"We're done with our section," said a girl who stood beside a boy.
"Alright. You two can head out then," said another girl. The first girl and boy nodded to her then headed up a set of stairs. Now only one girl and boy remained in the kitchen storage.
"So, Hilda. Wanna continue that convo we had earlier?" said the boy. He dropped what he was holding onto a shelf and made his way to the girl.
"I told you. I'm not that interested, Brock," said Hilda. She took a boxcutter and sliced a cardboard box into smaller pieces. She then took the pieces and put them into a neat stack on the floor.
"Oh, come on. There's no one around. You can be as honest as you want with yourself," said Brock. As he spoke he slowly moved closer to Hilda. He quickly organized the shelves and tabletops as he passed.
"Okay. Well, I honestly am not that interested in you."
"Not that interested, huh? So you're interested a little?" asked Brock. He was almost in arms reach but stopped moving. It was slight and barely noticeable from the side, but Brock was sure he saw her start to smile.
Standing on her tip-toes, Hilda struggled to reach another box that was on a high shelf. She was ready to grab a step ladder when a pair of arms reached over her head and grabbed the box. The arms easily brought the box down and set it gently onto the table top in front of her. Brock then placed his hands on to the table, keeping Hilda between him and the table.
"Is this what you think a little means?" Hilda said as she looked back and up at Brock. Her smile now completely visible.
"You don't exactly seem to be against it," said Brock. He moved his hands from the table to Hilda's hips. Holding her tightly, yet gently. After a few seconds of getting used to the feeling, Hilda moved her hips back so her lower half was connected to Brock. She heard him let out a chuckle before she started grinding against him. Brock's fun lasted only a moment before Hilda pulled away.
"Sorry, but we'll have to continue this another time," she said.
"What? Why?" asked Brock. Not unlike how a child responds when a toy is taken away.
"Promised Jasmine to meet up with the cabin as soon as I was done here."
"Oh, come on. She can wait another few minutes," Brock lightly pulled Hilda back as he spoke.
"I made a promise," Hilda said with a small giggle. "We can meet back here when I'm done."
"Just one more minute," said Brock. He was more serious and harsh. Hilda dropped her smile.
"Hey, Jasmine doesn't like it when we're late. So, let me go," Hilda pulled away more and tried to step away from Brocks hold.
"I said in a minute."
Again, Brock raised his voice and took a different tone. This time he sounded merciless. His hands were back on Hilda's hips and he was making her grind against him. While she was more than happy to have some fun earlier, Hilda now felt anything but. At first she was frozen, unsure of what to do, but then she fought more.
She elbowed him in the chest, which did little. He was lightly jolted from it, which Hilda used as her chance to run. However, Brock quickly grabbed her and swung her back into her original position. The sudden pull caused her to slam into the table and let out a grunt. The force made her bend over and she brought her arms to her chest.
Brock raised his hands up to her arms and tried to pull them down. He felt her arms. Felt how thin and warm they were. Then he felt a sharp pain run down his palm before letting out a scream. As he fell to his knees, Hilda finally ran away and got the stairs.
"You bitch!" yelled Brock. He clutched his wrist that held his bleeding hand. His palm housed a slit that flowed red. All of which pooled in his hand until it spilt over onto the ground.
"Stay the fuck away from me!" said Hilda.
It had been days since eight new kids arrived at the camp. So far, everyone seemed to be fitting in well. Calem was worried about how Hugh and Elio would adapt, but they were liked well enough. Hugh was still standoffish and lonesome. Though Calem figured he'd come around.
The three girls that Jasmine got seemed to have been friends forever. Least that's the vibe they gave off. Mallow and Selene were always together and Viola was usually in sight. She even brought a camera which she's been using to take pictures of her cabin mates. Even promising the girls to send them copies of the photos once she got them developed. Jasmine just wished that she didn't have to deal with the other cabins so much. If only she could relax with her girls all day with no one to bother them.
Brock was having a fair bit of fun. Aside from his hand being nowhere close to healed. His cabin mates were never boring and they made him almost forget about it. When originally asked about his injury, he just said knife slipped. No one questioned him more.
Of the cabin leaders, Serena felt as though she was dealt the worst hand. All she ever gets from Dawn is short, usually one word, sentences. Being a little rude was one thing, but Serena felt Dawn was going out of way to annoy her. Serena would like to ask to have Dawn switch to Jasmine's cabin, but couldn't. Having to admit a girl younger than her made her lose her patience would be embarrassing. If it wasn't for the rest of her cabin being good, she would've snapped by now.
