finally.
Susie sat down next to Calvin, scooting Hobbes over.
"What are you doing here, anyway, Susie?" Calvin demanded. "I thought you were going to get to work on next year's homework. Isn't that how you keep your sanity during the summer?"
Susie rolled her eyes.
"Calvin, I think the better question is, what are you doing here? I go to Camp Pine every year."
"Parents desperate to get rid of you, too, huh?" Calvin considered, tapping his chin. "You do know that summer camp is just a big baby sitter so the kids' parents can remain in denial about summer arriving, don't you?"
"Maybe for your parents." Susie muttered under her breath.
The bus went on to pick up several other kids, most of which Calvin recognized from his classroom.
"For crying out loud, is everyone from my class getting on this bus?!" Calvin yelled, as Candace took her seat next to Alex.
"Just about." Susie said. "Everyone from our class does come to Camp Pine, actually. You're the one that finally completes it."
"This is an outrage!" Calvin yelled, standing up. "I demand to speak to the driver of this vehicle!"
"Calvin, sit down." Susie moaned, covering her face.
"I'm taking a step for righteousness and all that's good and pure when I declare that I refuse to go to a camp with all these losers!!!" Calvin shouted. "HAVE YOU NO PITY!!!!"
"Calvin, you're starting to get weird, again." Hobbes said, looking up at his companion.
"NOBODY ASKED YOUR OPINION!!!" Calvin spat.
Once Calvin took his seat, again, the bus had made it passed his city.
The only times Calvin had been on this road was when Dad dragged him and his family on another death trap vacation.
So in other words, Calvin had affiliated bad thoughts with that road.
And of course, dark thoughts lead to weird fantasies.
"Our intrepid hero, Spaceman Spiff is taken captive by the evil Zarchers from planet X-821. To be taken to Labor Camp to be trained as a slave for their diabolical race!" Calvin muttered under his breath, looking around the bus, which had become a giant space ship.
Spaceman Spiff looked around the dark ship. Green wires ran across the walls and the seats were filled with green aliens that looked like giant bats.
They all stared forward in a emotionlessly way, all lined up in the seats.
Spaceman Spiff was tied up at the arms and seated next to another two aliens holding laser guns.
"Spiff prepares his daring escape of leaping out into deep space." Spiff muttered under his breath, looking towards the window.
Calvin checked on Hobbes and Susie.
Hobbes was examining his claws and Susie was reading the Camp Pine brochure.
Calvin's eyes narrowed and he turned back to the window.
Desperately, he began tugging at the window's base, trying to get it open.
"Curses!" Spiff growled. "They have super locks on the windows! Spiff's only chance is to dive into the middle of the aliens and escape through the doors!"
Spiff turned around and glared at the aliens through his black mask.
They were both staring straight ahead, not paying any attention to the spaceman.
Spiff remained still for a moment, staring at the aliens waiting for them to do something.
Then he acted.
"DIE, SPACESCUM!" Calvin screamed, leaping through the air and tumbling to the floor.
Susie, Hobbes and everyone else spun around and stared at Calvin in shock.
Calvin leaped to his feet and whipped from side to side.
"RAAAAAAAUGH!!!" The aliens started screeching, holding their winged arms out to capture Spiff.
Spiff growled and narrowed his eyes.
Then, with a snap, he cut the ropes to his arms and began running towards the front of the ship.
Bat webbed arms reached over the seats in an attempt to grab the spaceman.
Spaceman Spiff leaped over to the front of the ship and spun around to the driver.
He whipped out his Death Ray Blaster and pointed it at it.
"OK, you slimy space maggot! Stop this ship, right now and release my space jet from the compartment hold! I'm getting out of here!!"
Instantly, the spaceship came to a dead stop.
The driver turned and stared at Spiff through its bloodshot eyes. Then, it opened it's mouth.
"GOK GOOP FLAC YARG HOBIA SABACK GROCK!!" It screamed through it's razor sharp teeth.
Spiff stared at it, still holding his blaster up.
"What?" He asked.
"I said, give me that rubber band and sit down." The driver said to Calvin, leaning on the steering wheel.Calvin blinked.
He looked back up the bus.
Everyone was leaning over the side of their seats, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Oh. Well, OK." Calvin handed the rubber band over to the driver. "There ya go."
The driver took the rubber band, threw it in the ash tray and started the bus' engine back up.
Calvin cleared his throat and walked back to his seat, not looking at anyone.
Susie stared at Calvin as he walked back up to her and sat down.
"Well, I suppose you're going to have some smart remark about this, correct?" Calvin demanded, glaring at Susie.
"Uh, no, I'm getting nothing." Susie said, staring at Calvin with wide eyes.
"Good, Hobbes?"
"No, I think this is more of a silence moment." Hobbes replied.
"Good. So all of you can just shut up." Calvin growled, turning back to the window.
The bus kept going and luckily, Calvin was able to spend the rest of the trip without breaking into another fantasy.
Soon, the bus passed the place Mom and Dad stopped to rent their boat to get their camping island and the bus began moving into unfamiliar territory.
Calvin stared out the window, as they passed trees and boulders and went even further into the great unknown.
He took another glance of Hobbes.
He had fallen asleep, of course and was currently curled up in a ball, snoring.
Calvin rolled his eyes and turned back to the window.
He saw a sign approaching them.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at it.
Welcome to Camp Pine
Adventure Camp
"I'll keep that in mind." He hissed under his breath.
The bus rounded a corner and pulled up to a stop.
