Harly

Chapter 1

"Mom," I yelled, my voice echoing through the house, "I can't find Luna anywhere! I have to be at Camp Myths of Ontario at 9:00, and it is already 7:00! Have you seen her?"

"No!" Mom shouted over the sound of the dryer, the rhythmic hum of the machine punctuating our frantic morning.

I was completely packed for camp except for Luna, my favorite stuffed animal, and seven pairs of socks, which I was washing. It might seem a bit childish to take stuffed animals to a camp at fifteen, but Luna was different - she was a piece of my childhood wrapped in soft fabric and stitched memories. She was a cherished gift from my best friend, Grace, who was practically my sister.

We were born two days apart in the same hospital room. The first time we met was on Grace's birthday, because our moms both threw us birthday parties at the same building, in the same room, and my mom forgot the time my party was and took me to the party early and we almost ruined Grace's party. Ever since then Grace and I have been best friends and practically sisters.

"Harly," Mom entered my room. "Grace's mom just called. She says you left Luna there yesterday."

"Really?" I asked incredulously, "I don't usually forget things, especially not Luna."

"I guess you just got so caught up in excitement for camp it slipped your mind," Mom replied soothingly. "If you want to take her, we need to go get her now because Grace has to leave soon."

"Ok, the washer just finished so I'm going to move it to the dryer, meet you in the car."

Upon arriving, I dashed to Grace's door, anxiously knocking. When she opened it, a warm smile spread across her face.

"Hey! I can't believe I forgot Luna."

"Yeah, you never forget her," Grace replied, leading me to her room where Luna sat on a red bean bag beside my gift to her, a bald eagle named Freedom, given on the same day Grace had given me Luna. Luna's soft form seemed to exude happiness as she greeted me, and for a moment, I felt an inexplicable spark, as if she were alive.

"Did you see that?" I questioned, bewildered.

"No," Grace said, puzzled, "What did you see, Harly?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just testing to see if you were paying attention." I lied, thoroughly confused by what I had just seen.

"Grace," her mom called from the hallway, "are you ready yet?"

"Yes, I just have to say bye to Harly," Grace responded

I looked over at her and playfully rolled my eyes and mouthed "Moms."

Once home, I raced upstairs to finish packing for camp. I ran back downstairs downstairs, my heart sinking as I checked the dryer. Of course, it still had 5 minutes. While I waited for the drier I decided to get a couple of powerful flashlights and a small box of power bars. By the time I tracked everything down and found extra batteries the drier was done.

"Mom!" I called when I was finished packing, "I'm ready to go!"

As we drove toward Camp Ontario, the landscape shifted from bustling suburban streets to the serene beauty of the countryside. Tall trees lined the road, their leaves shimmering in the sunlight, while wildflowers danced in the gentle breeze.

"Can you believe it's finally here?" my mom asked, glancing at me with a smile.

"I know! But what if I don't make any friends?" I replied, biting my lip.

"You'll be fine. Just be yourself," she reassured me, her voice steady and calm, even as the road twisted and turned beneath us.

As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed that not many people were there yet, which was surprising given that the call time was in 10 minutes. At the check-in building, my mom received the schedule for visitation, and we received a quick overview of camp activities.