Crystal skies and sapphire oceans beckoned in Lacey's view as she got out of the car at Camp Blackbear. She spun in the breeze and breathed in the salty sea air, as her parents unloaded her trunk from the car. Amazingly, they had survived the 45 minute car ride from the airport in Oregon to Camp Blackbear. Lacey and her fellow counselors had arrived at Camp Blackbear a week early to get orientated to Camp and the procedures and schedules that went with it.

Lacey was assigned to a cabin with another junior counselor named Emily Sandstorm, who, like her, was 17.Lacey's mother and father helped her carry her trunk to her cabin, and met Emily. "Hi, you must be Lacey." Said Emily as they stepped inside the cabin.

"Yep, you're Emily. Hi. These are my parents, but you wont be seeing much of them." Said Lacey.

"No, you wont." Said Lacey's father."Bye, Lacey. See you in seven weeks!"

"Bye dad, bye mom!" Lacey replied, hugging both of them. "Now, dont fight, I'm not there to referee." She softened her harsh words with a smile, and then laughed.

"Have a good time!" Chorused her parents, and then turned away and walked out the door.

"Its a wonder they can speak in unison, but not get along." Lacey said to Emily. "They're divorced, and being in the house with them is usually like being a piece of meat thrown in a tiger's cage."

"Ugh, fun." Said Emily sarcastically. "So, I think we should unpack, hey? The kids dont arrive for another week, but we have plenty to do until then!"

Along with being a counselor for a group of ten-year-old girls, Lacey would also be a leader in the arts and crafts cabin. She would also coach badminton for the Blackbear Games at the end of the summer, a camper-vs-camper mini Olympics, which included basketball, swimming, volleyball, kayak races, diving and obstacle-courses, just to name a few. The Olympic events woluld take place on the third-to-last day of camp, with the second-to-last day a dance and awards ceremony for the campers. The last day would include Parents Day, where the kids would put on skits, sing songs, and show their parents around Camp.

Lacey dragged her trunk into the room she and Emily would be sharing that was seperate from the other part of the cabin. They settled into putting their things on the shelves and dressers in the room, and Lacey cleared a space on the shelf for her syringes, glucometer, glucose tablets and glucagon. She then went back to the main cabin room with her insulin bottles, which were clearly labeled, and put them in the cabin's minifridge.Emily interupted Lacey's thoughts. "So, like, I'm on probation here. I was in the hospital a few months ago, and now they think I need to prove myself."

Lacey swallowed, she, too, had been in the hospital just a few months earlier. Emily hadred hair that glinted in the sunlight, green eyes, and freckles. She was wearing the standard arrival-day t-shirt Camp Blackbear had sent them, and would also be wearing it when the campers arrived and on Parent's Day. She also had an ID tag around her neck, which the camp directors checked before she was let allowed in the camp area. A silver band glinted around her wrist that announced her diabetes to the world. Lacey refused to wear one, but carried a carried a card in her wallet that said she was diabetic and stated her parents' phone numbers and her Uncle Nelson's number, being her doctor.

"Yeah, I was, too. Luckily, things have fallen into a routine again, and if I have no problems at camp, Mom will get off my back about my diet and my injections and stuff. I went into the hospital because I wanted to lose weight, and I lowered my insulin dosages and my numbers skyrocketed, and I went into a coma."

"Ugh, the 'fun' of being diabetic." Said Emily, and then laughed.

"No kidding."

The girls continued to unpack their things, and once they were done they stretched out on their beds. So far, Lacey liked Emily and thought they'd become friends.

"So, the kids arrive in a week, and they stay for six weeks?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," Lacey said. "But lucky us, this week we get to do training and review all of the kids' plans."

Each camper attending Camp Blackbear had to have a detailed plan about their diabetes filled out, like how much glucose to give for low blood sugars, how much insulin they needed and when, and their diet plans.

"Why do we need training? We're both diabetics,we of all people should know the ropes." Emily said, as she glanced at the clock that read 5:48. "It's almost supper."

"Yeah. I'd better inject," Lacey said, flipping up from the bed to her feet and ducking out and grabbing a bottle of insulin and then a syringe and her glucometer. She tested herblood sugar andread 104. She instinctly measured out the right amount of insulin and injected it into her stomach, as Emily did the same.

The girls then left the cabin and stood outside the dining hall until it opened. "Okay, guys!" Said aLeader named Brady, who had sandy hair and a welcoming face" It's your first meal here at Camp Blackbear, and before we have meals, we have to decide who gets in first. Its your job as the counselors to design a special effort with your cabin groups to see who gets in first. It'll take some real creative minds, and we get everybody in as quickly as possible to avoid insulin reactions, but the kids'll be fine for the few minutes extra they'll have to wait. After supper, you all have a 'Welcome to Camp Blackbear' orientation party to mingle with your fellow counselors and the many wonderful staff you'll be getting to know in your seven week stay at Camp Blackbear!"

A cheer went up among the counselors as they entered the dining hall, and Lacey was excited to see that each of the foods were labeled with what type of food choice it was, it made things alot easier! The camp staff filled her plate with the correct servings of each food, and Lacey sat down at a table and waited for Emily. Soon, Emily had sat down with her, and two guys sat down at the table.

Then, Lacey found herself looking into a familiar face.