Dylan
It was their last bonfire night before the kids were due to arrive. He had planned to stay in his cabin and get high. It might be his last chance, but Ryan convinced him to join.
Emma and Abi go off to find sticks to roast marshmallows. Abi wasn't that into s'mores but she did love a perfectly roasted marshmallow. There was something so satisfying sticking it into the fire and watching the blue/orange flame.
Emma found a seat, watching Ryan and Dylan debated the proper amount of char on the outside of a marshmallow. She wished they'd make a move on each other already, it's like watching two touch starved lovers. They were just as hopeless as Nick and Abi. She'd get both paired up by the end of camp, even if it killed her. Ok maybe that was a little extreme.
Dylan pulls his stick out of the fire. His marshmallow is on fire. He blows on it dramatically to put it out. It's almost completely charred. "Want me to make you one?" He asked Ryan.
"No, thanks. You kinda killed it."
"What? Killed it? Are you kidding. I did it on purpose."
"You burnt it to a crisp on purpose?"
"Absolutely."
"I do not want a burnt marshmallow."
"Maybe if we had better wood, I wouldn't have to bend so close to the flame."
"Here, hand me your stick." Dylan hesitates. "What, you don't trust me?"
"I am very particular about my sticks." He lets out a sigh and hands it to Ryan.
Ryan reaches for the bag of marshmallows and spears it on the pointy end of the stick. He gently holds it over the fire, rotating the stick, the marshmallow turning a light golden brown.
"Good technique."
"Ok, story time." Ryan clasps his hands together. Everyone groans except for Dylan. "Did you know that Hackett's Quarry is supposedly haunted?"
"Like, every summer camp is either haunted or stalked by a serial killer?"
"Can I just tell the story, Dylan? Ok, so, North Kill used to be an old mining town."
"It did?"
"That's why it's called a quarry, Jacob." Emma rolled her eyes.
"Dude, I know what a quarry is."
Ryan gave a frustrated sigh before continuing.
"Before that it belonged to Linne Lenape. An indigenous tribe. Before the Hackett's claimed it. There was this brutal massacre, mostly the Lenape women and children were killed. And to get revenge the surviving Lenape put a curse on the land. Every since tragedy has befallen the town, some say since then, the whole land is cursed, not just the Quarry.
The mine had to be shut down in the 1920's. Some people thought it was because they were losing money. Some believe it was due to a mining accident. Septimus Hackett who owned the mines, claimed it too dangerous to retrieve the bodies, so he flooded it into the lake. Then in the 1940's there was a series of strange animal maulings and unexplained drownings. During the war most of the town's people vanished."
"I wonder why. With so many bad tragedies who would leave, and the town was failing, what's new?" Dylan tried to play it off but he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
"Can you just let me finish? When the husbands and brother, and sons came home from the war, they found their wives and some of the children gone. No one knew where or why. There was rotting food left on the tables and laundry still hanging on the clothes lines. It was like they all just up and left. The story goes they simply walked into the lake never to be heard from again. Then in the 1950's the tragedies seemed to stop. That's when the Hackett's opened the summer camp, to keep business going. But to this day, you can hear whispers of the dead, and if you're not careful, they can influence you, like lure you into the woods or the lake to drown you."
"I call bullshit." Jacob said.
"I don't know Jacob. Some legends are based on truth." Emma responded sarcastically but Jacob being Jacob didn't catch on.
"All I'm saying is, people drown or get lost in the woods all the time. There are also bears in these woods. People before the 1900's probably never seen one right?"
"No one here has ever seen an actual bear Jacob but we all know what one is." Dylan remarked.
"Anyway, that's what camp's all about it you ask me. Supposedly haunted cabins and having to run through the woods at night to pee. Any of you guys afraid of ghosts?"
"What's more scary is your mom." Kaitlyn jokes.
"Ouch. But so true." Ryan didn't let it be a sore subject for him anymore. It's not like Kaitlyn knew.
"Ghosts can be pretty scary." Dylan interjected.
"You don't seriously believe in that stuff do you?" Kaitlyn asks in disbelief. She'd thought he'd be cynical for some reason.
"I'm a bit of an agnostic. I like to keep an open mind. Tell that one about that old woman again."
