Camp Firefly Sisters, Chapters 1-10

Author’s Note: Commissioned by KyraG. Thank you for your pledge, and for all the story ideas!

Chapter One

Mckenna

I sat in the back seat of her parents’ minivan, crossing my fingers and genuinely curious how all of this was about to play out.

It all started with a boy. And, if that wasn’t cliché enough, it was a boy that both me and my sister liked. Whatever. I’m a teenager; I’m allowed to be a little cliché.

Will first caught my attention when he was working on a project that he and Madeline had been partnered up for. He had come over to our house and, being a gentleman, had offered to refresh their drinks at some point. I happened to be in the kitchen making a snack at the time, and there was no denying the spark.

Honestly, it was kind of crazy that he and I had never talked before. Last summer, I worked as a camp counselor, as did Will. We were just across the river from each other. Camp Firefly was an all girls’ camp, while Camp Falcon was an all boys’ camp; of course they got the cooler name. Every couple weeks, there would be some big activity planned for the camps to do together, often with a playful boys vs. girls rivalry involved, but otherwise each side of the river did their own thing.

He and I had been in the same room when planning those co-ed events, and worked alongside each other where the set-up was concerned. But I was fifteen then, and was a little shy when it came to boys. Which was stupid, considering how confident I was around my co-counselors at Camp Firefly. Now, I was sixteen! Basically an adult, and a lot less awkward when it came to the opposite gender. My growth spurt didn’t hurt things, either.

Of course, I wasn’t going to clue Madeline into my little crush. Mostly since I wasn’t sure it would actually lead anywhere. I only saw Will a couple more times before the end of the school year, and we didn’t get much of an opportunity to talk when his presence at my house meant that he’d be spending most of his time with my older sister. It was obvious that she was into him, too, and not just because we were siblings and I could read her decently well. The good news was, she was too hesitant to make a move, and nothing ended up happening between them before summer hit.

Then, on one seemingly insignificant evening, my family was eating dinner and the conversation shifted to summer work. Madeline had just finished her junior year of high school, while I had breezed through my sophomore year. Our parents pointed out that she should really get a job and start saving for college expenses and such, especially since her last two semesters would be full of AP classes that would make it difficult to work part-time on top of that. I certainly didn’t consider myself the golden girl between us, though it was amusing when they compared her to me and how I already had work lined up for the second summer in a row.

I don’t know what came over me, but I blurted out, “You should be a camp counselor, too!”

A more patient girl would have done a little planning before suggesting such an idea. To be clear, I did not want Madeline to be a counselor with me. Camp was an escape of sorts for me, from the monotony of school and suburban life. I had been a camper throughout most of my childhood, and being on the other side of things hadn’t killed the magic. If anything, being a counselor was better. There was some responsibility involved, sure, though it was so fun to not be bound by any of the rules I once had to follow. Plus I got to spend my whole summer at camp, rather than just the two weeks I had experienced in previous years.

As for Madeline, there was no way she’d be hired so last minute. Camp Firefly would be all staffed up, and the group chat I had with most of the counselors from the previous summer had already informed me that nearly all of us would be returning. So, why was I suggesting it? Because maybe, just maybe, I could get Madeline in as a camper.

My older sister had stopped growing years ago. I never really noticed until puberty caused me to spike up half a foot. It was fun being the bigger sibling, though I wasn’t a brat about it most of the time. I just enjoyed whenever distant relatives assumed I was her, or how I clearly looked older when we stood side by side. So, what would happen if she put on a camper tee and was lumped in with all the other arrivals on the first day? It was an amusing thought.

There were a good dozen holes in the ‘plan,’ which wasn’t a plan in the slightest as it came to me at the dinner table. However, I couldn’t think of a single drawback. Worst case scenario, she would just get sent home and I would maybe get a slap on the wrist for the Day One prank attempt. As for our parents, I doubted they would hold onto any frustration/annoyance for over two months, as it wasn’t as if they would be able to punish me until I was home again. And there was absolutely no chance anyone would say, “Oh, since you’re already here, let’s just make you a counselor.” The rest of us already had our paperwork processed, our background checks run, and whatever else people did for summer jobs. Besides, Camp Firefly was in state, and only a few hours away. My guess was that either someone would drive her home, or our parents would have to come pick her up.

Before getting into all the hypotheticals, I had to convince Madeline to consider the prospect of camp in the first place. I wouldn’t call her nerdy, though I absolutely wouldn’t call her outdoorsy. I’ve always been the more sporty sister who doesn’t mind getting dirty, sweaty, etc. Madeline likes her AC and her board games with friends, and tends to put more focus on school than I do.

Though impulsive, I could also be clever when I put my mind to it. I was easily able to spin how being a counselor was more comfortable than being a camper, mostly because I wasn’t lying. Our building was actually a building, rather than a cabin. We mostly supervised games and activities, while the campers were the ones running around in the hot sun. And it paid more than the average summer job. Well, that last one was a bit of a stretch. It was good money, but it was also a nonstop gig with no overtime. For a girl who loves camp, however, I was basically getting paid to be outside and lead games.

If my other selling points weren’t enough, I rounded things out with, “Oh, and Will is a counselor at our brother camp! You’d see him whenever we do combined camp things. Wouldn’t it be so sad if he hit it off with some other counselor girl while you’re stuck at some retail job?” Madeline didn’t need to know that I was low key referring to myself. Besides, she was too busy being flustered by our parents asking about Will thanks to how I blatantly outed the name of her crush.

There was no need to oversell the idea. I just told Madeline that she needed to let me know ASAP if she was interested, as the counselor spots would be almost full by now. Being the amazing sister that I am, I did mention that I could put in a good word for her, and could even message her application directly to one of the girls that was already at camp to help with some of the organization and orientation set-up.

While I let her deliberate after dinner, I went up to my room and sent a text to my counselor girls asking if it was too late for a new camper to be registered. Even that was a stretch, considering how quickly the first day of camp was approaching, but I had to have some pull as a returning counselor. I made sure to mention that I was asking for my little sister, who had a last minute change of heart about going to camp.

Sure enough, one of my counselor BFFs said they could swing it. I just needed to get the registration form to her and we’d have to pay the late fee. Perfect. There was still no guarantee Madeline was going to come around on the whole camp thing; at the same time, there was no harm in doing some of the leg work just in case. It was summer break, anyway. I didn’t have anything else to work on.

Hmm, what age? I could see Madeline being thirteen, or maybe even twelve. Wearing one of those bright Camp Firefly t-shirts, with unkempt hair thanks to the sweat/humidity combination, and no make-up on? It was tough to say for sure. And yet, with a plan this ridiculous, it felt right to lean into it. Why not, right? Twelve years old.

Aside from altering Madeline’s birth year, I was able to tell the truth as I worked down the rest of the page. Her address was the same as mine. No allergies, no medical conditions, no inhaler, etc. My one hesitation was the Emergency Contact section. Someone could potentially notice if her info was different than what they had on file for me and, if this all ended up going as planned, there was a small chance of her non-athletic self getting injured or whatever. Fuck it. Deciding to take the risk, I put down the correct information.

It was only two weeks. That was the rotation for each group of campers. After that, Madeline would be sent home, provided she ended up staying that long.

Now I just had to figure out the rest. Like how I was going to be the one paying for my sister to be a camper, for starters. I didn’t have that much pull as a second year counselor. Then there was the matter of Madeline’s phone, her driver’s license, and anything else she might bring that could easily prove her real age. Oh, and the fact that our parents would be present when all of us were getting on the bus. Rather than making everyone drive separately, Camp Firefly had a shuttle option for those of us that lived in one of the major cities. Parents/guardians could simply drop their children off at a location much closer to home, and one of the camp buses would take all of us to the campgrounds.

I would somehow have to navigate Madeline through all of that, including the fact that she would be issued a camper tee that was dramatically different from the counselor polo that I would be wearing. The only piece of good news was that everything camp-related was electronic these days; aside from my sister’s date of birth, the other thing I filled in falsely was our parents’ email address. While they’d be reachable via phone for emergencies, the throwaway account I made would be receiving all the camp info they sent out ahead of time.

An hour later, all my hard work ended up being worth it.

Madeline came to my room and expressed how she was potentially interested in the job. She had questions, naturally, all of which I was happy to answer for her. Again, I slightly stretched the truth, especially regarding how much time we’d have with the male counselors across the river. Clearly she was mostly worried about a whole summer away from the guy she had been getting to know over the last month or so. Even if they did have some degree of a connection, that wouldn’t mean anything if they no longer shared a class and he was somewhat off the grid for three months.

By the end of our little chat, I had managed to get her on board. Which meant I really did have to start figuring the rest out.

I was also playing this game on hard mode, as I really did want to turn Madeline into a camper without the help of my fellow counselors. Partly because I was curious about whether or not I could pull it off, and partly because secrets were more likely to be spilled when more people knew. Even confiding in a single girl would be a risk, as she could then confide in someone else, and so on.

Camper payment? Easy. I just split it three ways with my best friends who had their own summer jobs. They could be trusted, as I had known them for years, plus they weren’t connected to Camp Firefly at all. Both girls said I only had to pay them back for part of it, as long as I sent them pics and videos of Madeline’s camp experience. I probably would have done that anyway. As for the money, it was whatever either way. I was sixteen. There was plenty of time for me to save, especially since I started working earlier than my sister.

Madeline’s things? Simple enough. On the morning of our departure, I just had to wait for her to get in the shower. She always took forever in the bathroom, which gave me plenty of time to dig through her backpack and duffel bag. I tucked away her wallet in my own bag, then proceeded to replace a few clothing items she had packed. Honestly, Madeline’s wardrobe wasn’t that impressive, so I didn’t have to work that hard. All I really did was replace any interesting bras with the more plain white/nude numbers I found in the back of her drawer. That, and her lifts were swapped out for an old pair of pink sneakers I had found in the basement when brainstorming for this morning.

Other than that, there wasn’t much to do. Campers were required to wear their year’s t-shirt most of the time, for both safety and organizational purposes. The bright colors made it easy to spot them from just about anywhere, and anything that was divided by age along the way was simply a matter of telling green shirts to group up over there and pink shirts to meet by the mess hall. I really wanted Madeline to wear pink, but Camp Firefly rotated colors every year to keep it interesting for returning girls. I had no idea what color her age group would be given.

As for Madeline’s phone, that was still a work in progress. At the moment, she was scrolling social media in the passenger seat, no doubt enjoying reception while she had it. If I really needed to, I could always snatch the device out of her hand at the right moment. That just felt like it would cause a scene, when I had otherwise set things up so smoothly without her catching on. Maybe I could discreetly lift it from her pocket when she was getting signed in or something.

And, finally, there was our mother, who was currently driving us to the parking lot of a school that had volunteered their property for the morning. Ideally, she would just drop us off and we’d say our goodbyes by the car. If she waited around to see us off, I wasn’t sure how things would end up playing out. Still, I was banking on her just leaving. Madeline and I were both high school girls; we didn’t need a parent to hold our hands for something like this. Especially since it was a summer job. Neither of us were technically adults, but this was a somewhat mature commitment, even if I still viewed camp more as ‘play’ and less as ‘work.’

I took a calming breath as we pulled into the place. This was going to happen. I was pretty sure I hadn’t missed anything, though I was being hit with a similar feeling of wondering what I forgot to pack for a trip . . . Also, I was thinking about that. But we did have a little store at camp, so I wasn’t actually worried about a missing toothbrush or anything. The far more pressing concern was any other oversights regarding my soon to be little sister.

Phone, and mother. That was it. Had to be.

Hopping out of the car and being a responsible girl, I grabbed both my duffel bag and Madeline’s, as well as my backpack. Amusingly enough, we packed about the same amount of clothes. Not because she was into fashion or anything like that; my earlier exploration of her things informed me that her nerdy self was just overpacking all kinds of ‘just in case’ options. Meanwhile, last year had taught me that I really only needed to pack for about a single week. Since I was stuck in the counselor polo as often as the campers had to wear their matching t-shirts, there really wasn’t much to worry about where clothes were involved. Our building had a laundry machine, as we were there all summer.

“I can get your duffel, Maddie!” I smirked. She was still getting out of the car, and couldn’t currently see me, “Just grab your backpack.”

My sister wasn’t a fan of nicknames; she only ever went by ‘Madeline.’ Except she was a Camp Firefly girl now, and counselors were notorious for shortening literally everyone’s names. Or lengthening names, for those that only have a single syllable. I ended up with ‘Kenna’ last year, which no one back home had ever considered. Unlike Madeline, however, I didn’t care. It’s just part of the camp experience. And ‘Kenna’ is kind of cute! Better than ‘Mac,’ in my opinion, though I wouldn’t have been opposed to that, either.

Anyway, I already knew how Madeline would feel about ‘Maddie.’

But that wasn’t my problem. If I played the rest of my cards right, she was going to be stuck as Camper Maddie for the next two weeks.

Chapter Two

Madeline

When Mckenna brought up the idea for me to be a camp counselor with her, my first instinct was to scoff and roll my eyes. Why would I want to spend two months sweating out in the middle of nowhere, dealing with bug bites, and being responsible for a bunch of overly energetic girls? It didn’t sound like my scene at all. There was a reason I had never gone to camp myself, as I much preferred spending my summers hanging out with my friends.

However, she brought up a few good points. In particular, the fact that Will would be around. But also, that counselors rotated responsibilities enough that the job was more lax than anywhere else I would work. Rather than a fifteen minute break, I could potentially have a couple hours to myself where I was getting paid to nap in a hammock or lounge in my air conditioned room. Also, Camp Firefly was only eight weeks long, with four different sets of campers along the way. That meant I’d have the entire month of August to myself without the pressure to work.

The morning of, I spent a good thirty minutes in the shower, assuming it would be the last good one I was going to have for a while. Though the counselor building had a nicer bathroom than the campers did, according to Mckenna, I doubted I’d have the perfect water pressure or consistent heat that I had in my private bathroom at home. Then I got to work straightening my long blonde hair, applying a touch of make-up, and going with one of the push-up bras I wore most of the time. I was still praying for a belated growth spurt, both in the height and curves department. So far, my younger sister has been the only one blessed in that regard.

There hadn’t been much to pack. All I really needed to worry about was bringing along a collection of comfortable bottoms, as Mckenna had explained that I’d mostly be wearing the shirts issued to me. I wasn’t that big into fashion anyway, though I did make sure to bring along a few cute sets of lingerie in case anything happened between me and Will. Other than that, filling my duffel bag had been a pretty simple task despite how we’d be gone for eight full weeks.

As we pulled into the parking lot where everyone was supposed to meet for the bus ride, I was already starting to dread the parts of being a counselor that I was not looking forward to. Like the sheer quantity of girls, most of whom were either saying goodbye to their parents or standing in the most disorderly line I had ever seen. Rather than single file, there were clumps of campers who know doubt knew each other from previous years, or were going together for the first time. And it was going to be my job to keep all these girls on task and on schedule while they distracted each other along the way.

It was clear that Mckenna was excited for camp. Literally the second the car was parked, she was jumping out and grabbing our bags. And calling me ‘Maddie.’

“It’s Madeline,” I corrected her. Even when we were younger, I never shortened my name. The occasional relative or acquaintance would go with the less mature nickname every now and then, to which I would politely point out my preference. Except my sister was well aware of what I was called, and was suddenly shortening my name anyway.

She just shrugged. “It’s camp, Maddie! Trust me, no one’s going to call you ‘Madeline’ here. That’s way too many syllables. You could be ‘Mads,’ I guess?”

“Or I could be ‘Madeline,’” I countered, “You know, my actual name?”

