Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be. Also, feel free to check the FAQs on my FFN profile before leaving reviews about anything you dislike (including characterization or length).
Author's Note: So I've been reading through a bunch of Stiles/Peter fics on the Archive and there's this one writer who does, like, a lot of them. The idea of there being a large lake in Hale territory/Beacon County that is called Silver Lake is a repeated thing. I can't remember if Takara Phoenix created that or pulled it from canon. Either way, y'all should check out Takara Phoenix on AO3.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T05); RAVEN (2025); MC4A (Wi-Yr7)
Individual Challenges: Binger; Reader; Cinematic; Delilah; Bucket Listing; Short Jog; Rainbow Connection
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 05 - Assignment 04
Subject [Task (Prompt)] : Magical Law & Gov [Task#2 (someone flouting the statute of secrecy)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Library [Dreams & Memories](Lake/Pond); Frenzy [House#5](Obnoxious); Center [100 - Pikachu](Yellow); Pokemon [185 - Sudowoodo](Cardinal Red); Feb House [1 - Angel](Ivory);
RAVEN Challenges: A [81](Swimming); Traits [21](Egotistical); Colors [45](Ivory); Items [4](Basket); Settings [54](Lake/Pond)
Other MC4A Challenges: Chim [Morwin](Protection; "Shadow" - Livingston; Autistic); Hunt [Wi Con (Crackers)]; Fire [x]; Garden [Pot Garden (Lake/Pond); Picnic Basket (Peanut Butter)]; Hang [Phrase#01](n/a);
Representation(s): Lifeguard Camden Lahey; Weasleys;
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: n/a
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: SHoE (Brood); Share (Augur)
Space Address (Prompt): WiB 1D (Blanket); Vocab 5D (Kitsch)
Word Count: 1422 words
(Ø)
The Lady of the Lake
(Ø)
Silver Lake stretched across the eastern portion of Beacon County. It curved around the preserve like a crescent moon. A portion of the preserve had been partially developed into a public park with trails of various kinds and difficulties. The park also included a portion of beach dedicated for swimming. There was a small fee per person for accessing the park, but county residents had a marked discount as part of their property taxes.
The swimming section of the park was protected on two sides by rocky levees that jutted from the beach into the lake. Strung between the two levees was a tangerine orange rope with ivory floaters. Every twenty feet a bright cardinal red buoy separated the sections of floating rope. Each buoy also had an ivory sign with large letters which declared that there were no boats allowed.
Camden Lahey had just been promoted to head lifeguard. It was the last summer he would have to put up with a seasonal job. After Labor Day, he was off to boot camp. Joining the Marines hadn't been his favorite plan but it got him out of his father's home. After a single tour, he would have enough resources to get his little brother out as well. He had a whole plan, even if the idea of leaving Isaac alone with their father made him sick to his stomach with fear.
Right as Camden was switching over to another lifeguard, a boat with a family in it pulled right up to one of the levees, crossing over the bright orange rope with its clearly visible white floaters like it wasn't even there. Camden exchanged a glance with his coworker before heading off to do one of the more annoying aspects of being the head lifeguard.
The rather large family had laid out an equally large blanket (checkered red and goldenrod instead of the traditional red and white) and an honest-to-god wicker picnic basket. The younger four children (two of which must be twins, given how they look like mirrored images of each other) are already munching on sliced cheese on crackers. The oldest of the children was organizing the sandwiches that the mother was pulling out of the basket while a tired-looking man settled on another corner of the blanket with what looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Camden frowned as he did the mental math that refused to make sense. There seemed to be way too much food coming out of the basket. He blinked as the red-haired woman pulled a whole pitcher of what appeared to be lemonade from the basket. It didn't even have a lid on it to keep the drink from spilling all over everything. The basket was definitely giving off Mary Poppins vibes or maybe TARDIS ones.
Either way, it was definitely bigger on the inside and just as definitely not his problem, no matter how kitsch it was. He shook his head to clear it.
"Um, you'll have to move your boat," Camden said after he was in earshot. The woman immediately got up, gesturing to the oldest boy to continue working. She bustled over to Camden in a way that reminded him vividly of his neighbor's yappy Yorkie.