"Ugh. No more ghost stories for me. I'm leaving." Kaitlyn got up, leaving back toward the path of the lodge. Everyone starts to follow after her till only him and Ryan are left.
"So..."
"Soooo..." Ryan says smoothy with his deep, beautiful voice of his. "Looks like we're the clean up crew."
"Yeah. I guess so."
Dylan is dreaming.
At least he thinks he is. People don't know when they're dreaming, do they? He could just be in REM sleep right now. A lot of people see freaky shit during it. Also sleep paralysis was a thing.
A woman was standing next to his bed. Dylan. She reaches out toward him.
"Ah, fuck!" He moves away from her, (at least he can move, not sleep paralysis then) backing toward the wall of his bunk.
Good survival instincts Dylan.
He looks around the room to see if his sudden outburst had woken up Nick. But his bunk was empty. That's weird. He looks back at her but she is gone.
She sees her outside the window, turning away from him, her blue dress, flowing behind her. Or was it the blue hue, not quite from the moon, but the whole world around him seemed to take on that color. It was like he was in the upside down or something. Which according to scientists could theoretically exist.
She was wearing his mother's favorite blue dress.
"Wait," He runs out of the cabin, neglecting to put on shoes.
He stops. This must be a dream because he can't feel the dirt and rocks and sticks, that would have been hurting his feet right now.
He heard her voice again.
"Dylan. My sweet boy. " A younger him, about Izzy's age, is dancing with the blonde woman. His giggling makes her laugh. He can't see her face with her hair blocking it but he knows it's her.
He's back in bed now. He can feel her hand on his hair.
He didn't want this to be a dream. He wanted it to be real.
Maybe if he doesn't open his eye's she'll stay. He feels her pull away. Please, stay.
He opens his eyes tears running down his cheeks. He wipes them away. He can hear Nick's loud snoring.
Dylan.
It was a different voice. It's raspy.
This time he slipped on his vans. Deciding to follow it.
He didn't know where he was walking to until he ended up at the lodge. Why the fuck not? I'm already here.
This way.
It sounded like it was coming from inside Mr. H's office now.
Maybe he was still dreaming?
He tried the doorknob. The door creaked open.
Here.
Here, was a gun mounted on the wall.
Take it.
Take it and what?
Someone's coming.
But it was too late to leave or hide. The light came on.
"Dylan, what are you doing in my office?"
He blinked as if trying to clear the fogginess of his brain. "Wha...I don't...actually know.." He actually didn't know. The fog was still there.
He couldn't tell M H he had a bad dream. He's almost nineteen years old for crying out loud. It had been about his mom. That much he could recall.
"You got a good reason for breaking into my office?"
"I...wasn't breaking in..the door was open. I think I was sleepwalking?"
"Relax. I'm just messing with ya."
"I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Are you sure it can't wait till morning?"
Dylan shakes his head.
"Alright. Since I'm already up..." They both sit down at his desk. "What's on your mind DJ Dylan?"
"I wanted to ask you for some advice...Since Ryan's always asking you I figured...I was wondering, since I'm a little rusty, since this is my first time being a counselor...and I wasn't here last year..."
"You were helping taking care of your mother. I respect that. How is she by the way?"
"She's...great. She's fine now." Wherever she was, she wasn't feeling any pain anymore. "I wanted to ask you...How do I give off good camp counselor vibes, or be a great camp counselor all around?" The kids were arriving tomorrow and it made him nervous. Maybe the mounting pressure had caused the nightmare. Izzy would be arriving with them. That set him at ease a bit. " Handling Izzy is one thing..."
"Don't even try! Kids can tell when you're trying very hard to belong . Just be yourself."
People did not like Dylan Dylan. They like blase Dylan. He was afraid of rejection. His own father had rejected him.
And the one person that he felt that had truly accepted him was gone.
"You're not an entertainer; not counting the announcements. You have a program of activities you are responsible for , making sure all of them are reminded of having fun doesn't mean foregoing caution in following rules. You are imparting a value. The value is to strike a balance between fun and compliance with rules. If you make a mistake, quickly turn it into a lesson. The kids won't say it but it will be felt. When they make a mistake, ensure no one laughs too much to the point it sounds like shaming. Don't even name the person who made the mistake but address the mistake as a lesson for correction. When you do that, you will be able to tell you're accepted by them as being cool. "
"Right." Dylan could see why Ryan looked up to him. He always seemed to have good advice.