“Whatever. I was ‘Kenna’ in less than a week last year. What’s the saying, again? You don’t get to choose your own nickname?” Popping her head around the side of the car, she exclaimed, “Mom! Dad! Want to say goodbye here? It’ll be less crazy getting out of here if you go now.”

She looked ridiculous with one duffel on each shoulder on top of her backpack. Though if she wanted to carry half my stuff, I wasn’t going to complain. I was going to have another conversation with her about the nickname she had sprung on me. It was one thing if it ended up happening organically, which I would of course make an effort to prevent. It would be something else entirely if Mckenna was the catalyst; if my sister called me ‘Maddie,’ then anyone witnessing that would assume that I actually went by the shortened version.

Our parents agreed with Mckenna’s point. If they waited for the bus to leave, then they would be stuck in the traffic of all the other parents heading out at the same time afterwards. I also didn’t mind the suggestion, as my sister and I were both a bit too old for our parents to be waving at us as the bus pulled out of the parking lot.

Once we were on our own, Mckenna led the way towards the chaos. In less than a minute, an annoying amount of campers were smiling and greeting her while I awkwardly trailed behind as she walked towards one of the tables off to the side. A single counselor was there, denoted by the bright red Camp Firefly polo she was wearing. “Hey, Kenna!” she exclaimed, “Oh, this must be your sister.”

“Yep, this is Maddie. It’s her first year!” Mckenna replied, with the same kind of peppy energy, “Can we sign her in here, or should she line up with the other girls?”

For the love of- “It’s ‘Madeline,’” I said, right away.

“Don’t be rude, Maddie,” Mckenna said, “Sorry, Alex. She can be a little immature sometimes. Well, most of the time.”

“It’s fine,” Alex smiled, “Welcome to Camp Firefly, Maddie. And no, I can’t sign her in. She’s rising 7th, right? You’ll want to go two lines down. Pixie’s table, I think.”

Sorry, what? As in, 7th grade? Mckenna must have seen the look on my face, and proceeded to misinterpret it entirely. “Oh, ‘Pixie’ isn’t her actual name. It’s this inside joke from a few years ago that turned into an actual thing. Long story! Anyway, let’s get you where you need to go. Thanks, Alex! I’ll be back in a minute. Wait, can I leave these here?” She shrugged off the two duffel bags and tucked them behind Alex’s table, then took my hand, “Come on, sis. This way!”

She had always been more touchy than I was. Not like this, however. “Mckenna!” Yanking my hand free of hers after she had tugged me away from the other girl, I said, “Stop calling me ‘Maddie.’ And where are we going?”

Mckenna huffed and crossed her arms. “I told you, Maddie. Nicknames are totally a thing here. And I don’t like ‘Mads’ that much, so . . . ”

“So, use my full name. I can at least try to go by ‘Madeline.’ You’re not even giving it a chance.”

“I could say the same for you. You wanted to go to camp, Maddie. This is part of the camp experience. Now, can we please get you in line? You don’t want to be the last girl signed in, do you?”

Such a brat. She was normally more mature than this; maybe camp had that effect on her. I was stunned she responded to all of my corrections by just addressing me by the nickname anyway. Rude. For the time being, I let the subject change, as I also wanted to ask about where I was being sent. “Did Alex mean rising 7th graders?” I asked.

“Mm hmm,” Mckenna nodded, “That’s the group you’re going to be with for the next two weeks, I’m guessing. After that, we’ll have to see what happens.”

“Yeah, but shouldn’t counselors have their own sign-in table?” That’s what I had assumed Alex was there for. It didn’t make any sense for me to line up with the girls I’d be overseeing.

She shrugged again. “It’s a dumb process. You’re literally brand new to Camp Firefly, sis. Once you get through the line and check in, we can worry about the rest. I’m a returning counselor, so things are a little different for me.”

Umm, okay. I couldn’t really question things too much. Like Mckenna said, this was all new to me. I had no idea how any of it worked. “Whatever,” I said, “Can I at least skip to the front?”

“And what kind of example would that set for the rest of the girls?” she pointed out, “You need to wait in line with the rest of the girls, Maddie. You’re basically a camper, being new and all. Patience is something we work on with Fireflies like you.”

“They’re called ‘Fireflies?’” I scoffed.

“You’re a Firefly, too, sis. Try to embrace the camp experience! Now, do you need me to walk you to your line, or can you find it yourself?”

“I think I can manage.” It really wasn’t that difficult to find a table when everything in the parking lot was labeled.

Despite her teasing and bubbly energy about this being my first time at camp, she didn’t insist on escorting me the rest of the way. Probably because she was more interested in hanging out with Alex and whatever other girls she knew from previous years. Mckenna wasted no time in bounding off for the table we had started at, leaving me to meander through the chaos around me.

Though the lines weren’t particularly line-like, I could at least distinguish them from each other. No doubt because years of doing this taught those in charge to leave a big gap between each table to avoid confusion.

It seemed like everything was set up according to age, with the youngest group of campers at the far left. Like Alex had informed us, my line was second from the right. It made sense that rising 8th graders would be the last group, as my sister had been a counselor when she was fifteen. My guess was that she had been put in charge of the younger crowd, as it would be difficult to be seen as an authority figure by girls she was practically the same age as. That was one advantage I had, and perhaps why I was going to be in charge of an older group. I was new, so they would only see me as a counselor, rather than a camper who had aged out.

I wasn’t particularly excited to wait in line. Despite what Mckenna said, I was tempted to skip to the front. What was her name again? Pixie? Almost as ridiculous as calling the campers ‘fireflies.’ Maybe she would be more inclined to help out a fellow counselor. On the other hand, I didn’t want to make a bad first impression to a girl who had been involved with the camp for a few years. She could be just as opinionated as Mckenna when it came to virtues like patience.

Deciding to just suck it up, I walked to the back of the line. There were at least thirty girls ahead of me. I pulled out my phone to kill some time, simultaneously making the most out of the consistent service I had. According to Mckenna, reception was spotty at Camp Firefly. Apparently receiving messages was a lot easier than sending them. An unexpected bar or two would be enough for a phone to play catch-up on belated notifications, but usually in the middle of an activity when counselors wouldn’t be looking at their devices. I had already braced both myself and my friends for the fact that I would be partially off the grid, so this was really my last chance to use my phone properly. I doubted I’d be texting much on the bus, as that was easily the worst vehicle when it came to carsickness.

It wasn’t long before a few girls were lining up behind me, leaving me sandwiched between two separate groups that were chattering away. I wasn’t really trying to eavesdrop as I stared at my phone, though neither circle of girls was being particularly quiet. Were any of them aware that I was a counselor? The small group in front of me was excitedly talking about how they had snuck across the river last year to hang out with some of the boys after curfew, and their plans to do something similar this summer.

I had half a mind to clear my throat and inform them how obvious they were being. At the same time, I really didn’t care. This job was mostly about the easy money, as well as proximity to my crush. If a few girls wanted to break curfew, I wasn’t going to bust them unless they were just as obvious about it later on. I was also low key taking notes. Maybe Will and I could steal away after curfew? I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as big of a deal for counselors to do so.

The line was moving surprisingly quickly. Then again, everyone here had already done registration or whatever. Signing in was probably just a matter of giving a name and being given a folder and a stack of camper tees. That’s the process I was observing as I approached the front, anyway. My guess was that the folder was some combination of each camper’s schedule, camp rules, etc. etc.

When I was maybe five girls away from the sign-in table, Mckenna appeared beside me. “Almost there, Maddie!” she smiled. With no warning, she plucked my phone out of my hand. “I’ll hold onto this for you, sis. We discourage girls from bringing these, anyway.”

“Hey! Mckenna-” I didn’t even know what to say, and also didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone. “Give it back.” Not the most mature response, but it was all I could think of in the moment.

“I will. Later.” Shooting me a wink, she swiveled on her heel and walked away.

What the actual fuck? She just took my phone. For no reason! I wanted to chase her down to get it back, except I had just spent so long waiting in line. There were so many girls behind me, and there was no guarantee my spot would be here for me when I made it back. Was this some kind prank or hazing or whatever, or was she just being a brat? It was so stupid. I was already about to be at camp and barely able to use my phone, anyway.

Frowning in annoyance, I decided to stay. Once I was signed in, I could track Mckenna down and give her an earful about blatantly stealing something that was so personal to just about every girl our age. It didn’t matter that she said she would return it; she never should have taken it from me in the first place.

Three girls to go. I needed to make sure that my frustration towards Mckenna’s actions weren’t directed towards the counselor at the desk. First impressions and all.

Pixie was sitting behind the desk at the front of the line. Long red hair, a counselor polo, and a name tag sticker that informed me that she was the girl Alex referenced, complete with a heart over the first ‘i’ in her name. “Ooh, new camper!” she exclaimed, “Welcome to Camp Firefly. Last name?”

Did all the counselors have this kind of energy? Hopefully I’d be able to find one or two that were more like me. “Counselor, actually. Lewis.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Wrong line, babe. Sorry! You should be two tables down. I think Alex is checking counselors in?”

Umm, what? “Alex said this was my line,” I muttered. For fuck’s sake. If this was another prank, or even a simple mistake, I was going to be pissed.

“Huh. You said Lewis, right?” She glanced down at the list of names in front of her. Turning the page and tracing towards the L’s with her index finger after I affirmed what she repeated, Pixie found what she was looking for. “Maddie? Megan? Rachel?”

“Madeline.” It didn’t actually say ‘Maddie’ on the sheet, did it? Though if the redhead before me just auto-abbreviated my name, that only served to prove Mckenna’s point about nicknames being an unavoidable thing at camp.

Pixie looked up from the list, still looking a little confused. “You said you’re a counselor?”

“Yeah. Maybe Mckenna mentioned me? She’s my sister.”

“Oh!” she smiled, “Right. She was asking about a last minute registration for you. But I should warn you if Kenna didn’t, I doubt anyone will consider you for a junior counselor opportunity this year. We usually just do that for returning campers who are already familiar with Camp Firefly. Maybe your sister could swing an informal something for you along the way, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“What? No, I’m an actual counselor,” I said, “Same as Mckenna.”

“But, you’re-” Pixie hesitated, giving me a pretty blatant once-over as she processed what I was trying to tell her. Then her demeanor shifted and she gave me a soft smile. “Of course. I’m sure it’s a simple paperwork issue. Tell you what, Maddie. Do me a favor and take these?” She pulled out a small stack of the light blue camper t-shirts I had seen her handing out to everyone who had been in line in front of me, followed by a folder in a matching color.

“Umm, why?” I asked. There was no reason for me to take what the other girls had. Unlike them, I wasn’t a camper.

“Inventory will be a lot easier this way, trust me. Here, just take these and go find Mckenna.”

“But-”

“Sorry, Maddie. I need to keep things moving. Next!”

Reluctantly taking the shirts and folder, I stepped away from the table, feeling more confused than she had looked a moment ago. Why was I on the camper list, and why hadn’t Pixie made more of an effort to resolve the mix-up?

She was right about one thing–I needed to find Mckenna.

Chapter Three

Finding my sister wasn’t a particularly easy task.

The parking lot was just as chaotic as it had been when we arrived, and Mckenna could be anywhere. I assumed she would have changed into her counselor polo at this point, and was relying on the bright red to spot her amidst the crowd. Similar to what lifeguards wore, it made sense that the girls in charge here had a color that was more distinct and easily noticeable.

If she hadn’t taken my fucking phone, I could have just texted her. Then again, there was no guarantee she’d be checking hers if she was busy catching up with counselor friends, herding campers, etc. Either way, I was still bitter that she left me in line without my device.

After aimlessly circling the lot for a few minutes, I knew for certain that Mckenna wasn’t at one of the check-in tables. I also knew that I was going to get a sunburn if I kept walking around in the summer heat. With rather fair skin, I couldn’t go more than twenty or thirty minutes without sunscreen, and I had already used most of that time standing in line.

There were some trees at the edge of the parking lot, and I took shelter in the shade while continuing to scan the crowd for red polos. Of course, there was always the chance that my sister hadn’t even changed into hers yet. I briefly thought about how it would have made more sense for her to just put it on before we left, but the camp probably had the counselors turn in the polos at the end of the last week so they could be used again by the next round of counselors.

Mckenna had definitely worn her various Camp Firefly t-shirts after going to camp every year. Now that I was holding a stack of identical tees, I put it together that each camper was probably able to take home one as a souvenir, while the others would be washed and reused over the coming months. After all, it would be wasteful to send each girl home with multiple shirts.

After a couple minutes of standing around, I was approached by a counselor who was very much not my sister. She was taller and closer to my age, and wasted no time in getting right to business. “What are you doing over here?” she asked, “New camper, right?”

“Umm, not exactly,” I flushed. Did she really think I was a camper? I knew I was on the smaller side, and was holding the camper tees I was given, but still. “I’m a counselor. Pixie said there was some paperwork issue or something?”

“Uh huh. Pixie signed you in, then?” she asked, “What’s your name?”

“Madeline,” I said. Maybe getting one girl used to my full name would offset the nickname that had been thrown around so much recently.

She glanced up in thought for a moment, then said, “I’m pretty sure Melody is the only M counselor, as far as I can recall. Do you mean junior counselor? That’s a whole different thing.”

“No!” I snapped. That’s what Pixie had mentioned as well, except she had described it as something that was out of reach for me as a ‘new camper.’ Taking a breath, as it was fair to get frustrated with the girl before me who was coming in blind to all of this, I said, “I’m a counselor. Like, an actual counselor. I signed up with Mckenna. Have you seen her?”

“Oh, you’re Kenna’s sister?” she asked, “Hmm, I can see the resemblance. Did she not tell you what to do after signing in?”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “She just showed me the line and walked away.”

That’s what actually happened. From this girl’s perspective, however, I sounded like a sister oversimplifying things for whatever reason. It’s not uncommon for sisters to bicker and get annoyed with each other. “Well,” she said, “You’re supposed to change now.” She gestured towards the side door of the school, “There are bathrooms just inside. Then look for the bus for rising 7th and rising 8th girls.”

How was that helpful? If every counselor I had interacted with thus far assumed I was a camper thanks to the paperwork issue, putting on the camper tee would only add to the confusion. “But, I’m not-”

“Madeline.” She walked up to me and placed a hand on my upper back, walking me towards the nearby building as she said, “You’re not the first girl who isn’t particularly excited about being shipped off to camp for two weeks. But I promise, Camp Firefly is lots of fun if you let yourself enjoy it.”

“I signed up for two months,” I muttered, “Like Mckenna. She and I are both counselors.”

“Then, how about this?” she replied, without missing a beat, “If you change into one of the shirts Pixie gave you, like you were supposed to do after checking in, I’ll find Kenna for you. Fair?”

Not particularly. The light blue tee was less flattering than the casual summer outfit I was wearing, plus I’d have to change all over again once I was given one of the red polos the other counselors were wearing. “Can’t we just find Mckenna first?” I asked. That made so much more sense.

“No,” she said, “Come on, Madeline. Get changed. You don’t want to be the reason everyone is held up, do you?”

I hesitated. She probably meant that a bus full of campers wouldn’t appreciate stragglers like myself who delayed the trip to the camp itself, yet I was more worried about how the counselors would perceive me if I was difficult on the first day. They were the ones I’d be working with all summer, and this was already an embarrassing first impression. If I continued to whine and argue about something as simple as this, even if I was in the right, it could lead to an awkward dynamic with this girl moving forward.

Resisting the urge to sigh, I said, “Okay. Just- Give me a minute.”

