Camp Crescent Moon ⤖ applyfic (closed)

✷ chapter two ✷

☾☾☾

Approximately 76 Hours Remaining↞

One Day Later

The rule was this: Counselors at the ever-popular Camp Crescent Moon were required to be 17 or older. This meant that Johnny Bennings, at a mere 16 years of age, was technically only a camper. Despite what one might think, Johnny himself was perfectly content with this arrangement. Camp counselors had a great amount of responsibility placed onto them that Johnny really had no interest in. And they didn't even get any particularly enticing benefits. Seriously, a special R-rated movie night hosted by Cass, master of all things horror, the night before all the campers left, with little-to-no adult supervision--?

Okay, well, maybe, that sounded pretty cool, but still. Not worth it at all. Johnny was more than alright with holding onto his youth.

However, it seemed that good ol' Mr. Christopher Addison had different plans. He'd been giving Johnny lists of "preliminary" counselor work all summer. And absolutely none of the benefits. It was even worse than being an actual counselor. Johnny was mostly stuck on various cleaning duties which he abhorred, while the real counselors at least got to manage fun or beneficial camp activities--like Calvin with archery, or Benny in the canteen. 

He had already convinced Cass to let him sneak into the movie, ("Fuck yeah! You can handle Trick 'r Treat, can't you?") but Mr. Addison hadn't even offered.

All in all, this was a pretty convoluted way of saying that Johnny was 0% surprised when Mr. Addison called him into his office.

The main hall... Johnny was far from an architect, but this place always made him feel small--the wide open building with a staircase on either side leading up to a small second story. There was a grand hearth in the center, currently unlit, and a historic portrait painting of... some dude named James Addison. An Addison family ancestor, to be sure, but Johnny had never paid any real attention to the camp history.

Johnny made his way up the staircase on the left, approaching Mr. Addison's office.

"--And you're sure that the van be fixed by Thursday morning?"

Huh?

It sounded like Mr. Addison was on the phone--probably the emergency-only landline that Johnny had seen in there the few times he had been permitted to enter. There wasn't a wireless cell tower for miles. No regular service at all. 

Johnny cared little for the privacy of middle-aged men, though, so he listened through the door.

"You're going to be here on time? You swear it? Dammit, Nicole, I can't believe this." A pause. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You just have to understand the situation. It... It can't happen again. So I need you to promise me that it won't. Promise me."

Mr. Addison hung up.

Johnny blinked. He hesitated for a moment, then shook that strange conversation out of his head. The door was usually locked, even when Mr. Addison was inside... Johnny knocked.

There was an audible scramble on the other side of the door, and the jingle of a messy keyring approaching.

Mr. Addison opened the door. "Jonathan! I just needed to have a little chat with you, so there's no need to come in."

"Of course, Mr. Addison," Johnny put on a bit of a fake voice. "What is it? Bedsheets need washing again?"

Mr. Addison laughed. "No, no. I just... wanted to offer you a special treat here since you've been working so hard this summer. You're familiar with the Camp Crescent Moon parking lot?"