Sarah and her three bunkmates trooped together deep into the woods, passing through various other campers as they trekked through the winding trail to their cabin. Sarah looked down at her shoes and quickly realized she picked the wrong shoes to wear.
"Just up here, Sarah." called Jan from the front. Jan's bouce began to sound a little more hoarse and a little more raspy.
Sarah's eyebrows rose. "Are you okay Jan?" asked Sarah worriedly. "You sound different."
But before Jan could even answer Sarah spoke again. "Is it because of the dry air? I read about that. You see for a Midwest summer it's been unusually dry this year, so there's been more causes for sore throats because of the lack-of-humid air irritating our mucous membranes. Which could be even more exasperated because -"
"No - Sarah it's not that," laughed Jan curtly, waving her hand to cut her off. "It's a different reason. I just don't want to talk about it."
"Oh," said Sarah forcing an easy smile. "Sorry."
Jan just shook her head and smiled.
Sarah gave an uneasy smile as the walk continued. She couldn't form the right words to say. She thought laughing would be too rude. "Oh then they would think I'm mean." she thought. Then she thought about apologizing. "But then they will think I'm a big softie weirdo."
Sarah tried hard to relax, and not let the bottomless pit feeling in her stomach consume her. She was trying so hard she began to sweat. Luckily her bunkmates didn't catch her flustered flurry, as she continued along the dirt path.
"Is this your first time at camp, Sarah?" asked Meg curiously.
"Yep," replied Sarah, breaking from her flustered trance. "Pretty lame, huh?"
Sarah didn't mean to call her situation lame. But it was the first thing she could think of to say.
"Well this is only my second time," said Meg, shrugging. "The first time was at King Jellyjam's Sports Camp and - you know what, nevermind."
"Oh not that story again." groaned Jan in a hoarse tone, shaking her head.
"But it really happened!" Meg shrieked in a high tone.
Briana laughed. "Oh come on. You really came here and expected us to believe you survived a camp where some big, smelly, burpring, purple Jell-O alien-monster was really making you guys compete?"
"It's true!" cried Meg indignantly. "And the counselors were all weird too!"
"Uh-huh," rasped Jan. "Okay."
Sarah couldn't help but to feel glad she was at Cold Lake than dealing with possibly a smelly jelly monster. But something about the camaraderie between the girls made her feel slightly at ease. Slightly.
"Anyway!" muttered Meg wearily. "The point is, it's not lame you've gone to camp only once. Plus your first camp could've been much worse."
"I guess so," replied Sarah. "Why did you go there anyway?"
"My parents thought I needed to lose weight." sighed Meg, sounding a little bothered.
Sarah surveyed Meg over. She was by far the shortest of their group with shiny blue braces on her teeth. And she was slightly chubby. But to Sarah -
"Really? You look fine to me." she said.
Meg looked back and smiled, along with Briana and Jan. "Thanks Sarah." Meg replied in a happier tone.
Sarah thought she was just stating a fact instead of outright complimenting or reassuring Meg. But she smiled with and replied with a kind but surprised-sounding, "You're welcome.".
"Are you good at any sports or activites?" asked Jan, who was curious to know more about Sarah after seeing her kindness to Meg.
"Not really," shrugged Sarah. "I'm just tall and lanky without a cause."
"Oh, don't say that," replied Jan bluntly, her voice sounding raspy. "You're tall and skinny because that's just who you are."
"Right." added Briana who was looking around for their cabin.
A small smile had formed on the side of Sarah's face.
"Exactly. I mean would you rather look like me instead? Short and always unlucky?" joked Meg.
"Well...no, not really honestly." replied Sarah bluntly.
In a split-second, Sarah realized she didn't mean to respond so bluntly. She meant to reply in a more joking and whimsical manner. But it came sharp and blunt. Before she could apologize, Meg spoke next without turning around.
"Wow, okay." grumbled Meg, now sounding annoyed.
"Oh my gosh," breathed Sarah. "I'm so sorry Meg. I didn't mean it like -"
Briana turned to Sarah and winked at her, and then turned to Meg who was now sporting a big frown.
"Oh Meg, she said she was sorry and she clearly didnt mean it like that," groaned Briana, rolling her eyes. "Just accept the apology, would ya?"