The silver lining was the fact that it was a little bit cooler inside. The AC wasn’t blasting or anything, as the building likely didn’t get much summer use, but it was certainly better than the parking lot in the sun. True to what I had recently been told, the bathrooms weren’t too far from the door. There were a couple counselors around to make sure that no one strayed farther down the halls than they needed to, and to direct campers to the appropriate rooms. Apparently the older groups, including the one that I was perceived as, were to change in the boys’ bathroom. It made sense, and wasn’t that big of a deal. The opposite gender wasn’t around at the moment, and otherwise there would only be half the space for people to change.

I set down all my shirts but one on the counter inside and stepped into one of the stalls to change. When putting on my black athletic shorts this morning, I had anticipated changing into a red polo at some point, which would have been a hot combo. The light blue Camp Firefly shirt didn’t complement my bottoms nearly as well.

Checking out myself in the mirror for a moment, not particularly enthusiastic about how similar I looked to the other girls I had seen out there in the matching tee, I headed back out to the tall girl who was going to track down Mckenna for me.

When she saw me in what she believed to be the appropriate attire, the girl fulfilled her end of the deal. She pulled the walkie-talkie that was clipped to the waistband of her shorts and called to either my sister or to any other counselor who had Mckenna in their sights. “Hey, Kenna? Can you swing by the seven-eight bus for a minute?”

Huh. I couldn’t remember the last time I even saw a walkie-talkie, but it made sense. The counselors could just as easily use it here as they could at the campgrounds, and didn’t need to rely on reception when we were farther from the city. And, sure enough, the simple form of communication worked in terms of getting Mckenna’s attention. “On the way!” Static or no static, I was familiar with that voice.

“Follow me, Madeline,” the girl said. She placed the simple device back on her hip and began walking towards the parked mini-buses on the other side of the lot. As we got closer, I could tell from a distance which bus was for the rising 7th and 8th grade girls; the matching t-shirts were more informative than the sign taped to one of the windows. It was also the only bus that primarily had campers lined up, where the others had a lot more parents who were helping with luggage, saying goodbye, and so on.

Before we made it all the way to the bus where half the girls were wearing the same t-shirt as me, Mckenna spotted us on her way from the other side of the lot. She had on the counselor polo; I wasn’t sure how I missed her when scanning the area recently. “Hey, Gwen!” she smiled, “Miss me?” Then she noticed me, “Oh, hey, Maddie! Please don’t tell me you already got in trouble with our head counselor.”

“No, nothing like that,” she said, “Madeline just seems a little confused as to her camper status. She’s not a junior counselor, is she?”

“Of course not,” Mckenna replied, “This is her first year. Pretty sure there’s a rule about that. Right?”

The taller girl, whose name I now knew was Gwen, shook her head, “It’s an unofficial rule, but yeah. Returning campers only.”

“But, I’m not a camper!” I exclaimed.

“I got this, Gwen,” Mckenna said, “You probably have a million other things to worry about today!”

“Two million,” Gwen chuckled, “Thanks, Kenna. Catch up later?”

“You know it!”

Why did it feel like I was being pawned off on my little sister? I also hadn’t thought about how we would look side by side when putting on the camper shirt. Anyone who didn’t know us would absolutely assume that she was older, even without taking our size difference into consideration.

As Gwen walked away, I turned towards Mckenna with an annoyed look. “Pixie told me to find you. There was some mix-up with the paperwork she had, and half the counselors think I’m a fucking camper because of these shirts.” I gestured to what I was wearing, as well as the clean ones tucked under my arm.

“Language, Maddie,” Mckenna said. She glanced around for a moment to make sure no one was close enough to overhear what I just said. I knew for a fact that she was fine with swearing, and it looked like she was just doing her job as a counselor. The reminder to work on my own filter was appreciated at some level; it just came across in a slightly patronizing way when paired with the unwanted nickname.

“Right,” I muttered. No sense in dwelling on a valid point when I had more important things to focus on. “Can we please sort out this nonsense with whomever?” Maybe Gwen should have stayed. She was the head counselor, as I just found out, and would probably have the easiest time fixing the problem. Girls like Alex and Pixie had seemed more interested in moving things along, rather than listening to me.

“Umm, funny story,” Mckenna giggled, “All the counselor slots were full, so I registered you as a camper.”

. . . What?

She wasn’t serious, was she? I couldn’t tell if it was a joke, or if she was amused by the truth of what she was saying. Either way, my response was the same. “That’s not funny, Mckenna,” I rolled my eyes.

“It’ll be great, Maddie!” she smiled, “Being a camper is more fun, anyway. No work, no responsibilities. Besides, you said you wanted to see Will, didn’t you?”

“Mckenna, enough,” I snapped. Part of me actually believed her. Alex told me to get in the rising 7th grade line, and Pixie had me on her list. I was literally wearing the wrong shirt. In retrospect, it made a lot more sense for my sister to have signed me up for the wrong role than for the camp’s system to have such a blatant problem regarding my name. “I’m a counselor.” After saying it multiple times to multiple girls, I was starting to feel like a broken record. If this was some kind of hazing for the new girl, I wasn’t a fan.

Mckenna placed her hand on my upper back, similar to the manner in which Gwen led me towards the school, and began walking me towards the bus. Was it some counselor gesture they had, where such a hand placement was simple and appropriate when it came to guiding girls where they needed to go? I didn’t have much time to think about it, as Mckenna corrected me, “You’re a camper, sis. Or a Firefly, if you prefer. This can be the camp experience you never had! You’re welcome.”

We were nearing the bus for the older campers, which didn’t have much of a line now. “I’m not a camper!” I insisted. It was such an absurd concept. “Seriously, Mckenna. What’s going on?” If this was some form of hazing, she and the rest of the counselors were rather synced up and all had a decent poker face. But that didn’t change the fact that I had just turned seventeen, and was doing this as a summer job; I was way too old to go to camp.

Rolling her eyes, somewhat copying my reaction from a minute ago, she said, “You’re basically the same size you were when you were twelve, which is the age I put down on your registration form. Seriously, Maddie. I’m not messing with you; not about this, anyway. Come on, it’ll be great. You can get some much needed sunshine and exercise, and see that cute boy along the way.”

I didn’t know if I was more shocked or offended. Twelve?! I did not look that young. Obviously I was a little short and petite, but I was still a high school girl. Not even my current get-up was enough to visibly shave that many years away. Right? Except for the fact that several counselors had mistaken me for the camper Mckenna had apparently registered me as.

Stopping in my tracks a few feet from the bus, and pivoting so Mckenna couldn’t keep nudging me forward, I crossed my arms in annoyance. I’m not sure I’d ever get used to looking up at my younger sister, especially when we were face to face. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“Nope,” she smiled, “You’re a camper, little sis.”

For fuck’s sake. Putting aside the embarrassment of being perceived as five years younger than I actually was by multiple girls, this was such a waste of my time. It wasn’t as if I was going to pretend to be a middle schooler just for the sake of getting some time with Will. I didn’t like him that much. If Mckenna hadn’t actually gotten me a job as a counselor, our parents were going to have to come back and pick me up, and I’d have to start looking for something else.

It wasn’t lost on me that my sister wouldn’t be getting in trouble for this any time soon, as she’d be long gone by the time they arrived.

I was about to demand for my phone back, so I could storm off to the shade and call them, when Alex walked over from whatever she had been doing by one of the other buses. “Pixie says we’re all set for the older campers,” she informed Mckenna, “Just waiting on two more girls to change. Ready to go, Maddie?! I’m on your bus. I want to hear all the dirt and all the tea you have on Kenna here!”

“Umm . . . ” I hesitated. What exactly was I supposed to say to that? My younger sister is taller than me, and thought it would be amusing to register me as a camper? As for dirt, I really didn’t have much on Mckenna. Otherwise, I probably would’ve blurted it out right then and there as petty revenge for dangling an easy job over my head and taking it away in the most last minute and humiliating fashion.

“Maddie’s ready,” Mckenna said, giving my shoulders a light push, “You can go with Alex, sis. I’ll see you there! Wait, which bus am I on?”

“You and Pixie are with rising 6th,” Alex said, “Oh, we might be rooming together this year! I caught a glimpse of Gwen’s binder.”

“Fun!” Mckenna replied, “You’re so much better than Stacey.”

Alex scoffed. “Is that supposed to be a compliment? Anyway, see you up there! Maddie, you’re with me.” Sure enough, she began walking me away from my sister and towards the bus with the same gently assertive maneuver the other girls had been using.

“No, wait!” I said. The other girl’s arrival had really messed up my thought process, causing me to awkwardly blurt out what I needed from Mckenna to get picked up. “My phone. Mckenna-”

“You can have it back later,” she said, over her shoulder, “Until then, Alex is in charge.”

“Mm hmm,” Alex hummed, still nudging me forward, “Kenna says you’re not into the whole camp thing. Just promise me you’ll give it a chance, okay?”

There was no doubt in my mind that Alex wasn’t in on this or anything; she actually thought I was Mckenna’s little sister. “That’s not- I mean, I’m not-” I stammered, completely at a loss for what to say or do.

Before I knew it, I was taking a step up to avoid tripping, as Alex ushered me onto the bus.

Chapter Four

There weren’t many seats left.

The bus was too full for me to sit alone, which was the obvious preference when I didn’t know anybody else on the ride. Alex was behind me, telling me to take a seat, and the bus driver had already shut the doors behind us. I was still in a somewhat dazed state from what Mckenna had revealed to me, my head spinning from the insane concept that she had signed me up as a camper and everyone here seemed to buy it without so much as batting an eye.

It was still too fresh for me to fully believe it. There was no way I looked as young as all the girls before me on the bus, even if I was wearing the same t-shirt they were. Being on the smaller side did make the occasional person assume my sister was the older one, or that I wasn’t quite old enough to buy a ticket for an R rated movie even when I went with a group that was otherwise the same age. But, twelve? Absolutely not.

As badly as I wanted to insist to Alex that this was all a big misunderstanding or, more accurately, an intentional ‘mix-up’ that Mckenna had caused, I didn’t want to cause a scene while Alex and I were somewhat the center of attention due to being the only two girls currently standing on the bus. She also seemed to be good friends with my sister, which meant Alex either wouldn’t believe me or would commit to what I was still hoping was some kind of hazing/prank/whatever.

So I reluctantly took the nearest seat next to a freckled brunette who gave me a smile and welcomed me to Camp Firefly.

Her name was Bailey, as I learned a few seconds later. Just because she had been sitting alone didn’t mean that she was a particularly shy girl. She was quick to share about how this was her third year as a Firefly, how she was excited to be participating in some of the more mature camp activities reserved for the rising 7th and rising 8th girls, and that she was planning on being a counselor after that.

She was basically my exact opposite in terms of energy, and the age difference meant I had even less in common with her. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone, which meant I couldn’t gradually start paying attention to my screen more than to her until she got the memo.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, she finally asked my name and if this was my first year. Right. I guess it wasn’t the kind of camp where everyone knew everyone. This one pick-up spot was already a lot of girls, and that was before accounting for those that were being driven directly by their parents, as well as the other bigger city in the area that probably offered the same service.

I introduced myself, but didn’t bother with the awkward explanation.

‘I’m here as a counselor, even though I’m wearing this t-shirt. My sister said she registered me as a camper, which she may or may not be telling the truth about. Or it’s something all the counselors are in on. I genuinely don’t know.’

Regardless of what was actually going on, it wasn’t as if Bailey was part of it. She just thought that I was her age based on my current appearance, and was therefore talking to me like I was a peer.

Since I was stuck in my seat on the bus until we arrived at the camp itself, with a girl who was familiar with Camp Firefly, maybe I could split the difference. One way or another, I had some time to kill, so I asked Bailey if the counselors ever played any pranks on each other or whatever on the first day of camp.

The bad news was, I didn’t get the kind of answer I was looking for. Apparently the counselors did like to pull pranks, just ones that were more playful and camper-focused, rather than on each other. The good news was, I was fine with Bailey chattering away if it meant that I didn’t have to participate as much in the conversation. Silence would have been preferable, of course, not that it would really be quiet with all the background noise of other girls talking. I just wasn’t actually a rising 7th grader, nor a girl who was into camp, so I didn’t have a lot to say.

If I had my own car, today would have gone much differently. We were going to be on the road for two or three hours, which I would have happily driven myself. That would have been much more comfortable than a bus; more peaceful as well.

Without my phone, I had no way of knowing how much time had passed before Alex stood up at the front of the bus and got our attention. Maybe thirty or forty-five minutes?

“Hey, girls!” she said with a warm smile, “I’m Alex, for any new campers on the bus. Now that it’s just us, I can tell you that Camp Firefly is way more fun for you and the rising 8th girls. Better activities, later curfew, and more games with the boys across the river.”

As she elaborated on what Bailey had mentioned to me a while ago, the majority of the girls responded with a variety of whispers and quiet cheers. I could see how returning campers would be excited about aging out of whatever activities they considered themselves too old and/or mature for. That, and I couldn’t blame those that were a little boy crazy. After all, I had signed up for this because a boy I liked would be nearby.

After giving a brief summary of what to expect over the next few days, Alex picked up her clipboard and went on to talk through what we needed to do upon arrival. Grab our bags from the storage area underneath the bus, meet her and another counselor at the edge of the gravel lot, and head towards the cabins to drop our stuff. “You’ll all be in Circle B. Six girls to a cabin. We’ll go through cabin etiquette and the usual reminders during orientation. For now, just listen up for your numbers!”

Maybe this would verify whether or not Mckenna was telling the truth. Though if I was on the camper list, I’d probably be assigned to a cabin as well. Still, I was holding onto the hope that she was lying, considering how old I actually was.

It didn’t take long for Alex to get through each cabin, as she was only reading the names of the girls who were on the bus. As for my hopes, those were dashed fairly quickly as well. “Cabin Four. Bailey, Rachel, and Maddie. Cabin Five . . . ”

Before this latest round of evidence that Mckenna had actually registered me as a camper hit me, Bailey smiled and nudged me with her elbow. “Hey, same cabin! Want to share a bunk?”

No. Not at all. While Bailey had been nothing but friendly so far, her enthusiastic chattering was only ever going to be annoying to a girl like me. Less because we had nothing in common, more because I was older and therefore more mature than her. At the same time, I didn’t know what else to say when stuck next to her for the remainder of the ride. “Sure, whatever,” I shrugged. Not a denial, but not much of an affirmation either. If Mckenna really had screwed me over like this, I obviously wasn’t going to stick around.

Life would be much easier if I had my phone, which was no doubt why my sister had taken it from me. I wasn’t sure if these buses were going to turn around and head back to the city, or stay at Camp Firefly for two weeks. If it was the latter, our parents were going to have to make the round trip drive they were trying to avoid. The good news was, they couldn’t be pissed at me for that. It was all Mckenna’s fault.

I also needed to socialize a bit more with Bailey, as being cabin-mates meant she could now jump into potential skit ideas for us. Apparently each cabin performed together at some point.

She did quiet down eventually. I wasn’t trying to be a bitch about it, though I also wasn’t being particularly conversational. Once things were one sided for long enough, Bailey decided to pull out a book to entertain herself. Even that would have been preferable to what I had, which was nothing. I just sat there twiddling my thumbs for a good hour or two, thinking ahead to what I was going to do once we made it to Camp Firefly. Surely someone would be willing to lend me a phone. I belatedly realized that Bailey could be an option for that, except I really didn’t want to break the silence we had settled into.

When we finally exited the interstate, it only took another fifteen or twenty minutes before the girls in the front row noticed the CAMP FIREFLY sign. As most of the bus began sitting up and stretching, something I was tempted to participate in myself, Alex stood up and reminded everyone what to do. No running off or joining other groups of girls, even for returning campers who were familiar with the layout of the place. First things first, we had to unpack the bus and get situated in our cabins.

