"Hey" Katherine said somewhat lazily but with a smile on her face as she sat down with the group. "I'm Katherine, from cabin one, you guys?"

Colline stopped reading as a few others came, quietly closing her book and looking around. Some more girls had settled at the table, and one of them, Katherine, had asked them all a question. Mumbling a few quiet, incomprehensible words before realizing that no one would have been able to hear that, she turned to the girl.

"C-colline. Cabin one." The girls currently at the table seemed nice enough, but Colline still couldn't stop herself from stuttering.

quickly scooting over to make more room for the steady flow of people coming in, she looked around the table before settling her gaze on the ground. She would have felt much more comfortable just laying somewhere in the grass and either listening to music or just playing her own. She had always loved all kinds of music, and one of her favorite past times was making it. So far though, she had met no one with the same love of it as she had. Quickly scanning the group of people at the table, she wondered if anyone else had the same interests as her. As Colline suspected, more people came, most of them being boys.

"Hey, all. Room for one more?" One of the boys asked, smiling as he leaned against the table.

”Nope, as you can see we’re all full,” Gwen replied with a smirk. Colline didn't know if she meant it, seeing as there was still some room left. Maybe Gwen was expecting a friend.

Quickly scooting over until she was at the edge, Colline motioned to the open seats nervously. "Um, h-here. there's still some room..." Glancing up once between Greg and Gwen before turning her attention back to her book. She didn't want to say anything else, in fear of embarrassing herself in front of everyone. Colline had never been around a large group such as this one before, and it made her a bit nervous and on edge.

Faye looked up from the screen of her phone. She had been surfing the internet for a bit, although she was sure most of the other girls on their phones nearby were likely texting their friends or something. Her message inbox remained empty ever since she left for camp, unsurprisingly. She glanced at the newcomers as they arrived at the Activity Center, inspecting them briefly before looking away. She hoped the rest of the people at the camp were going to be decent. She placed her phone back into her pocket.

"Oh, hello Gwen." She replied to her cabin mate's greeting from across the table, not wanting to come off as too rude. She fidgeted a bit with her hair as more and more camp members began to arrive at the area, and she began twisting a blue strand around her finger nervously. A tall, ebony haired girl approached the table, introducing herself. "I'm Katherine, from cabin one, you guys?"

"Faye, cabin three." She responded simply in a small voice. Oh, she suddenly wished she had her sketchbook with her. Her finger traced the surface of the seat she was on, thinking of all the things she could have fun drawing right now but couldn't. She spaced out for a moment, leaning on her other hand, staring off into the distant mountain scenery. Or perhaps her headphones, to drown in some melodies and leave all her worries behind. Instead, she was here with nothing, surrounded by strangers and noise. None of them looked too bad by appearance, but the fact still didn't help much with her nervousness. Hopefully, they were going to be tolerable enough for her to spend her time at the camp without too much trouble. She felt rather awkward sitting there with people she didn't know, and hoped that it wouldn't be too long before she could return to her cabin,

A black, convertible Mercedes rolled quietly down the barely paved road through the pine forest. It was very clean, as if it was new, evidence that it was a rental. The roof was up, and inside quiet classical music played from the radio. At the wheel sat a woman of about 50 years; her long hair was dyed blonde and straightened, and her face was caked with makeup. Her facial expression was straight, but with traces of anxiety as she occasionally looked over at her son who sat at her right, leaning his cheek on his fist. His dark brown eyes, that was surprisingly warm but also piercing, stared straight ahead at the road. The music playing in his earbuds was slightly audible as it was being played at volume too high for his ear health.

The woman cleared her throat and began to speak.

“Jack, I know you’re not—“ she stopped and saw her son wasn’t paying attention. “Jack! Jack!” She reached her right arm out and tapped him on the shoulder.

Jack turned to her and pulled one of his earbuds out. His lips were pursed, and it was obvious he was upset about something.

“What?” he asked her calmly.

“I know you didn’t want to do this, but—”

“You think?” Jack shot back coldly, turning his eyes back to the road.

“But I think you’ll enjoy yourself…” Ms. Lanceton tried to convince him.

“Mom, this is my last summer before I go off to college. Don’t you think I want to try to enjoy myself instead of going to some fucking two-month daycare?”

“It’s one of the highest-rated summer camps in the country, Jack,” she replied.

“It’s still a fucking camp,” Jack said. “And why couldn’t it be closer to home instead of on the other side of the goddamn country?”

Ms. Lanceton stayed quiet. Jack didn’t normally have this bad of an attitude; he was just upset, and she could understand. But he needed this. His behavior was getting out of control.

“We’re here,” she said finally after a moment of silence in their conversation. She came to a stop a few yards from the Activities Center. “You remember how to check in right?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Jack sighed, opening up the door and grabbing a single duffel bag from the trunk. Ms. Lanceton got out of the car quickly and came up to her son, with whom she was already pretty distant. A summer away from each other probably wouldn’t do wonders for their relationship.

“I love you, honey…” she said quietly.

Jack rolled his eyes. “I love you too,” he said curtly.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before Jack simply turned to leave and head off toward the Activities Center. After getting his key and map, and flirting with the bubbly receptionist, Jack was back outside, on his way to his cabin. As soon as he was registered into the system, he also received the text informing about orientation. He decided he’d go, but he wouldn’t be in any rush to make it on time.

Year number two. Claire Walker was no longer new to this job anymore. She didn’t exactly want to work here, but it was agreed upon within her own personal circle that it was the best place for her in the last two years before high school education ended. Her last summer before college about to end, and here she was once more to lead a group of campers through summer activities. To watch them laugh and cry, and make friends. She supposed she had shared some of that joy, but it was only for a moment. A brief period in the grand scheme of her life. Happiness and laughter was fleeting. None of these kids were here for the long haul.

