《Camp Seven Birches》 Chapter 1 The Bus Ride Sarah sat quietly in the yellow school bus as it drove along the highway. The smell of the green seats made her feel nauseous, as did the peppermint odour emanating from the gum chewing girl sitting next to her. She tried not to think of her stomach still trying to digest her breakfast. Sarah had hardly slept the night before so she closed her eyes hoping to doze off. She leaned her head against the reverberating window and after a few minutes, felt herself drifting off to sleep. Suddenly the bus jolted and her head banged against the glass. Sarah rubbed the new bruise forming on her head and decided against sleeping altogether. The bus was uncomfortable, smelly, and full of noisy campers of all ages. The drive up north would take nearly two hours and it had only just begun. Ahead of her was one month of mosquitoes, bad food, and a cold lake. It was going to be a long summer. Sarah didn¡¯t want to go to overnight camp. In fact, no one had asked her opinion. Her father informed Sarah of the plans over the phone only a few weeks before her arrival in Montreal. Sarah lived with her mother in British Columbia and had come to spend summer vacation with her father. Some summer vacation. She hadn¡¯t seen her dad in six months and he was shipping her off to camp like an unwanted parcel. Didn¡¯t he want to spend a couple of weeks with her? He was the boss of the company, he should have been able to take some time off. Sarah remembered her father¡¯s words before leaving. ¡°I already used up my vacation time. I have to set an example for my employes. I can¡¯t just take off more time.¡± He didn¡¯t care how disappointed or how unwanted she felt. He did not deserve the Father of the Year award. To make matters worse, her mother would be in Europe with her new boyfriend who Sarah had nicknamed Chipmunk. He was like a puppy dog always eager to please her mother, always so considerate and thoughtful. Sometimes Sarah was surprised that he didn¡¯t roll over and play dead. Sarah couldn¡¯t stand him, and just thinking about his overly helpful ways and positive attitude made her cringe. Sarah¡¯s mom had promised to write her daughter every few days and bring her lots of souvenirs but Sarah couldn¡¯t care less about t-shirts and tacky mementos that were made in China. She wanted to go with her. Alone. Sarah couldn¡¯t remember the last time it was just the two of them. Stuart the Chipmunk was always in the picture. Somehow, quietly, Stuart entered the picture and never left. Stuart tried to convince Sarah how much fun summer camp would be. He regaled her with stories from his youth which made her mother laugh, and Sarah brood. As for their European adventure, they would have to tackle crowded trains, long line ups and French food. Sarah had answered that she would rather have those problems than sharing a bunk with seven other strangers and cafeteria-style meals. But no one had listened and her parents had made the decision for her. They had gone behind her back and organized a month at Seven Birches Camp without even consulting Sarah. Sarah could have stayed in Vancouver with her best friend Cassandra but her mother said it would be too much of an imposition on Cassandra¡¯s parents. Sarah loved Cassandra¡¯s parents. They always asked their daughter what she thought and sought her opinion about everything. Cassandra was allowed to make choices. Now Sarah was stuck in a smelly school bus with forty rowdy kids singing stupid songs. Sarah couldn¡¯t wait until she turned eighteen. Only four and a half years to go. Sarah slyly peeked at the girl sitting next to her who had dark hair and was chewing bubble gum. The girl continually made annoying cracking sounds with the gum and blew bubbles intermittently. Sarah stared out the window and decided to count red cars. When she got to twenty- three she felt a hard jab in her shoulder. She looked up into the face of a smiling blonde counselor with a big white sticker on her yellow shirt that said ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Wendy!¡± ¡°Hi!¡± she announced cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m Wendy!¡± Sarah couldn¡¯t be bothered with a response. Wendy continued. ¡°You must be new because I don¡¯t recognize your face. What¡¯s your name?¡± Sarah smiled sweetly and lied. ¡°Cassandra Macdonald.¡± Wendy looked down her list. She scanned her paper once, and then twice. Her face looked a little worried. ¡°I¡¯ll just go double check another list. See you later Cassandra.¡± Sarah watched Wendy walk up to the front of the bus and whisper something in another counselor¡¯s ear. He took out his list and they both started to flip through papers nervously. Twice, they furtively looked back at Sarah, both smiled and gave a little wave. Sarah chuckled to herself and went back to counting red cars. ¡°Hey Cassandra,¡± the gum-chewing girl next to Sarah started nudging her, ¡°Are you on the wrong bus to the wrong camp?