"Are you sure that's all you wanted to talk about?"
"Yep. Mmm hmm." He knew Chris wasn't buying it.
Abigail
Abi
I hear someone whisper my name.
I blink my eyes. At first it's dark. I don't know where I am. Not in my bed. I'm standing up.
My muscles seize and I freeze. I'm standing in a few inches of water.
The lake.
I'm wet and I'm cold.
This isn't a dream. This is real.
A few steps backwards and I fall backwards into the sand. I get to my feet somehow. I'm barefoot. Wearing my t-shirt and sleep shorts. No flashlight. No lighter. And no idea how to get back to the cabins.
Which way was the path?
I had no idea.
Then the hair on the back of my stand up. I'm not alone. Someone's out here. I sense someone coming towards me.
This way.
I follow it and I'm back on the path.
I hear a snap of twigs.
"Who's...who's there. " I hear a rustling sound and breathing. Ghosts don't breath. A bright light shines in my face. I block it and stumble backwards.
"Abi?" There's a voice behind the beam of light.
"Dylan?"
"Yeah. It's me. Nice night, huh? Are you hurt?"
"I..don't think so." He pulls me to my feet. He leads me through the fog, the beam of his flashlight barley making a difference but we somehow make it back. His grip strong on me. I feel relief as I feel wooden planks under my feet.
We don't head back to the cabins. We head to the pool-house. I hear a jingle of keys.
"Where'd you get those?" Were those Mr H's keys? How?
"I'll put 'em back before he notices. I thought you might want to clean up, dry off a little before I walk you back."
He hands me a towel from one of the lockers.
"Thanks."
He waits for me outside while I take a shower. While my clothes dry, draped over the space heater.
"What were you doing out there?" I ask him.
"I could ask you the same thing." He doesn't wait for an answer and I'm relieved. It gives me enough time to come up with something. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping. I saw you leave your cabin and called after you but you didn't answer, so I followed you. You had this look on your face like you were sleepwalking. Do you?"
"Not really. I don't think I was asleep. I just get lost inside my head sometimes. Total space case. That's me."
"Ab..."
"Can we just go already? Before I freeze my butt off again."
"Well if you do get lost again, I'll be there to find you."
I sit against the giant tree, doodling in my notebook. It's stiffing hot today and I'm sweating even in the shade. I'm waiting for the others to go down to the van. Mr H gave us permission to use it.
Today was our day off, before the kids arrive and we were going into town for lunch. A seafood place.
I jump when I hear the van's horn in the distance.
I cram my notebook into my bag and hurry across the lawn, over the footbridge, to where Jacob had parked the van. Jacob is in the drivers seat. Kaitlyn is sitting shotgun.
Ryan is in the way back next to Dylan, who gives me a worried look. I give him my brightest smile to prove I'm ok. He deserves to enjoy his day off without worrying about me.
Emma and Nick are in the middle seat. There's enough space in between them, where I can squeeze in. I know that it was intentional.
She gives a not so subtle wink and pats the seat, "Abi, right here."
'Hey" Nick says as I slid in beside him. "You get any sleep?"
"Yeah." I say.
It takes about twenty minutes to get into town. We pass several mom and pop stores on the way. Just like back home.
"Has anyone ever had lobster before?" Nick asks as they exit the van.
"Yeah, my dad has a red lobster like five minutes from his apartment." Emma says.
Nick laughs and it hits me how much I love it. "Trust me. That's not the same thing."
We place our orders and grab a number for our table. We sit at a picnic table with an umbrella, facing the water.
"Damn, this place is like a fucking Bob Ross painting." I didn't think Emma knew who Bob Ross actually was.
Ryan and Dylan are goofing around, telling jokes, with wide smiles, wearing sunglasses. Dylan is wearing a blue and pink Hawaiian shirt with white palm trees, a stark contrast to Ryan's rolled sleeve tank-top. Dylan looks happy. I wonder what will happen to them after seven weeks but I put that thought out of my head.
I don't want to think what happens to any of us when this ends. Not yet.
Today is for living in the moment.
