Myth Camp- Chapter 4

        Lila sat up on one of the beds and started reading. She didn’t notice how quite the room was because everyone was looking at her. After a few minutes of this unusual silence everyone remembered why they were here and started unpacking, they all did it except Lila. The little girl still thought that her being in such a wonderful place was just a dream and looking back on her terrible and full of sad surprises life she nearly knew that any minute someone is going to take her away from this paradise. She didn’t want to think like that she wanted to think optimistically because she was happy but something really deep in her core told her it would all end in a wink of an eye so she just continued to read her book. Suddenly the quite stopped…

“Oh my Goodness how are all my clothes meant to fit in this little thing” Abigail complained.

      Erika laughed in a low voice loud enough for everyone to hear except Abi who was too busy trying to close the lovely painted and carved recycled crate which was stuffed with her clothes.  The other two also giggled.  Lila stopped reading and put down her book. She finally decided to unpack herself but even though she was very independent she struggled to do it with one arm. Suzie decided to help her since she was done unpacking and had a sister her age at home.

“You need help?” Suzie asked politely, unzipping Lila’s suitcase.

“Thanks”, Lila answered quietly and smiled faintly.

       The little girl was surprised and a little embarrassed and ashamed of herself. All her life she has been very strong, independent and the exact opposite of shy, but here she was not able to talk because she was too shy it just was not like her. Then suddenly she decided there was no reason to be scared, she was in the most beautiful and wonderful place on earth and she was very happy. Now after the belongings were out of her bag she was bursting with excitement and all the bed feelings went away. Erika was feeling miserable, all she could think about is how all the popular girls and soccer players from her school that she totally hates are at great vacations all over the world. All other poorer and less popular kids will probably have much more fun than she will. Abi also had very dark thoughts, she just could not bear the fact that her worst enemy Jennifer Fleet will have a better summer than she will and will brag about it, then tell the other rich kids how bad Abigail’s was and everyone was going to laugh at her. Suzie was thinking the exact opposite and deep down she knew this was going to be the best summer ever.

     Suddenly they heard a loud knock on the door. The girls looked at each other, they were too lazy to go open the door. The person outside got tired of waiting and banged on the door as loud as possible. Finally after 5 minutes of staring into the girls eyes Susan decided to get up and open the door to the stranger. She didn’t know what amazed her more, the sky already getting dark in what seemed to her like such a short period of time or the strange costume the man was wearing. She looked at the watch; 2 hours had passed since she was sent to her cabin. Her eyes went up again and examined the person in front of her. He was about 2 meters tall and had big brown eyes but they could have belonged to the costume, she wasn’t sure. It was a costume of a bear, monkey or maybe a monster, it seemed like a Sasquatch, with tick dark hair covering it’s inhuman shape. The costume was very convincing and realistic and if she was a few years younger she would probably believe it was a real monster.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, hello”, she said smiling at the strangely dressed human.

He just grunted and handed her a lovely light green envelope and walked away in the direction of the next cabin.

“What did that creep want?”, Erika asked.

“He just dropped of this letter, by the way my name is Susan nice to meet you guys”, she answered and looked at the letter.

“Like we care what your name is, now tell us what it says!”, Abigail joined the conversation.

                                                    Dear girls

     I am very happy that you have safely reached the camp. This is a very special place and holds many mysteries. My job is to take care of you and make sure you have fun. I will teach you creativity, survival skills and much more. In time you will discover the beauty and secrets of this magnificent forest. To keep everyone safe and happy there needs to be some simple rules.

1. Do not wander into the forest without a member of staff.

2. No cursing or swearing.

3. Always listen to the member of staff and do exactly as you are told.

4. Be in your room before midnight unless you’re told differently by me.

5. Have a great time.

There are not many rules to follow so I hope you obey them. I wish you all a wonderful time here. I would also love you all to attend the camp fire tonight at eight o’clock in the terrace.

                                                                                               Your Ann.

“Let’s get ready if we don’t want to be late it starts in 15 minutes,” Suzie said happily and put the letter down on her chest.  Abi started looking for her coat, she didn’t really want to go but she was curious of the mysteries and secrets. Lila was already waiting at the door for the others; she was ready, excited and as happy as a human being could be. Suzie was also about to leave but noticed Erika was still seating on her bed. “Are you not coming?”, Susan asked softly. Erika just shrugged, she was clearly not happy.  “Just go we’ll catch up with you two, k”, she shouted and sat down beside Erika. “It’ll be fun trust me, there might even be marshmallows”, she said encouragingly and moved closer to her. “If I go will you leave me alone,” she answered quietly and put on her coat. The sky was clear, the stars shone very brightly. The girls didn’t talk all the way to the bonfire and when they got there they sat in different places.

