Chapter 1: Prelude to the Long Night

~ Friday, July 13th, 2018 10:00 AM~

"Tammy, it's time to board your bus." Sydney James tells the young girl who is hugging her cabin mate.

The two young girls were from different parts of the state and were traveling home in separate vehicles. The young girls were preteens from Sydney's group and had become best friends. This was the hardest part for both kids and counselors, going home at the end of the week. Well, to be fair it was hard to watch for some of the counselors as it tugged on their heartstrings. For others, they could not wait for the last child to board the bus or whatever ride to ship them back to their families. The vast majority of the kids were very nice and quite enjoyable. Summer Camp still had almost a month left (4 sessions) and none of the campers have been sent home thus far for bad behavior.

Melinda Craven walked down the path having just re-checked all of her camper cabins to make sure nothing or no one had been left behind. The tan-skinned girl was wearing a counselor's ballcap that had the Camp Crystal Lake staff logo on it. Her long brown hair was flowing out the back of the cap. When she arrived a month ago Melinda had blonde streaks in her brown hair but a month in the sun with no hair dye for touch-ups caused her hair to return to its natural color. Melinda was 18 years old and the older of the craven siblings. She was a recent graduate and while in high school was a star athlete in cross country, swimming, and track. While her brother John was known more for being the easy-going jokester Melinda was serious and hard working.

"The cabins are all clear Syd," Melinda informs her roommate.

"Ok," Sydney replies and looks over her clipboard. She pulls the paper and looks at the bus rosters. She steps onto the first bus and does a quick head and face count. If you spend the better part of a week with kids in close proximity and you learn rather quickly the names and faces of those you're in charge of. Verifying everyone is on the bus she tells the bus driver that they are good to go. Sydney steps off and the bus driver closes the doors behind her. The diesel engine of the bus fires up and the kids all wave goodbye to their counselors. Melinda and Sydney wave to their group.

"All right let's move them out!" Steve Cunningham yells to the second bus full of kids. Like Sydney, he was tasked with ensuring the headcount was accurate and that all of the kids were on his bus. John, Melinda's 16-year-old brother had verified that their cabins were clear and waved to his group as the bus started up and drove down the path out of the camp.

Mike Manning and Victoria Vanderwalt were currently assisting the parents that drove in to pick up their children. This was the trickiest part of leaving day as the cars all had to drive in, park, collect their camper and their belongings, and then leave. The problem was that some campers managed to do this quicker than others and the parents tended to get cranky when they couldn't just pull out of the parking area as there tended to be a vehicle blocking them from the front and back. Victoria's part of this job was to check off the child's name on her clipboard while Mike was tasked with guiding the cars in and out of the lot. It was always the longest part of the procedure. While they were doing this Jackson Fuller and his partner were checking the last of their cabins for any stragglers or forgotten items.

"I'm all clear over here Jackson." The voice of his female partner called out from the girl's cabin.

"Same," Jackson yells. After four weeks of doing this procedure, the teens now had it down to a science. Sure the first two weeks were a bit hectic in figuring things out and the parents were here till almost 1 PM cutting into their free time but it was only 10 am right now and the last cars were just about ready to go.

Jackson Fuller exited the boy's cabin just as his partner in crime exited the girls. Jackson laughed internally as Sienna Logan stepped out of the girl's cabin dusting off her yellow shirt as she did so. Part of the job was ensuring nothing and no one was left behind so that required the counselors to physically check under all of the bunks which meant getting down on the floor. The kids were responsible for keeping the cabins clean but like always, no one cared Thursday night if the floor wasn't clean before they left. What were the counselors going to do, kick them out?"

"Every time," Sienna complains to Jackson as they head to say goodbye to the last of the kids.

"I told you the first week that you should have picked the gray shirt instead of the yellow one." Jackson reminded Sienna as they walked down the path to the pickup and drop-off area.

"You've told me the same thing every time we do this as well," Sienna replies. The dirt and dustballs seem to love clinging to Sienna's bright yellow top and are visible for all to see. Most of the girls chose yellow when they arrived and were given their choice of counselor shirts. The guys on the other hand (along with Melinda) selected the gray shirts.

