Camp Walden buzzed in activities. Girls between the ages of five and seventeen filed out of the buses to get their bags and meet up with old friends. Marvas Kulp Sr. welcomed the girls with a bull horn before handing it to her daughter, Marvas Kulp Jr. to call the girls' names and their assigned cabins.
"Finally!" Aaliyah exclaimed as she found her black Nike duffle bag.
Aaliyah Evans was a five-foot-ten girl of sixteen with warm beige skin and long, wavy chestnut brown curls flowing to the middle of her back. She wore a red and black plaid shirt with a pair of light blue skinny jeans, decorated with the rips she cut.
As she reached out to grab her bag, a few more piled on top of hers and she drew her hand back with an annoyed huff. "Great."
The strap of her duffle poked out of the pile, and she latched onto it, but the bag wouldn't budge. She took a deep breath and muttered to herself that she could do it, but her second attempt at getting the bag out was met with defeat.
"Need help?" A voice to her right asked her. "I'm guessing you're new."
Aaliyah saw a short girl about fourteen with warm brown skin and straight black hair highlighted in burgundy streaks, styled in a messy ponytail.
"How can you tell?" Aaliyah continued pulling on the bag.
"You didn't grab your duffle before the apes tossed in the heap. Rookie mistake."
"Thanks for the help. It's the black one with the Nike symbol."
Just then, a tall girl with alabaster skin and jet-black hair appeared on the other side of the heap and grabbed her orange duffle with ease. She wore a tie-dye crop top and a pair of washed-out denim shorts. What caught the girls' attention was her athletic build, especially her muscular arms.
"Whoa! That's my kind of woman."
"Yo Xena in the tie-dye shirt! Come here!"
When she whirled around and spotted them, Aaliyah gave her a friendly smile before pointing to her duffle. "Do you mind? My duffle bag got stuck."
The athletic girl went over to them and easily pulled Aaliyah's bag out of the heap. As she handed her the bag, her eyes caught a glimpse of her name tag. "You're from New York?"
"You are?" The dark-skinned girl asked. "What's it like? Is it as fast as everyone says?"
"Do you go downtown often?"
"Do you live in a luxurious apartment like people on tv?"
"Do you know any broadway stars?"
Aaliyah giggled. "Guys, slow down. If you must know, I live in a condo on Fifth Avenue."
"Wow! That must be expensive," the athletic girl commented.
"It is, but with my dad and aunt both having lucrative careers, along with the fortune from my grandfather's businesses, we can afford it."
"You're an heiress?" The dark-skinned girl asked, but gestured to Aaliyah's outfit. "You don't look like one."
Aaliyah chuckled. "That's my aunt. She's the spoiled daddy's little girl. I'm more of a free spirit. My dad is a stickler for freedom of expression."
"Aaliyah Evans!" Marvas Kulp Jr. called her name through the bullhorn. "Arapahoe!"
"Yes!" The other two girls cheered and high-fived each other.
"That's where we are," the dark-skinned girl explained.
"Great! And since we're bunking together, it's only proper that I know your names."
"I'm Leah," the athletic girl answered.
"And I'm Sariyah."
"Nice to meet you both. Let's head to our bunk and settle in."
Leah and Sariyah nodded and head towards their destination.
"Whoa!" Aaliyah exclaimed when she saw a limousine pull up behind them. "I wonder who's in there."
"It's probably a celebrity," Sariyah replied before the three of them disappeared.
The back door of the limo opened and a thirty-eight-year-old man with golden brown skin stepped out. He wore a navy-blue suit while his dark brown curls were in a neat fade. His brown eyes studied the surroundings with a look of pure contempt.
Following behind him, Lisa McKessie, a five-foot-ten young lady, exited the limo. She had warm beige skin, and chestnut brown hair styled in a French bun. She wore a beige skirt suit with matching beige closed-toed, block-heeled shoes.
"Here we are. Camp Walden for girls." Chad took another look at their surroundings. "I still cannot believe we came all the way from Washington D.C. for this."
"Oh, lighten up, Uncle Chad. I think it's…" her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right word. "Picturesque. Wouldn't you agree?"
"No. Remind me again how you talked your mother into letting you attend this place?"
"Simple. Throw in something about how it's good for a 'future leader as myself', she'll let me go to a warehouse night club in a heartbeat."
"Right. Now, let's go over this checklist she sent." Chad took out a notebook and pen from his inside pocket. "Vitamins?"
"Check."
"Minerals?"
"Check."
"Daily intake of fruits and vegetables?"
"Check, and check."
Chad furrowed his brows at her.
"Check for fruits, check for vegetables." She gave him a look that told him, 'Duh!'
"Sunblock, lip balm, insect repellent, photographs of your mother, grandmother, and of course your favorite uncle."
"Only uncle," Lisa corrected him, an amused grin on her face. "Yes, I have all of that. Is there anything else?"
Chad pulled out a box of playing cards from his jacket pocket. "From your grandmother. In case you want to show off those McKessie persuasion skills."
Lisa smirked at him. "Uncle, you know I'm unbeatable at poker."
He returned her smirk with one of his own. "I know. Now, in case you change your mind and want me to pick you up at the end of camp, I'm only a phone call away."
"Thank you, Uncle Chad, but I'm fine." She gave him a hug and a reassuring smile. "I'll see you in eight weeks."
"I'm missing you already." Once they pulled away, he stuck his hand out to shake hers. Lisa took it and shook it earnestly before they fell into their secret handshake of shimmying and butt bumps. When it was over, they shook hands again and Chad placed a fatherly kiss on Lisa's forehead. "Have fun, kiddo."
"I will, but I'm hardly a kiddo, don't you think?"
He smirked before getting into the limo. He rolled down the window and waved goodbye as the limo pulled away.