Sarah smiled at Briana. No one ever defended her back at her middle school. Something about Briana made her stomach stop feeling like it was being dribbled like a basketball.
"Oh alright," sighed Meg. "It's cool."
Sarah immediately snapped back into reality. "No really I am sorry. I don't think you're that short or really unlucky. In fact I think you're distinctlively-er-well lengthed. In fact I was told -"
Meg was now laughing. "Sarah. Relax. It's cool, jeez."
Sarah blushed bright red. She couldn't help herself as all the words just rushed out at once. Those feelings for Sarah made her be something akin to a balloon losing air, a pipe that was fit to burst.
"You have a lot to say when you want to, don't you?" asked Jan.
"I do for because of -" began Sarah, but she stopped. "Well, I guess because of some strange reasons."
Jan read Sarah's expression and immediately changed the subject. "Well don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me. Do you like any sports or are good at any actvities?"
Briana smiled and was hopeful to hear Sarah's response. But she then began to look sullen. It was the one question she didn't want to be asked.
"I-I-I'm not really that good at sports, guys." confessed Sarah.
"Really?" asked Meg, surprised. "Well, why did you come here? This is kind of a sports camp too."
Sarah didn't want to say it was for friends or that her counselor told her she should try camp and she didn't want any of the girls to think she was a loser for having to make friends at camp.
"I...came here to learn how to do those things and to learn more about nature," lied Sarah convincingly.
"Yeah I want to learn how to do those things." she concluded, trying to convince herself and her friends.
"Well you're tall and athletic looking, I think with practice - you could be good." willed Briana. "I'll teach you."
"Briana's the best at volleyball," added Jan with a dry cough. "I'm pretty good at the flashlight limbo game and basketball."
"I'm good at softball." put in Meg confidently.
"But we all stink at kayaking and water sports." sighed Briana.
Meg and Jan could only agree as Sarah smiled.
"I've read a lot about that! Maybe that's what I could be good at!" cried Sarah excitedly. She was so excited at the idea of being good at something that she began shaking her hands as if she were trying to dry them. Now she wanted to tell them all about what she's read about kayaking and water sports, but she didn't want to overwhelm them.
"Awesome!" squealed Meg happily.
"I knew we'd like ya." added Briana happily as Jan nodded in agreement.
Sarah felt like she could do cartwheels up and down the dirt path to the cabin with how overjoyed she felt as the four friends continued walking.
Sarah's enjoyment of the company came to screeching halt as they finally made it to their cabin numbered: 56 and Briana opened the creaky-sounding stormdoor and the tall wooden cabin door.
Bunkbeds. She hated bunkbeds, especially ones close to the window.. She didn't want to be at the top because she does not sleep still and could roll off, but she didn't like beds at the bottom because she didn't want any creepy crawlers to sneak in through and crawl on her in the middle of the night.
"We kinda already decided on bunks before you got here," said Briana. "You'll be on the bottom bunk with Jan close to the window and me and Meg are going to be sharing this one over here."
That familiar bouncy stomach feeling had returned. And Sarah knew she had to say something. Anything.
"Hey can I have the top bunk over here?" asked Sarah quickly, her words all sounding rushed and jumbled.
"Can you ask that again, but slower this time?" asked Briana with a perplexed expression. Briana was more confused than upset, and Sarah could tell she wasn't being clear.
Sarah took a deep breath with a scrunched brow. She tried hard to remember what her counselor and mother always lecture to her and say. "Focus, deep breath, and enunciate."
"Can I please have the top bunk over there farther away from the window?" she asked slowly.
Sarah now prepared for the worst. Now her bunkmates would really hate her. Here she is on her first day making demands.
"Okie dokie." replied Briana with a smile.
"Really?" asked Sarah, bewildered.
"Yeah, I mean it's just a bunk." laughed Briana with a shrug.
"You really have to relax, Sarah." added Meg with a chuckle in her voice.
"We're your friends, silly." put in Jan.
"Thanks guys," said Sarah kindly. "Here, let me get your bags from up here."
Sarah quickly retrieved the backpacks from the top bunk that was now her bunk. But as she did, Jan quickly called out - "Wait!".
All the contents of Jan's opened backpack fell out as Sarah tried to swing the bag over her shoulder. Jan's books, extra clothes, notes, and a red inhaler all laid on the wooden floor of the cabin.
