Here's a new story that, well, came to me one day. I hope you enjoy it.

Evolution Transcendence

Chapter 1

A New Friend

"Ugh, I hate this…" a sixteen year old boy with brown hair, brown eyes, and an average build, groaned as he look out over the summer camp.

His name was Max, and it was late evening of the first day, the sun was almost completely below the horizon, and all the other teens there were having a blast together with the camp leaders, having started a bonfire that they danced and sang around.

But he couldn't stand it. There were too many people, specifically people that he didn't know, and far too much noise. It was bad enough that he couldn't engage in his usual hobbies out there in the woods, but all the noise and people were just too much for him to handle.

Taking a deep breath, he walked away from the camp grounds and into the woods. He just needed to get away from all the commotion for a while, and hopefully they would all calm down before he needed to sleep.

"I wish I was home playing video games…" he muttered as he walked between the large trees. "I'd even settle for that geometry game dad got me."

Finally getting far enough for the party, or whatever it was, to not be as overwhelming, Max took a deep breath to vent his frustration.

He knew his parents only wanted what was best for him by sending him to this camp for a few months, and he had agreed to at least try it, albeit somewhat reluctantly. It was no secret that he was an introvert, and rarely left home for anything other than school, but he also didn't have any real friends. His parents had hoped that he might just make one or two at the camp, and he couldn't blame them for thinking that, but that didn't mean that he regretted it all.

He looked behind him, and could still see the light from the bonfire, and still hear the cacophony of the other camp goers, but at least where he was it was bearable. Had it just been some peace and quiet instead, he might actually have enjoyed himself a bit, maybe gotten to do some star gazing, which he assumed had to be much better out here than back in town.

He looked up at the darkening sky, seeing a few stars coming into view, but the canopies of the trees obstructed most of his view, so he resumed walking, hoping to find a glade or clearing, and getting even further away from the den of chaos back at camp.

The further he walked, the calmer he got, and he kept taking a few deep breaths as he walked. He knew that it wouldn't help being angry, and the increasing calm around him was soothing him.

After a few minutes, he did find a small clearing, and so he sat down and leaned back against a tree, looking up into the night. He would do that back home as well, though he didn't see as much because of light pollution, but there was one night where there had been a power failure, causing a total black out, and he had seen the stars so clearly. He felt as if a space ship could just have come by and picked him up as he stared at the stars.

And he could almost feel the same now, and he actually wished that would happen.

Movement in his peripheral vision brought him out of his musings, and he saw a figure step into the clearing on his left.

It was another of the teenagers that had come to the camp with him. He hadn't given his fellow campers much thought, not on the bus ride, and not on the hike after that, and most certainly not during what went on back at the camp, but now that they were alone he got a chance to have a good look at at least one of them.

It was a girl, probably sixteen just like him. Her hair was red and almost reached her shoulders, and he could swear that her eyes looked green even in the low light. She looked rather athletic, but still curvy. Probably someone that drew a lot of attention with her looks. Still, Max couldn't help but wonder what she did to be in such good shape.

Max shook his head to clear it, he couldn't just sit there and stare at her. She hadn't even noticed him. He had to make it known that he was there before something awkward happened.

"Um…" he cleared his throat. "Hi?"

The girl jumped a bit, but seemed more surprised than startled.

"Oh! I didn't know that there was someone else out here."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." she said, giving him a warm smile. "But what are you doing all the way out here? Wait, let me guess, the festivities too much for you?"

"That's putting it lightly. I just… I just needed to get away from it all for a while, you know?"

"I understand. I love parties and the like, but sometimes it gets a bit much even for me. Mind if I join you here?"

"Um… sure?"

She smiled and sat down next to Max, leaning against the tree.

"Thanks. I'm Sally, by the way."

"I'm Max."

"Hi, Max. Glad to meet you."

"So, did your parents also send you here?"

"Oh no, I wanted to come here. I've always been a bit of a tomboy, climbing trees, hiking, kayaking, really roughing it, you know. I came here to do all of those things. I took one look at their pamphlet, and I knew these would be some of the best two months in a long time. What about you? From what you said, I get the feeling that…"

"That I didn't come here of my own accord? No, not exactly, no. My parents hoped that I might make some friends here, and I agreed to at least try it. But to tell you the truth, I'm not an outdoor person, and I'd rather be home with my video games."

