Late in the morning, a few weeks into summer, a white bus drove up a dirt road. The road wound a small grove of trees and the bus came to a scraping halt. It lightly lurched forward, went back, then the doors released. The bus driver, an older, slightly bitter looking, woman, stood and told the bus' occupants to remain seated. She exited the bus and stood beside the doors, staring ahead at the ones staring at her.
"So those the new recruits?" asked a boy. A few of the people around him chuckled.
"Guess so," said one boy who didn't laugh. His eyes ignored the driver and scanned the bus. Whenever he saw movement behind a window he stayed on it a little longer. "Think there's eight, give or take."
"Let's just hope there's at least a couple cute girls," said a third boy.
"Damn, Brock, only two weeks but you're already bored with every girl here?"
The boy only shrugged. He wanted to say more, but an older girl, more like a young woman, blew a whistle just a few feet away.
"Alright, everyone! Today, the last of your fellow campers have arrived!" she said. "Captains, go help the lovely driver with the luggage!"
'Lovely?' thought the first to walk up. He was a fairly tall boy, medium-length black hair, wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a plain white shirt. The one called Brock, quickly followed him. His outfit was similar, but he had on a tan tank top instead.
The two boys made their way to the side of the bus, where the driver unlocked a hidden compartment. Inside were a few duffel bags, backpacks, and suitcases. One by one, they unloaded the luggage onto the grass, arranging them into neat rows. After they placed the last of the bags, two girls approached them. Both in boots and plain shirts, but one in shorts. The other wore a casual skirt.
"About time," said Brock.
"Sorry," started one of the girls.
"We were in our cabins, so we didn't hear," ended the other.
"Thought you weren't allowed to wear skirts," said the boy with black hair. The girl in the skirt gave a semi twirl.
"It's fine if I wear them here. Can't go hiking in them. Unfortunately."
"Aw, leave Serena alone, Cal. Girl can wear whatever she wants," said Brock. As he talked he made his way over the blonde haired girl. Serena quickly put her hand up at him.
"Never gonna be interested, Brock."
"Hey, just trying to make small talk," Brock said with an innocent tone. Though he still backed up a few steps. He glanced at the other girl, who noticed. Brock nodded, she blushed and looked away. It was faint, but Brock was sure he saw a smile. Up ahead, the woman with the whistle came out of the bus. Calem, Serena, and the other girl had never noticed her enter it. Brock was currently oblivious to everything but the girl he was looking over.
The woman wore a small, grass colored poncho, matching laces in her boots, shorts that were clearly cutoff cargo pants, and a white shirt with COUNSELOR written on the back. Though most of the time, it was covered by the poncho. She came besides the bus doors and, with another blow of her whistle, began to speak.
"Please give a warm Camp Lavender welcome to our newest campers!"
The counselor clapped and soon most of the campers clapped as, one by one, the new arrivals emerged from the bus.
A girl was first out. Then a boy. Then a girl, then boy. The process repeated until a total of four boys and four girls were standing along the bus. Their ages seem to vary, with a couple looking they just barely passed the minimum age requirement and one looking like she could be a counselor.
Most of the camp was outside and now staring at the new kids. The counselor beside the bus called to the four kids she had move the luggage to come closer.
"Okay, since you four are the cabin captains, you get to decide who goes to which cabin," she said when they all arrived. The four captains looked at her then at the new kids. Calem, who was fine with going last, decided to get things started.
"Serena, since you only have one spot open, you can get first pick," he said.
"Why thanks, Calem," the blonde said with a smile. If Calem had eyes on the back of his head he would see Brock attempting to stare a hole into him.
Serena walked up another foot to get a good look at the girls in the line. She didn't want to be stuck for a few weeks with an annoying brat. Of the four girls, one seemed too young, one too old, one too perky, and the last bitchy. None of them seemed likeable to her, but she had to make a choice.
"You, girl with blue hair. You'll be in my cabin."
Despite the girl's mean look, Serena felt she might annoy her the least.
