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School was out and the sun was shining high in the sky. Books had been turned in, classes were dismissed and seniors had graduated. I had graduated! A few days ago, I lined up with some of my best friends and walked across that stage, earning my diploma and taking in the cheers from the crowd of family, friends, and teachers. Now, I was headed to my last summer at Camp Titan. Most of the campers, my friends, had been going since they were kids, but I joined the summer before my freshman year, having talked to and getting dragged there by Kole, the petite blonde that sat in the passenger seat of my jeep. Her hair was cut short, making it look like she was way younger than she was, though she always looked young, which is why it was hard to believe that she got picked for a Head Counselor Position. I was lucky enough to score a counselor position, along with some of my other friends that Kole introduced me too. The breeze was blowing past my car as the wheels drove on the open road, naturally dusted with dirt and shaded by the forest trees. The air was as fresh as the ideas that had been flowing through my mind, day and night. Music blasted out of my car, mostly Kole’s choice that I learned to live with, but the moment we pulled into the dirt parking lot, full of other camper and friends, my stereo was blasting "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, while Kole horribly sang along.“Ready?” she asked enthusiastically as she jumped out of my parked car, pulling her jean capris up and sliding on her white Keds that she had gotten for Christmas. Her top was light blue and flowing, unlike my purple tank top which hugged my body, meeting my jean shorts and my own tennis shoes. “Ready for our real summer to start?” she questioned with a giddy smile.“Hell Yeah,” I exclaimed, taking the keys out of the ignition and hopping out myself. “This is going to be the best year ever,” I proclaimed, opening the trunk to get our bags.“This year, we will finally beat Camp Blood,” she joined in, making us both laugh. Every year for the past 7 years, we’ve lost to them. Those arrogant teens always cheat at our Annual Retrieve the Flag Game, and if we lost one more time, we would lose serious campers. We barely had enough to fill 8 cabins with 5 campers each, usually each cabin would have 10-12. And on top of that, 6 cabins were abandoned, 2 counselor cabins, and 4 camper cabins, since the campers and counselors slept in separate cabins.“We have to” I told her before picking up my duffel bags, throwing my backpack over my shoulders beforehand. While we got our bags, I heard various screams of excitement coming from friends and catcalls form the immature guys. And as I turned around, I saw the infamous Wally West sitting on the back of his car with Malcum Duncan and Joseph Wilson right by him. They were soon joined by Roy Harper and Garth Brookes, who looked just the same and acted the same. Joey Wilson, or as we called him, Jericho, was the quiet musician; sweet, respectful, and mute. Wally and Roy, or as we called them, Kid Flash and Speedy, were the red-headed flirts. Speedy was the best archer at camp, though Artemis gave him a run for his money sometimes, and Wally was the fastest runner we had. Duncan was a musician like Jericho, but he played the trumpet, earning him the name of Herald, and Brookes was the best swimmer, allowing us to call him Aqualad. “Is it just me, or do they get more and more immature each year?” I gestured to the two red-headed boys as they whistled at the girls that passed them going to camp, each girl rolling their eyes.“Oh they definitely do” Kole Laughed. Her actual name was Crystal Weathers, but in her first summer here, she got the nickname of Kole since she fell in a pile of used Coal and ash, one of Wally’s many tricks. No sooner that she said that, he glanced over, oddly making my stomach turn at the glance of his bright blue eyes. Was he staring at me?“Why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer” I shouted toward him, earning me one of his famous West Grins.“You know he’s going to come over now, right?” she told me and. Of course, she was right. At my glance back, he smirked and jumped off the tailgate, moving toward us. “Speak of the devil” Kole smirked at me. “He just can’t resist you” she mumbled softly.“What?” I asked.“Nothing” she innocently chimed, clasping her hands behind her back and twisting from side to side like a little girl.“Kole” my hands went to my hips.“Trust me on this” she smiled, letting loose her arms to let them hang by her side.“Well this is new” Wally seemed to smile as he gestured to all of me. “You actually look decent for a change.”“Was that a compliment?” I sarcastically said, placing my hand on my chest.“Yeah, yeah” he waved it off. “Just don’t go and get a big ego.”“Oh don’t worry, Wally, my ego will never be as big as yours” I struck back“Ouch” he said, grabbing his chest “Now that hurt” he gave slight puppy dog eyes before I rolled mine.“Huh, well what do you know, Kole” I said looking at her, then back at Wally “he does have a heart.” “Jinx” Harper’s voice called as he and the others joined us “Lookin’ good” he eyed me up and down, making me glare at him.“Nice to see you too Speedy” my arms crossed in front of me.“I know” he held his head high, making me roll my eyes like every other girl he tried to flirt with. “In case you haven’t heard, I’m a counselor this year” he proudly stated“Oh what a coincidence” I ginned “So am I”“Looks like we’re going to be working together then” Wally chimed in.“Who are the other counselor’s?” Garth wondered“Nightwing, Bee and two people I didn’t recognize; Jade and Charlie, I think” Kole answered“And how would you know?” Speedy snickered“Because I’m a head counselor” Kole proudly stated, silencing him. I glanced around the faces of the boys, most in confusion, but Jericho had a slight smile on his face. Everyone in camp knew that he and Kole liked each other, but both were blind to each other’s looks. “I heard my name” Bee said as she joined us, right into Mal’s arms. Karen was a killer volleyball player and her spike was nicknamed the Bee sting since it hurt so much. She had been dating Mal since the middle of last year and, no surprise, keeping their long distance relationship going and thriving.“We were just talking about the camp counselors” her boyfriend explained. “Speaking of which, aren’t we supposed to meeting Canary and Cold soon?” she reminded us. Canary and Cold were our two camp directors and had been for years. They had gone to Camp Titan when they were teens and had loved it so much, they volunteered to be the directors for summer. Since Canary was a music teacher, her Soprano voice could crack any glass, and Cold was a Captain in the Marine Corps before retiring after a major injury. He was always strict and, at times, cold to everyone. Some blame it on the Marines, but others think it was because he was raised by an abusive father, a mother that left him when he was young and since he practically had to raise his younger sister. For that, we all called him Captain Cold, a name which he knew of and didn’t mind having. He said it would make people take him more seriously and decrease the number of children acting out. But, betraying his name at times, he was really a kind hearted and funny guy to be around. His heart was warm, he just didn’t show it as much.With Bee’s reminder, we all grabbed our bags and headed down the half-mile trail toward camp. The entrance was better than I remembered. The wooden posts seemed to hold the camp sign higher into the sky. The paint seemed newer and the machete marks from two years ago seemed like they were carved yesterday. And the old pine tree still stood at the entrance, marking the trail’s end to camp. The bark was chipped where Wally had run the golf cart into it, and each of the counselor’s names that had won the Annual Cup were still there as well; Canary’s and Cold’s among them.Bee stopped just beyond the threshold and dropped her bags on the dirt ground. “We’re back bitches” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and earning a laugh from Kole and I, and accepting hollers and hoots from the guys.“You certainly are, Ms. Beecher” Ms. Lance’s voice came toward us, chuckling. Her thick blonde hair was down over her black jacket and navy blue tank top. Her black pants were tucked into her knee high boots, making her look like an out door’s girl while being tough and elegant at the same time. She was young, maybe in her 30’s, but she was fit since she was a gymnast as well as singer. “Welcome back” she greeted us with our keys. The counselors got two keys; one for their own cabin and the other for their camper’s cabin. One of mine had the number 9 on it and the other had the number 11 on it.“Hawthorne and Cedar?” I looked up at her, remembering what name when with each number.“You’ll be sharing the Hawthorne cabin with Ms. Nguyen, and your campers are in Cedar” she explained.“I’m in Apple” Bee looked at Kole“Me too” she replied with a smile “Looks like we’re rooming together”“Mr. West, you will be with Mr. Harper in Birch.” Canary handed them their keys. “Mr. Harper will oversee the campers from Pine. And Mr. West-” she continued, looking at him “You will be in charge of Maple. Do not include them in any of your tricks. I expect all of you to be role models.”“Don’t worry, I’ll keep them in check” Kole promised“Good luck” she wished, looking straight at Wally before leaving.For a moment, we all stood there looking at each other, then we just laughed.“Come on, I want to put my stuff down before the counselor meeting” I said with a sigh, adjusting my bag and leaving to my room.
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When I got to my room, I found that a bed had already been selected by my roommate. Her hair was long and slick, jet black and elegant. Her hazel eyes were elegant, but fierce at the same time. She wore black pants with a green V-neck and black boots. “Hey, you must be Jade.” I said as I set my bags on the empty bed “I’m Jessica, but most people call me Jinx” I introduced.“Hey” she shook my hand “I hope you don’t mind, but I got here earlier and picked”“No, its fine” I told her, setting my bags down on my bed. “So, are you new here? I’ve never seen you before” “You could say that” she chuckled “I’m from Camp Guard” she told me, making my eyebrows furrow in confusion. “We had trouble getting campers like you, so Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance invited us to stay here” She explained.“Us?” I asked“Yeah, Me, Killowat, and 8 others” she told me“Killowat?” I laughed at the nickname“That’s what we call Charlie, the other Counselor. One of the years, he snuck into the electric room and blew our power for a week. We had to go without warm water and electricity- except for our flashlights- and we had had to cook our food on a fire.”“Sounds like something KF would do” I laughed. “He’s the counselor for Maple and the camp’s trickster. Most of our nicknames are because of him.”“I bet they would get along perfectly” she laughed. “Come on, we have to go to the meeting” she gestured toward the door and with that, we left for the mess hall.All of us counselors sat at tables in the front, Canary and Cold standing in front of us. Cold, as usual, was wearing a long sleeved turtle neck that hid his scars, dark pants and boots. How he could walk around in that on a warm day, no one could understand. It looked as though he had just come back from skiing, all he needed was his blue parka. His hair was shaves to a point in the front and his eyes were a piercing crystal blue. Canary only stood up to his shoulders while in her boots and he had a heavier build with broad shoulders and many muscles from working out. As we entered the room, I noticed that Jade looked over at him and tensed a bit; the usual reaction to someone who just met the big teddy bear. Then, she took in a breath and searched the rest of the room. “Who’s that?” Jade asked me, slyly gesturing to Harper.“That’s Roy Harper” I whispered back. “We call him Speedy since he’s our best archer and because he’s a total flirt.”“He’s kinda cute” she smiled softly as we took our seats“Alright, so as some of you may already know, we’ve been losing campers because of Camp Blood.” Cold began. His voice was deep and drawn out.“That being said, we have welcomed campers from Camp Guard to join us. I expect only good behavior from all of you and open arms to all campers as well as Jade and Charlie, two of our counselors from Camp Guard” she smiled, nodding to Jade and a skinny, but built boy with dark skin and short brown hair, almost shaved. He wore a black jacket, pants and boots, along with a light blue shirt under his jacket. “And with that being said” Cold began “Go greet your campers. Dinner is at 5.”Cedar was full of laughter when I walked in. “Jinx” a dark-haired girl jumped me with her usual red and black outfit and red A-necklace.“Argent” I laughed, wrapping my arms around the English girl.“So you’re Jinx” another girl laughed. She had on a blue fitted top that showed off her caramel skin, connecting with her flowing skirt of the same color that stopped at her ankles. Her thick black hair was tied up in a high pony tail and her dark blue eyes lightened her face up. “I’m Aquarius” she introduced, shaking my hand.“Nickname?” I wondered“Of course. My real name’s Emilia Rivers” she smiled before gesturing to another girl with short black hair that swept to one side. “And this is Amber, but we call her Black Sherry.” Her red pants were matched with a golden belt and sandals, and a black tank top.“It’s nice to meet you” she smiled. Her voice was a bit deeper, no doubt an alto, if she sang.The other two girls were Lorena Spinner, aka Dolphin, and Bette Kane, aka Flamebird. Bette wore her usual fiery outfit and Lorena wore a perfect light blue one-piece swimsuit with a tan skirt and sandals. “Hey girls” I smiled, hugging them both.“I still can’t believe that you’re our counselor” the dirty blonde Dolphin commented. Her long hair was lightly waved from, no doubt, her daily swim.“Speaking of, Isn’t it weird that there are no actual kids here” Bette added, her sun blonde hair tied up and pushed to one side.“Yeah, the youngest ones are Mas and Menos” Argent chimed in“And they’re 14 now” I finished.“Mas and Menos?” Aquarius questioned.“Don’t worry, you’ll meet everyone at dinner tonight” I told her.
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Since we still had time before dinner, I decided to go back to my own cabin and leave the girls to bond and have fun. When I got to the room, Jade was gone and her stuff was already unpacked and set up, so I took the time to unpack my things. My own pillow went on my bed that was already dressed with the quilted blanket and made with the cream sheets. My portable stereo sat on my nightstand that already had a lamp on it and the counselor rules and expectations folded into a nice letter. It was my first summer as counselor, so I looked over what Canary had carefully written out, then tucked it in the open compartment of the nightstand where I soon put my books and note books. My clothes went in the drawers of the two drawer dresser at the foot of the bed, and my chargers and Zune went in the small drawer of the nightstand with my small case of pens and pencils. When I was done, my bags went under the wooden bed and I sat with my music playing beside me, a pencil and paper in my hand as I began to sketch the room itself.“You’re an artist?” Jade asked as she opened the net door and walked in, sitting on her own bed.“Yeah, sort of” I looked up at her, setting my drawing on my lap.“What do you mean ‘sort of’?” she laughed, picking up some of my other drawings that were at the foot of my bed. “Jinx- these are really good.”“Thanks” I gave her a small smile.“Have you ever thought of perusing this as a career?” she wondered“Me, doing this as a career?” I laughed “Yeah right, my dad would never let me do that.”“What do you mean?”“My dad’s really strict on just about everything, and he has a precise vision of the future that includes me running the family business.”“What family business?”“Blood Inc.” I groaned. Her eyes widened in surprise and she let in a gasp. “I know, I hate it”“Your dad is Sebastian Blood?” she asked, all surprised.“Adopted- but, yeah” I sighed.“You’re serious?” she insisted.“Yeah, I am. Blood adopted me"
“Well that sucks, Blood must be really hard on you.” she said.“He’s really not that bad” I lied. “He’s just strict on a few things and- scary to his workers.”“So, he really expects you to take over when he’s done?” her voice went up slightly.“Yep, and I can’t tell him otherwise- at least not until after college” I laughed.“That’s a lot to handle” she sighed. “So, how long have you been drawing?” she asked, changing the subject.“At least since her first year here” a familiar voice answered for me. It was Kid Flash himself, carrying a big cardboard box full of something.“How would you know?” I crossed my arms over my chest“The same way I know that there are two lose boards in Aspen” he chuckled. “You used to sneak out to go sit on the docks and draw.” How would he know that? Did he follow me or something? Clearly he saw the confusion and shock on my face, because he continued with, “I always heard you when you passed Oak. I followed to make sure you didn’t get in too much trouble without me” he finished with grin and a wink.“You followed me?” I repeated with a hint of anger and annoyance“Well, you weren’t the quietest. And besides, who else would I annoy if you got kicked out” he said with a laugh. “Now, can I come in, or are you going to leave me out here in the cold?” He asked with a bit of his puppy eyes.“You do realize that it’s in the 90’s, right” I laughed“Can I come in or what?”“Sure” Jade answered“Jade, this is Wally” I introduced them as he walked in. “What do you need?” I asked him“Shirts came in” he answered, placing the box on my bed and throwing a shirt at me and Jade. “And this year, the counselor’s get jackets” he continued, pulling out a black jacket, then handing it to me. On the back, the word ‘Jinx’ was sewn with purple thread.“They even have our nicknames on them” I smiled“And I think this one is yours” he said to Jade as he handed her a black jacket with the word ‘Cheshire’ sewn in green on the back.“Yes it is” she gladly took it.“Why Cheshire?” I askedShe laughed, no doubt thinking of the memory. “Because at Camp Guard, we had a hide and seek game at the beginning of the year and no one could ever find me, since I appeared and disappeared like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.” She turned her head toward me and furrowed her brows into a question. “What about Jinx?”“Huh? Oh, a few years ago, I had a huge bad luck streak for about a week, and Wally here came up with the clever name.” I told her.“And everyone calls me Kid Flash since no one can beat me at track, I’m the fastest one” he proudly proclaimed, holding his head high.“Well there are some other names that we call you, but I can’t say them in your presence” I joked.“Wait what?” he said, making Jade and I laugh.“Nothing, just go finish your deliveries” I told him“Yes ma’am” he jokingly saluted us before leaving. When the door shut, I let out another soft laugh and sigh before looking back down at my drawing.“So how long have you two been together?” Jade asked, making my head whip in her direction. “What? Is it supposed to be secret or something?” she chuckled“No it’s just- Wally and I aren’t dating” I couldn’t help but laugh a little.“Really? You sure act like it”“Wally just messes around with everyone. It’s like I said, he’s the joker. He flirts with most of the girls and-” I tried to explain more, but she interrupted me“And he cares about you. He even said that he wouldn’t know who to bug if you went away. Now I don’t know about you, but it sure sounds like he likes you.” she finished. Was she right? Did Wally actually like me as more than a friend?My mind went back to all the times he dragged me into trouble; putting fish in the pool, stealing golf carts, hiding for over 5 hours during our own hide and seek game. A smile crept on my face as I remembered the counselors and directors yelling for us and Wally trying to keep me quiet by putting a hand over my mouth and a finger up to his to shush me. They did underwater searches and everything, but they still couldn’t find us. I would blame it on us being kids, but that was my first year here and I had barely met him. Funny thing is that I trusted him right off the bat.“Oh, you so have it bad” Jade taunted me, making the smile vanish and my head shake.“It’s not like that, we’re just friends” I finalized“You might be, but who say that he wants to be just friends?” her eyebrows wagged, playing along with her grin. I glared at her and she put her hands up in defense, laughing as she said, “Okay, okay, whatever you say.” The rest of our time till dinner was fairly quiet. Music still played as she wrote and I sketched and when it was time to go, I turned the music off and grabbed my jacket, throwing it on, just as Jade did. The counselors were supposed to wear their shirts and/ or jackets, just so the campers knew who they were.