"I see. Well, I guess that, even if it is just the first day, this trip was a success then."

"Huh? What do you mean with that?"

"You've just made a new friend. Me." Sally said with a broad smile.

Max couldn't help but blush at bit, but he also smiled.

"Huh, yeah, I guess you're right."

"Tell you what, since we both like to have some… alone time every now and then, why not stick together for the next two months? We can team up during the different activities. Maybe that will make the camp a bit more bearable for you." she said with a wink.

"Yeah, maybe." Max replied. Perhaps, just perhaps, this wouldn't be so bad after all.

A part of Max was a bit hesitant at partaking in the various activities that were planned, but just as he had agreed to give the camp a chance, he did the same with the activities, and it did help that Sally did stay by his side during them.

To his surprise, the weeks went by quicker than he had thought they would, and he noticed that he came out of his shell more and more, especially together with Sally. Sure, he still missed the sanctuary and quiet of his room, the glow of his screens, and the games that he loved, but he still found that the camp activities actually grew on him.

To his surprise, and that of everyone else, his past of video games, specifically puzzles and reading manuals, allowed him to master knot-tying faster than everyone else at the camp. While it was true that he fumbled a bit in the beginning, Sally encouraged him to keep trying, and after studying the instructions closely, the knots proved next to no challenge for him.

"Dang, Max. I bet even Houdini would have a tough time with those!" Sally praised him, patting him on the shoulder. "Think you can give me a few pointers? I'm struggling with page four."

"Sure. Here, this is how you do it."

With deft and surprisingly delicate fingers, Max guides Sally as she ties the knot, their hands brushing against each other on many occasions, and Sally couldn't help but admire his skill.

There were other activities that Max didn't fair as well in, while Sally excelled in them. The climbing wall, for example, Sally dominated, easily climbing even the toughest of them in short time. When she saw Max struggling, she went to help him, only to end up underneath him when he lost his grip due to his lack of upper body strength and fell on her.

Luckily, he hadn't gotten very high up, and so it was more of a comical tumble than anything else. Once they had shook off the stars, they couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle they became.

"Sorry about that, Sally." Max chortled as he climbed off from Sally.

"No worries, Max. I've taken worse tumbles on my own." she giggled.

"Well, I guess that's a relief. This really isn't my thing."
"You were doing fine. You just need to work a bit more on your arms. I can give you some training advice, if you want to."

"Really? Well, that's not really my thing either, but… sure. Sure, teach me what you know."

Sally smiled, and when they had some time over, she shared some tips she knew.

Another day, they all went kayaking, or perhaps it was canoeing. Max didn't know the difference and had zoned out a bit during the explanation, and that would come back to bite him not that much later.

As everyone set out in their two-man kayaks, he and Sally soon got into a bit of a mess when Max couldn't keep his balance during a turn, and thus caused their kayak to topple over, submerging them both in the cold water.

A few seconds later, the two of the resurface, coughing and chuckling. Sally even splashed some water at Max, laughing as she did.

"Nice going, Max!" she teased. "Bet you did that just to see me in a wet top!"

"No way! I just thought you needed to cool off!" Max laughed as he splashed back.

They kept splashing water and laughing for a while longer before making their way back to the shoreline. As they did, Max realized that he wasn't just having fun, but Sally's carefree nature had started to rub off a bit on him, and he wasn't against that. He was enjoying her company enough, that even though they were drenched, they were not deterred and got right back at once they had righted their kayak.

They did learn from their mistakes, and as they grew closer as friends, they also got better in synch with each other, and found out that their skills complimented each other rather well. In fact, while participating in a three-legged race, Sally's athleticism and Max's gamer focus resulted in a powerful combination that earned them a well deserved victory, which was met with amazement from the others.

Later that evening, while everyone was gathered around campfires outside the camping hall roasting marshmallows, Sally and Max were chatting the evening away, asking each other various questions about each other, and generally just getting to know each other better.

"Okay, I need to know, what is your least favourite video game?" Sally asked Max.

"My least favourite? You mean, out of those I do play? Because there are some that I haven't even touched because they don't appeal to me, some that I tried but didn't like."

"Yeah, okay, out of those you do actually play. You don't have to be such a smart-ass." she gave him a playful nudge with her elbow, making it clear that she was just teasing him with her remark.

