Episode 25: Camp Angela
Angela POV
One Year Ago
Okay... Okay... This is a new year. That means there's gonna be some new changes. New people to meet. Opportunities to make friends. And the chance to make my mark. ...And make sure Chelsea stays out of trouble...again.
*sigh*
RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!
At the sound of the bell ringing the teacher stood up from her desk. In front of her stood a large stack of papers. From left to right my eyes turned to the rest of the students. Most held onto their pencils, some kept fidgeting with every passing second, some started sweating, and some even started chattering their teeth. My eyes soften at most of them. The beginning of the school year and already, pressure started seething in. Although...turning my head to the right there was one person that didn't look all too worried.
The guy was tanned-skinned with short dark-brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a maroon jacket over a light red shirt, dark-brown jeans, brown shoes, and a brown belt. The guy laid back in his chair while crossing his arms and showing off a smug expression. His eyes darted over to the others, though they were mostly aimed at girls. His smug expression grew, giving the girls and even me a wink. The girls blushed and sighed, looking at him with dreamy expressions. I...just looked away. Ugh... Don't know the guy, but I already dislike him.
"Okay, Freshman. Today we are going to go over a selection of words and putting them into sentences." The teacher said. She stood up from her chair and picked up the stacks of papers. Walking over to us she began passing out the papers and putting them onto our desks. "I don't care what sentences you make, so long as they are appropriate and short. You all have until the end of class to complete this. No cheating and no copying from others. Understood?" She added.
"Yes, ma'am." We all replied.
Passing out the last paper, the teacher walked back to her desk, but right when she was about to take her seat-
*DOOR VIOLENTLY OPENING*
Our classroom door got opened up, making me jump and turn to alongside everyone else.
"Teacher! A goth and two cheerleaders are fighting in the hallway!" The student said frantically.
A goth...? No... Dammit, Chelsea! One day! ONE DAY WITHOUT CAUSING TROUBLE! IS THAT REALLY TOO MUCH TO ASK!?
Getting up from my seat I locked my eyes onto the door and my body started moving on it's own. Passing by the student I increased my momentum and made my way down the halls. Taking a left turn I slowly decreased my momentum as my eyes took notice of the event up ahead.
My sister reeled her arm back and threw it at one of the cheerleaders, knocking them out. She then rapidly turned her head toward the other cheerleader. The other cheerleader turned around and attempted to run off, but Chelsea reached out her arm and grabbed onto the cheerleader's ponytail. Pulling it back the cheerleader spun around just before Chelsea threw a fist at her, knocking her to the floor.
"CHELSEA!" I yelled, coming to a complete stop.
Hearing my voice she turned her head and looked at me. Her chest rose up and down, staring at me with an intense glare. I saw large red marks on her face. My attention shifted from her to the unconscious girls on the tiles. Glaring at my sister I marched right up to her and grabbed her arm while walking away from the area. Getting a good grip on her arm I increased my movement and kept glaring at her while switching back to what was in front of me. Chelsea didn't say a word or showed any resistance. I wasn't too surprised, yet part of me thought she wanted me to do this.
Taking a right turn I found a Women's restroom and burst right in it. Once the door closed I let go of my sister and she walked right over to the last stall before placing her back against the wall.
"Why?" I asked firmly.
Chelsea shrugged. "I needed to blow off some steam." She added.
I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips. Here we go...again. "Okay. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me to keep having these conversations with you? Over and over, and over again?" I asked.
Chelsea turned her head away, "Then stop. Stop lecturing your sister over and over, and over again."
"You think I enjoy doing this!?" I yelled, approaching her. "You think I like baling you out or yelling at you? No! You think mom likes this?! You think dad would be proud of you for acting this way!?"
Chelsea soon pushed herself off of the wall and got dangerously close to my face. "Don't open that book, sis."
I closed my eyes and sighed.
"Just stay out of my business and you won't take a fall." Chelsea said.
I reopened my eyes. "I don't want you getting in trouble. For one day can you please find a different outlet then punching somebody?"
Chelsea groaned and looked away from me. Honestly...I love her, but...how long is this gonna go?
Chelsea then looked back at me, "I won't make any promises. But... I'll try."
I sighed. "Thank you."
*BANGING SOUNDS*
At the echoing roar of the door getting pounded, Chelsea and I turned our eyes to the door.
"Chelsea Park. My office. Now." Principal Owens said on the other side.
My sister and I turned to each other.
"Well...looks like I'm coming home late." Chelsea said.
"I'll talk to mom. Please... Please try to find a better outlet." I replied.
Chelsea shrugged and walked pass me. I watched her go and turned to the sink and mirror. Raising up my hand I placed it onto my face and groaned. I'm not always gonna be there for her.
Suddenly I heard a door open. Turning my head I noticed one of the stalls opening up and a girl with a lot of silver came out. From her widened eyes and slightly opened mouth, she heard everything.
"I'm sorry you heard that." I said to her.
She shook her head. "No. No, it's okay. I mean...it's not, but..." She turned her head away for a moment before turning it back. "I'm Brittney."
I blinked at her. "Angela."
Brittney walked up next to me and brought out a small silver bag. "I think you need a makeover."
I blinked at her again. I just met her and she's offering me a makeover?
"Uh... Thank you, but...I gotta get back to class." I said.
Brittney shook her head. "Not without me doing your hair you're not. Besides, I've been hearing about this guy with green hair. I wanna be his friend, but I don't wanna face him alone. So...we're gonna face him while showing off my work."
Wait... Guy with green hair... Before I could even speak Brittney brought out a comb and some eye-liner.
How did my Freshman Year start out like this?
Present Time
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Groans exited my lips. My eyes fluttered and my vision got blurry. Groaning again I rubbed my eyes and straightened up my back.
*yawn*
Fluttering my eyes my vision started clearing up. Shifting my head I saw that I was in my room. To my left was my bed. Just looking at it was tempting me to crawl under the covers and go back into the realm of dreams. In front of me was my desk and a truck-load of papers on it. I groaned some more, my memory from last night was coming back. Grabbing one of the papers I raised it up to my face.
