Dawn

Chapter One: Camp

I wake up. The sun shining through my window is nearly blinding me because it is shining right on my face. “Ugh”, I say while my hand is trying to block the sun from my eyes, “Why can’t I sleep longer?” I mumble to myself as I get up and shut the curtains. I run my fingers through my tangled, blonde hair and yawn. I rub my eyes and slowly move to my mirror. I sigh. I hear footsteps approaching my door. Knock knock.

“Hey, Dawn”, my mom says.

“Yeeeees?” I draw the “yes” out more than I need to. My mother knows I absolutely hate waking up earlier than I have to, even if it is ten-thirty.

“You have to get up. Today is your first day at camp.”

Camp... Camp. That word has been going around the house for about a week now. My mom wouldn’t tell me what the camp was for or what we would be doing there. The subject still remains a mystery. “Mom?” I ask.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“What is camp exactly? Why are you sending me there if I don’t know what I’m going to be doing?”

There’s a long pause before my mother answers, “Look, I want this to be a surprise for you.” I don’t know why she wants to keep this camp thing a secret, but I decide to deal with it.

“Okay. I have to get dressed. I’ll see you in a minute.”

“You too. I’m going to go make breakfast.”

“Bye mom.”

My mother’s footsteps get softer as she walks down the hallway.

I grab my brush off of my dresser and brush my mane of hair. I purse my lips. My hair has at least three inches of volume. I wish I hadn’t washed my hair last night. “Whatever”, I mumble under my breath, “I don’t care”. I pull a hair band off of my wrist and pull my hair in a ponytail. I put on a headband to calm my hair down.

I look into the mirror. I’m not the prettiest girl ever. I sometimes get compliments on my eyes and my hair but that’s about it. My eyes are green with blue around the outside edge and some grey near the middle.

My hair, well that’s different. I just got my hair highlighted. It’s blonde with some honey color and almost-bleach blonde mixed in there somewhere. It goes together pretty well.

I don’t know what to wear to this camp but I decide that since I’m probably going to meet new people, I should wear something that expresses my personality or my interests. I’m a pretty simple twelve-year-old, so I put on a Beatles t-shirt and shorts.

My parents really like the oldies genre of music, so I kind of grew up around it. My room is blue and has Beatles posters all over the walls. No. It wasn’t my parents’ choice, it was min. I also have one wall of my room dedicated to my books. Yes, I love to read. I can’t decide on a favorite series, everything I read is either I am overly obsessed, or I don’t like it…  

I walk out of my room and go to the kitchen, “Hey, mom.”

My mom looks at me. She is making bacon-pancakes, my favorite. She fries a piece of bacon and then puts the bacon in a different pan. She then pours pancake batter over the bacon and fries it like a regular pancake. It is one of the best things in the world.

“You’re making bacon-pancakes? Yes!” I smile at the fact that bacon-pancakes would be my “send-off meal”.  

My mom smiles faintly. “I would think you would want a good meal before you don’t see me again for three weeks! Am I right?”

“Three weeks?! I’m going to a place I don’t know anything about for three weeks?” My eyebrows are furrowed, “What is this place that you’re sending me to? Why won’t you tell me?”

My mom’s face is filled with concern, “Look, it’s for your own good, Dawn. It will help you. I promise. Now, eat your breakfast.”

I look at my mom and then at my breakfast. I nod my head. I eat my first bite and it was amazing. The sweet and salty mixed into one bite is just the perfect meal to send me off for three weeks. I still can’t believe I’m going to be gone for three weeks. But hey, you never know, it could be fun.