"Sienna!" A young girl named Jade called out. She was an 11-year-old girl of Chinese descent. Sienna held out her arms and braced herself as the young girl just about tackled her to the ground. "Thank you for everything." The young girl tells the 16-year-old teenager.

"You're welcome, Jade. It was a pleasure having you in my group. You enjoy the rest of your summer and think about what I told you. Please keep in touch." Sienna tells the darling young girl. Jade smiled and showed Sienna her bade that contained Sienna's e-mail and Facebook information.

Sienna didn't normally get emotional about anything or anyone as she had built up a reputation of being her high school's alpha female. As such every one else was beneath her unless she deemed them otherwise. But during her time at camp, she discovered a new side to herself. Without the normal high school conventions to worry about Sienna found she could just relax and let herself go. In addition, she found herself bonding with several of the young girls who attended the camp. Sienna's favorite this week (truthfully all summer) was Jade. She was an adorable little girl who was lonely and lived a very sheltered life in the northern part of California. The young girl was an only child and very reserved. Sienna spent quite a bit of time with her and helped her open up to her cabinmates and develop friendships with them and herself. In a short manner of time, Jade became the younger sister Sienna never had and Sienna was the older sister Jade always wanted.

"I'm going to miss you, Sienna," Jade tells her surrogate big sister hugging Sienna fiercely.

"I'm going to miss you as well Jade," Sienna whispers to the younger girl.

"Are you going to tell him?" Jade asks Sienna as she lets go of her neck.

"I'll let you know," Sienna tells the young girl.

"Promise?" Jade asks holding out her right pinky.

"Promise," Sienna replies wrapping her right pinky around the younger girl's pinky and shaking it. The two girls part ways with Sienna waving goodbye as Jackson just watched the former mean girl show her softer side.

Sienna couldn't help but think back to how much she had changed in such a short time. In high school, she had her clique of friends, but other than Coco Davis she couldn't really call anyone in her clique friend. The red-haired girl was Sienna's oldest, thus, best friend from preschool (long before popularity became a concern). As it was this job (or any for) was beneath her until three months ago when she maxed out her credit card partying with her entourage. When her father received the bill he went ballistic and after mulling over how best to teach his daughter a lesson, learned from a client that he was searching for camp counselors for his summer camp. Trent Logan asked Ben what the pay scale was for first-time counselors and after doing the math volunteered his daughter for the job. As a long-time client of the Logan's Ben had met Sienna and heard many stories about the young woman. She was what most would call a privileged princess. Despite being apprehensive about the hiring Ben acquiesced to his associate as camp would be starting shortly and at the time he still needed to fill two spots.

To say Sienna was livid at the thought of being a camp counselor to a bunch of whiny kids and hormonal preteens was an understatement. Trent however laid it out very matter-of-factually to Sienna. She would work the entire summer at the camp and give him half of her earnings at summer's end. He showed her the math of what she would earn and what was expected to be handed over. "Money does not grow on trees young lady. You can not just go out and spend it before you've earned it." Trent Logan informs his daughter. "Maybe after you've spent the summer earning your own money you will have an appreciation for it."

Sienna was driven by her father's driver to the camp and after having her two bags (far less than she wanted to take) to her cabin was left in the woods with the only other individual currently at camp, Steve Cunningham. It was a long few hours the first day with Steve constantly hitting on her while they awaited their co-workers. When the truck full of teens arrived Sienna finally breathed out a sigh of relief. The driver stepped out and Sienna quickly sized her up to be a student-athlete. She was cute for sure so hopefully, she would distract Steve for at least a little while. Two guys climbed out of the cab and while they were easy on the eyes Sienna didn't really think too much about them. The blonde girl on the passenger side was the classic cute girl in Sienna's opinion. Just as she thought it she saw Steve making his way over towards her to "help her out".

She saw another figure in the bed of the truck passing bags to their owners. Making her way to the truck, Sienna was surprised to see that she actually knew the person in the back. "Jackson," Sienna calls out.

The young man looks to who called out his name and their eyes met for a moment with surprise registering across both their faces. "Sienna... this is a surprise."