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The Mess Hall was bustling with laughter when and I walked in. My eyes scanned over all the new and old faces, spotting my table by the stairs and my other friends who were with their own cabins. Everyone already had food and was enjoying it by some looks.“Oh no, he’s staring at you” Jade nudged my arm, making me immediately look at Wally, who was actually talking to his friends. “Not him, Boom” she gestured to another spot in the room.My eyes searched for who she was talking about. “Who?” I asked, looking at her again before looking around the area once more. This time, my eyes settled on a dark skinned teen, maybe Wally’s height that had a green, yellow and red jacket on with black pants, boots and well fitted tank top. His dreadlocks were put up and pushed back by a pair of goggles that were on his head. My stomach dropped and my heart stopped. ‘Oh no’ I thought, ‘Not here-not now.’ “Booker Higgin-Gale, or as we call him, Boom” she answered. “He’s one of the toughest guys from our camp.” He still put on his tough guy act as he stood by some other others I didn’t recognize at Killowat’s table. He didn’t look like he fit in, but rather that he was just talking to them, since he had one foot on the wooden bench that he was leaning on. “Just be careful, his ego is as big as the sun”“Oh I know him all too well” I grumbled. I looked at her, then sighed. “He went to my school. He was a muscle headed football player and wrestler. I dated him before graduation, but he actually had another girlfriend, and long story short, I don’t want anything to do with him” I told her“Ouch, I feel for you. He was a total flirt back at our camp and he even hurt some girl because of his temper” she almost warned before we headed to the dinner counter to get our food. “Hey Abby” I greeted the Chef“Hey honey, what’ll it be?” she asked in her southern accent“Pasta please” I asked, holding out the bowl “Thanks” I said as she served the steaming bowl of Fettuccini Alfredo with peas. “Same for me” Jade asked, holding her own bowl up, pasta getting plopped in it, warm and delicious.“Jess” a deep voice snaked behind me. I gripped my tray tighter, clenching my jaw before I turned on my heels and faked a smile.“Get lost Higgins” I ordered. “I don’t want see you or deal with your crap this year.”“Oh come on” he slightly laughed, trying to put an arm around my waist, but I tore away.“Are you deaf, I told you to leave me alone, Higgins”“At least let me explain” he pleaded, but it was no plead I wanted or needed. “I need to talk to you”“What is there to talk about? You cheated on me and Sasha, and you ended up with neither of us in the end. You got what you deserved.” I hissed “No, I didn’t” he grabbed my arm and I heard someone stand up from their seat. I glanced quickly to see Bee, Herald, Kole, Jericho, Wally, and Speedy standing. Everyone else kept talking, almost oblivious to what was going on around them. “Jess, I’m sorry” he angrily whispered, obviously seeing them as well.“For what part? Cheating? Lying? Not thinking that you did anything wrong?” I pushed the questions down his throat. “You hurt me and I’m not about to forgive and forget.”“Jess” he asked in one last attempt.“Higgins, go sit down” Jade ordered quietly.“Oh, The Cheshire Cat grew come claws” a grin tugged on the side of his mouth“Yeah and I’m not afraid to use them” she snapped back. “Now go sit down before I make you”“Uh-uh, not this time, kitty, I only listen to one person”“Well you should listen to me” Wally said from behind him. “Since I am your counselor. Now, before I get Canary, why don’t you go sit with the others from Maple.” He strongly suggested.“I don’t have to listen to you” he crossed his arms around his chest.“Well the way I see it, you’re going against three counselors who are all warning you- nicely- to leave” I pointed out. His eyes looked me up and down again, then he huffed and stepped back.“One thing you should know about me- I don’t give up easily” he warned.“Neither do I. And I’m also not easily scared of muscle headed guys like you” I snapped. “Now, do we have to ask again? Or are you going to sit down like a good camper.” He growled before turning away. When he was back at his table, I let out the deep breath that I kept in, and relaxed a bit, my hands still shaking slightly.“You okay, Jinx?” Wally asked, putting a hand on my tense shoulder.“Yeah” I lied. “I’ll be fine.” I looked up at him and weakly smiled. With a sigh and shake of my head to clear my mind, I joined my girls from Cedar and nearly forgot about the whole thing. After dinner and desert, Canary and Captain Cold joined us, proudly announcing the first bonfire that night. And after they left, the chatting of counselors and campers continued.As I was talking to Kole and Bee, I could feel Booker staring at me, his eyes digging into my skin, making me feel uneasy.“Don’t even worry about him, girl” Bee placed her hand on mine. I forced a smile, but I still didn’t like the feeling of him watching over me.“Bee’s right” Kole chimed in. “This is supposed to be the best summer, the last one we may have together before we all split for college. Don’t let a stupid and stubborn guy like him bother you. Especially when you have a whole team to come to your rescue.”“And a certain prince charming” Bee grinned at Kole.“Please don’t tell me you guys are trying to get me together with some camper from Guard” I complained.“Not at all” Kole laughed.“Though some of them are really cute” Bee added“We were thinking of someone else” Kole not so innocently smiled. I looked at her, trying to think of what she meant, then it hit me.“No, no, no, no, don’t you guys dare” I warned them with my eyes wide.“Why not? We know you like him. So, why don’t you just make a move?” Kole suggested.“I wouldn’t start Kole” I warned again. “You are the exact same way with Jericho, yet, neither of you will make the first move.”“So you admit that you like him?” Bee jumped victoriously.“No, I just meant-” I groaned and looked at them again. “Wally and I are just friends, nothing more will happen between us. Besides, even if I do like him like that, he probably doesn’t feel the same way and- I don’t want a summer romance. I don’t want to fall for a guy, then end it after the dance and have my heart broken. If anything, I want a dedicated relationship, and we all know that Wally isn’t ready for that.” I told them, my heart breaking at what I said. “I’m going to get ready for the bon fire” I told them quietly, then walked out.
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So many things were running through my head, so many things I needed to fix and answer. I just needed to be alone. And, luckily, that’s what I got. When I got back to my cabin, Jade wasn’t there. She was probably still with her cabin, or talking to Roy. So, I grabbed my hiking shoes, packed a few things in my back pack, and headed out into the mountain path. I knew it would be dangerous since I was alone, in the forest and it was night, but I didn’t mind. Once I got to the top, I paused and light began to fill my chest. The moonlight shined across the lake. I could hear the owls hooting, reminding me that I was never alone. The breeze ran though the trees, kissing my cheek and calming me.I sat by the edge and pulled out my sketchpad, and began to draw the beautiful landscape that barely changed from year to year. I loved this spot. I found it the first year at camp, and- for some reason- whenever I needed to clear my head, I would come up here and just look out over the lake. I don't think anyone else knew about it, since i never got bothered and i had never seen anyone travel this high up the mountain and away from camp. i knew that someone, sometime, would find it. but for now, it was my own secret spot. What am I going to do? I thought to myself, setting my pencil down and gazing over the water again. Booker is back, and may ruin my summer. And on top of that, I may be falling for a guy that may not like me the same way. I groaned and shook my head. At least it’s only 6 weeks. I told myself, Then I’ll be heading to college and- and I won’t be able to see my friends again. I sighed and shook my head again. I hated the idea of never coming back here again, of never seeing my friends again. I hated the fact that summer camp memories would be just that when we left, memories.“Why is everything so complicated” I complained before closing my eyes and trying to ease my mind. Easier said than done. But time passed and, soon, I decided to head back to camp. With a deep breath, I gathered my things and walked back on the trail, listening to the crackle of the dirt beneath my feet, the wind in the trees, and the chatting of the night birds. A wolf howled and, oddly enough, I felt comfortable with it.When I entered back into camp, Argent, Kole and Garth ran up to me, all panting and out of breath. They seemed panicked.“There you are” Kole sighed in relief."Uh- Yeah, here I am" I awkwardly said. Why were they so panicked and relieved? "Where else would I be?""Girl, we have been looking for you everywhere" Bee put her hands on my shoulders.“I just went for a little walk,” I told her “-like I always do when I need to clear my head” I reminded her.“Still, you shouldn’t be going out alone” Garth lightly scolded me.“What, is the whole camp looking for me?” I joked and Argent chuckled“No, only Garth, Kole, Bee, Herald, Jade and I.” she told me. “When Jade got back to your cabin and found it empty, she hurried to us and we all started looking. We though that something might have happened after the incident with Booker.”"Booker? Why would you guys think that? He was still at dinner when i left.""He left shortly after you did" Garth shook his head. "We thought that he would have done something stupid."“Well, I’m back and safe- just like I always am” I laughed. “Come on, let’s go to the bonfire” I suggested.
Hesitantly, they all agreed and we went there. On the way, I dropped my bag off at my cabin and met them the rest of the way. When we got there, everyone was already around the Campfire on logs, chairs and blankets.
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“Jinx, don’t scare us like that” Jade slapped my arm when I sat down.“I go for a walk every time I need to clear my head. And I have never once come back injured” I reminded her.“Still, you had us freaked” she told me.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get you guys scared” I apologized. I shivered and it felt like a weight was on me. My eyes scanned the rest of the campers and counselors. That’s when they met Bookers again. He was still staring at me with a creepy intensity that made me want to run again.“Jinx, you okay?” Herald asked, snapping my attention to him.“Yeah, it’s just been a long day” I told him.“Hey, don’t let Higgins get to you, he’s all talk and no action” Jade reminded me, lightly slapping my arm.“Unfortunately, I know him more than you think, and that’s what worries me the most. When he gets mad, he hurts people more than emotionally.” I huffed, frowning “I had to deal with that at school. I just can’t believe I have to deal with him here too.”“Hey, don’t worry, we got your back” he assured me. “And we all know that Wally will” he teased me, making me look at Bee and glare. She just grinned and shrugged. “We kinda guessed” Herald enlightened.“We? We who?” I raised my brow.“Uh- um” he stuttered. I cleared my throat and he gave in. “Roy, Garth, Me, Jericho, Gar, Salgado-” he kept listing off until I stopped him.“Everyone? Seriously?” my voice cracked. Was it that obvious that I liked him?“Well, everyone except Wally himself.” Bee added “He’s as clueless as Jericho is to Kole” she giggled.“Who’s as clueless as Jericho?” Wally’s voice asked as he came up to us.“No one” I replied, trying to hide a grin. “I’m gonna find my Cedar girls” I told them as I stood and went over to Dolphin, Argent and the other girls. I let out a sigh once I got to them, but I glanced over and saw Wally chatting with one of the Guard girls- Charm, I think they called her.Maybe he didn’t like me. Maybe Bee and the others are wrong. I thought to myself, sadly sighing before listening to Aquarius and Sherry.The rest of the night was a bit relaxing and fun. We all shared stories and sang songs, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Canary and Cold brought out s’mores and other treats for us, which made Wally very happy. Jericho brought out his guitar and we started to sing songs; both from the camp and from the top 20's list that Bee had brought out. We laughed and told stories, but through it all, I never felt right. It felt like someone was watching me. But there were times when, out of the corner of my eye, i could see Booker talking to someone else or just gone. So why was i feeling so weird? As the fire died down, so did the crowd. Mas and Menos, the speed twins, were one of the first to head back. They never were the ones to stay up late. Then, Kole was walked back by Jericho, and Jade and Bee headed back soon after. I yawned and turned to the rest of the girls of Cedar.“See you girls tomorrow” I told them before leaving. Unfortunately, when I was out of the sight of the fire, I was stopped by Booker. “Move” I told him, but he stayed.“Not until you talk to me.” he grumbled.“I already told you, I don’t want to talk to you, Booker. I don’t want anything to do with you after what you did to me and Sasha.” I went to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and I pulled away, looking him dead in the eye with my anger. “Booker, leave me alone” I growled.“Jess, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have done that to you girls, but-”“But?” I huffed “But nothing, Booker. You made me the other girl. How do you think that made me feel when she came over to my house and started yelling at me before we realized that it was you? Huh? How could you do this to either of us?” tears started to swell in my eyes, but I pushed them back. “I’m sorry, Booker, but I don’t want to talk to you right now, and maybe, not ever” I hissed, then pushed passed him. The emotions churned inside of me and I couldn’t hold them in any longer. I ran to the pier and started to cry, something that I hadn’t done since I found out. I had to be strong. I couldn’t show anyone that I was hurt. I didn’t even cry when I was locked in my own room, I kept my feelings suppressed and hidden for- what felt like ages.No, I reminded myself, I still needed to be strong. No one could know that I was hurt, no one. With a deep breath, I sat on the edge of the docks and dipped my feet in, calming my nerve with the thought of the cool water.“Thought I would find you hear” a voice walked down the docks.“What do you want, Wally” I irritatedly asked, my nails digging into the wooden planks.“I just wanted to see if you were okay.” He told me. “I saw what happened with Higgins, and, I wanted to check on you.”“You saw that?” my head fell and I bit my lips.“Yeah” he chuckled. “I have to hand it to you, you’re a tough girl, Jinx. You always have been” he told me, sitting beside me. For a moment, it was silent between us, and I just enjoyed his company. But, as it was with Wally, the silence didn’t last for very long. “So,” he cleared his throat “if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly happened between you two?” I huffed and moved my feet in the water before gathering the courage to tell him. “Booker went to High School with me, and last year- I fell for him. He was the strong football player that always made you feel special. We had been dating for a month or so before Sasha showed up and started yelling at me. She called me a boyfriend stealer and- some other things. Then, she realized that I had no clue that he had been dating her before me. Apparently, they had been going out for a year or so when I came in. After that, we turned our attention to Booker and he got mad at us, saying that we were ganging up on him” I chuckled at the ridiculousness. “We both broke up with him, but that wasn’t the end of it. For the rest of the year, he begged for me back, telling me that he loved and he would be better. Luckily the year ended and I had a week away from him. Then, I came here and found out that he was a camper.”“What about this Sasha, girl?” he wondered“Sasha and I are actually good friends now, thanks to Booker. She apologized for everything she said and- we’re actually going to be going to the same college next year.” He only nodded. Then, I saw a smirk appear on his lips and I wondered what was going on in his head. “What?” I asked.“Nothing” he said innocently, sticking his hands in his pockets. “It’s just- I just now noticed that it’s a really nice night out- even a little hot, and I bet the lake would feel amazing” he smirked, his hands slipping out of his pockets.Suddenly, I knew. “Don’t even think about it” I warned him, taking a step back and putting my hands up. “Too late” he laughed, then picked me up and threw me in the water.“Wally” I shouted at him when I surfaced. He was still laughing on the docks when I splashed him.“Okay, I’m sorry” he asked for my forgiveness, laughing all the way. I tried to stop smiling, but he still smiled. I had to admit, I loved his smile, it was light and gentle, and his laugh was music to my ears.“Help me out” I told him, getting an idea of my own. but he caught on.“No way” he stepped back.“Wally, get me out of here, it’s cold” I held my hand up to him and he sighed, grabbing it. His eyes widened as a smirk slid across my lips and I tugged him in. He shouted before diving in the water and resurfacing. He glared at me for a moment, then I smiled and shrugged. He laughed again and it warmed my heart.It was amazing, as we splashed in the water and laughed together, I felt so free like nothing could bother me. Wally always knew how to cheer me up. He always made me laugh, no matter what. After a few minutes, I- somehow- ended up in his arms, close to him. We just looked at each other for a few moments, then, he cleared his throat and we pulled apart.“Sorry, I- uh, we better be getting back to our Cabins before Canary or Cold catch us.” He suggested, lifting himself out of the water.“Or the others” I quietly said to myself.“Here” he said, extending his hand to me. Happily, I took it and he pulled me up. There was more silence, then he said. “Let me walk you to your cabin”“No, Wally, its fine, you don’t have to” I told him, but he insisted, and I agreed. Together, we walked past the cabins, passing some trees. Most of the campers were probably already in bed since most of the lights were off. Sooner than I wanted, we arrived at mine- the lights already out- and I turned around face him. “Thank you for walking me to my cabin” I said, pushing some hair behind my ear. I stood on the small stair of my cabin, face to face with him, staring into his bright blue eyes.“Any time” he softly smiled, making my heart flutter and my stomach become knotted. Blood rushed to my cheeks, turning them pink in a blush. One that I was happy was hidden by the night. For a moment, we just stood in front of one another, but that was soon over when I heard a crash come from inside. My eyes widened while my head whipped around. The light was off and the door was locked, so I quickly took my key out and unlocked it, turning back to Wally, who seemed just as surprised as I was.“I’ll uh- see you tomorrow” I promised him with another smile before going inside. I switched the light on to show Jade ‘sleeping.’ She groaned, complaining about how I woke her up. “Oh you are so full of it” I laughed. “I heard the books fall” I said, gesturing to the books that were on the ground. She grumbled once more, caught with no way to explain it. “Uh-huh, that’s what I thought” I chuckled, walking over to my bed.“Is your hair wet?” she laughed, sitting up in her bed“Long story” I told her, quickly taking out a dry pair of pajama shorts and a soft V-neck shirt, carrying them to the bathroom to change.“Uh-huh, does this story involve a late night swim with a certain red headed counselor of Maple?” she sang“Maybe” a smile snuck onto my lips.“Oh I need the details” she ordered with a slight whine.“So do we” I heard Kole’s voice chime in, making my eyes grow. I rushed into the room, luckily, already dressed, just in time to find Kole skooching out from under my bed and Bee from Jade’s.“What are you guys doing?” I asked, pulling out a laugh as I crossed my arms.“Well, we’re getting out from under your bed” Bee replied, not wanting to explain that they were doing before had and why they were there in the first place. My brow raised, not amused and Bee cowardly smiled. She knew I was serious and she knew I was going to ask until I got the answers I wanted. “Fine” she sighed, almost in her own pout “We were all talking, but then, we heard you and Wally coming up, so we turned off the lights and- kinda, spied on you two.” “You guys are unbelievable” I laughed, sitting next to Kole.“Well?” Kole’s voice squeaked as her arm grabbed my shoulder“Well what? There’s nothing to say at this point” I told them“Oh, now who’s full of it” Jade laughed, throwing a pillow at me. I easily caught it before plopping down on my bed.