ANGELA PARK: YOUR NEW CLASS PRESIDENT!
Want to make a change? Want to make a difference? Want peace among the school?
I, Angela Veronica Park, will ensure that happens!
I will ensure that Dewey High School will be a promising school for this and the next generation!
Vote for me and we will make a hopeful future!
My lips slowly stretched. Though this won't be enough to get people to agree, it's a start.
*knock knock*
My body suddenly jumped. Turning my head I looked over to my bedroom door. Getting up from my chair I walked over to it and grabbed the knob. Opening my door I saw my mother on the other side, wearing her police uniform, but had bags over her eyes. Despite that she smiled at me.
"Good morning, honey." She said with a tired voice.
"Good morning, mom." I replied before we embraced.
When we separated her smile vanished as she placed a hand on my cheek. Her eyes glazed at me with worry.
"Up all night again?" Mom asked.
I nodded.
"Honey, you need your rest." She said softly.
I shook my head, "I can't. I've got a lot of stuff to do."
Mom frowned. "Still. You're a growing girl. You and Chelsea."
I sighed. If I wasn't so busy right now then sure, I'll gladly fall onto my pillow and sleep. But...I can't. Not now. Not until everything is done.
"I know, mom." I replied.
"You girls have that trip today. Try and get some rest as much as possible. Even ask Brittney for a lap pillow." Mom said.
My tiredness soon vanished at the mentioning of Brittney. My eyes greatly widened while my cheeks got a bit warmer.
"Mom..." I groaned, turning my head away.
Mom then started chuckling. "C'mon, I know she'll help you as much as possible. Why wouldn't she offer that?"
I moaned.
Mom continued chuckling. "Okay, okay. I'll stop. Make sure to wake up your sister. I'm going to bed."
"Okay." I replied.
Mom then turned her body and walked off. I closed my door and walked back to my desk.
*PING*
Turning my head I spotted my phone on the charger. Picking it up I saw a new message sent to me.
[Brittney]: Morning!
[Me]: Morning...
[Brittney]: I couldn't sleep last night. I'm so excited for the trip! ru?
[Me]: Yeah. Can't wait.
[Brittney]: :) If you're still tired, I'll take good care of you~
[Me]: ...Maybe.
[Brittney]: I'm totes serious.
[Me]: So am I. It's just...
...
...
...
[Brittney]: I get it... But...I don't wanna keep this a secret anymore.
[Me]: Brittney...
[Brittney]: Why should we keep hiding this? I wanna be open with everyone. Including our friends.
...
...
[Me]: I don't know...
[Brittney]: They'll understand. Besides, what about Shep? No-one has a problem with them, so this shouldn't be any different.
...
[Me]: We'll talk more at the trip. I need to get ready.
...
[Brittney]: ...Okay. Promise?
[Me]: Promise. *Kitty Emoji*
[Brittney]: *Giggling Emoji*
Putting my phone down I let out a sigh. Great... It's not that I don't wanna be open about this, it's just... No... Maybe...maybe I should be more open about this. I mean...Kameron is Half-Gem, Lars got powers, Ronaldo is weird, and Shep is...Shep. Would our friends understand? I'm sure they would, but...what if. I shook my head. I promised Brittney. I promised... But... No...I have to keep it. I then groaned and walked out of my room.
For now, I need to go wake up Chelsea. One problem at a time.
Upon the sunny skies up above, me, my friends, and the rest of our class traversed among the road by a large white bus. I sat near the back with the window to my left and Brittney to my right. She showcased a big smile across her face while taking glances at me. Though my attention lied on the window and a collection of trees passing by, I took a few glances at her.
To Brittney's right, Kameron and Lars sat together. Both of them frowned. Kameron crossed his arms while looking out the window while Lars kept looking at his watch. I didn't understand why they didn't want to go on the trip. For Kameron, maybe it was because he'd been around the world and probably been to our upcoming destination many times. For Lars, I wasn't so sure. He probably didn't like mandatory trips.
In front of me and Brittney were Chelsea and Scarlett. I looked through the window and saw Chelsea had her arms crossed and her eye closed. Despite the small bumps the bus was giving off, she didn't move a muscle. Part of me envied her because I wish to get some extra sleep, but I couldn't. The other part was gonna be worrying about her throughout the trip, especially after that jackass cheated on her. From my position I couldn't see Scarlett. I wanted to ask her about her day with Kameron, but that wasn't any of my business and...after what Zac did I didn't want to pry.
In front of Kameron and Lars were Sadie and Ronaldo. Ronaldo just...sat in his seat. Not looking at his phone, talking about anything weird, nothing. He frowned and kept his eyes on the floor. I couldn't see much of Sadie, though from Ronaldo's head shakes, they were talking. My heart started setting off a different rhythm. I didn't want Ronaldo like this. Sure, I consider him to be a big weirdo, but I never wanted him sad. Seeing him for how he is now made me frown. I'll have to talk to him soon. Hopefully to help him return to the happy weirdo he is.
"Okay, class!" Mrs. Cherry announced, making all of us turn our eyes to her. "How about we have a little sing-along?"
Most of the bus groaned at the idea.
"A sing-along? Why, that sounds like fun!" The driver replied before making a turn, shifting us back and forth in our seats.
"Mrs. Cherry, do we have to?" Student#1 whined.
Mrs. Cherry nodded, "It'll lift our spirits up. Besides, who does like to sing every now and then?"
Uh... I wasn't so sure about that. Life isn't a musical. But what was the harm in lifting our spirits?
(Song Start)
Mrs. Cherry started whistling a little before she got the ball rolling.
Mrs. Cherry: We all need a break from modern livin'.
We all need to shed our weary loads.
When your nerves are raw, your brains are fried.
Just grab a friend and take a ride.
Together, upon this open road.
Mrs. Cherry then asked Kameron and Lars to go next.
Kameron: All in all, I rather have detention.
Lars: All in all, I rather eat a toad.
Eww...
Soon the bus started shaking back and forth violently.
Kameron: The driver drives like such a klutz.
