-CC Day Seventeen-
Kenji, who couldn't ever remember having such a strict and regimented sleep schedule was slowly beginning to adapt. Feet stretched out to the railing at the end of the bed he rolled and flopped about his bunk, opening his eyes wearily. Feeling around on the mattress, hands searching blindly the boy groped about for his cellphone. What freaking time is it anyway? He asked himself with a yawn before gradually his initial bout of agitation subsided. It was kinda nice, it occurred to him then, to wake up naturally and undisturbed for once. Smiling contently, and choosing to give up the hunt, Kenji settled back against his pillow instead. Looking up at the textured plaster of the ceiling, he lazily conjured images out of the shapes as though they were clouds, feeling like it was going to be a good day today.
"Morning Kenji." Dave said brightly. Turning in horror the teen saw the stockpot-of-doom and with a brief warcry preemptively threw a pillow at its wielder.
"Come on man!" Kenji yelled covering his ears when the metal rang out loudly. "Every morning? Are you serious?"
"Everybody up, we got a long day ahead of us!" the counselor called out brightly, ignoring the teenager's plight.
Cutting into the bathroom ahead of Darius as they raced elbowing each other along the way, as had become tradition, the victor slammed the door behind himself with a loud woop. "Better luck next time, junior!" he mocked.
The momentary thrill of triumph short-lived, and still bereft of his leisurely morning Kenji mean-mugged himself in the mirror as he took a leak. Then, walking to the sink when he had finished he washed up and splashed cool water on his face in an attempt to ready himself for the day ahead and regain what enthusiasm he had lost.
Pausing with annoyance as he stared at his reflection the teen tugged at a shaggy spot of hair in front of his ear. It had already been on the long side when he left home, but, this, this was getting ridiculous, he thought. He really should have done something about it instead of sulking around hoping his dad would change his mind, and wondered absently if they had any half decent stylists on the island. Quickly adapting to the hand he was delt however, Kenji pulled out his hair cream which smelt of strong, earthy ocher, and a subtle hint of sweet coconut. Styling his signature quiff before combing the ragged sides down snuggly, he fired off a couple rounds from his finger guns with approval.
Giving the cream a luxurious sniff he capped it and headed into the kitchen, arms outstretched, smile wide, "Kenji is here," he announced. "What's for breakfast?"
His expression fell when he found not a mountain of pancakes, or a heaping pile of bacon, or even quiche, but rather bags of trail mix, and water bottles, and ...books in their place. "Alright seriously, what kind of fuckery is this?" he asked knocking the backpack that had his name literally written on it out of a chair so that he could sit down.
"Language!" Roxie snapped from where she sat at the head of the table and everyone else filed in finding their assigned place to sit. Kenji threw his hands up already too disgruntled to argue, game over. Shoving everything towards the center of the table he folded his arms, resting his chin ontop of them and waited for whatever lame activity his wardens had cooked up for them today to be announced.
Once everyone was gathered Roxie smiled with excitement, "Who's ready for a little adventure?" she asked hopefully. Six hands raised around the table some much, much, more slowly than others.
"Uh that's not going to cut it," Dave said, hands on his hips as he stood behind Roxie. "Are we sure everyone is awake? I can get the pan out again, maybe even a hose. Are you guys ready for an adventure?" he asked with gusto.
Kenji rolled his eyes when everyone else shouted "Yes!" back, sheeple.
"Now that's the spirit!" Roxie enthused, bright eyed. "Today you're in for a real treat, you're going to experience all that Camp Cretaceous has to offer like never before, by getting out into nature and experiencing the raw power and wonder of Jurassic World for yourselves first hand!" It was at this point that Kenji started to zone out, a complete disinterest for what the woman was saying overcoming the teenager.
"Blah, blah expedition, blah, blah dinosaurs, blah, blah teams, blah, blah, blah..." he heard wondering dismally if it was too late to fake a stomach ache. "And whichever team reaches the camp site first wins a very special prize!" this caught the boy's attention however, naturally competitive, and eager to win Kenji glanced at Roxie. "And to make things even more interesting there will also be a second place prize for the team that wins our little game of BINGO!"
"So wait, we're going to be rooting around in the dirt for our dinner?" Brooklynn asked with a grimace, and suddenly Kenji knew he had missed a few key details.
"Aw don't be like that foraging might be fun!" Sammy enthused.
"For you." Yasmina scoffed at the same time Ben cried out, "Does no one understand the term 'food safety?'"