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As I expected, Kole and Bee didn’t leave until I told them what exactly happened. And, as I also expected, all three of the girls were grinning, some excited some proud, but all were sitting straight up, leaning forward as if my words were pulling them closer to me. Bee and Kole both commented that ‘they knew it from the very start’ and Jade just smiled and agreed. I was surprised when we started talking about how Kole and Jericho were ‘progressing,’ as Bee called it, and when we started talking about how Roy was near speechless when talking to Jade. Apparently, she started flirting and left Roy tripping over his words. I listened to their words as they listened to mine, laughing with them and smiling so much that my cheeks began to cramp.I was happy when the two decided to leave to their Cabin, though, leaving Jade and I to get some rest. After all, it was going to be a long day tomorrow, and Canary would have our heads if she saw us falling asleep during canoeing of the rope course.It was after midnight when I finally pulled the covers over my body, listening to the sounds of silence. After everything that had happened and everything that was said, somehow, it was still hard for me to believe that Wally would actually have a crush on me. Bee tried to reassure me multiple times, but I could chalk them all up to him being nice or him just being one of my friends. One thing was clear though, I did have feelings for him. maybe it was just a simple crush that would wash over when summer ended, but maybe it was more. No, it couldn’t be. I was going to college in the fall and there would be no way for me to see him. Right?I sighed, rolling on my side, my eyes watching the leaves rustle in their own sleep. What was I going to do? “Girl, have you even asked him where he’s going?” Bee exclaimed the next morning as we were setting breakfast up. I looked around, knowing how loud she had said it. no one else was in the Mess Hall, except Abby, who was busy making batter for the waffle station, and bacon, crispy and not, for anyone who wanted it. she probably couldn’t hear us since, like she always does, she was cooking with her headphones in, rocking her hips to the music.“No, but what are the chances that he’ll be going to Gotham?” I pointed out. For an instant, Bee seemed taken back or surprised by what I had said. “I mean with all of the colleges-”“There’s always a small chance” she grabbed my shoulders, making me look at her. “I mean, out of all the colleges, Mal, you and I are attending the same one. So why not Wally too?”“That’s exactly my point Bee-” I stopped, what she said registering in my mind. “Wait, what?” She smiled, putting the plates down.“Mal and I are going to Gotham U too” she told me, heading back into the kitchen to get more of the utensils and food.“How is this even possible?” I questioned, following her to do the same.“I told you, the weirdest things can happen when we least expect them to.” I nodded, opening my mouth to say something, but the Mess Hall doors opened. The voices of chatting campers and counselors filling the Hall. “Come on, we better join the others. But this conversation is nowhere near done” she warned. “Can you get the other Water?” she asked, picking a clear container up, filled with ice water and slices of lemon.“Yeah, sure” I told her. She smiled, then left me alone. With a sigh, I turned to the other clear container of water, filled with ice water, like the last, but with sliced of cucumber and strawberries instead. Honestly, Bee was right, I should just ask him. But, part of me was afraid to. Part of me didn’t want to hear those words that would mean he was going to another university. Part of me wanted to protect everything I had. Part of me couldn’t handle any rejection.I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind, trying to focus on other things.“Honey, you know she’s right” Abby waved her spatula at me, making my eyes widen. She only chuckled. “Yes, I heard what you girls were saying” she grinned, “You’d be surprised the things I can hear through these” she tapped her headphones. “And just be as brave as I know you to be.” She offered a kind smile before getting back to work.I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head before heading into the Mess Hall, past all of the campers who were chatting at their tables. Bee had already placed her water container on the table to the side, and was already standing by Wally, Mal and some of the others, her arms wrapped around Mal’s shoulders. I smiled at my friends and my chest tightened as Wally glanced over to me, giving me a sweet smile. I smiled back before I continued to the side table, setting my water jug up. I hadn’t even heard him walk up to me.“Have a nice night last night?” a devilish voice came from behind me. I froze and my smile dropped.“Booker, what do you want?” I growled.“I just wanted to remind you who you belong to” he hissed through his teeth, grabbing a cup from the table and filling it, his eyes not leaving me.“I don’t belong to anyone” I quietly snapped, “especially not you.” I glared at him, my jaw tight. He only grinned.“Whatever” he scoffed, “I bet he doesn’t even like you like that. I bet he doesn’t touch you like I did.” He paused, his head tilting and his smirk growing when I didn’t answer. “How much have you given him already?” he taunted, sliding a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away, tearing me from his grip.“What I do is none of your business, Booker” I snapped at him. “Besides, I’m not the cheater and stalker between us. Not even you could get anything out of me.” I didn’t even wait for his reaction, I just turned on my heels and walked away, steam blowing out of my ears and hands tightened to fists. At that moment, I didn’t even care how hungry I was, I just had to leave. I didn’t even know where I was headed, but anywhere would be better than being in the same room as him.“Jinx” Canary exclaimed as I arrived at the rope course, “shouldn’t you be at breakfast?”“I, uh- finished early” I lied. “I wanted to see if you needed help,” also a lie.“Sure, kid” Cold responded. “Canary, why don’t you give Manta a call. I’ll meet you later” he suggested. She obviously didn’t buy what he was saying, but she took the hint anyway.“I’ll see you in the office” she told him, then turned to me, “And I’ll see you at the counselor’s meeting later today” she told me before nodding to both of us and leaving.Cold sighed and leaned on a post close to him. “Alright, kid, so what’s wrong?”“What do you mean?” I questioned.“Why are you actually here? I know you didn’t finish breakfast this fast, so why’d you skip?” How was it that come one could appear so cold, so disconnected, yet know everything that happened and see through everything? “Is someone giving you trouble.”“It’s fine, Mr. Snart” I responded.“Please, call me Cold, I know you kids do anyway” he sighed, crossing his arms.I just chuckled and agreed. “Cold, it’s nothing I can’t handle right now. Just and old flame that refuses to leave me alone.”“Maybe the trick is speed” he suggested with a wiggle of his brow. Oh Gods, did everyone know? I groaned. He chuckled. “Just sayin’, kid. Sometimes it’s better to fight things like that with friends by your side. And if Higgin-Gale gives you too much trouble, come to us, okay?” Again, I was shocked that he knew, but I just nodded in agreeance, making him smile warmly. “I gotta take care of things with Canary. There’s nothing to really do now, so get back to breakfast. Or, if you’re really not hungry, then you have some free time on your hands.” I nodded and thanked him before he left.For a good few minutes, I swung and made my way through the course. But, as always, I could never be alone for too long without someone finding me.“Jinx, there you are” I heard Wally’s voice coming toward me. I looked toward the path, seeing Wally slowing to a stop with Roy and Kole following close behind.“Guys, what’s up?” I asked, leaning over the wooden banister.“Just checking on you” Kole replied. “We saw what happened with Booker.”“You did?” I sheepishly groaned.“Yeah” Roy chuckled, “Bee literally had to threaten Wally to- ouch” he stopped when Wally elbowed him in the side, giving him a glare.“Guys, thanks, but I’m fine.” Well, now I was. If anyone asked, I would say I was fine and that I could handle anything Booker threw at me. But I knew that I couldn’t. What he said always bothered me, and his strength always scared me. I feared the next time I was alone with him. “Yeah, we can tell” Roy sarcastically said. “You may have shut Booker down, but you stormed out. That doesn’t sound like you’re okay.”“Roy, really, just drop it” I warned him. “He didn’t hurt me. He can’t hurt me.”"Jess, you don’t have to be so strong around us” Kole pointed out. I looked to the side. “Let someone in.”“Kole, you know that I’m an open book.” She scoffed. “Kole, I promise that I’m okay. I can deal with Booker” I promised. And with that, she dropped it.“At least come canoeing with us” Kole pleaded.“I’ll meet you guys there. Right now, I’m just going to hang out here” I told them. Kole nodded and started to walk back, but turned back when she saw that Roy and Wally weren’t following her. She glanced at Wally, who had his gaze plastered on me. Then, she looked at Roy, who wasn’t going anywhere. She cleared her throat, trying to get his attention, but he didn’t get the hint that she was placing right in front of his eyes.“Oh, for Pete’s sake” I heard her mumble under her breath, reaching out and grabbing Roy’s arm. As quick as he turned his head to look at her, she was dragging him away. I couldn’t help but smile and let out a small laugh. I’d have to thank her when I saw her next. I watched as Roy and Kole slipped through the dirt path and the trees, leaving to the hollowed-out boats.“So, you can take care of Booker by yourself, huh?” Wally began as he climbed up the wooden ladder. “Don’t think that’ll be hard” he chuckled “I heard he isn’t too bright. Took advantage of this really amazing girl I know.” I smiled softly as he reached me, only mere inches from me. “You wanna tell me more about your story with him? What aren’t you telling us?”
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“There’s not much to tell” I told him. Even I wasn’t fully convinced by that lie. My eyes drifted to the side of my feet and my hands started to rub my arms.“Jess, I know you better than that” he put his hand on my arm. “It takes a lot to get under your skin. I should know, I spent that whole first summer trying to do it. And even now, I have never seen you as bothered as you are with him.” I let out a heavy breath and looked at him, getting lost in his soft blue eyes.“He wasn’t always so bad” I softly began. “When I first met him, he was so sweet and funny and- he made me forget about-” I stopped, rubbing my arm, remembering the bruises that I had been given and the clean openings of my skin that had barely healed, never deep enough to leave a scar.“He made you forget about what?” Wally softly asked. “Jess, it’s okay I won’t tell anyone.”“Earlier in the school year, my dad was going through hard times in the business. A lot of people were pulling out, not trusting him anymore and- he decided to take his anger out on his workers. I caught him one-night yelling at our butler for some stupid reason, and I tried to stand up for him, but my dad just turned on me, slicing my arm with a knife that he had. After that, he would start taking his anger out on me, small things like yelling and grabbing my wrist to drag me to my room.” I stopped, my hands starting to shake and my chest tighten.“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here” he assured me.I took another breath. “When I started to apply for college, I told him that I wanted to apply for some art schools. He totally flipped and I ended up with slices on my hands from where I blocked the knives, bruises that lasted weeks and a dislocated shoulder that I had to say was because I fell down a flight of stairs. The doctor didn’t even blink an eye.” Wally withdrew his hands from my arm, clenching it. His jaw tightened and he started to stand up taller.“Go on” he urged me.“After that, I met Booker and, for a while, he was kind and sweet, caring and funny. Then, sometime after Winter Formal, he changed. he started to demand that we do more, that he would go wherever I went.” My eyes started to narrow. “He became so possessive and- I didn’t know what to do. I should have broken up with him then and there. I don’t know why I didn’t. He started to yell at me for small things and claim that I was sleeping around when I hadn’t even wanted to sleep with him. One night we were watching a movie and he got very handsy with me. I told him to stop, but he kept going and I ended up on my back, him holding me down. He was so aggressive. I tried to get him off me, but he just- wouldn’t stop. I was finally able to get him off me and get him out. He left, and, when I told my dad, he said it was my fault for being so weak. And it didn’t even stop there,” I chuckled, looking up at the clouds above us.“The next day, I heard a pounding at my door and, when I opened it, Sasha was standing on the opposite side. She started yelling at me about how I stole her boyfriend and how I took advantage of him. Apparently, she found out and tried to corner him on her own. He only turned it on me and said that I was blackmailing him.” I scoffed. “It took over an hour before she found out that Booker was really to blame after all. And after that, we cornered him together. But he didn’t stand down. He continued to blame us and claim that he was innocent. Neither of us bought it, obviously. And we both left him, humiliated in front of the whole school. It was quiet after that. My dad’s business started to pick up again and he seemed nicer, Booker seemed to be getting over us and I was enjoying myself for the first time that year.” I gulped down tears. “But, of course, that didn’t last. He started to stalk me and try and get me back. That was less than a month ago. I was so happy that I was going to be free of him and be with you- guys here.” I sighed. “Then I saw him here and- you know the rest.” I finished. I couldn’t even look at him. I was too afraid of his reaction. “Jinx” he breathed out, “I-I had no idea.”“That’s because I usually don’t talk about my home life beyond Blood adopting me” I said in a low voice. “And that’s not even real” I mumbled to myself. My eyes flew open when I realized that I had said that out loud.“Wait, so he’s- your real father?” Wally questioned.“No, no, no” I told him. “He did adopt me. He’s not my biological father.” “Then what did you mean?” he curiously asked, but I stayed silent, a tear dropping down my cheek because of the memory. “Hey, Jess, it’s okay. I won’t judge”“I know you won’t” I half smiled at him before looking down to the side. “It’s just- I don’t like to talk about it” I told him.“Why not?” he asked.“Because if I say that I was adopted from an orphanage, it may seem that I was at least wanted for some moment, that my real parents wanted me to get taken care of instead of-” I gulped, my throat burning. “It’s okay, Jess, you don’t have to say it right now” he assured me. “I’m in no rush” he cracked a smile. I couldn’t help but give him a small smile back. “If it’s any consolation,” he began, “we’ll all help protect you from Booker, no matter what it costs.” His face was so serious, and yet, there was a gentleness and protective side to it too.“Thanks” I quietly said, looking up at him. his eyes were so soft.“Come on, Bee is probably worried sick about you” he pointed out. “I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t want her to kill me.” I giggled, agreeing when he asked if I wanted to go with him to meet the others. I don’t know what it was about him, maybe it was his soft eyes, or infectious smile. Maybe it was how he always knew what to say, or how close we had become since the first year we had met. Either way, he had a spell over me and there was no way I wanted to break free.