Bailey didn’t seem too offended by my energy. As the rows in front of us filed off the bus, she gave me another smile and said, “You can stick with me if you want, Maddie. I know my way around! Rachel is cool, too. We hung out a few times last year.”

“Sounds good,” I said, only half listening. At this point, my focus was on finding whoever was in charge. While Gwen was the head counselor, I was assuming there would at least be a few adult staff members around, especially on the first day.

I didn’t make it far. As I stepped off the bus and started to look around, Alex was standing right there to herd all of us in the right direction. I couldn’t complain too much, as I didn’t want to leave my duffel bag behind. After waiting for the dozen or so girls in front of me to grab their luggage, I stepped up and pulled out my large gray duffel. Between that and my backpack, I could already feel myself sweating a little bit in the summer heat. Why did I think this was a good idea, again?

The parking area was even more full than back at the school lot. All the buses from our pick-up spot, a couple more from somewhere else, as well as some cars coming and going. Despite the chaos, there was a surprising amount of order. As soon as I had my bag, there was really nowhere else to go but the direction the girls around me were headed. Alex was waiting for us where she said she would be, holding up a sign with a bold ‘C’ for good measure.

Once I had joined the group, all I could really do was look around and get my bearings. There was a building by the road that could potentially be where the more administrative part of camp happened. Though most of summer camp sounded like it was fun and games, at least from the way Mckenna described it, there would also be stuff like payroll, medical information for certain campers, etc. Speaking of Mckenna, I also needed to find her. If I couldn’t locate an adult, the least I could do was demand more answers from her, as well as my phone.

For now, however, it was time for us to be escorted to the cabins in Circle C.

The walk was more than I expected.

I didn’t consider myself out of shape, but I was also used to places like school and the mall. The cheap cotton of the light blue tee didn’t help anything, either. While I was busy wishing I was wearing a tank top or a breathable sundress, Alex was acting as a tour guide along the way. She pointed out the mess hall and the large field nearby where countless games would be played, as well as the lake that could just be seen through the trees. We also passed Circle A and B; Bailey murmured to me that A was for rising 8th girls, while B was usually a mix of our year and the year above. Similar to A, we would be in a clump of cabins that would exclusively be for rising 7th girls. For things like campfires, girls in the middle circle split off by year to join A and C for a couple hours.

“There really aren’t that many things that are separated by specific years,” Bailey explained, “We’ll do most of the things with the older group, which is going to be so much more than last year.”

Yeah. I got that earlier. It just wasn’t as exciting for me, as I was supposed to be here leading those things. Not participating.

The cabin itself was, well, a cabin. It was a small, single room with three bunk beds. Every window was currently open, all of which had screens but nothing else. Not even a cheap AC unit in one of the corners, as far as I could see. While I took in the simple space, Bailey informed me that there was a communal bathroom at the edge of our circle where we could shower, brush our teeth, etc.

I had braced myself for weak water pressure and a limited amount of hot water, as well as a bedroom that I only had to share with another counselor. Not a cabin with five other girls, and a bathroom that over thirty girls would be using. Maybe campers like Bailey were used to outdoorsy living arrangements like this. However, I had been told that the counselor building had AC and a reasonable amount of privacy.

“You mind if I take top bunk?” Bailey asked.

It took a moment for me to process the question. Mostly because I wasn’t actually a camper. Sure, I had changed into the t-shirt and gotten on the bus, but that didn’t change the fact that I was too old to be part of all this. “Sure, whatever,” I said, echoing my previous sentiment regarding our sleeping arrangements, “Is there a Camp Director building or something like that? Actually, do you have a phone I can borrow?” Might as well try that first, plus it wouldn’t hurt to have a secondary measure in place. Based on everything Alex had told us so far, today’s itinerary was slightly more involved than the average camp day was.

“I mean, you can try?” she replied, “It’s basically impossible to get reception out here. I’ve heard you can get a bar by the lake if you’re lucky, but we’re not supposed to have our phones on us during the day. Even the older girls.” Thankfully, she didn’t seem like a stickler for the rules, as she took hers out and unlocked it for me. “Go for it.”

Sure enough, it was worse than no bars. A little ‘x’ with ‘No Service’ next to it verified what a returning camper like Bailey would already know. I stubbornly tried calling my mother anyway, which immediately led to a failed call that didn’t give me the option to leave a voicemail. Great.

Before I could ask about that building again, which would almost certainly have a landline when they were running a camp that was off the grid, the cabin door opened.

“Hey, Rachel!” Bailey exclaimed, “You didn’t get lost, did you?”

Rachel’s hair was a slightly lighter shade of brown than Bailey’s; the only other distinguishable feature between the two of them was her lack of freckles. It was a wonder that the counselors could tell all the girls apart when they all wore matching t-shirts. That was a skill I was going to have to develop, as soon as I sorted all of this out.

The new girl chuckled. “No, I was catching up with Brit. Oh, you must be Maddie?”

“Umm, Madeline,” I said. The fact that Alex had said Bailey/Rachel/Maddie was long forgotten at this point. I was too busy feeling awkward about the fact that Rachel also thought that I was a camper, and once again caught in a position where trying to explain the whole thing felt like more trouble than it was worth. Not only did I look the part, but I had been on the bus for hours with Bailey as a ‘fellow camper.’

Trying to assert that I was supposed to be a counselor, or that I was actually seventeen, would probably be taken as some joke that I was committing to or something. In a way, that’s what I was still doing as well. This had to be some joke. Or, based on the fact that I was standing here with two campers who were talking with me as if I was one of them, Mckenna had been serious earlier.

“Looks like we’re the first ones here,” Bailey said, “I’m bunking with Maddie–sorry, Madeline–over there. The rest are up for grabs!”

“I’ll take bottom bunk,” Rachel said. She tossed her small duffel onto the nearest bed, “There’s no guard rail; it freaks me out.”

“If I fall and die, you can have my desserts for the rest of camp,” Bailey giggled.

“Hey, Fireflies!” Alex called from outside, to our cabin and the ones adjacent to it, “Head to the amphitheater once you’re settled. The sooner everyone’s there, the sooner we can start Orientation!”

“I’m settled,” Rachel told us, clearly content with nothing but what she was wearing, “Are you two ready? I want to get a good seat.”

“Ready!” Bailey exclaimed. She took her phone back and gave me one of her patented nudges, “Come on, Madeline. Your first Camp Firefly orientation. It’ll be fun!”

Chapter Five

The longer I was a ‘camper,’ the more I was convinced this wasn’t some kind of embarrassing hazing that I was being put through as a new counselor.

Honestly, it was probably just denial at this point. Mckenna had blatantly told me that she registered me as a camper. And so far, I had gone through everything that campers went through on their first day. Or so I assumed, considering I wasn’t familiar with the camp experience. As I walked to the amphitheater with Bailey and Rachel, both of whom didn’t seem to doubt in the slightest that I was their age, a million thoughts were racing through my head.

Why did I get on the bus in the first place? I definitely had a chance to put my foot down, even if I was a bit pressured by the fact that my sister had my phone and one of the other counselors was ushering me forward. Or, backing up from there, why did I put on the camper t-shirt? I had somehow justified it to myself back then, but I was now realizing how much of a mistake that was.

I wasn’t just dwelling on the past, either. Because what would happen now? Yeah, I was pretty small for my age, and I had been mistaken for younger numerous times. Except those embarrassing moments were always resolved quickly, and in situations I could ultimately just walk away from. But camp? I wasn’t about to stay here for two full weeks as a fucking Firefly.

So, next steps. Find someone in charge, get them to believe me, and then . . . I had no idea. Go back home, ideally, unless they could make me a counselor on the spot. That seemed unlikely, when I was assuming they only had the budget for so many each summer, so many beds in their building, etc.. And, even if they could, this would be the most humiliating first impression. It would take forever to make the other counselors take me seriously.

Ugh. I was going to kill Mckenna. This was so not funny! Putting the embarrassment of it all aside, the thought of yet another 2-3 hour drive was so painful. Since this was a counselor’s fault, I had to imagine Camp Firefly would resolve the situation. Hopefully one of the adults in charge would have to make the round trip back to the city with me, as that would be a major inconvenience to them. Anything to get my sister in trouble at this point, as she totally deserved it.

As I settled on the loose plan, I realized there was one obvious obstacle in my way at the moment–I didn’t have my wallet on me. ‘FUCK.’ I was this close to swearing out loud. Managing to keep myself from exclaiming something like that with zero context, I instead turned to Bailey and said, “Hey, save me a seat? I forgot something back at the cabin.”

“Hmm. You should probably just wait until after Orientation, unless it’s an emergency or something,” Bailey said, “If a counselor sees you heading the wrong way, she’s just going to tell you to turn around.”

I mean- It wasn’t really an emergency. But I got her point about the other part. Pretty much everyone was walking in the direction that we were, and it would be super obvious if one of the girls was doing the opposite. What excuse would I give a counselor if she stopped me? “Umm,” I hesitated. While I didn’t really need to explain myself to Bailey, her response still gave me pause as I tried to figure it out for myself.

“It’s fine, Maddie!” Rachel chimed in, “Dinner is right after Orientation. We’ll have time to swing by our cabin before heading to the mess hall. The line is shorter if you wait a little bit, anyway!”

Okay. That was fine. While I would prefer to get on the road sooner rather than later, it was unlikely I’d be able to get anyone’s attention before whatever Orientation entailed. The counselors would be busy wrangling campers and preparing for whatever, and I could use the time to look for someone who might be able to handle my situation. Normally I’d try the head counselor, except my experience with Gwen earlier didn’t give me much confidence about changing her perception of me.

The amphitheater was packed. At least 150 girls; maybe even 200. For whatever reason, I had pictured this being a smaller camp. Probably because I had only seen a fraction of the campers in the high school parking lot earlier. While this area wasn’t officially divided by year, there were pretty big clumps of girls wearing the same color t-shirt. And, as a ‘camper,’ I was going to have to be part of the chaotic sea of outdoorsy teenagers.

“Do you know who else is bunking with us?” Rachel asked.

“No idea!” Bailey replied, “It’s going to be impossible to find anybody, anyway. Want to just sit in the back for now? We can move up if we see somebody from last year, or someone still on the way can always join us. Work for you, Maddie?”

‘It’s Madeline.’ The words were on the tip of my tongue. Except she hadn’t said anything when Rachel used the nickname recently, and it was going to start sounding whiny if I insisted on the full name every time. Like Mckenna had told me earlier, campers tended to shorten names for some reason. Since I didn’t plan on sticking around for too much longer, I begrudgingly let the two girls I was with call me ‘Maddie.’ It wasn’t as if I was ever going to see them again.

It took a little while for the rest of the campers to filter in from their circles of cabins. Another girl, named Ally, did end up joining us. She was a returning camper that Bailey knew, rather than a bunkmate, who took the offer of the empty seat in the back rather than roaming one of the more crowded sections. It could have been a good opportunity to introduce myself as Madeline and remind the other two of my preference, except Bailey got there first. She introduced us to each other as Maddie/Ally, and I once again didn’t bother with a correction.

After being as friendly as I could tolerate while being mistaken as a twelve year old girl, I let the campers beside me catch up while I continued my search. Aside from an authority figure who could sort out this mess, I also needed my phone back from Mckenna. Actually, no. My sister could be compelled to return the phone after I was no longer believed to be a camper. I really just wanted to berate Mckenna for everything, as I had been too flustered and confused before the bus ride to launch into such a tirade.

Apparently I didn’t need to look that hard. As the last of the campers settled into the area, the counselors started making their way towards the stage. Their red polos made them difficult to miss, which was obviously the point. Similar to lifeguards at the pool, it was all about campers being able to spot them for whatever reason.

Gwen stepped forward, microphone in hand, and got everyone’s attention. “Welcome to Camp Firefly, everyone!” she announced. That’s about as far as she got before she had to pause for a few seconds of excited cheers. It was annoyingly shrill to me; while girls my own age could also be enthusiastic about things, we were at least a little more calm about it. Moving right along, she said, “My name is Gwen. I’ll be your head counselor this summer! Now, I know all of you are really looking forward to hearing about some of our camp rules, but you’ll have to be patient. For starters, how many returning campers do we have this year?”

Once again, there was a pretty loud cheer across the amphitheater, as well as a lot of girls who briefly raised their hands as an additional form of response. Gwen posed the same question about new campers, which was actually about just as many girls when taking into account the entirety of the youngest group in orange t-shirts as well as campers who hadn’t been going every year since they were old enough. I didn’t initially participate in the hype, until Bailey gave me a smile and a nudge. Not wanting to be a wet blanket, even if I didn’t have the same energy as those sitting with me, I reluctantly raised my hand and gave a weak smile of my own that was no doubt a little awkward.

Now that the crowd was a little more hyped up, and she had a bit more of their attention, Gwen got into introductions. Starting with herself, talking about how she had been a Firefly all four years and loved it so much she wanted to be a counselor afterwards. How she was willing to bet that one of the older campers present would be head counselor just like her in a few years. She pulled it off in a lighthearted way, and definitely didn’t seem like the type of girl who was full of herself just because she had the title ‘head counselor.’

Considering Mckenna had also been a camper who then decided to become a counselor, that was probably the most common way those jobs continued getting new hires as other girls graduated out.

Once Gwen was done, she opened the floor for the other counselors to introduce themselves. There were thirteen total, including Gwen. Three for each year of campers, or something like that. Mckenna would never shut up about camp, especially after doing it as a counselor all summer last year; there were only so many stories I could feign interest about, and I would eventually tune her out at dinner. Even if I had been listening the whole time, I probably wouldn’t have retained the finer details.

Not all of the counselors had the stage presence that Gwen did, though they all seemed really into the first day of camp. What if I was up there, like I was supposed to be? I wasn’t sure I could pull off ‘bubbly.’ Some attitudes were possible to fake, like I sometimes did at school, but that was a familiar setting. The whole camp thing was brand new to me. Not that it mattered, now that I was out in the audience rather than up on the stage.

There were a couple familiar names and faces, like Pixie and Alex. Speaking of not paying attention, I really wasn’t giving my full focus to the counselors. I was thinking about how I was going to explain this to our parents to get Mckenna in as much trouble as possible, if any of my friends might be able to score me a job on short notice, and so on. Oh, and what about Will?! Aside from this being more lucrative than retail, the other draw for Camp Firefly was proximity to my crush. Thankfully, I decided to surprise him and not mention I would be here this summer. Still, there was still the chance he’d hit it off with one of the counselors my age, and I’d lose my shot.

When Mckenna stepped forward to take her turn, I came back to the present for a minute. It’s not like I cared about her counselor introduction; she was just the only person I actually knew beyond those I had met today, and maybe some small part of me was still clinging to the concept that she was about to announce . . . something. Although if this was an embarrassing prank, I didn’t really want the spotlight and for the whole camp’s first look at me to be while I looked like one of the middle schoolers I was seated with. I’d prefer ‘showing up late’ and being introduced at dinner after changing into the counselor polo, or tomorrow morning, or whatever.

“Hey, everyone!” she confidently greeted the crowd, “I’m Kenna. Second year counselor, and three years as a Firefly before that. I’ll let you get away with almost anything if you bribe me with chocolate, my favorite parts of camp are bonfires and basically every lake activity, and- Oh!” As if she just thought of it, which I highly doubted, Mckenna said, “My little sister is here for the first time, so that’s exciting! Anyway, looking forward to two amazing weeks with all of you.”

I rolled my eyes, bracing myself for a comment from Bailey or Rachel, only to remember they had no idea that Mckenna and I were related. We both had blonde hair, sure, but plenty of girls had blonde hair. If anything, the average assumption would be that I was in the youngest group of campers. Not that anyone would dwell on it, since another counselor took the stage. I was willing to bet the most memorable part of Mckenna’s intro was her teasing bit about chocolate.