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Because Wendy and Jeff look really worried. Now Michael is looking through his papers. Maybe you went to the wrong parking lot? There were buses for Seven Oaks on the other side.¡± The male counsellor was also wearing a white sticker with ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Michael!¡± written in black marker. He walked down the aisle and smiled at Sarah. ¡°People sure do smile a lot around here,¡± she thought. He asked the dark haired girl to stand up and go up front for a few minutes. She happily left knowing that kids weren¡¯t allowed to stand up while the bus was in motion. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Michael.¡± ¡°Really? I would have never guessed.¡± Sarah answered as she pointed to his sticker. Michael laughed nervously. ¡°When did your parents register you?¡± ¡°A couple of weeks ago.¡± ¡°For which camp?¡± ¡°Uhm, Camp Seven Oaks.¡± ¡°This is the bus for Camp Seven Birches. I think the Seven Oaks bus pickup was on the other side of the parking lot.¡± ¡°Uh oh.¡± ¡°When we arrive at camp we¡¯ll have to notify them and call your parents.¡± ¡°¡°I hope so, because my dad is a lawyer and lawsuits are so financially draining.¡± Michael stood up and said in a false cheery voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cassandra, we¡¯ll get this mess straightened out.¡± Once Michael returned to the front of the bus, Sarah started to worry. She didn¡¯t mean to lie, and falsify information. She hadn¡¯t thought this through. All she wanted was a ride back to Montreal so she could catch a flight to Vancouver and not look back. However, there was the question of how to buy an airplane ticket with only $83.00. The bus halted to a stop and Sarah lurched forward. Michael stood up in front of the bus and yelled. ¡°We are on the edge of the world!¡± From her seat Sarah could see a road completely disappear. Actually, the road was very steep so it seemed like it was gone. The bus slowly moved forward and went down the hill. The kids screamed and the noise was beginning to give Sarah a headache. Finally, the bus stopped and Wendy stood up to make an announcement. She held up her hand but the kids continued to talk, laugh and screech. Three counselors yelled at the same time. ¡°When the hand goes up, the mouth goes shut.¡± Magically, the kids quieted down. Wendy began talking. ¡°When you get off the bus look for counselors holding up signs instructing you which group you¡¯re in. They will have a list and assign you a bunk. Your bags will be put on the side. Please find your bunk and counselor before getting your bags. If you don¡¯t remember what group you¡¯re in, find a counselor. We¡¯re all wearing camp t-shirts to help you.¡± As she said this Wendy touched her chest and pointed to her sticker. The counsellors quickly got off the bus. All the excited campers eagerly pushed each other until everyone was off. All but one. Slowly, Sarah stood up and made her way off the bus. Once outside, Sarah looked around. She saw a counselor holding up a painted sign with Mapleridge Girls in large red letters. Sarah knew that she belonged in that group but stood quietly in place to think. She had given her friend¡¯s name and could possibly give a fake number in Vancouver. What if they drove her to Camp Seven Oaks? Many of the camps were located in this region. What was the difference between one camp and the next? She was startled by a hand on her shoulder. It was Michael. He smiled. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to the office and get this problem sorted out.¡± Sarah walked with Michael through the crowd of noisy kids to a wooden house. Inside was an office where the camp director and the secretary worked. Michael quickly explained the problem to Mr. Cohen and waited for instructions. Mr. Cohen said, ¡°We should call the other camp so that they shouldn¡¯t worry.¡± Sarah knew that the game was up. If Mr. Cohen called Camp Seven Oaks and found out that Sarah wasn¡¯t registered there, all panic would break loose. Sarah only wanted to go home. It was so simple. And then Sarah¡¯s luck took a turn for the worse. The screen door slammed shut and she heard her name called. It was Karen Weinstein, the most annoying girl on the planet. ¡°Hi Sarah!¡± she squealed, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you on the bus. I didn¡¯t know you come to this camp.¡± Sarah looked up slowly as Karen wheezed and continued staring at her. Michael looked at Sarah. ¡°So is your name Sarah or Cassandra?¡± Sarah felt very uncomfortable and felt herself blush. Karen interrupted, ¡°Of course it¡¯s Sarah. We went to school together until she moved to Vancouver,¡± she continued, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to give my allergy and asthma medication to the nurse.¡± Michael looked down his list. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be Sarah Lewis would you?¡± Sarah tried to smile. It really was going to be a long summer. Chapter 2 Introductions Now that the confusion was over, Sarah felt that she had no choice but to accept her fate. She walked with Michael on a dusty path and felt the sun beat down on her head. Soon, they reached a forested area and through the trees, she could see several wooden bunks. ¡°So was that a practical joke that got out of hand?¡± Michael asked. ¡°Unintentionally, yes.¡± Sarah admitted as she and Michael arrived at her new home for the next month. The bunk was a wooden structure with a small veranda. It was divided in two sections by a wall. On one side there were four beds and the other side there were five beds. There were eight girls in the bunk and one counselor. At the far end of the bunk was a sink and bathroom. Sarah found the one unoccupied bed and put down her bag. The bed was against the wall and closest to the door. ¡°How appropriate,¡± she thought. Sarah surveyed her new surroundings and looked at the other girls. Most were unpacking and happily chattering away. Karen wasn¡¯t one of them. Sarah was grateful for small miracles. Sarah¡¯s counselor hadn¡¯t even noticed that she had a new camper. What Sarah would learn soon enough was that Chelsea was completely and totally obsessed with her hair. Chelsea had hung up a small mirror on the wall and was busy coiffing her long curly light brown hair. She finally looked up when Michael cleared his throat. ¡°Chelsea. This is Sarah, camper number eight.¡± Chelsea put down her brush. ¡°Hi Sarah. I¡¯m so happy you could join our bunk. We¡¯re trying to find a good group name for ourselves. Maybe you have a suggestion?¡± ¡°How about The Runaways?¡± Chelsea forced a smile. ¡°Well that is something to think about. Let me introduce you to the group.¡± She banged on the door loudly. ¡°Girls, this is Sarah, your new bunkmate. I know you will make her feel very welcome here. I do believe this is her first year.¡± Chelsea walked authoritatively over to a tall girl with long brown hair. ¡°This is Natasha. Over there is Marnie, Melanie is by the mirror, Cara is the one with the blonde hair, Lisa is standing next to her. Now who else?¡± ¡°Me!¡± yelled a girl with short brown hair. ¡°Of course. This is Alex and where is Debbie?¡± ¡°In the bathroom,¡± answered Alex.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Michael put his hand on Sarah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off then. Bye girls.¡± ¡°Bye,¡± they all answered together. Sarah sat down on the bed. Lisa sat down next to her. ¡°So, who do you like?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Which guy do you like?¡± ¡°Oh how can she know, she just got here?¡± Natasha rolled her eyes. ¡°Well,¡± Lisa continued, ¡°we have all taken an oath to get a boyfriend by the end of the summer. Are you in?¡± ¡°What happens if I don¡¯t get a boyfriend?¡± Lisa thought for a second. ¡°Nothing really, but trust me, it is definitely more fun having a boyfriend.¡± Natasha joined Lisa. ¡°We¡¯ll show you Tristan.¡± Sarah asked. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± All the girls laughed. Natasha continued. ¡°Tristan is the most gorgeous man you will ever have the pleasure of setting your eyes on.¡± ¡°Is he a camper?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s a senior counselor,¡± answered Marnie, ¡°and he¡¯s mine.¡± She paused for a second, ¡°When I get these horrible braces off he¡¯ll be mine.¡± ¡°You wish!!¡± squealed Natasha, ¡°he¡¯s mine and will be mine this summer!¡± ¡°None of us have a chance for at least another 5 or 6 years. Who knows, he may be married by then.¡± Lisa said seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Natasha screamed. ¡°You¡¯re killing me!¡± ¡°Oh stop being so dramatic.¡± Cara shook her head in disbelief and continued preening herself. Natasha turned to the new bunkmate. ¡®It¡¯s obvious this is your first summer here. Tristan is an icon, he¡¯s been here for years, first as a camper, then a counsellor. All the girls love him, even the Saplings, who are too young to even think of boys.¡± ¡°Last year he kissed me.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°He did not!¡± Screamed Marnie. ¡°He did! Remember I tripped and hurt my elbow? He kissed my elbow afterwards. I didn¡¯t wash it for days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not real kissing.¡± Marnie retorted. ¡°Like you know about real kissing metal mouth.¡± Marnie scrunched up her face and looked like she was about to cry. Sarah thought a fight might break out, and where the hell was Chelsea? Suddenly Alex hugged Marnie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when the braces come off the boys will be lining up to kiss you.