Dylan
That night he retired to the cabin early, while everyone else was still at the mess. There came a knock on the door.
He shouldn't have said, come in. Force of habit.
"Dylan about last night, I couldn't help but think that there was something else on your mind. If you want to talk about it..." He saw the bag as Dylan tried to hide it. His movement's were too slow and Chris snatched it from him.
"What the hell man?"
"I have half a mind to call your parents, or just send you home. But you're an adult. You're supposed to be responsible Dylan. Drugs are a serious deal..."
"Relax man. It's just pot."
"Jesus, were you high last night?"
"No. I swear I wasn't..."
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose and sighs.
"Just don't do that around the kids."
"I wasn't planning on it."
Chris gave him a stern look. "Do we have a deal?"
"No problamo. Mr H."
"You know I believe in second chances. But I can't help you, if you sabotage yourself." After a moment he gave a sigh. "Get to bed, alright?
He had disappointed Chris. Just as well then. He didn't need a father figure. A real one had been one too many.
The alarm blares and he wakes with a start. The sun is already so bright, even through the curtains. He rolls over, burying his face into the pillow.
"you're hungover." Nick says, it's more of a statement than a question. "Hey, buck up. It's K-day."
Fuck. He folds it around his head, over his ears momentarily, before tossing it aside.
The kids are arriving in the early afternoon and there's still a shit ton to do and make sure the cabins look presentable.
He quickly throws on some clothes and then heads on over the radio hut.
At the same time, Kaitlyn and Ryan are leaving their cabins.
"Hey, Kaitlyn!" He calls her over and falls in step beside him.
"Hey."
"I think I remember you. You kind of look familiar." He says with a lazy smile on his face.
She highly doubts it and thinks he's just trying to be polite. She only went to camp for one summer as an awkward eleven year old, trying to hide her hips, boobs and braces.
She had a chance to prove that she wasn't just some hick from Rhode Island, who liked shooting guns and went fishing and hunting with her dad. She lived in New York City now, got her hair done in SoHo. Visited her cousins in Chinatown.
"What section are you in?" She asks.
"Juniors. "
"Seniors but got stuck with a few juniors. I'm in Bunk seven. I was supposed to bunk with this girl who didn't show up, but they put me with Nurse Kelly."
"Nurse Kelly's pretty cool. If they give you any trouble I know how to handle it. So don't worry about it. I'm an expert. A specialists actually. I'm in bunk five. But I'm the sailing instructor. "
She was picturing him in tight fitting clothing already, or what he'd look like without a shirt.
A voice comes over the loud speaker. It's Dylan.
"Attention all counselors. Attention all counselors. It is now the beginning of breakfast washup. After that our lovely campers should be arriving. We got a busy day ahead of us, so head on down to the kitchen...I mean mess hall, uh, thanks..."
There's a loud ringing and a sound of something falling. "Oops. Sorry."
Kaitlyn and Ryan both wince. The ringing stops.
"Am I imagining it or does he sound high?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I hope not?" Ryan laughs, a little amused. It's more of a snicker.
"He sleeps in my bunk." Nick came walking over to them. And I'm pretty sure he sleep walks. I heard him wondering around the cabin in the middle of night the other night."
"It's surprising you can hear anything over that snoring." Kaitlyn remarks.
Kaylee, as senior counselor, leads the girls to the showers.
Breakfast is rushed as everyone wolfs down pancakes and oatmeal and mumbling about bratty campers whose parents who asked for their kid's stuff to be delivered and put away before their arrival.
"I'm not a freakin maid." Emma scoffed.
"If the juniors were left with putting their stuff away, they would make a total mess of it." Abi said.
Kaylee pulls out a massive cardboard box filled with finishing touches for their cabin. She grabs a homemade chore wheel she made with her messy handwriting, filled in with the campers names and various cleaning tasks.
"Hang this on the door, yeah?" She hands it to Abi and she tacks it to the bulletin board near the entrance.
"What's next?"
She walks around the room, stopping at each bed to make sure all the dressers are stable, that each of the campers will have enough space for their towels and linens and that there aren't any cobwebs hiding in the corners.
"Make sure the right sheets go with the right names. And that the clothes go into the right cubby. "She checks off things on her clipboard before she leaves, without giving a second glance back at them.