When the last counselor was finished, Gwen took the mic back and got into some of the camp rules she had jokingly kept everyone ‘in suspense’ for. “Now, I know the ‘buddy system’ sounds a little immature, especially for some of the older girls, but we don’t want anyone getting into a situation where no one knows where they are or how to find them. If you’re caught going somewhere alone, outside of the flagpole area, there will be consequences. As for meals . . . ” She kept going, managing to walk a fine line of being serious about stuff involving safety while still maintaining a friendly demeanor all the while.

It was all common sense, and I eventually stopped paying attention again. The same could be said for a number of girls around me who already knew all these rules as returning campers. That, and I knew from my own experience of listening to announcements at school with friends that you could only say so much before they started getting antsy. Sitting down, outside, after being stuck on a bus for a few hours? I had different reasons for not wanting to be here, but I could still understand their impatience.

To some degree, Gwen had accounted for that as well. While she had to do her job and get through her head counselor spiel, she didn’t drag things out or try to fit in any extra announcements after covering the important details. And, the moment she was done, she told everyone what was next. Two hours for dinner and for everyone to get settled into their cabins, and then some activities that were specific to each circle of cabins so campers could meet their bunkmates and those nearby.

My plan really hadn’t changed. We were going right back to the cabin, where I had the proof that I needed. The only adjustment was that I was going to have to rely on Gwen to resolve this, as I hadn’t spotted any non-counselor adults at Orientation. They were probably doing more administrative stuff like the counselors did what they did best. It didn’t really matter; getting a minute with Gwen at the mess hall would be much simpler than anything else.

Even if the buddy system hadn’t been touched on, I’d still have ended up walking back with Bailey and Rachel. We were all going to the same place. Ally tagged along, as she was in our circle but not our cabin. I didn’t mind being the fourth wheel to the other three girls catching up after last year, for obvious reasons.

When we got back to the cabin, I let out a sigh of relief when my backpack and duffel bag were right where I had left them. I wasn’t sure why I expected anything different. Because Mckenna could have stolen my backpack, to make this more of a mess? Turns out, I wasn’t wrong to be worried.

My clutch was nowhere to be seen. At first, I thought it might have slipped down and gotten buried under something. It was a smaller accessory, as I really only brought the basics for a summer where I wouldn’t be seeing much civilization. After a minute or two of searching, however, I got to the point where I was pulling things out of the bag and tossing them onto the bed.

Between my expression and my searching, I was transparent enough for Bailey to ask, “Everything okay, Maddie?”

‘NO. My sister took my fucking wallet!’ Except I wasn’t about to explode on some girl, especially one who had been nothing but friendly since meeting me. A bit too talkative, but still. Instead, I shifted to another pocket of my backpack, on the off chance that I had somehow packed up in a different way than usual. “Everything’s fine,” I muttered, “I just- Is there anywhere that gets service here?” If Mckenna did take my wallet, either before we left the house or right before Orientation, the only other option I could think of at the moment was borrowing Bailey’s phone and calling my parents.

“You might get a bar by the lake?” she said, “Actually, some girls get spotty reception on hikes, but I usually just leave my phone here.”

Right. She had mentioned the lake earlier. Except I had no idea where that was, the tour was tomorrow morning, and I wasn’t sure if I could convince Bailey to take me there and lend me her phone; she seemed like a rule follower, and we were supposed to be heading to the mess hall soon.

“Never mind,” I said. After looking through the last few spots my clutch might be hiding, I stood up with an exasperated sigh. New plan. Well, circling back to the old idea of figuring out where the landline was. An educated guess said it would be close to where we’d be having dinner. “Why don’t we head to the mess hall?”

I’d probably think more clearly after a meal, anyway. And maybe confront Mckenna if I could do so without causing a scene.

Chapter Six

The mess hall was about half the size of my school’s cafeteria, and it was packed. It looked like most of the tables had already been taken, yet the line for food was practically out the door. That made sense, as no one was packing their own lunch like plenty of students did at school; every girl here had to wait in line. Was camp food good? Guess I was going to find out.

Similar to the bus ride, I was a captive audience in terms of the small talk with girls I had nothing in common with. At least Bailey and Rachel could bounce off each other, while I only half paid attention to whatever they were talking about. My attention was more on the room itself, as I scanned for Mckenna or a non-counselor in charge. There were a handful of red polos around, though none of them bratty blondes. And no adults that I could see.

“What do you think, Maddie?” Bailey asked.

Well. I hadn’t really been listening. “Umm, what?” I asked, “Sorry, I spaced out there for a second.”

“Not the first time,” she teased. Guess it wasn’t that difficult to pick up on my habits when we had more or less been attached at the hip since I sat down next to her on the bus. “We were talking about our circle having a shot at the trophy. Oh, wait; I’m dumb. This is your first year.”

She then launched into a brief explanation. While most activities involved random teams, there were certain challenges where a circle of cabins competed against another circle. Whoever had the most points near the end of camp got the trophy. Aside from bragging rights, the girls that won got a few perks for the last few days.

“But a circle of 8th grade girls literally always win,” Rachel said, “I think it’s rigged.”

“Maybe,” Bailey said, “Though the oldest campers know those games the best. Anyway, I think we should really go for it! We can get our cabin on board, and I bet Ally could talk to her bunkmates. We’ll do so much better if we start strategizing now, instead of three seconds before the first challenge starts.”

Rachel reminded her that not every game for the trophy was the same, followed by Bailey pointing out that some were consistent year to year. And I was back to ‘spacing out’ while letting them talk about a challenge I didn’t plan on being present for.

I finally spotted my sister, arriving at the most inconvenient time. It almost felt like she planned it, except I couldn’t see her going out of her way for something like that. Just as she entered the mess hall, I was nearing the front of the line and caught a whiff of the taco bar that was set up for us. I wasn't particularly into tacos, but I had barely eaten anything all day. Just a quick bite for breakfast, followed by a long bus ride and nonstop frustration that didn’t once involve food

My stomach growled ever so slightly. It was more of a feeling than an audible sound, but still. If I got out of line now, I’d have to go all the way to the back. And then what? Confront Mckenna when she had another counselor right next to her, along with all the other girls in line and at the nearby tables? It wasn’t a great plan.

Deciding to bide my time, and not approach my sister while I was potentially hangry, I grabbed a tray and made myself a taco salad. I looked immature enough in the camper tee surrounded by girls dressed identically. Eating with a fork and knife, albeit plastic ones, was better than eating with my hands. Anything to avoid further matching the campers around me.

We were flagged down by a girl at one of the middle tables. Another friend of Bailey’s from last year, apparently. I guess it wasn’t that surprising that my bubbly bunkmate was a bit of a social butterfly. There was just enough space for the three of us to join them; I made a point to sit on the very end, as I didn’t want to be squished between anyone. Once again, I was introduced as ‘Maddie.’ The one who waved us over was Em, whatever that was short for; she was one of the girls in our cabin who had come from a different city. The rest of the names were in one ear and out the other, as I could only retain so much from brief introductions around the table.

I normally didn’t consider myself shy or awkward, but I had to imagine that I came across that way when I was the odd girl out. Bailey did make a point to include me in the conversation along the way, which only made it worse. Considering my real age and maturity, I knew exactly what she was doing. I didn’t need someone to socially hold my hand. Not when I was supposed to be making friends with the counselors here, rather than the campers I was sitting with.

As soon as I finished my meal, I was ready to do something about all of this. Bailey and company were talking about heading back to the cabin after dinner to hang. If I didn’t act now, I’d probably get dragged along with them because of the buddy system and the fact that all of them actually believed that I was their age.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” I muttered to Bailey. After assuring her I wasn’t leaving the mess hall alone when she asked, I took my tray to the area where everyone was to scrape off their food and drop their dishes off, then made a beeline for Mckenna’s table.

There was never going to be a good time for this. She would always be with one or more counselors, or leading something that involved a whole group of campers. The only way I was going to get a one on one with her is if I took the initiative. Maybe an actual camper would be hesitant to approach a table of counselors and make demands. However, I was Mckenna’s older sister, and was also older than at least half the counselors at Camp Firefly.

Just because I had the backbone to walk up to the table, however, didn’t mean I was confident in the face of a few of the counselors turning my way when it was clear I wasn’t just passing by. I was just grateful Gwen was somewhere else, as she probably wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about me taking up more of her time after earlier.

A brunette counselor near the end spoke up first. “Hey, blondie. Can I help you with something?”

“I need to talk to Mckenna,” I said. Hopefully the directness would make her and the others take me seriously enough. Besides, I didn’t think Mckenna had a good way to outright dismiss me.

“Oh, you must be Maddie!” she exclaimed, “I totally see the resemblance. Hey, Kenna? Your sister wants to say ‘hey.’”

Unlike me, Mckenna had no problem eating a crumbly taco with her hands. Rather than glancing over right away, she took a big bite before turning her attention to my side of the table. She had never been the most ladylike, though she at least knew better than to talk with her mouth full. Meeting my eyes and holding up a finger, she made me wait until she had finished chewing and swallowing before finally speaking up. “Hey, Maddie,” she said, “What’s up?”

Seriously? What did she think? Suppressing a glare, as I wasn’t sure whether or not any of the other girls at the table were in on this humiliating ‘camper’ prank, I insisted, “We need to talk. In private. And it’s Madeline.” Tacking on my full name sounded more awkward than firm; I should have just left it at what I wanted.

“Relax, sis,” she chuckled, “I told you to lean into the nickname thing now that you’re a firefly. ‘Kenna’ sounded weird the first time, but now it would be even weirder if Alex started using my full name.”

“You think so?” Alex chimed in, “Meet me roommate, Mckenna.”

One of the other counselors scoffed. “Extra weird if she does it like that.”

“Anyway,” Mckenna said, “My dinner is going to get cold if I get up now. And I told you that you need to be making friends with campers your own age. As much as I love hanging out with you, I have important counselor things to do.”

So much for not glaring. “I mean it, Mckenna,” I said, “We need to talk.”

“Fine,” Mckenna sighed, “Go back to your table. I’ll come get you when I’m done eating. Okay?”

I wanted to push for right then, but she was offering a reasonable enough compromise. One that sounded slightly demeaning, yet still not a ‘no.’ With a huff of my own, I said, “Whatever.”

Reluctantly heading back to where the girls I had been sitting with were currently chatting about boys and how they were looking forward to the first co-ed activity in a few days, I waited impatiently for Mckenna to finish her dinner. Mostly since most of the campers at my table were done with their own meals, and I was still worried about the same issue as before. If they decided to get up and head back to our circle, sticking around for a conversation with my sister would mean either sitting alone or drifting to some other table where I didn’t know a single girl.

I really shouldn’t have been embarrassed at the thought of the former, since I had nothing to prove to any of the girls present. And yet, I always had someone to sit with at school, and being the only girl at an otherwise empty table was unfamiliar territory.

To my relief, the boy talk distracted the table from their earlier plan long enough for Mckenna to follow through on her offer. Probably because she didn’t want to risk me coming back to the counselor table. Maybe I should have blown up on her in front of the others. If they were oblivious to my situation, one of them could potentially help. That was too much of a coin toss, however, as they could just as easily know what was going on.

Regardless, Mckenna came up to our table with a friendly smile. “Hey, girls. Do you mind if I borrow Maddie for a second?”

I couldn’t be that annoyed at her continued use of the nickname, since that’s what every girl around me had been gravitating towards for hours now. Like she said, it must have been a camp thing. My sister hadn’t been around for most of my time with Bailey and Rachel, so I couldn’t fully blame her for how it was starting to stick.

In classic immature teenage fashion, a few girls teased me about being in trouble, when Mckenna’s approach was hardly serious. I just rolled my eyes and told them that I would be right back. They didn’t need to know that I might not be returning, whether that meant taking my proper counselor role or dealing with an infuriating drive back home.

I followed my sister’s lead, heading towards the back half of the mess hall and using a side door rather than the main one the campers had used to join the line for food. Rather than stopping right outside, she walked down the short concrete staircase and then towards one of the nearby paths before eventually turning around. “Well?” she asked, crossing her arms, “Are you enjoying your first day at camp?”

“Mckenna, enough,” I snapped, “Tell me what’s going on. Right now.”

She tilted her head in visible confusion. “I already told you. The counselor thing didn’t work out, so I signed you up as a camper instead.”

“But, you didn’t actually,” I pressed, “Just tell me this is some hazing bullshit or whatever. I’ll play along.” Hazing that excluded me from the counselor introductions earlier, and that every counselor so far had managed to keep a straight face for. If not that, then it was a ‘sisterly prank’ that had gone way too far. Which is why I was talking to her now, since I had already more or less concluded this wasn’t a new counselor experience. “And if you did, we need to tell someone right the fuck now.”

“Language, Maddie,” she started with, “Fireflies aren’t allowed to curse. You can get in trouble here, by the way. There’s dish duty, bathroom duty, and plenty of others. I’d hate for you to be stuck doing chores when your new friends are out playing games.”

“I’M NOT A FIREFLY,” I snapped, “I’m serious, Mckenna. Tell me the truth.”

“I am telling the truth,” she said, “It’s not my fault you’re in denial. You said you wanted to go to camp, so I registered you as a camper. If you didn’t want to come, you shouldn’t have gotten on the bus.”

Yeah, but- She sprung this on me at the last second, and I was too flustered to push back on the way I was ushered onto the bus right afterwards. And she was totally twisting the facts, too! I didn’t say I wanted to go to camp; it just sounded like a better summer job than the other options out there.

Mckenna went on, “Relax, Maddie. A couple weeks of camp will be good for you! It’s basically free exercise and a free tan. And you can’t leave without seeing Will, right? Besides, Bailey is awesome. I’m pretty sure she’ll be a counselor herself in a few years. Anyway, you’re already here. Just play along; I bet it will be more fun than you expect. You’ll have plenty of summer afterwards, and I know you didn’t want a job to begin with.”

“That’s not the point!” I exclaimed, before lowering my voice for the next part. As badly as I wanted my sister to get in trouble for this nonsense, I was still too embarrassed by the mistaken age to yell about it. “Everyone thinks I’m twelve,” I hissed, flushing slightly at the memory of various interactions between campers and counselors alike. Was I really that small, that something as simple as wearing a Camp Firefly t-shirt made it so no one saw me as the mature girl that I really was?

“Mm hmm,” she giggled, “And for the next two weeks, that’s exactly how old you’re going to be.”

We were clearly on different pages about how amusing this was. “But, I’m not!” I protested.

“But, you are,” Mckenna replied, “Think about it. Do you really want everyone hearing about the older girl who went through sign-in, orientation, and dinner as a Firefly? That’s the kind of funny story that some of the girls will totally share with the boys. It would be so embarrassing if Will heard about your little adventure today.

It didn’t sound like a threat. More a reality, that gossip was just as common amongst outdoorsy girls as it was with any other types. ‘Madeline Lewis, mistaken as a rising 7th grade girl.’ I doubted my crush would view me as a romantic prospect after hearing about this, especially if the story was exaggerated. Not to mention the social hit I would take; while none of the campers here were old enough to be at the same school Mckenna and I went to, they could very well have older sisters who were.

For both of those reasons, I hesitated. Would it be better to ride it out? No matter what I did, it was still guaranteed that one girl who went to my school had the option to nuke my popularity status. “And you’re not going to tell anyone?” I clarified. The more I thought about it, the more wiggle room there was for such a promise. “Or take pictures, or videos?”

“No phones at Camp Firefly,” Mckenna reminded me, “Well, counselors can use theirs at night, but you girls wouldn’t appreciate it if we had them out during the day.”