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After our talk, Wally and I headed to the Canoe area to meet up with Kole and Roy. Half way through the day, I was dragged back to the rope course by Canary and watched over some of the campers as they swung from ropes and climbed the rope dome. To make things more fun, Cheshire, Grayson and I kept track of their record times. We laughed about how competitive we were, and how no one could beat Garfield’s time when it came to scaling the wall and rope dome. He was like a monkey, which is why we all called him Beast or Beast Boy. Wally had tried multiple timed to be the fastest at everything, but every time, he would get tangled in the rope and end up falling short.“Speaking of the red speedster” Cheshire began, turning to face me with a grin, holding the clip-board close to her chest.“Jade, don’t even start” I warned her.“Oh, come on, first you go for a midnight swim, then he starts to get angry when he sees you talking to Booker, then you two spend some one on one time here, how can I not want to talk about this?”We had already gone over the midnight swim thing, and the talk wasn’t that much to talk about, or so I would want to say to her. But when I was talking to Booker- wait, what did she say about Wally when I was talking to Booker? “Wait, what did you just say?”“Uh- you two spent one on one time here after you left breakfast”“No, the other thing” I told her. “The thing about me talking to Booker.”“Oh” she exclaimed. “Yeah, Wally was getting ready to step in between you two. Bee literally had to pull him back to his seat.”“How do you know he was ready to step in between Book and I?”“Well, for one, he had his fists clenched as tight as his jaw. Two, he literally, started to get out of his seat before Bee pulled him back down. Third, I could tell be wanted to sock Booker, fourth, he started to get up to follow you, but Bee had to pull him down again, And lastly, he kept glaring at Booker the rest of breakfast. Kole made sure to give you some time before she pulled Wally and Roy out to find you.”“Wow, I guess I was too busy dealing with Booker to really see what was happening around me.” My hand clenched around my clip board.“Don’t worry, I don’t really blame you. Now, what was up with your one on one?” she quirked her brow. I sighed and shook my head.“Not much to explain” I told her. “they came up to me to make sure I was okay, then Kole dragged Roy away to go Canoeing, and Wally and I talked for a bit.”“I heard that it was more than that” Grayson insinuated as he walked up to us.“Says who?” my hand flew to my hip.“Says Wally” he chuckled.“Ooo, juicy” Jade grinned. “So, wanna tell us the real story?” Her hand propped on my shoulder as she began to bat her eyes. I groaned and looked between them.“How much did Wally tell you, Grayson?”“Not much, just that you weren’t opening up to Kole and Roy, so Kole dragged Roy away. he stayed and sat next to you and you told him more of the story between you and Booker.”“And that’s all you two are going to know” I stuck a finger at them. “I’m going to check on Bee, you guys okay over here?”“Yeah, yeah, we’re fine” Jade waved off. I nodded to them, then headed down the dirt path that led to the archery range. Not much happened after that. Artemis, never missed her target, Aquarius tried to make Dollie jealous by flirting with Garth, and Bee kept reminding me to ask Wally which college he was going to. I switched from archery to the pool, to canoeing and back to the rope course, making sure everything was going well. No matter where I went, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. sometimes, I would turn to see Wally, others I would turn to see Booker.The days passed like this for a while, Booker never daring to approach me. For the first week, it was all fun and games. Then, Canary dragged all of the counselors to a meeting where we discussed plans for the yearly games against Camp Blood. We separated the kids into groups of archery, paintball, swim, racing and more, and set up the schedules for the next week, as well as the planning committee for the annual dance. Cold had added that the guys should “get to asking the girls” because the girl of their dreams may be taken if they wait too long. ‘Who knew Cold was such a romantic?’ I thought and let out a small laugh, barely audible. It didn’t take long before Canary set us free, but held Wally and Grayson back to help set dinner up.Bee and Kole had followed me out of the Dining Hall, but left me when we got near their cabin. Before I could get to my cabin, I was called into Birch by Roy.“Jinx, I need your help” he called out as I passed his cabin.“What’s up?” I asked, but he only said that he would explain in the cabin. I shrugged and followed him in. The set up was much like Hawthorne’s with the two beds, nightstands and dressers, but it was a bit messier with papers spread out on Wally’s side and clothes scattered on Roy’s bed. “Okay, so can you tell me now?” I asked, my arms crossing.“I need your help asking Jade to the dance” he finally said, after a long pause.I huffed out a laugh. “Roy, you don’t need my help for that. You literally just need to go up to her and say, ‘Hey Jade, do you want to go to the annual dance with me?” “It’s not that easy” Roy grumbled.“Yeah it is, Roy” I grabbed his arm. “Look, she already likes you and I know she’ll say yes.”“Really, she likes me?” his voice raised about an octave with excitement.I groaned. “Good lord, you boys really are blind, aren’t you” I mumbled to myself. “Roy, just ask her.” he chuckled and thanked me before running for the door. Before he disappeared, he paused in the door way.“Oh, and Jinx, we guys aren’t the only ones who are blind” he smirked. “Just think about that” he added, vanishing behind the closed door. My mouth opened as my brows furrowed. I had to keep from stepping back at his comment. What did he mean? Releasing a breath that I didn’t know I had been holding in. with another breath, I shook the thought from my mind, but my eyes caught sight of what exactly was on Wally’s desk. My heart pounded as my feet carried me to the paper pile, a pamphlet and packets of papers from Central City University clearly read from the creases on the papers. It felt like I had been hit in the gut.My hands cradled the pamphlet and my fingers brushed over the cool and smooth sheet. I may not have asked him the question, but I got the answer. I don’t know why it hurt though. It’s not like I expected him to somehow be going to the same college as I was. it’s not like I had a small sliver of hope that he might be. So why did it hurt?A scream snapped me out of my thoughts and I immediately threw the pamphlet down, running out the door. I didn’t even know where it had come from, I just ran. I looked all over, but no one seemed to be hurt. I was sure that it was one of our girl’s screams, but I didn’t know who’s. My jaw clenched at the idea of Booker aiming his attention at another girl, but they all seemed fine. I had talked to Bee and Kole, Starfire, Raven, and most of the other girls, and I check ed off all their names mentally. All except one; Jade’s. My eyes widened and I ran to my cabin, throwing the door open. I expected her hurt in some way, but that wasn’t the sight I was met with. Instead, I got the view of Jade on her bed with Roy above her and their lips pressed together.Immediately, I looked down and they quickly shot up. “Uh- sorry, I thought-I thought that you, uh, I thought Jade was, uh-, well I heard a scream and-” I tumbled over my words. Jade’s hand was over her mouth, trying to hide the biggest and most obvious smile. “I told you not to scream” Roy whispered to her, making her laugh.“Sorry, Jinx, I didn’t mean to frighten anyone,” Jade apologetically said.“So, I’m guessing he asked you, huh?” I raised a brow, looking directly at Roy with a smirk. “Yeah, he asked me to the dance” she near giggled. I had never seen her so- girly and giddy. She had shown herself to be more tough and more of a tomboy woth her fighting skills. i didn't think i would ever see her this giddy.“I’m happy for you two” I smiled. “But if you two are done” I began, earning a furious blush from both, “I’m pretty sure dinner is ready, so we need to get our campers.” With one last smile, I left them to themselves. At least one guy had the guts to ask his crush out, or rather, to the dance.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I don’t know what was wrong with me, but after I found that pamphlet, I couldn’t concentrate. I ate and put on a fake smile whenever someone would call my name and snap me back to reality, but nothing more. Kole and I cleaned up after dinner, but she didn’t ask questions. I smiled as she told me that Jericho asked her to the dance through a song, and had kissed her when she said yes. I remember thinking, ‘It’s about time,’ but the thought soon left me and I was silent again. When I got back to my cabin, Jade wasn’t there. She was probably with Roy or her campers, or some of the other counselors that were meeting by the beach. Kole had asked me if I wanted to go, but I lied and told her I didn’t feel well. It might have raised suspicion, but she let me be. I didn’t stay up for very long, only enough to take quick shower, that turned into a long one when I felt the warm water rushing down my spine, reviving any feeling I had left. Honestly, I felt crazy for pitying myself. What did I really expect, him to be going to the same college as me, date me and live happily ever after with me? I scoffed at the thought, but it was true. There was some part of me that was falling for him, hard, and there was a bigger part that wanted at least one of my dreams or fantasies to come true.My hand turned the nob and the water stopped, only drips hit the ceramic tiles. At first, they came one after the other, but they slowly paced to a stop when my head hit my pillow, my hair dampening the cover. I released a deep breath, looking at the wooden ceiling, and my eyes slowly drifted shut.
Why my eyes opened again, I could feel each burning nerve in my body, I could feel the cold stains that held my arms above my head and the searing blood that ran down my forehead. The ringing in my ears had been replaced with a blistering headache and the pounding in my arms and legs had turn into black and blue bruises. My eyelids struggled to stay open, but as soon as I saw them, they wouldn’t be able to close. They sat in an iron cage, bruised and beaten, their arms cuffed behind their backs and mouths gagged. Kole held in tears before burying her face into the blindfolded Jericho’s shoulder. Herald, just as always tried to stay strong, but I could see the look of terror in his frightened face. Bee and Cheshire looked helpless, but it was Wally who caught my attention. His usual cool and strong gaze was broken to bits and put together as pure terror and torture. You would almost think that he was in my position. And they only grew more tortured as a deep cackle echoed through the cement and stone room.
"Well look who’s up” a voice echoed. From the shadows, a tall, redheaded male stepped forward. His eyes were dark, dark and familiar: Mammoth. “We were impressed that you and your little Titan team took down our men so easily. Now here’s the deal, you’re going to tell us where your base is and you’ll be free to go. You and your little friends.” His brows rose as he waited for an answer that would never come. I only glared up at him when he took my face in his hand and forced me to look him in the eyes. He sighed and looked back into the shadows. “What do you think Giz?”
The clink of metal legs sounded on the cold cement floor, getting louder and louder. Beneath his small body, hoisted up by the metallic legs, I could see his dark soul, one of manipulation and hatred for everyone. Tucked in his grip was one small remote. “I think she needs a reminder of who she left behind” his voice squeaked. His palm pressed against the dial. Slowly he turned it and bolts ran through all of my nerves. At first, it was tolerable, then he kept turning it and I couldn’t help the tears that steamed in the cold night. I could hear the muffled screams and cries that came from my friends, but I couldn’t bear to look at them. It stopped and Mammoth asked again, and again, I didn’t answer. His jaw tightened and he growled.
“Tell me where it is” he screamed.
“Now, now, that’s no way to talk to our guest” a venomous voice grinned.
“Booker” I growled as much as I could. “I should have known that you were behind this. These bozos could never pull something this big off.” He only chuckled, throwing his head back.
“You’re right” he was mere inches away from me. “Just tell us what we need to know.”
“Never” I spit.
“Such a good girl” he whipped the spit from his face. “But what will happen if I take something that you love?” he questioned deviously, his arm reaching out for Wally. Gizmo unlocked the door and Mammoth picked Wally up and brought him near us. His eyes were pinned on me the entire time that Booker spoke. God only knows what he was ranting about. Probably something like power or how I left them. in their minds it was a betrayal, but to me, it was freedom. “-Tell us, or he dies.” Booker was looking into my eyes, glaring really. I felt like I was going to turn to stone. But that’s not what he does. He ruins people’s lives, destroys them like an earthquake to a city. That’s what he was going to do to Wally. I wanted so badly to save him but when I opened my mouth, only a dry squeak came out. When I didn’t answer again, he sighed and pressed his palm to Wally’s chest. I could see the pain in his eyes as they tightened. I could practically see Wally’s bones vibrating, and not in the good way. they were shattering and I couldn’t take in anymore.
I let out a piercing cry, flooding the room with pink energy that knocked Booker, Gizmo and Mammoth to the ground and broke all of the chains that held us down. My head felt light, yet, I still fell limp to the floor. Breathless, I struggled to pay attention to what was around me, yet I still saw it, all of it. Jericho took over Mammoth’s body, Bee short circuited Gizmo’s suit so it fell apart, Herald sent the two into another dimension with just enough time for Jericho to jump out. Kole shot crystals at Booker, but it did nothing. His sounds waves crushed them and sent her flying into the back wall, knocking any air she had in her out. I tried to stand, but my legs, my arms, my whole body was too weakened. I could still feel the electricity zapping me, like a child who wanted attention. My body stiffened as a pair of arms picked me up; Booker.
“You’re coming with me” he growled. My head fell upon a broken body on the ground, his yellow and red sit torn and soaked with blood. The electricity grew, numbing my body.
“No” I weakly said as we passed the threshold. He looked down at me. “I won’t let you” I coughed.
“You’re in no condition to fight me, even if you were all healed.” I shook my head, pressing my palm against his chest, as he had done to Wally.
“You don’t know me” I hissed, sending burst of energy through his body. He stopped and stiffened, struggling to keep me in his grip. “I- am- more powerful- than you will ever know” my hand grasped onto him tighter, turning the energy up. He fell to his knees and I fell out of his arms, rolling across the dirt. My elbows held me up as I glared at him. “You have ruled my life for too long” I began, “Now it’s time for you to leave.”
He began to prop himself up, his head snapped to meet my glare. He only grinned devilishly. “Never” he hissed. His arm flung toward me. I tried to counter it, but I was quickly swept into another pair of arms.
“Wally” I sighed.
“Not getting rid of me that easily” he smiled down at me. for the first time that night, I felt secure again, but it wasn’t to last. He caught up to us and we both fell to the floor. Booker walked up to us, not a scratch on him.
“Oh, this will be quite easy” he cackled, holding Wally up by the neck. Wally struggled to get free, he should have been able to, but he couldn’t.
A snap echoed through the night and my heart stopped. For the second time that night, I looked upon his limp, lifeless body.
“No” I whispered. He couldn’t be gone. At any moment, he would wake up and take me away. My body shook as I reached him. He was gone. We were so close, yet so far away. He had saved me, only to die in the end. “No” I cried softly. For a moment, I could see them all dead. Kole impaled with her own crystal, Jericho’s voice slashed, Bee squashed like a bug, Cheshire with the metallic legs of Gizmo piercing her heart, and Herald choked lifeless. All fought to save and help me, but all perished because of me. “No, No, No” I cried, gripping at Wally’s suit, each word growing louder. “No” I wailed to the sky as Booker cackled at his victory.