Whether the campers liked each other or not didn't matter to the counselors. They would've dragged them out to the field anyway. In addition to the large area around the cabins and a lakeside, the camp boasted a large field for different activities. Most of the time it was dormant and only the most active of campers came to it. However, bi-monthly, the counselors organized a small competition for the cabins. A simple race.
"Alright, campers. Now that the cabins are full, feel free to organize yourselves however you want. Remember though, the two groups must be boy/girl. So, the Bear cabin can't join the Frog cabin. And same goes for Tortoise and Mongoose," said the counselor. Calem was about to say the cabin he wanted to pair with, when Jasmine spoke up.
"We'll join with the Bear cabin," she said. She and her girls began to mix with the boys from Calem's cabin.
"Oh, okay. I guess," he said. He didn't dislike Jasmine, or anyone in her cabin, but he was hoping to partner with the other girls.
"Alright. You all have two minutes to decide who does what. Two minutes!" said Gardenia. She walked over to the other counselor and began speaking with them.
"So, who's going to take part in the race?" asked Jasmine. She looked to the kids surrounding her and noticed the hands that went up.
"We only need five people. Some of you can put your hands down if you don't actually want to do it," said Calem. Of the about dozen people who raised their hands, only two dropped them at Calem's words. "Great."
"We can just pick who we want to compete," said Jasmine.
'She's talking differently than normal. Weird,' thought Calem. "Well, Kiawe is the most athletic we have. So, that's one."
"Misty is ours. She'll do the balance beam," said Jasmine.
"We'll do something!" shouted Hilbert. He, alongside Hilda, came up to Calem and Jasmine. "I'm down for whatever and she can do the sprint at the end."
"Alright. Four down. Who wants to do the rope climb?" asked Calem. No one said anything. "What? No one?"
"Why don't you do it," said Kiawe. Calem snapped his head, surprised at the suggestion.
"But I did it last time..."
"And you did pretty well," said Jasmine. She locked eyes with Calem and the two stared at each other for a second.
"Fine, I'll do it," Calem sighed.
"Thanks," Jasmine said with a smile.
"So she's on the balance beam. I'm doing the rope climb. Hilda's sprinting. And what are you two gonna do?" Calem asked the other participants.
"Hilbert can do the crawl," said Hilda. "That fine, Kiawe?" The boy only shrugged.
"Good," said Calem before anyone else spoke. "Then I guess we're all set-"
A whistle going off just a couple yards away forced Calem to stop talking. The counselor who blew the whistle signaled for the two groups to send their participants forward. When ten kids were standing in front of him, the counselor spoke.
"Alright, campers, listen up. I know most of you already know the rules, however I see new faces. So, I'm going to give a quick recap of rules," he said. He also ignored any groaning. "The first partaker will be given a baton they must carry during their obstacle and pass it to whoever is next in line."
'Partaker?' thought Calem.
"You may not go through your obstacle without the baton. You also must pass the baton in the correct order, no skipping," said the counselor. "Hm..yeah, that should cover it. Is each group ready?"
"Yeah, we are," said Calem. Behind him was his own group and to their side was the opposing group. Led by Brock.
"Yeah..." said Brock. Calem glanced at the other boy's hand as he rubbed his wrist. Last time they competed they both did the rope climb and Calem just barely won. He wondered if Brock was going to attempt it again despite a cut hand. Calem looked over the rest of the group. The boys were two of the same from last time. Brock and Brendan, a boy Calem has only spoken a few words to before. One girl was one who competed last time while the other two were different.
'Nemona. She did the sprint last time and won. Just have to build up a lead in the other obstacles. Liza and May...what are they gonna do though?' thought Calem.
"Ok, campers. Get to your starting positions," said the counselor. He handed the first two competitors a baton each. Calem and Nemona both stood a couple yards from the walls. The rest of their groups went to their respective obstacles to wait. "You may start when I blow the whistle."
Calem stretched his neck, arms, and legs as he waited. Nemona jumped up and down to amp herself up. Since they would need both hands for the climb they placed the sides of the batons in their mouths. Nemona ignored the campers' laughs. Calem made a rude gesture towards Hilbert when the boy made a horse joke. When the counselor blew the whistle, the two took off.
Last time, Calem had grabbed the rope, brought his feet onto the wall, then started to climb. Now knowing that was too slow, he instead jumped when he got close enough. With the boost, he managed to climb the wall a few seconds faster and vault over the top. He hung on the edge for just barely a second before jumping.