Realizing this was her chance to kill two birds with one stone Sienna waited until Jackson jumped down from the back of the gray truck and when he was standing upright ran over as quickly as she could, closing the distance between the two, leaped up wrapping her arms around his neck and close mouth kissed Jackson. Before Jackson could question this action she whispers, "Please play along." Pulling back she wrapped her arm around Jackson's waist and says, "Honey, this is a surprise. You didn't tell me you took a job here as well." Sienna announced for all to hear. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jackson Fuller this is Steve Cunningham, he is one of the counselors here."

"You didn't say your boyfriend was going to be working here this summer," Steve says to Sienna as he slings Sydney's backpack over his shoulder.

"Well, it is a surprise to me as well. Come on honey, I'll show you where you're staying." Sienna tells Jackson as she takes his free hand and leads him away from the others.

As the teens are informed where they will be rooming while they are at the camp Sienna and Jackson head to Jackson's cabin. "Thank you for playing along," Sienna says to Jackson. "That guy has been all over me since I arrived here."

"Forgive me for asking but what are you doing here? I didn't think this was your thing." Jackson asks Sienna.

"Well, I rang up a rather hefty credit card bill prior to the end of school and as punishment, my father got me this job and I have to give him half of my summer paycheck to put towards my debt." Explained Sienna. "I think I should warn you that you are rooming with Steve for the summer."

"Thanks for the heads up but I can get along with anyone. So... what exactly did you tell him about... us?" Jackson asks.

"I told him that I already had a boyfriend but that did little to dissuade him from pursuing me. He's one of those kinds of guys that no means yes and get lost means take me I'm yours." Sienna says. Jackson laughs at her statement and actually feels bad for her. "I didn't tell him anything specific about my fictitious boyfriend but I would greatly appreciate if you would be willing to play the part... for the duration of camp."

"Ok, say I'm willing to play the role of your boyfriend. What precisely do I get out of this? For all you know I might have already struck up a relationship with one of the two young ladies in the truck." Jackson inquires.

"Oh please, Jackson. As handsome as you might be you are no player. You just broke up with your girlfriend a few weeks ago and last I heard you were still pining over her. I don't care how good you kiss, a player you are not." Sienna says crossing her arms in front of her chest and glaring at him intently.

"Ok, so we go back to what I get out of this arrangement," Jackson asks.

"The pleasure of my company and an occasional kiss to keep up appearances." Sienna relents.

"Well, you better pucker up because here comes my roomie," Jackson states. Knowing he may never get a chance like this again he grabs Sienna's wrist and pulls her against his body. He pushes her shoulders down to sit on the bed and leaning in captures the surprised blonde's lips in a closed-mouth kiss. Sienna's eyes go wide but when she hears the spring on the cabin door open she quickly places her hands on Jackson's face and closes her eyes as Jackson parts her lips with his tongue, kissing her like she was truly his girlfriend.

"Oops, sorry man," Steve says as the pair part ways.

"No, it's my bad," Jackson tells his roommate. "We just didn't see one another much this last week," Jackson explains.

"Well, I will just grab something thing from my nightstand and I will leave you two to... reconnect," Steve tells the two. On his way out Steve snaps his fingers and says, "Oh Sienna, your roommate just arrived by limo. She's putting her things in your cabin, you may want to go introduce yourself."

"Arriving by limo?" Jackson repeats once Steve has left the pair.

"Not a big deal. I was chauffered in myself in my family's Lincoln Towncar." Sienna retorts.

"Well, I will let you go introduce yourself to your roommate for the summer. I have belongings to stow myself." Jackson tells the dazed blonde.

Sienna quietly stands and makes her way to the cabin door. As she reaches for the doorknob she stops and with her back to Jackson says, "By the way Jackson... I don't know if Rocki was acting or telling the truth after she kissed you in the cafeteria... but regardless of the fact, she wasn't wrong... you are an amazing kisser." Sienna says with her fingers tracing over her lips.

Jackson just smiled as he began unpacking this thing and putting them away.

In the staff parking lot, Ben Willis smiled at the successful completion of another week. Four down, for more to go. The staff was performing well as he had hired eight great kids that worked well together even if they didn't always all get along. Still, what was important was the fact that when the kids were around they were all professional, despite any differences they might have with one another.