“No” I gasped. My eyes shot open and my lungs gasped. I could feel the fire in my lungs and the sweat on my forehead. My body shook and I was paralyzed. I didn’t want to get up. My lips pressed together, locking the flood gates, double bolting them as I squeezed my eyes closed. I turned to my side, toward the wall and held my hand up to my mouth. I prayed that it was still early enough that Jade would be gone. No such luck.“Jess” a groggy voice came from the other bed. “You- okay?”I sucked in a breath and dried my eyes with my palm. “Yeah” I coughed. “Just a bad dream” I told her. But it wasn’t, it felt like so much more than that. She told me to go back to bed, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep for weeks.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I tried too hard the next day to act natural, it may have fooled some, but I could tell it didn’t sell for others, especially Wally, Kole and Bee. I kept feeling their eyes on me, but none said anything to me. I watched as Bee and Kole talked to Cheshire, glancing my way a countless amount of times, making it obvious they were talking about me. Cheshire had asked me the next morning what it was about, but I only said that it was a bad dream, one that I wanted to forget all about. She didn’t push it past that. When breakfast was over I was quick leave. I needed to be alone and I knew just the spot.From my secluded area, I could see campers getting into their canoes, I could see some at the rope course, I could see others at the archery range. I could see Roy moving behind Jade as he “taught” her how to aim and shoot. I let out a small laugh, remembering that Jade’s father trained her in all combat techniques when she was younger, archery included. I could see Bee watching over the swimmers, Herald trying to sneak up on her, only to have her move out of the way when he lunged, making him fall in without her. I could see Kole and Jericho walking with Grayson and his princess, Kory. They all seemed so happy and care free, something that I had wanted to be all summer. Everyone had coupled up, everyone seemed so cozy and in love. My chest constricted as I sighed, my thoughts going to the redhead who had stolen my heart. If only we weren’t made like Romeo and Juliet.“So, this is where you run off too” the boy in question snuck up behind me. I gulped, my stomach deciding to practice its reeving line, prusik knot and its alpine butterfly knot. I nodded and he sat beside me, looking over the view. “Wow” he breathed out, “it’s beautiful up here. I can’t believe you kept this from us all these years” he chuckled.“Well I had to have some place to myself, since sneaking out of my cabin at night was never actual alone time.” I shot back, trying to be playful. He chuckled again and it lightened the air around us. “Wally, what are you doing up here?” I asked after moments of silence passed us.“I wanted to talk to you” he answered, “is that so bad.” My smile dropped and my eyes focused on the water below. “Jinx, what’s up with you? You’ve been acting weird today, really distant.”I shook my head. “Not much to say, just a bad dream I had last night.”“Tell me about it” he put his hand on mine. I shook my head and bit my lip, the memories rushing to my mind; the sight of his limp body, of my dead friends, the pain and torture, and spine chilling cackles. “Jess, it’s okay, I’m here for you.”“I wish it was that easy to talk about” I began, “But I- I can’t.” I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. My body shook, too tired of wanting him, but not being able to have him. The thought had crossed my mind several times to just kiss him, but I wouldn’t dare. I didn’t want to get hurt again, never again. I had to stay strong, but it would be so easy to just break down in his arms. I sucked in a breath and shook away the thoughts, drying my eyes and putting on the fake smile that everyone loved. I turned to him, expecting a smile, but he was frowning.“Jess, you don’t have to do that”“Do what?” I asked.“Put on that fake smile and keep all your pain to yourself. You don’t have to do that in front of me.” My smile dropped and I looked away.“It’s all I’ve ever known, Wally. When my dad would have company over, I had to smile the whole time, laugh and act as if I was ten years older than I was. When I was with Booker, I had to put on a fake smile to show people that nothing was wrong, that I was fine. Even now I have to plaster this thing on my face and act like a happy counselor and-”“And what?” he pressed.“And it sucks” I somehow chuckled. “I hate it but I have to do it.” I stopped, giving his time to respond, he didn’t. “I’m sorry” I quickly said, getting up.“Jess wait” he grabbed my wrist, making me stay. “If it sucks so much, then don’t do it anymore. You don’t have to be strong for anyone. It’s okay to trust people, to let your walls down, to- to be yourself and talk to people when you have a problem.”“Wally, you know my problem. My psycho ex-boyfriend is here as a camper and keeps following me, trying to get me to talk to him.”“But that’s not all of it, is it? There’s more.” ‘Dammit’ I cursed myself. “It may not be more problems with him, but it’s something else. otherwise you would talk to us about it.” I stayed silent. “Dammit Jess, talk to me. We’re worried about you, we all are.” I scoffed.“It doesn’t look like I’m the first thing on their minds” I gestured to the view, swiping over each couple and camper, happy and content with life.“You know that’s not true” he shook his head. “We all care about you.”I sighed and dropped my head. “I know.”“Jess” he took my other hand on his, drawing one hand up to my cheek. “Please, talk to me,” he pleaded. My eyes connected with him and the sudden chill I got was quickly warmed by the butterflies that exercised in my stomach. His eyes flicked down to my lips, mine stayed on his gaze. My heart beat louder as I felt my body being pulled into his. A rush of heat exploded in my body as he closed the gap. At first, I stiffened, not wanting to let go of myself, but it soon turned into not wanting to let go of him. his hand slipped into my hair, pulling me closer as his lips moved against mine, deepening many times. His hand seared my skin as it traveled around my waist. one of my hands drew to his chest, grabbing at his shirt, the other slinked around his neck.For a moment, I could forget everything. For a moment, I lost myself within him. as his tongue traced my lips, begging for more, I happily sighed and opened myself up more. It grew harder to breath, harder to think or feel anything other than his touch. I loathed the moment when we had to pull away, gasping for air. Oh, I wanted so much more of him. I wanted to taste him again. he rested his forehead on mine, chuckling before kissing it.“Jess, I-” I stopped him, pressing my finger to his lips. As much as I wanted more, I couldn’t. “Jess, please- go to the dance with me.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
My body stiffened as my eyes flew open. Slowly, my head rose to meet his. my hand raised to my mouth, stopping a gasp that tried to escape. My heart screamed to accept, but my head yelled at me to decline. My heart wanted more, but my brain knew better. I had already snapped back to reality and I couldn’t go back to the dream world.Slowly, my head shoot and I began to back away from him, watching as his smile dropped. “I’m sorry” I choked out. “I can’t” was the last thing I said before turning and running away. But where? I didn’t care at the moment. I didn’t even care that Kole was yelling after me when I passed her in camp, running after me, shouting my name. I didn’t care if I drew un-wanted attention. I just needed to breath and be alone.My feet carried me under the Camp sign, toward the parking lot and though the pine trees past the garage. No one would be near me, everyone would be too preoccupied with their own thing, I thought. But I was wrong.“Jess, wait up” Kole was calling out, coming closer to me. When she finally reached me, out of breath, my hands flew to my mouth and I shook my head. “Jess, what’s up? What’s wrong?”“Kole” my voice shook. “I’m fine, I just- need to be alone.”“Like hell you’re okay” she stepped forward, reaching out to me. “Do you see yourself? You look like you’re about to break down and I have no idea why because you never tell any of us anything. Jess, what is going on with you?”I took a deep breath, letting some tears design my cheeks. “Wally kissed me and- and asked me to go to the dance with him.” She froze, straightening up.“Well, isn’t that good?” she asked. “Jess, we’ve been telling you that he likes you, and I know that you like him, so what’s the problem?”“I said no” I confessed. Again, she seemed to be struck with confusion.“What? Why?”“Because he’s going to Central City U and- I don’t want to be hurt again. I don’t want just a summer romance and- I don’t think I can handle a long-distance relationship and-” I began to shake, tears flowing out as my knees hit the ground. She rushed to my side and hugged me.“Oh Jess, I am so sorry” she stroked my back. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, trying to gather whatever I could find of myself. “I know how hard it must be.”“I never wanted Summer to go this way. It was just supposed to be a fun camp with you guys. We would beat Camp Blood and eat smores and- and it was supposed to be amazing. I never intended to fall for him, or for him to actually, possibly like me back.” I stopped, taking in a deep breath of air. “Why does this have to be so hard and painful? Why did he have to be going to Central? Why?” I felt like I was saying it to the sky, but I knew Kole was listening to every word, every painful cord.“Did you really expect anything differently?” A venomous voice stepped into view. “Did you really expect a whore like you to have a happy ending?” he chuckled. “Booker, get the hell away from us” I hissed a warning, but he didn’t listen. He only kept coming closer.“Booker, she said to step back and leave” Kole stood up and held her hand out, as if it would put up some shield, as if she could shoot crystals out of her hands and keep him from coming closer. He only shook his head and laughed.“Aw, little girl wants to be a hero?” His eyes shifted to me, “She’s not worth protecting. I watched everything that happened. I saw that steamy kiss, how his hands raked over your body and how you pulled him closer.” His fists tightened as his words became harsh and jagged. “I should have expected it. I should have expected you to throw yourself at the first guy that made goo-goo eyes at you.”“Booker, I’m warning you, leave now of I’ll make you.” Kole’s voice was stern, but it wasn’t enough.“What a joke, the little head counselor is going to stop me? How?” he spat. “Why would you stand up for her? you even said that she doesn’t tell you anything? She keeps things from you. that’s not what friends do.”“And boyfriends aren’t supposed to cheat, but you couldn’t resist, could you? You just had to hurt everyone who ever tried to care for you. and you won’t take no for an answer. I do believe that, if she wanted, she could get a restraining order for you”“Why you little” he growled, grabbing Kole’s neck, his nails digging into her flesh.“Booker, stop it” I ordered, but he didn’t listen. “Booker, Stop!” I yelled, grabbing his arm. When his eyes met mine, I could see the raging fire, the anger, the madness. “Let her go, now” I told him. I could hear Kole’s gasps as his grip tightened.“As you wish” he spat, throwing Kole to the ground. She coughed, holding her hand gently on her neck. Her body was trembling when I knelt beside her.“Kole, are you okay?” I asked, hoping that she was. She only nodded. “Booker, get the hell away from us.” I growled. “Kole was right, you hurt everyone. You’re a monster” I cursed, causing the smirk to vanish from his face.“Just remember that this was all your doing” he pointed angrily at me. I glared at him, my jaw tightening, my hands crunching the leaves beside me. When I didn’t move, he huffed and backed away. he shook his head, sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to walk away.“He’s wrong” Kole croaked, sitting up. “None of this is your fault.”“But he’s also right, I don’t tell you guys everything”“And I understand why.” She grabbed my hand. “Jess, you know that we’ll be here when you need. I know that you’ve gone through a lot, so I don’t blame you for keeping somethings from us and putting on a fake smile to show us you’re okay. There are some days that I want to do the same. But I don’t because I have you guys and I know that you’ll always have my back.” She gulped, pausing. “Just know that you can always talk with me, whether it’s now or when we’re in college together” she began to smile. I looked over at her, brows tight, and she laughed. “Bee told me you were going to Gotham and- so am I. So is Jericho and Grayson, Kory, Raven, Garfield, Herald-”“Everyone except Wally” I pointed out.“Hey” she gave a weak smile. “There may still be a chance.”“Kole, I saw the pamphlets and books on his bed. There is no way.”“There’s always a way” she laughed. “He may find out that we’re all going there and- decide to join us. After all, nobody wants to be lonely, and all of his friends are going to Gotham U.” To that, I gave my own laugh. And for the first time in god only knows how long, I felt somewhat okay.After a few more laughs and gossip about the kiss I had with Wally, and how things were going with Kole and Jericho, we left our little serene corner and entered back into camp. We passed under the Camp sign as Bee came running out of the Mess Hall.“There you two are” she began. “Where were you guys?”“Let’s just say that I had a minor panic attack and Kole helped me”“Minor?” she scoffed. “Girl you full on sprinted away from Wally and disappeared for hours. That’s not minor.”“We may also may have had to deal with Booker” Kole added, gently rubbing her neck. “Speaking of, I need to go talk to Canary and Cold. Booker is too dangerous and should be kicked out.”“Why, what happened?” Bee asked.“He got angry and started to choke Kole” I explained. “But I somehow got him to stop.” “Dang, I never thought he would be that violent, just stalker-ish”“You’d be surprised” I mumbled. “Kole do you want some back up?” I asked her, but she refused, saying that it was fine and she could deal with it. With a hug from both of us, Kole left for the main office and I stayed to talk more with Bee. I explained everything that happened, but when she asked about my dream, I couldn’t say. Luckily, she understood and we made our way to dinner.As the doors swung open, my eyes searched the Mess hall for the red-headed speedster. He seemed to freeze when his eyes met mine. He had no smile on his sweet lips. His face was unreadable. I took in a breath, looking away as Bee grabbed my shoulder, asking if I was okay.“Not really” my breath shook. “But I can deal” I nodded, giving her a small smile.“Girl, even if you don’t want a summer romance, you still should have said yes.” I gave a small laugh, thinking about it. She was right, I should have said yes. “I’m going to go sit down, you go get food.” I nodded, watching her walk over to Malcum and the others. Wally stood from his seat and began to walk toward me. I quickly drew in a breath and went to get food, Wally following right behind. “Jess, I want to-” he began, but I shook my head. He seemed to get the message.“Wally, I think I should be apologizing to you. I’ve been- so guarded lately that I think I just push people away and- I’m sorry for that. If the invitation still stands, I would love to go with you to the annual dance.” He didn’t say anything. “Wally?” I asked, waving my hand in front of him.“Yeah, yeah, of course it still stands” he rapidly nodded. I let out a small laugh and kissed his cheek.“I’ll meet you there” I told him, grabbing my tray of food and walking to meet Jade. When I sat down, I glanced over at him, and he gave me a hopeful smile. I couldn’t help but think, maybe I should let myself fall.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next morning, we had the pleasure of waking up to an army bugle. As I sat up, rubbing my eyes, Jade did the same with a huge yawn. We glance to one another, wishing for more sleep, but knowing we couldn’t. Sadly, the campers still had more than an hour to be ready and in the Mess Hall. The counselors, however, had to be there within the next 20 minutes. Jade and I rushed to get dressed. I grabbed a pair of shorts with a tank top, my counselor jacket and my tennis shoes, while Jade chose a pair of pants, tennis shoes and her counselor shirt, leaving her jacket on its hook. Once we were done, we sprinted the Mess hall, getting there just before Canary and Cold came in. With all of the counselors quiet, Cold announced that the Camp Blood campers and counselors would be arriving within the hour and there had to be a welcoming committee. Kole and Grayson stepped up as head- counselors and Watkins and I were chosen to help them point the other team to their cabins, since they would be staying with us for the night.“Everyone else will be helping set up” Canary told us, handing the four of us clipboards that said each of the camper’s names and where they go. “Grab your breakfast and, good luck!” she said before she and Cold walked out, leaving us to our food and each other. Well, at least she did. Cold offered one more piece of advice, to “Kick their asses.” Jaws dropped and we all burst out into laughter when the doors closed behind him.“You heard ‘em” Roy stood, raising his glass of water. “Let’s kick their asses.” I couldn’t help but laugh as the rest of the guys let out battle sounds and the other girls hollered and offered their ‘woows.’“We already have swimming, track and archery in the bag.” Jade brought up with a grin. “After all, who could beat the best archer,” she gestured toward her date, “And the fastest boy alive,” she nodded toward Wally. “And with Jess’ strategy,” she began, causing me to look up at her with furrowed brows, “We will win Capture the Flag.”“To the brains and Brawns” Kole toasted with a laugh, causing more cheers to erupt. I joined in with the others, my eyes quickly glancing toward Wally, who kept his eyes on me. I smiled at him before turning my attention to Kole, who was talking about the rooming assignments and final strategy switches.Breakfast soon ended and I walked out with Kole, Grayson and Watkins. It took a while for the busses to arrive, and more time for the campers to un-load. There were the usual campers that we had seen each year: Jason Todd, William Armstrong, Seymour Thorn, Connor Mullen, Angelica Moore, Freddie Baker, and Freddie’s princess, Katrina Van Cleer.Jason came straight up to me, ignoring Kole as she welcomed everyone. “Well hello, sweet cheeks.”“Todd, get lost” I rolled my eyes.“I’m hurt” he clutched his hand over his heart. “What did I do to such a beauty to get such a- welcome?”“Let’s see” I pretended to think back, “You kidnapped me during the last games and flirted with me and taunted me the whole time, and you only saw interest in me because Kory chose Grayson over you” I snickered. “Now, your cabin is Linden. Go there and unpack your things, then head to the Mess Hall.” I extended my hand to give him his key, but he kissed my hand, raising his lips with a smirk. “And if I hear that you’re bothering anyone, you will have to deal with me” I warned him as he walked away.“I look forward to it” he shouted back.“So, what’s up with you and Red?” Angelica Moore, better known as Angel asked. “You like him or something.” I knew Angelica and I got along with her. I had met her during my first games and we soon found out that we went to the same school. Sadly, she had to move schools, but we stayed in close contact.I whipped my head toward her and laughed. “Me and him?” I shook my head with a gag. “Only in his weird fantasies. Though he is a bigger flirt than Roy was.”“Was? Something change?” she wondered.“He found his Cheshire Cat” I joked. She gave me an odd look, but I laughed it off. “It’s nice to see you again, Angel” I told her, wrapping my arms around her and she did with hers.“You too. Now tell me, any changes on the speedster?” her brow wiggled. I smiled and she gasped. “No- he finally made a move.”“It’s complicated” I told her. “But I am going to the annual dance with him and- that’s a start.”“I would say so” she proudly grinned. For the longest time, she too had been telling me the he was head over heels for me and that even Wykyd could tell.“Speaking of which, how’s Connor? He make his move?” I asked, glancing over at the quiet, dark boy that stood next to Seymour. Her cheeks grew a vibrant pink and sighed. “Finally.”“You should be the one to talk” she laughed, slapping my arm. “Now, what Cabin did you Titans put me in?” My finger trailed down and landed on her name.“My Camper’s Cabin” I told her, “Cedar.” Digging through my pouch, I took out a key that said the cabin’s name, gladly handing it over to her. “Now, there are new girls, play nice” I told her.”“Don’t I always?” she playfully said with a quick smirk. We both laughed before she left with Seymore and Connor.One by one, the Camp Blood Counselors and Campers came to get their keys and assignments. Some were placed with us Titan’s, others stayed in one of the 6 empty cabins: Rowan, Myrtle, Ash, Linden, Alder, or Aspen. One by one, the campers and counselors made their way into camp. Their directors, Mick Rory and Selina Kyle, headed to the main office to meet Cold and Canary. Apparently, they needed to discuss some issues.“Who are the fire twins?” Kole asked, walking up next to me and nodding over to the bus. When I turned, my jaw dropped. There was a large, muscular male with his back towards us, dressed all in black and gold, but he wasn’t the one I was surprised at. In front of him, was a smaller woman with long red hair. Her dark corset accentuated her waist, showing a small amount of skin between the corset and her jeans. Her shoulders were covered in a red cardigan and black heeled boots ran up her leg, stopping just below her knees.“Sasha!” I called out excitedly, making her look over at us. Her smile grew as I laughed and ran over to her. Her arms extended to me and wrapped around my shoulders when I reach her.“Hey girl, I didn’t know you went to Camp Titan”“And I didn’t know you went to Camp Blood” I laughed as we pulled apart." first year," she shrugged. "How have you been?” she asked.I groaned. “I’ve been better. I have to warn you that the Asshole is here.” Her jaw dropped and the red headed man seemed to straighten up. “No way, please tell me you haven’t had to deal with him all summer.” I only raised my brows and shook my head, crossing my arms.“He’s been pestering me all summer and he’s worse than at school.” I grumbled.“Oh, I really feel for you. Hopefully you had people here to help” her smile was small and apologetic. I nodded, turning back to Kole and Grayson. “I’m glad.” Her smile grew slightly. “Oh, Jess, this is by brother, Baron, Baron, this is Jess, the girl I was telling you about with the whole Booker situation.”For the first time, I actually looked at him and my heart stopped, and not in the good way. His face was so familiar. He was one of the men in my dream, Mammoth I think he was called. But I had to have met him before. I couldn’t have just made up his face. I thought back, when though? The last High School game, the last time Sasha and I had talked in person. she had been waiting on the stands for her brother, the South Side Eagle’s Quarterback, or whatever he was. He had called her over after he had changed and she called back to him, ‘I’m coming, Mammoth,’ then gave me her phone number to keep in contact and left with him and their other, smaller friend, Gizmo. “So, you’re the other girl” he growled down at me. I was frozen.“Mammoth, heal” Sasha ordered. “It’s as much of her fault as it is mine.” With that, he seemed to loosen up. The corner of his mouth raised to a dark smirk, but I could tell he wouldn’t hurt me, not yet at least. “If you excuse me, I think I’ll go hunting.”“Uh, we don’t hunt animals around here” I quickly said.“I’m not going to hunt that kind of animal” he chuckled before leaving. Sasha groaned.“Sorry, Baron means well, but he can be scary sometimes.” I nodded with a laugh.“It’s no problem. I’m just glad his anger is turned toward Booker and not me.”“Yeah and when the rest of Blood learns that he’s here- I’m pretty sure Mammoth will be the least of his problems.”“The rest of the camp? Are they that protective of you?”She shrugged. “We’re family, tied by Blood. When one is hurt, so are the others, that’s how it works. We have to protect our own.” I nodded in agreeance and she took in a breath, looking around, then her eyes snapped to me again and her brows furrowed. “By the way, why did you not go to Camp Blood, your dad did found it.” I shrugged.“I guess it was just easier because I already knew Kole and, if I had gone to Blood, I wouldn’t have known anyone. Besides, I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently just because my adoptive father founded it.”“I understand, but- didn’t he fight you on that?”“Not really. He let me choose.” I explained. “I’m sure he was disappointed, but I had my heart set of Camp Titan already." With a sigh, I looked down my list and pulled out her key. “You’re in Juniper. You wanna unpack and I’ll see you in the Mess Hall?” I asked. She nodded, but was interrupted by a terrifying scream. Both of our eyes turned to see Booker running toward us, Mammoth, Jason and Gizmo close behind. Like the coward he was, he ran behind us and asked for help. Sasha and I looked at each other, knowing exactly what to do. and when Mammoth reach us, he crossed his arms over his chest. Sasha and I happily moved to the side, allowing Mammoth to grab Booker’s collar and drag him away.I watched with happiness as he was dragged away, hopefully out of my life. “Serves him right” Sasha scoffed. “The ass had it coming.” She sourly said.“I know what you mean” I sighed. “I really hope I never have to see him again after this summer.”“That makes two of us” Sasha said before we both walked into camp, leaving the empty cars and busses in the parking lot.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I was out of breath. My lungs stung with the lack of air, my muscles ached of exhaustion. Wood pricked my back as I leaned against the cold wood. I could hear campers running in the distance, whether they were a Titan or one of Blood, I didn’t know. for the moment, I didn’t care. I carefully slowed my racing breath, closing my eyes and feeling the sweat drip down my forehead, gluing my shirt to my skin. “I think she went this way” a squeaky voice said.“No, she went this way” s deeper voice corrected. Whichever way he though, I prayed it wasn’t in my direction. Either way, I had some time, maybe not a lot, but some time to think. But, how could I? my brain was so deprived of oxygen that I could barely focus on anything. With a deep breath, my eyes slowly opened. A breath was sucked into my lungs as I came face to face with a dark eyed, dark haired, sneaky smirk. For a moment, he just stared at me, taunting me.I sighed and rolled my yes. “Get it over with, Todd.” His smirk grew as he whistled in the wind. My eyes narrowed. What was he planning? Then it hit me, literally. Pain struck my head, making me weak again. With a final breath, I collapsed, my body falling into a pair of overly muscular arms.