Lars: And I'm about to hurl my guts, directly upon this open road.
Mrs. Cherry: There's nothing can upset me, cause we're on our way.
Our eyes and ears will guides us straight and true.
Sadie: Our homes, don't forget us. We will return someday.
Ronaldo: Though we might be in traction when we do.
Scarlett: Me and friends, relaxing at the lake.
Chelsea: This is worse than onion breath and acne.
Brittney: Time to chill and get in rest mode.
Angela: I'm not mad, though others may explode.
Student#1: With where we're going I might cry.
Student#2: You know that's funny, so could I.
Student#1 And Student#2: Just bein' out on this open road.
Mrs. Cherry: It's me and my kiddies, my cutie pioneers.
In our hearts, forever, this venture goes.
Kameron: I wish to call a taxi and get us out of here.
Lars: Maybe somewhere that has a different flow.
Mrs. Cherry: On this day, it's a brand new adventure.
Every mile, another new zip-code.
Scarlett: The fears we have aren't gone for good.
Chelsea: But I'd go with them if I could.
Brittney: I've got no strings on me.
Angela: I'm feeling a little free.
All: It's nice enough to be... on this open road.
(Song End)
Turning my head a small gasp exited my mouth. Right outside the window I noticed a huge collection of trees and coming up was a large wooden sign that said: Camp Pines. The bus started to slow down it's momentum before turning itself into the camp entrance. Up head I spotted another bus and several familiar faces coming off of it. Some made my lips curve upwards, but others made me narrow my eyes.
Our bus soon came to a complete stop. The driver then opened up the doors and Mrs. Cherry stood up from her seat.
"Alright, kids. We're here. Everyone gather your bags and slowly get off. Our special guests will handle the rest." Mrs. Cherry instructed before getting off.
Everyone else started getting up and grabbing their bags from above them. Brittney reached out for my bag as I stood up. I took it as she winked at me and started following the others. I followed after and as I got off the bus I sucked in some air into my nose and exhaled it out of my nose. Turning my head I went toward the others and we all gathered together in front of Mrs. Cherry, another teacher, and four unfamiliar people.
The first was a light-skinned woman with short brunette hair and crimson eyes. She wore a red sleeveless shirt, white short-shorts, and red sneakers. The second was a light-skinned woman with long blonde hair and light-blue eyes. She wore a baby-blue T-shirt with white short-shorts and blue sneakers. The third was a light-skinned woman with...pine-green hair and yellow eyes. She wore a yellow T-shirt and mint short-shorts alongside dark-green sneakers. Lastly, was a tall tanned-skinned man with short brown hair, a shaven goatee and brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless brown shirt, black short-shorts, and brown sneakers.
"HELLO, MY ADORABLE KITTIES! The blonde woman announced. "Welcome to Camp Pines. We're gonna have such a good time together, but before that...I spy with my blue eyes some familiar faces."
The blonde woman then walked up to our group, but planted her eyes onto Kameron, Lars, and Sadie. My cheeks started getting warmer as she lowered her lower body while fluttering her eyes at them.
"Do you recognize me, my cute kittens?" The blonde woman asked, tilting her head.
Kameron, Lars, and Sadie blinked at her and squinted their eyes at her. Slowly, their eyes started expanding.
"Ms. Meow?" Kameron asked.
The blonde woman gasped and her lips stretched upwards. "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow~ You remember me!"
Before anyone could blink Ms. Meow stretched out her arms and pulled Kameron toward her, wrapping him into an embrace. She hummed while shaking her body back and forth, keeping her hold on Kameron.
"My adorable kitty remembers me!~ Oh, it's been so long!" Ms. Meow gushed before planting kisses on his cheek.
"Uh... Yeah...it's good to see you again too." Kameron replied as his cheeks greatly turned red.
Ms. Meow eventually released Kameron and turned her attention onto Lars. Before Lars could even speak, Ms. Meow embraced him and hummed while Lars' eyes were about to pop out of his skull. Soon after she turned her attention to Sadie and picked her up from the ground and started spinning around while keeping her close. Soon enough Ms. Meow put Sadie down and Sadie's pupils spun in her eyes.
"My precious kitties have returned! Oh, this trip is gonna be extra amazing!" Ms. Meow said with pure joy.
*coughing sound*
Hearing somebody adjusting their throat, we all turned our attention to Mrs. Cherry, whom looked at Ms. Meow with narrowed eyes.
"Ms. Meow. I don't think that's very professional of you to show that kind of affection to my kids." Mrs. Cherry said firmly.
Ms. Meow soon narrowed her eyes at Mrs. Cherry and slowly walked up to her. "They're my precious kittens. I haven't seen them in years, and I don't appreciate you ruining our reunion."
Mrs. Cherry scoffed and approached Ms. Meow. "I'm not against you having a reunion. It's how you engage it that bothers me."
"I should be allowed to express myself to those I care about. Besides, you're not their mother. You're their teacher. So, your only job should be supervising your students." Ms. Meow replied dangerously.
Mrs. Cherry slowly glared at the woman and clenched her teeth. "I am aware of that. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't show compassion to my kids. Maybe you should re-educate yourself on proper interactions."
Both women then started growling at each other and I could've sworn I saw electricity spark between their eyes. The tension in the air started getting a bit tense the more people stared at them. Ugh... We seriously just got here and it looks like some time bombs are about to detonate.
"Mrs. Cherry. Ms. Meow." I called, making the teacher and blonde woman look at me. "We just got here and it really shouldn't matter how we should show affection. Kameron, Lars, and Sadie know Ms. Meow. They didn't show any resistance toward her affections and it's very sweet of you to think of us as your kids. Isn't that enough?" I pointed out.
Both the teacher and woman soon turned to everyone around themselves and then to one another. They looked away for a brief moment before turning to me.
"Okay." Ms. Meow said softly.
"You're right." Mrs. Cherry added.
Another person started coughing, making everyone turn to the brunette woman. "Not exactly how I wanted our first introduction to go, but we can make up for that later. Everyone, we'll be assigning you to your cabins. Once you've gotten settled we'll all meet up in the Mess-Hall and discuss our first activity."