"What's her story?" Dylan asked. They had hardly noticed that he has slipped in but the girls didn't seem to care. Kaitlyn wasn't supposed to be there either.
"Let's just say, I lucked out."
"Emma!" Abi gasps.
"I did. Dylan here seems totally normal and Kaylee is well...a little freaky...both her and her brother. They're like extremely quiet. Reminds me of my freaky twin sisters. Like they got this whole telepathy thing...she acts like a total goody-goody when she's in charge."
"What constitutes as normal exactly? Is there such a thing?" He asks.
"There definitely is. And she definitely is not."
In the cardboard box were sheets for each camper. Most of them were Disney princesses. One was Paw patrol.
"How cute are these?" Emma sequels with excitement.
"I love Star Wars." Abi says, taking out the sheets with the millineum falcon on them. Once the beds are ready, pillows fluffed and welcome mats set out, there was a knock on the door.
Mr Hackett is standing in the door-frame.
"Fifteen minutes before show time."
"On it M H." Emma says.
"Dylan, what are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be heading to the radio hut." Dylan looks confused.
"Announcements."
"Oh right. I...forgot...I'll just go..." He turns to leave.
"Kaitlyn, you too. Chop. Chop. " She exits behind Dylan. "Stick to your assigned bunks. No splitting up. And no boys in the girls cabins."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about Mr H. Us girls are completely safe with Dylan around." Emma said but it seems to have gone over his head.
Mr H gives an annoyed look before he leaves. Abi didn't hear her comment, too busy struggling with a corner of a fitted sheet. "Dang it. Whoever invented these are just as bad as the guy who invented high heels."
"Abi, just leave it. Let's go." Emma ushers her out the door.
Ryan
The loud speaker erupts overhead. "K-day. K-day. Ten minute warning!" Dylan calls out, a gleeful lilt in his voice "I repeat, ten minute warning. Guard your posts, Hacketeers."
My head feels light and a flutter fills my stomach. There's something about it that makes things calm and relaxing and fun. He was the perfect choice for making announcements. That isn't all that has me excited.
I love the first day of camp. It's full of possibilities. And I was no longer a counselor in training like last year. It was going to be a whole new experience.
I pull on my off-white Hackett's Quarry counselors t-shirt and roll up the sleeves. I rush out the door toward the gates where all the counselors are lining up and head over to Kaylee, who's unraveling a big ass banner, that says
Welcome Hacketter's.
"Oh here. Let me help you with that." I take the other end to hold it up.
"Not bad, huh?" She marvels over her awful handwriting.
"It's basically chicken scratch." I tease. "But I doubt the kids are going to mind it. " Half of them could write well themselves.
The buses appear between the trees.
"Alright. Are you ready, Hacketeer's. We have campers to great!" Came Mr H's enthusiastic voice. "Can you Hackett?"
"Yes, we can!" The counselors cheer back, fists pumping in the air.
Kids pour out of the busses. It's so easy to tell who's a new eight year old and needs hand holding and who's fifteen, ready to be reunited with friends they missed during the school year. There are shrieks of excitement and laughter, and awkward stumbles over giant duffel bags.
Abi helps a little girl with blond braids down the steps of the bus.
The little girl trips over one of the bags. "Ouchie."
"Oh my gosh. Are you ok?" Abi exclaimed.
She's helped to her feet and looks almost as if she's about to cry. She clenches the stuffed rabbit she had been holding. Miraculously she hadn't dropped it.
"I'm ok." She brushes off her hands and knees.
"Are you sure you're not hurt?" The girl holds out the palms of her hands. No scratches, just an indentation from one of the gravel rocks. Mr H hovers, worried. "She's ok Mr H."
We gather the campers to meet in the lodge to assign them to their cabins.
Everyone is waiting for the next instructions. Campers eagirly waiting to be assigned their cabins, hoping to bunk with their friends and new friends they made.
Emma, Kaitlyn and Abi were sitting at a table together. Nick was chatting with them. He made his way over. Abi and Emma started arguing.
"If you don't want to go star gazing, why didn't you tell me, Emma? You'd rather be curled up in bed with your arms around Jacob..."
"I never said I didn't want to. I said I might be interested. "
"I bet you don't even know how to use a telescope." They all suddenly stop and notice his presence.
