Camp Firefly Sisters, Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
After my little chat with Mckenna, which obviously didn’t go in my favor, a number of the girls in the mess hall were wrapping up their meals and heading back to their circles of cabins. That included my table, which was fine. My head was still spinning from the fact that I had just agreed to give up two weeks of my summer, as well as the ongoing embarrassment that everyone believed I was twelve years old when I was framed in a less flattering light.
Did I actually look that young? It had to be the setting and the circumstances. The point was, this latest development would be easier to process back at the cabin, rather than in a noisy building where practically all the campers were crammed in for dinner.
When we made it back, I immediately ran into a complication I hadn’t thought about. Bailey announced that she was going to go take a shower before the campfire every circle had after sunset, and informed me that rinsing off at night was generally the best approach. For whatever reason, half the girls still did so in the morning, when it made way more sense to shower after getting a little sweaty/dirty/whatever during the day. Also, there was a much bigger window most evenings, so one didn’t have to wait in line and/or deal with there being limited hot water.
But, I was too old to be sharing a bathroom with a bunch of campers. It wasn’t like a locker room, I was assuming, so they’d probably be in PJs or wrapped in a towel at worst. Still. It was unlikely that I’d get special permission to use the counselor building multiple times a day, which meant I needed to find a way to use the public space alone. Maybe I could sneak off in the middle of the night to shower, or do so when everyone was busy with some camp activity. Until I had a sense of the day to day schedule, I was going to have to play it by ear.
Of course, I politely rejected Bailey’s invitation to pair up for the trip. I knew she was trying to be a good friend/roommate and show me the ropes; she was an experienced camper, and this was my first year. Between my hesitation to use Circle C’s bathroom, as well as how I needed a minute to sort this whole Camp Firefly thing out in general, I stayed behind to take inventory of what Mckenna hadn’t swiped from my bags.
She actually hadn’t stolen much. Pretty much just my wallet, as well as my phone that she had plucked from my hands earlier. It wasn’t as if I had packed anything that would point towards me being a high school girl, which she would have seen whenever she grabbed my collection of ID and other cards. Since I was supposed to be wearing the counselor polo for the most part, while leading outdoorsy activities, the clothes in my duffel bag were rather plain and practical. That included my underwear, as there was no reason to bring anything beyond the basics.
While the cabin was slightly more peaceful than the dining hall, it wasn’t long before I had more than just Rachel to deal with. She had stayed behind while Bailey went off to shower, but I had briefly forgotten that it wasn’t just going to be the three of us. Each cabin was set up for six girls, and the extra bags lying around weren’t enough to clue me back into that detail when I was distracted by all the other things on my mind.
A few minutes later, the rest of our bunkmates joined us. They had formed a trio that paralleled what I had with Bailey and Rachel, and the fleeting peacefulness of the latter girl’s silence was shattered when our cabin was nearly completely full compared to before.
All of the Cabin Four girls were returning campers, which wasn’t surprising. There probably weren’t that many rising 7th/8th graders who decided to sign up for something like this without any previous experience. That, or I was biased due to knowing Mckenna, who had been doing this for years.
They all introduced themselves; it was getting a little difficult to keep track of names, between the campers and the counselors I had met. I retained what I could amidst the chaos of the new arrivals, as everyone including myself really hadn’t unpacked yet. Not that any of us were really unpacking. We mostly just had to make our beds with the sheets we had each packed for ourselves; otherwise, we’d basically be living out of our duffel bags for the extent of our stay. There weren’t any drawers or anything like that.
Bailey returned by the time everyone was done getting settled, with damp hair and a clean Camp Firefly t-shirt. I had showered this morning, so I at least had a little more time to figure that lingering complication out.
Then, it was time for the campfire. I reluctantly followed my bunkmates to the fire pit between all of the cabins in our circle. The area was already fairly full of girls; some were standing around, while others were hanging out on one of the log benches surrounding the fire that Pixie had already gotten started. Normally, I would consider a nickname like that rather ridiculous. At the moment, I’d kind of prefer something completely different from my own name. Both because it would lessen the chance of someone here recognizing me later, and how ‘Maddie’ was a pain.
As usual, I was fine blending into the background. Similar to the bus ride with Bailey, I was friendly enough when someone talked to me, but I really didn’t contribute too much beyond the basics. I wasn’t sure whether I came across as more soft-spoken, aloof, socially awkward, tired, or somewhere in between any of those. These girls were both younger than me and into different activities than I was, so there wasn’t much of a connection. That, and I didn’t want to make too much of an impression. Since I had nothing to prove, I was more than content being the ‘quiet girl’ if it meant flying under the radar.