"What's your name?"
"Dawn," said the girl. She spoke clearly and confidently, but also carefully. She said exactly what was asked of her with no sign of wanting to say more.
"Well, Dawn, I'm Serena and you'll be in my cabin. Any problems with that?"
Dawn shrugged as she looked Serena over. The blonde girl was taller and heavier. A bossy aura about her. While she didn't know too much bout the camp, Dawn did know about the cabins and that each one had a leader. The campers had to follow the leaders rules and orders. Between Serena and the other girl, Dawn figured Serena wouldn't be the worst to follow. Not that she'll like her.
"Good. Now come with me, grab your bags, and I'll show you to the cabin."
The two walked side by side until Dawn picked up her luggage, then Serena got in front. As they made their way to their cabin, some girls in the group of campers followed them. The rest of the group turned back to the bus.
"Hm...Jasmine, you go next," said the counselor. Jasmine approached the girls.
"Thank you, Ms. Gardenia. Well, there's three spots in my cabin and three of you. So, welcome aboard," she said with a smile and chuckle. "Nice to meet you."
The three new girls came forward. A girl with light blonde hair, green hair, and black hair. The one with green hair stepped forward first, pulling another girl with her.
"Hi! I'm Mallow!" she said cheerfully. "And this is Selene."
The girl she referred to was pulled forward and gave Jasmine a nervous nod. Selene was obviously on the younger side, not that Jasmine mind.
"Nice to meet you both," she said with a smile. Mallow and Selene also smiled, though the latter only doing so after seeing Mallow do it. Jasmine turned to the platinum blonde girl. "And you are?"
The girl revealed her name, Viola, and the two exchanged pleasantries. When done, Jasmine asked the counselor if they could head to their cabin, to which she allowed it. The four collected their luggage and trekked to their cabin. All the remaining girls a part of the large crowd followed. Soon only boys remained, aside from the counselor.
"So how do you wanna choose who gets who?" asked Calem. He had been watching over the four boys as the girls picked and couldn't decide who he wanted. None of them seemed to be that interesting.
"Well, I am older and taller and stronger. Plus better in every way. So I'll pick one first," said Brock causing Calem to roll his eyes. Brock stepped forward and looked the boys over. When Serena and Jasmine met with their new members, Brock was busy appreciating their looks from behind, so he had no idea how the boys were. There was a young one, an overly serious one, and two that seemed like buddies. Standing so close to each other their shoulders were almost touching.
"You two, what's your deal?"
"Us?" asked one of them who was blonde. Brock only nodded. "Well, we've been friends since we were kids. Lucas and I are kinda like two peas in a pod really."
The blonde kid spoke with a speed Calem was not used to. He started to hope that Brock will take the guy, just so he didn't have to listen to him speak more than he had to.
"Okay, he's Lucas. You are?"
"I'm Barry. Which is short for-"
"Barry? Oh, that's perfect!" said Brock. There were a few guys in the crowd that started getting excited. "With you, we'll now have six guys in our cabin whose name starts with a 'B'."
"Really?" asked Lucas. "That's so cool!"
"Right?" replied Brock. "Hey, Cal. I'm taking these two, alright? Wait, actually."
Brock turned to the other two boys he hadn't been talking to and asked if either of their names started with a B. They both shook their heads.
"Then yeah. Taking these two. That fine?"
Calem shrugged. He didn't care who Brock took. Even if he did, Brock wasn't truly asking. Brock walked with the two boys as they got their duffel bags, giving Calem room to get closer to the boys who will join his cabin by default.
"Hey. I'm Calem. Since you're joining my cabin, I'll be your captain for the foreseeable future. I'll give you more details on that later. For now, let's get introductions out of the way. Names?" Calem's eyes first went to the older of the two kids.
"Hugh," he briefly said. Calem figured that's how the kid was going to speak. He had both the vibe of someone who doesn't like to talk much and someone trying hard to be mysterious.
