End of the Rainbow

The End of Home

   It feels like the next time I wake up I'm being harassed by a child. But no, this is the second time I've woken up today.  The first was less pleasant, believe it or not.
    "UP,"  I can hardly hear. It feels like both of my ears are filled with water. 
  "It's 4:30! Get up!"  My fathers voice echoes through my brain as I start to gain consciousness and control of my body.  Without a will, I thrash my legs off of my bed and onto the ground.
   Opening my dreary eyes I see my father looking surprised. He wasn't usually the one who woke me up in the morning, so he was oblivious to my awkward ways of hopping out of bed. That honor belonged to my mother.
   I remember the promise I made to myself and I look away from my dad. The silent treatment always got me feeling guilty, so I figured it would work on my parents.
   I purposely knock my shoulder into my fathers arm as if I don't see him standing there. He doesn't seem bothered.
   I realize I had slept all the way until 5pm. 'How is that even possible?' I asked myself. Meh, It was better than dealing with the people who were sending me away.
   I make my way to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. My face is dotted with red spots, the way it always is when I wake up. My (e/c) eyes look back at me; red veins of tiredness shooting through them.  My eyes dart up to my (h/c) hair, and I know for a fact I won't be leaving it down today.  A few strands of my hair fly in every direction imaginable, some shining a brighter color in the dull bathroom light. I pull it up into a bun, not giving it a second look in the mirror. However it looked was good enough.
    My outfit was casual and basic. A T-Shirt from the brand Rip-N-Dip, with a small white cat peaking out of the breast pocket, greeting whoever he meets with a middle finger(My parents never noticed that detail.).This was accompanied by plain black shorts that had a white rims going down the side seams. (Kind of ripping off the Adidas brand, but whatever).
   I gave myself a final glance and sighed in disapproval.  I really didn't see what my friends did when they called me pretty.  I had an oval face shape that was slightly chubby, with very light freckles that dotted along the bridge of my rounded nose and cheekbones. I cover up my forehead with light bangs, which are sort of a nuisance in the summer time but still look cool.  As I notice my bangs I remember my dry shampoo. I quickly spritz some of it into my bangs, making sure the won't look greasy by the end of the day. I take the shampoo bottle with me.
   I walk into my room, dragging my suitcase behind me. It knocks against my ankles a couple of time. I hope it doesn't leave a mark, but it probably will. Mop is waiting for me by the refrigerator. I wish he understood that I was leaving, He was the one I would miss most of all. I crouch down so I'm closer to the ground.  I gently rest my palm on top of his head. 
   "I'll miss you," I say quietly, putting on the voice you use to talk to babies. He gives a quick yip in response.
   I'm about to step up to the front door, when I notice my brother sleeping on our once white couch. I smile in a sinister way.
"Bye!!!" I shout, the purpose clear in my voice. Ethan sits straight up with a sharp gasp. I watch as he tries to regain full consciousness and chortle. My mother emerges from the bathroom, I assume to scold me. I hadn't planned on saying goodbye to her, but if I must. "Bye mom,"
"Honey. Please," She begins to plead when an ear piercing *HONK* cuts through the air. I realized that either they had gotten here early, or I had taken longer than I thought scorning myself in the mirror.
"Love you," I say. I give my mom a half hearted side hug. No matter how upset I was with her, I knew it was necessary to tell her I loved her. What if she died and I hadn't told her I loved her? Morbid thinking I know, but it's the truth.
"Love you too, Honey." Her voice was filled with repentance and she didn't bother hiding it. It wasn't an ideal situation that she so suddenly threw me into, but I felt bad for my mother.
After my final goodbyes to Mop I was towing my luggage behind me, down the cracked cement of the driveway. The bus driver was an elderly woman, probably seventy or so.
"Hey there, newbie!" unlike my schools bus driver this woman seemed incredibly enthused to be in her occupation and I appreciated it. This woman had her short grey hair tucked underneath a blue baseball cap. She had a small name tag that read 'Hi, My name is:
Paulina. "Hello," I tried to sound as enthused as she was but failed miserably.
Paulina pushed a small red button near the door of the bus; It had almost illegible writing above it. Slowly a metal door lifted off the side of the bus. In its wake was a hole stacked to the top with luggage. "Yeah, 's a bit tight this year." With that sentence I noticed her southern accent.
"But you one of the last stops we made, shouldn't get much worse."