Laughter filled the Mess Hall as Blood mixed with Titan. Chats of the games, colleges, jobs, careers and futures became a stew of conversation. I caught up more with Sasha, Seymour, Connor and Angelica; Connor barely speaking if at all, like always. All four, as well as the Delgado sisters, Mira and Phoebe would be attending Paladuim University, which was only a short drive from Gotham University. Bee pulled me aside at one point to give me a full list of Gotham University, incoming freshman, which included the golden archer himself, Roy Harper, his new girlfriend and my bunkmate, Cheshire, Herald, Jericho, our fearless leader, Dick Grayson, and his girlfriend, Kory, Garfield Logan and his longtime crush, Raven, and just about half of both camps. I had looked to Grayson for answers, after all, what are the chances that we would all be going to the same college, but Canary, Cold, Heatwave and Cat woman came in to order us to line up.
The directors read us the rules, gave us lectures about keeping it clean, and soon, the horns blew through the trees and the game had begun. First was Archery. One by one, our archers and the Blood archers were sent out, each shooting three arrows. It was no surprise that Roy and Artemis hit the target with accuracy and precision. Next was weights. We sent out our best, but it wasn’t enough. Camp Blood won the battle, partly because Booker threw it at twenty pounds. Sasha had won it with fifty-five and Mammoth with one-hundred and ten. Cold had given Booker and icy glare as he exited off the mat. Because of him, we were tied.
The third was swimming, to which Garth won the male portion, and a girl from Blood, Tamara, won in the girls. Dollie came in a second after, and Aquarius finished three after her. the final of the four small games was Track. I knew from the start that we had it in the bag, at least for the male portion. Wally finished at least thirty seconds before any of the other guys, and Angelica did the same for the girls, just as the sun decided to set. At dinner, Cold announced the results that we all knew; Camp Blood and Camp Titan were tied. Capture the Flag would determine the winner.
That night, the chatting was spread through the bonfire area, the field and the lake. I chose the latter of the three. Jade and I had changed quickly and ran out to meet the others, both of us laughing as we raced. Our towels blew behind us, like capes in the wind, and out sandals crunched the leaves below our feet. This was the one and only night of the year where Camp Blood and Camp Titan campers and counselors actually got to have fun and let loose together. It was like a party everywhere we went. Music played on the speakers, approved by all four of the directors. Some were oldies from their childhood and some were from ours or trending songs. Some were slow, some were regular, and some got the whole camp to dance to the instructional tune.
As Kole and I sat on the docks, watching or friends slash in the water, I made the mistake of standing up. Kole barely had time to duck out of the way before Wally ran up behind me, scooped me in his arms and jumped in the water, all in one swift move. As I came up for air, he gave me a smirk and I gave him a scowl, splashing water on him before diving down and swimming toward Bee and Jade. I only heard him laugh before he and the other guys joined us. I had tried so hard to keep that scowl on my lips and not have them form into a laugh and smile.
Too soon, Canary and Cat woman came out to tell the counselors to get their campers to bed. Jade had groaned, splashing the water before swimming to the side. I waited, watching everyone get out one by one. “You coming?” Kole called back, wrapping the towel around herself.
“We have our orders, Slowpoke” Wally let out a small laugh. With a sigh, I nodded and swam to the side, climbing the wooden ladder. When I got to the top, I was surprised to see Wally staring down at me, my towel in his extended hand. I smiled and thanked him before we both headed up the dock, toward our campers. Once the campers were corralled into bed, it was my turn. By the time I had rinsed off and dried my hair enough to sleep in, Jade was already fast asleep under her sheets.
In the morning, after breakfast and some time to get ready, we were all lined up once more, for the final game; Capture the Flag. Once again, the directors read us the rules and gave us the same lecture; The first team to capture the enemy flag wins. We were all dressed in protection vests, jeans and tennis shoes, and given a paint gun with our team colors: Red for Blood and Blue for Titan. If you were hit in a vital area, you were dead, but if you were shot in the arm or leg, it had to take three shots to count as a “death.” There would be no shots above the shoulders. The rules were pretty simple. And those of us who had heard them more than once silently mocked it as the directors spoke. From Canary’s smirk, I knew she had seen us, but she and Cold never called us out because they had done the same thing when they were kids. Finally, the horn sounded and we were off.
I don’t know how long I was asleep, but apparently it was long enough for them to carry me to a small worn-down cabin. As my eyes began to focus, they spotted the gigantic Mammoth sitting in front of me, leaning forward with his arms in his thighs. He was staring straight at me, but said nothing, he only held the devil’s grin. Slowly, I drew my eyes away from him, spotting an open window, no glass or netting shielding the room from the summer heat. The wood was all worn down and the floor creeked with every movement. There was dust on the small table near the door, and webs decorating the beams that held the roof up. With a shake of my head, I began to get up, but I was held down. Ropes, how did I not feel them before. They had tied my hands the sided of the chair and my feet were just the same. I heard Mammoth let out an amused huff“Where the hell did you guys bring me?” I weakly groaned, turning my attention back to Mammoth.“It’s a little Cabin about 2 miles from your camp. We found it last year” his deep voice explained.“You do realize that this is kidnapping, right? And a bit of a no-no in the rule book” I fake scolded, my lip in a pout. “What would your director’s think?”“They won’t know” he sat up with a chuckle. “You know, we were impressed that you and your little Titan team took down our men so easily.” The words stung my chest, paralyzing me with fear. Those were the exact words form my dream. And if I remember correctly, he’d soon offer me a deal. “Now here’s the deal,” he began. Bingo! “You’re going to tell us where your base is and you’ll be free to go.”“Does the game really mean that much to you?” I taunted“What do you think Giz?” he turned to the corner of the room where the small camper was hiding in the dark. He didn’t have metal legs, but he still had on metal goggles and a bald head. I was pretty sure he was our age, but he was about half our size, and a third of Mammoth’s. “Does it mean that much to us?” he sarcastically asked.“Well duh” his high voice responded as he walked toward us. “But why are we waiting here, we already interrogated the other girl and she gave it all up.”“Oh, that’s rich” I laughed.“What?” Mammoth and Gizmo responded. “You didn’t kidnap another camper or else we wouldn’t all be here.”“What if there’s another reason?” Mammoth growled. “Like you taking my sister’s boyfriend away from her?”“But there isn’t, because you’re smart enough to pin the blame on Booker- where it belongs. If you really thought I was responsible, you would have argued with Sasha yesterday when we met. And you wouldn’t have dragged Booker away after chasing him.” I pointed out.“She has a point” Gizmo shrugged. Mammoth growled again, looking to the side.“There, there big guy, don’t feel bad that she outsmarted you” a sly voice came through the open door. His dark hair was slightly messy and his dark eyes were like a dog’s, greedy yet alluring. “After all, she is Blood’s daughter.”“Adopted- daughter” I specified, making Gizmo and Mammoth turn to me with a snap of their heads. Jason leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed. “Still sticking to kidnapping girls, Todd” I smirked. “You do know there’s a better way to get a date.”“Ah, but you’re a special catch” he flirted.“And so was Kory, if I remember correctly” I shot back. There was a moment of silence, then I spoke again. “Look, I’m not going to tell you where our flag is, so just let me go, and I won’t have to tell any of the directors about this.”“Oh please, Rory already knows, and so does the Cat” Gizmo’s squeaky voice injected.“You idiot, they’re not supposed to know” Mammoth made Gizmo shrink.I rolled my eyes and I could see Jason rubbing his temples. “How do you deal with them?” I laughed.“Lots and lots of patience” he groaned. “And when that doesn’t work, I yell at them.”“Such a leader” I mocked.“It comes with being adopted by Bruce Wayne and getting Dick as a brother” he proclaimed. “It also comes from being left to die by your parents. You of all people should know that.” My face dropped and my heart mixed with my stomach. “Hope you don’t mind, but I did some research on you- and about everyone else in your camp.”“I know about you too, Jason. Blood says that your mom overdosed when you were a baby, and your dad worked for the two- faced business man, Harvey Dent, before he disappeared. Wayne caught you trying to steal from him and gave you a nice happy life. Boo- Hoo, so sad” I hissed, glaring at him.“As if you could talk. Blood took you in when you were a baby. A nice millionaire for a father” he shot back.“You have no idea what it was like” I growled, jumping to attack, only to be held back by the ropes again. “You have no idea what he was like” I calmed. “But I know that Wayne gave you a nice, loving home, same as he did for Grayson when his parents died. You both had everything you ever wanted. You both knew your families before they died or vanished. I didn’t. So, you want to play this game with me, fine, let’s play” I challenged, making his head lift, his eyes stuck on me.There was more silence as we stared at each other. I didn’t even bother looking at Mammoth or Gizmo. That is, until Gizmo spoke up. “Uh-oh” his voice cowered, making us look toward where he was staring, everywhere. Bee and Herald were positioned in the open window and Wally had snuck-up behind Jason, pointing the BB Gun to his back. I was so focused on the argument that I didn’t even notice him. In a second window, Kole and Jade were pointing their guns and in the third, Roy was smirking, his gun aimed straight at Jason.“Sorry, we’re late” Kole smiled politely. “Our invites seemed to be lost in the mail.” With a laugh, I dove forward, landing on my side on the floor. I groaned as the creaking floor bruised my arm. My eyes shut tightly as paint bullets flew across the room, all aimed at my captors.“Aw man” Mammoth groaned, throwing his hands up.“Better go wash up, boys” Bee laughed. I heard the three of them walk out cursing all the way, then footsteps came toward me and I was hoisted back up.“Bout time you guys came” I laughed.“Sorry we took so long” Wally chuckled, untying the ropes. When they were loose enough, I pulled my hands free and massaged them before looking back at Wally.“Thanks” I smiled as he held my gun out for me. “Anything happen when I was-”“Captured?” Jade added, making me shoot her a slight glare.“Yes, that. Anything happen?”“Not much” Wally reported.“We’ve basically just been getting the Blood out of our forest” Roy explained.“How many are left?”“Around 7” Bee answered. “It should only be Sasha, Phoebe, William Armstrong, Freddie Baker, Kaydence Anders, Angelica Moore, and Katrina Van Cleer.”I nodded at each name. “Freddie should be the only one we have to worry about. What’s happening on our side, anyone out?”“Only about ten, but we’ve been sticking to the trees, just like you planned” Roy reported. “But I think we may have spotted the Blood Flag on the other side of the lake. It shouldn’t be far from here.”I nodded and my smirk grew. “Then let’s go capture that flag.”It didn’t take us long to find it, and when we did, we found Grayson, Jericho, Raven, Beast Boy, Kory and Garth hiding in bushes and behind trees. “What’s up?” I snuck-up to Grayson.“Garth thinks that it’s a trap” he whispered back. “We’ve been waiting it out to see if there’s any movement. So far, none.”I nodded. “Good, we don’t want to lose more people than we have to.” I looked around, carefully looking out for any misplaced foot or odd coloring. I grinned when I saw a flash of pink behind one of the trees. I gestured to Grayson and he gestured to Beast Boy to check it out. There was a gasp, a shot, then a whine of 'Hey, my outfit.' I rolled my eyes at the blonde princess that stepped out, a blue shot right in her chest. “Baby, help me” she ordered to the air, though we knew that Freddie was around here somewhere. We just had to wait. “Baby” Katrina whined again, this time looking toward the trees across from her. I grinned and Grayson and I lined our guns up. “Freddie” she complained, drawing out his name. On the third time, we knew he would come out. After all, no one could resist her “charm.” As soon as we saw him move, four shots rang throughout the area. Three hit him; one on the side, one in the arm and one in the chest. We heard him grumble, then he and Katrina left.“Think it’s safe?” Wally whispered.“I don’t know. There are still two left; William and Phoebe.”I looked over at Grayson with shock. “What, no killer Queen? I thought for sure Kaydence would still be in.”“Nah, Kory took care of her” he laughed, obviously proud of his girlfriend. “Sort of a sibling rivalry thing.” I let out a soft huff and nodded. It made sense, after all. Kory hated her sister and how evil she was. If Kory was an angel, Kaydence was a demon."That's our girl" i grinned. “Cover me” I told them, my eyes drifting to the flag. It was so close, yet so far.“Wait” Grayson whispered, trying to stop me, but I was already gone. With my gun ready to aim and fire, and Wally right behind me, I quickly snuck my way into the forest opening. I could see my teammates surrounding me, making sure the area was clear. I let out a breath was my fingers touched the cool metal rod. I took a breath, Wally nodding to me and wrapping his own hand around the metal. With eyes lock on each other, we both smiled and lifted it off the metal platform. In the distance, we heard fireworks. With a huff, we both looked up to see the sky littered with Blues and golds. We won!I could hear Kole shout with Bee and Jade, the guys hollering around us. I looked around to see Kole jump into Jericho’s arms, full of excitement, knocking him down to the dirt and leaf filled ground. Bee kissed Herald, and Grayson embraced Kory, the same as Beast Bot did to Raven. Garth just let out excited shouts. I turned to see Wally, his hand still on the flag.“I believe we need to get this back to camp” he smiled at me. I nodded with a laugh, letting go of the trophy. When we entered back in camp, we saw both Blood and Titan campers littered with red or blue. Though most of the Titans were paint free, which made Cold and Canary very happy. My eyes caught on Sasha’s as she gave me an almost apologetic look as she helped Mammoth wipe paint off of him. I gave her a smile, catching the scowl from Gizmo, who was grumbling to himself, and the respective grin of Jason. What made me even happier, though, was that Booker was covered in paint from both camps, and held an ice bag up to his head. Lastly, I glanced at the arch in the distance, holding up our camp sign proudly. I imagined all of the names that were carved and written on the wood poles. Soon, my name would be up there too.We had made it thought the summer, victorious. Through all of the challenges we faced, whether it be a longtime crush or an old flame that you wanted to exterminate, we had all made it out alive. Now all we had was the Annual Dance. And what could go wrong with that?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So- how do I look?” Jade asked as she stepped out of the bathroom, putting her last earring on. I turned from where I stood and watched as she twisted to look in the full-length mirror on the wall. Her long black hair was straightened, flowing over her slick green and black dress that stopped above her knees. Her black heels were strapped on the front and her toes were hidden.“Perfect” I complimented “Roy won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you.” I laughed, turning back to pick up my necklace.“Are you sure you don’t want to walk with us” she asked. I smiled and turned back to her, clipping my necklace around my neck.“I don’t think walking alone will a problem. Besides, I don’t want to be a third wheel or anything.” I told her“You won’t be a third wheel” she laughed before Roy knocked on our door, opening the door and walking in without an invitation.“Ready to go-?” he asked as he walked in, but he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Jade.“Oh, she’s ready” I laughed, pushing her to him before he cleared his throat and started to stumble over his compliments. I never thought I would see the day where Roy Harper was dumbfounded by a girl’s looks. Jade smiled and took his arm.“Are you sure?” she asked once more.“I’m sure” I told her. “I still have some things to do here and I’ll meet you guys there.”