Roxie heaved a sigh, looking around the table with disappointment. "Much of the native vegetation around the jungle is actually fit for human consumption, and this part of the island was designed with foraging in mind. Several new types of food bearing plants that wouldn't overtake the natural landscape were introduced for Camp Cretaceous campers specifically, and can be found dotted around the area. You just have to know what do look for."
"Hence these bad boys!" Dave grinned thumping one of the books soundly.
"See it does sound fun!" the cowgirl added with confidence.
"It does!" Darius agreed bouncing in his seat. "And I wonder what dinosaurs we're going to see!"
Lame, Kenji thought and was getting ready to try and bail on the whole thing when Ben beat him to it. "My stomach actually kinda hurts this morning." he mumbled gaze shifting to everyone around the table, earning a look from Kenji who didn't like have his line stolen from him.
"Does it really?" Roxie arched an eyebrow.
"Yes." Ben said quickly looking away.
"And you waited until after I explained our activity for the day to mention it?" she pressed coyly.
"I didn't want to interrupt?" he tried.
"Yeah, I'm not feeling the best either, maybe it was dinner last night or something." Kenji leaped into the debate.
"You didn't even eat the same things for dinner last night." the head counselor said folding her arms and leaning back in her seat.
"I feel fine!" Darius announced like the dino-horny Judas he was.
"Me too!" And "Same." Sammy, and Brooklynn chimed in.
"What's the matter boys afraid of a little exercise?" Yasmina laughed at them, using the backrest of her seat to twist around, popping her spine. Kenji glared at her in response, ready to argue that he could take her on, but Roxie was quick to move the conversation along.
"I'll be sure to pack some pepti-calm, and tums." she smiled.
"Do you mean Pepto?" Dave asked apparently just as confused as the others. "Because I'm pretty sure it's called Pepto Bismol."
"Whatever," Roxie said waving her hand as though she were shooing a fly. "Now all of you need to get dressed, put on your strongest pair of shoes, and meet me back here in let's say ten? We've got to get this adventure underway!" she clapped her hands as she spoke with emphasis.
It wasn't long before the teenagers were following their intrepid leaders out into the wild unknown. Brooklynn talked endlessly to the invisible twenty-seven million other campers as they went. Munching away on the salty sweet blend of nuts and dried fruit he'd been given Kenji rolled his shoulders as he watched her little pep act. What was in this backpack anyway, he wondered, rocks? It felt like rocks.
"I wouldn't eat all of that right away," Dave cautioned glancing back from where he outpaced the others. "That and a power bar a piece make up your rations until dinner, and then it's whatever we can find and carry."
"This blows." Kenji observed, continuing to pick at the trailmix, earning only the ire of those around him in response.
After they had marched through the jungle on a difficult to discern path they finally arrived at a fork in the road at which Dave turned about face and announced, "Welp, this is where the fun begins. Girls, you're with Roxie, boys you're with me. May the best team win!"
"What?" Kenji bellowed. "In what way is that fair?" he began protesting, arms gesturing wildly. "The girl team has a literal olympian, a cowgirl, and someone who has climbed Mount Everest! And what do we get huh? Me, awesome, obviously, Darius a dinosaur obsessed gamer, and, and Ben!" he exclaimed motioning broadly to the mousey boy who was desperately trying to do his best impression of a glass window. "I will literally trade any one of them for Ben! He's completely useless! The dudes scared of his own shadow! Please, anyone but him!"
Already the other campers were arguing against Kenji, but it felt half-hearted, there was no way they couldn't see exactly what he did. Their feeble attempts to defend Ben only further vindicated Kenji's point as no one could find a single redemptive quality about the bookish boy who routinely sat out every activity or experience. Everyone was just trying to be overly sensitive towoards Ben, lying to themselves about how much of a let down he really was, Kenji felt.
One point for Kenji, everyone else zero.
"I'll be on team Ben!" Sammy offered with a smile, because of course she would. "Besides slow and steady wins the race, right Ben?"
"In what universe?" Yaz scoffed. Kenji held up a hand only to be snubbed and left hanging.
"No, this is the way things are going to be, boys vs girls." Dave announced with an uncharacteristically peeved expression. "I don't care what advantages or disadvantages either team seems to have, you're here to have fun! So stop frickin' tearing into one another all the time and start you know, having fun! Because that's what summer camp is all about! Fun!"