"Okay, well in that case, I would say… Drenter's Geo Shapes."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah, it was some weird educational game that dad got for me, imported and dubbed from Germany, I think. If the name didn't give it away, it was meant to teach geometrical shapes."

"Doesn't sound very fun, if you ask me."

"It wasn't, not by a long shot, but I still finished it, mostly out of sheer stubbornness. So now, I can name and identify over thirty different shapes. Doubt I'll ever have need of that knowledge, but there you have it. Your turn, what is your favourite video game?"

"My favourite video game, you say? Hmm… I'm not really a gamer, not like you at least. Always liked the outdoors a lot more." said Sally. "That said, I have at least played some with friends over the years. It was apparently an old game, Super Mario Bros, and, well, I wasn't very good at it, but I did enjoy it a bit."
"Ah, one of the old retro classics. I got a copy of that at home."

"Really? That's cool. From what I understand, they are not easy to get hold of any longer."

"No, they are pretty rare nowadays, and people know it. Anyone that's got one is keeping it close. And those that do sell, ask for big sums."
"So, how did you get yours?"

"Hand-me-down, actually. Well, technically, it's still dad's, he had a whole bunch of old retro games growing up, well, they weren't retro at the time, but you know what I mean. We used to play them a lot together. Once we get back to town, I would like if we can keep in touch. Maybe you and I could play some once in a while?"

"Sure, sounds fun. But only if you hang out with me on some more… outdoor activities. I happen to know a guy that has set up a paintball arena outside of town. He could give us a little discount if I ask nicely."

"I've never tried paintball."
"Trust me, I'm sure you will like it." Sally said with a wink. "It's just like those shooter games, but in real life. Well, sort of."

"Sure, sounds fun. And it also sounds a bit like you're asking me out on a date."

Sally's face went red like a beetroot and her cheeks flushed with heat, and for the first time since Max met her, he saw her lose her composure.

"What?! W-what?! N-no! No! I just! I just…!"

"Yikes! Calm down, Sally! I was just joking!"

"Oh my gosh…" Sally hid her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to sound like that…" she took a deep breath and looked Max in the eyes. "Look, you're a great guy, and I really like you, I really do, but, and please don't misunderstand, we've only known each other for a month. I'd like us to, you know, know each other for a little longer than that before we start to think about that sort of thing, that is if we go down that path."

"Hey, it's okay, I understand. I wasn't suggesting anything romantic, I ain't exactly a romantic person to begin with. It was just a little joke."

"Well, you got me good with it." Sally giggled.

"That said, I wouldn't mind if maybe we could catch a movie together. Just two friends. Nothing more. There's a new Star Trek movie coming out in three months."

"Hard pass. Well, on the Star Trek thing, not the movie idea. I would actually like that. I'm just not a sci-fi fan. Same thing with fantasy, actually."

"Really? Didn't expect that, if I'm honest."

"Well, I'm a very… I guess you could say that I'm very grounded. I prefer facts over fiction. When watching a movie, or reading a book, if it isn't realistic, I can't get into it."

"You can't suspend your sense of disbelief."
"Exactly! It just doesn't work for me. Same with that Mario game, actually. I mean, it was sort of fun, but seriously? A chubby Italian plumber jumping on turtles and mushrooms? Even though that, in and of itself, is completely realistic, I still have a hard time believing it. But throw in the flowers that let you throw fire, or the bad guy at the end… that dragon thing?"

"Bowser. Yeah, I see what you mean." Max leaned back and looked at the starry sky. "Me, I've always loved those things. When I look into space, I think about all the strange things we don't know about, don't understand, that might be out there I guess… I guess that's why I love video games as much, other than not having to interact with real people, all those things that doesn't make sense in our world, be it science fiction or fantasy."

"And here I thought you were one of those real super nerds." Sally giggled.

"Don't get me wrong. I see anything in the games, I want to know how it works, like those floating brick blocks in the Mario games. But if the explanation simply is 'it just works like that there', then I'm fine with that."

"So you're a bit of a dreamer, huh? Wow, there's more to you than meets the eye, you know that?"

"So I've been told." Max chuckle. His eyes absently traced the constellations above them, thinking of what was to come during his stay at the summer camp. It hadn't turned out as he had expected, and he was happy about that.

We have now met the main characters Max and Sally, and learned a bit about them. But what does all of this mean? Well, so far, its just something to establish the characters and setting. Keep reading in the upcoming chapters to learn more.