“Just be careful” she told me before they disappeared past the door.I shook my head and softly laughed. I couldn’t help but be happy for them, but, at the same time, I was sad that I didn’t have what they had. I didn’t have that summer romance, only something that would be a memory by the end of it. My smile vanished as my hands grasped my earrings. I sighed and plopped on my bed, thinking of what could be, and what might never be. My eyes traveled to the mirror, and just stared at the girl on the bed. Her heart torn inside her purple and black dress, her brain racking under her softly curled hair. After summer was over, that girl would be off to college; off to a future that frightened her. Sure, she would be with her friends, but she wouldn’t be with the one guy that she trusted more than anything, she wouldn’t have her best friend.I sighed and put on my black heels. And, standing, with one more glance into the mirror, after placing the last pin in my hair and grabbing my purple and black purse, I headed out into the night. It was truly a beautiful night.The moon was high above the sky as I walked past each empty cabin, my heels silently stepping on the dirt path that winded between them. Everyone was already at the party, or so I thought. When I came to an open pass, a twig snapped behind me and I whipped around to meet the one guy I could have lived without seeing. He was dressed in a black pair of dress pants and loose button up black shirt that was un-tucked at the belt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his yellow, red and green tie was loose around his neck.“Boom, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you already be at the party?” I sourly asked“Yeah” he scoffed, “but I was waiting for you.”“And why would you do that?” I snapped“Because I need to talk to you”“Not going to happen” I chuckled, spinning around to leave. “Just listen to me” he demanded, grabbing my upper arm. I tried to shake his off, but he kept his grip, bearing his teeth in anger. “Jess, I said I was sorry, what more do you want?” he yelled“Let go of me” I ordered, trying more and more to get free.“Not until you listen to what I have to say” he told me“Higgins, I could care less what you have to say right now. You cheated on Sasha with me, and you don’t feel the smallest amount of remorse about it. You’ve been bugging me all summer and you hurt my friend in one of your fits of anger. You think that any girl will be lucky to have you, but you’re wrong. You would be lucky to have any girl that puts up with your crap.” He stood still for a moment, both of my arms grasped tightly in his hands, making it impossible for me to move.My eyes were daggers to his. I knew every word would hurt him, but every word was true and he needed to know the truth. His eyes snapped onto mine, his tongue running across his lips as he stared at me eagerly. Within a moment, his lips forcefully crashed onto mine, his arms wrapping tighter and tighter around me. I tried to move away, a tear dropping from my eye at the pure pain. His kiss was hard and cold, wet and painful. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, giving me an easy way out. I bit his tongue, making him yell and jump back, releasing me from his grip. His eyes darted toward me, angrier than ever and more determined to get what he wanted. But before he did, a fist collided with his face. I stood there, shocked and relieved that he was there.The red headed boy that I had been falling for was right in front of me, saving me from the reptilian monster that stood on the other side of him. Wally stood there, his back toward me, ready for Booker to strike again. He stood tall and strong in his black dress pants, matched with a grey, long sleeved button up shirt. We waited for Booker to get up, but he didn’t and by the time he weakly did, Cold and Canary were there next to us.“We heard screams, are you okay?” Canary asked me, and I hesitantly nodded. “Len, can you show Mr. Higgin-Gale to our office?” Canary looked at her partner and he agreed, escorting their prisoner to his cell, or so I hoped. “What happened?” she turned to me again.“He-” I began to say, my voice shaking, but I couldn’t find the words.“He attacked her” Wally stepped in, wrapping an arm around me. “I heard everything” he told Canary.“Then you wouldn’t mind coming with me to explain everything” Canary suggested“Of course, not” Wally agreed, but I didn’t want him to leave me. My eyes went up to his, frightened and begging. “But, if you don’t mind, can I escort her to the banquet first. She’ll be safe with her friends there.”“Of course,” Canary smiled, turning to walk to her office where the monster sat. When she was gone, I collapsed into his arms, my head on his chest as my arms wrapped around his torso. My bones shook inside and out, as tears flowed from my face.“Shhhh, it’s okay, he’s not going to hurt you again” he promised, stroking my hair and calming me. I never thought it would be possible to, so quickly, calm me down from what had just happened, but he did. “Everything’s going to be okay” he reminded me.“Don’t leave me” I begged of him. I felt a vibration in his chest as he softly chuckled, pulling me closer to him.“Not unless you say it’s okay” he told me, kissing the top of my head.“Jinx!” I heard Kole’s voice yell along with the sound of heels on the dirt ground.“Jinx, are you okay?” Bee asked, reaching us. Wally pulled away slightly at their voices, but I didn’t want him to. Sooner than expected, I was wrapped in Kole and Bee’s arms with Wally behind them.“We heard what happened and we just wanted to see if you were okay” Herald explained, patting Wally’s shoulder.“I’m fine” I wiped away the last tears I had, “because of Wally” I smiled at him. “Thank you” I said before Kole’s arm wrapped around me again.“Anytime” he smiled back. “Are you going to be okay for a while?” he asked and I knew exactly what he meant.“Yeah” I nodded “I think I’ll live with these guys” I tried to hide my feeling of disappointment that he had to leave, but I’m pretty sure it showed through.“I’ll meet you guys at the banquet” he promised before following Canary’s path to her office.“Everything will turn out fine” Kole promised me with a soft smile. “He won’t bug you again.”“Yeah and if he does, we’ll kick his butt” Bee told me, making me laugh. “See, that’s the Jinx we all know and love” she nudged my arm.“Come on, let’s go eat” Herald herded us to the banquet.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I watched as he vanished in the darkness of the trees. We were so close, and now, we’re so far away. Once again, Booker had stepped between us. It was because of him that Wally had to let me go, that he had to leave me in the chilling night. It was because of him that I was with my friends, but still alone. I heard Herald’s voice, I felt Kole’s arm on mine, ready to drag me to the dance with her, but I didn’t move; Not at first. At first, my chest clenched with each step he took away from us. At first, I held my breath, only letting it out as I felt Bee’s hand being gently placed on my shoulder, followed by her soft voice.“Come one, he’ll meet us there, I promise” she whispered. Absent mindedly, I nodded, not looking at her, then I turned with my head toward the ground and my arms wrapped around me. My feet felt like weights with each step we took toward the lights and music, the only sounds that could be heard on our walk.Like in previous years, the dance was held outside of the Dining Hall. A canopy of lights shimmered above a dance floor. Rectangular tables lined one side of the removable wooden floor, food neatly placed on them, and circular tables were placed on another side, ready for any tired dancer to rest at. No one questioned when I went to sit down after filling a plate with some spinach artichoke cups, pretzel bites and grapes, and grabbing a glass of punch. Kole, Jade, Jericho and Roy joined me for a few minutes while they finished their own plates of snacks, but soon left to mingle. Kole had asked if I would join them, I only shook my head and continued to sip my drink.It seemed like such a happy night, it should have been a happy night. Camp Titan had won the Summer Games against Camp Blood, I had finally gotten rid of Booker, my friends all seemed happy, and yet, there was still a sting of sadness in my stomach. Maybe it was because Wally wasn’t with me after he defended me, maybe it was because I couldn’t believe, after all of the hell I went through this summer, that it was actually over. Maybe it was because of the future and how, the next morning, we would all pack up and leave for our homes, then two weeks later, we would leave for college. Most of us would never step foot on this ground again, many of us would never see each other again. I was happy that a large group of us was going to the same college, or somewhere close, but it wouldn’t be the same. Would it?I shook my head out of the thought and decided to focus on this one night. I looked around at all of my friends that mingled and danced with one another, both Blood and Titan alike. I could hear their laughter over the music, I could see their happiness. At times, one of them would come up and ask me to dance, and I did. Then I would sit back down, dropping my mask again and letting go of any breath I held in. At times, I thought of getting up and walking to the lake, then I would remember what had just happened, and I knew I wouldn’t be safe alone. I don’t think I would ever be again. So, I just sat there, sipping my drink and munching on the food I had collected.I watched as dresses of all colors and designs swirled around the dance floor, their own date holding onto them tightly. Some shimmered with their crystals while others were beautiful with their simplicity. But all had a partner, so someone to laugh with. Kitty had Freddie, Angelica had Connor, Grayson coiled his arm around Kory’s waist, Kaydence had men falling at her feet, but she refused each and every one of them. Garfield was cracking jokes and puns, making Raven roll her eyes and groan. She tried to act like they bothered her, but even I could see the small smile that tugged at her lips with every joke the blonde boy made. Seymour was chatting with Mira and Sasha had to keep Mammoth and Gizmo from pulling any pranks. Roy flirted with Jade, making her blush, and Jericho held Kole close to his heart, swaying to the music.“Mind if I steal you away foe a dance?” a suave voice extended his hand out toward me. I was half expecting Wally or one of the Titans to ask, but, instead, it was Jason Todd of all people. His dark hair was slicked back and he wore an all-black suit, just like Nightwing, but his tie was a rose red with a blood red X on the bottom. “A beauty such as myself should never be seen alone at one of these things,” he smirked. “And don’t worry, when lover boy shows up, I’ll spin you to him.” I let out a soft chuckle shook my head.“I don’t know, are you going to kidnap me and yell at me again” my arms crossed.He let out a breath and closed his eyes, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I’m sorry about that. Mammoth wasn’t supposed to hit or hurt you and- I guess I lost my head.”“You guess?” I questioned, raising my brow and leaning back in my chair. “You practically accused me of being a spoiled rich brat who hasn’t known an ounce of pain in her life.”He held his head up. “And I- apologize for that. I don’t know what came over me.”“Well you can be quite the Drama Queen when you want to be” I sighed. “I knew that from the first time we met, actually, from the first story Dick told me of you” I laughed.He groaned, “No bad stories I hope.”“Oh, all bad stories” I laughed again.“Remind me to kill him later,” he growled, glancing over at the beverage table where Kory and Dick were talking with some campers from Blood and Titan. “Either way” he grinned back at me, “What about that dance?” he held his hand out again and I gave a small smile, taking it to be led out to the dance floor.Though the song was a slower pace, Jason still kept a respectable distance, one hand on my back while the other held one of mine. My other hand rested in his shoulder.“Congrats on your victory, by the way” he began, looking to the side. “I guess, statistically, it was bound to happen eventually.” And there was his cocky attitude again.I rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks.” There was a pause, then I looked down at his tie again, curious. “So, what’s the red X for?”“Ah, a joyous nickname that your boyfriend gave me when we first met. Like many that he gives, it just-stuck. Though, some at Camp Blood call me another name.”“Let me guess, Asshole?” I gave a grin and it was his turn to roll his eyes.“You wish” he chuckled. “Nah, somehow, people started calling me Red Hood and I have no clue why.”I shrugged. “Some nicknames come from the simplest things” I pointed out. “Maybe you wore a red hood for some amount of time.”“Is that how your boyfriend makes them?” His smirk was plastered onto his lips, as if trying to catch me in something.“Wally isn’t-” I tried to explain, but he huffed and interrupted me. “But you want him to be” he leaned closer, whispering in my ear. “Don’t even try and deny it, everyone from Camp Blood and, I’m pretty sure, Camp Titan knows about your little crush. I personally saw it the first time we met. Wally couldn’t take his eyes off of you, and when I went to talk to you, I could see the anger and jealousy behind his eyes.”“If you knew- or suspected- then why do it?”“Because it’s fun to see him squirm,” his brow wiggled.My mouth dropped open. “And what about Kory?” I asked. “Was it just to see your brother squirm?” he drew silent, then glanced over at the redheaded beauty and her dark knight.He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t” he simply said. “Kory went to school with Dick and I. I don’t know how or when, but I started falling for her. She was the perfect cheerleader, beautiful and smart. I was the out cast brother of the one that she had feelings for. I knew I wouldn’t end up with her, but I took every chance I could to be with her.” Once again, I was silent. I could hear in his voice that he really did care for Kory, and I felt bad that I couldn’t do anything to help. Before I could say anything, he spotted something over my shoulder and smirked devilishly. “Interrogation time it up, princess” he whispered in my ear. “Time to spin little kitty” he announced. And before I could say or do anything, he spun me once- twice- five times?His hands were gone for mere seconds as my head drew light, turning over and over and over again. I was finally stopped by a firm chest and warm hands that fell, one to my back and the other to my shoulder. when my eyes focused again and my head stopped spinning, I focused on a smiling red head with vibrant blue eyes. I glanced back at Jason, shaking my head as he offered me a wink.“He wasn’t kidding when he said he would spin me to you” I laughed, focusing back on the blue eyed-man in front of me.“One thing that I can say about Todd is that he always keeps his word, no matter how ridiculous it is,” Wally shook his head in a quiet laugh, his eyes looking over my shoulder to watch Jason vanish into the crowd. I nodded and we stood there, silent. What could I say that wouldn’t be awkward? Hey how did it go with Canary and Cold? Is Booker out of my life for good? Did you really mean that you wouldn’t’ leave me? Why did you choose Central City? If you knew I was going to Gotham U, would you go there too? I shook my head at every possible question that went through my mind. My eyes wandered around, spotting our friends, some sitting at tables, some grabbing food, and others dancing of chatting. My eyes met with Bee’s and she shrugged, as if asking what’s going on. I couldn’t say, but she got the message. She dragged her boyfriend onto the dance floor, swiftly passing by us and whispering to Wally. My eyes narrowed. That’s not what I wanted. What did she tell him that made him laugh? He caught my curious eye and shook his head before bowing at the waist and holding his hand out for me. “Want to dance?” he asked with a smirk that I couldn’t help but smile at.“I would never deny a dance with a game’s victor” I laughed, taking his hand. We danced the same as Jason and I had, but his hand fell on my lower back, pulling me toward him, while the other warmed my right hand, my left wrapping around his neck. Or bodies pressed together as we swayed to the music, wally sometimes giving me a turn or dip. We stayed like that for a few songs, close and comfortable in the silence. It wasn’t the classic, ‘we were in our own type of dance,’ but it was better because we had our friends with us. Kole and Bee would make faces at me and the guys would tease Wally. Dick gave an approving look and Jason, who stood in the shadowy back, gave a proud smirk. Those that danced, seemed happy with their partners. Even Cold and Canary seemed snug. Instead of standing on the sidelines, Canary was held close to his chest as they swayed to the beat. He looked at her so lovingly, kissing her hand that was tucked between them. Wait! My eyes narrowed. Shouldn’t they still be dealing with Booker?Apparently, Wally caught my look and gave a small smile. “Director Rory took Booker to the next town over. He’s going to stay at the police station until his dad comes to pick him up” he explained.“Wait, are they arresting him?” I wondered.“No, no arrest that I know of, but apparently this wasn’t the first time that he had done something like this and ended up hurting someone.”“Doesn’t surprise me” my smile dropped, my head wandering to the side.“Hey” Wally softly said, guiding my eyes to meet his. “I told you, he’s not going to hurt you again, I won’t let him.”“How can you promise that?” I shook my head. No one could promise any protection.He took a deep breath, looking around one more time before focusing back on me. “Do you want to take a walk?” he asked. I nodded he linked our arms, giving me a smile before we started walking away from the party. The music softened as we walked out for sight toward the one place we both knew we would end up, the docks. Bum until we got there, the air was full of a comfortable silence. The docks were peaceful that night. The moon was full and high in the sky and the water was calm. It was near silent, only the gentle sound of the waves. It was a rare summer night were the breeze sent a chill up my spine. Or was that Wally’s touch to my back?