Chapter 7
JPOV
I sat by the lake, a pad of paper and a pencil resting on my knees. I sighed, wondering if I should write a letter back home. My 'mom' had asked me to write…
Sighing again, I picked up the pencil and wrote
Dear Family,
Camp is great. My cabin mates are pretty nice. Nate's only thirteen and he's really nice. But somehow, I think he's hiding something.
Shane was here last year. I'd met him before, but we were never friends…like now. He's not the nicest cookie but he's okay.
I miss you guys and I can't wait to see you during Parent's Weekend. I'll show you everything, like last year.
-Jason
P.S. Yes, Mom, I'm taking my vitamins.
Short, sweet and to the point.
That gives me time to think about everything going on.
I settled back against the tree and looked up at the sky. No clouds to find pictures in. Oh well.
I wonder if my parents…my real parents, had any relatives still alive. I could have a bunch of aunts and uncles I'd never heard of! Maybe even grandparents, or nieces and nephews and cousins, as well.
I wonder if they knew about me and are trying to find me.
I picked up my stuff and walked away, towards the cabins.
Maybe, one day, I'll find them.
SPOV
I sighed as I wandered through the campsite.
"Shane!" my uncle's voice called. "Come here."
I looked up and jogged to his side.
"What's up?" I asked.
"How's Nate doing?" he asked.
I shrugged and kicked a pebble. "Okay."
"Thanks for coming to tell me," Brown continued. "Hey, come help me move some things, okay?"
"Sure." I followed him to another cabin. He told me to grab the other end of a piano. I helped him lift it and move it to another corner.
After that was done, I sighed again and leaned against the wall.
"Uncle Brown, who's my father?" I asked abruptly.
Brown looked up at me, startled, as he picked up a snare drum. "Pardon?"
"Aw, don't play that," I said. "You must know! You're my mom's brother."
Brown sighed and put the drum down. "Shane, I really don't think now is the time-"
"Then when is the time?" I interrupted. "I'm almost seventeen, Uncle Brown! I know he's not Rick, but who is he?"
Brown looked at me. "Shane, I really think you don't want to know."
"I do!" I insisted. "Please, Uncle Brown?"
He shook his head and said firmly "I think your mother has to be the one to tell you."
And he refused to say anything more.
I scowled and left, slamming the door behind me. "WHATEVER."
I ran to the Guitar Cabin. It was free hour and no one else was there, so I grabbed the first guitar I saw, tuned it and played my anger out.
"I grew up alone, without someone by my side
And felt something was very wrong, deep inside
I knew I needed to know
But they never wanted to tell me
When will I be able to see?
When will I be able to tell
When can I know who I really am?
I'm sick of pretending
Like I'm never there, that you never notice me
I want my truth, I want my answers
When will I be able to see?"
I sighed and let the last note of the guitar fade.
"Wow."
I spun around. Jason stood at the doorway.
"What?" I hissed. "Go away."
"That was good," he said. "You're a good singer."
"Whatever." I slid the guitar strap off and put the guitar back on the stand.
"Did you write that song?" Jason asked as I left, following me like a stupid puppy.
"Yeah. What of it?"
Jason seemed to get it and stayed quiet, until he said
"You seem different when you're playing your music."
"It's always been there for me," I snapped. "I happen to enjoy it."
"I can tell."
Suddenly, we heard a voice, singing a quiet song, coming from the Music Theory cabin.
"But now you've made a huge mistake, You're following a dark path, That I have no choice to follow."
I stopped. "You hear that, dude?"
Jason stopped and listened. "Yeah, I do," he said slowly. "What is it?"
I shrugged and followed the sound.
JPOV
I quietly followed Shane, thinking back at what I'd seen.
When he was playing and singing, he'd changed. The line of worry that seemed constantly on his face had gone away, the anger had left his eyes, despite the words he'd been singing. He'd completely relaxed at the sound of his music.
The things music does to people.
Shane stepped quietly up to the Music Theory cabin and pushed the door open to see who was singing.
I smiled when I saw who it was.
It was Nate.