Boy, she was talkative. "Nice," I replied, for lack of a better reaction. She nodded kindly, she knew I was done with our conversation. "You can go along and find a seat."
I smiled and hopped onto the bus. I assumed Paulina had left the door open. I tightened my fingers around the metal railing for support as I put one foot onto the stair, and then the next.
The bus was congested with kids, Paulina hadn't lied when she said there were many kids this year. Looking around I couldn't see a single open seat, and no one even payed me a second glance. I recognized a few kids from my school, but they were all younger. I payed them no attention.
Sooner rather than later I found myself on the last seat right by the emergency exit door. I guess it wasn't a bad thing, in case I decided I wanted to escape. The bus seemed cleaner that my usual school bus, but yet maintained that iconic "school bus" smell.
"HEY! HEY!" A young looking boy pops up from the seat in front of me. He has brown hair that sits in a mop like form on top of his head, his face is chubby but his body doesn't seem to be.
"Uh, hi." I wasn't in much of a mood for talking, considering it was five in the morning.
"Who're you?" The boy propped his head on his palms and rested his elbows on the brownish leather seat.
"Y/N." I reply quickly, no interest in continuing the conversation.
"OOOOH! You are new!" With the 'oooh', his voice cracks about three times. From that I gather he's probably about my age, though he looks like he could be four.
"Yeah, I am." I almost have a mocking tone in my voice. I mentally scold myself, even if I was tired, I shouldn't be rude.
The chubby face disappears, leading me to believe he took the hint and ended our exchange. I turn my head to the window and rest my cheek against it, still looking out at my house. The white paneling of the outside obviously needed some repainting, and the bricks below that needed to be washed. I never realized how small it looked compared to all of the two story houses in the surrounding area, but I was still happy with our little ranch.
"I'm Cooper!" The pubescent voice rings out once again. I turn my head to the seat in front of me, but the boy is nowhere to be seen. I crease my forehead in confusion, before turning to the left.
I was right in my assumption that his face was the only chubby part of him. Other than that he looked about average size, wearing a dark blue hoodie and light grey sweatpants. I'd bet he wore the same outfit everyday.
In the light of the sun streaming through my window, I could see he had pale green eyes; they were almost lost in the fat of his face.
"Nice to meet you," I could feel myself beginning to fully wake up, probably thanks to the chill of the window next to me.
Cooper smiles contently and begins tapping his foot on the ground, jiggling the rest of his leg with it.
~
I don't even hear the bus door come to a close, so it startles me when the engine roars to life. The sound is comforting and familiar as we drive past my home. A distinct feeling of nausea washes over me as the last glimpse of the place where I'd spent all my summers passes by. No matter how annoying my family could be, I was definitely home sick already.
~
Now, the next time I wake up I feel my arm being dug into by something sharp. I want to swat it away but my body won't function. My brain feels a computer starting up, but the wifi isn't working so what's the point of the computer?
"Hey, Hey, Y/N?" Is the first thing I hear. I had expected to hear my mothers pleasant voice persuading me to wake up, but this was a sound of a teenage boy.
My eyes shoot open so fast it almost makes me dizzy.
"Oh, haha, I thought you were dead," The way this boy talks reminds me of Patrick Star from SpongeBob. I consider telling him that, but realize it's probably not the kindest thing.
"If I were dead, would telling me to wake up really help?" I try to sound annoyed, but my grogginess shows.
Cooper giggles like an infant "I guess not,"
I stretch, almost accidentally hitting his dandruff covered tuft of hair. Cooper is still tapping his foot when I'm done yawning, how long had he been doing that for?
"How long have we been driving?" I ask aloud.
"About two hours," Cooper replies, looking as excited as I wished I was.
How long had my mother said the drive was? Huh, I couldn't recall. I pull my phone out of my back pocket (which takes me a minute because the clunky case gets attached to my pants) and check for any new messages.
Stank; (stank was an inside joke between me and Sara) Hey! Do you wanna go to the mall this weekend? There's a new store I really wanna look at, maybe they have matching necklaces!
'Why is everyone so obsessed with matching clothing?' I begin typing my reply.
"Of course! I got my allowance last wee-'
I stop my thumb from tapping the last letter mid-word. 'Shit'
I delete my message and begin again.
'I really REALLY wish I could, but my parents decided to send me off to some summer camp. I'll text you every day though, I swear.' I hit send with a dissatisfied sigh.