With our belongings placed into our selected cabins, we all went straight to the mess hall. Going inside...it didn't look as bad as I thought it would be. There were wooden tables with several cracks on them, but they didn't look too aged. Up above were dangling lamps, though I could see some cobwebs on them. Straight ahead I saw the cook working and wonder what they were making. Well...whatever it is, hopefully it's edible.
Coming up to a nearby table I took a seat. Brittney immediate sat down right next to me and right beside her was Chelsea. In front of me were Kameron, Ronaldo, and Scarlett. To my left I saw Lars sitting with the Cool Kids and far across my right I saw Sadie sitting with Shep. Though...I wished for all of us to sit together, who am I to decide what my friends want to do. Plus...now was my opportunity.
"Ronaldo." I said, gaining his attention. "Are you okay?"
Ronaldo soon turned his eyes onto the wooden table, "I'm fine." He said sadly.
I frowned, but kept going, "Have you discovered anything weird lately?"
Ronaldo shook his head. "No. Everything is normal."
"Ronaldo, You can't be like this forever." Scarlett said softly.
"It doesn't matter." Ronaldo replied sadly. "There's no point in looking into something when there's facts and books. The truth already exists, but not the ones I'm looking for. They don't matter anymore," Ronaldo then looked up at me, "Why would you care anyway?"
My eyes lightly widened. This...wasn't the Ronaldo I know. The guy who constantly talks about weird things all the time. The guy who was passionate about everything weird. The guy who believed in his own discoveries and would create explanations on why they were true. Right in front of me was a completely different person.
"Who are are you? What have you done to my friend?" I asked Ronaldo.
Ronaldo slightly narrowed his eyes and adverted them away from me. Just when I opened my mouth to speak again a collection of claps entered my ears. Almost in complete synchronicity, we all turned our heads to the source. The brunette woman alongside the other people, Mrs. Cherry, and the other teacher stood near the middle of the area. The brunette woman soon halted her clapping and smirked.
"Okay, kitties. Now that we're all here, I'd say introductions are in order. My name is Mandy Meow." The brunette said.
"My name is Catherine Meow." The blonde woman added, curving her wrist like a cat.
"I'm Rachel Meow." The green-haired woman added, pointing at herself.
"And I'm Theodore Meow." The tall man concluded, cracking his neck.
Mandy took a few steps forward, clapping her hands again. "So... To start everything off, we're gonna play a little game."
Right after she said that I immediately raised up my hand, making her spot me and point at me. "What kind of game?" I asked.
Mandy's smirk then shifted into a smile as she curled her finger at me. Getting up from my spot walked over toward her and stopped in my tracks.
"Now, we need another volunteer. Anyone interested?" Mandy said out loud.
The area was then filled with mutters while mostly everyone looked at one another. I wasn't fully sure what kind of game this was, but for the most part it required two people at least.
A hand soon raised itself up, making me and everyone else turn to it. However... when we saw who's hand it was...the area fell silent. The individual raised himself up and smirked while pushing some of his hair back.
"Huh. No matter the game, Kevin Orgullo will ensure his dominance." Kevin said proudly.
Most of the girls started squealing while some guys called his name. Kevin also turned his attention to Zac, pounding his chest with one hand with Zac returning it.
Ugh... Out of everyone here, why him?
Kevin slowly walked up toward me and Mandy, keeping his smug smile up. "Well, well, well. Our paths cross again, Angela."
I scoffed and narrowed my eyes at him. Who the hell did this guy think he was?
"And it's an honor to meet you, Mandy." Kevin said to the older brunette.
Mandy narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on her hip.
"Is something the matter?" Kevin asked.
"My cousins lost their jobs when your father cut the department in half." Mandy said firmly. "You may be a guest on our land, but I will never forgive your family for what you've done."
Kevin merely shrugged, "Eh, not my fault. You wanna be mad, be mad at my old man. I had no involvement in what happened to some commoner firefighters." He added while looking at his hand.
My narrowed eyes slowly shifted into a glare. Just when I thought this guy couldn't get any more douchey. Ugh... It honestly surprises me that he even goes to the same school as the rest of us.
"Well then..." Mandy said before taking a breath. "Angela Park. Kevin Orgullo. You both are now team leaders. Each side with compete in a variety of challenges. At the end of each challenge the counselors and teachers will put a vote on who performed the best. No cheating. No underhanded tactics. No sly moves. And no switching sides. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am." I replied.
"Whatever." Kevin shrugged.
"Watch your mouth, little man." Theodore said, approaching Kevin. "We'll keep an eye on all of you, kids. If any of you break the rules, we're gonna have a long, long talk."
My body started shaking like a leaf at the sight of Theodore near me. I swore he was giving off a dangerous aura. Kevin merely gulped with sweat starting to form on his forehead.
"Now then... Let's get started!" Rachel cheered.
Leaving the Mess-Hall the game was now in effect. With me were Brittney, my sister, Kameron, Scarlett, Lars, Ronaldo, Sadie, the Cool Kids, Shep, and Elizabeth. Our opponents were Kevin, Zac, Zac's friends, some girls from the cheerleader squad, and two guys with glasses. Twelve against twelve. Perfectly even, yet there were benefits and drawbacks. I had Kameron and Lars since they had powers, but it wasn't worth exploiting that. I didn't know the Cool Kids, Shep, and Elizabeth too well, so their strengths and weaknesses were blank to me unless I asked. Lastly, Chelsea... I needed to keep an eye on her just in case and Brittney, I needed to make time for us when given the chance, whenever we get it.
As for Kevin's group, Kevin himself had charisma, but I think that's his only play so that alone won't get him far. Zac and his boys were just the muscle, though not that smart they're pretty tough when provoked. The cheerleader aren't gonna be much of an issue. But...they might, so I'll need to keep my guard up. Lastly, the guys in glasses can provide intel, but how much is questionable.
For now, me and my group needed to focus on the first challenge.