         There were around 40 girls sitting around the fire. Lila expected more children but she remembered it was the first time the camp opened. She sat on the bench, Abigail sat beside some teens her age and started talking to them (of course they were not as good as her wealthy friends but better than nothing), Suzie also sat down beside girls her age. The only girl that sat alone was Erika because none of the girls seemed to suit her. Lila was sitting beside a girl a year older than her with rosy cheeks and golden locks. At first the plump girl seemed more interested in Lila’s missing arm than her but later they changed the topic and started a very nice and enjoyable conversation. It was a little chilly but no one felt cold because of the blazing fire. Not many people would notice how beautiful it was; Suzie did because she was a writer and noticed a lot of details. It seemed like the orange flames were hypnotizing her and the spark danced in the air. She wondered why something so beautiful, comforting and made you so warm could also destroy life. While Susan was imagining all Abigail could think about was how dirty her new boots were.

      Suddenly a very tall, skinny and tan woman walked over. She wore designer leggings (a present from Catherina) and a cheap a little too big jumper (she bought herself) and purple runners. She looked young around 22 years old. She had a little bit of lip-gloss on her tin lips and her hair was quite messy as usual. Everyone recognized her as soon as the light from the fire shown on her; it was Anna the camp owner. “ Hello girls, I’m very happy you all made it here tonight and I’m very excited about getting to know every single one of you, now if we could just over the rules before we go back to having fun …” she said very nicely sat down on a log and started reminding the children of the policy of the camp.  Even thou Lila didn’t mean to be disrespectful and was very interested in everything she stopped listening after the first rule was mentioned. She went into a world inside her head. She looked around and her eyes started playing tricks. Something like rainbow colored sparks seemed to be flying beside a big oak tree. She blinked and then the lights disappeared. She would have thought she imagined it but then Erika said “Did you see that?” It was a very fun and interesting night but Suzie was too tired to stay at the campfire. Abigail went with her because she was very unhappy because a mosquito bit her. Getting to know Abe better was hard because of her personality but Susan tried to understand that maybe some people didn’t like the camp like her. She tried to be nice to the stubborn teen but it didn’t work. “ So, how was your evening?”

“Not great, and I have no intention of becoming your friend so don’t try so hard” she gave Susie a sour smile and walked quicker towards the cabin.

     Lila was one of the last to go to her hut. She was nearly there and still had half an hour until the time when you had to be in your room. She was happy and excited but also confused. What were those colorful flying lights and I think I should tell Anna about them, Erika saw them too. She kept thinking about it and then she heard something, footsteps. She felt frightened, she was strong but she couldn’t defend herself with only one arm. Suddenly Erika came out of the shadows and she pushed little Lila against a wall, gentler than she did at school when she wanted something because of Lila’s condition. It was hard enough to leave a bruise on her delicate skin. Pushing her to the wall was not difficult, Erika did it to boys, so a light seven years old was not a challenge. “Now listen you little thing”, she said roughly, “I don’t want to hurt you and you know why”, it really hurt Lila inside did Erika go easy on me because  I am disabled, I don’t need her pity. “I know you saw the lights too, I saw the amusement in your eyes, I’m already as unhappy as I am now and I don’t want you to tell anyone about tonight. I’m no weirdo. If you mention it everyone is gonna think we are mad, I don’t want that. So please keep that lovely mouth closed. I’m sorry about it all but you just don’t get it. Go!” Erika was definitely in a bad mood but what she did was absolutely terrible and Lila knew that. She kicked Erika in the knee and ran away. Erika didn’t bother to chase her, she was so sad. Lila went to bed, Erika’s bed was empty, she was very angry at her but also understood what Erika was  feeling. Why can’t she just stop playing the mean girl she is actually quite nice when she’s not mad and maybe she is just confused .Lila was asleep when Erika came in, she got into her pajamas and went to bed. She couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking how bad and cruel she was, Lila was only small. Her knee hurt, a little girl with a lot of strength. She just couldn’t have people looking down at her like she was mentally insane, like when she changed school and everyone found out about her anger issues and appointments at the psychiatrist, it was a few years ago but the pain was still there. Maybe the lights were not even real, keep telling yourself that  she thought. I really didn’t mean it but I had to do something. When she finally fell asleep she had nightmares.