Turns out, circling up around the campfire was basically Orientation, Part Two. Another counselor from earlier, Alex, got everyone’s attention once the rest of the cabin circle had made their way to the gathering. She informed us that she was one of the leaders for rising 7th, and proceeded to talk about the ongoing competition that Bailey had mentioned earlier.
“Sadly, Pixie isn’t officially on our team. She’s just here to look cute,” Alex teased, “Stacey will be my co-leader for the ranked games.”
That name rang a bell. One of the counselors Mckenna and Alex didn’t like? Or just one who they didn’t click as naturally with? Though I had agreed to my sister’s unfair terms, I was still idly thinking about what I could do about my situation.
“Rude,” Pixie giggled, “I mean, yes. I’m cute. But I’m also in charge of Round One, and here to tell you about it. You know, in case you want to start strategizing. You’ll need the extra time to beat my girls!”
Bailey scoffed next to me, “As if. We just need to worry about the year above us.” Plenty of other girls in the vicinity had similar reactions.
“Anyway,” Pixie continued, “The first game is going to be a Dodgeball tournament. All you get to know for now is that you’re all going to play a few full circle games against everyone else, as well as an equal number of 5v5s afterwards while your fellow campers take a break and cheer you on. Of course, there are going to be some fun twists announced later on, so you better be prepared for anything!”
“Exciting!” Alex grinned, “And then a counselor grudge match to round things out?” This would be her first time hearing about the event; Mckenna had explained a while ago that each counselor gets to come up with their own game for this stuff, using whatever supplies are available around camp.
“Spoilers!” Pixie replied, following it up with a wink, “You’ll just have to wait and see. Later, girls!” She bounded off towards the next circle over. Cute, indeed. I wasn’t into all that and, even if I was, her upbeat energy was almost worse than some of the campers around me.
Once it was just Alex and Stacey, the duo got into some of the rules that would have bogged things down earlier. As both an older girl and someone who was supposed to be partly in charge, it made sense that they would keep the hype up earlier then get into some of the boring details later.
It wasn’t necessarily boring to me, however. If I was going to keep playing the part of a tween camper for the foreseeable future, I needed to know what was in store for me moving forward.
The parts that stuck out to me were regarding free time and morning/evening schedules. Anything that would give me a minute to myself, and potentially the chance to make a call if I could find a landline or a girl’s phone that had service, was what I’d be looking out for starting tomorrow. Mckenna was technically working, even if this was more fun for her than an actual job would be, and was responsible for an entirely different circle of girls; she wouldn’t be able to keep a consistent eye on me, so it was only a matter of dealing with the counselors that didn’t really know me beyond the brief interactions we had thus far.
By the time Alex and Stacy were done running through everything, most of the girls around the fire were getting a little bit antsy. Honestly, so was I. Important as some of this information was, there was only so much I could sit through without starting to lose focus. Either the two counselors were aware of the impatient energy, or just happened to get through the rest within the next minute or so. “Okay, I know you all just want to hang out and relax,” Alex said, “You’re welcome to stay by the fire for a while, or head back to your cabins. Just no leaving Circle B. Cool?”
As the girls around me assented to the boundary for the evening, I told Bailey I was going to take the latter of Alex’s suggestions. There was only so much socializing with younger girls I could deal with, plus changing into my PJs would be simpler if I was the only one around.
Of course, that only worked for my own undressing. I did get a little alone time, not that I could do anything but brainstorm for the following day thanks to how my phone was wherever my sister had put it. When a couple of my bunkmates returned from the campfire, I had to awkwardly avert my gaze as they changed. Like me, they were really just switching their outer layers, but I still felt weird being in the same room due to the maturity difference.
Aside from the occasional sleepover, I also wasn’t accustomed to having other girls around when I was trying to sleep. Mckenna and I had our own bedrooms, and I was used to the personal space. And, similar to the sleepover experience, it took forever for my bunkmates to stop talking. They whispered and giggled about camp experiences from the previous year, talked about how they were excited for the activities with Camp Falcon, and acted all overconfident about the Dodgeball game tomorrow. The hushed voices were so one of the counselors wouldn’t get on our case about staying up too late after lights out.
