camp || hemmings au

three

After being at the camp for almost a week, I had grown accustomed to the loud teenagers and the constant activities that were planned. Over the past few days, we had went on a hike through the woods, played a bit of soccer, and went canoeing again. Everyone had a good time the first time we did it so we decided to do it again. Well, everyone had a good time aside from Luke.

But today was our day for free time and I found myself wanting to just spend the day lounging around, maybe read a book or something. My mom still hadn't called but I wasn't shocked. I hadn't actually expected her to call anyways.

I stepped into the huge lodge and walked over to the sitting area. I looked around the room, not really searching for anything. The television was on a random channel and only a few people were actually paying attention to it. I was still surprised that the thing was able to get reception. I scanned the room some more and saw a familiar head full of blonde hair sitting on the couch reading a, you guessed it, comic book.

"Hey." I greeted him as I sat down beside him on the red sofa. Luke looked up at me and smiled. I really didn't think he would hear me, seeing as how he spaces out a lot.

"Hey, Caroline." He said, laying his book down on the table in front of us. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just thought I would lounge around some. I don't know what else there is to do." I told him as I laid my head on the back of the sofa.

"Do you wanna do something with me?" He asked me. I lifted my head and peered at him, suddenly interested. I thought Luke was pretty cool and I wouldn't mind spending time with him.

"Like what?"

"Well," Luke thought for a second, taking his lip ring between his teeth. I found that attractive and caught myself staring at him. In the last few days that I had spent with Luke, and our group, I had found myself staring at him multiple times. In a way it was hard not to. "C'mon!" Luke said abruptly, startling me. He jumped up from the sofa and grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him and out of the lodge.

"Where are we going?" I questioned. Luke dropped my arm and shoved his hands in his pockets. I think he realized we were making physical contact and kind of freaked out.

"You'll see."

I jogged up so that I was walking beside him. "Seriously, where are we going?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you must know," he sighed, "We're going to the little kids' camp."

"How?" I furrowed my eyebrows together. "They won't let us in, will they?"

"Yeah they will," he said, "But they're not allowed over here. You're not allowed over here unless you work at the camp. I think they're afraid the kids will drown in the lake."

"So, the smaller kids don't get to go canoeing or swimming?" I asked. I would think that was what the smaller kids would like to do the most and them being deprived of that just seemed unfair.

"Sometimes they do but not a lot." Luke shrugged.

We approached the gates and the man guarding them, who I had learned was named Robin, smiled at us. He was a tall man, but a few inches shorter than Luke. He had dark drown hair and bright blue eyes. I figured he was maybe in his early thirties.

"Hey, Robin." Luke grinned at him, revealing his white teeth.

"Luke." He nodded. Robin looked over at me. "Caroline, right?" I nodded and he smiled. "What do you two need?"

"We were just going to give Michael a visit." Luke told Robin.

"Fine with me." Robin shrugged, typing the password in the keypad so that the gate would open. The gate opened fully and Luke and I walked through, sending a wave over our shoulders to Robin.

"Are we really going to see Michael?" I asked Luke as soon as we were of safe distance so Robin couldn't hear.

"No," Luke shook his head. "He's probably busy."

"Then, where are we going?" I asked Luke again. I was starting to become annoyed with the fact that he wouldn't tell me where we were headed.

"Its a surprise." Luke smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him and groaned. "I don't like surprises."

Luke laughed a hearty laugh and looked over at me. "You'll like this one."

-•-

"I thought you said I would like it." I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, not pleased with the outcome of the small journey. Luke had dragged me through the woods and multiple spider webs just to show me a log in the middle of a clearing.

"You don't like it?" Luke seemed offended that I wasn't as enthusiastic about the place as he was.

"I just don't see the big deal about a log." I shrugged. Luke sat down on the log and patted the area next to him. I sat down beside him and he stared straight ahead.

"When I was little, I used to come to this camp every year and I still do. But back then I was in the children's part of the camp. I snuck off one day and found this place. I would come here everyday after that. Sometimes I would get in trouble for sneaking off but I didn't care. I just liked this place a lot." He paused for a moment and let out a soft chuckle. "I used to bring Calum here until he told me that he hated it."

It was crazy how Luke was telling me this because he seemed kind of closed up. I had figured that maybe he was at the camp for depression but since he said that he had been coming to the camp since he was little, I ruled that out.

I had been trying for the last couple of days to figure out what each person in my group was at the camp for. I already knew Ashton had been there for depression, since he had told me and I knew that Elizabeth was there because her step mom was the head of the camp. But Calum and Luke were hard to figure out. Calum was always happy and smiling, but he could have just been good at covering his pain. Luke was a mystery, one second he was smiling and the next he was spacing out. He really confused me.

"You know," Luke looked over at me, "I don't like the camp." I was surprised by his words. From what I had seen he seemed to enjoy it. "That's why I would sneak off. I still do sometimes."

"I thought you liked it," I said, "You seem like you do."

"I like the people here and the time I spend with them, but not the camp. Its just so..." Luke trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Concealed."

Luke didn't say anything after that and neither did I. We sat in silence for a while, just looking at the nature surrounding us. Sometimes I would glance over at Luke and he would have a blank expression on his face, which told me that he was spacing out again.

I was happy that Luke had showed and told me about his special place. I felt like it was something he had never mentioned to anyone else before. I wasn't sure why he had decided to tell me since we had only met a few days before, but he confided in me and that was all that mattered.

"We should probably get going," Luke spoke suddenly, making me jump a little but he didn't notice. "They'll start wondering where we are and then they'll come looking for us. That won't be good." He chuckled at the last part. He stood up and I reciprocated his actions.

"I bet that hasn't happened to you before." I said sarcastically.

"A numerous amount of times." He laughed, walking towards the trees that we had came through. I followed behind and then stopped to speak.

"Luke?" I said. He stopped walking and turned to look at me.

"Yeah?"

"I do like it." I smiled at him. He gave me a small smile and a shrug before turning around to continue walking, with me trailing along.

"I knew you would." Luke called over his shoulder.