The Secret of Summer Camp

            This is it, she thought as she threw her bulging bag onto the bunk she would be occupying for the next three weeks. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. You’ve waited so many years to finally be a camp counselor. Don’t ruin it. You got this. Kat took a deep breath and left the cabin to meet the other counselors she would be rooming with. As she stepped out of the door, a blonde girl with a bouncing ponytail bobbed up to Kat and stuck her hand out: “Hi! I’m Summer! Kind of funny, isn’t it?” Then she let out this high-pitched girly laugh and continued, “Because we’re at a summer camp!”

Kat smiled and took her hand, shaking firmly, like they taught her. “I’m Kat. I can’t wait to be your co-counselor”.

Summer’s face lit up: “Oh! Kat! Like a kit kat. Can I call you that? Kit kat? Or what about kitty kat? Oh! Is that okay? Should I just call you Kat?”

“Kat’s fi-”

“We have so much to do before the campers arrive! Help me with my luggage?” Summer interrupted but beamed with a smile. Kat shrugged and picked up one of Summer’s industrial-sized, hot pink bags and began to lug it into the cabin.

“So, how much do you love camp? I know I love it soo much. It’s so great, isn’t it? Like the water is amazing and always refreshing! Plus the cabins are so homey, don’t you agree?”

“Oh yeah. I love camp. I always have. I’ve waited so long to be a counselor. I almost didn’t get in!” Kat replied, beginning to relax because camp was the one thing she could talk about for hours.

“Oh. Haha. You almost didn’t get in? That’s odd. I knew I was a shoe-in because my parents went here. We’re like practically a legacy! Plus I know Sam Bartlett on a personal level. You know who Mr. Sam is right?”

“Yeah, I know. He’s the-”

 “Camp director, of course. People say they know him, but I really know him, you know? Plus, I mean, look at me, I might as well be…”

As Summer went on and on about how she was extremely qualified to be a counselor, Kat began evaluating herself in comparison. With Kat’s short, red hair and modestly rounder figure, she barely fit the part of “the slimmest and sleekest” as Summer put it. Summer had the summer bronze and bouncy personality to keep her afloat in any counselor position. As this storm of thoughts simmered over Kat’s head, Summer snapped her attention back: “How about we head down to the dining hall, kitty kat? We can meet all the other counselors! I hear there are some mega cute boys from Cabin 12”. With a whip of her long blonde ponytail, she turned on her heels and headed down the stairs, waiting for Kat to follow.

 

The Dining Hall was a blur of clones.

Kat stood on her toes, trying to look over the small crowd of people. She searched for a friendly face, a lonely figure or anyone who wouldn’t be as peppy as Summer. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned around to see a boy’s tan face smiling at her.

“Hi! I’m Brian Clooney! Not related to George Clooney of course.” His deep laugh echoed and startled Kat in her reply.

“Oh. Hello. My name’s Kat Morey. But…not like anything. Just..um, Kat?” Brian’s smile only fell half an inch before he brightened his spirit mysteriously.

“What a cute name! Hi Kat! You must be a new counselor. I’ve been a counselor for two years now: this being my third! I’m pretty experienced you could say. Do you have any questions?”

Kat looked Brian up and down. He had a fishing shirt on, light blue; khakis, just above the knee; and Chaco’s, these wondrous hiking shoes that seem to pop up all around camp. With his sunglasses hanging from a carefully picked lanyard, Brian had the prime counselor look. Finally, Kat realized she should probably ask some questions, even if she didn’t want the answers. “Actually, Brian, I was wondering…What exactly is to be expected of me here? How should I act around the campers? I’m a little confused.”

Brian let out his deep laugh again, calling attention to him from the group of counselors around them. They all smiled as if there was an inside joke about Brian’s infamous laugh.