Kenji crossed his arms over his chest defiantly as he was quickly outnumbered by those who shared Dave's sentiment. The couselor in question swept a hand through his hair as if keeping his composure was taking every last ounce he had left in him and Kenji couldn't help but wonder how difficult it was for Dave no to swear right now.
"Alright ladies allons-y!" Roxie clapped her hands and began walking away from where the trail divided.
"You two go on ahead, we'll catch up." Dave instructed Darius and Ben, while the girls veered off to the left. "Go on!" he pointed irritably down the path he wanted them to follow.
Oh boy, Kenji thought sarcastically, another dad lecture from someone who wasn't even his father but still thought it was their place to try, goodie!
"That was extremely uncalled for back there," Dave scolded. "We're all here for the same reasons, to have fun, make friends and memories that will last a lifetime, and to enjoy ourselves, but every chance you get you make that boy feel like dirt! What is your-"
"Oh no, his worst nightmare!" the teen replied waving his hands for added affect.
Dave looked at Kenji for a long moment as though trying to decide what to say, or more likely, the teenager felt, what he was legally allowed to say. "We all have moments in our lives that keep us awake at night, moments we wish we could take back or do over, don't let today be one of those moments Kenji. Not for my sake, not even for Ben's sake, since you're obviously incapable of that type of compassion, but for the sake of a future good night's rest. Please, just try not to be that asshole."
"Whatever."
Dave stared for a long moment before motioning for Kenji to follow him. Once they had caught up with the others Dave began doling out responsibilities. Giving Darius the BINGO card, Ben the field guide to all of edible and medical plants that surrounded them, and then slapped a map and a compass into Kenji's hand.
"Lead the way."
Opening the map Kenji oriented himself with it briefly. If the treehouse was back there, and the big red X was over there, and North was... "Come on let's go." he announced rushing past the others through the underbrush. Keeping a steady pace the oldest boy was soon leaving the others struggling to keep up as he plowed relentlessly ahead.
"Kenji, I'd slow down if I were you!" the counselor called to him.
"Why?" the teenager who was keen on winning shouted back. "It's a race isn't it?"
"Well, yeah but it's not literally a foot race, this is a twenty mile hike my man. It's all about endurance."
"What?" Kenji yelled turning around in shock.
"Twenty miles?" Ben whined, brow furrowed apprehensively.
"Yep," Dave nodded as they caught up to their fearless leader. "It's supposed to take all day, you know get some exercise, have some bonding time, maybe make some new friends along the way."
"This is so stupid!" Kenji complained. "As if walking through all the dirt and bugs, and hot stupid air wasn't bad enough you're telling me we're going to be doing it all day long?"
"Maybe even into the night, if we can't keep pace." Dave added with snark.
"Oh my God!" Darius shouted, Kenji was about to thank him for agreeing with his sentiment when the kid rushed off through the brush, camera flashing as he took pictures. "The teeth marks on this cycad match those from the fossilized remains found in mass hadrosaur die out sites!"
Dave smiled as he walked over, "Sure do, if we're lucky maybe we'll stumble across the herd or-"
"Droppings!" Darius practically squealed. "They're fresh too! And foot prints? Come on guys they headed this way! I wonder if they're lambeosaurus, or maiasaura, or oh, oh, hypacrosaurus!" he shouted bounding forward through the tangling ferns and vines.
Catching up with them Kenji who hopped up on the trunk of a fallen tree shoved the other boy, "Nerd."
"Show off!" Darius pushed him back, kicking off friendly banter and rough housing as they walked.
After trekking for what seemed like ages with the sun beating down on them did they finally stop for a lunch break, pulling out their power bars. Darius who was leaping out of his skin with excitement kept going on and on about the 'small' herd of loud honking animals they had seen. To Kenji's eyes they were just really big, really dumb lizards splashing around in the water that made a kinda cool trumpeting sound, but the kid couldn't get over their coloration, or the way the adults pulled the young green stems of plants down for the adolescences and what this meant for all theories of dinosaurs as nurturing caregivers as none of the infants were actually theirs, because they were hatched in the lab. He had officially gone insane, the older boy felt, chewing his less than appetizing lunch.
Sweeping a space clear from debris with his foot Kenji dropped his backpack to the ground, laying back in a relatively shady spot, and closed his eyes. Body aching as he felt like he might begin to drift off, he listened to Dave and Darius talk.
"Yeah did you see the way they all turned and looked when I hit those rocks together?" Kenji asked.