They were simply summer birds flocking to the warmth of the season, enjoy what it had to offer and then leave. What about the people they left behind? What was there for them?

Claire went with it though. It was a better place than where she lived. Although, she couldn’t complain. Just, it was nice to get away. Although the deafening sounds of her thoughts about the future were nearly crippling. She had no idea what was going to happen once the summer ended, or where she would go.

She took a deep breath. No, more like an inhale. Anyone looking down between the activities building and the cafeteria would see a tanned blonde leaning up against the wall with a rolled up joint in her fingers. Puffing out smoke. Little did most people know, she was the tour guide of the camp, and the orientation leader. And, well, a counselor too. An up and coming counselor at that. Casually getting high. Other than that, she looked sweet in her cute summer top with palm trees on it. Shades lifted up and resting on her blonde locks.

Her head turned, and she nearly hurled the joint away until she realized it was just another camper. Claire smirked, looking at him with her blue eyed gaze.

“On your way to orientation?”

A pungent smell that was all too familiar to Lanceton began to appear once he crossed behind the activities building. He was caught off guard because he didn’t expect there to be weed, here of all places. Then, almost immediately, someone called out to him.

Jack turned to see a blonde girl leaning against the wall. Laced between her fingers was a rolled up piece of paper, that was obviously a joint. His eyes lit up—it was a double whammy. A hot chick, and a smoke. Suddenly, this camp didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“My cabin actually,” Jack replied cooly, nodding his head to the duffel bag that was still strapped over his shoulder. “But I’ll go to the orientation if you’re gonna be there. I’m Jack, Jack Lanceton.” His accent was apparent.

There never seemed to be a shortage of attractive guys who went to this camp. Jack was no exception to that rule. She could tell his eyes were already wandering to places on her body they shouldn’t be.

But, Claire couldn’t blame him. She knew she looked good, and owned it. At his subtle compliment that she caught immediately, a soft laugh escaped her lips.

“Well I guess we both have a reason to be at orientation now, don’t we?” Claire smiled. After taking another hit, and blowing the smoke out in a perfect ring of vapor. She knew fun tricks like that. Clearly going great places in her life. With an outstretched arm, she handed the joint over to him.

“Claire Walker. Want some? Unless a handsome, southern gentleman like yourself is against it.”

“Hell no,” Jack said, plucking the joint straight out of her hand. “Who in their right mind would be against this shit?” He held it up to his lips and took a nice long drag, held it, then exhaled, feeling the effects of the cannabinoids, which he desperately needed right then because he was so tense, despite the camp’s rather relaxed atmosphere.

“So what’s a cute little blonde doing at a place like this?” he asked her as he returned her joint to her.

“Little?” She kinked her eyebrow at him and then laughed. “Is that your game? Subtle ‘little’ backhand compliments to get me interested.” Inhale. “Well, it might be working.” Claire flashed that brilliant smile of hers, before coughing some smoke out after she took a rather too large hit.

“I suppose I’m here for the same reasons you are. Summer, relaxing place. Pushed to go here by the ‘rents. Blah blah blah. You know the drill. How about you Jackie Boy?”

Jack gave her a strange look when she tried out a nickname he had never been called before on him.

“Pretty much the same, Claire Bear,” he replied, throwing back an equally as cheesy nickname. “I thought this place was gonna be boring and dry, but it looks there’s at least someone else with the same…” He thought of the right word. “Priorities,” he decided, “as me.”

He flashed her a smile as well.

“Do you think you could help me find my cabin? I really don’t wanna get lost on my first day,” Jack asked her innocently, going in for the kill.

Hooked. Both of them were. The chemistry between them was as electric as the feeling the weed was giving Clare. “So clever, pretty boy. I should get that nickname trademarked and get money every time it’s used. But sure, I can find you your cabin. It’s not very far.”

Claire threw the last of the joint down and stomped it into the dirt. Walking along the paths, finally reaching Cabin Four. His roommates hadn’t locked the door when she twisted the doorknob. “I guess you might need to lock this door so your stuff doesn’t get stolen.” She trotted inside, swaying her hips maybe a little too sensually as she moved in front of him.

The cabin was spacious but still small. Three beds in the same room, and a bathroom. She looked at the untaken bed and sat on it, looking at Jack. “I think this is your bed. A bit cold, but still comfortable.”

“It’s summer, it’ll warm up,” Jack told her. He walked over to the dresser next to the bed and dropped his duffel bag to the ground. He really didn’t want to unpack everything right then, but he’d might as well get started now, or he’d never do it.

He bent down and unzipped it, putting some of the clothes away in not-so-neat piles, not bother to sort them in any particular way. Once a drawer was overstuffed, he’d simply move on to the next one.

When he was mostly done, he took a break from all this “hard work” to go to the bathroom quickly. He excused himself and shut the door behind him. He quickly checked himself in the mirror to make sure everything was “on point” before going any farther with this chick. Of course, there was hardly anything that needed to be fixed anyway.

He came back out of the bathroom, letting out a sigh of relief.

Claire laughed, clearly waiting on him and knowing exactly why he went into the bathroom. She stood up from the bed and walked right up to him. The gap between their faces was nearly non-existent. With absolute ease, she closed the distance and the closeness of them could only be described as intimate.

She hooked a finger into the collar of his shirt and smirked. “You look fine to me, pretty boy.” She whispered in a seductive, sultry tone. Tugging softly to bring her face to his, her lips locking with his.