"It's okay, dearie," she assured him. Even in just those two words, Camden could hear her British accent. She patted his arm like he was a child about to throw a fit. "We're renting a house just across the lake. We'll just eat our lunch and be off. No need to worry yourself about."
"Ma'am," Camden tried again, "you have to move your boat. There's no boats allowed here, for public safety. It's the law."
"Isn't he adorable?" The woman directed the question toward the man who just nodded in agreement. She patted Camden's arm again. Her expression was a mockery of understanding. When she continued, her tone was measured in the way that adults got when speaking to small children. "We're from the other side of the lake. We're fine."
"With all due respect, ma'am," Camden said, trying to reign in his temper, "you are not fine. No boats are allowed in this section. Also, there's an admission fee to the park. You would have paid at the gate if you had come in the proper way."
"We are from the other side of the lake, dearie."
"And now you're on this side of the lake," Camden snapped. "You cannot dock your boat here and you must pay the admission fee."
"How dare you take that tone with me?" the woman snapped back. Her cheeks flushed almost as red as her hair. "I said we're from the other side of the lake. We're allowed to be here. We're just going to eat our lunch and be on our way."
"You are welcomed to come back through the gates, ma'am, but you cannot dock here. It's not safe."
"It's fine," she repeated. Camden heaved a great sigh and pulled his radio over to his mouth.
"Notify the sheriff's department that we have a situation developing on the south levee," he said into the device. There was a burst of static before he received a confirmation from the ranger station near the gates. The woman rolled her eyes like he was being dramatic. The man had finally realized that there was something more important than his sandwich. The oldest child looked a bit wary of how the situation was going, almost the same sickly pale that Isaac got when their father started drinking. The twins looked like they were watching a tennis match while the second-youngest child focused the sandwich he had pulled from the organized piles of them.
Camden immediately started looking for the youngest child. She had wandered off from the blanket and was now splashing in the water near their boat. As if to highlight exactly why boats were forbidden in the swimming area, their boat shifted on the waves of the lake. The little girl was knocked off her feet and disappeared beneath the water.
Immediately, his lifeguard training kicked in and Camden was moving. He got the girl in his arms easily enough, but the boat kept moving over them, blocking the way back to the surface. Finally, he tucked the girl against his chest and barrel-rolled beneath the boat. They burst out of the water like Ariel escaping Ursula's lair after being turned into a human.
(Watching Disney movies together was a secret bonding between the Lahey brothers. The Little Mermaid was one of Isaac's favorites. They had watched it just last night.)
Camden grabbed a hold of the orange rope marking the edge of the swimming area. The ivory floaters made useful handholds, allowing him to keep one arm around the clinging girl while pulling them both to shore. Exhausted, Camden staggered up the levee with his precious cargo. The father met him halfway up and relieved him of the girl.
"Daddy," the girl sobbed into the man's neck. He shushed her gently as he rubbed her back. The twins had tucked themselves up against the oldest boy who had an arm around each. The youngest boy looked a bit worried but also kept eating. Camden panted as he tried to recover from the rescue.
"See what you did?!" the woman howled as soon as everyone was back on top of the levee. "My baby could have drowned!"
"AND THAT'S WHY BOATS AREN'T ALLOWED HERE!"
"Well," the woman huffed, "there should have been some kind of sign!"
"THERE IS!" Camden pointed sharply at the closest buoy with its sign. "Not to mention that I told you that you would need to move your boat for safety reasons!"
"WE'RE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE!"
"It's still English, ma'am," Sheriff Stilinski said, sliding into the discussion as soon as he arrived. "Now why don't we all calm down and see what needs to be done."
Like always, the sheriff projected a steadiness that made everyone around him calm. It was hard to imagine that this man was the father of the kid in Isaac's class that never seemed to stop moving. Having three deputies with him certainly helped to cut the woman's tantrum off. Before long, the entire family had been gathered up to visit the county hospital to get the girl checked out. One of the deputies was taking the boat to the impound dock.
Camden could almost swear he could still hear the mother protesting that they were from the other side of the lake.