Human

Chapter 2

     Tall trees surround Lilith' s small frame.  In an outburst of anger she had marched straight into the heart of the woods.  Trees hung over her head like malevolent guardians.   By the time she had fully realized that she was lost, she had gone several miles into the forest.  Taking count on what she knew, she sat on a fallen log. 

1.  Camp started tomorrow.
2.  Snakes were notorious, especially the deadly copperhead, in these forests.
3.  Eli was a jerk.

The jerkiest jerk. 

4.  It couldn't have been past 5pm. 

She was determined to find the camp, whether is took all night or not.  She only had a few more hours of sunlight left, and so she got up, ready to find a way. 

     Wandering roughly 20 minutes in each  direction from her starting point, she began to give up hope.  The trees were dense, and she couldn't even remember what direction the road was in. She crept up on a clearing in the trees.  There was a path in the woods.  Something told her deep in her core to follow it.
    Whether the Goddess of the Earth had helped her find a way, or whether Lilith Dawn was just stupid lucky this week, the path opened up to a large wrought iron gate.  Intricate swirls adorned the tops of the gate, and above them was sparking razor wire, so much like that of a prison.  It was like a nonsensical mix between a rich neighborhood and a prison. 
    The front gate was closed  and she went up to see a camera right above the keypad.  The technology screeched at her, and she jumped back.

    "Name," out came a jumbled mess.

    "Lilith Dawn, I  uh," she paused.  "I won the scholarship," She said with all the confidence her tired body could give her.  All she had eaten today was half an apple.

    "Confirmed, stand by," out came the demonic words wreaked with static.

    Oh and she stood by.  She stood for what felt like forever.  Watching the moon come out, and hoping she wouldn't find herself a snack for anything lurking in the forest. 

    Eventually the gate creaked open, twice the size she was, and out came a tall woman.   She was one of the most beautiful women Lilith had ever seen.  Her big blue eyes glittered with interest down at Lilith's miniscule frame. 

Why did everyone have to be taller than her?

     For a few seconds she thought that maybe this woman's hair was made of gold, as it had a high sheen to her long straight locks.  Lilith hadn't seen a lot of blondes in her life, as vampires tended to sport black or brown hair, but it wasn't just her abnormally good looks that made Lilith feel uneasy. It was her look of mischief.  She stared her down with no shame, and Lilith shrunk a little under her gaze.  Her long gray pencil skirt, and high collared white blouse made her look older than her face suggested, but considering some of the lifespans of the other races, she couldn't pin exactly how old anyone was anyway.

    The woman swiftly turned her back, beckoning for her to follow. A neighborhood of very nice houses were nestled neatly between the trees.  Each mini mansion, all identical, except the differently colored front doors.

   "Each house is designated to a different camp house," the tall woman explained looking at where Lilith looked.

  She wondered which house would be the humans.  Her face fell flat when they came to the end of the street.  A small cabin had been fashioned in between a clearing of trees, obviously not planned when the establishment was built.  No mansion for her.

   "The other winners are already inside," the woman gestured to the cabin, "My name is Aurabelle, and I'm the Fairy Camp's Counselor."  She left Lilith alone in the dark, with Vampires and Werewolves in the houses surrounding her.  It reminded her of an old style cul-de-sac.  This cabin, simple wood stacked on top of each other, didn't belong next to the multi-million dollar homes. 
   A fleeting thought that humans probably didn't belong here either was squashed by her excitement.  She was here, and despite the being lost in the woods hiccup, she was prepared to make life-long connections and hopefully become a future representatives secretary or errand-runner.  She would rather die than go back to being a blood cow. 
    She opened the wooden door to the Human's cabin, and was greeted immediately by a chipper young teen with honey-brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail with Asian facial features.  Full cheeks adorned with a small dimple on the left one.  She couldn't have been past 15 years old. 
   She took Lilith's hands into her own. "My name is Lynn," she said.  How could she still emit rays of sunshine in this world?  Like her, Lynn looked like she had worn her red blouse for years.  Seams stuck out near her collar, and a small stain was located near the hem. 
    "I'm Lilith," She said back to the young woman. 
   "Hi," Lynn said and edged Lilith further inside the small cabin.  She saw two sets of bunk beds, and a small twin bed between them, against the wall.  A small mini fridge stood by the front door, and there was another door in the corner that she hoped was the bathroom. 