Oh. That was easy. Jack hadn’t expected this girl to be so easy.

He kissed her back, though he had to admit that her passion was pretty unexpected. After a few brief moments of this, which felt much longer to him, he pulled away for a moment and stared into her eyes. A smirk played on his lips.

“How about before we go to this orientation…—” he began to speak.

Claire forcefully pulled him back into the kiss. Their lips crashing against each other as she pulled him back and fell onto the bed. Giggling, stopping for just a moment.

“This is orientation.”

---

After what felt like an hour of having irresponsible fun, although it was really just an intense makeout session, Claire heard her phone buzz.

She instantly pushed off. Somehow able to turn the switch on and off just like that. “Shit!” Claire rolled off the bed and re-adjusted her hair and her clothes. Making her way to the door.

Jack sat up on the bed in confusion and quickly pulled his shirt back on over his head. Why on earth had she stopped so suddenly. “Whoa!” he called out to her, standing up from the bed. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”

She stopped for a second and looked at him. Claire smirked, reaching into her shorts’ pockets and grabbed a metal object. It was a nametag that she pulled out and clipped onto her dress. ‘Claire Walker - Counselor’.

When she saw the look on his face, Claire had to contain her laughter. “I’m your tour guide, orientation leader, and a camp counselor. See ya’ around Jackie Boy.” And she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Laughing on her way out the door.

Only two thoughts went through Jack’s head right then. The first: Score. I got with a counselor. The second? Oh, shit.

Alan loosened his tie slightly as they walked back towards the activities centre. Greg was dressed rather casually compared to him, and he felt overdressed for the occasion. He also lamented that he hadn't brought much in terms of casual wear, though the thoughts left him quickly as they approached the table full of people.

Greg quickly approached the growing mass of people, leaning on the table. Alan stood behind, looking at them all. A few looked nervous, and he felt slightly reassured. He took a step forward to say something, then subtly backed off. This was dumb. These people were just like him. Why was he nervous? Still, he stood on the fringes for a few long moments. Finally, after a lull in the conversation, he stepped forward.

"Hullo. My name is Alan. I. I don't need to sit." He pushed up his glasses, a goofy glint in his eyes. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he looked towards the entrance of the activities centre. Just what was this orientation event going to be? No one seemed to know.

Baylen glanced behind him to see Pratt had come with him and gave him a half smile. So far things were going well. He wondered if this would be the first camp he would go to that would finally not have drama. He wasn't guiltless of contributing but he was never the instigator.

Baylen turned to the girls, looking to each with a wide smile. He always got along better with girls. He knew he was a good looking kid but he enjoyed the company of women in general over men. His therapist says this has to do with his close relationship with his Grandma and the cold, distant relationship he harbors with his parents, who both wear pant suits and ties. He simply figures it's because he enjoys being with women. Why did everything have to be broken down to a specific reason?

At Gwen's invitation he sat down next to her. She was the most vocal and so far the friendliest of the group. This was always day one of camp though; everyone getting to know each other and get comfortable. Well they were going to have a lot of time to do that so day one was always a bit awkward.

Baylen glanced around the table at the girls and back to the guys, except Pratt who he already introduced himself to. "My name's Baylen guys. I know we'll get to know each other soon enough in one of those lame orientation name-games, but better to do it now than inside that stuffy room, right?" he grinned, leaning back against the table. His posture of comfort was broken though by a familiar smell that wafted ever so subtly through the air. Baylen sat up straight and looked around the grounds, glancing to a few at the table. "You guys smell that?" He was a rebellious teen, and knew very well the relaxing smell of pot. "No way..." he said more to himself than to the others, laughing softly. This camp would be more fun than he thought.

Claire could hear the voices of the campers from outside the activities center. Always seemed to be a large crowd every year. Who wouldn't want to spend a few months at the beach and chill with new friends that are going to leave and probably not come back? Claire would raise her hand to that question. There to get away, a choice of the lesser of two evils. Those parents of hers must be awful! However, she couldn't focus much on that. She did have a job to do after all. Being a trainee counselor working as an orientation leader demanded focus and responsibility. The mature duty of taking care of several kids and making sure they weren't doing anything illegal. Well, Claire was definitely the model of everything a counselor should be.

She strut her stuff into the activities center and pulled out some eyedrops, letting the liquid drip into her eyes. Getting high made her a bit self conscious about how she looked in front of others. And with so many people out there who would be looking at her, that certainly didn't help at all. Luckily, smoking wasn't new to her. And, she had developed a bit of an immunity. Getting used to the effects made her more loose with it, and able to conquer the unwelcome anxiety and paranoia. As she made her way to the stage up in front of all the tables in the room, Claire brushed her hair with her hand. Making sure there was still that 'proper', 'lady-like' appearance to her. The other administrators all wanted her to have that look since the previous year. Something about first impressions.

Weird how that is, huh? Everyone she's talked to has always talked about not being shallow, being a well-rounded person and accepting herself and others just as they are. Yet, they still stress first impressions and appearances. Hypocrites, all of them.

Claire walked up the steps and flashed that bright smile to the crowd. Always able to play the game and appear the most sociable and enthusiastic of most crowds. It could be exhausting keeping up appearances, but that's what drugs and alcohol were for! A little something extra to take the edge off. Moving up to the microphone, she grabbed it and spoke with her well-prepared and seamless bubbly public voice. "Hey there campers! Welcome to Camp Corona for this awesome summer of year twenty-fourteen, woohoo!" Loud and booming throughout the room. Some 'like-minded' campers clapped and whistled back with their excitement. "Yeah, there they are. Everyone should be looking to have fun like some people in this crowd. I know at least one person in this room that's more than down to have a good time." A not so subtle call out to Jack Lanceton. Though, she kept her eyes on everyone at the tables. Looking back and forth.