"I'm Elio," said the younger boy the moment Calem looked at him. The sudden burst caused Calem to recoil. "Nice to meet you!"
"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you," said Calem. "Not to be rude or anything, but I kinda want to get this over with quickly, so get your stuff and follow me. I'll show where you two will be staying."
The boys quickly grabbed their packs and followed Calem across the camp. With Hugh and Elio, and a few others, in tow, Calem entered their cabin.
Hugh and Elio were unsure of what to expect. In the weeks leading up to the trip, they both read or heard about Camp Lavender providing a genuine camping experience with some luxuries. One such luxury was cabins instead of tents, though they thought they would be made from logs. Instead, they were trailers you might find at public schools. Said to be temporary but stay in place for years and years.
So the outside of the cabins were rectangular bores, which caused Elio to voice his disappointment. Hugh couldn't help to agree, but he kept his opinion to himself. Calem had no idea what to say, so he just ignored the kid's complaint.
Inside, the cabin wasn't much better. Plain colored walls with no decorations, a couple small windows, single beds with grey sheets, and large black footlockers under each bed.
"Didn't realize this was a boot camp," said Hugh.
"Eh, it's normal enough. Think the cabins are this way for cost reasons, plus to keep people outside and active," Calem said as he stepped towards one of the two beds that only had a plain mattress. "You two can pick either empty bed you want. There're sheets in the trunks. Unless you happened to have brought your own."
Hugh and Elio followed Calem's gaze to a bed which had dark red silk sheets draped over it.
"Just make sure to set your bed up before it gets dark. Also you can store your stuff in the lockers, kind of their point, and be sure to keep your clean and dirty clothes separate. Laundry's done on Friday, don't forget it. When your done in here, feel free to go out and hang out on the camp grounds, we don't have anything important to do today. Any questions?"
Hugh gave a quick shake of his head, but Elio seemed to want to ask something. Calem would've waited for him to answer, but was interrupted with the cabin door swinging open. If not for a small stopper attached to it, the door would've banged against the wall. In came two boys, with a third staying outside.
The first boy had brown hair, which jutted out on the sides. The second was a blonde and was taller and larger than everyone else. Despite not hearing him talk yet, Hugh already disliked the blonde boy. He sensed he had a smug aura about him. It was hard for the third boy to be seen, due to the other boys blocking him.
"Yo, new guys!" The brown haired boy said. Elio and Hugh took a step back when he approached. Calem sighed.
"Uh, yeah. Hugh, Elio, that's Hilbert. He's one of your bunkmates-"
"And I'm Gordie. Kind of like the second in command here. Kind of a big deal. But feel free to help yourself to whatever's in my chest. What's mine is yours, y'know? Just return whatever you take alright? Nice to meet, ya."
The blonde had pushed Hilbert out of the way and Calem shook his head. Both Hugh and Elio were silent. Both unsure of what to say.
"Speechless after meeting me? Yeah, everyone else was," said Gordie.
"Just ignore him," said Hilbert who now pushed Gordie out of the way. "He just likes attention."
"It's not that I like attention, attention loves me," Gordie said as he pushed his glasses up.
"Whatever, can we unpack now?" asked Hugh. He was visibly and audibly annoyed.
"Yeah, alright. Come on, guys," Calem said to everyone but Hugh and Elio. Everyone left without saying anything and before the door closed, Calem took a glance at the two boys. Elio appeared nervous to be left alone with Hugh.
"What you guys think of those two?" asked Hilbert once everyone was at a table. He was sitting on the table, Calem sat normally, and Gordie stood at the end. The boy who had yet to talk sat backwards on the bench. The table itself served as a backrest.
"Eh. The blue haired one seems off to me," said Calem.
"That's what you said about Falkner. Like, almost word for word. But now you two are close."
"How are we close?"
"You two talk everyday."
"I talk to everyone in the cabin everyday. I have to."
"Which is why we're all thick as thieves," Hilbert said while trying to pat Calem's head. Calem simply swatted the hand away.