Walking away from the site my team and I entered a path surrounded by trees. A small breeze passed since it was still early in the morning, though the warmth of the sun felt so good on me. In the air I heard a collection of chirps and turned my head, locating some birds gliding through the wind. My lips curved upwards. It felt pretty nice being out of the city. Since Summer Break was around coming up maybe I could ask mom if we could take a trip. But...with so much going on, I don't think that'll happen. So much to do, so little time.
"So...Lars. How do you know Ms. Meow?" Jenny asked.
Huh... Actually, that's a pretty good question. Looking back Lars' cheeks turned red while he slowly rubbed his other arm.
"She... She was our counselor when me, Kameron, and Sadie went to camp. That's also where we first met." Lars admitted.
Hmm... Interesting.
"Really?" Elizabeth asked. "What was it like back then?"
"Parents wanting us to get out more and thinking a camp would be good for us." Kameron replied. "To be far, it wasn't all bad. Though...how I met Lars and Sadie officially is...a little embarrassing."
"Ohh... You gotta tell us!" Brittney squeaked.
Kameron shook his head, "It's not a happy story to tell."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Yeah. Spill." Chelsea added.
Kameron turned to Lars and Sadie. They glanced at each other. Sadie nodded while Lars looked unsure. They turned back to Kameron and nodded. With that confirmation Kameron closed his eyes and took a breath. Reopening his eyes he attempted to speak, but his eyes quickly widened before he stopped in place.
"Everyone stop." Kameron said loudly.
At his words we all stopped in place and turned to him. Kameron then pointed out his finger, making us turn to it's direction and witnessing why we all had to stop. Several feet away from us laid a large brown bear, walking with two small bears with it. Turning their heads they all spotted us and froze in place.
"What should we do?" Shep asked in a whisper.
That...was a good question. On one hand bears were ferocious when angered or provoked, especially if you mess with their kids. I would never engage in that. No-one should unless you want to become their next dinner. On the other hand, maybe if we slowly move away then theirs a chance they'll let up go.
The large brown bear then started approaching us. However, it shifted it's attention onto Kameron. Once it got close to him it pushed itself off the ground and stood on two feet. Strangely...Kameron didn't look worried. He's been around the world, so facing a bear doesn't compare to fighting monsters. Then...as we all watched...the bear grabbed Kameron's shoulders and pulled him toward it...pulling him...into a hug?
?
?
?
...Uh? W-W-What?
Kameron...then hugged the bear back...
...What...? Okay...what is going on here?
Kameron and the bear then separated and it went back down on all fours.
"It's been a long time, Ursa." Kameron said warmly, petting the bear's head.
Ursa...?
"You know the bear, Kameron?" Jenny asked.
Kameron nodded. "I met her when me and Ms. Meow went jogging. Last time she wasn't this big or had kids." He then turned his head to Ursa, "Congratulations."
Ursa growled happily.
Removing his hand from Ursa, Kameron raised up his right arm as his Gemstone started glowing. A small sphere of light erupted out of it and from it... a large fish came out.
"Here. You and your kids might be hungry now." Kameron said, offering the fish.
Ursa opened her mouth and latched it onto the fish. She nodded again before turning around and walking back to her cubs. Once she did they started to leave.
"I had no idea you were good with animals." Shep said.
Kameron shrugged, "Not all of them. Ursa is nice as long as you don't mess with her. Trust me, she's a beast when fighting."
"You saw her fight?" Sour Cream asked.
Kameron nodded before turning around and lifting up his shirt. Gasps exited our mouths at the sight in front of us. On Kameron's bareback...laid large claw marks. Not just claw marks, there were several slash marks, and unknown scars I didn't recognize.
"Oh my gosh." Elizabeth said, covering her mouth.
"Damn..." Chelsea added softly.
"That's intense." Buck added nonchalantly.
Kameron then lowered his shirt and turned to us.
"Kameron..." I said, barely whispering.
"I'm sorry." Kameron apologized. "Can we continue walking, Angela?"
I gulped, but nodded. We still had a challenge to finish and we can save deep conversations for later.
Walking some more I couldn't get those scars out of my mind.
For as long as I've known Kameron, I've thought of him as the strong type with a good heart. Whenever I think about him going out and helping people I always thought he can handle himself. I worry, but seeing those scars... makes me want to ask him a myriad of questions.
"Angela?"
My head twitched at my name getting called. Turning my head I saw Brittney giving me a worried expression.
"I'm okay." I assured.
Brittney hummed, but nodded and looked away. I've already got a lot on my mind about her. I don't wanna add more baggage.
"We've got a problem." Ronaldo called out.
I stormed my way in front of my group and stopped in my tracks. Just up ahead was a large wooden bridge, only...it seen better days. The wood itself looked old with small cracks etched into them and the rope looked durable, but old. Below the bridge lied a river with large rock coming out of the water.
Okay... Taking a breath I narrowed my eyes and turned to the others. "Everyone. We're gonna have to get across one at a time." I approached the bridge and raised my hands on the support rope. "I'll go first."
"Angela, that doesn't look safe at all." Elizabeth replied.
"Me and Kameron can get everyone across with our powers." Lars suggested.
"Or at least let me make the bridge stable." Kameron added.
I looked back to everyone and shook my head, "No. We're not gonna cheat. If we each go one at a time then there will be less weight for the bridge to answer to. Trust me."
Turning my head back I lifted my leg and slowly lowered it onto the next plank. Raising up my other leg I got onto the next plank. My hands gripped onto the rope while I lifted my leg onto another plank. So far...so good. I sucked in some air and slowly exhaled out. Okay... I'm okay... I'm-
*CRACK*
In a flash the plank below me snapped in two and my grip on the rope weakened. A gasp exited my body as I rapidly turned around and grabbed the plank behind me.
"Angela!" Brittney screamed.
"I'm okay!" I yelled. "I'm-"
*SNAP*
The other plank suddenly snapped in two... My hand soon released itself from it and my eyes widened at the situation around me.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I wailed.
