Of Radiant Summer Skys

Chapter 1

Jaxx had always been quite the troublemaker. In elementary school, he could often be found in time out or at silent lunch. In middle school he would always wind up in detention for something or other. In his freshman year of high school, he had been suspended so many times, they had considered expelling him. This was the last straw for his parents and so they decided to send him to a sleep-away camp for the summer, hoping some fresh air would help curb his mischievous streak.

As he boarded the bus, bags in tow, Jaxx couldn't help but feel slighted. He didn't want to spend his summer in the middle of nowhere, smelling roses and doing whatever else people do at summer camp. His parents had never seemed to mind his mischief before, so why was it such a problem now? Well if they thought a few months in the woods would fix whatever problem they thought he had, they were dead wrong and Jaxx was going to prove it too! He was determined to cause even more trouble at this stupid summer camp than he ever did back home, maybe that would make his parents think twice before sending him away.

Not even planning pranks to pull and mischief to cause could distract him from the bitter feeling, and the orange haired girl seated beside him was certainly not helping his sour mood. She was clearly excited for the camp, though Jaxx didn't understand why, and seemed elated that he had decided to sit next to her.

"Hi there! I'm Charli," She says cheerfully. Her voice is high pitched and squeaky, like a ferret, or a squirrel.

"Hey," Jaxx replied, hoping if he kept his answers as short as possible she'd take the hint and leave him alone.

"I like your hair, red really suits you."

"Thanks," while Jaxx appreciated the compliment, he wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible so he could get back to plotting, Charli however had other plans.

"Say what was your name again, I don't think I caught it," She looked at him expectantly.

That's because I never gave it to you. Jaxx considered pointing that out but thought better of it and instead replied with "Jaxx."

"Nice to meet you Jaxx," she chirped, "Aren't you excited?"

"For what?" Jaxx was seriously beginning to regret his choice in seating.

"For camp silly! What else would there be?"

"Not really," Jaxx turned to face her.

Charli's expression was a mix of disappointment and confusion, and it was a few seconds before she replied, "Why not?"

"Well why should I be?"

At his question, Charli began to bounce in her seat, her energy reminding him of a small rodent. A flurry of words spewed from her lips that made Jaxx regret ever indulging her in the first place.

"Well first off, we get to explore the woods which I'm sure will be really fun, and just think of all of the cute animals we'll see! I hope I get to see some squirrels! We also get to meet new people which means new friends and maybe even a summer romance. And I'm sure the camp counselors are all really nice and have plenty of fun activities for us to do, so how could you not be at least a little excited?"

"Because summer camps are like one of the easiest places for a murderer to kill us all, I mean have you seen a horror movie?"

At this Charli fell silent and Jaxx relished in the quiet, though he felt the tiniest bit of guilt for stomping on her joy like that. He pulled a pack of gum out of his backpack and began to chew on one of the sticks, hoping it would hold him until they got to camp. It would be a little while before they arrived at their destination and Jaxx was wishing he had the foresight to pack a snack for the road.