The driver reached over, pulled a lever and opened the doors.
At once, everyone got up and started walking towards the exit.
Well, almost everyone...
Calvin sat on his seat, refusing to move.
He crossed his arms and glared forward.
Hobbes sat up and yawned.
"Hey, we're here?" He asked, looking out the window. "That didn't take long."
"Shhh!" Calvin spat, holding his finger up to his mouth. "Quiet, Hobbes! Maybe if we remain really quiet, the driver will forget I'm here and leave!"
"Calvin, I doubt the bus driver is going to forget you." Hobbes said, staring at his six year old associate.
"Well, we'll just see about that!" Calvin chuckled. "This plan is fool proof! Soon we'll be back at our home planet and everything will be great, again!"
"Calvin, get off the bus." Came the driver's voice.
Calvin blinked.
"Told ya." Hobbes said.
"Calvin!" The driver called again. "I know you're back there. Get over here."
Calvin remained silent.
The driver sighed.
There was a moment of silence, then, the man appeared over Calvin.
Calvin stared at him.
Then, he heaved a sigh.
"OK, fine, you win!" Calvin stood up and grabbed his stuffed tiger off the seat.
He walked over to the door and turned a glare back at the driver.
"THIS TIME!!"
"Just get out of here." The driver sighed.
Calvin gave him one last glare and then walked off the bus.
The driver sat back down, closed the door and started the engine back up.
Calvin watched, helplessly as the bus made a turnaround and started driving off in the other direction.
Then, he turned back around.
The rest of the group was facing a small cabin with the sign COUNSELOR on it.
Calvin and Hobbes stared at it.
"Well, this is pretty nice," Hobbes observed, looking around the camp. "There's an unpolluted little forest here, a big lake, little squirrels and chipmunks running around, we're surrounded by a beautiful mountain range, this might not be that bad!"
"Why are there security cameras on the cabins?" Calvin asked, glaring at a video camera hung from above the counselor cabin's porch.
The camera was fixed right on the group of kids, making a small beeping sound every few seconds.
"Uh, to protect us from forest monsters?" Hobbes guessed.
At that very moment, the door to the cabin opened.
A man stepped out.
He had a short shaved hair and a goatee. He was wearing sunglasses, black pants, white sneakers and a white T-shirt that had the Camp Pine logo on it.
He was holding a clipboard and reading over all the names.
"Welcome to Camp Pine." The man said in a gruff voice, looking up and facing the kids. "My name is John Howard Chill. I'm your head counselor."
Alex, a small kid with his baseball cap on backwards raised his hand.
"Yes?" John said, turning to him.
"What happened to Counselor Bob?" He asked, putting his hand down.
John stared at him for a moment.
"He, uh, couldn't be with us this year." He said, putting the clipboard on a table on the porch. "He's in New York on an important business trip."
"Doing what?" Susie asked.
John turned and stared at Susie.
"I don't know what he's doing. He didn't fill me in on all the details. The point is, is that I'm your substitute counselor for this year."
Calvin raised his hand.
"Yes, Calvin?" John asked, turning to Calvin this time.
"OK, ignoring the fact that you conveniently knew what my name was, I would like to ask what the chances are of something horrible happening to my person?" Calvin said, crossing his arms.
"What do you mean?" John inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, I dunno..." Calvin said, rolling his eyes around. "mutant flesh eating worms emerging from the ground after an electric tower has been knocked over, being bitten by a giant spider thus turning me into a giant spider, some homicidal British guy releasing his swarm of killer bees on us, or say maybe, ohhhh... physical abuse?"
John stared at him.
"You're talking about bullying?" He said, finally.
"Oh... Sure that could be used as a hypothetical example." Calvin shrugged.
"If anyone is caught bullying another person here at Camp Pine while I'm in charge, they will be suspended and sent home." John said, scanning the group of kids. "I will not tolerate it here."
Moe turned a glare onto Calvin.
"Let me now explain the rules for everyone new here to Camp Pine." John said, taking out his clipboard. "Breakfast is at seven o'clock sharp. Lunch is at noon and dinner is at five. While you're here you'll be participating in activities such as canoeing, hiking and arts and crafts."
Calvin groaned.
John ignored him and continued.
"There will also be races and competitions and by the time you go home at the end of two weeks, you'll be in great shape."
Calvin groaned, again.
John sighed and continued.
"At this point I'm going to assign you each a cabin, where you will be living in for the next fourteen days. We have four cabins in total. Two will be for the girls and two will be for the boys. After you've been assigned your cabin, I'd like you to go and unpack."
Calvin groaned, again.
John turned and glared at Calvin.
"Do you have a problem?" He demanded.
"No, of course not. What would make you think that?" Calvin asked, innocently.
John rolled his eyes and turned back to the group.
"Now, if you would all please come into the cabin here, so I and my assistant counselors can assign your home for the next half month."
Calvin groaned.
John glared at Calvin, then turned and walked into the cabin.
The kids followed.
Calvin and Hobbes paused though.
For a moment, they all just stared after him.
Then, Hobbes spoke.
"Nice fellow, that Chill, guy." Hobbes commented.
"Yeah right." Calvin muttered. "He's about as creepy as Torgo in swim trunks. I can't believe I'm going to have to live with him for two weeks."
"Well, one the one hand, at least we're not on a floating rock in the middle of a lake." Hobbes said, looking around.
"Thanks, Hobbes. I feel a lot better now."
And with that, Calvin and Hobbes slowly made their way into the counselor's cabin.