"Alright, I know there's a few of you that just want to get on ahead and do your own thing with free activities. But trust me, this is a great way to meet people so I'm happy it looks like almost everyone is here. Or maybe everyone is actually here for a first." Claire giggled. It wasn't that funny, but she was sky high at the moment. Take a second. Deep breath and gather herself. "Anyways, I have to tell you the rules of the camp. No going out of range where we can't keep track of you. There will sometimes be field trips. No fighting. Hmm… Oh, the obvious. No sex. Well, at least don't get caught." Another laugh. "No drinking, and definitely no smoking. Let's keep it proper up in this piece, errbody." Claire was rocking it. Being as chill as possible up there on stage.

"Now, onto the fun. There will be a bonfire tonight on the beach to signify the start of another year at this camp. And, I will be leading a tour guide around here, ending at the pier where we may have some orientation activities. So, just meet me by that door in the back and let's get this party started. Let's here it for another awesome year!" She placed the microphone down on the stand and made her way to the exit.

There was a boy with a backpack who showed up, and a girl named Colline introduced herself. Another boy with a tie on named Alan, and then the boy who sat next to her said his name was Baylen. Gwen mentally tried to recall every name she’d just heard with a face, but she wasn’t sure if she’d remember them or not. She would try hard though. After all, she didn’t want to be rude. ”Gwen,” she said simply to those that had arrived after she’d already said her name, when the guy beside her asked if they smelled something. Gwen looked surprised but sniffed the air. Maybe there was something? She didn’t know. She shrugged, not getting it. She’d never smelled pot in her life, or if she did, she had not recognized it. She’d always been too busy studying and playing sports to take part in smoking. Or even drinking for that matter.

Gwen didn’t have time to ask Baylen what he was smelling before a pretty blonde girl who looked about the same size as she did, stepped up in front of them and smiled. She looked like she knew something they didn’t, so Gwen looked towards her, waiting for whatever she had to say. The girl’s starting intro made Gwen chuckle a bit, thinking it rather corny, or something meant for younger campers, but she just smirked and continued listening to the girl.

The ‘rules’ seemed to be basically what she’d lived with her whole life, so no surprises there. A bonfire sounded great though, as Gwen had always loved the few she’d managed to go to. A tour? Was the camp really that big? Meh. Probably so by the looks of the map the lady had given her when she checked in. Still. With a map, the only reason she’d go on this tour was for the activities at the end.

Gwen cleared her throat, letting her eyes widen for a minute before going half open again as if to say Well, that was interesting before standing from the table. ”Well, guess I could stand a few corny, getting to know you orientation activities,” she mumbled, making air quotes around the last two words before smiling a bit and heading to where the blonde chick had gone to.

Pratt stayed quiet. He had no real reason to talk, and he would much rather get to know the people around him rather than telling them about himself. There wasn't much to talk about when it came to him, he believed. He just ran and swam, there was nothing real interesting there other than the unexpected rhyme. He matched names with faces and repeated them until a woman that seemed to be one of the counselors spoke up and told them the rules of the camp. He was sure that sooner or later, all of the rules of the camp would be broken at least once. With his small amount of experience with summer camps, he was sure that someone or a group of people would be doing everything that they weren't supposed to be doing. He hadn't been in that crowd before, but he had encountered people that enjoyed breaking rules before, and in a world as big as theirs, there were abound to be at least a few people like that at the camp.

He looked at the group that he had entered and glanced at a counselor that was walking to the door. He assumed that nobody had taken to recognizing his presence yet, and let the group without a word. It would have been odd to tell them that he was leaving the group, since he never said or really did anything to become a part of it. He walked over to the door and waited patiently for other to join him.

Yolanda pulled up in her beat up car that she had never bothered to learn the brand name of. She simply called it 'rubbish', harsh yet true. However, it had gotten her to where she needed to be, so she supposed she shouldn't judge it too harshly. Turning the engine off, she peered out the driver's side window at the water that lapped gently at the coastline. A nice enough place, to be sure. Undoing her seat belt, Yolanda opened the door and got out, closing it behind her. Surprisingly, the door gave only a minor protest. A good omen. Perhaps this place would be good for her and dear 'rubbish'. Walking around the dented body, she opened the boot after a brief struggle and retrieved her bags.

Stepping away, she saw a large building which she could only guess was the reception. Yolanda hoisted her bags up onto her shoulders and walked towards the building, muttering curses about the weight; something she only had herself to blame for. Using her foot to open the door, she stepped inside and sidled up to the front desk, which was currently being occupied by a woman. Yolanda didn't care enough to use an adjective, so nondescript was the woman. She decided that she would simply be called 'the woman'. The woman flicked her gaze up to Yolanda and gave a warm and well practiced smile.

"Hello there. What would be your name?" The woman asked in a superficially perky voice. Yolanda gave a faint grimace in response.

"Yolanda Grieg."

The woman arched an eyebrow. "How exotic. And how do you spell that? First and last, if you don't mind."

"Y-O-L-A-N-D-A."

"Mm-hmm."

"G-R-I-E-G."

