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Description
By the time the bus pulled into the camp area, I was falling asleep. I was pretty sure that no other new kids came on the bus, but then again, I was asleep. Trying to get off the bus was nearly impossible. All the other kids pushed ahead and shoved me back into my seat every time I tried to get into the aisle. But when I finally got off…

It was beautiful. Dark evergreen trees as far as the eye could see, and the sky above was a clear blue with barely a cloud. When did it stop raining? I wondered.

I had forgotten entirely about Jessica until I heard her come up next to me. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" She said.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Amazing." And I meant it. The whole place practically sparkled with the drops left over from the rain.

"Noobies over here!" I heard a voice shout from a clearing under a large oak. I looked over to see a teenager with a bunch of younger kids under a tree. None of them had camp shirts.

"You'd better go over there," Jessica told me.

"But…" I said as she started to walk away. I hadn't realized how much I wanted her company until she was leaving. I would be all alone, and I didn't know this place at all.

"It's fine. It's just a meeting to tell all the noobs the rules about this place and to figure out which cabin you'll sleep in." Jessica said, noting my nervousness. She smiled at me. "I'll be under that pine over there" she said and pointed at a large white pine with a gnarled trunk. "Meet me there, okay?" I nodded. I began to wonder how I could have thought of her as weird.

As I started towards the group, I realized I was much worse off than I thought. All of the kids waiting for the boy's speech were around seven or eight. Usually I was good at blending into the background, but there was no way I could escape notice in this crowd.

The boy noticed me and waved me over while smile encouragingly. I sighed. I really hoped he wasn't going to turn out like one of those preppy overly preppy guys who were happy all the time. Those guys drove me nutso. Then he started the meeting.

"Hi, everyone!" He said, smiling warmly. "My name's Connor."

"Hi, Connor." All the kids said in a bored voice. Obviously they were used to this routine.

"So I'm sure you all know why you're at this camp, correct?" Connor continued, oblivious to their lack of interest. The kids nodded, and I didn't. But I didn't want to ask what he meant. I was humiliated enough at having to be at this meeting and being treated like a little kid, and sounding more clueless than a seven year old would make me even worse off.

"Good. Then I won't have to waste yours and my time going through the whole speech." I really wanted to call out that I still had no idea what was going on here, but I held my tongue. "Let's start with the cabins. What's your family, boy?"

"Wolf." What were they talking about?

"You're a lucky one. You'll be in Full cabin over there." Connor pointed.

One by one, each of the kids told Connor an animal, and Connor would point them to their cabin. Finally, Connor reached me.

"And you?"

I swallowed. Here I go. Guess I did have to be clueless after all. "Um… what do you mean?"

I cringed at the look of disbelief on Connor's face. Apparently my question was stupider than I thought. "Your family's specialty?" He continued to prod me. His question was the same one Jessica had asked me on the ride here. And once more I had no idea how to respond. So I just shook my head.

Connor looked me up and down and apparently made a decision. "We'll put you in that cabin over the-"

"Wait!" Someone called as they sprinted up the hill, cutting Connor off. To my surprise, it was a girl with perfect blonde hair, the shortest short shorts I had ever seen and her shirt tied up in a way that showed as much skin as possible without being totally inappropriate. "She can stay in Crescent for now right?"

Apparently Conner was as surprised as I was to see the girl. "Sure Emily, I guess." Then He turned to me. "You'll be staying with Emily in the Crescent cabin for now then with other Deer." He said, and then dismissed everyone.

"Um, thanks, I guess." I said to Emily.

"No problem. I hate it when the older new kids have to be treated like little kids." She flashed me a smile. I tried to smile back, but girls like her always made me wary. I'd learn not to trust popular girls the hard way.

"Well, thanks again, but I have to go." I waved towards Jessica. Emily pouted, apparently not wanting me to leave. I tried not to sound like a total jerk. "Um, I'll see you later?" That seemed to satisfy her to some extent.

"Sure." She smiled again, and then bounded away.

I walked towards Jessica.