Steve Cunningham was a high school graduate going to college in Phoenix on a football scholarship to play quarterback. When he first met the young man he pegged him as a lady's man and Ben was not wrong. Ben watched the young man hit on all four of his female counselors as soon as he met each one. While Sienna and Sydney tried to politely turn him down, he was shot down immediately by Melinda before he even had the chance to try and flirt with her. Victoria Vanderwalt was the only one that paid any attention to him and the two seemed to be an item now.

Speaking of the 17-year-old girl, Victoria Vanderwalt was a high school cheerleader from the northern part of California She normally would not have been Ben's first pick for a camp counselor but she was actually hired by his son who spotted her during a job fair at her school. Despite her princess-like attitude towards her fellow counselors, the young red-haired girl was very good with the campers, especially in the evenings when things were winding down. She had a great singing voice and would lead the children in sing-a-longs or kid games until lights out was called. She was currently talking to Steve, the two were now sitting on the stump that Victoria would sing or tell stories on.

John and Melinda Craven were an odd pair of siblings. They were complete polar opposites personality-wise but again, they were great with the kids. Melinda was an athlete, no ifs, and, or buts about it. She was his swim coach as was John and they were both certified lifeguards. Melinda with great with training the young kids how to swim while John was so easygoing he could take the most terrified child and put them at ease so Melinda could teach them how to properly swim. They might not admit it, but they really worked well together.

Mike Manning was a literal boy scout who was slated to go be a counselor for Boyscout Camp but was enticed by the prospect of money. Mike already had all the requirements needed for his next advancement in rank so a high-paying summer job doing the exact same thing was just what the young African-American needed.

Sydney James attended the same school as Mike and she was a girl scout earlier in life so she was certified in first-aid and had camping experience. She was a straight-A student with good people skills so the cute young blonde seemed like a good fit for his crew. Her interview went fine and after talking to the young lady for half an hour Ben hired her and gave her the starting date.

Jackson Fuller and Sienna Logan were both from San Francisco and went to Bayview High School. Sienna was basically forced on him by a friend and business associate but the lovely blonde, while originally having a princess attitude stopped behaving like a pampered princess almost immediately and soon was a great help with the young girls who were having a hard time being away from home for the first time. Jackson was Ben's last hire but easily one of his best. He did everything asked of him without question, he was a great role model for the younger boys and overall he was his best counselor in quite some time.

"Fuller, come here," Ben called to the 16-year-old counselor.

Jackson jogged over to his boss and says, "Yeah boss."

"Did you know if anyone took care of the horses before the parents arrived?" The camp owner inquired. This was the first year that he had tried running a horse trail for the campers and it was a big hit. while the horses were not his the owner trained the counselors how to take care of the horses in the two-story barn that he built just past the archery range.

"Sienna and I fed and watered the horse's first thing thing morning with some of our campers," Jackson informs his boss.

"Good, good. Listen, I have to run to the county court and file some paperwork before the day's end. I will be staying overnight as I have to pick up my son who will be helping out during the second half of the camp and we will be picking up the bi-monthly supplies so I won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. You kids behave and try not to wreak my camp." Ben tells the young man.

"Yes sir," Jackson replies.

Ben climbs into his brown Jeep Rangler with a pull trailer attached to the rear of the jeep. The jeep's engine turns over and once the older man has put the vehicle into drive takes off for his trek to the next town over. While Crystal Lake may be a small rural town its general stores carry the vast majority of the general supplies the teens need to restock on. Once every two weeks the teens travel into town after the kids have departed to buy what they need and have a nice meal that they don't prepare themselves. This week however Ben handed out a wishlist to the counselors and told them to write down what they wanted and he would get it for them. While he was paying for the items the money would be deducted from their final paychecks. Most of the guys didn't need anything extravagant but the girls did pick a few items that were not available at the general store.

"Party time!" Steve yells when Ben has cleared the welcome sign and is no longer in sight.

Before Victoria can say anything her summertime boyfriend is pulling her from the stump and down to the wooden pier. Releasing his hold on Victoria's hand, Steve quickly shucks off this counselor's shirt, pulls off his shoes, then his socks and as he is already in his swimming suit runs to the end of the pier, jumps high into the air, and executes a leisure dive. Steve smashes into the water sending water splashing about a foot around him.

"Every week," Victoria mutters as Steve springs out from under the water and shakes the access water from his head.

