Camp Lotus

Chapter 4: The Washingtons

Laurens

I walk back towards the office when I see a notebook on the ground.

    I pick it up and open it to the first page.

01-11-2012

My name is Alexander Hamilton, I like to write. A lot.

I look up from the notebook and close it. I walk the rest of the way towards the office and walk in.

Alexander looks up from drawing on his arm. “Back again, Laurens?”

I hold up his notebook then lay it on the desk. “I only read the first couple of sentences, because I was looking for a name, nice hook.”

“It wasn’t meant to be a hook.”

I look around at some of the pictures on the walls. Most of them are pictures of campers and the arts group but some of them are family pictures.

I smile at a picture of Alexander sitting under a tree with a fluffy black cat climbing over his face towards the top of his head, Peggy and five other people laughing at him from in the tree.

The door opens and a woman walks in accompanied by smiling man.

“Alexander, has Laf already arrived?” the woman asks walking over to the desk.

The man stands next to me looking at the pictures.

Alexander nods. “Yes, why?”

“I have a surprise for…?”

“Her,” Alexander says.

“I have a surprise for her. I found one of my old dresses that I thought might fit her and thought she might want to recycle the design.”

“I’m sure she would love that.”

I look at another picture of Alexander, the cat, the man, and the woman. They’re all smiling and look happy.

I can’t remember the last time my family got a picture together, probably before mother died.

“That one’s from the summer before last,” the man says, “right after camp ended.”

“Who’s taking the picture?” I ask.

“Peggy, I believe. She noticed that we didn’t have a picture of just the three of us.”

“Oh, I met her outside, she seems nice.”

“She’s nice unless you try to offend her friends or sisters.”

I laugh. “I suppose that’s a good quality to have.”

“Unless you're the one who messed with her friends.”

I laugh.

“Which program are you in?”

“Theatre.”

“Hm, have you met Alexander?” He points at the desk.

I nod. “Yep.”

“I’m George and that beautiful woman over there is Martha, my wife. We own the camp.”

“Laurens.”

Hamilton

I close the drawer holding the campers list and walk towards the dining hall. I pull the string to ring the bell and flash Washington a thumbs up.

The campers file into the room and I spot Laf with the rest of the group. I walk over and smile at them.

“Alexander!” Maria yells before jumping on my back.

“Oh hello, Maria,” I say. She doesn't jump off my back. “How have you been?”

“Good.” She kisses my cheek and jumps off.

I look around and notice Peggy isn’t here.

“Where’s Peggy?”

“Here I am,” she says from behind me.

I turn around and see her almost literally dragging Laurens towards us.

Maria turns as well. She tilts her head to the side a little bit. “Who’s this? Oh, Peggy is this your girlfriend.”

I see Laurens flinch a little bit at that. Oh gods, please tell me she isn’t homophobic.

“No, this is our roommate Julia Laurens, but just Laurens.”

“What?” Eliza and Maria ask at the same time.

“I just go by Laurens.”

“Okay, campers,” Washington says standing on a table at the front of the room. “Welcome to another year at Camp Lotus! For any new campers, I’m George Washington, I own the camp with my wonderful wife, Martha. So, newcomers, your cabins were chosen randomly and so if you don’t like who you’re staying with, deal with it because we’re not moving you unless you try killing each other, which I do not suggest, --cough-- Alex --cough-- Burr.”

I hear everyone laugh lightly.

“It was only twice!” I say in defence.

“Twice?!” Washington asks, laughing.

I look over at Martha just in time to see her rolling her eyes and laughing.

After Washington is finished going over the simple rules of the camp he instructs the newcomers to meet someone and the returning campers to talk to someone they don’t know.

I turn to Laurens. “There’s something interesting about you. Something different.”

Her eyes widen in fear and she tenses up for a second then she smiles at me, relaxing only a little bit. “Oh, and what would that be?”

“I’m not sure yet but I can assure you, I will figure it out.”

She stares at me for a second in complete silence.

“Yo, Hamilton!”

Lee.

I turn around and plaster a fake smile on my face. “Charles! I’m glad to see you’'ve come back for another year!”

He smiles at me looking as if it physically pained him to do so.

Well, I couldn’t miss out on seeing my favorite fags, now could I?”

“Homophobia has no place here.”

He looks over my shoulder at Laf.

“Oh did the tranny finally figure it’s life out?”

“What did you just call her?” I ask.

“Do you mean ‘it’ or ‘tranny’?”

“Alexander!” I hear Eliza yell but I’m already attacking Lee.