Another Goosebumps-inspired story. I've written several of these. I'm actually surprised they're so long (I've written three that are 40k, not including this one). I plan on being its own series, taking place in the same universe. This would be one of the later books.
I raised my tennis ball to my face, pretended my other hand was a racquet, and sent it shooting forward into the back of my brother's head. He yelped and turned to glare at me. So did Dad.
"Cut it out, Adelaide," David whined. He grabbed the tennis ball and threw it in my direction. I ducked. It connected with the back of the pick-up truck.
"Both of you, cut it out!" Dad snapped from the driver's seat. "You've been giving each other a hard time for the entire ride."
"Adelaide started it!" David protested.
"No, you did," I retorted. "You spat your chewing gum at me, remember?"
"I don't care who started it!" Dad boomed. "Finish it, now!"
My body leaned to the right as he took a sharp turn. The trees lining the dirt road slowly disappeared, replaced by… nothing. Nothing but an endless, empty landscape. I usually liked the outdoors, but now even I was getting sick of seeing no signs of civilization outside the window. Now I didn't even have the trees to count. I had given up after Number 56.
"Please try to calm down, dear," Mom pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. "The children are just restless. Can you blame them?"
"You think I'm not as well?" Dad retorted. "I've been driving for five straight hours."
"Longer than that!" David whined. "I'm going to be sick again. Can't we take another break?"
"We just took one," Mom pointed out. "We've taken plenty. Try to stick it out, dear. I'm sure we're getting close to the camp."
"I don't want to go to some stupid camp for the summer!" David grumbled, crossing his arms. "I wish you just let me stay at home." I started to raise the tennis ball again, but stopped at Mom's warning look.
"David, cut it out," Mom scolded. "Look at your sister. She isn't complaining every two minutes."
"Try every two seconds," I joked.
David scowled at me. "If I had to go, why couldn't I at least take the bus to camp? Then I would have people to talk to other than Adelaide."
"I'm not thrilled about only having your company either," I shot back.
"We signed you up late in the summer," Mom reminded. "We were lucky to even get available spots."
"Lucky?" David griped.
He hadn't stopped complaining. He hates the outdoors. He would've spent the entirety of summer in his room eating and sleeping if he could. My parents signed him up to camp to get him outdoors for the summer. They're counting on me to help.
My brother and I are different as can be. I love sports and the outdoors. I'm the best basketball and tennis player in my team. And I don't mind getting dirty, either. David screams when he so much as gets mud on his shoes.
"Do you think I made the right turn?" Dad muttered.
"I think you made the wrong turn hours ago," Mom quipped. "I told you this wasn't the direction of the camp."
I groaned as Dad snapped back at her. "Now they're fighting like us!" I muttered to David.
David crossed his arms and scowled. He was determined to be miserable.
Desperate for something to do, I took off my baseball cap and started running a comb through my messy, dark brown hair. My mom is always on my case about my hair. It's always getting filled with leaves and dirt. And squashed from the baseball cap I always wear. She says I have Dad's hair, which is equally messy.
David and I even look completely different. Dad is Native American, but David takes after Mom. I have darker skin and hair, while David has lighter, curlier hair like Mom. I'm tall and athletic, while David is short and skinny. He has big ears and freckles that stand out on his cheeks. He mostly just looks like a wimp. When we arrive at camp, probably nobody will think we're related.
"Hey – guys, look!" I exclaimed, trying to break through Mom and Dad's bickering. I eagerly leaned out the window, watching the sunset outside like it was my favorite movie.
It wasn't much, but it was a welcome change from the endless middle of nowhere that we had been driving past. The pale blue sky turned a glowing orange, casting rays of dim golden light over the flat land and reflecting over the trees and bushes. To my relief, my parents turned to stare as well.
David rolled his eyes. "Big deal. It's just light."
Mom shook her head in disbelief. "Goodness. It shows how long we've been driving." She gave Dad a look. "I told you not to take that turn—"
"I see it!" Dad cried.
"The sunset?" I asked, hoping they wouldn't start yelling at each other again.
Dad shook his head. "No. The camp. It's coming up."
"What?" I leaned forward in my seat.
"Don't get too excited," Dad warned.
But I couldn't help myself as we became closer. The wide, flat expanse became replaced with a field of grass. A few trees and shrubs. A pile of twigs and sticks in the center, surrounded by logs.
"So we are taking a break?" David asked.
"I guess so," Mom replied.
"Yes! Finally!" I burst out as soon as we came to a stop. The fresh air smelled so sweet. I did a few cartwheels over the grass.
Even David was happy to be outside. He gulped in deep breaths of air. My legs wobbled from being cooped up for so long, and I fell onto the ground. I rolled around, not caring as my clothes became stained with dirt and grass.
"I told you!" Dad bragged. "I told you I was going in the right direction."
"No, you weren't," Mom retorted. "This can't be the right place. There's nobody around."
They kept arguing, but I was just happy to be outside. I walked over to one of the trees and began climbing. I'm an expert at that. Mom says I'm like a squirrel. David walked over.
"Now they're fighting again!" he exclaimed. "What do you think, Adelaide? Is this the right place?"
I shrugged while pulling my legs up. It felt good to stretch them. "Well, there's a campfire – see?" I pointed to the pile of twigs and sticks. "At least we're in time for it." I glanced up at the darkening sky while pushing myself to the top of the tree. "They were probably sitting around here last night, telling ghost stories and eating hot dogs—"
"Well, I hope it isn't," David grumbled, sitting down under the tree. "I don't want to stay at some stupid camp for the entire summer."
I ignored him while I surveyed the area. The grass glowed dimly under the first evening stars in the pale sky. A shallow, shimmering lake ran between two of the trees. I saw a cluster of trees in the distance, packed closely together. It was the woods, I realized. The dark, dense trees rose up at the end of the field, like a barrier.
"See those woods, Dave?" I asked, pointing. "I bet there's all kinds of things there… bears and snakes and spiders—"
"Cut it out, Adelaide," David groaned.
Then I jumped as I saw the trees rustling in the distance. Making the trees shake and the leaves fall to the ground. Heard a low, stomping noise. I imagined wild animals lurking in the woods, climbing up the trees and prowling over the ground. And then, a figure leapt out.