Meanwhile, Mike and Sydney have already collected the charcoal grill and moved it next to the dock. Melinda and John are right behind them carrying the large wooden picnic table and placing it on the opposite side of the dock where the group sat to eat.

"Who's turn is it to cook this week?" Melinda asks looking to see who hasn't shown up yet.

"Mine," Jackson announces as he and Sienna arrive with the cooler and the charcoal.

"Yeah... someone that knows how to cook," Mike says. Last week Steve did the grilling and it had more in common with charcoal than the food it was supposed to be.

"I can't hear you," Steve announces from the water.

"No one cares." Everyone else yells.

Victoria casually strolls down the dock and when she reaches the end pulls up her yellow counselor shirt revealing her electric pink Goddess Enhancer halter bikini top. When she undoes the button on her shorts she sensually slides them off revealing her matching low-rise bikini bottoms. Victoria came from money, not quite as well off as Sienna but more than the other counselors. The only reason she took this summer job was she needed something that looked good for her college application. Her mother had a friend on the applications board that while she wasn't willing to do anything illegal to help the red-haired girl get into the school she did give the Vanderwalts a few tips on how best to pad Victoria's application to easily get her in. Victoria now out of her clothes and shoes steps off the pier and after being submerged for several seconds pops back above water and swims over to the floating deck. She then climbs up on the wooden platform and laying down on her back begins to work on her summer tan.

"Mike, can you grab the charcoal chimney for me and load it up." Jackson requests as he begins setting up the food for the grill. This week the boss sprung for ribs which Jackson would cook for dinner, potatoes, and corn on the cob. Everyone always opted for a light lunch because the dinner meal was usually very hearty.

Mike filled the chimney and lit it up so that the coals started to warm up. In short order, the coals were red and starting to ash up. Mike hands over the chimney and with the grates up Jackson pulls the trigger on the handle and the coals drop out of the metal container into the bed of the grill. Mike shuts the grates and Jackson closes the barrel-shaped lid to allow the grill to heat up.

"Need help with anything else?" Mike asks his co-worker. Sydney and Melinda have joined him to see if anything else needed doing.

"No thanks. You go enjoy the water, I have to get the peppers, and condiments set up. Go change and have fun." Jackson insists shooing the three teens away. Mike is the first to turn tail and run for his cabin. John had long since disappeared so Mike was worried that his roommate was setting up another practical joke. The two have been having a friendly rivalry all summer that was quite entertaining, as long as you weren't caught in the middle of their pranks.

Melinda and Sydney ran off to their cabin located on the far end of the counselor's cabins. Their cabin was on the opposite side of Sienna and Victoria's which was the closest to the female campers' cabins. The two got along far better than Sienna and Victoria did. Jackson suspected that the rivalry between Victoria and Sienna was due to the fact that the two were so similar that they grated on each other's nerves. Jackson had heard the term princess thrown around by Melinda, Steve, and Mike. Jackson had to admit that the Sienna he knew from school was very much an entitled princess but the Sienna at Camp Crystal Lake was anything but. Sure she started out acting that way but I think being put in charge of a group of young girls and having to help them away from standard high school social conventions was exactly what Sienna needed to grow as a person for the better. She was an only child at home, given just about anything she had ever asked for. Now, she had to be the role model and help guide these kids that looked up to her.

Victoria was very much the same but fortunately, Steve actually managed to turn her head and kept the princess occupied. On the weekends the four counselors came to an understanding. Jackson would spend Friday night till Sunday morning in the girl's cabin and Victoria would be in the guy's cabin with Steve. Should something happen that necessitated a change then they would cross that bridge when they came to it. Jackson took to stripping his bed Friday morning just to keep the summer lovers from deciding against using both beds. Victoria did the same but little did she know that Jackson still used her bed, he just laid out a sleeping bag and brought his own pillows. The two Bayview teens would spend Friday evening talking about and comparing their lives. Jackson found Sienna's life quite interesting and Sienna was very captivated by the tales of Jackson's extended family. Depending on the cooking rotation determined Sienna's post sendoff activities. As Jackson was cooking today Sienna went back to her cabin to change into her swimsuit. She knew Victoria already had hers on so she could take her time changing and join her "boyfriend" at the grill.