Turning my head I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. Further and further my body continued to drop. Great... I should've listened to the others. Now...my life was heading to an early grave. ...Why? There was so much for me to do. I haven't had an election yet. I haven't done my college papers yet. I haven't gone to prom. I haven't... I haven't told Brittney... I haven't told her... I promised... And now...I'm breaking that promise.
A gasp suddenly exited my lips. An extra amount of weight got placed on me, making me open my eyes and seeing Kameron holding me. I blinked at him and turned my head to see the others at the entrance of the bridge. Rotating my head I saw Kameron's arm wrapped around my waist and his other arm clinging onto the other side cliff, with his lift arm crystallized.
"Are you okay?" Kameron asked.
I blinked, but nodded.
Kameron then nodded and turned to the others, "Hold on tight." He told me.
I nodded and held onto his arm. In a sudden burst we went straight into the air and as we were coming down Kameron placed his free arm underneath my arms and landed on the ground with a loud THUMP.
Raising himself up Kameron put me down and I soon turned to the others. I opened my lips, but Brittney marched up to me, grabbed my face and placed her lips against mine. My eyes shot open with a muffled gasp exiting my mouth. My cheeks started getting really warm. I... I... didn't know what to do right now. But...I closed my eyes and accepted her actions.
Soon enough Brittney removed her lips from mine and looked at me with teary eyes.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." Brittney said.
I smiled and nodded. But... I then realized what just happened. Closing my eyes I lowered my head. This wasn't how it was suppose to play out. This was suppose to happen later. Now what am I going to do?
"Angela?"
Hearing my name getting called I slowly raised my head to the others coming up to us. Well...might as well face the music.
"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked.
I shook my head.
"You don't have to explain if you don't want to." Elizabeth said.
"You... You all saw me...and Brittney...kiss." I replied with a shaky voice.
"Why should that be bad?" Shep asked, making me look at them. "Don't hide who you really are. I'm just saying that even if it's embarrassing to express, coming out can help you."
"Yeah, and what we just saw isn't gonna change how we see you." Sadie added.
"It won't?" I asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Sis, you're into girls. We live in a world filled with monsters, badasses, and having crazy things happen almost all the time. This isn't a shocker, so fully embrace it." Chelsea said with a smirk.
"You're still our friend regardless." Lars added.
I... I... I...honestly didn't plan for this to happen. They're not weirded our or disgusted. I'm...not entirely sure how to respond to this. Actually... I don't know where to go from here.
Just before I could make a response I felt some pressure on my hand. Looking down I saw Brittney's hand laced into mine. Looking back up she smiled at me blissfully.
"We'll figure this out later. Right now we've gotta go." Brittney said softly.
Oh... right. The challenge.
Well... crossing the bridge the normal way was now out of the picture. Guess there's no other choice.
"Kameron. Lars. Please help us." I asked.
"Sure." Kameron replied.
"Gotcha." Lars added.
Watching them walk up to the bridge Lars raised out his arm and started doing something with his watch. Soon after a green light surrounded his body...then his skin and hair started turning green. Afterwards they both grabbed the two ropes on each side and little by little crystals started creeping through the rope and traveled down to the planks alongside a trail of green light. With my own eyes the crystals and lightly rapidly made their way to the other side of the bridge while covering everything in the process. Once the last plank was covered both boys turned to us as we stared at them with awe.
"Holy stars..." Ronaldo whispered.
Kameron and Lars soon stepped back, raising their arms out.
Once an old bridge now looked like the entrance to a castle. Without a word I approached it and started walking across. With every step I couldn't hear anything. The platform was very solid. Wow...just...wow.
With all of us on the other side we kept on going. Only one more place to go to and then the first challenge will be over. Though...thinking about that now makes me wonder what the next challenges will be. Hopefully they won't be as bad as what previously transpired. Then again...I might've jinxed it.
"Lars. How did you do that?" Ronaldo asked in awe.
"Hmm... It's hard to explain. Perhaps...you've got any theories on my watch that can explain it?" Lars replied sarcastically.
Ronaldo blinked. Walking up next to Lars he shifted his eyes from the watch to Lars' face. He blinked again. "No way... You're using thirteen powerful energy sources from across the universe."
I looked at Lars and saw his and Kameron's eyes were turned into giant dinner plates.
"Looks like Weirdo Ronaldo is back." Kameron said.
"Dude, you were so on point." Lars added.
Ronaldo smiled with blushes on his cheeks. He giggled while messing with his hair. "Stop. That's the only answer since the watch is made of a material that can contain them all." He added.
"Glad to have you back." Scarlett said.
"Never stop being weird." Elizabeth added.
I only smiled. The Ronaldo I know is back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, look at that!" Sour Cream yelled out.
We all turned to his direction and saw where he was pointing at. Up ahead there were trees, but they were extremely skinny and all of their leaves had fallen off. Okay... that's pretty creepy.
"Let's go see what caused this." Ronaldo said, running to the trees.
"Ronaldo, that's not where we're suppose to go." I called out.
Ronaldo didn't bother turning around and kept running. Ugh... Great... I was glad to see him get his weirdness back, but now it's already starting trouble.
Kameron and Lars shortly went after him. Elizabeth then went after them followed by Scarlett, then Chelsea, then Sadie and Shep, and lastly the Cool Kids. Brittney soon grabbed my hand and jerked me away so we'd follow the others. I'm team leader and yet they're not listening to me.
Well... Might as well see what happened to the trees.
The more we ran the more shriveled trees I spotted. And...the more we kept running my stomach started twisting. I then started seeing large roots rising from the soil. Just looking at them all twisted up...made my stomach even more.
Looking up I saw everyone gathered together at the top of the path. Brittney increased her hold on my hand while we stood next to the others. They all had entranced expressions. I turned my head and was about to ask what they were looking at...but the answer was already in sight.
In the distance we found the other team. Only...they were all bound onto a humongous trees; roots and branches coiled around their bodies. There eyes were closed and none of them were moving a muscle. Though what caught our attention the most were the roots and bark. Some sort of lime-green energy was glowing all around it.
"Damn... What the hell is that?" Sour Cream asked around.