The tapping of keys quickly subsided and was replaced by the superficial voice. "Excellent. I'll just grab your cabin key - you'll be in cabin five - and map and you'll be all set! Oh, and there is a little meeting going on at the moment, something about a bonfire. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"I'm sure." Yolanda responded dryly as the woman went to retrieve her key and map. All too soon for Yolanda's liking, she returned, practiced smile in place. Handing the items over, Yolanda thanked her and stepped away from the desk to examine the map to find where exactly 'cabin five' was. After a few moments, she felt at least somewhat confident that she wouldn't get lost in the woods and die. That was worse case scenario, anyway. Laughing quietly to herself, she picked up her bags and headed out of the building, turning in what was hopefully the right direction to go to the cabins.

Yolanda was relieved when she found herself standing before a sign which read 'Cabins'. Her arms were getting sore from her bags and she needed to put them down as soon aa possible. Walking onwards past the sign, she spotted the fabled 'cabin five' and headed towards it, setting her bags down on the steps as she inserted the key into the lock and pushed open the door. Paying no mind to whether there was anyone in there, Yolanda retrieved her bags and all but threw them in.

A bonfire. That's what the woman had said. Yolanda glanced around; it did seem strangely vacant for the cabin area. She cursed aloud at the stupid woman. There's a bonfire - yeah, good times. But where was it? Sighing, she glanced down at her map. There was a rec center. Well, if there was ever a place fot a bunch of kids to meet...

Yolanda heaved another sigh as she closed and locked the cabin door and pocketed the key. Following the map to a building she guessed was the right one - and the growing sound of voices seemed to confirm this - she found herself among a crowd of youths. A few were chattering about the aforementioned bonfire and something about a tour. 'Always trust your instincts', she thought with a wry smile. She was in the right place.

Alan tried to take note of the names being given. This had always been enforced by his parents, who believe that it was the most important way of creating connections. The man named Baylen sat down. “Anyone smell that?” He said as he suddenly sat straighter. Alan nodded slightly. He definitely smelt something, though it was light and Alan didn’t recognize it. He almost asked the question, but decided against it, still on the fringes of the group.

After a moment, a councillor came out. As Alan tried to clean his glasses with the sleeve of his shirt, she launched into a standard spiel. Alan looked around as a few people got really excited. He smiled a bit, but wasn’t quite ready to cheer. The rules were not anything special, and made sense, however, he knew how people his age acted, and saw many being broken in the days to come. She ended with mention of a bonfire, and a tour. Alan immediately knew he would go. His sense of direction was poor, and any opportunity to get the lay of the land would be jumped on. Also, he still wasn't comfortable with his current position, standing just inside of the group's boundaries. He wouldn't be deemed a recluse, despite the validity of such a title.

”Well, guess I could stand a few corny, getting to know you orientation activities,” Gwen said as she stood. Alan was standing already, and nodded. “I’ll come along.” He muttered quietly. He walked over to where a small group was starting to form, fiddling with a button on his shirt as he walked.

Everything happened a little too fast for Kalina. She had been sitting alone, but before she knew it, so many people had come and joined her at the table, as well as a bunch of other campers who had come for the tour and orientation. Kalina continued to look at her phone while the others introduced themselves. She normally wasn’t this awkward, but she felt oddly out of place right then. So she simply decided to play the shy card and mind her own business until someone came up and talked to her individually.

After just a few minutes, someone came up to the mic, a young counselor with beautiful blonde hair, and addressed the small crowd. She went over the rules, nothing Kalina didn’t already expect there to be, and then discussed the plans for that day. First, there’d be a tour, then they’d meet by the pier for orientation activities, then later on there’d be a bonfire. Interesting. She appreciated that the camp made an effort to socialize the campers.

Once Claire, as Kalina saw her name tag read, finished her little speech, she hopped off the stage and waited outside for the other campers. Kalina made an effort to stand up from where she was, trying to attract as little attention to herself as possible, and sauntered outside to where Claire was. She placed her sunglasses back on over her eyes and waited off to the side, with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting.

---

Jack walked across the campgrounds, rubbing his left temple. He was still in shock about that counselor. Oh well, it didn’t even matter. She had pretty much come onto him anyway, and he didn’t even know she was a counselor. If anyone was got into trouble for it, it would be her more than him, though he’d still probably get chewed out for it. Not that any of that was going to happen, of course. He certainly wasn’t going to complain. The only thing that really bothered him was the fact that this chick was leading the orientation activities. Jack considered skipping them, but the emptiness of the rest of the camp implied that the move was apparently to go. Whatever. This wasn’t as bad as having four classes with a girl you drunkenly hooked up with at a party the night before, something with which he was all to familiar.

As he neared the Activities Center, he saw a group was already forming outside as they prepared to set off for the tour. He already recognized Claire, but he didn’t say anything to her. Instead he stood quietly off to the side near another blonde girl (Kalina), and stood there with his hands in his pockets, his poker face on.

”Nope, as you can see we’re all full," one girl responded. Greg returned her smirk.

"Well then, guess I'll have to find somewhere else." he said, playing along.

"Um, h-here. there's still some room..." one girl said, speaking up. She sounded shy, and was hiding behind a book. He flashed a smile when she looked up at him.

"'Preciate it." He sat down in an empty (nondescript) spot. "I'm Greg, by the way. Won't get offended if you don't remember, because I, uh..." He trailed off briefly, and clicked his tongue. "... Probably won't remember yours right away either." He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, just introducing himself to the table. And giving his disclaimer. The disclaimer is always important, otherwise feelings get hurt. The others introduced themselves as well, Greg trying his best to associate the names to faces immediately.

One of the guys spoke out suddenly. 'Started with a B,' he thought. 'Brad?... Ben? No! Baylen, that's it. Yeah.'