“Well, you see Kat. Let me give you the 411. You are these kids’ role model. You are who they want to be! So you gotta make yourself desirable. Not in..you know, a physical way. Just make ‘em love you for you. What I’m saying is, be whatever you gotta be to make these kids love you and come back to camp. In other words: if they come back, we get paid! How sweet is that?”

Kat smiled, unsure, “Hah. Yeah. Totally sweet.” Brian seemed pleased and, patting Kat on the back, climbed up on one of the stools to call attention to the other counselors: “WELCOME TO CAMP!” Brian yelled in a loud, mocking voice of Sam Bartlett’s welcome cheer.

Everyone around Kat laughed and yelled back: “WHERE FUN BECOMES FUNNER!” Apparently, this was a joke between the counselors Kat hadn’t learned about yet. Brian chuckled lightly and continued:

“I want to thank ya’ll for coming to camp and, of course, giving these campers something to look forward to! In about two hours, campers are going to come streaming through those gates and we gotta be ready for them. So, what I’m asking is: ARE YOU READY?”

“READY!”

“I said…ARE YOU READY?”

“READY!!!”

“Alright sounds like we’re READY! Now, if everyone will pop a squat, I just gotta go over some basic rules Mr. Sam told me to inform you guys of. Of course we all know about the Rules 1-5, but it’s mandatory that I go over them. Ya’ll know the program.

“So. Rule #1: No touching any of the campers unless they initiate a hug: hugs are all good.

Rule #2: No boys on girls side, whether they’re campers or counselors.

Rule #3 (applies to rule 2): No campers/counselors inside cabins of the opposite sex

Rule #4: No one is allowed outside his or her cabin after curfew (midnight)

And of course,

Rule #5: No drugs or alcohol, ya’ll know better than that.

“Well now that that whole spiel is done with. Let’s get ready for CAMP!!” Brian yelled as the surrounding eyes gleamed and the hands clapped for such a marvelous telling of five camp rules.

            There seemed to be a sudden impulse for everyone to go somewhere and prep, whether they were prepping themselves or the camp, but Kat didn’t understand where she was to go. She managed to find Brian in the crowd of moving counselors and tapped his arm, a question already on her lips.

   He smiled down to her: “Hey Kat! You all good with the rules and preparations? As for right now you can head on back up to your cabin and start unpacking your stuff. Gotta have that bed lookin’ tip top shape for the campers! I’ll see you back here at 2:00 on the dot. And remember: If you’re on time, you’re late!” With that, Brian merged into the sea of counselors, going his own way to do his own preparations.

            Kat stood in the Dining Hall a long time before moving forward. Eventually, only two or three spare clones were milling about, grabbing some cokes or candy from the snack table set up for the early arrivers. Kat approached a guy who couldn’t decide between a Coke or a Sprite. She breathed deeply and attempted to get into the camp spirit.

“Hi! I’m Kat. But you can call me Kitty Kat.” The nickname sounded strange on her tongue and the facetious happiness made her feel off.

The guy turned to look at her and showed her a stretched out smile as he replied, “I’m George Kane. So most people just call me Candy Cane, of course!” The laugh he let out sounded fake and forced. Kat looked at him oddly but he only cleared his throat, eyebrows raised. A silence stretched between them before George Kane leaned forward and whispered, “Camp isn’t what I expected it to be.” Before Kat could ask him what he meant or even say anything at all George Kane grabbed a Sprite and jogged to the door. It was left swinging back and forth as Kat stared after him.

Move. Go. It’ll be okay. He was just playing around. You’re overreacting.. Kat told herself, forcing her legs to move. One step and then two, followed by three more, until she realized she was running, running, running. She began to think about last summer, when she was a Leader in Training, back when she was treated as a slave, as the scum of the earth: a freshman in an ocean filled with hot-headed seniors. She was immediately looked down upon simply for entering the program. Without even stepping a toe out of line, she was already in trouble every second of the day. It was as if the moon had fallen down and she was to blame.

 

Stop it. It was worth it. You’re a counselor now.

I know, I know. But this is not what I expected.

