Another year was gone and another summer was starting. It was the first day of summer, the day everyone went to their summer camps. Well, not everyone, but mostly everyone in the area had a camp they could go spent the summer at. And at the island they lived in, there were two camps. Camp Artime and Camp Quill.
As long as anyone had remembered, Camp Artime and Camp Quill had always been rivals. Why? They had many differences, and couldn't seem to accept the other.
Camp Artime was known as the 'more creative camp.' All the kids who were creative in any way went there for the summer. Camp Quill was where all the strong, intelligent kids went. Everyone there always excelled in almost everything, but the drawbacks were many. For one, they were practically emotionless.
One might say it was because of their camp director, Justine, who never let them have much fun. Another might say it was because of the things they did. All they did was work and study, preparing for the end of the summer when they had a big competition.
And every year, Camp Artime lost, and Camp Quill won. As devoted to winning as the kids of Camp Artime were, they tended to get more emotional over their loss, and every year, they grew less and less hopeful of winning.
Now, the kids of Camp Quill were always confident and cocky when it came to winning. They knew they would win, always. They considered Camp Artime a 'lesser camp.' It was serious business to win the competition. And whoever won got a huge celebration.
So, by now, anyone could tell how dejected Camp Artime was feeling. They had little hope left in their hearts, but they still enjoyed their camp. They considered it far more fun than Camp Quill, which was definitely true. They learned all types of art, crafts, and ways to use that to their advantage.
But nonetheless, no matter how skilled Camp Artime was, they never seemed to win the competition. They didn't have any certainty they could win anymore, which was a huge problem.
A problem they needed fixing.
And that is where the four heroes of this story come in: Alex Stowe, Lani Haluki, Meghan Ranger, and Samheed Burkesh. All of them are new campers, just arriving this summer. Instead of going to boring Camp Quill, they're going to Camp Artime instead. None of them have really talked much yet, but they will soon. And they each have very different stories...
"Alex, come on, we're going to be late!" Alex's twin brother, Aaron, yelled from the doorway.
Alex's eyes shot open and he flew out of bed. "Wait, we're going to camp today?!"
Aaron sighed. "Yes, Alex, yes we are. Did you forget?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Alex retorted as he changed into a more appropriate t-shirt and shorts. After he was done that he began tying his shoes. He missed Aaron's glare from across the room.
They had shared their room for as long as Alex could remember. Aaron was usually the more prepared one, and Alex seemed to lose track of things easily. Despite being twins and looking exactly alike, they couldn't have been more different.
Alex had always been nicer, while Aaron was rude to pretty much everyone. Alex had to constantly remind him to be less mean to people. Alex was also more generous and caring, while his brother was not. Not only that, but Alex had a creative streak in him. He always had, ever since he starting drawing in the dirt outside his house. Although Aaron was less creative than him, Alex could tell he still had a little creativity.
Today, they would be splitting their separate ways for the first time. And while Alex felt sad, he was looking forward to where he was going. He was going to Camp Artime, one of the most amazing, creative summer camps in the area. It saddened him that Aaron was going to Camp Quill. Camp Quill never seemed to have anything fun. Which is why, at first, Alex had kept trying to get his brother to come to Camp Artime.
"It sounds more fun, and we can learn to be creative together!" Alex had said ecstatically.
Aaron had just looked at him and said dryly, "I'm not creative, and I'd prefer to be strong-minded and with the intelligent people. Plus, I'm better at making ideas- Camp Quill is better for me."
Thinking back on it, Alex knew his brother was right. But that didn't mean Camp Quill was better. Camp Artime was better, and he was going to prove it.
Alex grabbed his bag, stuffed to the brim with clothes and supplies, and ran out of their room. Aaron briskly walked after him. They went outside and got in their car, where their parents were already waiting for them impatiently.
"Alex," Alex's father said. "Did you forget what day it was?"
Alex frowned. "Yeah, yeah I did…"
His mother just shook her head, a disappointed frown etched in her face. Alex didn't have to be looking at Aaron to know he was staring at him. He leaned against the window, and nothing else was said.
This was partly why Alex wanted to go to Camp Artime. At home, he hardly ever saw his parents since they were at work. When he did see his parents, they were always tired and devoid of emotion. He assumed they had once been happy people, but now, their lives had changed and they had to constantly work. Alex tried to stay cheerful, but it hardly helped.
Alex knew the only reason they were sending them off to summer camps this year was so they would have a weight lifted off their shoulders. He understood their decision. At first he was reluctant to go, but when they had said he could choose whatever camp he wanted, he immediately grew happy. Camp Artime was something people always talked about at school. Every time they mentioned it, Alex was jealous. He wanted to go!
But now, he was going. Finally. And he was beyond excited.
