luck, a lake, and lora

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"Timothy, do not try to fit that tennis ball in your mouth!"

That was a sentence Sage never thought she'd have to say. Then again, she also hadn't foreseen that one day she'd be trapped in a minivan with seven little kids playing (a rather twisted) game of Truth or Dare as she drove around in the middle of Practically-Nowhere, Iowa. Sage took another look at the map she had spread out on the passenger seat. Camp Lake Crowpire wasn't too far away.

"Miss Sage?" Someone piped up from the back. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Of course!" she replied. Hopefully.

She wasn't sure how she got stuck with picking the kids up from the train station, especially since she was the newest counselor. Had it not been for Sage's cousin convincing her parents to make her take the job, she would've been having the time of her life in Florida. With or without her lying ex, she was sure she'd enjoy it much more than summer camp.

After 45 minutes, a burping contest, and two restroom breaks, they made it to Camp Crowpire. They bumped up the gravel parking lot, where two people were waiting. Sage had barely turned the engine off before the campers jumped out, yelling excitedly. She stepped out after them and stretched her back as they unloaded their supplies from the trunk. Sage tilted her head to one side, causing a satisfying string of cracks. She grinned and turned her head for the other side when she met eyes with another girl, who was wearing a mildly horrified expression.

Sage froze, feeling the awkwardness settle in as neither of them broke the gaze. Finally, she stuck her hand out.

"I'm Sage Quilson. I'm a new counselor this year."

The girl shook her hand. Based on her shirt that said Lake Crowpire : Staff, she was a counselor as well. "Laurel Houdini. We're leading the Clover Team; you get the boys and I'm in charge of the girls."

Without another word, she started walking away to help the kids with their sleeping bags and gestured for Sage to follow her. Laurel was about a head shorter than her and had long red hair pulled into a braid. Sage had always wanted hair long enough to braid, but she couldn't stand to let her curls grow past shoulder-length. Considering her job as a summer camp counselor, she was probably the same age as Sage was.

A mustached man looked up at them from where he struggled to stuff three pillows into one bag. He smiled widely and stood, pulling Sage into a (sweaty) hug.

"Sage," her cousin, Theo, bellowed. "We're so glad to have you this year."

"It's good to be here," she replied. That wasn't a total lie.

Theo clapped her on the back and nodded to Laurel. "I take it you've met Lora already. You two will be working together for the next four weeks, so buddy up." He went back to his pillow wrangling, gave up, and just carried the bundle down the path to the camp. The kids all followed him, leaving Sage and Laurel alone.

"So," Sage started. "Have you been working here for long?"

Laurel responded, "This year will be my third."

The only expressions that Sage had seen from her so far were Ew and I Find You Boring But I'm Polite Enough To Keep Talking To You. Sage wouldn't have minded her attitude so much if it weren't for the fact that they needed to work together for a whole month and that the little voice in the back of Sage's head kept saying We would make a hecking beautiful couple.

"I'm not planning on doing this for two more years. I'm only here now because Theo bribed me into it."

Finally, Laurel let out a short chuckle. "He's good at talking people into things."

"He sure is!" Sage found herself laughing, even though Laurel's statement wasn't all that funny. On the plus side, she was relieved that the redhead was at least capable of facial expressions. In fact, she had a rather nice smile.

They walked after the campers quietly. Sage thought of something to say to break the ice.

"My cousin called you Lora. Is that what you prefer to go by?"

Laurel thought for a bit, and said, "No. But you can call me that."

"Okay, Lora."