"Can we help you? Or is there a reason for you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Emma asks. She seems annoyed but a smile tugs at her lips.
"Can I see your telescope?"
"Uh..." Kaitlyn looks up from her phone. Confused on weather he's legit asking. He sounds like he's joking. He's been making dirty jokes all week.
"You're interested in telescopes?" Abi perked up with interest.
"Abi, I don't think he was asking..."
"Yeah. I did a science fair project one year. How the constellations move and stuff."
"There might be a comet tonight! Since Emma will be busy with something else...maybe you can join me. It's when the constellations are supposed to be the brightest." Abi said enthusiastically.
"Sweet. Cool." He hoped he didn't sound too much of a nerd.
"That's pretty awesome." Nick says.
"Hey, Nick, if you're sharing a cabin with Jacob, you can tell us everything you know about him!" Emma squealed, seeing Jacob across from her at the other table, but far enough away to not hear her.
"Sorry. I'm bunking with this guy. " He points at Dylan. "Even if I were, I'm not sure I would tell you girls anything."
"Good luck putting up with his dick jokes. Although I guess they're no worse than Jacob's." Kaitlyn said. "Now thinking about it, I may regret it. Eh. Moment's gone. " She shrugs her shoulders and turns to Nick. "Sorry you got stuck doing sports duty with Jacob."
"I don't mind. My whole family is a little sports nuts. We're big on football, you call it soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and Rugby."
"Rugby?" Abi asked. "That's a little intense."
"I'm more of a volleyball gal myself." Emma said. "Though my school does have a lacrosse team."
"See, you're halfway there. We love intense. Intense is right up our alley. Have you ever played rugby? It's just so satisfying. What about you?" He asks Dylan.
"I'm not really a sports guy. So...Australia, huh? That's exotic..."
"You know, it's whatever man." Nick thought he was maybe hitting on him and it was a bit awkward. Kaitlyn did warn him that he flirted with everyone. "My dad's here on a work visa. He thought sending me to camp would help me...relax, before I start my baseball career."
"And that's not something you'd want to do?"
"Things at home can be tough. With my sister and everything. "
"I get that." Why was talking to a complete stranger easier than talking to Ryan?
"Mum's teaching in Scotland this summer."
"That's very interesting Nick." Abi felt awkward as soon as she said it. He barley said two words to her or acknowledged her. What was the point?
A sound of a glass being tapped interrupts. Thank God. It saved it from further embarrassment.
Jacob is standing at the podium with a glass and fork. "Everyone quiet please. I'm supposed to assign the campers to their cabins. And I don't want to take all day. We have a whole night full of fun and games ahead of us. Mr. Hackett's going to collect your phones." All the campers and counselors groan. "I know, super lame idea but we don't want that to get in the way of our fun right? Now so...I'm going to read off your names and when I do, I want you to go sit at the table I point to, ok Ok!Let's go Hacketter's!"
"Well I hope he doesn't take all day about it. We have a whole night of fun and games ahead of us." Dylan's comment makes Kaitlyn laugh, even Emma smiles.
Good. This is easy. They like you. I won't be a loser this year.
They must be laughing too loud because Mr H shushes them. "I think he wants us to be quiet so that we can understand the subtle nuances of Jacob's instructions."
Abi snickers holding her side.
"Phones now, please." Mr. Hackett's voice calls, scolding.
"Uh, I hate my life." Kaitlyn tosses it into the box being passes around with all the others. "What's up with you and telescopes, dude?" Kaitlyn asks Dylan. He merely shrugs.
"No dick joke for that one?"
"I'll think of something...no wait, I got nothing."
"Total missed opportunity. Keep it together."
"It's not my fault. You cramp my style."
"Well, excuse you."
Dylan and Nick are called to their table of campers.
"I like him." Emma says.
"Nick?" Abi's trying not to sound disappointed.
"Dylan. I say we keep him."
"Ugh. You can keep him. " Kaitlyn says in disgust. Although she cannot deny that his humor is infectious and charming. "Won't that make Jacob jealous?"
"Trust me, Jacob has absolutely nothing to worry about." Kaitlyn raises an eyebrow. "Your gay dar must be broken. Because mine is working just fine."