"You guys smell that?"

Greg hadn't noticed it until the other boy pointed it out.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." His tone made his knowledge -and distaste- apparent. He didn't say anything else on the matter, not that he wanted to, as a blonde girl walked up to the mic in the front of the room, and grabbed it.

"Hey there campers! Welcome to Camp Corona for this awesome summer of year twenty-fourteen, woohoo!"

'She's way too excited,' Greg througt to himself. He listened to her speech, not being particularly interested in a tour or the activities. A bonfire, however, sounded like a good time. Campfires were always a good time, especially big ones.

”Well, guess I could stand a few corny, getting to know you orientation activities,” said Gwen. It was Gwen, right? Sounds right. She stood up, following the leader of the 'festivies,' out of the room. Did she mention her name at all? Greg wasn't sure.

"Sounds good to me," he said to the remaining others, "help break the ice a little." He flashed a small smile as he stood up, before turning around and following suit.

Katherine looked around at all the other campers that had introduced themselves and they all seemed to be pretty cool. It was also nice for her to have met at least one of the other people that would be staying in her cabin, even if Colline seemed a little shy. Katherine assumed that at some point she would come out of her shell, if they got to know each other a little better. Katherine did flash Colline a smile after learning her cabin though.

After a few more people introduced themselves it seemed time that the orientation festivities get underway. As a somewhat tall blonde girl made her way to the front of the group, though Katherine could recognize the aroma that clung to her clothes. Katherine had smoked enough to immediately recall what the smell was and she was a little surprised to find that one of the counselors would be smoking it so early into the camp. But she assumed that's what it takes to make it through the months of dealing with troublesome teenagers. Though Katherine couldn't help but recognize the irony of there being a no smoking rule while the counselors are smoking themselves.

Katherine liked the idea of a bonfire, just to kind of sit around and shoot the shit was something she always liked to do. The orientation activities seemed a little lame to her but it would help her get to know the others at least a little. Katherine smiled at Gwen's comment as she stood up to follow the rest of them. And hell, at least a tour would help Katherine get her bearings on what seems to be a huge space the camp occupied.

"'Preciate it." He sat down in an empty (nondescript) spot. "I'm Greg, by the way. Won't get offended if you don't remember, because I, uh..." He trailed off briefly, and clicked his tongue. "... Probably won't remember yours right away either." Colline blushed slightly as Greg introduced himself and sat down. He actually acknowledged her. She was so used to being ignored, it had taken her off guard. She smiled softly back at Katherine, hoping to make a good first impression.

A woman with pretty blonde hair entered the room, walking up to the stage and grabbing the mic. "Hey there campers! Welcome to Camp Corona for this awesome summer of year twenty-fourteen, woohoo!" Colline winced as people around the room began clapping and cheering. The woman seemed friendly, but her voice was too loud and artificial, resembling the receptionist from earlier. Only ten times louder.

Colline's face turned beet red with embarrassment as Claire went through the rules. The rules themselves weren't embarrassing, but the way the woman said them made them seem like normal things a teenager did at camp. If that was the case, than Colline hadn't gotten the memo.

”Well, guess I could stand a few corny, getting to know you orientation activities," Gwen said as she stood. Colline had to agree with her. She would never remember everything about all these people without introduction.

"I'll come..." She murmured quietly. Slowly standing, she followed Gwen and Greg over to the small group now forming outside. Book clutched tightly to her chest, Colline felt herself become increasingly nervous as she took one of her brown curls around her finger, fiddling with it as a dark red blushed settled onto her face. She was always one to blush easily, and it stood out against her pale skin. She hadn't planned ahead in the social department. She hadn't really planned at all, the camp was a last minute decision, just a chance to get away from it all. Colline wasn't so sure it would be as simple as that now.

Yolanda glanced around at the other campers, who had seemingly already formed small groups of friends. She shrugged, nonchalant. Whatever, friends weren't necessary to have a good time. Since she traveled so much, Yolanda was used to making only brief acquaintances or only interacting with a shop keeper or two as she bought new supplies and the occasional souvenir. Pulling herself from her thoughts, she saw that most were heading towards a door in the back of the room.

Right. The tour. Running a hand briefly over her slicked hair, she headed over and stood among the forming crowd. Friends weren't necessary to have a good time, she reminded herself.

“push me back into a tree/ bind my buttons with salt
fill my long ears with bees / praying: please, please, please
love, you ought not! /no you ought not!”

-Joanna Newsom, “Sawdust and Diamonds”

Ophelia was late.

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence– the pale, fey teen was prone to sleeping through all but the most klaxonlike of alarms– but it still managed to motivate her to pedal faster as she skimmed down the gentle slope of road leading to Camp Corona. She breathed a labored sigh, thankful for the fact that while she lived in one of the most boring towns on the West Coast, at least it was only a 45 minute ride to the sand, sea, and– well, whatever camp brought for her, she supposed. And while it was inconvenient that she’d had to carefully pack her large backpack full of the essentials she’d need for the summer and somehow balance it between her shoulder blades as she biked the 8 miles to the coast, at least she was traveling light.

She had refused her parents’ offers to drive her to Camp Corona. They’d asked her several times over a breakfast that seemed to last the entire morning, but she waved them off each time, smiling weakly and attempting to prove her fitness with a few sips of orange juice and a hard-boiled egg. It was all lie, of course, and a bad one, but it had worked. She had to stop several times on the way to catch her breath. Her skull buzzed like television static and she’d had two cigarettes out of the emergency pack of Marlboros tucked into the smallest zipper pouch of her backpack. But she’d made it.

