Lost Treasures

Three

ASPEN

Packing for camp was much easier this year because I'd decided not to go all out. This year, I would be on the yellow team, and yellow was not my color. In previous years, I'd packed bandanas, socks, bracelets, you name it in my team color. But this year, I just folded a few yellow T-shirts and placed them in my suitcase with some more neutral tones.

"Hey Aspen, do you have any yellow stuff I can borrow?" My fourteen-year-old sister poked her head in my room, her eyes expectant.

Somehow, I'd been placed on the same team as my annoying 9th-grade sister, Eden. How was I supposed to survive this week with her constantly breathing down my neck about how excited she was for her first year?

"No, Eden, I don't have anything for you. We're on the same team, remember?" I said dryly. "Obviously, any yellow I have, I have to use for myself."

"Well geez, you don't have to be rude about it." Eden looked hurt as she walked back to her room.

I didn't mean to be so hateful towards her, but I was already feeling irritated for the simple fact that my parents were even making me go to this camp again. It was the summer after my junior year of high school. I could be using this summer for volunteer hours, or something useful for the NHS program. But instead, they were taking a week out of my summer for a dumb church camp.

And worst of all, my twin siblings were coming this year, which meant overly-animated freshmen jabbering away the whole ride there. Eden's twin, Leviticus ("Levi" for short), was slightly more mature than she was, so I could appreciate that, at least. I knew he would at least give me my personal space.

When we got to the church where everyone was gathering to head to camp, I felt a small wave of panic. There were so many people. We had a huge church, and there were at least 150 youth going to Encounter this year. The camp would be swarming with people! I felt sick to my stomach.

"Aspen, hey!" I heard my friend Hilary's voice call out to me, and turned to see her waving. We were on the worship team together, and went to the same school, so she was probably my best friend in the youth group.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just SUPER excited, aren't you?!" she squealed. Hilary was one of those very genuine Christians who was obviously devoted to Jesus. Part of me wished I could be like her again...

"Maybe not as much as you are," I responded, laughing off the pressure. As always, I pretended like everything was fine, like there was no place I'd rather be, like I actually wanted to be around these people.

But in reality, they just made me feel worse about myself because of how good they all seemed. Didn't anyone else have doubts? Or was that just me?

"What team are you on this year?" Hilary asked, taking my mind off of the subject.

"Ugh, yellow," I replied, rolling my blue eyes. "You?"

"I'm on green."

"I wish I'd gotten blue... Levi's on that team. Maybe we could switch, and he could be stuck with our sister instead of me."

Only Hilary knew how much I despised my siblings. "Oh, no. They put you on the same team as Eden?"

"Yeah, and I'm not too happy about it. She couldn't be happier, though."

"That's kind of cute, that she wants to spend time with you. She's probably nervous about her first year."

I nearly choked. "Are you serious? She's practically bouncing off the walls, she's so ecstatic. There's no way she's nervous about this."

"You never know," she said with a shrug.

Whatever, I thought. I didn't want to think any more about my sister, or my brother.

So as we boarded the buses, I intentionally got on a separate one from them and found a seat in the back where I could sleep without anyone watching me. Hilary sat with her other friend in the seat just ahead of mine, so I tried not to focus on their girly chatter as I drifted off to sleep.

EMORY

"Thanks for dropping me off, Grandma," I said, giving my grandmother a kiss on the cheek. It's not like I had the choice of driving myself, anyway, since I still didn't have my driver's license, but I still wanted to thank her for taking care of me.

I opened my door, then pulled on the rear passenger door of the minivan, waiting as it opened. Ezra was babbling away inside, strapped into his car seat. I gave him a kiss on both cheeks, nuzzling up and whispering "be good" into his ear. The three-year-old was my pride and joy, even if I didn't always show it.

"Bye, Ezzy," I said as I prepared to close the door. Then, before I could turn away and regret it, I whispered three more words.

"Mommy loves you."