Description
By the time the bus pulled into the camp area, I was falling asleep. I was pretty sure that no other new kids came on the bus, but then again, I was asleep. Trying to get off the bus was nearly impossible. All the other kids pushed ahead and shoved me back into my seat every time I tried to get into the aisle. But when I finally got off…

It was beautiful. Dark evergreen trees as far as the eye could see, and the sky above was a clear blue with barely a cloud. When did it stop raining? I wondered.

I had forgotten entirely about Jessica until I heard her come up next to me. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" She said.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Amazing." And I meant it. The whole place practically sparkled with the drops left over from the rain.

"Noobies over here!" I heard a voice shout from a clearing under a large oak. I looked over to see a teenager with a bunch of younger kids under a tree. None of them had camp shirts.

"You'd better go over there," Jessica told me.

"But…" I said as she started to walk away. I hadn't realized how much I wanted her company until she was leaving. I would be all alone, and I didn't know this place at all.

"It's fine. It's just a meeting to tell all the noobs the rules about this place and to figure out which cabin you'll sleep in." Jessica said, noting my nervousness. She smiled at me. "I'll be under that pine over there" she said and pointed at a large white pine with a gnarled trunk. "Meet me there, okay?" I nodded. I began to wonder how I could have thought of her as weird.

As I started towards the group, I realized I was much worse off than I thought. All of the kids waiting for the boy's speech were around seven or eight. Usually I was good at blending into the background, but there was no way I could escape notice in this crowd.

The boy noticed me and waved me over while smile encouragingly. I sighed. I really hoped he wasn't going to turn out like one of those preppy overly preppy guys who were happy all the time. Those guys drove me nutso. Then he started the meeting.

"Hi, everyone!" He said, smiling warmly. "My name's Connor."

"Hi, Connor." All the kids said in a bored voice. Obviously they were used to this routine.

"So I'm sure you all know why you're at this camp, correct?" Connor continued, oblivious to their lack of interest. The kids nodded, and I didn't. But I didn't want to ask what he meant. I was humiliated enough at having to be at this meeting and being treated like a little kid, and sounding more clueless than a seven year old would make me even worse off.

"Good. Then I won't have to waste yours and my time going through the whole speech." I really wanted to call out that I still had no idea what was going on here, but I held my tongue. "Let's start with the cabins. What's your family, boy?"

"Wolf." What were they talking about?

"You're a lucky one. You'll be in Full cabin over there." Connor pointed.

One by one, each of the kids told Connor an animal, and Connor would point them to their cabin. Finally, Connor reached me.

"And you?"

I swallowed. Here I go. Guess I did have to be clueless after all. "Um… what do you mean?"

I cringed at the look of disbelief on Connor's face. Apparently my question was stupider than I thought. "Your family's specialty?" He continued to prod me. His question was the same one Jessica had asked me on the ride here. And once more I had no idea how to respond. So I just shook my head.

Connor looked me up and down and apparently made a decision. "We'll put you in that cabin over the-"

"Wait!" Someone called as they sprinted up the hill, cutting Connor off. To my surprise, it was a girl with perfect blonde hair, the shortest short shorts I had ever seen and her shirt tied up in a way that showed as much skin as possible without being totally inappropriate. "She can stay in Crescent for now right?"

Apparently Conner was as surprised as I was to see the girl. "Sure Emily, I guess." Then He turned to me. "You'll be staying with Emily in the Crescent cabin for now then with other Deer." He said, and then dismissed everyone.

"Um, thanks, I guess." I said to Emily.

"No problem. I hate it when the older new kids have to be treated like little kids." She flashed me a smile. I tried to smile back, but girls like her always made me wary. I'd learn not to trust popular girls the hard way.

"Well, thanks again, but I have to go." I waved towards Jessica. Emily pouted, apparently not wanting me to leave. I tried not to sound like a total jerk. "Um, I'll see you later?" That seemed to satisfy her to some extent.

"Sure." She smiled again, and then bounded away.

I walked towards Jessica.