She was still talking as if I was a camper, when we both knew the truth. Obnoxious, though my line of questioning made it rather transparent in terms of which way I was leaning. “You didn’t answer the question,” I said.

“Oh. Right.” She held up her fingers in a mock Girl Scouts salute, when neither of us had ever been interested in that endeavor growing up, and said, “I promise not to tell anyone that my little sister Maddie was a tween camper for two weeks this summer.”

Ugh. I almost groaned out loud, as she wasn’t making what I was facing easy to swallow. Half a day had been mortifying enough. Was I really considering two full weeks of pretending I was that young? The word ‘tween’ didn’t help, even if that was technically the correct term for girls under thirteen, though that was hardly a detail worth getting hung up on. Not when more than half of what she just said made me flush in both embarrassment and annoyance.

“I mean it, Mckenna. If I do this-” There had to be a better way. Right? Except now my head was spinning with what the coming semester would look like if word got out about my time as a camper. Somehow, the solution was spending more time as a camper? It also wasn’t lost on me that while my sister was ‘helping me’ deal with the problem, she was also the one who started it.

“My lips are only sealed if you say it,” Mckenna smiled, “That you want to be Camper Maddie for the next two weeks.”

I blushed at the unnecessary title, as well as how quickly things had swung from ‘prove to someone that I’m not a camper’ to ‘willingly be a camper to save face.’

Swallowing both my dignity and my pride, I muttered, “Fine. I’ll stay as a camper.”

Chapter Seven

After my little chat with Mckenna, which obviously didn’t go in my favor, a number of the girls in the mess hall were wrapping up their meals and heading back to their circles of cabins. That included my table, which was fine. My head was still spinning from the fact that I had just agreed to give up two weeks of my summer, as well as the ongoing embarrassment that everyone believed I was twelve years old when I was framed in a less flattering light.

Did I actually look that young? It had to be the setting and the circumstances. The point was, this latest development would be easier to process back at the cabin, rather than in a noisy building where practically all the campers were crammed in for dinner.

When we made it back, I immediately ran into a complication I hadn’t thought about. Bailey announced that she was going to go take a shower before the campfire every circle had after sunset, and informed me that rinsing off at night was generally the best approach. For whatever reason, half the girls still did so in the morning, when it made way more sense to shower after getting a little sweaty/dirty/whatever during the day. Also, there was a much bigger window most evenings, so one didn’t have to wait in line and/or deal with there being limited hot water.

But, I was too old to be sharing a bathroom with a bunch of campers. It wasn’t like a locker room, I was assuming, so they’d probably be in PJs or wrapped in a towel at worst. Still. It was unlikely that I’d get special permission to use the counselor building multiple times a day, which meant I needed to find a way to use the public space alone. Maybe I could sneak off in the middle of the night to shower, or do so when everyone was busy with some camp activity. Until I had a sense of the day to day schedule, I was going to have to play it by ear.

Of course, I politely rejected Bailey’s invitation to pair up for the trip. I knew she was trying to be a good friend/roommate and show me the ropes; she was an experienced camper, and this was my first year. Between my hesitation to use Circle C’s bathroom, as well as how I needed a minute to sort this whole Camp Firefly thing out in general, I stayed behind to take inventory of what Mckenna hadn’t swiped from my bags.

She actually hadn’t stolen much. Pretty much just my wallet, as well as my phone that she had plucked from my hands earlier. It wasn’t as if I had packed anything that would point towards me being a high school girl, which she would have seen whenever she grabbed my collection of ID and other cards. Since I was supposed to be wearing the counselor polo for the most part, while leading outdoorsy activities, the clothes in my duffel bag were rather plain and practical. That included my underwear, as there was no reason to bring anything beyond the basics.

While the cabin was slightly more peaceful than the dining hall, it wasn’t long before I had more than just Rachel to deal with. She had stayed behind while Bailey went off to shower, but I had briefly forgotten that it wasn’t just going to be the three of us. Each cabin was set up for six girls, and the extra bags lying around weren’t enough to clue me back into that detail when I was distracted by all the other things on my mind.

A few minutes later, the rest of our bunkmates joined us. They had formed a trio that paralleled what I had with Bailey and Rachel, and the fleeting peacefulness of the latter girl’s silence was shattered when our cabin was nearly completely full compared to before.

All of the Cabin Four girls were returning campers, which wasn’t surprising. There probably weren’t that many rising 7th/8th graders who decided to sign up for something like this without any previous experience. That, or I was biased due to knowing Mckenna, who had been doing this for years.

They all introduced themselves; it was getting a little difficult to keep track of names, between the campers and the counselors I had met. I retained what I could amidst the chaos of the new arrivals, as everyone including myself really hadn’t unpacked yet. Not that any of us were really unpacking. We mostly just had to make our beds with the sheets we had each packed for ourselves; otherwise, we’d basically be living out of our duffel bags for the extent of our stay. There weren’t any drawers or anything like that.

Bailey returned by the time everyone was done getting settled, with damp hair and a clean Camp Firefly t-shirt. I had showered this morning, so I at least had a little more time to figure that lingering complication out.

Then, it was time for the campfire. I reluctantly followed my bunkmates to the fire pit between all of the cabins in our circle. The area was already fairly full of girls; some were standing around, while others were hanging out on one of the log benches surrounding the fire that Pixie had already gotten started. Normally, I would consider a nickname like that rather ridiculous. At the moment, I’d kind of prefer something completely different from my own name. Both because it would lessen the chance of someone here recognizing me later, and how ‘Maddie’ was a pain.

As usual, I was fine blending into the background. Similar to the bus ride with Bailey, I was friendly enough when someone talked to me, but I really didn’t contribute too much beyond the basics. I wasn’t sure whether I came across as more soft-spoken, aloof, socially awkward, tired, or somewhere in between any of those. These girls were both younger than me and into different activities than I was, so there wasn’t much of a connection. That, and I didn’t want to make too much of an impression. Since I had nothing to prove, I was more than content being the ‘quiet girl’ if it meant flying under the radar.

Turns out, circling up around the campfire was basically Orientation, Part Two. Another counselor from earlier, Alex, got everyone’s attention once the rest of the cabin circle had made their way to the gathering. She informed us that she was one of the leaders for rising 7th, and proceeded to talk about the ongoing competition that Bailey had mentioned earlier.

“Sadly, Pixie isn’t officially on our team. She’s just here to look cute,” Alex teased, “Stacey will be my co-leader for the ranked games.”

That name rang a bell. One of the counselors Mckenna and Alex didn’t like? Or just one who they didn’t click as naturally with? Though I had agreed to my sister’s unfair terms, I was still idly thinking about what I could do about my situation.

“Rude,” Pixie giggled, “I mean, yes. I’m cute. But I’m also in charge of Round One, and here to tell you about it. You know, in case you want to start strategizing. You’ll need the extra time to beat my girls!”

Bailey scoffed next to me, “As if. We just need to worry about the year above us.” Plenty of other girls in the vicinity had similar reactions.

“Anyway,” Pixie continued, “The first game is going to be a Dodgeball tournament. All you get to know for now is that you’re all going to play a few full circle games against everyone else, as well as an equal number of 5v5s afterwards while your fellow campers take a break and cheer you on. Of course, there are going to be some fun twists announced later on, so you better be prepared for anything!”

“Exciting!” Alex grinned, “And then a counselor grudge match to round things out?” This would be her first time hearing about the event; Mckenna had explained a while ago that each counselor gets to come up with their own game for this stuff, using whatever supplies are available around camp.

“Spoilers!” Pixie replied, following it up with a wink, “You’ll just have to wait and see. Later, girls!” She bounded off towards the next circle over. Cute, indeed. I wasn’t into all that and, even if I was, her upbeat energy was almost worse than some of the campers around me.

Once it was just Alex and Stacey, the duo got into some of the rules that would have bogged things down earlier. As both an older girl and someone who was supposed to be partly in charge, it made sense that they would keep the hype up earlier then get into some of the boring details later.

It wasn’t necessarily boring to me, however. If I was going to keep playing the part of a tween camper for the foreseeable future, I needed to know what was in store for me moving forward.

The parts that stuck out to me were regarding free time and morning/evening schedules. Anything that would give me a minute to myself, and potentially the chance to make a call if I could find a landline or a girl’s phone that had service, was what I’d be looking out for starting tomorrow. Mckenna was technically working, even if this was more fun for her than an actual job would be, and was responsible for an entirely different circle of girls; she wouldn’t be able to keep a consistent eye on me, so it was only a matter of dealing with the counselors that didn’t really know me beyond the brief interactions we had thus far.

By the time Alex and Stacy were done running through everything, most of the girls around the fire were getting a little bit antsy. Honestly, so was I. Important as some of this information was, there was only so much I could sit through without starting to lose focus. Either the two counselors were aware of the impatient energy, or just happened to get through the rest within the next minute or so. “Okay, I know you all just want to hang out and relax,” Alex said, “You’re welcome to stay by the fire for a while, or head back to your cabins. Just no leaving Circle B. Cool?”

As the girls around me assented to the boundary for the evening, I told Bailey I was going to take the latter of Alex’s suggestions. There was only so much socializing with younger girls I could deal with, plus changing into my PJs would be simpler if I was the only one around.

Of course, that only worked for my own undressing. I did get a little alone time, not that I could do anything but brainstorm for the following day thanks to how my phone was wherever my sister had put it. When a couple of my bunkmates returned from the campfire, I had to awkwardly avert my gaze as they changed. Like me, they were really just switching their outer layers, but I still felt weird being in the same room due to the maturity difference.

Aside from the occasional sleepover, I also wasn’t accustomed to having other girls around when I was trying to sleep. Mckenna and I had our own bedrooms, and I was used to the personal space. And, similar to the sleepover experience, it took forever for my bunkmates to stop talking. They whispered and giggled about camp experiences from the previous year, talked about how they were excited for the activities with Camp Falcon, and acted all overconfident about the Dodgeball game tomorrow. The hushed voices were so one of the counselors wouldn’t get on our case about staying up too late after lights out.

While I had gone straight back to the cabin, Bailey and Rachel had strategized with some of the other girls in our circle about the round robin bracket. As much as one could strategize for such a chaotic game, anyway. They were mostly figuring out who would be the best pick for the smaller match-ups. When asked about my own athletic strengths, I just mumbled something about not having the best hand-eye coordination. I wasn’t even lying.

“That’s okay!” Bailey reassured me, “I’m sure you’re better than you think you are. Worst case scenario, you can be my human shield!”

Uh huh. Shield or not, I was assuming I’d be one of the first girls out in every round. The real pain was that I’d have to be hit by a ball in order to take a break, instead of simply sitting the game out.

Eventually, the girls’ energy faded and I was finally able to drift off. The cheap, twin mattress wasn’t nearly as comfortable as my queen bed back home, though I was also pretty tired after a long and frustrating day. I still couldn’t believe how easily I was mistaken as a camper, and how much of a brat Mckenna was for signing me up.

I woke up pretty early. Between the cabin windows doing nothing against the early morning sun, as well as the unfamiliar room, I couldn’t get back to sleep. On the plus side, it was as good a time as any to use the bathroom. I snuck out of the cabin, bringing my toiletry bag with me to wash my face, brush my teeth, apply deodorant, etc. Feeling slightly more refreshed, albeit still tired, I returned to my bed and rested my eyes as I waited for whenever everyone else around Circle B started to get up.

When a couple girls in my cabin began to stir, I feigned like I was doing so as well. Turning away and making short work of changing into my camp t-shirt, as I had also brought a bra to put on in the bathroom, I left the cabin before the rest of the girls started their morning routines. Hopefully none of them noticed, or just assumed I wore a bra to sleep for whatever reason.

According to the daily schedule that had been laid out by Alex and Stacey, the mess hall was open pretty early. I’d rather have a quick breakfast than be dragged through Bailey’s morning routine that I had already done most of before anyone else was up. It wasn’t that I was particularly hungry; I was mostly heading there early on the off chance that a non-teenage authority figure might be around.

Naturally, I had no luck. If anything, all I did was save the table for my bunkmates, who managed to arrive before the line got too long. Not exactly what I intended, even though they were appreciative. Once everyone was settled for the meal, Gwen and the other counselors quieted everyone down for the morning’s announcements.

There wasn’t too much to tell us, considering that we had been given plenty of information the previous evening. Gwen just directed us to head towards the east field after breakfast, and that new campers can just follow everyone else. That, and a reminder that there’s a firm buddy system whenever going from Point A to Point B. A rule that I had already broken earlier, not that I cared about getting in trouble like the girls around me might. Being reprimanded by a counselor who was actually my own age wasn’t exactly intimidating.

I didn’t make it very far out of the mess hall before Mckenna appeared by my side. “Hey, girls!” she said, more to the others than to me, “Do you mind if I steal Maddie for a second?”

Bailey assented, as if either myself or Mckenna actually needed her go ahead. The young brunette had just become the de facto leader of our cabin. That’s what worked at Camp Firefly, obviously; being friendly and bubbly and outgoing.

Stepping out of the scattered crowd that was heading towards the field, knowing what it must look like for a camper to be singled out as everyone else walked past her, I was banking on the fact that the similar blonde hair would clue enough girls into the fact that this was a sister/sister thing rather than a camper/counselor one. That, and I didn’t care what any of these girls thought of me, even if it was a little difficult to maintain that mindset when the occasional camper glanced my way out of curiosity.

“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance. After all, I had slept in a cabin last night and was currently wearing the bright Camp Firefly t-shirt. While I might have been thinking about some options to call our parents and/or prove my real age, I was clearly playing the part of a camper at the moment.

“For starters, better Firefly energy,” Mckenna said, calling out my attitude right away. She didn’t dwell on it, however, and moved right along, “But I mostly wanted to make sure that you plan on actually participating in Dodgeball this morning, and in the afternoon’s activities as well. No awkwardly standing on the sidelines, or not trying when you play. Your teammates are counting on you, especially in the ranked games!”

Either she knew me that well, or was able to make an educated guess that I was thinking about half-assing just about everything for as long as I was stuck as a camper. Besides, I wouldn’t be the only one; surely there were other girls who had been shipped off to camp because their parents thought it would be a good idea. Or, in my case, by my sister.

“At least try to have fun, Maddie,” Mckenna insisted. She placed her hand on my shoulder with an amused smile, meeting my eyes, “Tell you what. If Circle B gets first place today, you might even get to go home early!”

Chapter Eight

Outdoor Dodgeball wasn’t something I had ever seen before, not that I had played the game since middle school. Even then, I wasn’t particularly sporty; gym activities like that were more for the boys, as well as whatever girls were into all that. My friends and I much preferred the days that revolved around light cardio, where we could put in as much effort as we felt like.

It took a minute to find my bunkmates amidst all the other girls wearing the same color. Naturally, they asked what ‘Kenna’ wanted. Tweens and their gossip. I just made up some half-truth about her wanting to check in with me; it didn’t take much to convince them that I was annoyed at her for being an overbearing sister, considering how I genuinely was annoyed at her. To put it lightly.

Once everyone was gathered, Pixie stood up on a large wooden box I had to assume she and the other counselors hauled around to use whenever they needed to be seen and didn’t have a better way to have the eyes of all the campers present. “Good morning, Fireflies!” she projected, while the other counselors strewn about the area assisted in shushing those who were still distracted. “Who’s ready for the first ranked game?!”

Fuck, the cheering was so shrill. I managed to contort my grimace into a reluctant smile by the time Bailey glanced my way. It wasn’t her fault I was stuck here like this, and she’d been nothing but friendly and welcoming since sitting next to me on the bus. While I was never going to have the peppy energy so many of the campers and counselors did, I could at least play nice when it came to the girls in my circle. Especially those in my cabin.

