Camp Firefly Sisters

Chapter 4
Camp Firefly Sisters, Chapter Four

Chapter Four

There weren’t many seats left.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The walk was more than I expected. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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