"It was so cool!" Darius enthused. "That just goes to show their level of intelligence they didn't just panic and run at their first experience with something unknown. They stopped walking and made conscious observations of the environment around them, I mean how cool was that?" Darius bubbled. "And then we you repeated the experiment, and they tried hooting back like it was a new call or something? That was incredible!"
"Yeah," Kenji smiled to himself, "That was pretty smart of me." He was glad that he and the kid had been getting along, nearly being eaten... twice, really worked wonders for forging fast friendships.
In reality however, Kenji hadn't been trying to conduct any kind of experiment. The group had been crouched in the bug infested shrubs just watching the whatever-a-sauruses for who knew how long when Kenji couldn't take it anymore. All the teen had been trying to do was scare them off or at least get them to do something exciting, but hey, it was a win-win because after failing to communicate the lumbering beasts moved on.
"I'm not sure but I think this might be lactarius indigo." Ben said from somewhere near Kenji's feet.
"Oh, blue milk cap good find!" Dave said going to stand by him. "Who likes mushrooms?"
Great, Kenji thought rolling onto his arm. Between the spiny fruit and the gourd-squash things Ben found earlier dinner was going the taste exactly the same going down as what he expected would taste coming back up, which it would, because, nasty!
"Oh, and look at what kind of tree roots they're growing around!" the man observed. "Mulberry trees, and the berries are ripe. Come on Kenji come try some." he called to the boy who reluctantly got up. "They're like very sweet, very long blackberries."
Picking some of the fruit Dave rolled the berries in his hands brushing off any dirt and excess pollen before handing the red and purple fruit out to the boys who had gathered around him. Skeptically Kenji popped the berry in his mouth where it exploded with sticky cloying juices, and seeds that got caught in his teeth. It was actually pretty good, he thought noticing that Darius must have had a similar notion as they began picking and eating more of the fruit right off the tree.
"Remember to save some for later, and don't pick the white ones, they're not ripe yet." Dave instructed.
Ben stood to one side frowning, still holding the berry he'd been given in one hand while the other was pressed hard against his stomach as though he was completely grossed out and struggling to keep it together. "You should really wash them first." he put in addressing the group. "There's no way to be sure what kind of bugs have been on or even inside of these fruits, not to mention traces of urine and feces, left by all sorts of animals, which could carry unknown bacteria and viruses. But if you want to eat bird poop I mean that's ok too."
"Gee, thanks for that Ben." Dave said looking suddenly queazy himself.
"Jesus Christ Ben do you have to ruin everything?" Kenji snapped spitting out a mouthful of fruit with repulsion.
"He was just trying to help." Darius interjected, though he was looking a little more lackluster than before as he started gingerly gathering the mulberries in a bag.
"Ben's idea of helping, is by making things worse, his idea of fun, is by making me things more difficult, and his idea of being a good friend is by making sure that everyone is just as miserable as he is!" Kenji surmised turning on the subject of his tyrade. "Why didn't you do us all a big favor and just stay at the tree house with your books? Because they're your only real friends, and anyone else who says otherwise just feels sorry for you."
"Kenji!" Dave shouted, at the same time a red faced Ben reminded Kenji, "I did try to stay at the treehouse!"
"Why do you have to be so mean all the time?" Darius asked after Ben had walked away.
"Oh, what, just because I'm not all PC and handing out participation trophies for life, now I'm mean?" he asked in frustration. "Well guess what junior, there are no participation trophies in the real world, and that kid is coming in dead last."
"Yeah?" Darius asked. "And where do you think you're going to finish because it certainly isn't first. 'Life's a relay and you can't run it alone. You gotta have a team by your side, people who got you to where you are now, and people who will take you where you want to be tomorrow. Because when it comes down to it there's no such thing as a self made man, it takes effort, and it takes help to succeed, and if you fall trying to go it alone there won't be any body there to help you get back up.'"
"Oh and what lame ass self help book did you get that from?" Kenji asked.
"I got it from my dad!" Darius said blinking back fresh tears before storming off in another direction.
"Why didn't I go with the girls?" Dave asked pacing away from all of them. "Or listen to Roxie and swap out Ben for Yasmina then everything would have been fine!"
Alone Kenji couldn't help but feel bitter about the situation. He wasn't wrong, so why everyone was acting like he was some sort of monster for stating the obvious was beyond him. Sulking as they milled about the area for several minutes he once again led the way after Dave declared that their break was over. Feet throbbing it was nearly sundown by the time they reached the camp site the girls who had gotten there first already had a fire going and were relaxing in folding chairs when they ambled up.