“You’re right” he suddenly began, looking over the water. “I can’t promise that you won’t ever get hurt again, but- I can promise that I’ll try and protect you or- at least be there for you if you do get hurt.”“Why?” I asked. “It’s not your job to protect me, so why are you?”“You seriously don’t know?” he chuckled, turning to face me.“I have my guesses” I told him. “Mostly because of Bee, Kole and the others” I mumbled. There was a pause. I took a deep breath and looked back at him, my eyes meeting his. “Wally, what are we doing?” My eyes drew to his, worried and sad. “I mean, after tomorrow, we might never see each other again and-”“I’m not going to let that happen” he promised, sliding his arm around my shoulder as my head leaned against his. “I know that it’s going to be hard staying friends while we’re so far apart, and I know that we’ll meet new friends along the way and we’re going to be busy with our own things. But I also know that- I at least want to try. I don’t want to lose any of you-especially you” his voice grew into a soft whisper at his last statement. “What if-” my voice shook before I shut my eyes, worried of his response? My head shook and I stood, my back facing him while he still sat on the edge of the dock, no doubt, watching me. “What if I don’t want to be just friends” my head tilted toward the sky, tears trying to escape. “Because if you don’t, I understand, since I’m going to Gotham U and you’re headed to Central City U and it might be too far. But, it’s just, I really like you and ever since the day I met you, I’ve always felt comfortable around you. You’re the one I can always turn to for help because I know you won’t hurt me and I know that you would do everything you could to help me, just as you have these past few years. I mean, yeah, sure we mess with each other, but that’s what I’ve always liked about you. You make me smile and laugh and every time I see you, I can’t help but feel like- like everything falls into place.” His eyes seemed wide, but a smile soon grew across his face, gentle and charming, soft and loving.“Are you done?” he laughed softly.“Yes” I sighed, looking down at my feet. With another soft laugh, his arm slid behind my waist, pulling me toward him until our lips pressed together in a sweet kiss. My arms ran up his chest and while one stayed, the other wrapped itself around his neck pulling me up closer to him. I could feel the warmth beneath his shirt, I could feel his heart beat as he deepened the kiss. My head grew light and my eyes fluttered shut at his touch. My stomach was filled with the butterflies that had all taken off at once. The kiss was passionate, sweet and gentle, yet strong, intense and electric.Suddenly, he pulled away, his brows furrowed in confusion. His hands remained on my waist as his eyes looked into mine. “Wait, where did you say you were going?” his head tilted slightly.“Gotham University” I told him, my own head tilting like his. His jaw nearly dropped as a laugh slipped from his lip. “Why? What’s wrong?” I couldn’t help but laugh at his reactions.“I’m going to Gotham U” he told me“I thought you were going to Central” I asked. “When I went to talk to Roy about him asking Jade out, I saw the pamphlets on your desk, so I thought-” she shook his head quickly.“No, I already accepted Gotham U, but my mom wanted me to check Central out too, just in case I wanted to stay closer to home” he explained with a chuckle. My face lit up with excitement as I jumped back into his arms and he spun me around.“So, we’re going to the same school?” I laughed “All of us?” I continued“What do you mean all of us?” he drew away again, his hands never leaving my waist.“Oh, you haven’t heard? Most of us Titans are going there” I laughed.“What?” he asked, surprised and confused.“Just as I said. We’re all going to Gotham U: Speedy, Argent, Bee, Kole, Herald, Jericho, Night wing, Cyborg, Beats Boy, Raven, Star-” I could have gone on with the list, but he stopped me.“All of them?” he questioned“Yeah” I laughed “We all got into Gotham U. I have no clue how, but we did.” I finished happily.“So, I guess we were worried about nothing” he guessed.“I wouldn’t say that” I reminded him. “We still have a bunch of tests to get through. But I know we can overcome all of them, as long as we’re together” I glowed.“Wait, is that the reason you pulled away from me and said no to going with me to the dance? You thought I was going to CCU?” I nodded. "I was scared. I didn't want just a summer fling and, when I found those pamphlets on your desk I- I knew that it was better to pull away now rather than later." He nodded. "I get it, I was scared too and I didn't want a summer fling either. Still don't." "Well, i think we can figure something out," I grinned, leaning closer into him."Maybe we can," He smiled before our lips met once more.“Oh, get a room” we heard Speedy shout from the other side of the dock.“Shut up” I heard Bee scold him, slapping him. A blush ran onto my cheeks as Wally and I stood side by side, his arm around my waist as we laughed at our friends.“What are you guys doing?” one of my brows raised with a smirk as a hand went to my hip. “Isn’t it obvious?” Jade began. “We’re all spying on you two just like we’ve done all summer” she laughed.“Beg your pardon?” I leaned to on one hip.“Uh- never mind” she quieted up, lowering back to the bushes.“Big mouth” I heard Bee mumble, crossing her arms over her chest with a slight glare at Jade.I looked back at Wally, knowing what he was thinking. We have the best, and worst friends. It wasn’t long before they all came over to us with congratulations and comments of how cool next year is going to be. And it took even less time for Cold to yell at us to get back to the dance. We all laughed, but obliged and rejoined the party. As I passed Cold, he gave me a proud smile, asking if everything had turned out okay. I nodded, "I guess i just needed some speed and confidence," I smiled."Told ya, kid," he grinned proudly.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The music kept playing till midnight, when Canary, Cold and Director Selina told us that we all needed to rest up. Tired campers made their ways to their cabins one last time. Sleepy eyes closed once their heads hit their pillows. Laughter became only an echo of the night. I slept my best that night. With a goodnight kiss from Wally, I had stepped foot into my cabin, shed my dress and replaced it with my pajamas, only to curl up in bed.When I awoke, I had a small smile on my face but dread in my heart as the realization dawned on me. Today, I would be leaving Camp Titan, possibly for the rest of my life. Slowly, Jade and I packed our bags, folding up our bed sheets and gently placing our dresses in or bags. I slipped on my pair of jean shorts and threw on a t-short and a pair of tennis shoes, topping it all off with my Counselor’s jacket. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and fixed up the little bit of mascara I still had on from the night before. When I was done, I looked back at Jade, who gave a sad smile as she looked over the cabin again. I grabbed her shoulder and gave her a small smile, trying to cheer her up. But I knew it was no use. This summer was unforgettable. Unbreakable bonds had been forged through the hot summer and memories were seared into our memories, both good and bad.Jade was the first to leave, deciding to “rip off the band aid” before she started to get emotional. I knew that she still would. Saying goodbye to this cabin was only the first step. We still had to say goodbye to some friends and “See you later" to others, and we still had to drive away. With one final look around the cabin, I decided that I hadn’t left anything here that I didn’t want to. I knew that Canary and Cold would only clean the rooms they saw fit to, and I knew ours was in top shape, so I slid a cream-colored envelope under the mattress, little piece of wisdom for the next counselors.With a deep breath, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and headed out. The door creaked behind as it slammed closed. The lock hummed as I locked it. I passed cabin after cabin, all emptied and cleaned, with the exception of a hand full of campers that were still packing. I passed the dining hall that was only serving croissants, fruits and bagels for the last morning. Water bottles were given out by Cold and Canary as the campers returned their keys. Canary and Cold had both said that it would be a pleasure if I decided to come back, and Cold had even said he would give his director’s spot up for me. I laughed and thanked him, telling him that it wouldn’t be for years if I ever thought of it. He only gave a smile and told me that he couldn’t wait for the day.Throughout my time at camp, everyone had been warm and welcoming. I had made friends and made my own mark, literally. With a knife in my hand, I finally got to carve my name on the posts, joining the great counselors who had helped win the games. Drawing the knife back to my side, I stepped back and sighed, looking at our eight names, all grouped in the same area. A breath of air tickled my ear as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.“Can’t believe it, can you?” Wally whispered, setting his chin on my shoulder.My head shook slightly with a smile on my lips. “No, I can’t.” I looked around t Bee, Kole, Herald, Jade, Roy, Jericho and everyone else that was around me. “I can’t believe it’s all over.”“It’s not over” Kole shook her head. “It’s only the beginning” she smiled.“Truer words couldn’t be spoken” Bee laughed. “Besides, I highly doubt that it’ll be the last time we come here. Who knows, maybe our kids will come here too.”“We can only hope” Herald smiled, kissing his girlfriend.We all smiled and watched each other, as if to see who would leave first. “We made good memories here, right?” I wondered. For me, it was true. I had made lifelong friends and memories that would last a lifetime. But for them, I didn’t know. “The best” was all Kole said, everyone agreeing with her. she took in a deep breath of air and we all looked toward the camp once more. “Let’s go home, guys.” We all nodded and, though we never wanted to, our feet carried us to the parking lot where campers and counselors alike got into their cars, bidding farewell to their favorite camp. Some would come back next year, some would never come back again, some would cry as they drove away, and some would rejoice. But we would all remember our time at Camp Titan.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
School was out, and the sun was shining high in the sky. Books had been turned in, classes were dismissed, and seniors had graduated. I hadn’t graduated, yet. I was only a Junior, going into my Senior year after this summer. I was new to camp, I had no idea how to be a counselor, but Director Leonard assured me that I could do it. I had my younger brothers with me, but they were campers, not counselors. I was in a camp full of people, yet I felt alone. Everyone had seemed so nice, even the Spanish twins that welcomed me, stumbling over their wordsI opened the door to my cabin, Hawthorne, and set my bags down on the desk closest to me. My cabinmate, Rose, had already set her stuff down on the other bed, but she wasn’t here. My eyes ran over the room, checking every detail; the plain bed with no sheets, the empty drawers, and the paper packets that were left on the desks; Rules and Regulation on Being a Counselor. I made a note in my head to read that all the way through, three of four times over. I picked it up and ran my fingers over the staple in the left corner, then I put it back down, knowing I had to be at a counselor meeting within twenty minutes.I zipped my bag open and pulled out my white and pink sheets, tightening my blonde pigtails before unfolding my sheets and beginning to dress my bed. The mattress was comfortable, not the best, but not the worst. It squeaked like a mouse as I lifted its corner to fit my sheet over it, but sighed as it let an envelope out of its grasp. My brows furrowed as I set the mattress down and leaned down to the warm wood floor, picking the letter up. on the back of the envelope, it read “To the Next Counselors.” Curiously, I drew the cream-colored paper out of its comfortable state and unfolded it.
Dear Whoever
It read.
My name is Jinx and I was a counselor before you. I don’t know how long has passed, maybe only a year, maybe longer, but what I say will still stand throughout the years. You may be new to camp, maybe you’re a loner, an over achiever, or someone who’s just comfortable with who they are. But whoever you are, this summer will change your life. Camp Titan will change your life. I know because it did for me. Camp Titan is an amazing place to make friends and memories that will last a lifetime. Some will be good, and some will be bad, but I promise you that you will survive any drama that comes to you, as long as you trust you friends. Never be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to lean on those who care for you. When I was here, I was so afraid to let my walls down too much. Not many of my friends really knew who I was, or what I had gone through. That is one thing I regret. I will probably tell them soon, but don’t wait as long as I did, as long as I have.
I may not know what you’re going through, if anything, but I can give you a few tips that helped me multiple times through the tests that Camp Titan gave me, or rather, what happened at camp. The first thing I can say, open yourself up. When you open yourself up and drop your walls, you can make the best friends, the ones that will understand and help you no matter what. The second thing is to not be afraid to ask for help. So many times, during my last year of camp, I was afraid to talk to people. I wanted to be brave with my situation and deal with it myself. It only helped when I talked to people. The Third would be to trust the Directors. I don’t know who your directors are, but Director Snart/ Captain Cold and Director Lance/ White Canary were my guardians. Cold had pulled me aside a few times to make sure I was okay, and when a problem came up, they never ceased to try and help get to the best solution. The last piece of advice would be to follow your heart. For so long, I had a crush on this one boy, only to find out he liked me back during my last year. And even then, I was so afraid to let him fully into my heart because I thought we would be going to different schools. When he had kissed me, I had run. I regret that. I wish I would have stayed and pushed my fear aside. Don’t be afraid like I was. Let your heart run free and don’t be afraid to get hurt, because with every heart break, you get closer to your Happily Ever After.
As a counselor, lots of kids will look up to you. Trust your instincts. The directors will probably have a stack of papers on what to do and what not to do. Follow them, but don’t be afraid to bend the rules if you need. I wish I could say more, but the only thing I can say now is ‘Good Luck.’ I know you’ll make Camp Titan proud. Go Titans.
Sincerely, Jinx
My eyes scanned the paper over and over again, my brain racked on what she meant, who she was. What was her full story? I didn’t know. Closing the letter, I sighed and set it down, just in time for the door swing open.“Oh hey, you’re here” a voice snapped my head toward the door.“Yeah, uh- you must be Rose” I held my hand out. With an energetic smile, she shook it, then her eyes dropped to the letter.“Ah, so I see you found that” I nodded. “Jinx left that for us. She was a counselor a few years ago when I was just a camper in Willow. I heard that she left it here, and I’ve already read it, but you might want to.” I watched as she walked across the floor, digging though some papers.“I already did” I sheepishly replied. I paused, wondering if I should ask my next question. “What happened to her? She said that she had a lot of experiences, but I don’t know her story.” To that, Rose just smiled and sat on her own bed.“I don’t know the full story, but from what I do know, the last summer she spent here, we combined camps with Camp Guard, where her abusive and obsessive boyfriend went. She tried to get away from him all summer and the only safe place she found was with her friends and her longtime crush, Wally. I didn’t know her very well, but she was very reserved and secret about her life. But she was an amazing counselor and was always there when you needed her. Joey, my brother, always talked highly about her, and Kole, his girlfriend, was a close friend of Jinx’s. Kole said that, when Jinx’s ex came after her, Jinx fought back and never stood down. She was strong and smart.”“Sounds like you admired her.”“I guess I did” Rose smiled at her sheets. “When She first came here, my brother said she didn’t fit in at all, she was so closed off and cold, but she warmed up after the first summer or so. I was like her when I first came here. She showed me around and convinced me to talk to people instead of brood in the corner” a laugh left her lips as she replayed her memory. “She was quite the role model.” I was quiet, looking down at my hands. “Something wrong?” she asked.My eyes swung up to meet hers. “N-No, not at all, just-” I took a breath, a smile creeping onto my lips as I thought of what Jinx had written. “I guess I just have to open myself up more.” To that, she laughed and jumped up.“Damn straight” her arm swung around my shoulder. “Come on, we have to go, and I’m pretty sure Mas and Menos will be missing your presence.” Her brow wiggled. “I heard you made the quite impression on them,” she laughed.With a huff and a laugh of my own, I grinned up at her. I could tell that I would have fun this summer. And Jinx would be right, I would make lifelong friends and memories. Our laughter filled the air as we left Hawthorne, walking toward the Mess Hall and the beginning of a new chapter. THE END!!!!