Hours later, the Stowe family arrived at Camp Artime to drop off Alex. Aaron would be dropped off afterward, since Camp Quill was farther away. Mr. Stowe got out and helped Alex get his bags. Once he had them all, his father gave him a small smile. There was still some light in his eyes.
"Alex," he said. "Have fun. And I mean it."
Alex nodded and smiled. "I will, thanks Dad."
"Send me letters!" Mrs. Stowe called from the driver's seat.
Alex laughed a little. "Okay, Mom."
Aaron got out of the car and looked at Alex. Alex held it hand out. "No hard feelings even though we're going to rival camps?"
Alex smiled.
Aaron just stared at his hand as if it had some disease on it. "Whatever you say…" he muttered. And then he did something extremely surprising. He left Alex's outstretched hand untouched and shut the door.
Alex gaped a little as his family drove off, leaving him in the dust. He slowly withdrew his hand and put it back by his side. He sighed and turned around.
"Well…time to say hello to Camp..."
He gasped. In front of him was Camp Artime, more beautiful than all the stories had said. It was the most colorful place he'd ever seen. To the left was a sparkling blue ocean, waves crashing against the shore. Right beside that was a jungle, and it had a lot of strange noises coming from it. There were a ton of small buildings beyond that, which he guessed he would be seeing later. He also spotted a few cabins in the distance. In front of him was a well-decorated building, which Alex assumed was the admissions office. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder and went in that direction.
He reached the admissions office and went inside. It was as vivid as the outside had been. The walls had a lot of colorful dots on it, and the room was quite large. A bunch of objects used for art were hanging up on the walls and on tables. A few comfy-looking couches were in the corner. At the opposite end of the room there was a desk and chair.
And sitting at the desk was a pretty old-looking man with a shock of white hair that looked like it had been electrocuted. He was wearing a colorful robe over his clothes.
Alex slowly approached him. "Hello?" he asked.
The man looked up and a wide grin exploded on his face.
"Ah, you must be Alex Stowe!" he said.
Alex stared at him. "How did you know-"
The man just shook his head. "I get around. Now, I already have your paperwork filled out. You're staying here for the whole summer I'm guessing?"
He nodded and frowned a little. "Yeah."
The man smiled. "You can call me Mr. Today. Go over and sit with the others…you'll be getting your cabin soon."
Alex turned and noticed three other kids sitting on chairs in the room. He hadn't even noticed them earlier. He reluctantly walked over and sat down in a chair. They all looked up from what they were doing.
The girl closest to him had long dark hair and a small stature. She also looked a little younger than the rest of them.
The boy next to her was bigger and taller than Alex. He glared a little at Alex as if he'd offended him in any way. The other girl next to him had red hair and bright green eyes. She smiled at him. Alex smiled back.
They were still staring. He quickly thought of something to say.
"Hey, uh, I'm Alex. You guys are waiting for your cabins too, I'm guessing?" Alex asked.
The dark-haired girl nodded. "Yep. I've been waiting for a while."
"Me too. Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Meghan," said the redheaded girl.
"Lani," the dark-haired girl said with a smile.
The boy just scowled and rolled his eyes.
Alex frowned. "Aren't we all introducing ourselves?"
The boy looked at him. "Samheed. Are you done talking now?"
Alex shared an angry look with the girls. Lani looked about ready to slap him.
"Um, isn't Camp Artime all about making friends?" Alex asked.
Samheed huffed and rolled his eyes again. Alex was starting to wonder if he needed to get his eyes checked.
"It is about making friends!" said Meghan, looking pointedly at Samheed.
Lani nodded in agreement. "Stop being rude, Samheed."
"Is there a problem?" a voice asked.
The four of them jumped. Alex realized it was just Mr. Today. He'd actually forgotten he was in the room!
"N-no, sir," Alex stuttered.
"Good," said Mr. Today, staring at each of them longer than they would've liked. "Ready to start your Camp Artime experience?"
Alex shared a look with the Meghan, Lani, and Samheed. They all nodded, a different expression on each of their faces.
He hadn't known it then, but at that moment, all their fates were sealed.
Alex spent the next two months learning all the basics of creativity. He had discovered his strongest talent was in art. He learned everything from drawing to sculpting. It was almost magicial. It was exactly the type of thing his parents had never let him try. It was practically considered strange back at home. And despite all that, he loved all of it.
Over the time he'd spent at Camp Artime, he had met a variety of people and made a lot of friends. But he mostly hung out with his two new best friends, Meghan and Lani. They were in all of his activities, and they often even met up afterward to explore the camp.