"You think that kid is going to be fine in our cabin?" said the quiet one.
"Who?"
"Think it was...Elio? Seems kinda young."
"He's probably about Silver's age. I'm sure they'll get along."
"Sure about that? Silver doesn't exactly get along with...well, anyone."
"Surprised you're so caring about this, Kiawe," said Hilbert.
"He just reminds me of my sister, I guess," Kiawe said with a shrug.
"You have a sister?"
"I've talked about her before. With you around," Kiawe glared at Hilbert. Calem chuckled.
"We'll have a meeting tonight," he said. The rest of the group groaned. "Shut up. It's just to let the two know how things are and that they should be cool with us. Just be sure to be respectful to them aswell."
"Yeah okay, Mom," said Hilbert.
"So, Dawn. Now that you're set up, any questions?" asked Serena. Dawn looked her in the eyes. They stood in the back of the cabin, with Dawn's back to the wall. There was a girl sitting on each bed with all of their eyes on her.
"Just one. Is there anything to actually do here?"
"Today was a lax day. Tomorrow we'll start more typical camp activities. Also, we have lunch in about an hour."
Dawn said nothing more. She only turned to her bed and began making it. Uncaring for the girls staring at her. Serena, with Dawn's eyes away from her, dropped her smile.
'She better not be a bitch,' she thought.
"So, how you liking the food?" asked Hilbert. He looked across from his seat at Hugh and Elio. The two had just taken a bite of their first camp meal and grimaced. Hilbert chuckled. "It's great, huh?"
"It's horrible," said Hugh. He dropped his food back onto the plate. Elio did the same but without words. "The worst grilled cheese ever."
"Yeah, it's pretty bad," said Calem from beside Hilbert. "There were a couple chefs that actually made good food, but they up and left apparently."
"They just left?" asked Hugh. Calem and Hilbert only shrugged.
"There's a way to make it bearable," said Hilbert, reaching into his pocket. Hugh watched as he pulled out a sauce packet and handed it to him.
"Hot sauce. Covers up a world of bad," said Calem.
Hugh took the packet, opened it and his sandwich, and poured some of the sauce on his sandwich. Aside from the burnt spots, the bread was tasteless and the cheese was like glue. With the hot sauce, however, Hugh managed to take a bite without cringing. He dropped the packet next to him and Elio quietly took it for his own sandwich.
"Why do you even have a hot sauce packet in your pocket?" asked Hugh.
"Because, depending on who's cooking, you'll need it."
"What do you mean who?" asked Elio. His face was a little redder than it should and he was subtly breathing out of his mouth.
"Since the chefs left, random kids get assigned to kitchen duty. Meaning they have to prepare the meals," answered Calem. "And uh, some kids are better than others."
"Yeah and the ones cooking today are shit," added Hilbert.
"Calem," said Kiawe. The four boys turned their heads up to Kiawe, since he was standing behind Hilbert. "Gordie and I are heading out. We'll be at the table."
"Alright. We'll join you in a bit."
Kiawe nodded and he and Gordie, who was behind him, left the large tent serving as the cafeteria. Calem and Hilbert returned to eating, but Hugh looked at them oddly.
"We have to tell you where we go?" he asked.
"Don't have to. But it helps me out," responded Calem between bites.
"What do you mean?" asked Elio.
"As cabin leader, I'm responsible for everyone in the cabin. That can include knowing where you guys are."
"He also gets pop quizzes about you guys," added Hilbert. "So be good for his sake, alright?"
Hilbert, Calem, and Elio chuckled, but Hugh stayed straight face.
"Hey, lighten up, man," said Hilbert when he noticed Hugh's stare.
"I'm not going to tell you my every fucking movement."
Without saying anything more and without waiting for Calem or anyone to respond, Hugh stood up and left. Some girls sitting at the next table laughed. Calem ignored them but angrily took a bite of his food. Hilbert slid Hugh's plate towards him.
