Camp Ithaca

Chapter One

“I really hope this is worth all the money we paid, Selin.” She taunted, looking back at her anxious daughter.

“Yea mom,” Selin says as she looks out the car window, maple and oak trees whizzing past her tired eyes. A fuzzy blur engulfs her vision and she reminds herself to go to sleep earlier next time. “I’m sure it’ll be a great experience for me.”

“Well, you’ll make tons of friends.”Her mom waves her hand through the air, gesturing she’ll have plenty.

Selin sighed, “I sure hope so…”

“So, what is it that you guys will be doing? Anything that you’re interested in, sweetie?” she glanced at Selin through the rear view mirror, watching as she begins fidgeting in her seat.

“Well there was an ad in the paper, and it said there would be swimming and canoeing. I think it even mentioned weight-lifting, but I’m guessing that’ll be for the guys at the camp. They weren’t too specific.” Selin replied, tracing a sleeping face on the smooth surface of her window.

“Ooh? There’ll be guys?? Well, you be safe, hon—“

“Mom.” Selin interrupted, groaning and erasing the finger marks on the glass.

“Sorry, Sel, I just need you to be reminded. You never know if you’ll find 'the one' and when the time comes--“

“Mom! That’s not gonna happen! I doubt there’ll be that many guys there at all.” Selin complained, crossing her arms and glaring at the back of her mother’s head.

“Okay, fine.” She sighed, turning a corner, “you just have fun, honey. I'll be working for the next few weeks, so I can't gaurantee that I will answer my cell. Do you want me to drop you off here or do you want me to go in with you.”

“Here’s fine, mom. See ya soon!” Quickly grabbing her bags, she dashed from the car before her mother could—

“I love you, Selin!!!!!” she shouted at her escaping daughter. Selin slowed down and reluctantly turned, waving goodbye at her mother. Finally, she released all the excitement she had kept inside her, showing her mom how happy she really was to be staying at Camp Ithaca. While she was waving, she spotted the camp sign a little ways to her right and a smaller red sign that she couldn’t read from where she was standing. She looked back at her mom, who was now pulling away, still blowing kisses at her. Selin waved her final goodbye and peered down at her watch, seeing she was half an hour early.

So she began climbing towards her dorm above the hill—she was going to have plenty of time to unpack and meet her new camp roommates.

**~~~~~~~~~~~**

She began taking off her clothes and changing into something lighter for the evening. The moon was slowly creeping into the sky and she thought it would be a good time to take a stroll before it got too dark.

Waltzing out of the cabin, Selin watches the large, sparkling lake from a distance. Sighing inwardly, she can tell that this is probably going to be a very long camp trip. Not to mention, her very first camp trip.

She sat down, enjoying the polychromatic sky that gleamed on the surface of the lake. She was going to have to look up the name of the lake later, she wasn't very familiar with this part of New York.

"Hey are you--" a voice says behind her.

Turning around, she is surprised to see a boy about her age, starring at her, his eyes wide in disbelief. However, he wasn't staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world, but as something that repulsed him. He seemed much more surprised than she did.