Pixie then gestured to Gwen, who was getting up on a box of her own. The head counselor greeted everyone in an equally enthusiastic manner, then launched into an explanation about the camp-wide competition that my bunkmates had already given me the highlights of yesterday. Ranked games, a trophy, whatever. It didn’t sound like there was even a real prize, outside of bragging rights for being the best circle when all was said and done.

The explanation was mostly for the rising 6th girls, as well as new campers in the older groups who hadn’t yet heard about the trophy stuff. Once Gwen was done with the big picture, she turned the floor back to Pixie.

It was all pretty standard. Get hit, and you were out. Catch a ball, and the girl who threw it was out. A single step outside the boundary lines also meant that you were out, so being on the edges meant limited dodging options. As for the fact that there were no walls for the balls to bounce off of, the game would start with each team having a couple counselors there to retrieve whatever was thrown too far. Once even a single girl was out, however, it was the responsibility of those teammates to keep those still in play armed with balls to throw.

I could see the logic behind Pixie’s system. Instead of participating campers simply sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the round to end, they would continue to play an important role in their team’s success. That, and it subtly encouraged groups to learn each other’s names due to how those still on the outdoor court would have their backs to the girls who were retrieving the balls.

While it was great for team building and whatever, it wasn’t so great for me. Even if I did make a show of actually trying, per Mckenna’s little chat with me, I had been assuming up until now that I’d still be one of the first girls out and could proceed to take a break. Instead, there would arguably be more running involved if that happened. There was also the part about my sister letting me off the hook if my team actually won, which did motivate me to put forth more effort than I normally would when it came to something like this. In reality, I wasn’t going to be the one to make or break things on that front; it would all depend on how good the rest of Circle B was.

She went on to touch on details about it being double elimination, and how there was only one large Dodgeball court that had been painted in the open field. Whenever teams weren’t playing, they were welcome to spectate or go off and strategize for their coming round. “Let’s start with some rising 6th girls getting destroyed, or maybe some rising 8th girls getting embarrassed,” Pixie said, “First up, Circle C vs. Circle E. Go ahead and take your places; we’ll give you a couple minutes with your teammates while we finish getting set up. Everyone else, stay behind the orange lines if you want to watch.”

“Let’s get everyone from Circle B together!” Bailey exclaimed. Most of our cabin was already present, and she led the charge to group up with all the campers who had been at our fire last night. She and one other girl ended up sharing the responsibility of being ‘in charge,’ both of whom thought it was more useful to head off to the edge of the field and figure out a game plan instead of watching the round between the older and younger fireflies that would almost certainly end with the former team winning out.

We were all told to raise our hands if we considered ourselves to be good at throwing or catching, neither of which I trusted myself to do in this context. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only less than athletic girl in our group of thirty or so. There would never really be a perfect strategy for a team of girls who had practically just met, for a game as chaotic as Dodgeball, but the general plan was those that didn’t raise their hands to be the ones who were handed balls by the girls who were out. That way, both the catchers and the weak links like myself would constantly be keeping the strong throwers armed.

I was just going to have to trust my team to do a good job. Regardless of the plan or the execution, my contributions were the least important.

A minute or two later, cheers erupted from the other side of the field. Sure enough, the rising 8th girls from Circle C ended up winning. We were up next, going against the other circle of rising 8th campers. I was sure Pixie set it up like this to create some natural competition between the different grades even though just one circle would end up winning at the end.

We made our way over to the grassy court, where it seemed like we had a much bigger audience than the pairing before us. If most of the other teams had already done the kind of strategizing that we did, they could now use this time to figure out who the strongest players were on either side. That, and a rising 7th vs. rising 8th pairing was a little more interesting than what the previous game had been.

Pixie and a few other counselors had just reset things from the last round. There were 10-15 foam balls on the middle line; I was grateful to see that Camp Firefly had taken the more modern approach with their equipment, as I didn’t want to be pelted with the rubber balls places used to have.

Since we had already been given plenty of time to figure things out, us and the opposing team were told to line up right away. Bailey and our other unofficial ‘captain’ were giving last minute words of encouragement along the way. “We’ve got this, Maddie!” she exclaimed, giving my hip a playful bump with her own as she took a starting spot next to me.

Madeline. I thought it, but didn’t say it. Instead, I just forced a smile and said, “Let’s win.” Not because I cared about some trophy. I just wanted Mckenna to give me what she promised.

Things quieted down when Pixie stepped up to the edge of the court, staying out of the way since both teams would be charging towards the middle in a moment. “Only one of you gets to stay in the winner’s bracket!” she reminded us, “Oh, and when a counselor calls you out, you’re out. No whining or arguing, or one of your teammates will leave the court with you as a penalty. Any last minute questions?”

When no one raised a hand, Pixie stepped back with a smile and told us all to get ready.

After glancing back and forth to make sure we were all behind the line, as well as checking that the counselors who would initially be helping out were in place, she shouted, “GO!!”

More than half the campers on each team sprinted forward, and chaos erupted in the middle of the court as several girls on each side were thrown out within seconds. The thing Pixie had come up with regarding counselors retrieving balls that flew too far must have been a ‘just in case’ measure, since both teams already had girls for that role.

I didn’t last very long. Hanging back and standing there awkwardly wasn’t going to do me any favors where Mckenna was involved, plus my teammates would probably judge me for not participating as well. Since I was one of the girls who didn’t trust herself to catch or throw, I made myself useful by stopping a ball or two that would have rolled out of our side and handing them to girls from my cabin. While Pixie might have intended this as a name-learning exercise, I was still finding it difficult enough to remember all the names of the girls I had bunked with last night, let alone the other campers from our circle.

After dodging one or two balls that may or may not have been intended for me, making an embarrassing little squeak of surprise each time that I was praying no one around me heard, one of the girls on the opposing team finally got a direct hit. The red ball hit me square in the boob, and the foam wasn’t nearly as soft when it had been thrown by a girl with an impressive arm.

Fucking OW.

Before I could really process my struck breast, one of the counselors yelled, “Maddie, you’re out!” Pixie and a few others had been doing that all game, which is something I vaguely remembered happening at school as well. With so much happening at once, calling players out like that meant they wouldn’t try to claim that an out never happened or whatever.

I hastily left the court, not wanting to be accidentally hit by a ball that was intended for someone else. The girls who were already out had formed something of a human wall a few feet behind the line, which was definitely more efficient than chasing after every ball that was thrown too far. I joined on the end, glad to be standing in an area that was more safe and calm by comparison. My boob still hurt a little bit, but it had really been more surprise than pain a minute ago now that the moment had passed.

Our team had seven girls left–nope, six girls left thanks to how someone on the other side caught the ball one of our girls just threw–and their team had five. Anyone’s game, honestly. As I watched the back and forth, not having anything else to do until something came my way, I realized that I was sweating. Ugh. A drop on my brow, and a faint dampness in my armpits. I hadn’t even done that much, physically. This field just had no tree cover, and the summer sun was a lot. This was why AC existed. And why the counselors had those athletic polos, while campers were stuck with these cotton tees that didn’t breathe nearly as well.

It wasn’t like I could do anything about it, save for planning ahead. Changing into a fresh t-shirt at lunch, opting for shade when possible, and showering at night from now on. I was supposed to be paid for suffering through a more outdoorsy setting, but I was stuck experiencing it from the wrong side. It seemed like there was another inconvenience/irritation to worry about with every passing hour.

I did have some hope. Our team managed to pull off a win, with two girls standing against the other side’s zero after the last girl was hit. While I didn’t cheer nearly as enthusiastically as those around me, I let out a sigh of relief and forced a small smile when Bailey glanced my way. If we could beat the 8th grade campers, then surely we’d do well against whatever circle of 6th or 7th girls we were playing against next.

While Dodgeball was a rather fast paced game, it still took a while to get through the bracket Pixie had set up. Double elimination meant basically starting over once the first round of match-ups made it all the way to the last game. It especially hurt for our team, since we made it to the end of the first bracket only to lose to the 8th grade campers who had played first while we were figuring out our game plan.

At the end of the losers’ bracket, we then lost to the 8th grade team that we had beaten the first time around. Third place. The girls on my team were somewhat disappointed, though the returning campers amongst us pointed out that placing in the top three is still pretty good. Obviously not as many points as we would have received for first, but a considerable lead on the rest of the circles.

As for me, it wasn’t about the trophy in the slightest. I was solely thinking about how I could convince Mckenna that third place was close enough, considering that the oldest campers were the ones to take first and second. Surely doing the best out of all the 7th grade circles counted for something, even if my own contributions to those wins were fairly nonexistent compared to the girls on my team that secured all those wins for us.

Before I got much of a chance to look around for my sister, the head counselor stood on one of the makeshift podiums and got everyone’s attention. “Good effort from everyone! Remember, each ranked game is totally different. You all have plenty of time to catch up to Circle D.” She paused when the team of 8th graders cheered amongst themselves, then went on to announce that lunch was in about thirty minutes. Until then, campers had a little free time to head back to their circles, use the bathroom, hang out, whatever. “Make sure you check out your cabin’s schedule for this afternoon!”

So much for finding Mckenna right away. Though the counselor polos stood out fairly well, the girls in charge were spread out amidst all the campers in the field. A couple of them stuck around to clean up the Dodgeball gear, while the rest were making sure everyone didn’t stray too far from the path as they returned to the main area of Camp Firefly. On top of that, the girls from my cabin were gathering and roping me into their conversation; thanks to the ‘buddy system,’ I couldn’t just ignore them and roam off on my own.

My hair was a mess from the humidity, my body was a mess from the sweating, and I was half tempted to squeeze in a quick shower during the short break. If it weren’t for the physical similarities between us, I would find it difficult to believe that Mckenna and I were even related. How could any sibling of mine enjoy the outdoors so much? Summer was easily the worst season, in my opinion.

“Let’s go, Maddie!” Bailey’s cheery voice broke me out of my annoyed thoughts. She and the others were practically speed-walking.

For now, I was just going to have to tag along with the familiar group of girls. Hopefully, whatever activities were in store for us in the afternoon would be more chill.

Until I had an opportunity to talk with Mckenna again, I was going to have to keep pretending to be a camper.

Chapter Nine

As I learned over the course of the following hour or two, a day at camp wasn’t nearly as strict as the routine I was used to at school. They still scheduled out time slots for meals and activities, but that was about it. After lunch, we could do pretty much anything we wanted. Mostly. As one of the girls explained to me, we had to stick with what was offered for the 7th/8th grade campers, and some things had an attendance limit. If we really wanted to do archery, for example, the best move was to be first in line at lunch and rush over to the area right afterwards.

Luckily, nothing posted for the coming afternoon required that kind of effort. Arts & Crafts sounded most enticing to me, just because I would rather do something indoors. However, my group was most interested in the hike. I didn’t have to go with them. Cabins weren’t required to stick together, and I could have opted to stay behind and sit around at the other activity. I was just hesitant to do that, since it would mean socializing and introducing myself as a camper all over again to a bunch of new girls. While it was still plenty embarrassing that my bunkmates perceived me as a peer, we had already settled into a dynamic that I was used to.

I ended up not showering, since it didn’t make any sense. Going on a summer hike would just get me sweaty all over again. Mckenna had assured me that being a counselor meant that we’d be supervising games and activities more often than not, which had been the case during the Dodgeball tournament. Meanwhile, I had to actually participate as a camper, which is why I already looked so much less put together than I had a few hours ago. There just wasn’t anything I could do about it, unless I rinsed off 2-3 times a day.

Following Bailey and the others to the meeting spot, knowing from the conversations over lunch that half of them knew the trail like the back of their hand after doing it once or twice every year, I braced myself for however many miles of hiking I was about to be subjected to. According to the others, we’d be out for two hours or so, though that included a number of stops to take in the view and/or to give everyone a small break. I had easily walked two to three times that length at the mall, with shopping that kind of paralleled the snack/water stops we’d be making here. Of course, it wasn’t the same at all; being out with my friends in a nice outfit was far preferable to trudging around outside while looking like a tween.

Mckenna wasn’t one of the counselors leading the hike, unfortunately. If she was, I could have maybe found some time to talk with her about getting some credit for how Circle B placed earlier. Despite how I had reluctantly agreed to remain as a camper for the full two weeks in exchange for her not telling anyone about how easily everyone believed the false age, I was still kind of in denial about my stay. Partly because Mckenna had already suggested that there might be some wiggle room, provided I play along instead of just existing at Camp Firefly and doing the bare minimum.

On the flip side, my sister’s absence meant that she wasn’t going to be around to watch for that, and I doubted she had tasked the other counselors with keeping tabs on me. There were so many campers, and I had to assume that the more enthusiastic girls would be the ones drawing more attention. Also, hiking wasn’t nearly as involved as Dodgeball; all I had to do was walk.

The other bit of good news was that there was a lot less pressure to talk to everyone. As the group of twenty or thirty campers settled into a spaced out line of sorts on the trail, it was impossible to walk clumped together like the girls in my cabin often did when heading from place to place. Between the narrow path and the difficult terrain, it didn’t take long before conversations were confined to conversations with just one or two nearby girls. Naturally, I let Bailey and Rachel do the heavy lifting, and was content to be quiet like Ally unless addressed directly.

Within thirty minutes, I was missing the mall. Though we weren’t hiking up a mountain or anything like that, there were still enough ups and downs to make my legs more sore than they would be on a normal walk, not to mention the heat that was a consistent thorn in my side. We really couldn’t have Camp Firefly tank tops and/or athletic tops? That would make so much more sense.

Admittedly, the views were nice. An aesthetic angle of the lake, some interesting foliage, a good vantage point of the cabins in the distance once we were further along. If I had my phone and was wearing something else, I would have taken some selfies.

By the time we had done the entire loop, I was ready to collapse. How did the other girls have so much energy? I was definitely in the minority and, unfortunately, taking a nap wasn’t an acceptable option when it came to choosing our next activity.

Bailey and company opted for swimming. After seeing the lake from a couple sides and hiking parallel to it for a while, it had apparently drawn enough attention from the girls. Again, I found myself reluctantly tagging along. The other options didn’t sound that great, plus it was kind of like a shower. And I couldn’t deny that it would be refreshing after a long walk.

Heading back to our cabin, I found myself grateful that the age and maturity of the girls meant that they still preferred changing more discreetly. While one or two of them were fine using a towel in the corner, everyone else was talking about making a quick trip to the bathroom. Good. I felt awkward enough glimpsing any of them in a bra, and it would be much better if I could use a stall while simultaneously avoiding the campers who were already at the point of not caring about that stuff like most of my peers were.

It would also be nice to wear something of mine. Swimwear had been on the checklist for counselors as well, though obviously something more modest and comfortable than what my friends and I would wear to the pool. I chose a nice two piece that was pretty and good for any setting, and honestly anything would look better on me than a tee that matched everyone around me.

Apparently Mckenna had thought of that, too.

I hadn’t noticed before, as most of my clothes were still in the duffel. When I actually started looking through it for my matching swim set, I ended up finding something else waiting for me underneath a stack of shorts.

She had replaced what I had packed with a bright pink one piece.

‘Ugh!’ The groan was internal, since there were still a handful of girls in the cabin and I didn’t want to cause a scene. Wasn’t I supposed to be thirteen? I hadn’t worn bright pinks or purples since at least 6th grade, or a one piece for that matter. While pink did look good on blondes, it was also a somewhat girly/immature color in other contexts.

Digging through my duffel bag as if there was magically going to be an alternative in there when Mckenna had clearly taken the time to replace the swimwear I had initially packed, I huffed in annoyance after confirming that I was limited to the painfully bright option. As far as I could tell, that was all she had messed with when it came to my clothes. She probably anticipated that I might double check this or that before throwing the bag into the car; too many changes would have been obvious before we left, while the one piece folded underneath most of my other clothes managed to escape my notice until now.