As she slowed into the wide area in front of what she figured was the admin building (or registration?), she leaned into her left hip and dragged the sole of her sneaker across the ground to brake. A sudden drop, likely a pothole– she lurched forward and left, her body struggling to maintain balance of the bicycle– a slight miscalculation, born of fatigue or maybe just resigned apathy– and she felt the harsh bite of loose gravel on her palms. Wincing, Ophelia rolled onto her side, hoping nothing in the backpack had broken in her brief moment of clumsiness. A quick glance at her palms. They stung, and the skin was raw in places, but nothing was broken or bloody, and that was good enough. The rest of her was, she noticed, in similar condition. She got to her feet unsteadily, feeling the familiar pressure in her head and blur in her vision that came with nearly an hour of biking and a diet of cigarettes.

Nothing was permanent.

Ophelia adjusted her backpack on her shoulders, scooped her tangled brown hair into a low ponytail, and brushed the worst of the dust off her black leggings. It would have to do, she decided. Though I’d prefer to make a better first impression. She didn’t have time to change her now dirty clothes, so the first her new companions would see of her would be a ruffled, sickly girl smelling of smoke whose carefully-chosen outfit was caked in the trappings of the dirt. But it could be worse. Ophelia walked her bike up to the side of the building, noting the sounds of a fire and muffled conversation in the distance before she entered, pulling a piece of paper out of her shirt pocket.

“Looks like we have a straggler!” The chirping voice came from behind a desktop monitor, and Ophelia approached, painfully conscious of how disheveled she looked. “Welcome,” the receptionist continued, looking up at Ophelia expectantly. “Your name, dear?”

Ophelia could feel her pulse in her temples, but her mouth opened as if in reply– and nothing came out. Her throat tightened. She reminded herself to file this away in her “Times I Fucked Up” cabinet inside her consciousness. Then, in a flurry of movement, she unfolded the piece of paper she had tightly gripped in her right hand, and shoved it in an unintentionally violent manner towards the woman. To Ophelia’s relief, the receptionist held back a questioning glance towards the bedraggled teen and peered at the paper.

“Oh, you didn’t need to turn in this form, honey, it was just for y–“

Ophelia cut the receptionist off with a silent gesture to the spot on the camp registration printout where she’d scribbled her name.

“Ah. Katherine Fisher, is it?” Before Ophelia could nod her head in resignation, used to unaware adults using her formal name, the receptionist continued. “You’re actually the second Katherine who’s registered today, dear, so if you’d like to make things easier, do you maybe have a nickname so we can tell you two apart?” Ophelia’s hazel eyes lit up as she grabbed a dull pencil from a jar on the desk and hastily scribbled ‘Ophelia’ next to her printed name on the paper.

“Ophelia… that’s from Shakespeare, isn’t it?” the receptionist said brightly, then without waiting for a response, nonverbal or otherwise– “Here’s your key, honey. You’re Cabin Five.” Ophelia pocketed the key silently, hefted her backpack higher up on her right shoulder, and waved a gesture of thanks to the receptionist as she turned to leave.

“And everyone’s having a little mixer by the bonfire, so if you want to first put your things away, you can head over there and meet the other campers if you like!” the woman called as Ophelia exited the registration building.

Might as well go now and deal with the cabin situation after everyone’s quieted down, Ophelia thought, rubbing her palms gingerly on her leggings. But first–

The third cigarette of the day came like a messiah.

Baylen glanced to Greg as he said "Yeah. Yeah, I do." His tone made his knowledge -and distaste- apparent. He didn't say anything else on the matter, so Baylen didn't respond to him. It seemed they would have conflicting views on what they both clearly smelled in the air. Baylen looked to Gwen who simply shrugged and gave no further interest to what Baylen mentioned. Did she even know what pot was? This question made a smile spread across his face as he looked curiously at Gwen. If she hadn't experienced something like that he would love to be the first one to introduce the plant to her and all the benefits of it, especially if they would be having more bonfires on the beach in the days to come. "Hey can I get a picture of you?" Baylen suddenly asked Gwen, pulling out his Nikon camera, giving her a reassuring smile. She was the first person, or even object for that matter, that he found interest in taking a picture of. Before she could answer though, a voiced boomed over the loud speaker and pulled their attention:

"Hey there campers! Welcome to Camp Corona for this awesome summer of year twenty-fourteen, woohoo!" Loud and booming throughout the room.

Baylen lowered his camera in to his lap and looked at the counselor making the orientation announcements. He took notice of just how good looking she was. There weren't too many camps where the counselors were closer to their age, let alone good enough to look at with interest...or intention. He had no plans but he was always up for anything. He leaned back and rested his arm on the table, watching her curiously as she spoke about the camp, the activities, the rules, blah blah blah. Baylen tilted his head in curiosity when she giggled at something she said that was definitely not meant to be a joke. He narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion. Was she perhaps the source of the familiar smell he sniffed earlier? It would certainly explain her chipper attitude. Perhaps the receptionist was hooked up as well. He would need to get closer to Claire to find out for sure as she would either smell of it or smell of nothing but a strong perfume to mask the odor. If she had pot he wanted some and he would find a way to get it.

Baylen looked around the group for Pratt to ask him if he had seen their roommate yet. When he couldn't find him in the crowds he glanced around the now mostly standing campers and found him walking towards the exit, first in line for the tour with Clair. Smart move! If he raced over there now he could get close to Claire and introduce himself and well...smell her better. It would be nice to know if Pratt would be chill enough with whatever 'rule-breakers' he brought in to the cabin for fun. He already had a bottle of his dad's whiskey in his baggage. He would need to subtly find out before he took the risk. He figured he could always beg the girls to let him bunk with them and simply make up some excuse as to why he can't stay in his own cabin. Girls are empathetic and would probably go for it as long as his story wasn't too outlandish.