Kenji gave Ben, for whom they had made over a dozen stops for, to catch his breath, wash his hands, or generally look around like a frightened rabbit a dirty look. "Thanks a lot Ben." he muttered while Darius rushed to swap dino stories with the girls.
Ben who kept his head down walked away without a word, going towards the two large tents he disappeared inside the furthest one. "I'll be right back, I've gotta go talk to Ben." Dave said handing his bag off to Roxie.
"That bad huh?" she asked as he walked away. "So, you wanna tell me what happened?" the woman added turning to Kenji.
"What are you asking me for, how do you know it wasn't Darius huh?" Kenji asked walking over to the fire.
"I didn't say it was anyone's fault. I merely asked what had happened. Ben could have fallen and sprained his wrist for all I know." Roxie went on. "Why are you acting so defensive?" she asked, like she was so smart.
Sitting in one of the chairs throwing random leaves and twigs, into the dancing orange flames Kenji listened as Darius described their encounter with the herd of hadrosaur, showing pictures he had taken to aid in the narrative. "It was so cool you guys!" he beamed.
"We saw a whole bunch of stegosauruses!" Sammy was saying. "Not as close as y'all were but Brooklynn was able to use her camera to zoom in! They were moving in one big herd, and kept calling to each other from the front of the herd to the back like they were playing a game of telephone or something!"
"Here." Brooklynn nudged her way between them, pulling up a video on her phone.
"That's not a game of telephone, they're communicating, threats!" Darius explained, bouncing in his seat. "Their eyesight isn't the best so it would make sense that they'd keep each other informed about any new smells or developments when they travel."
"Keep watching," Yasmina instructed when the boy tried moving Brooklynn's cell away. "A little one takes off running and it's mom chases it down. It's, cute or whatever." she added with an air of cool from where she'd come to stand behind the little group.
"How's Ben?" Roxie asked when Dave came storming to the fireside, throwing himself down into a chair.
"I don't even know!" he half shouted picking up a rock and throwing it into the kindling. "I just, I don't get that kid. Every time I try to do anything with him I feel like I'm making things worse. He was upset before, but then I tried talking to him, do the whole buddy thing, and now he's crying! Just all curled up, and crying!"
"Oh no, what's wrong with Ben?" Sammy was the first to chime in. Dave cast Kenji a glare before saying he didn't know. "Well I'm going to go check on him."
"I think maybe we should give him some space." Roxie said, patting Dave on the shoulder as she walked past him. "For now let's break out the goods and figure out what the boys are making us for dinner."
"What?" Kenji and Darius asked in unison, brows raised.
"The prize for getting here first is not having to cook." Brooklynn announced cockily, snapping a photo of their stunned and unhappy expressions.
While the girls unloaded their haul, Kenji couldn't help glancing up to the large red dome of the boys' tent. He hadn't meant to make Ben cry, but damn did that kid need to grow up. It was just a little razzing, he thought, and it wasn't like Ben didn't ask for it. He actually made it too easy to pick on him. Still, Kenji couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Grabbing the sleeping bag that had been tightly rolled at the top of his pack the teen headed for the tent, already trying to form an apology. Inside he could see just how upset Ben really was as he huddled on the ground weepy eyed.
"Seriously, all this over a few comments?" he asked, immediately failing to make amends. "What are you a girl?"
Ben looked up at him through red swollen eyes. "Just leave me alone." he sobbed.
"No." Kenji sneered rolling out his sleeping bag. "Why should I?"
"Because I'm asking you to?"
"And?"
Scooting to a corner the gangly boy folded his arms over his knees and cried. Kenji was awash with conflicting emotions, he felt shitty sure, but also at the same time he was so incredibly annoyed and frustrated that he just wanted to grab Ben by the shoulders and scream, "Grow a pair!"
"Seriously man," Kenji started trying to turn on his affable charm. "You are the single whiniest, most neurotic, chicken shit scardey cat I have ever met!" he laughed.
"Ok." Ben muttered into his elbow.
"You're not supposed to agree with me!" Kenji shouted, angry all over again. "Defend yourself, get mad or something! What's wrong with you anyway?"
"A lot, apparently." Ben snapped.
Shame and guilt shot through Kenji who stood staring at his feet for a minute before he spoke again, "I'm sorry." he muttered. "I really am, and I'll try to do better, just don't go all 13 Reasons Why on me ok?" he joked on the way back out, though the implications and feeling that it was probably in poor taste struck him too late, making him squeeze his eyes shut. "And um, we lost the race so we have to cook dinner or whatever." he added, letting the nylon door fall closed between them.