"Oops I'm so sorry!" moaned Sarah in distress. "I'm such a klutz!"
"Well now you guys know I have asthma," sighed Jan, rolling her eyes. "Not really the way I really wanted you guys to learn that."
"If it helps, asthma is quite common. It's usually found in every one on twelve people -" began Sarah sympathetically.
"Okay, what did those kids at your school do to you?" laughed Jan in a wheeze. "Look, it's - it's fine. It was just an accident."
"Oh. Oh okay." replied Sarah with a half smile.
As the girls began to talk about Jan's swimsuit that also fell out of the backpack while comparing it to their own brought for water activities, Sarah sighed in relief and quietly put Jan's belongings back inside, feeling uneasy. A part of felt Jan's words were genuine and kind. But another part of her felt everything was just going all wrong.
Eventually, Sarah changed into her official Cold Lake t-shirt, khaki shorts, and hiking shoes. (She insisted was bought.) While Richard's shirt was forest green with grey lettering, the shirts belonging to children were grey wirh forest green lettering.
It was nighttime now and the campers had all assembled further down into the heart of Granger Woods, and gathered before a large bonfire to celebrate the first night at camp. All of the different counselors had assembled with all of their respective cabins and groups they were the head of.
The trees and branches waved slowly and quietly in the gentle wind. Crickets chirped and sang all around them, under the starry night sky. Sarah had never seen the night sky so clear, as she gazed into the horizion, notebook and pencil in hand.
The stars reflected across the Cold Lake as if the night sky were directly under the water as it waved slowly and calmly. Something about the soft sloshing water in the distance in the beautiful night put Sarah at ease.
As she sat with with her Briana, Meg, and Jan on a long log-stlye bench she listened to the crackling fire and silently drew away in her notebook.
"Like what's that?" asked Richard, who was sitting in his own outdoor folding chair that was decorated in a bold green and white tye-dye-like color amalgamation.
Sarah smiled. She felt comfortable around the laid-back counselor. "I'm drawing a map of the woods. I love maps."
Meg was now interested. "You drew a map of Granger and Cold Lake?"
"Yeah I can show you!" said Sarah excitedly. Other than her mother, no one had ever taken interest in her hobbies before. Briana and Jan now turned to Sarah to see as well. She showed her friends and camp counselor the map and they gasped.
"Sick!" remarked Richard, admiring the map. Sarah looked perplexed however Richard added to assure her, "Sick in like a really cool way."
"Oh! Th-Thank you!" replied Sarah overjoyed.
"I really like the details!" rasped Jan, trying to sound amazed in her hoarse voice. "You drew this just now?"
In the times she's read the map of Illinois she always would study where her house was to Granger Woods to where the massive Cold Lake was. And all the buildings passed along the way to their cabin.
"Yeah! I drew it completely from memory," remarked Sarah humbly. "You see, I first drew the latitude and longitude lines to further help me design the layout. Then to illustrate miles I tried to lengthen things an inch apart per each square. To get here it was only half a mile of you look here."
Her three friends and Richard were impressed by just how detailed her map of Camp Cold Lake was and well drawn it was. But their amazement wasbroken up quickly at the bonfire for there was a loud BANG!, accompanied by various campers howling with laughter and scampering away from the fire.
This was too much for Sarah. She screamed a shrill and loud scream and held her hands to her head.
Richard angrily stood up and yelled, "Like I saw you! Stop right there Aaron!"
While Richard was retrieving Aaron and his accomplice to bring them back, while Sarah began to cover her head and buried her head down in her lap on the log bench. Jen began to gaze confusingly towards Sarah woth a tinge of worry in her blue eyes. Meg scooted closer to her, and Briana put her arm around Sarah.
"Sarah, are you okay?" asked Briana thoughtfully.
"I'm trying," murmured Sarah, her fingers locked around her head. "What was that?"
"Oh just those creeps Aaron and Micah throwing fireworks into the fire." grumbled Jan.
It felt as though a million thoughts began to race in Sarah's mind. She was relieved it wasn't too dangerous, she felt embarrassed at her freak out, she was happy that her friends were there, but as every feeling began to swirl into a whirlwind of emotion - a different feeling took over Sarah.
She felt hot. Her glasses felt a little tighter on her face, and to her friends' shock - Sarah's face went red. And with that, Sarah lost patience.
