Eclipse of the Chronicles

Chapter 12: Roar of the Firebolt Dragon God

The bus rumbled through the winding roads, heading for Bukit Timah Hill, the site of our annual secondary school camp. Every year, just before the school term ended, Juying Secondary would collaborate with other schools to host a joint orientation camp, and this year was no different. As a Secondary One student, I was thrilled to be part of the experience, but what made it even more exciting was that my school had teamed up with Hua Yi Secondary—Amy's school. The moment we both realized we had signed up for the same camp, we were ecstatic.

The bus was filled with chatter and laughter as students from both schools reconnected with old friends or made new ones. Amy sat next to me, her energy buzzing with excitement.

"I'm so glad you signed up for this camp too, bro," Amy said, nudging me playfully.

"Me too, sis. This is going to be awesome!" I replied, grinning.

Just then, the camp instructor stood up at the front of the bus and began making an announcement. His voice was upbeat and reassuring.

"Good morning, everyone! I know some of you might be a little nervous about being here with students from another school, but trust me, if you take that first step to get to know each other, this camp is going to be a great experience for all of you. You'll learn about nature, have fun, and make new friends along the way."

The instructor paused for a moment, allowing the excited murmurs to die down before continuing.

"If anyone gets injured during any of the activities, please let me or Stephanie at the back of the bus know. Stephanie is our first aider for the camp. Stephanie, can you wave so everyone can see you?"

From the back of the bus, Stephanie—a familiar face from my primary school days—raised her hand with a friendly smile. It was comforting to know that my old friend would be part of the camp along with Amy and me.

The instructor smiled and continued his speech.

"Now, remember, the number one rule at this camp is to stay safe and have fun! As long as you follow that, I'm sure we'll all have a great time. Is that clear?"

"Okay!" everyone shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the bus as it continued its journey towards Bukit Timah Hill, the excitement building with every passing minute.

We finally arrived at the campsite at Bukit Timah Hill. It's a popular hiking spot for Singaporeans on weekends, but recently, the Ministry of Education approved it as an official campsite. We were the first batch of students to experience camping here.

After taking attendance at the campsite, we were briefed on the agenda. Our main task was to trek the hill, covering as much ground as possible using a map provided to us. The instructors encouraged us to group up with students from other schools to make new friends during the camp.

Jessica, Queenie, Spike, and Jake were also here, with Spike, Jake, and Queenie all from Amy's school, Hua Yi Secondary. Jessica, like me, was from Juying Secondary. Amy, Jessica, and Queenie ended up on the same team, while I was paired with Jake and Spike.

Our first activity was cooking lunch. We were given ingredients like carrots, potatoes, and raw meat, along with cooking pots and knives, which we were instructed to handle carefully. There was also a cooking competition, with points awarded to the team that produced the best dish. Everyone was eager to win since there were lots of points at stake.

In the end, another team claimed victory, earning a huge amount of points. Amy, being competitive by nature, wasn't happy about the loss, but Jessica and Queenie reassured her, saying they'd catch up in the next activities. Their encouragement seemed to lift Amy's spirits, and I was relieved to see her smile again.