Myth Camp- Chapter 3

                    Abigail was getting out of the jacuzzi placed in her limo. She took her towel dried herself and got dressed into her worst clothes she could find at home (still they were more expensive than what normal people could afford). A lovely t-shirt, a denim jacket, jeans and pink boots. She brushed her hair and tied it into a pony tail. The butler opened the door and let her out of the car. She and her mum went in threw a big gate with a big sign saying “Myth Camp” with a foot print picture on it. They went into a lovely wooden hut. The whole place was very beautiful but Abi thought it was ugly and dirty. At a desk at the end of the room in the hut sat a tall woman with blue eyes and a big smile. Her ears were big and her nose was small. Her back was very straight which made her look even taller and she was sitting cross-legged. To Abigail Anna (she saw her name on the name tag) seemed confident and very cheerful even thou she was in such a terrible forest filled with bugs. While Anna saw a nice 15 year old girl with fashionable clothes that seemed unhappy because of where she was. Abigail’s mum signed some papers and the teen was sent to her cabin and set her things out. On her way she saw something very strange.    

               The strange thing Abigail saw was not a monster it was a seven year old girl with gray eyes, brown hair and one arm. Lila was struggling to carry her big and heavy bag. If you looked closer you would notice she tightly clenched a piece of paper in her arm and was very happy to be in the forest. She didn’t notice blond haired Abigail staring at her, maybe it was because she was too exited or maybe because Lila was used to people freaked out by her appearance.  The stones in the camp were normal but to her they seemed rounder and the dark grass seemed greener.  She noticed how beautifully everything was painted and how well everything looked together. She knew it would look great on a painting because even thou she was only 7 she loved art and was great at it, loads of the people in the adoption center praised her for it.  The reception hut where Abigail was few minutes ago was occupied by a plump woman and her daughter. She sat on a bench in front of the hut and took out a copy out of her bag. She started sketching and didn’t even notice when the mother and child went out and Anna came up to her. Anna seemed different than other people she looked at Lila like she was normal and didn’t seem to care about her arm.

“You must be Lila nice to meet you, you’re a great artist, I absolutely love your picture”, Anna said in a warm voice looking at Lila’s copy and shock Lila’s hand.

“Hello and thank you, is this where you drop the forms miss?”, Lila asked quietly.

“Yes, come on in and call me Anna”, she answered.

         When the paper work was done Lila went to her new home for the summer and in it found Abigail unpacking herself.

          Erika also went alone because her granny was too weak to go with her. She thought that was great because she could run away without her granny being there and do something that had nothing to do with the camp for the next few weeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it because she kept remembering how proud her guardian was when she walked to the bus station. She had another great plan; she pretended to drop her admission sheet and pretended not to notice so nobody accused her of not wanting to go. She didn’t have luck with that plan either because people kept saying things like “look, you dropped this” or “I this yours, you don’t want to miss such fun”, one person even accused her of littering. The whole problem was that she hated the idea of going to the camp.  She hated legends because she was a very realistic thinker. The thing that scared her the most was that she might actually change which was doubtful but possible. Even thou Erika was not a tiny bit creative she could imagine the owner of the camp looking down on her but Anna didn’t. The twelve year old was surprised when Anna wasn’t acting like she was better after reading her file but she didn’t show it, Erika as usual acted very confident and a little arrogant. She looked at the woman, she was beautiful but her brown hair was a mess. Erika left her papers and went to the cabin number 3 that seemed like her most unlucky number at that time. It was very warm but a little windy so her black hair kept covering her pail face and small green eyes. When she opened the door and saw two girls in the cabin she said “ Oh great, so now not only I have to go to this camp, I will have to live with these two” in her head and she was so angry she didn’t even notice Lila’s missing limb.

            Suzie was so exited she couldn’t sit still in her car sit.

-Dad don’t call me your muffin in front of everyone please! – Suzie asked politely.

 -Won’t, can I call you Suzie or maybe I should call you my baby. - Her dad said laughing.

- OMG dad, just call me Susan, k. - she answered to her dad’s joke that she didn’t like.

         The radio was playing loudly and Susan’s dad was badly singing to it. The music didn’t stop her from falling asleep and when she woke up they were on the camp’s grounds. She tied up her dark hair into a plat and put on her anti animal cruelty, organic lip-gloss.  Her parents had a lot of money but you couldn’t see it looking at them or their clothes, house or car because they give most of it away to charities helping animals and the environment. Everything in her house was made from recyclable material so as the camp which made her very happy and even her car was eco-friendly. They walked down an alley surrounded by loads of flowers and trees and she could name every single one of them and that’s exactly what she did impressing her that with her knowledge. She kept seeing animals and birds hidden well enough for most people to miss. She felt like that was where she was meant to be. Her dad dropped of the papers and kissed her tan chick before leaving her to go have fun in the camp. For a second she felt lonely but then she saw a rare butterfly and got carried away into her own imaginative and beautiful world. She loved the lovely smell of the forest and the diverse colors of the environment around her. If she could she would run after a squirrel or a fox but she knew she needed to unpack herself and she was excited about meeting her new roommates. 