Boyfriend, Sienna smiled at the thought of her calling Jackson Fuller that earlier in the year. She vividly remembered the Balogna boy and Full Lips Fuller incidents. She didn't believe anyone could be as great a kisser as the person that started the rumors credited him with. Sienna had every intention of telling her friends that the rumors were false unless he was better than the claims. The problem with Rocki vouching for Fuller was that it was common knowledge around the school that Rocki Mahan didn't go around kissing just any guy and even if she had she would never give them such a compliment. So to save face she had to settle for being next in line.

The problem with that was that there was no next as Rocki laid claim to Fuller a short time later. Their fake relationship started as a way to keep Jackson's roommate from bothering her all summer but now she actually found him to be very charming, considerate, and attentive. He could have pushed her during the time that Steve wasn't seeing Victoria into going further "for appearances" but he did not, nor did he try anything while they were sleeping in the same cabin. Jackson Fuller was one of those rare nice guys you read about in stories and Sienna found herself wondering if she should change the dynamic of their relationship.

The five-foot-eight-inch blonde stripped out of her clothes and picked up her bikini top. The wave breaker-colored pattern was a mixture of black, white, and aqua blue covering the triangle cups of her top. Sienna places the garment under her bust and taking the neck strings ties them together before she then adjusts the cups over her breasts and then ties the strings behind her back. Picking up her matching string side bikini bottoms Sienna slides one leg in followed by the next. After adjusting the ties at her hips Sienna slips on her shorts and puts on a Bayview sleeveless t-shirt. The school logo with the mascot is on the front along with the graduating year. The icing on the cake as far as Sienna was concerned was this shirt had Jackson's last name on the back further cementing to Cunningham that she was Jackson's and no one else's. After Sienna puts on her flip flops the long-haired blonde puts her clothes away and leaves her cabin. As she starts to make her way to the lake Sienna hears giggling from her neighbor's cabin followed by silence.

It doesn't take much imagination for Sienna to guess what Melinda and Sydney are up to. There is a reason why they never get dressed for the cookout beforehand. While it took Sienna a week to figure out what was going on between the two it took Steve considerably longer to ascertain why neither girl was falling for his charms. Without even trying to peak Sienna caught a glance of Melinda and Sydney standing naked from the waist up (all she could see) locked in a heated embrace. Sienna simply walked on knowing the girls would be down in time for lunch after which they would get in their swim time.

Sienna arrived just as Jackson was putting the chicken breasts on the grill. Lunch normally consisted of some mix of chicken, brats, hot dogs, and burgers. Today Jackson had chicken and Italian Sausage on the grill. On the side burner, there was a small silver pot with the lid covering whatever its contents were.

"What's in the pot Jackson?" Sienna asks as the aroma from the grill reaches her nose.

"Marinara sauce. You have your choice of grilled chicken parmesan or Italian Sausage. I have onions that I will be grilling as well as green bell peppers. So you can either have sauce or the standard condiments, entirely your choice.

"Sounds great. As usual, the love birds will be down shortly. Where are John and Mike at?" Sienna questions.

"Probably off trying to out prank one another," Jackson replies.

"Umm nope." Mike declares walking up behind the Bayview couple. "I haven't seen John since we finished setting up for the cookout."

"Someone mention my name?" John asks appearing from behind Mike. The two were getting really good at showing up from out of nowhere.

"Remember guys, this area is neutral ground. Absolutely no pranks allowed." Jackson tells the pair.

"No problem." Mike and John say at the same time.

Mike and John sat at the table on opposite sides patiently waiting for Jackson to let them know the food was ready. Victoria and Steve were laying on the deck of the floating platform, Steve had taken great pleasure in applying sunscreen to his girlfriend. Victoria returned the favor but did not take nearly as long in applying the lotion. Victoria had to admit that she fell for Steve's handsome features and athletic build but at times his personality grated on her nerves. It was this reason that the two seldom spoke about things. Sure she was being a bit superficial but as far as she was concerned this was just a summer fling, a very fun summer fling. Victoria was on her stomach looking towards the camp and saw that Melinda and Sydney were walking down the path which means that the food was ready.

"Come on Steve, foods done," Victoria tells her summertime beau.