With no better ideas Dave and the guys decided that they were going to try and make a stew with what had been gathered by both parties. Huddled around the fireside with lanterns for extra light as darkness began to fall they were busy trying to sniff out the differences of the various herbs the girls had found in addition to their tubers, and scant legumes. Dividing the task Darius washed cleaned and peeled, while Sammy sat nearby watching with amusement, and mocking the way Kenji held the knife as he chopped and diced the various veggies.
"We need to boil the water for at least five minutes," Ben murmured coming up behind them. "For washing and drinking purposes too."
"Why?" Dave scoffed stoking up the flames.
"Two words," Ben said matter of factly as he crouched down among his teammates. "Intestinal parasites."
After eating the most palatable parts of a stringy squash-mushroom-rando-root-and-bean-thing stew presided over by the lord of hygiene himself who did his upmost to keep them all from going the way of the Oregon Trail the kids settled down for some real fun. Singing songs loudly and off key they all laughed and joked boisterously, hurt feelings mostly forgotten by all of them when the haunting song of a brachiosaurus answered back to their rowdy music. Forgetting everything else for a minute the kids attempted to communicate with the animal mimicking it's sound, breaking out in fits of awestruck giggles each time they got a response. Until it sounded again very close by.
"That's enough of that!" Roxie laughed, a finger pressed against her lips. "Let's allow our friend a good night's rest hmm?"
After that was a game of charades, a few stories, and a chaperoned PG game of truth or dare. One Kenji noticed near the end was missing a certain camper. Excusing himself he went in search of Ben. Thinking that maybe he'd turned in for the night he checked the tent first, only to come up empty handed. Looking around he finally spotted him, blanket wrapped around his shoulders alone in the dark. Walking towards him Kenji was going to ask what was up when he was hit with a head splitting brightness, blinded by a direct beam of light to his eyes.
"Jesus, what?" Kenji asked blinking rapidly, eyes watering.
"Sorry." Ben whispered lowering his flashlight. "You scared me."
"Yeah well, what are you doing way out here?" Kenji asked. "Not still pouting about earlier are you?"
"No."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Looking at the stars." Ben said pointing towards the sky.
Kenji looked up, still blinking past the floating glare left by the flashlight he was able to see a huge ribbon of light cutting through the darkness of the heavens. "Whoa." he breathed in awe. A bush rustled nearby causing Ben to jump, the light he wielded cutting through the unknown and illuminating only empty branches. A heavy weight in his chest Kenji sat down beside Ben elbowing the other boy in a friendly manner. "I really am sorry about before. I was a grade A asshole, but I meant it when I said I'd try better. So if you, I don't know need a body guard or someone to watch your back when you're all dorky and looking at the stars or something I'm here."
Ben seemed to weigh the offer carefully, looking Kenji up and down for a long minute. "Ok," he nodded. "Thanks... Do you know anything about constellations?"
"Like the big dipper and stuff? Yeah." Kenji scoffed leaning back against the slightly damp foliage.
"Well you see that big bright square right there?"
"...yeah?"
"And those three bright stars pointing down from the bottom right, and the five bottom let?"
"I think so." Kenji muttered squinting hard as he tried playing the most intricate game of connect the dots ever.
"Well, add in those two lines of stars at the top, and that's the constellation Hercules." Ben smiled.
"Like from the cartoon? Wait there's really a constellation of Hercules in the sky?" Kenji sat up impressed, even if he still couldn't quite make out the pattern.
"Not that Hercules!" Ben sighed. "The Roman Hercules, god of strength and heroes."
"Aw Ben!" Kenji gushed with playful exaggeration. "I know I'm your hero now and all but-"
"Oh no," Ben shook his head. "If you're anyone from mythology it's definitely Narcissus."
"Whose that is he handsome?" Kenji asked. Ben let out a laugh.
"Whatcha looking at?" Sammy asked sitting next to Ben, startling them both.
"She's a ninja am I right?" Yasmina asked joining them as well.
As the night passed the campers and counselors all gathered around listening quietly as Ben pointed out several constellations including Lyra, Cygnus, and Draco, sharing brief overviews of the stories behind each. A sleepy sense of ease came over all of them, as they enjoyed their impromptu astronomy lesson, watching the milky band of light slowly floating over them. Blinking his weary eyes hard as he fought against it Kenji, though he would fervently deny it come morning drifted off to sleep, under a glittering, crystal sky.