Myth Camp-chapter 2

                                         Chapter 2
 

                   Of course it was not easy for Anna to open the camp and she had many difficulties to overcome, but she was not alone, she had her forest friends. She started working as a waitress in a small burger place and rented a room in a motel near the forest. She then with a little luck she got a better job after a while she started working in a hotel as cleaner and started earning bigger money. It was not enough to open a camp, it was barely enough for her to save anything after paying her bills and buying food. Of course Anna was too dedicated to give up her dream. She was a very hard working and stubborn. Every week she went to the forest with treats for the only people (well not exactly people) that never failed her. The next job she got was very good and thanks to that job the camp was opened. A very wealthy family was looking for a babysitter for their two kids and when they saw how nice Anna was to them they decided to hire her. The young girl took the job and worked 5 days a week taking care of 3 year old twins Pamela and Markus. After working for 2 years Anna became best friends with the mother of the kids, Catherina. Catherina was a very independent woman and knew how to take care of her own business because her husband always went to places all over the world and sometimes had to work there for over a month not coming home. When Anna’s birthday came her boss and her best friend that knew what her dream was gave her the money to buy a big piece of land big enough for her and her friends to live on and open a camp. Of course Catherina did not believe in any of the things Anna did but she wanted her friends dream to come. She didn’t only give her money for the land she also gave her money for whatever she needed to built and get for the camp.

“I can’t take that, Catherina that’s a lot of money”, Anna said

“Not for me, anyways it’s been you dream forever Anna”, Catherina answered.

“Thanks, but are you sure?” Anna said with a smile on her face because she was happy.

“A hundred percent sure, good luck”, Catherina ended the conversation and left the room

           That was how Anna got the money but that was only the beginning of opening a camp.

           Next Anna had to get electricity and water (her best human friend hired her a crew of great workers to do it, her friends were not capable of doing things like pluming), paint the place (she and her friends did it very well) and build everything she needed to open a camp. She saved money because she did not need to hire anybody for building, her friends worked for her and they did it for free. They built a big hut where meals would be served, she built huts where girls could sleep, an office, a terrace, a dock at the lake and of course she fenced the whole area because she didn’t want any uninvited guests to see what goes on in the camp. She and her helpers also built a lovely entrance gate. She had to also build fake environments like a snow world and a dessert which had glass walls and roofs around them.

              Next she had to order furniture. Anna was a very eco-friendly and that is why most of the furniture she bought was made from recyclable materials. She put 4 beds in each sleeping hut. She put lovely tables in the cafeteria and supplied the kitchen with the best things she could. The terrace was furnished with hammocks, benches and a grill. Her office had things any office has. After the camp was filled with furniture Anna decorated it. At the end it looked great. She designed brochures with the help of Catherina and her children who were already 4 when she finished building. Catherina also organized an advertisement in the paper and on television. That’s how most people found out about it. Anna also started a website and everything was ready for the next month when the girls were coming.

(Hope you like it because I had a great time writingt this but these next few chapters I wrote long ago and now I'm working on chapter 6)

Myth Camp- Chapter 1

                                         Chapter 1
 

                             Susie woke up early in the morning. She knew that because the sun was still hiding behind the mountains. She was very excited about a certain thing that would happen when her parents wake up. She couldn’t sleep; the clock seemed to move very slowly. The little girl got up at looked at her bag, her mum packed it 2 days before and checked it a few times but Susie still opened the bag to see if everything she needed was in it. She sat back up on her bed and read the brochure that she read many times before. “A magical experience at The Myth Camp. Improving children’s creativity and social skills.” she read quietly.  Of course both Susie and her parents knew she didn’t lack neither of the above, but the 11 year old begged them till she was allowed to go because she loved adventures and wildlife. The girl liked animals (It was probably because her family owned a zoo) and adventures but nothing could prepare her for what was about to happen whenever it got light.

