I was so relieved when the bus pulled up to a rest stop. It was so effing hot on there, I thought I was going to have a heat stroke. When I stood up I felt my shirt sticking to my back. Gross. The whole ride I kept my eyes shut and the ear buds to my iPod in. I didn't even want to think about where I was going or what misery waited for me there.
Now that I was aware of my surroundings, I wondered where the hell I was at. It looked like a freakin' military camp instead of a rest stop. There were rundown buildings and different tents set up. Was I in the outback? Where were the trees and other living things?
I stepped off the bus, glad to have some fresh air even if it was three-hundred degrees. I instantly regretted wearing jeans and forgetting my sunglasses. The sun was blinding and if the damn bus driver would've let me gone back to get my shades, this wouldn't have been a problem. But no, he refused to, even with a two-hundred dollar bribe! Turning around, I shielded my eyes and opened my mouth to ask which building the bathroom was in when the bus driver started throwing my suitcases out onto the dirt.
"Hey! What the-hey! Um, hello!" I glared at the guy and placed my hands on my hips. "Do you know how much-?"
"You'll find your aunt's cabin over that way," he said and pointed to my right.
I followed his finger before looking back at him, confused. "What do you-hey!" He was already back in his seat, shutting the doors. The bus came to life and I backed away as he drove off, kicking up dirt and dust. I coughed and waved a hand in my face to try and clear the air. Finally when it settled I eyed my suitcases. The once pink and white fabric of them was now an ugly brown. "Asshole," I muttered. The bus shrank into the distance and my mind wandered back to what he said. My aunt's cabin? This isn't where she lives…is it? Oh, my God. Please don't let this be the place.
With much difficulty, I grabbed my bags and dragged them behind me as I followed the direction the driver pointed. This place looked like it belonged in an old western movie. A place that I definitely didn't belong in. There wasn't a soul in sight and I started to get worried. A small cabin with a car in front of it eased my thoughts of being stranded here alone.
As I neared the steps to the cabin, the door opened and out stepped my aunt, her orange hair tied up in a bun and her freckles prominent against her skin. I wondered why she wasn't tanner if this was the place she lived. She probably never came out, and the way this heat was, I won't be planning on coming out either.
"Nattie!" Lou exclaimed. I mentally rolled my eyes. I hated when she called me that. God, it made me sound like I was a little child. Her and my mom need to realize that I'm basically an adult. "How are you? It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Yep," was all I managed to say. My arms were sore from carrying my bags, I was sweating and thirsty, and I was covered in dust. To say I was annoyed was an understatement. "Will you help me with these?"
"Sure, sure," she said with a smile still on her face. "Let's get you out of this hot air."
Not waiting for her, I left two of my bags behind and dragged one in. It felt so much better in there. The blast of cold air made me sigh in relief. The room wasn't big and it was connected to a small kitchen area. There was a closed door off to the side and there was a short hallway with three more doors, one of which was open.
"The open door at the end of the hallway will be your room." Lou continued past me with my bags. "It's a bit small, but I'm sure you'll be fine."
When I realized how small it was, I knew instantly I wasn't going to be fine. There was barely any walk room. As soon as I stepped in there, the bed was right there taking up the majority of the room. There was a dresser, a closet, and a nightstand with a lamp on it. That was all. All of that with a small, four foot pathway to walk around. Ugh.
"You don't have a bigger room?" I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
"Only my room, but I don't like to share." She chuckled as if she thought that were funny. "The only other places to sleep around here are with the staff or the boys, and I can assure you that'll be much worse than this. So make yourself at home." She patted my back and left the room.
Unpacking didn't sound ideal to me. I wanted to go to sleep on this bed and stay asleep until this summer was over. I would dream of being in Sydney, petting kangaroos during the day and partying in clubs at night. That sounded so nice. If only…
Knowing that wouldn't be the case, I went back out into the living room. My aunt was in the kitchen making sandwiches. "You must be hungry," she said when she spotted me. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have you a couple bologna sandwiches for you."
Is she trying to make me puke? Sure, I was a little bit hungry, but bologna sandwiches? Uh, no thanks. "Don't worry about it," I said, making my way to the fridge. "I don't want any."
She paused. "You sure? I'm not going to make anything else later."
"I'm sure," I said, slightly peeved. If I say I'm fine about something don't ask me again. Inside the fridge was mainly water. Bottles and bottles of water. I would have preferred a diet Coke but at least water was healthy. I grabbed one and walked back to the living room. Wanting to see if anyone text me, I pulled my phone from my pocket. Low battery, and no bars. Of course.
"Might as well put that away for your stay here. You won't be getting any signal out here." Her voice was already starting to wear on me.
"So what's there to do around here?" I asked. "It seems like a pretty dead place."
She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich, having the decency to swallow before speaking. "There's some work you can do. I heard you have to do some community service."
Did she think she was being cute? Stop, please. "Is there nothing fun here to do? I thought this was supposed to be a camp? Where are the sports and other games? I didn't even see a lake."
She laughed. "Oh, that lake has been dried up for years and years. We have a rec room you're welcome to explore. Probably won't find nothing though. These boys like to destroy their entertainment."
Boys. I keep hearing about 'boys.' "I'm not hearing anything about girls?"
Lou studied me for a moment. "Did your momma not tell you?"
My eyebrows furrowed. "Tell me what?"
"Honey, this isn't a summer camp of fun," she told me. "This is a correctional camp for young criminal boys."
What the f- "Are you kidding me?!" I screeched, dropping my phone and water bottle. "Please, tell me you're joking!" My mom sent me to a correctional camp for dumb boys?! What was she thinking?!
"I'm afraid I'm not," she said solemnly. "You'll probably have a tough time finding some fun out here."
Kill me now.
A/N: I'm soooo sorry for not updating this in years! I hope you guys are still interested in it because I do plan to update it more often. So what did you think? Natalia still doesn't know the full extent of what her mom got her into. Just wait 'til she meets the boys! And the Warden won't be putting up with her attitude for much longer. R&R! Also the next chapter in Fuse: RT should be up sometime this week if not this weekend. :)