Baylen caught sight of Yolanda, new to the group. If she met his eyes he would give a friendly smile and a small wave in hello. His eyes lingered on her for a moment in curiosity. She was definitely different than the others. It wasn't just the way she looked, her skin, her hair, her eyes in such contrast, but it was the way she carried herself. He found himself looking longer than he intended and was brought back to reality when he realized he had left Gwen hanging. "Oh!" He turned around and looked for Gwen, stepping over to her. "Hey, I've got to meet up with my cabin mate Pratt. He's already with the counselor. I'll meet you over there with the others ok?" he gave her another big smile. "I still want that picture of you." With that he pocketed his Nikon and raced over to Pratt and Claire who were ready to start the tour once everyone else who was interested joined them.

Baylen jogged up to Claire's side and gave her a smile. "I hope he hasn't been boring you" he said joking to her, giving Pratt a grin. He leaned in close to Claire and gave her a playful nudge with his arm, allowing him to lean in to her and inhale deeply, up close by her neck. And boy did he smelled her. It wasn't strong, just ever so faint, but a familiar smell that a trained nose could seek out even through the deepest layers of Chanel 5's. He leaned back casually, his smile latched to his face. "You smell...lovely." he said softly, eyes trained on hers as he slipped his hands in to the back pockets of his dark jeans. Hopefully Pratt wasn't making any moves on Claire as he didn't want to step on his toes. All he wanted was to get close enough for his prize.

Yolanda felt eyes on her and turned her head towards a male. She caught him just as he was turning away and began to chat with a couple of other strangers. Her eyebrows knitted together in mild curiosity, making her wonder what exactly he had been thinking when he looked at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back on the group, one hand coming untwined briefly to pull at the strap of the simple singlet she was wearing. The white of it almost matched her skin and only served to make the thick lines of her tattoo stand out in contrast.

Yolanda took another glance around at the surrounding faces and started to give nicknames to people based on their features and clothing, if only to pass the time. Sticks, she thought as she looked at a thin girl with impossibly thinner legs. She smiled a little to herself and continued to nickname whoever she laid eyes upon.

Tony flew into the main entrance of Camp Corona. His motorcycle screamed in protest as he hit the brakes, he was late as usual. He left his 1290 Super Duke in the parking lot. Tony had his guitar case slung over his back, it probably wasn't the safest thing to have around his back while riding but who gave a shit? He grabbed his backpack out of his saddlebag that had all his clothes and men care items. Valentine sauntered over to the Activities Center and gave the receptionist a dashing grin. "Hi there! First and last name, please?" the receptionist asked. Tony leaned over her counter, "Tony Valentine" the young man responded. She smiled, a bit shy and typed in his info. "You're all set, the orientation has already started, you should get moving and go meet your cabin mates!" Tony grabbed his cabin key from the woman.

Tony thanked the lady and found his way over to the growing mass of teenagers that were all cluster together. He assumed that some kind of event was going to happen, he seemed to have missed orientation. Valentine mentally facepalmed, he had to drop off all his stuff first! He shrugged, he could do that later. Tony dropped his backpack outside the activity center but kept his guitar on him. He observed the crowd, and someone caught his eyes. Tony recognized that blonde hair, that familiar face. Shit.... Gwen Redding....

Tony had dated Gwen for about a year, in fact they had broken up this school year. It was mutual, but it was probably going to be awkward to be around her for the whole summer. Valentine now wished that he had dropped his stuff off at his cabin, but it would only halt the confrontation for a little whole. Tony sighed, he's deal with it when the time came. First, he had to meet everyone else. Valentine walked over to the group and asked, "did I miss anything important? I'm Tony Valentine by the way." He hoped a least one person would respond to him. Valentine came in at the worst possible time, people were already starting to group together. He swore if he became an outcast because he was late....

”Alright,” Gwen had said, agreeing with a smile to Baylen’s request for a picture. Though she had no idea why he wanted a picture of her. Perhaps he liked her or was some sort of photographer? Then again, maybe he was just taking pictures of everything at camp eventually to remember his time here. That was a good idea. She should remember to do that at some point. Perhaps make a scrapbook… now her mind was going 90 miles an hour. Crap, that’s what she came here to get away from. She mentally scolded herself and reminded her mind to just chill for a while. Do nothing. Have fun.

Gwen saw another boy going over towards their counselor, then Alan, who decided to come along though he seemed uncomfortable, and Greg who seemed like the type of guy she could really hang with and tease. After all, anyone that played along with her sarcasm instead of getting defensive was awesome in her book. Katherine, then Colline who fiddled with her hair, and another girl who had shown up late and looked kind of badass.

Gwen had a closed lip smile on her face to all the others, shifting on her feet as she waited for their tour to begin. It felt like it was going to be a long day, but at least at the end of it, there was the bonfire. Did people make smores on beach bonfires? Hmm… guess she’d have to wait and see.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice though, and she whipped around to see her ex introducing himself to the group. The hell?! she thought to herself, furrowing her brow in confusion. Of course. Of course God or Satan or whatever deity felt like screwing with her relaxing good time would have to make sure Tony showed up. She smoothed her face slowly though and just cleared her throat and looked back to the others that had seemed friendly, sighing softly but otherwise not looking bothered anymore. She was rather good at hiding how she felt most of the time after all.