Speaking of the camp, he shared his cabin with three other boys. And just because he shared a cabin with them didn't mean he liked them all. First, there was Will Blair. Alex wasn't sure how to feel about him. He often had a scowl on his face and was friends with Samheed. A lot of times, Alex spotted him exiting the cabin in the middle of the night, but whenever Alex tried to follow him, he would get caught.
There was also Sean, Meghan's brother, who was a few years older than Alex. He was their cabin counselor, and was usually nice to Alex. He had sat next to Alex the first day of art class and had showed him how to draw.
Then, there was Samheed. His attitude that he'd showed the first day of camp had only grown. He couldn't seem to stop pestering Alex about every little thing he did. It annoyed him to no end. It took all of his willpower to not strangle his rude cabin mate. He had no idea what he'd done to make Samheed hate him so much.
This particular day, he was in art class preparing for the competition at the end of the summer. And by preparing, that meant decorating. As much as Alex liked decorating, he thought they should actually be studying and training. This was probably the reason they lost every year. When he had found out about the competition and that Camp Quill always won, he immediately thought a little less highly of Camp Artime. Why hadn't they won yet?
It was a mystery Alex wanted to solve.
And he had become certain of something. He was certain that even if his beloved camp had lost the competition every year, he'd win for Camp Artime. He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to make his friends and family proud. Even if that meant fighting against Aaron.
He hated to admit it, but he often thought of Aaron. He missed his twin brother. He didn't know why. Aaron had always been a brat.
"How's your design so far?" a voice asked.
Alex looked up and turned around in his seat. It was Lani. He smiled at her. "Pretty good."
He looked down and observed his design. It was a bunch of origami dragons. He didn't know what he'd do with them, but they looked pretty cool.
Lani looked over his shoulder. "What're those supposed to be, birds?"
Alex gave her a look and she laughed. "They're not birds they're dragons!"
She knelt at his side and picked up one of the origami dragons. "Still look like birds to me. You just need to give them more structure. Maybe draw some scales on them and make it look like fire is blowing out of their mouths."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why fire?"
She sighed. "Have you never watched a movie with a dragon in it?"
Alex blinked. He wasn't sure what to say. "Um…yes?"
Lani grabbed a few red and orange markers and handed them to him. She left to go back to her seat and called back, "Just draw it on. It'll make it look more realistic."
Alex nodded and spent some time drawing the fire and scales on his dragons. When he was finished, he found that she was right. Of course she was. She was smarter than he was.
But just as he got up to thank her, he bumped hard into someone. They both fell to the ground. "I'm sorry—I wasn't-" Alex started to say, but then he looked up. It was Samheed.
"What do you think you're doing?" Samheed growled.
Alex slowly stood up. "Look, I didn't see you-"
Samheed rolled his eyes. "Sure you didn't see me."
He stood up and advanced towards Alex. "I've had enough of you, Stowe!"
Alex backed away. "Calm down! Seriously, all I did was bump into you."
"Whatever," said the irritated boy. "Just watch your back…"
He hit Alex with his shoulder as he passed. Alex nearly fell to the floor again but regained his balance. He really needed to start working out!
"Alex, are you okay?" Lani asked to his right. Meghan had joined them and was looking at Alex with concern.
"Fine," Alex muttered. He looked back at Samheed, who was angrily banging his fist against his seat. He wondered for the hundredth time what he'd done to make Samheed hate him so much.
"I'm fine."
Darkness had spread across the camp. It was midnight, but Alex couldn't sleep. He was too buys thinking about the day's events. In the bunk under him, Sean was snoring loudly. He kept tossing and turning, but it was no use. He sat up and yawned. He decided he'd go for a walk. It would probably cool him down.
Just as he started to climb down the ladder of his bunk bed, he heard a voice. He froze. It was Will.
"C'mon, get up," he heard Will hiss to someone. He peeked over the side and saw it was Samheed.
"I'm not going with you," Samheed said, tiredness in his voice.
"Come on, Burkesh. Have a little fun. We're just going to go scoop around, maybe learn some secrets," said Will.
What secrets? Alex wondered.
Samheed huffed. "I'm not going. If anything, I'm going to stop you."
"Well if you want to stop me you'll have to come with me," Will drawled. All the sudden, everything made sense to Alex. This was partly why Samheed was so cruel. Will was influencing him!
Slowly, Samheed got out of bed and put on his shoes and jacket. He and Will exited the cabin together. Alex gasped and nearly fell off his bed. He hastily climbed down the ladder and put on his shoes. He took one look at Sean to make sure he was asleep and headed out of the cabin.
He ran in the direction of his cabin mates voice's and finally spotted them. They were walking into the admissions office, where Mr. Today lived! Alex took a deep breath and advanced slowly towards the building. The whole situation was confusing. He had no idea what was going on. But he was alone.
And it was up to him to find out.