Could I swim in athletic shorts and a plain bra? No, that would look ridiculous in a completely different way. While I’d probably do that in a pinch if it was just me and my friends, I didn’t want to wear that to the lake in a setting like this. Reminding myself that no one actually knew me here, save for my sister, I resigned myself to putting on the pink one piece.

Following a couple of my bunkmates to the bathroom and changing into the bright swimwear, I blushed to myself in the stall when I found that it was a perfect fit. How long had Mckenna been planning this? Not that long, considering when the conversation about camp came up, but still. I couldn’t believe she had left me with nothing but this to wear.

“WOW.” Rachel gave me an amused look as I stepped out of the stall. She was wearing a simple, blue two piece, and also had a few inches on me. I didn’t need the nearby mirror to know that she would look like the more mature girl between the two of us. “Trying to get someone’s attention, Maddie?”

What did that mean? I couldn’t tell if she was just teasing about the color, or if she was implying that I had a crush. This was an all girl camp! Putting aside the fact that I was too old to be interested in anyone but the counselors, I also wasn’t into girls. One of the reasons I decided to sign up for a Camp Firefly job in the first place was so I could see a guy that I liked this summer.

“Umm, no,” I muttered. For a second, I considered lying and saying that pink was my favorite color. Instead, I went with, “This is my old swimsuit. The strap on my other one broke last week.” Believable enough, even if the truth was that I had multiple bikini tops and bottoms to choose from back home.

She shrugged. “Well, it’s cute. And it’ll be easy to find you if you get lost!”

Something told me that wasn’t going to happen. Between the buddy system and how our little group had stuck together all day so far, I doubted I’d end up separated from them on the way to the lake.

Speaking of which . . . The lake was clean, right? I had only really ever been to the beach, and had heard mixed reviews about smaller bodies of water. It had to be fine, if they allowed a bunch of campers to swim in it.

By the time our whole cabin was ready, Circle B was nearly empty. Bailey assured us that being late was fine; that was better than rushing and leaving a girl behind, plus the hikes tended to take a little extra time compared to the activities closer to the main area. Worst case scenario, we wouldn’t be able to jump in mid-game if the girls on the sand or in the water had already started something.

Personally, I wanted to get in the water ASAP. Not because of the temperature, but because the one piece would give me such an unflattering tan if I got too much sun. I was probably already going to end up with a bit of a farmer’s tan from wearing the camper tee most of the time; an outline of the immature swimwear would only make things worse.

When the lake came into view, I grimaced upon seeing just how many campers had made the same decision we had for the afternoon. Unlike the options offered earlier in the day, it didn’t seem like they were restricting this activity to just one or two grades. From afar, I could see a big game of beach volleyball being played on the sand, what looked like water polo in the lake, and then just a lot of socializing happening in clumps of various sizes both in and out of the lake.

Just like Dodgeball, there were a lot of counselors around making sure that the chaos was organized, as well as a couple who were in the classic lifeguard red swimwear standing around and watching the girls in the water. Was Mckenna down there? We were still a little too far away for me to see if one of the two blonde counselors I spotted was my sister.

The girls around me had an entirely different reaction. While I hesitated for a moment, wanting to pick a different activity while knowing full well it was too late to change back into normal clothes and go somewhere else, the others picked up the pace and excitedly sped-walk towards the shore.

I was committed at this point, and could maybe find a moment to talk with Mckenna if she was down there. Though our initial conversation about me being a camper had felt somewhat final, I still wanted to check in with her about the Dodgeball results and maybe an alternative Circle B win that would work in my favor. Knowing her, she’d make me wait until tomorrow. Same deal as the first ranked game, only after spending a full day at camp and another night in that cabin.

I followed the rest of my group down the trail, not nearly as bold as they were when it came to running around barefoot, feeling much more comfortable once I was on the sand. As with everything else at Camp Firefly, however, whatever relief I found had a habit of being short-lived.

“Maddie!” Bailey called out to me from the edge of the water, “They’re starting a new game of water polo. Come on, hurry! We’ll have to sit out until the next one if we miss it.”

This time, I hesitated a lot more. While Bailey’s enthusiastic invitation aligned with my plan to avoid the afternoon sun, that didn’t mean I wanted to jump right into a game. Couldn’t we just hang out in the water, or whatever? That’s what plenty of other girls were doing. On the other hand, Mckenna had made a whole thing about participating earlier. If she was here, and saw me just sitting on the sidelines, it would be harder to make my case.

That, and there was the usual peer pressure of being the only girl in our small group not yet in the water. The bright pink one piece would also be less of an immature beacon if I wasn’t standing around.

Sighing to myself, I decided to continue sticking with my bunkmates; I could look for Mckenna from a distance and eventually head her way when I had a chance. Completely clueless as to the rules of water polo, save for the broad concept of it being somewhat like basketball in the water, I followed the other girls into the lake.

Chapter Ten

As it turned out, water polo was rather simple to learn, although there was a good chance the camp version of it ignored a lot of the details the real sport had. Actually playing it, however, was a whole different story. For starters, it was difficult to figure out who was on what team; there were a lot of girls playing, and I really only knew the ones I had stuck with since the beginning of camp. The quantity of girls swimming around also meant that it was utter chaos. By the end, I had only touched the ball two or three times, and mostly only succeeded in getting my hair soaked.

My group wanted to transition to beach volleyball next, which I had to assume would be more or less the same experience. There were two nets set up on the sand, so it wouldn’t be quite as crowded as the previous game, but there were also a lot of campers who chose this as their afternoon activity. Volleyball, when played casually, could be practically limitless in terms of how many girls were on each team.

Even with the sun hanging lower in the mid-afternoon sky, I felt like a girly beacon with my bright pink one piece. It also wasn’t flattering in the slightest, not that I cared about how I looked to anyone but maybe Mckenna.

I decided to opt out of the coming game, telling Bailey and company that I was going to get some water and check in with my sister. Both were actually true; I was constantly thirsty from the combination of the summer heat and the various forms of cardio. Finding water was easy, as the counselors always had a station set up for campers to hydrate during any given activity. Finding Mckenna took a little more effort.

As I roamed the crowded shore, I was most jealous of the girls who were lounging with a book or just chatting with each other on the sand. That’s what I usually did at the pool, particularly the latter, rather than running/swimming around. My sister wasn’t the only blonde counselor, and half of the girls in charge were wearing some iteration of lifeguard red swimwear instead of the familiar polo. There was also no guarantee she was at the lake at all, since there were other activities happening.

When I finally found her, she greeted me with a smile and an enthusiastic, “Maddie!”

With an eye roll, I greeted her in a far less energetic way before finally asking the question I had been wanting to bring up to her all day. Circle B did the best out of all the other rising 7th girls, and we also won against one rising 8th circle. That had to count for something.

“It does count for something!” she assured me, “You and your friends earned a lot more points than most of the other Fireflies. Maybe this will be the first year a circle of rising 7th girls wins the trophy. Oh, and you should try out ‘Kenna.’ Embrace the camp experience!”

“You know what I mean, Mckenna,” I said. Using her full name was hardly a form of rebellion; it was just what I had called her for my entire life, so switching just like that wasn’t something that would come naturally to me.

It was Mckenna’s turn to roll her eyes, albeit in a more playful way. She was in full counselor mode at this point, clearly thriving at her favorite place. I could tell that her energy wasn’t just for show as we chatted in a public setting, even if she was taking a little pleasure in how she had arranged for me to get the camp experience I never had. “You can try again tomorrow, Maddie! As soon as you and your friends get 1st place in a ranked game, we can talk. In the meantime, maybe work on that attitude. You look so cute in that swimsuit. A smile would be much better than that bratty pout, don’t you think?”

Yeah, except being told to smile typically had the opposite effect on most people, myself included. Besides, it wasn’t as if I needed my sister to give me such a nudge. I had already been forcing positivity more and more often, mostly since I would come across as a total bitch and/or buzzkill if I looked annoyed every time my bunkmates included me in whatever. Bailey in particular, since she was both friendly and bubbly, and it felt bad to meet that energy with a total lack of enthusiasm. But with Mckenna? Being myself was a lot more natural.

“If we get 1st place in a ranked game, you send me home,” I clarified. It was already a concession to stay another night. Just ‘talking’ after pulling off a difficult victory could mean anything. At the same time, I hadn’t forgotten the part about playing Mckenna’s game so she kept all of this to herself at the end of the summer. I could only insist on so much when I couldn’t really do anything about my role as a camper. No one would believe me and, even if they did, I’d pay for it later.

“Mm hmm,” Mckenna hummed in agreement, “But only if you participate, remember? No letting your teammates carry your weight. And until you win, that means having fun with everything else! Like, playing volleyball, maybe?”

Whatever. I would have made my way back towards the Cabin 4 girls eventually, since that was less work than meeting other campers that I had nothing in common with from both their age and how most of the girls around were into the whole camp thing. I had suspected that another conversation with Mckenna would have been pointless; at least I tried, and now I knew for sure. As badly as I wanted to give her the middle finger, I settled for an annoyed scowl as I walked away.

The rest of the lake time wasn’t particularly eventful. Sure enough, volleyball with that many girls was kind of dumb; I barely ever touched the ball, not that I minded. Then I followed my usual group to the water for a quick swim to cool off, at which point the counselors were letting us know that we only had a little time left. After drying off, we headed back to the cabins with the crowd who were all doing the same, at which point we had a half hour or so before dinner. Avoiding the showers like usual when my preference was to wait until no one was in there, I settled on brushing my wet hair from the lake and applying a fresh layer of deodorant in the cabin. Honestly, I didn’t know how anyone at Camp Firefly kept themselves clean and put together.

At least the evening was more consistent with what the previous night had entailed. Dinner at the mess hall, for starters, where I had to suffer through waiting in line with all the other campers. It wasn’t as if I was a stranger to standing in lines, though that was rarely something I had to do for meals when I packed my own lunches for school and otherwise ate at home. Other than that, the mess hall wasn’t that different from a cafeteria in terms of the noise and how everyone was already settling into cliques. That really wasn’t the right word for it. The only visible separation between groups was that girls wearing the same color t-shirt tended to sit together, and I was assuming a lot of them were like us, where it was simpler to stick with bunkmates they would have gotten to know naturally through proximity, and/or campers from their circle. Of course, it was only the second day of camp. While I was sitting with Bailey, Rachel, and Ally, the other two girls from our cabin had opted for a different table to get to know some of the girls they had met at the lake.

The difference between a lot of these girls and myself was that I wasn’t particularly motivated to branch out socially when I was still in denial about being a Firefly for the full two weeks. No matter what I had agreed to with Mckenna.

After the meal, we had a little more free time, and then each circle had another bonfire. The returning campers in my cabin told me that this wouldn’t always be the routine. Some nights, there were post-dinner events for the whole camp, including a chance to mingle with the boys across the river. I had forgotten about that amidst everything else since being tricked by my sister. Now that I had been reminded about the co-ed stuff, I was worried about running into Will like this. I really doubted he would view me as relationship material after seeing me in camper mode, and he’d potentially share the embarrassing story with others; while I had a bit of a crush on him, I also didn’t know him that well.

Just something else to worry about moving forward if my circle failed to win tomorrow’s ranked game, or the subsequent challenges. Apparently the Camp Falcon stuff was traditionally at the end of the week, so I had some time. My best bet was probably to just blend in with the other girls and make sure that I never ended up face to face with Will. It wasn’t until a couple minutes of quietly projecting countless scenarios that I realized all of them revolved around when we did the combined camp event. Less than two days in, and I was already starting to accept my role as a camper. Begrudging or not, I was still going through the motions of Firefly activities and rituals like everyone else.

For a little while, the bonfire was just there for the campers in Circle B to socialize around. Eventually, Alex and Stacey got everyone’s attention. The latter counselor in charge of our group of cabins was one of the few who didn’t have a shortened version of her name or something camp-y like ‘Pixie.’ Probably because ‘Stace’ was hardly a nickname. If only I could have been given a name without an obvious nickname option.

The counselor duo started with a few reminders about camp rules, no doubt about the ones that had accidentally or intentionally been broken throughout the course of the day as everyone got used to being away at camp. Then, they moved onto the more interesting part of the announcements. Alex told us that she had designed Round Two of the games for the trophy, but it wasn’t going to be like last time where we got to know the main idea ahead of time. “After breakfast tomorrow, you’re all going to change into your bathing suits and head down to the lake. The rest will be a surprise!”

More lake time. Lovely. It was refreshing after dealing with hours of heat, though the mornings were a little more chilly than the rest of the day. Were we really going to be swimming right away? Then again, it would be after breakfast, so the sun would be up by then. Either way, I wasn’t sure what to expect as a first-time camper.

I realized halfway through the bonfire that it was the perfect time to shower. Most girls did so in the morning or before bed, while I could kill two birds with one stone in terms of avoiding more social time and finally rinsing off after a long day. At home, I preferred showering in the morning. At camp? There was absolutely no way I was going to bed without bathing myself after so many outdoorsy activities.

As it turned out, my worries about the showers not living up to my standards were well founded. The water was warm enough, though not nearly as hot as I liked it, and the pressure was passable at best. At least my goal was to be quick, so I didn’t have to deal with all that for very long.

Staying behind the curtain as I pulled on the athletic shorts and clean Camp Firefly t-shirt I had brought with me as pajamas, I made sure I couldn’t hear any sounds from the other side before emerging to go through the rest of my routine. Mckenna hadn’t taken all of my tops, but sleeping in the camp tee meant that I wouldn’t have to change in the cabin tomorrow morning. My sister had taken my blow dryer and straightener, leaving me with only a brush to deal with my blonde locks. Not that I could be too mad at her for that, when the nearest outlet would have required a longer cord than either of my things had. As much as I preferred wearing my hair down, I was probably going to start settling for ponytails when I had nothing else to combat the heat and humidity.

Managing to take care of everything before any of the Circle B girls came around, I swung by the cabin to throw everything back into my duffel bag. Did the counselors get drawers, or other spaces for their belongings? I couldn’t believe I had to keep all my clothes and the rest of my things in a bag on the floor.

The rest of the night wasn’t particularly eventful. Shortly after I made it back to the bonfire, Stacey announced that we had an hour until lights out. That prompted a number of campers to get around to taking their own showers, and others to head to their cabins to relax in bed rather than on the uncomfortable wooden benches. Bailey stuck around and asked me what I thought tomorrow’s lake game would be, to which I really didn’t have an answer. It wasn’t me brushing her off; I was just the last girl to ask about something like that. “Did they do any ranked games at the lake last year?” If anything, she would be the expert.

“Not in swimsuits,” Bailey shrugged, “They tried beach volleyball, but it was kind of a mess. Every circle had to be split in half, so getting through all the matches took forever.”

Maybe it would be a race. I’d have a better chance at personally contributing to something cardio based, compared to dodgeball or anything else that required hand-eye coordination. I doubted it would be water polo, when the same issue would apply in terms of the teams being way too big or the match-ups taking too long.

We eventually settled into the usual smalltalk where I let Bailey carry most of the conversation. The dynamic was starting to feel more normal, which was good and bad. While it was nice to feel less awkward in general, I didn’t want to get too complacent about being a camper when I needed to be focused on winning something ASAP with my circle.

When it was time for everyone to return to their cabins and turn off their lights, I could feel myself drifting off almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. Between the physical toll of the camp activities, the nonstop social elements that were a lot more than a school day would bring, and the various mental/emotional states revolving around being perceived and treated as a camper by everyone, I was more exhausted than I realized.

One full day down. A lot more to go if we couldn’t figure out how to win against the older girls.