"No idea." Jenny whispered. "But it's giving off a scary vibe."
"I'm feelin' it right now." Buck added.
Kameron then took a step forward and his fists slowly clenched up. He slowly turned his head to me, narrowing his eyes. From his gaze alone was enough to tell me what he was saying. Narrowing my eyes I gave him a solid nod.
"Everyone. We need to leave. Kameron and Lars will take care of this." I said firmly.
The others then turned to me.
"What? No way. I wanna see them free the victims." Ronaldo whined.
"Ronaldo, the rest of us shouldn't be here. We need to get away from here right now before-"
Right when I attempted to finish my sentence the ground below us started shaking and rumbling. We all struggled to keep our balance right until cracks started forming in the dirt and soon after portions of the ground erupted and within the cracks...several large tentacle-esque things came out. They were long and had the same lime-green glow blinking on them. But at their tips were large jaw-esque shaped mouths.
"EVERYBODY RUN! NOW!" Kameron screamed.
Without being told twice me and the others quickly turned around pushed ourselves forward as fast as we could. I took one look back to see Kameron and Lars before putting my attention back on what was in front of me. I wish I didn't have to leave them behind, but logically, I have no chance against something like that.
Coming down the path the ground started shaking again, making all of us stop in place. More of those tentacles came out and one of them shot itself right for us. Rapidly turning my head I saw Ronaldo push Scarlett out of the way, making the tentacle capture him instead.
"RONALDO!" I screamed.
Another tentacle came and captured Shep. Sadie wailed and reached out for them, but Jenny picked her up and dodged a tentacle coming at them. Buck and Sour Cream tried getting away, but they were both captured by a single tentacle. My attention then went to my sister and she quickly jumped out of the way while pushing Elizabeth out of danger. Looking up me and Brittney saw a tentacle rise and rush toward us.
*SLICE*
Right when it looked like we were gonna get taken I wrapped my arms around Brittney, holding her tightly. She returned my affection...but...instead of getting hoisted into the air we heard a loud THUD. Opening our eyes we gasped at the sight of a tentacle piece and Kameron kneeling down. He quickly turned around and ran toward us, pushing us out of the way just as another tentacle was coming. Raising out his right arm a long thing crystal was stretching out of his palm and at it's tip it made a huge cylinder shape.
"Angela. Here!" Kameron yelled, throwing his creation at me.
Releasing Brittney I caught the thing with both hands. Surprisingly...it wasn't very heavy, though it did have some weight to it. Appearance-wise, it kinda looked like a Croquet-Mallet.
"That's for protection! You better have a good swinging arm!" Kameron yelled as he took off toward a tentacle going after Elizabeth.
To my right I noticed Lars, only now his skin, hair, and eyes were red. Raising his hands out a stream of flames exited his hands and went right toward a tentacle. On impact the tentacle wildly tossed itself in the air and soon buried itself back underground.
Thanks to him Jenny, Sadie, and Scarlett managed to get away.
"ELIZABETH!" Kameron screamed.
I gasped and quickly turned my head to see Kameron running to Elizabeth, whom was hoisted in the air by a tentacle. He jumped into the air to reach her, but...another tentacle tackled him out of the air just when the tentacle holding Elizabeth rapidly buried itself into the ground.
"KAMERON!" Elizabeth screamed.
Crashing onto the ground, Kameron quickly picked himself us and spun his body around, lifting his leg and slicing the tentacle that tackled him. Breathing heavily he turned to me and Brittney before rushing over to the large hole in front of him. Kameron's lips quivered as did his eyes. Everything was happening so fast and all at once... He then clenched his hands and shut his eyes. Lifting his head to the he opened his mouth.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
In a flash a huge gust of wind burst of him. I covered my face and twisted my body, but when lowering my arm I saw Kameron surrounded by a green light. He continued screaming and the wind grew more and more. I...didn't know what was going on...but, my friend was in a lot of pain. That was crystal clear. I then pushed my body forward as much as I could through the wind, keeping my eyes on Kameron.
"Kameron! I'm sorry! You and Lars did the best you could, but it's not too late! You can still save them!" I yelled.
As soon as I got close to him I wrapped my free arm around him, pushing my body onto his. He then gasped and the wind started calming down. Watching him open his eyes he looked at me and I smiled at him.
"We can still save them." I told him.
He nodded as I released him. He then raised up his hand onto his goggles and lowered them onto his eyes.
"Go back to camp. Tell the teachers counselors what's going on. Me and Lars are going after the others." Kameron said seriously.
I was about to nod, but I then looked at the mallet he gave me. This...was stupid. Really, really stupid and I'm not like Kameron or Lars, but...I can't just by while the others are in danger.
"I'm coming with you." I said strongly.
"No way!" Lars replied, coming up to me with the others behind him.
"I'm with him." Brittney added, walking up to me. "I almost lost you once. I don't want to-"
I then pushed my toward hers, locking my lips onto hers. She released a muffled gasp right before I pulled myself back.
"As team leader, I'm going with Kameron and Lars to save our friends." I said firmly. "The rest of you go back to camp and alert the adults."
The others looked at me with mixed expressions. Jenny looked at me like I was crazy, Sadie and Scarlett gave me worried looks, Chelsea merely nodded, though I could tell she wanted to come too, and both Kameron and Lars looked at me with firm looks.
"There's no time to debate." Kameron said. "I don't like this, but we're running out of time."
"I don't like this either, but fine. Let me at least give you an advantage." Lars added.
I looked at him and tilted my head. Pulling up his watch, Lars pressed onto it and slowly...his skin, hair, and eyes turned blue. Afterwards he raised out his hand to me and without hesitation I took it. Looking at my arm a blue light started spreading through my veins. I...felt a suddenly surge overlapping me. My heart even started beating a different rhythm.
"Sis." Chelsea said, making me look at her. Without a word she wrapped her arms around me. I looked at her and with my free arm I placed it onto her back. "Come back...okay?" She whispered.
"Promise." I replied in a whisper.
Chelsea released me and turned to the boys, "Keep my sister safe, Badass."
