Time passed by faster than Colline wanted. She had hoped that she would have time to figure out what she was going to do, and how to act. But time had slipped away, and now here she was, slowly exiting the cab after tipping the driver. The scent of pine and ocean filled her nose, mixed in with the exhaust from the cab as it drove away, the sound of tires against rubble fading as she stood looking around. She had chosen to wear something simple, a short sleeve white dress that cut off above the knees, along with a pair of brown sandals and her favorite
necklace.
She pulled out the slip of paper she had printed beforehand, telling her the instructions of how to sign in.
"First, go to the activities center. Where is that..." Mumbling to herself, she scanned over her surroundings. "Ah, there it is."
Colline tugged along her small bright green suitcase as she made her way to the building ahead of her. She hadn't chosen to pack much, just clothes and other essentials for good hygiene, along with a few books, her flute and a few other things her mother insisted were necessary. Pushing the door open, Colline relaxed somewhat, the cool air making her feel calmer. It wasn't that today was unbearable, it was just hotter than she had expected, and she was glad she had chosen such light, breezy clothing. A woman was sitting in front of a computer at the front desk, and the sounds of her quick typing filled the and the soft whir of a fan filled the other wise silent room.
"Hello, welcome to camp!" The woman greeted Colline with a high pitched sing song voice that made Colline internally cringe. She had never liked it when people used fake voices or smiled, it always made her feel like she was talking to dolls instead of real people.
"Um, hi. Colline Bethels." She responded, tucking her dark brown curls behind her ear.
"Oh, like the man from the bible, or the band?" The woman asked curiously, typing something in the computer.
"Uh, it's actually just my last name." Colline answered quietly. Another thing she disliked was when people made a big deal out of her name. They always felt inclined to relate it to something else, which made her rather uncomfortable.
"Well, here you go." The woman handed Colline a map of the camp, along with a key with a large 1 engraved in it. After showing her where her cabin was located, the woman waved her goodbye. Grabbing the handle of her suitcase and shifting the light blue bag that was slung over her shoulder, she walked back towards the door. She scuffed lightly at the dirt path, carefully looking around. Green grass surround the camp, clumps of flowers sprouting up here and there. There were pine trees, and birds flitted in and out of sight, singing short, sweet tunes.
The dirt slowly started changing to sand as she kept walking, and she spotted her cabin. It was located by the beach, and bunches of daisies and poppies were scattered around on the grass near it. Pushing open the door, Colline discovered she was not the first there. Two packs sat on the beds on either side of the cabin, one by the door and the other by the window. That made the decision easier. Choosing the last one, which was to be next to an empty bookcase, Colline carefully set down her bag. The room was sparse of furniture, though she suspected that between she and her cabin mates, the room would look better. The bed was soft, and she was glad to get some rest as she unpacked.
She pulled out one of her favorite books, one on marine biology, and began quietly reading.
