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Chapter 1

"Alright, girls, let's get up and at it!" Our cabin leader Kaylee clapped and walked around the small room, poking girls and urging us to get out of bed! Breakfast is at 8:00!

"Let's go, Jay, don't want to be late!" She climbed up the first few steps on the ladder leading up to my bunk and slightly shook my shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I got it." I swatted at her hand.

"Jay! Hey Jay! Get your butt out of bed! Don't want to miss breakfast or you won't get to eat till lunch at noon!" My best friend Hazel leaned over from her bunk and slammed her pillow down on my head.

"Cut it out! I'm getting there, just like three more minutes!" I complained.

Somehow Hazel managed to drag me out of bed and forced me to get dressed in my usual Jean shorts and gray tank top. I twisted up my long brown hair in a high ponytail and sat down on my bunk as I waited for everyone else to get ready.

"Follow me ladies! Casey, Leanne, you look fine. Stop looking at yourself in the mirror, your hair looks the same as usual. Okay? Alright. Vamos!" Kaylee spun on her heel and marched out the door with the rest of us, about twelve girls between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, following.

The lunchroom was already crowded with teenagers, both male and female. Counselors herded us to our tables, trying to make sense of and control the chaos of a hundred bodies.

I heard Kaylee's sharp voice and blindly made my way towards it in the sea of torsos. I'm really short for my age, so crowds were never a real favorite of mine.

Hazel led the way to our usual table, by the windows overlooking Lake Kaio. We took our seats near the end next to Claire and Brooke, two other girls we met at the camp.

"Hey guys! Know what's for breakfast?" Hazel swept her long, almost white-blonde hair over her shoulder, peering around the room.

"No idea. I couldn't care less though; the food here is amazing!" Brooke exclaimed.

"I totally agree," I said, drinking from the glass of ice-cold water already set out on the thick wood table.

I almost spit the water in Claire's face as I felt someone jab me lightly in the side. I turned to look, as Matthew Cassio slid onto the bench next to me and his best friend Jackson Guss took a place next to Hazel on the end.

"Hey girl, wassup?" He grinned and draped his arm over my shoulders, leaning my small frame against his large side.

"Umm... Nothing really, it is only like eight in the morning." I rolled my eyes at Hazel and quickly mouthed Get him off me and she tried not to laugh and acted very interested in the ice cubes in her water.

I had to admit, Matthew was a very attractive boy, but as far as I'd seen his main goal in life was to get laid with as many girls as possible. Even if this was the case I couldn't help but feel the lightness of my damn stomach.

"So... Got any plans for today?" He tucked a small, sun-lightened piece of hair behind my ear and leaned close to my face.

I casually brushed his hand away and shrugged as he removed his muscled, evenly tanned arm from my shoulders. "Yeah, a few."

I heard the metal tray of food slammed onto the table by Kaylee. "Alright people, dish up! Take a plate, pass 'em down!"

I was grateful for the distraction as I was able to take a deep breath to stop the pounding of my heart as Matthew turned the other way to survey the breakfast we would be eating.

We piled eggs, bacon, and waffles into our plates and hungrily began eating.

"God, what a creep," Hazel whispered through a mouthful of cheesy eggs as Matthew and Jackson moved to another part of the table to sit with their main groups of friends.

"Yeah, I know right?" I swallowed a bite of waffles and sipped my water.

"Although," Hazel said, "He's pretty hot."

I raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, true."

We scarf down the rest of our food; at camp we only get three huge meals a day so it was always best to eat as much as you could at each meal. Hazel and I filled our plates with seconds and finished eating within the half hour.

"So what actually are you planning today?" Claire asked as she ran her fingers through her brown bob cut.

"I was thinking we could go cliff jumping over at the peninsula," I said.

"Oh my god that sounds so fun!" Hazel turned to Brooke and Claire. "You guys should come too!"

"Okay! What time should we meet there?" Brooke asked.

"Maybe like 9:30? Just right after breakfast. I mean, it does take a bit of time to get there. Actually should we meet at the Intersection?" I said.

"Yeah, sure. At 9:30 still?"

"Sure."

"Alright breakfast is ending soon." Hazel tossed her long hair again. We talked for the next fifteen minutes or so and then stood and shuffled along with the rest of the crowd back to our cabin.

I changed into my favorite bikini; a coral-yellow one with a four string pattern going across my back and three more that tied at the back of my neck. I put on my jean shorts over my bikini, threw on a sheer crop top, and grabbed my swim bag and headed out the door with shades on and Hazel close behind.

"I can't believe that the weather's been so clear lately! Very rare for the Pacific Northwest," Hazel commented, peering through the evergreen treetops glowing gold with the new morning light.

"I know! And it's even been warm, instead of when it's all sunny and cold." I rolled my eyes as we hiked down the incline towards the Intersection, where the five main roads and overall weaving web of trails at Camp Kaio came together.

Hazel and I sat down on a huge boulder and within five minutes Claire and Brooke showed up. We immediately started the somewhat tedious, although very scenic, hike up the hill next to the lake.

As I watched the sun hovering brightly over the tops of the dark trees across the lake, I thought, another day in paradise.