                          Unlike Suzie, Erika woke up as late as she could and her granny had to go to her room a few times before the girl got up. She dreaded what was going to happen very soon. She loved her granny and listened to everything she said. That’s why Erika’s grandma felt very confused because it was the first time her granddaughter was angry with her. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about Erika’s bad behavior. She was always very cheeky to everyone except her granny, was mean to kids at school and nearly never did things she was asked for.  Her granny didn’t think her angel was bad she thought Erika was misunderstood and sad. That’s exactly what was wrong with Erika her parents died when she was 6 years old and now the 12 year old was struggling. She thought that if she had to be sad why were other people happy and that’s why she made their lives worse. Her teacher told each other how Erika was the stupidest girl they had to teach and that she had absolutely no talents. They were very wrong, Erika was very smart, but she didn’t try and when she sang everyone that heard her felt happier, but she would never try out for the school choir because according to Erika it was lame.  Her only friend was a beagle that lived with her and her granny for many years in their small, cozy house. “A summer camp for children over 7 and under 15. Manny fun activities including a daily walk to the forest to teach children how to interact with nature.” Erika read slowly before throwing the pamphlet into her bin. She knew her granny wanted the best for her but the girl was not at all happy with her granny’s idea.  On the other hand she understood that it was all her fault because she was not very creative and you could not call her very social and that’s the reason granny Margaret picked the “Myth Camp” not a the “Karate for girls camp”.

       Lila like the rest woke up with a certain thought on her mind. She felt proud because she with nobody’s help saved up the money to go to the camp. She woke up when she heard the alarm on her clock. She wanted to get up earlier but her roommates made a lot of noise that evening and didn’t let poor Lila sleep. The girl was used to that because she spent her whole life living with the two girls that shared a room with her in the orphanage. Her mother was still a teenager when Lila was born and gave her away because she didn’t want her. Nobody wanted her even thou young children are usually adopted first. Maybe it was her big grey eyes that didn’t seem to be the right size for her pale little face, maybe it was the “rags” she was wearing or maybe it was that Lila had no right arm since the day she was born and all the workers pitied her because they knew she was a lovely child. She got up checked if the money was in her purse and when she knew it was all there she put on her slippers and went to the bathroom. She could not wait to get out of the noisy orphanage for the summer.   

     Abigail rang the golden bell 2 times, sat up on her water bed and waited for the maid to bring her pancakes and tea on a silver tray. The girl’s dad was a rich business man and her mum was a model. She lived in a mansion so big that it would take another book to describe how beautiful it was and tell you at least 2 lines about every room in the house. She was very spoiled and got everything she wanted, she didn’t exactly have no friends, she had many girls that came to her house to play, but I’m not sure they real friends or did they pretend to be just to use her to get stuff and do stuff their parents could not afford.  After eating she got dressed into designer clothes and sat in a chair and started thinking what color of earrings matched her outfit the best, she was 14 and style and her chihuahua Diamond were all she cared about. She hated her older sister and competed with her all the time, the sisters also made each other’s lives harder, but what her sister did on Abigail’s birthday crossed the line. Everyone knew that the spoiled brat hated dirt and nature and no one could imagine such a bad present to give to her. She found a ticket in an envelope she got of her sister and was about to throw it out because she saw it was about a camp near a forest she definitely did not want to go to but then something happened and she was forced to go.

“When I got it I thought of you sis, don’t throw it away,” she said in an angels voice and gave an evil grin in Abigail’s direction.

“Go to that camp!!! I rather go to hell SIS”, she answered angrily

“ Don’t be mean to your sister she gave you it as a present and your going and that’s it Abi”, her parents said and sent her to her room because they believed her sister’s lie about how she thought the girl would like it.

That is how she was in her room saying bye to her dog and ready to go to the camp of nightmares as she called it. All the other three girls were on their way to the camp too.

(Hope you like it and I will post more tomorrow. By the way I'm reading "Dark Visions".

 

"Myth Camp"- prologue

                                            Prologue

Every parent that ever lived knows that children have a great imagination and believe in things that adults don’t. They see things like fairies; hear things like footsteps at night and kids treat life like a big adventure.

         When Anna was a little girl she would go into the forest and come back with interesting stories about a furry Sasquatch she played skipping with her or a sparkly fairy that thought her dancing. Not only she wrote and told stories of mythological creatures she also drew them with great detail. Her parents thought that when their daughter would grow up her wild and magical friends would disappear but her creativity grew even more. When Anna turned 12 and still believed in things most kids grow out of her parent forbid her to go to the forest. She hated them for it and still sneaked out to the forest to see her friends. When Anna turned 18 she moved out and even though she was no longer a child she still believed in cryptids. Her dream was to open a camp that she could invite children to learn about her life time friends. 

(Sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes but english is not my first language and any critism and comments are appreciated)