¡± Immediately Marnie¡¯s face relaxed and she calmed down. Sarah didn¡¯t like most boys, they seemed so infantile. As for kissing, she wasn¡¯t interested at least, not yet. Getting a boyfriend was not on her list of priorities but Sarah¡¯s curiosity was piqued. Who was this Tristan and why did he have such an effect on all the girls? Chapter 3 The Swimming Test Being sent away to camp for a month was bad enough, but having to take a swimming test on the very first day was even worse. Sarah wasn¡¯t sure which she hated more, having everyone see her in a bathing suit, or jumping into a cold lake. Dutifully, she changed into her bathing suit, but opted for the more modest approach by changing in the bathroom. She never felt comfortable being naked in front of anyone and didn¡¯t care that they were all girls. It was her body and it was private. In fact, she felt very uncomfortable seeing the other girls naked as well and averted her eyes. Sarah put on the only bathing suit she brought. It was dark blue and very plain. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t a mirror in the bathroom. Sarah was worried how she looked. Not quite a woman yet, no longer a little girl. This in between stage was taking a long time. She slipped on her shorts and t-shirt over her bathing suit. Sarah hoped no one would notice her. As she waited for the other girls to change, Sarah reflected about her history with water. Somehow, she had avoided swimming nearly her whole life. Her father disliked water unless it was warm and transparent. Sarah remembered a time she and her parents were on vacation together at a resort in the Caribbean. The water was a beautiful turquoise colour and not cold at all. Her dad only went in the water to his knees and then opted to spend his time sitting on the white sand. Her mother was a little braver and even swam a little in the ocean. Sarah spent the day digging in the sand and looking for seashells. The memory of them all being together brought tears to her eyes. Her mother tolerated swimming pools, but never pushed Sarah to learn how to swim. Instead, she encouraged her daughter to pursue her musical and intellectual interests. As a result, Sarah could play guitar and piano remarkably well for her age. She also read plenty of books and spent many happy hours at her local library. As for swimming, it just never happened. In the summer, she might dip her feet in water if it were really hot, but never felt tempted to take the plunge. Now she was worried, not only would everyone see her in a bathing suit, she had to take a swimming test, and would undoubtedly fail. All the girls walked together to the lake. On the docks were swimming instructors and lifeguards. Sarah¡¯s group waited for their turn. She listened in to their silly conversation. ¡°I hope Tristan is here, this is my favourite bathing suit.¡± Lisa squealed. ¡°He won¡¯t notice you dummy, he wants a woman, like me.¡± Cara struck a pose and the girls burst out laughing. ¡°Maybe Chelsea will make her moves on him,¡± suggested Debbie, ¡°she¡¯s fixing her hair.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always fixing her hair. I knew her last year and she spent the entire summer in front of the mirror.¡± Natasha said with authority. ¡°Maybe she wants to be a hairstylist,¡± Debbie said. Marnie and Cara looked at Debbie and laughed. Marnie put her arm around her shoulders, ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to be a hairstylist, she wants to be Mrs. Tristan Beaulieu.¡± ¡°Better than being Mrs. Mitch Popovich.¡± Natasha announced. ¡°Who gives their kid a rhyming name?¡± Cara rolled her eyes. ¡°What the hell were his parents thinking?¡± ¡°They obviously weren¡¯t thinking,¡± answered Marnie. Sarah looked away from them and concentrated on the swimming tests. She wasn¡¯t sure how many laps she would have to swim. She was especially worried since she¡¯s never even swam one lap before in her life. Maybe once in the water she would magically begin swimming. A lifeguard with dark curly hair walked up to Sarah¡¯s group. ¡°Hi everyone. For those of you who don¡¯t know me, I¡¯m Mitchell. You can come and take the swimming test now.¡± The girls dutifully followed Mitchell to the dock. ¡°Jump in, the water¡¯s warm, don¡¯t worry. Try to do as many laps as you can. After you finish swimming laps, I¡¯ll test you on treading water. Your level will be based on both those elements. All right girls, jump in!¡± No one moved. ¡°I said, jump in!¡± Mitch reiterated. Cara stuck her toe in the water. ¡°Ooh, it¡¯s freezing!¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Jump in Cara.¡± Chelsea ordered. ¡°You jump in.¡± Cara answered back. ¡°I already did my swimming test three days ago. Right Mitch?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Mitchell remembered only too well what a fuss she made. She couldn¡¯t live with getting her hair wet in lake water. ¡°Come on girls, the sooner you do it, the sooner it will be over.¡± Mitchell said trying hard not to lose his patience. ¡°Oh, why not.