Kameron nodded.
Now...with all that taken care of, me, Kameron, and Lars walked up to the hole and Kameron picked me up before we jumped into it.
Further and further we fell until we landed on a massive root. Kameron then put me down, giving me a chance to look around. All around us were huge roots with lime-green energy surging through them. In front of us laid more roots, but a bright light shined within the distance. No telling how deep these roots go, but there was no time to think about that.
Side by side me, Kameron, and Lars started running toward the light. If I'm gonna be honest...I feel...courageous all of a sudden. This type of thing would've been more suited for somebody else. It's like...my hope is stronger than my fears. The more I thought about that the more my heart pumped. This was possibly from Lars' power. Still...I'm actually glad I'm able to do something to help people, even if this is a one-time thing.
Turning a corner we reached toward an edge of the path, but...it gave us a perfect view of the thing responsible for capturing the team and taking our friends.
Down below there was a humongous tree with what looked like a lime-green Gemstone placed at the center of it, spreading it's energy throughout the roots. Surrounding the Gemstone were...Elizabeth, Ronaldo, Shep, Buck, and Sour Cream. Only...all five of them were inside some kind of pods with roots coiling around their bodies. Their faces looked pale and a lot skinnier than before.
"I'm sure this thing will have defenses." Kameron said out loud.
"If that's the case...then how do we get past them?" Lars replied.
"I'll go after the Gemstone. You two rescue the others." Kameron said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
Looking at Kameron my eyes turned to his arms with crystals starting to form around them. Two flat crystals spread out of his upper-arms with several smaller crystals surrounding them. Lastly...I saw crystals creeping around his mouth, completely covering it and form a large maw with crystal teeth. Soon after the small crystals started rotating on the flat crystals.
"It's payback time!" Kameron replied in a rough voice before leaping off of the edge.
Me and Lars watched him go before turning our attention to the pods. Taking Lars' hand we jumped off of the edge, but shortly after...something was slowing down our fall right until we landed onto the lower roots.
Right as we landed several tentacles erupted from below and rushed right toward us. Lars stood right in front of me and spread his arms out. A large square then formed out of some sort of blue energy. The tentacles soon made contact and were soon repealed against it. Lars soon started running and I quickly followed him wile gripping on my mallet. More tentacles thrusted toward us, but right when they got close more energy squares appeared around us, repealing them the more we moved.
The energy squares then disappeared right when approached the pods. From below another tentacle appeared and waved around right until it started coming right at us. Gripping onto my mallet I stepped forward and pulled it back for swinging it right onto the tentacle.
BOOM!
Right on contact the tentacle just broke itself apart, right in front of us. Whoa... Even though I'm a dead girl walking, I'll admit this advantage Lars gave me is really helpful. But there's no time to admire it right now.
Marching up to the pods I pulled my mallet back and started smashing them, freeing our friends. One by one they all fell onto the roots and started coughing. Coming up to them Lars raised out his hand, releasing a blue light than made the roots on the others untangle. They each slowly opened their eyes and weakly stood up. I walked over to Elizabeth and caught her right when she was about to fall.
"I got you." I told you.
She then looked up and saw me. She smiled weakly at me and looked around.
"Where's Kameron?" Elizabeth asked.
I opened my mouth to speak, but just when a word could be formed the ground below us started shaking. Looking up I saw Kameron coming down to us, landing on the ground with a loud THUD.
"You all have to get out of here!" Kameron said firmly.
"Why? What's going on?" I asked.
"This whole place is gonna collapse. I ciphered off some of the Gemstone's energy, but it won't budge. I'll take care of it while the rest of you get out of here." Kameron explained.
My eyes widened. Is he... No...
"No, you're coming-"
Kameron then turned around and turned his eyes onto everyone. "Lars. Take care of everyone." He added before bending down and jumping at the bright lime-green light above.
"KAMERON!" Elizabeth screamed, trying to reach him.
I held her and looked up with tears in my eyes. I then looked at Lars. He then turned from blue to gray.
"Everyone, hold onto me, now!" Lars yelled.
No... No, no, no. Not like this... We were suppose to all go back together...
Going over to Lars, we all huddled around him and in a flash we were all engulfed in a gray light, vanishing from the area.
Opening my eyes I looked around and saw the open sky. Letting go of everyone I turned around to the large hole behind us. I dropped my mallet and slowly walked up to it. I felt tears fall onto my cheeks.
My thoughts were then interrupted when I turned around and saw Elizabeth falling onto her knees and sobbing uncontrollably. I ran up to her and wrapped my arms around her.
Right when I attempted to speak a bright green light erupted, but as it dimmed Kameron reappeared and fell onto his knees. His arms and face weren't covered in crystals anymore, plus his goggles were now on his head again, showing his eyes.
Idiot... He's such an idea! Trying to do everything himself just to protect us. Even going as far as self-sacrifice.
"Kameron!" Ronaldo yelled, running up to him.
Ronaldo wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him tight. Lars, Buck, and Sour Cream went up to him as Ronaldo released him, letting him breath.
"Dude, are you okay?" Lars asked as his body returned to normal.
"Drained. But...at least that thing won't harm anybody again." Kameron replied. He then looked over to me, Elizabeth, and Shep. He frowned and slowly walked up to us. "I had to do that." He said softly.
Elizabeth's sobbing slowly stopped before she tackled Kameron and kissed him. I...was not expecting that to happen. She then removed her lips from his and looked at him in the eye.
"Don't you ever do that again. Please... Never again like that." Elizabeth said, her voice cracking.
Kameron frowned. He slowly nodded as she embraced him.
"Do that again and I'll smash your head in." I informed.
"Noted." Kameron acknowledged. "Now we need to help the other team."
I nodded. *sigh* Only the first day and everything went to chaos.
End Of Episode 25.
Took me a while, but finally managed to finish this.
The song here is my version of On The Open Road from A Goofy Movie. I do not own the song. I absolutely love this song.
Also, let me know if you all spot any Easter Eggs in this episode.
See you all soon and Happy Thanksgiving.