I own nothing, etc.

Allison Renee Carter was ready to hit the ground running.

She still couldn't believe she'd talked her mom into letting her come to this summer camp. Mom, an Air Force Colonel in charge of research and development at a top secret base in Nevada, ran a tight ship, keeping her daughter close by so she could look out for her. For the most part, Allie loved being around her. But it was summer, and she was dying to roam free (well, mostly anyway) in the woods. Her single working mother just couldn't take her out often enough, which meant Allie normally spent her summers with babysitters and a succession of local week-long camps.

Help had come unexpectedly from her Aunt Janet, who had suggested the camp on her last visit. Aunt Janet was also a single mom in the Air Force, and she'd pretty well figured out the best options for keeping a child safe and active while their parent worked. Mom, of course, researched the place thoroughly before reluctantly agreeing to the plan.

This was the first time the eleven year old girl had gone this far from home all by herself. She had to admit that she was nervous, but this camp in Colorado already looked amazing. The lake near the mess hall was calling her name, and the woman welcoming the huge crowd of girls had mentioned the large number of hiking trails around them. Allie smiled. This is going to be the best summer.

She turned her attention to the large pile of luggage next to the bus that had brought her here. "Looks like we're gonna have to dig for our bags," she remarked to Brooke, the girl she'd sat next to on the way there.

Brooke's brown eyes were wide as she stared at the pile. "Yeah. Not going to be fun."

Allie nodded and walked up to the pile. No point standing around. She began searching for the large pink suitcase her Aunt Vala had given her. Allie herself wasn't a big fan of the color, but she had to admit that it did make her luggage easy to locate.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for her and Brooke to find their things, and they were able to make their way over to the check-in tables. There they had to separate, as the tables were divided into different sections of the alphabet.

At the A-C table, Allie smiled at the cheerful counselor.

"Well, hi, there!" the young woman beamed. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Allison Carter," Allie answered promptly. "But everyone calls me Allie."

"Alright, Allie," the woman, who's name tag read "Joanna," replied as she looked up the name. "You're going to be in Cabin 18."

As she pulled out a map to show Allie where said cabin was, another counselor, older and less cheerful, walked over. "Jo, do you have an extra couple of pens? I swear these girls eat them - they disappear so fast."

Joanna laughed as she obligingly reached below the table for more pens, but the older woman suddenly squinted, looking right at Allie. "Didn't I check you in a few minutes ago?"

Puzzled, Allie shook her head. "No, ma'am," she said.

The woman raised a brow. "Well, if I didn't, you've got a doppelganger walking around here."

Allie raised her eyebrows. "A what?" She'd learned a lot of words from spelling bees over the years, but she didn't recall this one.

"Someone who looks just like you," the woman responded. She was interrupted by Joanna handing her a couple of pens.

"Well, this girl's a Carter," Joanna stated with a grin. "She's on my team this summer."

Allie grinned back, and the older woman backed off a bit with a shrug of the shoulders. "Alright, then," she said. "I better get on back down to my team. We're going to beat you this year, Joanna."

"You can try!" was the upbeat response as the older woman walked away.

Allie watched her go for a moment before looking back at Joanna. "What did she mean about beating you?"

Joanna's eyes twinkled with mischief. "We compete as teams in different games each summer. My team won last year, and I think we'll be able to do it again this time."

Competition? Allie was always ready to win. "That sounds awesome!"

"It'll be fun!" Joanna agreed. "Now, why don't you head on down to your cabin and get settled in? We'll have a big meeting after supper in a couple of hours, and you'll want to meet your cabin mates."

Allie nodded. She was a little tired, and thought it would be good to sit down.

Cabin 18 wasn't hard to find, but it was a long walk. To Allie's surprise, Brooke was there when she arrived.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Allie chirped, pleased.

Brooke nodded eagerly. "Me, too! When they said we were breaking off into teams, I didn't know if I'd get to bunk with you or not."

"I wanted to bunk with you," Allie admitted before chuckling a bit. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I still know you better than anyone else here!"

Brooke laughed, too, and they made their way inside, quick to snag a good bunk bed. Looking around the room, Allie was shocked to see a suitcase that looked just like hers.

"Holy Hannah!" she breathed. "I didn't think anyone else here would have anything in this bright shade."

"Trust me," a voice called out from the bathroom where the door had just opened. "That color was not my idea."

Allie turned to look at this new girl - and froze.

Ah - there's my doppelganger.