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chapter one - off to the races

Daisy was running late, as usual. Her suitcase lay half-open on her bed, clothes tossed in with no organization. She frantically shoved in a few last-minute items. Her older brother Hudson stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold. "You pack like you're going to a rave, not camp," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes as he sees the colorful tutus in Daisy's suitcase. "Pretty sure they have pants you can borrow instead of wearing those." Daisy shot him a glare. "Funny. I'll remember that when you need something baked in a crisis." He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. No need to get violent. Just don't forget your sunscreen this year, pasty." "Whatever, Dad," she shot back, rolling her eyes.

Downstairs, her mom was already waiting, car keys in hand, tapping her foot impatiently. "Ready? You have 10 minutes to get to the bus stop, and its 15 minutes away." "Almost!" Daisy shouted, dragging her suitcase down the stairs with more force than necessary. She gave her house one last glance. It was going to be nice to get away, especially after the drama last year with her dad and stepmom. Camp Pinewood was her escape, the one place where things weren't messy.

The ride to the bus stop was mostly quiet, except for her mom's occasional glances in the rearview mirror. "You sure you're ready to go back this year?" Daisy nodded. "Yeah. Last summer sucked, but this year... I want to." Her mom smiled, though it was a little sad. "I'm glad you're getting back to it. But you know if you need anything-" "I know, Mom. I'll be fine." Daisy shifted in her seat, resisting the urge to tell her mom to stop worrying. Pinewood was the one place that actually made sense. She needed to be there.

When they pulled up to the bus stop, the big yellow camp bus was already idling, kids piling in with excited shouts. Daisy hugged her mom quickly before grabbing her stuff. "Bye, Mom!" Her mom gave her one last tight squeeze. "Have fun, honey. And text me when you get there, okay? Also, no drugs or alcohol, or getting pregnant!" "Got it, do drugs, drink and get pregnant." Daisy said sarcastically, leaving the car

And just like that, Daisy was on the bus, finding her seat next to her best friend Lola, who was already going on about how her mom packed three bottles of bug spray, convinced the mosquitoes at camp were organized and plotting an uprising. Daisy leaned back, a smile creeping onto her face as she watched the familiar streets of her town fade away.

Once the bus pulled into Camp Pinewood, it was like stepping back into another world. The lodge looked as familiar as ever, she could see the new dorm style building called The Hive, where the Councilors in training and alumni who visit during alumni week stay. Seeing the soccer field and gaga ball pit took her right back to her summers when she was young and came to Pinewood.

She spotted Cassie and Hannah right away. Cassie was already hatching a plan to prank the boys' room, while Hannah gave Daisy a tight-lipped smile. "Welcome back to chaos," Hannah said dryly, raising an eyebrow at the younger campers screaming and running around.

"I'm so happy to be back" said Lola, stepping up beside her. She adjusted her neon-pink Buckeyes bucket hat, that she got last fall during a road trip to the closest Buckeyes to them which happened to be 6 hours away. "I'm so ready for a hot summer fling. Maybe I'll see if Miles is here, he was my first love after all." Back when Lola and Daisy were 8. Daisy dared Lola to kiss Miles Brant, a freckly boy in the cabin next to theirs. "Remember him telling everyone who would listen to him that you two had been secretly dating all summer" remarked Daisy "Well it was a crazy passionate kiss, if I'm remembering correctly, so can you really blame him." Daisy just laughed and rolled her eyes at Lola's antics

"Yeah, you bailed on us last year, we all thought you got knocked up and ran away to join the circus" Cassie chimed in, swinging her duffel bag onto her shoulder. "We had to survive without you. Do you even know how many arts and crafts disasters we could've avoided if you were there to take over?" They rounded the corner to the front of the Hive to see Jamie. "Hey, Jamie!" Lola shouted, waving enthusiastically at their RC, who was standing outside the Lodge, clipboard in hand, looking overwhelmed by the chaos of opening day. Jamie looked up, their face lighting up as they spotted the group. "Ah, the Huckelberry Cabin dream team has returned. I was beginning to think you all abandoned me for good." "Only Daisy," Cassie teased, elbowing her. Jamie raised an eyebrow at Daisy. "And what's your excuse for last summer, huh? Too cool for us?" "More like too stuck at home," Daisy replied with a shrug. "My dad and stepmom were in full soap-opera mode, so I got stuck being the peacekeeper." "Yikes," Jamie said with a sympathetic wince. "Well, you're here now. And that's all that matters. I've got your room assignment, the Fig room. It's the first room on the second floor of the Hive. If you're still up for being a CIT, that is?" "Definitely," Daisy said, a small thrill running through her. This was her shot. She was finally going to get the chance to be a counselor-well, kind of. Jamie handed over the key, grinning. "Cool. Welcome back, Daisy."

They headed off toward the porch of the Hive, chatting about who they thought might still be working at camp this year. Cassie was deep into speculating whether any of the counselors had dramatically quit in a fit of anger during staff training last week, when Gemma appeared at the Hive entrance, her long red hair tied up in a messy bun and a clipboard tucked under her arm. She was laughing at something one of the other counselors said, her British accent carrying across the porch like a song that Daisy definitely did not need stuck in her head.

"There's your girl," Hannah said under her breath with a sly smile. "She's not my girl," Daisy said quickly, feeling her face heat up. Gemma was a counselor. A real counselor. And Daisy was just a CIT. Besides, she hadn't even met Gemma, the only thing she knew about the red-haired girl was that her friends thought that they would make a perfect couple. Even though Gemma was 20, while Daisy was only 17. "Hey, Gemma!" Lola yelled before Daisy could stop her. Gemma glanced over, her smile softening into something kinder when she saw them. "Lola" she called out, nodding in her direction. "Good to see you again." Gemma greeted. "Yeah, have you met my incredible friend Daisy" Lola said pushing Daisy in front of her. Daisy shot her a look to say shut up. "I have not. Hi Daisy, I'm Gemma, I was Lola's councilor last year if you couldn't already tell" Daisy gave her a wave and a "Hi". Gemma looked at her watch "Oh shit i have to be at the beach right now. It was nice to meet you Daisy. Bye Lola, stay out of trouble, and the staff fridge please." and turned around quickly to walk down the porch stairs. "That went smoothly" Daisy said to her friends.