"How can you possibly know that," Steve asks lying on his back, eyes closed sunning his front.

"Syd and Mel have arrived," Victoria tells her guy.

"All righty then, food must be ready," Steve says scampering to his feet and dives into the water shooting through the water until he was at the ladder on the dock.

Victoria was right behind him and was semi-surprised when Steve was still on the pier waiting for her but then she realized it was because he felt the need to ogle her as she climbed up the ladder. "You'd think you've never seen me naked," Victoria mutters to Steve who was walking with his arm around her waist.

"While that is how I like you best, a close second is you in your swimwear or lingerie," Steve admits.

Victoria just rolls her eyes as the couple joins their co-workers at the table while Mel and Sydney were first to get their food, John and Mike were next followed by Steve and Victoria. Jackson gave Sienna half a chicken breast with melted mozzarella and let her put as much sauce on it as she pleased. They then split an Italian Sausage with marinara as well. Jackson took the halves that Sienna didn't want (as she watched what she ate) and another chicken breast for himself. The group ate and talked about the latest group of youths and wondered what to expect with Sunday's group.

"Hey Jackson, want to get a couple of shots in this afternoon?" Mike asks referring to the archery range.

"Yeah, we can practice while the Ribs are grilling," Jackson states. The ribs will take a good three hours to cook with Jackson flipping them over once an hour.

"Just make sure you spend some of your free time with me." Sienna reminds Jackson.

"As if I could ever ignore you for long," Jackson states for all to see and hear. He leans over and kisses her cheek and notices that both Steve and Victoria are giving him dirty looks. Jackson understands the glare from Steve. The jock had hoped to be the one to get with Sienna and Victoria was his second-place prize. The funny thing about that was that Sienna made it abundantly clear that Steve never had a chance with her. Victoria on the other hand he did not understand. The girl was cordial with Jackson that was for sure but he couldn't think of anything that he had said or done to merit such a reaction from her.

"Rember guys, don't walk under any ladders, stay away from black cats, don't spill any salt and for god's sake don't break any mirrors today of all days." John reminds everyone.

"What are you talking about now?" Mel asks her brother.

"It's Friday the 13th Mel." Sydney reminds her girlfriend.

"The only thing we have to look out for is you and Mike during your prank war." Mel retorts.

The group all breaks out into a fit of laughter. Unseen by the teen campers, deep within the wooded area of the camp, a lone figure sits crouched in the brush. This individual has been present on and off again during the summer but has waited patiently for this day. The figure watches and listens to the teen's jovial voices as they announce their plans for the day. The figure notes that two are going to the archery range, five are going to be swimming while the last is going off on a hike. Watchin the figure that is going off into the woods alone the individual moves slowly and quietly in step with this person.

All alone by himself, John is out in the woods hoping to find the beehive that his campers found during their last wilderness hike Thursday afternoon. As everyone was together it was impossible for John to collect it then to use in his prank on Mike but he did make sure to make a note of his surroundings so he could work his way back there the first chance he got. John pushed his dark hair from his eyes as he took in his surroundings and found one of the landmarks. Pushing past several large branches full of leaves he started counting the number of paces he memorized the previous day.

When he hit the number he stopped and listened intently and in the distance, he could hear the faint sound of bees. Using a Super Soaker Squirtgun loaded with peppermint water, John sprayed the area around the hive causing the bees to vacate the hive and the area. John was proud of himself for managing to drive off the bees and he was moments away from claiming his prize.

"Come to papa," John says rubbing his hands together as he looks around for something to knock the beehive down with.

John's attention is so focused on the beehive and not getting stung by the bees that he fails to notice the individual creeping up behind him. They are moving quietly up behind him and he never even sees the hatchet being raised behind his head. It is only when he hears a treebranch snap that John turns around to see what is going on behind him. John comes face to face with an individual that looks vaguely familiar and before he can ask who they are the person swings a hatchet that was previously out of sight in arc. The sharp blade cuts its way through John's skull with a resounding thud. John's eyes roll up into his head as he gurgles. Blood flows down the front of his face as John's eyes stare off into space and his body collapses to the ground face first. The unseen figure picks up John's ankles and drags him off into the direction of the cabins.

To Be Continued