    Laying asleep on the set of bunk beds to her left, were two males.  You could only see a bundle of dark red-brown hair from the small hump of blankets at the top.  On the bunk below, two black eyes eyed her with suspicion.  His dark black hair matched his scrunched eyes.  His arms were large.  Too large to not have been fed plenty of food.  Who was he? Her eyes looked toward his shirt-less chest, and noticed his abs.  It had been a long time since she had seen a human in such good shape.  It was hard to get ripped when you were starved.  The male looked capable, and she started to blush when she realized she had been staring for way too long.  

   "That's Jackson, and the guy that's asleep is Max," chirped the ever-excited Lynn.  

    "Hi," Lilith said again, in a more broad sense.  The door to the hopefully-bathroom slammed hard enough to make a loud bang.  She jumped and caught the eyes of another girl about her age.  

   "Oh, Hey. Name's Layla," the newcomer said shortly and jumped on top of the other set of bunk beds.  

   "Lilith," she said back to Layla. 

   The girl's light hair, a duller version of Aurabelle's, was cut to her shoulders.  Bite marks, that looked fresh, were scattered about her neck and chest.  She too must have come from contraction to a Vampire. Self-conscious about her own bite marks, Lilith pulled her Strawberry blonde locks from behind her head, and they fell in curls to her breasts.    What a lively crowd they were, and all the girl's names started with L, she noticed.  Lucky them.  

    Lynn sat down on the single bed, and curled up.  It was getting late, and everyone in the cabin was soon snoring, except for her and Jackson.  He was still looking at her, and it made her skin crawl.  She didn't understand what his problem was.  

   She dreamed of nothing. 

   A loud horn sounded in their cabin, and was followed by an announcement with the same static as the front gate.  They were so wealthy, their dated technology surprised her, but she remembered the whispers in town about the supernaturals being unable to comprehend the technologies, and so our societies had never advanced further than the 2000's.  

    "Please meet at the front gate for introductions and the welcoming ceremony," the face-less voice cut out. 

   Each girl used the bathroom quickly to brush their hair, and change back into their everyday clothes.  The boys didn't bother. 

They walked out together, and stood side by side at the front gate.  Every group of supernatural were looking at them.  Glaring at them.  Eyeing them with hatred.  Lilith felt small and insignificant.  

Powerless.  

Literally Powerless.

 Lilith spotted the Fairy Aurabelle, who was wearing a white gown, and she began to address the huge crowd. 

"It's welcome back for many of you," She smiled as the crowd cheered.  "As you all know, you're sectioned in camps based on your race, but five humans don't really make up a camp," she raised her arm towards them.  "So to help them transition, we will be drawing names to see which group they will belong to this summer."

Everyone in the human group suddenly felt uncomfortable.  At least three of these races thought of them as food. 

  Aurabelle had two jars in her hand, and her hand dipped into the first one. 

"Lilith Dawn," She said loudly, and then stuck her hand into the other jar.  "Vampire Camp," she roared.  Lilith froze.  

"F***," she said under her breath, and that was all she could muster.  Lilith Dawn was sick and tired of dealing with Vampires.  

Layla and Lynn were put into the Faerie Camp, and Max was unfortunate enough to be put into the Werewolf camp.  Curiously though, Jackson was just as unlucky as her to be put into the vampire camp. 

Everyone grew silent, solemn even.  This caused Lilith's stomach to drop.  What scared the supernaturals so much?

"Who's ready for our first camp activity," Aurabelle said gleefully.  No one cheered this time.  No one was even moving.   "I need all the newcomers to follow me into the forest," she paused, "It's our annual Trial by Fire."

Trial by Fire?