The otherside of the wall didn't fall to the ground, but instead a triangular block. It was about half the height of the wall. The side facing the wall was quite slanted and sleek. Landing on it was a bit awkward, but Calem felt he knew how to do it properly. His assumption was proven correct, when he landed and immediately managed to pull himself over. He then took the baton from his mouth and handed it to Misty.
The girl took the baton and made her way up the ramp which was almost as narrow as the beam itself. Looking to his side, Calem saw they were just barely ahead of the other cabins. Maybe only a few feet. The girl competing against Misty was Liza, a smaller younger girl. Calem thought Liza would catch up or even pass Misty, though that thought was lost when she misstepped and fell off.
There was a mix of boos and cheers from the rest of the campers. A counselor blew their whistle and told her to start over. By the time she got in her original position Misty had already passed the baton off to the next person.
Hilbert took the baton while smiling and began to crawl under a large net suspended by wooden poles on the edges. The height of the nets allowed for only crawling on your elbows. If the person tried to be any higher, they'll get caught up in the net. Like how Hilbert's hood got snagged after a third of the way through.
"Why is he wearing his jacket?" Calem said. He was now standing with the non-competing campers on the sidelines.
"He said it was too cold not to wear it," said Falkner.
"It's like seventy degrees!"
"It's what he said," Falkner put his hands up defensively.
Hilbert pulled on his hood but it never got unstuck. His sleeve however, did the opposite. It took a few seconds to free his arm, by then his opponent was starting the crawl themselves. May's outfit consisted of shorts and a tank top, so any chance of her getting snagged was slim to none.
"Just take it off!" Calem yelled angrily.
"Shut up!" replied Hilbert. He could hear May coming up.
"Nice jacket," said May has she passed Hilbert, who muttered swears under his breath. Hilbert struggled some more. He finally freed himself when May was just passing the baton to Brendan. Hilbert crawled as fast as he could. Kiawe received the baton just as Brendan was passing his third obstacle. Just six more and he would be done.
"Well that coulda gone better," said Hilbert as he joined the group. He was smacked on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"
"You better hope we win or the next hit is gonna be worse," said Calem.
Kiawe was able to catch up to Brendan due to the second boy slipping near the end. The obstacles they had to maneuver were logs suspended at different heights on posts. The tall ones had to be climbed over while the lower logs made them crawl. With Kiawe's height advantage, he was able to climb much faster. The boys ended at the same time and passed the batons to their respective successors.
Hilda and Brock took off running at the same time. Unlike most of the course, which had natural grass that grew taller than normal lawn grass, the path the sprinters had was mostly dirt. Each step the runners took created small clouds.
The two didn't have to run long. Only the length of the obstacle course. After Calem's and Nemona's obstacle, the runners were done the fastest. One of the counselors stood between the runners and held them both by the wrist. Though they held one of their arms high.
"The Bear and Mongoose cabins are the winners," said the counselor. Calem and Jasmine's groups cheered while Brock and Serena's let out groans and boos. "Now, you two, shake hands."
When the counselor released Hilda and Brock, the campers stared at each other. Touching Brock was the last thing Hilda wanted to do. Yet, she had to. Last time the counselors brought the campers out for the competition they made a big deal about sportsmanship. If she were to refuse to shake his hand, then her cabin and the boys will have to forfeit their win. She doesn't care about the win that much, but she knows how some other campers would react.
Not wanting to deal with multiple angry campers, she grit her teeth and reached a hand out to shake Brock's. Brock however, didn't raise his. The hand Hilda rose was on the same side that Brock's cut hand was.
"He's injured, switch hands," ordered the counselor. If he could feel the tension between the campers, he chose to ignore it. Brock reached out his good hand and felt Hilda put her hand in his. He gripped it tightly. So tightly that Hilda, despite her attempt to hide it, visibly winced. The two let go and walked towards their respective groups.
A couple campers once again cheered for Hilda. Though a couple girls gave her more gentle pats on the back and Hilbert gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"Good. We won," said Jasmine.
"Barely," said Calem as he glanced at Hilbert.
"I didn't think my jacket was gonna get caught!"
"Whatever."
A counselor blew their whistle and told the campers it was time to head back to the main campground. Though since they were going to have free time, they split the campers into two groups. Those that wanted to head back and those that wanted to stay in the field. One of the counselors, Gardenia, stayed to keep watch of the campers that stayed while the other counselors escorted the other group back.
The rest of the day continued as normal. The next morning, the counselors would discover the obstacle course to be completely destroyed in a fire.