She got up angrily and tried to storm towards Richard and the two captured boys. Both boys were laughing and not taking anything he was saying seriously. Micah had short and straight brown hair and eyes, while Aaron's hair was more a darker blonde and he had blue eyes. Both boys still had the same mocking-like smile that made both Richard and Sarah more flustered.
"Think that's funny, huh?" she raged. "Don't you know anything about campfires and being in woods with fire?!"
The boys just kept laughing which only made Sarah even angrier.
Sarah raged forward. "Don't you know you could've hurt someone? Started a wildfire? Scorched your own skin? Scorched someone else's skin? Blind someone!"
As Sarah began to get closer, three other counselors, and Sarah's three friends got in the middle to separate Sarah and the boys.
"Oh you gotta lighten up!" mocked Aaron.
"Man, you're worse than my baby sister," taunted Micah. "You whine like her too."
"Oh you-!" spluttered Sarah in fury. She tried surging forward but Briana had wrapped her arms around Sarah while Meg and Jan stood in front.
"What's going on here?" asked an annoyed-sounding woman's voice.
That broke up the commotion quickly, and now all the raucous and rambunctious campers had silenced. Sarah looked over to Richard who gulped and began blushing.
"H-hi Liz," he stammered in a not so calm tone. "Sorry about this."
"Uh-huh, yeah. Alright." muttered Liz. This counselor was young-adult looking, grey-eyed, tall, blonde, and wore a sky blue shirt where in white lettering it read: Head Waterfront Counselor, khaki cargo shorts and brown hiking boots.
"Aaron and Micah, huh?" she asked sounding annoyed. "I should've known it would be you two."
The boys weren't smiling their mocking smiles anymore. To Sarah, they looked frightened.
"Well then - Counselor Weiss!" called Liz.
Soon a red-haired man with freckles and green eyes in a counselor's Cold Lake uniform stepped forward.
"Escort these two back to their cabin immediately. And remember to stay close and together. I'll bring their other friends back after my announcement." she ordered.
Obediently, Counselor Weiss took Aaron and Micah back into the woods and began the hike back towards their own cabin. "And I'll be speaking to you boys and your parents in the morning!" she called back sternly.
"You must be Ms. Maas," said Liz calmly. "Temper, temper young lady. Please sit down."
Sarah nodded and sat back down, breathing heavily. Briana patted her back as Meg, Richard and Jan sat closer to her. To Sarah, as she saw her lead counselor turn towards Liz, Richard's gaze to her seem to say more than just "You're my boss.".
"Now then!" called Liz to all of the campers. "Heck of a way to start out opening night, huh?" The campers began to laugh and agree.
"Now tomorrow begins our first day of activites," announced Liz. "Then we'll make our way to the lake."
Now Sarah began to feel excited. She wanted to traverse the waters of the beautiful and skull shaped lake for days. And finally she'll have her chance.
"I assume everyone has their swimwear?" asked Liz.
"YEAH!!!!" the campers, even Sarah, announced together.
"Cool!!" replied Liz in a whimsical tone. "And what's the number one rule on the lake?"
"Always have a buddy." the campers, this time without Sarah, answered back glumly. She looked around and saw her peers began to whisper and confide in each other. She couldn't make out what anyone else was saying iver crackling and roar of the bonfire. Sarah turned to Briana, looking puzzled.
"Hey why does everyone look so...sad?" murmured Sarah, confused.
Richard, Briana, Meg, and Jan turned to Sarah with shocked glares and bewildered expressions. As though Sarah just smacked them all across the face.
"You mean - you don't know?" stammered Briana, her dark brown eyes wide open in shock.
"Know what?" said Sarah, still feeling confused.
"Like we will totally totally tell you at the cabin, after Liz's announcements." promised Richard in his calm tone.
Sarah was now more perplexed than ever. And began to have that sinking feeling again in the pit of her stomach, as she adjusted her purple square glasses. The rest of Liz's speech of togetherness and friendship, although meaningful to her, felt as though the Waterfront Counselor was far away, as the dominant voice - her voice - in her head was asking, "What happened here at Cold Lake?".
"Just, what happened?"
A/N: Trust me with Briana, Meg, and Jan. Their old personas from the original story aren't fully gone. But I wanted to do more with them and their relationship with Sarah. I actually wanted something more there for reasons later on.