"You're gonna eat that?" asked Calem.
"Yeah. It's free food."
"I guess..."
"What was that about?" asked Leaf. She spoke loudly enough for the girls around her could hear, but the boys she was talking about couldn't.
"Just ignore them," said Serena. "So, how has that new girl been so far?"
"Dawn? She's fine, I guess. Hasn't really talked to any of us much."
"How come you couldn't get one of those other girls?," said another girl. "Like that girl with green hair."
"Why her?" asked Leaf.
"She looked way more fun the one we got. Bet she was probably as active as me."
"You just want a rival don't you, Nemona?"
"Maybe..." said Nemona with a chuckle.
"They all looked annoying. I'd rather have someone who barely talks than someone who talks my head off," said Serena. "Where even is Dawn?"
"I t hink she just grabbed an apple then went back to the cabin," said Leaf.
"And you were going to tell me this, when?"
"S-sorry. I expected her to tell you herself."
"She's been here less than two hours. How would she know she had to tell me, without you telling her beforehand?"
Leaf said nothing. Only looked down at her food and ate.
"Guess I'll have to talk to her later then. Great..."
All the girls around Serena kept quiet. They only spoke up again when Serena had finished eating and told them to meet her back in the cabin when they were done.
"You sure he's in there?" asked Calem. He and Kiawe stood outside their cabin. They also spoke in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, he is. We saw him go in. He's alone."
"Good. Make sure no one comes in."
"Got it," Kiawe said as Calem entered the cabin. Once the door closed, Kiawe looked away. Ready to stop anyone who wanted to go in.
Calem closed the door softly and scanned the room. At the far end of the cabin was Hugh. He was on his bed, his head pointed to Calem.
"Yo, Hugh."
Hugh sat up and turned to Calem. Surprised at his presence. He didn't hear the door open.
"What?"
"Just wanted to talk about earlier at lunch."
"What about?" asked Hugh, his stoic face returning. Calem stepped forward to get a comfortable distance between the two. Being closer, Hugh noticed the height difference Calem had on him.
"I felt like it wasn't a great introduction. I mean, obviously it wasn't the first time we met. So it wasn't like our actual introduction. But, y'know."
Unsure of what to say, Hugh only stared at Calem.
"Look, sorry about lunch. Should've told you ahead about the shit I have to do as leader," Calem held his hand out for Hugh to shake it. After a few seconds of staring, Hugh shook Calem's hand.
"It's fine. I guess," he said. They quickly let go of each other's hands and stood in silence for a few seconds.
"Now that that's done. Just tell me next time what you plan on doing. Alright?"
"What?" Hugh asked as he took a step back.
"Look, how the group system works here is I have to know where everyone is sometimes. If I do bad as a leader than we could all get punished."
"Well too bad. I don't have to tell you-"
Before Hugh could finish his sentence, Calem pressed his forearm into Hugh's chest and shoved him to the back wall. Hugh's head almost hitting a window frame. Once he was pinned, Calem moved his arm into his throat.
"Listen. I don't care what you want. When I tell you to do something, you fucking do it. Got it?"
Hugh brought his hands up to pry Calem's off him. However, his attempts were futile. With each passing second he felt it harder and harder to breathe.
"I'm not gonna let some dumb ass kid like you undermine me in front of everyone. You ever do that again and I'll fucking beat your ass. You got that?" Calem asked again. Hugh had given up trying to pull Calem off him and instead smacked his arm in hopes of him letting go.
Hugh's face was also changing color fast. As much as he wanted to say yes, to get Calem to stop, he couldn't. Nodding was the only way to show he understood. Lucky for him, Calem accepted it.
When Calem's arm was no longer suffocating him, Hugh dropped to his knees clutching his throat. Calem stared down at him for a few seconds before turning away.
Once Calem was gone, and the cabin door was closed, Hugh spoke up in a raspy voice.
"Fucking...dick..."
Been wanting to release this back in October but took forever to finish this chapter.
~~~Sikoh