Any planned activites for the day were cancelled and the campers were ordered to stay within sight of the cabins. The campers weren't told any more than there was a fire in the field and to stay away from it. Through out the day the counselors spent their time in their offices and the field where the obstacle course stood.
Every night since the first day of camp, the counselors would take the campers to a pit on the edge of the grounds and light a small bonfire. It was mainly for telling them the plans of the next day and to help the kids unwind. However, after the obstacle course getting destroyed, they instead sent the campers to their cabins early and went without a bonfire.
Later, close to midnight, two dark figures could be seen emerging from one of the cabins. They moved fast and stuck close to the treeline. Once they were in the woods and away from the camp's vision, they slowed down but still moved with haste. Both of them held black objects, which they opened to reveal were electric lanterns. Holding the lanterns in front of them they were able to cross through the trees easily.
"Damn," said one of them once they reached their destination. They looked over the remnants of the old obstacle course. It was completely leveled. The only evidence there had been obstacles was the charred pieces of wood in piles of ash.
"Didn't think it'd be this messed up," said the other. The two started walking through the desolate course. They realized when they stopped that they were standing where the net obstacle was. One of them began to talk about their memory of it, when they heard voices approaching them from behind. They turned to see two other campers, to their relief, who held the same lanterns.
"Well, well. Guess we weren't the only ones who decided to go against the counselors wishes."
"Shouldn't you two be asleep, Brock?"
"Yeah, same to you, Calem."
The two boys glared at each other, before Calem turned back and sifted some ash with his boot. He heard Brock and the boy with him, Brendan, swear under their breath.
"Crazy how it just burned down," said Kiawe, who came with Calem.
"I know..." one of the boys said solemnly. After some time of them doing nothing more than standing, a feminine voice emerged from behind them. They all turned to see four girls. A blonde wearing a skirt, a girl with purple hair, and two with brown hair. One a much lighter shade than the other.
"Wasn't expecting any of you," said Brock. The girls joined the group and the blonde turned to Brock.
"Girls can be curious too, Brock."
"I know, I'm just saying. The woods can be dangerous. You should've came to me for safety," Brock smiled at Serena and turned to the other girls. His smile dropped and he turned away when he matched eyes with the girl with dark brown hair. No one spoke anymore. Each duo went off on their own to tour the ash and charred wood.
"Oh hey. I think I found something!" said Brendan. Everyone turned to see him crouched down where the nets used to be. He was rummaging his hand around and when everyone got to him they saw he was trying to move knotted pieces of rope out of the way. Beneath the rope that Brendan held was something that gave off a small shine when it was touched by a bit of moonlight. "I can't untie this...anyone got something I can cut it with?"
"I do," said Hilda. She approached Brendan and held out a metal object. Upon grabbing it he could tell it was a box cutter. Brock flinched upon seeing it though no one but Hilda noticed.
"Thanks," said Brendan as he began cutting at the rope. It didn't take long for him to cut what he needed and was able to grab the shiny object. He held it up for everyone to see. It was a small but wide metal disc with a hollowed center attached to a long and thin chain.
"What is it?" asked the purple haired girl whose name was Janine.
"No idea," said Brendan. He ran his thumb over the flat surface of the ring.
"Maybe it belongs to another camper," said Calem. "Maybe it's May's or Hilbert's. They did do the crawl yesterday."
"It's not Hilbert's," said Hilda.
"How do you know?"
"Because I would've known if my brother brought something like that with him," she said firmly.
"May would've said something if she had lost such an item as well," said the light brown haired girl, Jasmine.
"Eh, I'll just ask around tomorrow," said Brendan as he got to his feet. He held the disc and realized the chain was looped and was long enough to be worn around the neck. He put it on such and showed the group. "Hey, doesn't look too bad on me, huh?"
"You look fantastic," said Brock followed with a loud yawn. "God I'm tired. Let's go."
"Alright..."
Brock and Brendan began to walk away from everyone. Just before they were out of sight in the trees, Brendan turned around and waved. Brock kept his forward pace. Their lanterns were soon faded.
"We're going too," Jasmine said. She and Hilda walked off with waves of their own, but instead of moving through the trees they simply walked the trail leading directly to camp.
"Care to walk me to my cabin, Calem?" asked Serena. She got closer to Calem who only looked at her with a tired expression on his face.
"If that's what you want," he said. They walked the same way Jasmine and Hilda had, Calem keeping his hands in his pockets and Serena holding on to his arm. Kiawe and Janine, walked side by side behind their leaders, not saying a word each.
Took a while to update. Fav and follow.
~~~Sikoh