Camp Bottom Wood

1

Zoe mindlessly read the contents of the invitation letter on a summer camp. Nobody knows how the letter reached her and she has no idea to why a summer camp invitation is sent through her doorsteps. After receiving and reading the letter of invitation, the only thought that came to her head instantly, "I want to go summer camping"

"Zoe, you're still with me, right?" her aunt who is 9 years older than her, called out her attention.

Zoe finally snaps back to reality, looking at her aunt behind the wheel "Oh um...yeah! Definitely" she smiled. Her aunt continued to stare at her intensely, finding for an answer to something. Zoe looked around the car, though its window then said "Yeah yeah! I'll be fine at the camp! Don't worry!"

"God you wandered off again!"

"Was it something that I said?"

"I'm asking you earlier if your mom contacted you today!" she said

It took Zoe a second to relapse herself and face the humiliation "Yes, actually, minutes before you said that you're going to drive me there!"

"That's the answer that I wanna hear"

"Hey! Eyes on the road! You're going to kill both of us!"

Her aunt looked at her "I'm not going to" she said snickering

"Maudie!"

"Alright! Geez! You can't take a simple joke! And stop calling me by my name!" she finally turned her head in front of her. "I'm the best driver in the world, and you know that"

"Uh huh, says the one who made rough turns, slamming the breaks really hard! Am I in a roller coaster or in a race?!" she said ensuring her seat belt is buckled up. "How did you even get your license woman?!" 

"Shush! I'm driving...plus I taught you're fine at taking risk?" Maudie smirked

"YOUR DRIVING IS ONE OF THE RISKIEST THING THAT I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED" Zoe exclaimed from her seat "Aside sky diving which is probably the closest thing I have in death"

"What you can expect? Your parents are both working early and I'm the only ones available" she said in a-matter-of-fact tone

"Should've ask Benson to drive me there" Zoe murmured.

"What did you say?" Maudie asked

"Nothing" Zoe said as she looked at the windows, seeing how they passed a lot of pine trees down the road, and the scorching sun "I'm most definitely late on my first day in summer camp" she thought in mind.

"Hey" Maudie caught Zoe's attention, breaking the eerie silence between them. "You sure you want to go on this summer camp? I would gladly register you to Spring Falls if you want to, I just saw the campsite and it is pretty-"

"Mau, do you know why I chose to go to this summer camp other than anything else?" Zoe asked her. "It's because it is clearly directed to me, a special invitation to a quite interesting summer camp, by whoever registered me here"

"I don't know, seems sketchy to me"

"And that's the fun part of it! It's sketchy!" Maudie saw Zoe's eyes twinkle. Then turned her head forward . "My sister is so going to kill me"

"Relax, mom's not going to kill you, if she would ever kill someone from my flimsy decision is going to be me"

"I hope, I'm not your baby sitter! Plus you're 16, be mature now will you?"

"I'm making my own life choices"

"As I said...you're going to be the death of me" she shook her head in disbelief.

Moments later, Maudie stopped the car after the GPS alerted them that they received to their destination. "We're...here?"

"Whoa!" 

"Hey! Stop that!" Maudie waved her hand in front of Zoe "You're doing that face again!"

"What face?"

"The face of I-will-jump-on-a-cliff-in-any-minute" Maudie exclaimed

"I'm most definitely not! she said as she got out of the car

"Hey! Wait!" Maudie then stepped out of the car, following Zoe, who is currently taking out her bags out of the car.

"This is it! Another moment of adventure!"

"I don't know, my gut says that this so-called summer camp seems really off, and who drops us in the middle of nowhere?!" 

"You're so boring...tell your gut go have a thrilling adventure somewhere rather than going in and out of your company" Zoe assured her "Plus there is clearly a wooden sign pointing to where the camp is, I'll be fine"

"I'm coming with you"

"Nope! The discussion already happened hours ago, I don't want to show up with a guardian, I'm an independent woman!" Zoe said

Maudie's phone suddenly rang, showing that her boss is calling her "Shoot! Uh...you'll be alright by your own now, won't you?" 

"Yes!"

"Alright...I'll be off, my boss is waiting for me, but before that, one last hug?" she spread her arms wide, waiting for Zoe. She gave her a tight hug, not wanting her to let go "I'll miss you little dingbat" 

"Yeah me too"

"See you in a couple of weeks later" Maudie hopped inside her car, staring the engine. Zoe waved her aunt goodbye. As the car drove away from her, the image grew smaller and smaller until it's gone from her sight.

"Now then! Letter check! Bags, Check! Me, Check Check Check!" Zoe said affirming her things are with her. "I'm all set and ready for an adventu-" As soon as she turned behind, an eerie feeling gushed through out her body, looking down deep into the woods. She gulped thinking it was a bad idea sending her aunt off.

 "I-I'm an independent woman! I don't need help by someone older!" She looked at the sign on her right, pointing down to the camp site "Camp Bottom Wood, here I come!" Zoe said in awfully high spirits, as she marched her way towards the woods with her luggage. 

"Huh, she did came, when I warned her not to" he said gazing at Zoe who is singing to try to calm down her nerves, he then snickered. "With high spirits she won't last that much, after all, she won't step foot in the camp...Alive..."