Does it matter? It’ll still be an experience, and one you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember.

I’m just afraid.

Sometimes, that’s okay.

 

Kat stopped running and looked around. Where was her cabin? She kept walking up the gravel road until she came across a horse barn. She never did horseback as a camper because of her fear of horses, so the location of this horse barn was extremely confusing.

There must be someone up here, prepping for the campers, I suppose.

Kat climbed the last steep part of the road and looked at the entire view of the horse barn. She heard a snort very close to her and jumped back to find a large, black stallion gazing deeply with red flared eyes at her. “I hate horses,” She told the horse plainly, but its expression did not change. “That means I hate you. Go away.” The horse remained still, holding its frightening gaze. Kat stared back just as intensely, hoping to freak the horse out so it would leave and find something else to do.

 

“What are you doing?”

Kat jumped, letting out a little squeak. She found Brian standing behind her with a question mark creasing in his brows. Instead of answering his question, she turned back to the horse but noticed that it had dropped its gaze and the fire in its eyes became a settling brown.

 

“I was just..um..”

A smile smoothed out the creases in Brian’s forehead, “It’s all good, Kat. I’m not too fond of horses either. We came up here to hang, wanna join?”

Kat looked around at the empty barn and pinned in horse fields. “Join what?”

A knowing look entered Brian’s eyes as he replied, softly, “Come on.” He turned around and lead the way behind the horse barn.

Before they turn the corner, Kat hears voices and a pungent smell hits her nose, causing her eyes to water and her throat to close up. “What in the-” “Hey guys! I brought a buddy, hope ya’ll don’t mind too much” A group laugh shows that the people don’t mind at all. They beckon for her to sit down and join them in their circle. Someone passes a colored ornament to his neighbor. Others hold cups and refill them with some sort of liquid. Hesitantly, she lowers herself onto the dirt and the dots of what is happening very gradually connect.

Brian plops his arm around Kat’s shoulders as he sits down next to her. The colored ornament is passed to him and he takes a practiced, knowing drag. Without question, he places it in Kat’s hands and looks at her face with expecting eyes.

 

“What is this?”

The group laughs in unison as if Kat is being sarcastic. She stares at all of them, unmoving. The laugh dies down and a girl across the circle, who Kat realizes is Summer, says, “Oh Kitty Kat, you’ll love it! It’s such a nice, peaceful feeling. But we need to hurry before the kiddies arrive! Take a hit! You’ll be a shoe-in like me. It’s great to be friends with the other counselors. It’s our main goal!” Kat looks down at the ornament in her hands and glances back up to catch Brian’s eyes.

“Do you need help how to? Don’t worry. This is a lot of peoples’ first times” People around the circle nod, encouraging. “You just inhale, I’ll light it.” Brian goes to hold the lighter to the bowl so that Kat can inhale, but she shakes her head, confusion seeping through her expression.

Brian’s knowing look returns and he tells her, “Oh, I know what you want.” He gestures to someone by his side, and they hand him one of the cups. He places this in Kat’s hands as he takes away the bowl. “Drink up, Kitty Kat!” The group laughs together again, and Summer beams at her nickname being chosen. And yet, Kat doesn’t drink up. She sits for a few seconds, considering her options. Then she hands Brian the cup back and stands, brushing off her legs.

“Camp really isn’t what I expected it to be.”

And she walks away with no regrets.  

 

Author's Note

An experience I had but I wrote it in third person instead. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Reviews

[Samantha Lynn]

So, i really like this. To me its kind of saying that even if something looks so innocent doesn't mean that it is. I took it deeper than it is probably but that is what I got out of it lol this probably helps you none, but I thought I'd share my opinion because I really have no critism for it. Also, I love the choice you made in the end. Good choice lol :)

[I am renee]

That was amazing, i loved it. Your a beautiful writer. much love :)

[Q]

You are really good at capturing characters at dialogue. Definitely a fun read!