While I had gone straight back to the cabin, Bailey and Rachel had strategized with some of the other girls in our circle about the round robin bracket. As much as one could strategize for such a chaotic game, anyway. They were mostly figuring out who would be the best pick for the smaller match-ups. When asked about my own athletic strengths, I just mumbled something about not having the best hand-eye coordination. I wasn’t even lying.
“That’s okay!” Bailey reassured me, “I’m sure you’re better than you think you are. Worst case scenario, you can be my human shield!”
Uh huh. Shield or not, I was assuming I’d be one of the first girls out in every round. The real pain was that I’d have to be hit by a ball in order to take a break, instead of simply sitting the game out.
Eventually, the girls’ energy faded and I was finally able to drift off. The cheap, twin mattress wasn’t nearly as comfortable as my queen bed back home, though I was also pretty tired after a long and frustrating day. I still couldn’t believe how easily I was mistaken as a camper, and how much of a brat Mckenna was for signing me up.
I woke up pretty early. Between the cabin windows doing nothing against the early morning sun, as well as the unfamiliar room, I couldn’t get back to sleep. On the plus side, it was as good a time as any to use the bathroom. I snuck out of the cabin, bringing my toiletry bag with me to wash my face, brush my teeth, apply deodorant, etc. Feeling slightly more refreshed, albeit still tired, I returned to my bed and rested my eyes as I waited for whenever everyone else around Circle B started to get up.
When a couple girls in my cabin began to stir, I feigned like I was doing so as well. Turning away and making short work of changing into my camp t-shirt, as I had also brought a bra to put on in the bathroom, I left the cabin before the rest of the girls started their morning routines. Hopefully none of them noticed, or just assumed I wore a bra to sleep for whatever reason.
According to the daily schedule that had been laid out by Alex and Stacey, the mess hall was open pretty early. I’d rather have a quick breakfast than be dragged through Bailey’s morning routine that I had already done most of before anyone else was up. It wasn’t that I was particularly hungry; I was mostly heading there early on the off chance that a non-teenage authority figure might be around.
Naturally, I had no luck. If anything, all I did was save the table for my bunkmates, who managed to arrive before the line got too long. Not exactly what I intended, even though they were appreciative. Once everyone was settled for the meal, Gwen and the other counselors quieted everyone down for the morning’s announcements.
There wasn’t too much to tell us, considering that we had been given plenty of information the previous evening. Gwen just directed us to head towards the east field after breakfast, and that new campers can just follow everyone else. That, and a reminder that there’s a firm buddy system whenever going from Point A to Point B. A rule that I had already broken earlier, not that I cared about getting in trouble like the girls around me might. Being reprimanded by a counselor who was actually my own age wasn’t exactly intimidating.
I didn’t make it very far out of the mess hall before Mckenna appeared by my side. “Hey, girls!” she said, more to the others than to me, “Do you mind if I steal Maddie for a second?”
Bailey assented, as if either myself or Mckenna actually needed her go ahead. The young brunette had just become the de facto leader of our cabin. That’s what worked at Camp Firefly, obviously; being friendly and bubbly and outgoing.
Stepping out of the scattered crowd that was heading towards the field, knowing what it must look like for a camper to be singled out as everyone else walked past her, I was banking on the fact that the similar blonde hair would clue enough girls into the fact that this was a sister/sister thing rather than a camper/counselor one. That, and I didn’t care what any of these girls thought of me, even if it was a little difficult to maintain that mindset when the occasional camper glanced my way out of curiosity.
“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance. After all, I had slept in a cabin last night and was currently wearing the bright Camp Firefly t-shirt. While I might have been thinking about some options to call our parents and/or prove my real age, I was clearly playing the part of a camper at the moment.
“For starters, better Firefly energy,” Mckenna said, calling out my attitude right away. She didn’t dwell on it, however, and moved right along, “But I mostly wanted to make sure that you plan on actually participating in Dodgeball this morning, and in the afternoon’s activities as well. No awkwardly standing on the sidelines, or not trying when you play. Your teammates are counting on you, especially in the ranked games!”
Either she knew me that well, or was able to make an educated guess that I was thinking about half-assing just about everything for as long as I was stuck as a camper. Besides, I wouldn’t be the only one; surely there were other girls who had been shipped off to camp because their parents thought it would be a good idea. Or, in my case, by my sister.
“At least try to have fun, Maddie,” Mckenna insisted. She placed her hand on my shoulder with an amused smile, meeting my eyes, “Tell you what. If Circle B gets first place today, you might even get to go home early!”