¡± Natasha jumped in the water and made a huge splash, getting Cara and Marnie wet. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± they both screeched at the same time. Melanie slid in the water and Debbie reluctantly followed. Alex shrugged her shoulders and went in without a fuss. Now only Cara, Marnie, Lisa and Sarah remained on the dock. Lisa looked at Mitch. ¡°I don¡¯t feel well, I can¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not feeling up to it then you better head off to the nurse. You know the first thing she¡¯ll do?¡± Lisa shrugged her shoulders. ¡°She¡¯ll take your temperature. And you know where that thermometer goes, don¡¯t you?¡± Lisa shrugged her shoulders again. Cara looked at Mitchell. ¡°You are so perverted, you know that?¡± ¡°Get in girls, or the nurse gets you.¡± Cara huffed and slowly climbed down the ladder into the water. She shook her long blonde hair and gave Mitch a dirty look. Marnie hesitated and followed. Sarah stood on the dock and waited. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Thermometers go in the ear, or the mouth.¡± Mitch smiled, ¡°Just get in.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be wearing a very unflattering orange life jacket during every general swim.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok with an orange life jacket.¡± ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡± Mitchell put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be just fine, just get in.¡± ¡°You can swim.¡± Chelsea had finally stopped playing with her hair and shook her head with disbelief. They weren¡¯t paying her enough to deal with these annoying kids. The humidity was making her hair even curl more and she desperately wanted to go inside before she melted in the hot sun. And to make matters worse, Tristan spent the entire bus ride talking to the new counsellor Julia. Sarah took a deep breath and let the truth out. ¡°I can¡¯t swim. I really can¡¯t.¡± Before Mitchell could respond, Chelsea broke the number one cardinal rule of swimming safety and shoved Sarah into the water. With a yelp she hit the water hard. Sarah swallowed water and felt herself sinking. Then suddenly she bobbed up and gulped some air. ¡°Hey¡± she cried out. She saw Mitchell flirting with Chelsea on the dock. Sarah¡¯s head was at water level and she tilted it back as she tried desperately to inhale air. Her arms were at her side pushing downwards and her head bobbed up and down. She then attempted to roll over on her back but couldn¡¯t manage it. Sarah tried to swim by moving her arms and legs but she looked as if she were climbing a ladder, and she wasn¡¯t going anywhere, the dock was too far away. Sarah¡¯s hair covered half her face and her mouth was wide open as she continued to bob up and down. When she looked up she saw Mitchell who seemed more interested in Chelsea than watching the group swim. Sarah¡¯s eyes closed as she desperately tried to inhale air. From a distance, she heard someone ask her if was ok, but Sarah couldn¡¯t answer. Sarah panicked and felt herself sinking again, she was too exhausted to fight it. As she slowly descended to the bottom of the lake she felt the cool lake water envelop her. Soft silky sand met her feet as they touched the bottom. Suddenly she felt something grab her violently from behind and pull her to the surface. Someone was dragging her back to the dock. She felt herself lifted as she was placed on the wooden boards. Sarah¡¯s head was turned to the side and water dripped dripped from her mouth and nose. ¡°Is she breathing?¡± Mitchell asked. ¡°No,¡± answered a man. He pinched Sarah¡¯s nose and breathed strongly into her mouth four times in a row. He observed her chest to see if it was rising and falling. ¡°She has a pulse.¡± Mitchell remarked. ¡°Continue the CPR.¡± The counsellor breathed another four times into Sarah¡¯s mouth. Sarah suddenly sputtered and coughed. ¡°She¡¯s breathing. Thank God.¡± Mitchell announced. Sarah¡¯s eyes began to focus on the faces above her, and then the tears began to flow. Mitchell covered her with a towel covered her as she lay there shivering. Tanned arms lifted her gently and held her against a warm chest. Her head leaned against a muscular body and she felt strong hands rubbing her arms up and down. She heard a man whisper in the most soothing voice, ¡°Everything is alright. I got you. You¡¯re fine.¡± The tears slowed but Sarah didn¡¯t want to open her eyes. She felt humiliated and stupid. She could feel everyone staring at her. Opening her eyes would mean facing this reality and it was so comfortable to be held and protected. Mitchell ordered the campers off the dock, and those in the water, were told to get back to the beach. She finally opened her eyes and glanced up at a red faced Mitchell standing near her. Chelsea stood next to him twirling her hair anxiously. Sarah looked up at the person who held her. She knew instantly that this was the famous Tristan.