"You know, they don't let us have our phones there," I realize Coopers looming presence over my shoulder.
I was about to scold him for eavesdropping, but I processed what he said. "What?"
"Well, only for two hours at night. Tech Time,or whatever," Cooper doesn't seemed bothered at all by how stupid that rule is.
This place was beginning to sound more like a jail than a fun place to stay for the summer. "Great," I snap at Cooper like he was the one who made the rule.
*DING* I cringe as I realize I had forgotten to turn off my ringer. I pick up my phone that was close to the size of a tablet and read;
"Stank; Whaaaaat? :( You promised!"
The moment I read the word promised my heart falls out of my chest and onto the floor.
"Me; I'm sorry! It wasn't my choice :,("
"Stank; It's okayy, I'll still tty I guess."
"Me; Yeah. Though, the second I get back, we're hanging out.
"Stank; Obviously!"
I leave the conversation there. Two hours of phone time was enough to text Sara, right? I knew it'd would suffice. I can still feel Cooper over my shoulder, I wonder if he's trying to conceal himself or if he just doesn't care.
Light comes and goes and we drive through patches of greenery and open fields, it's quite gorgeous really. We were driving near the top of a hill, and when there weren't trees in the way there were miles and miles of untouched land. It seemed to go on forever, only an occasional creek or flower dared to interrupt the peaceful cleanliness. Even through the tempered glass of the bus I could hear the tweets and chirps of birds, all different but yet all the same in some indescribable way.
~
"We're almost there!" Coopers voice shatters my thoughts.
I shake myself out of the vacant state I was in and turn my head to look out of the window. You would expect what I did, a tiny little town, with quaint tourist shops lining the boarder. Maybe there would be a town hall in the center, with a clock tower just like in old fashion movies.
But there was nothing but green. Well, and brown. It wasn't like the field we had seen god knows how long ago, just empty. No color, just green and dried of patches of it. How could Cooper even identify where we were?
"How can you tell?" I ask my thought aloud.
"Well, when I was a baby I engraved my initials into that tree over there." I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, which was semi-irritating.
"I'm joking," He defends himself, noticing my grimace.
"I guess, after awhile you just memorize the land," Cooper shrugs.
That made no sense to me. How could you just look and a shriveled up patch of flowers and say 'Yep, I know this place'?
"How long have you been coming here?" I quiz. Paulina had called me a 'newbie', I remembered. and Cooper had mentioned coming to this personal hell before.
"Eh, Since I was five maybe. I've known half these kids since then!" I was surprised he didn't have anyone else to sit by if he knew them all so well, but I didn't mention it. I felt out of place here now. More out of place than I did before, becoming more aware of the chatter that filled the small metal vehicle. They all had people they knew, would they even accept me?
I nodded mindlessly at Cooper and make a quite "Mm" sound to show I understood. I felt the wheels of the bus begin to slow and we drove atop a different terrain, by the sound of it gravel.
"We're here!" Cooper nearly shouted.
The chatter on the bus grew louder while people began to hop out of their seats. I followed the crowd, and quickly realized how stiff my legs were. It was a chore to even hop off the bus, but if I didn't I would be trampled.
~
"All 200 rooms this way!" Boomed a balding man. He stood in front of a wooden sign that had been engraved with numbers '200—>'. 'The sign is there for a reason',I thought. That guy didn't have to be screaming. I glance down at my slip of paper I had been given, 'Room 207' I look back up at the man and follow the way his finger was pointing.
The camp wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. I believed it was open to the public as well as a summer camp for children;I saw a few families heading in the same direction we entered through. A sign hung from two wooden poles, it almost scraped the top of our bus when we entered. 'Upham Woods' written in huge, bubble like letters.
The cabins I passed were small, they didn't look any bigger than a bedroom and a bathroom. Every cabin was identical. Built with wooden logs, the roof being made of bricks, a window in the front, and a tiny window on the side. The windows were lined with red, and was the rim of the roof. They looked quite old, moss growing along the sides of some, grass climbing up to the windows on others.
'205, 206, 20' I followed the numbers and ended up at a cabin with the number twenty. It confused me for a moment, but I quickly realized the number must've fallen off. The screen door was unlocked, as was the thick wooden one. I hoped they would lock it at night,otherwise this would be a perfect location for a murder mystery. I shuddered at the thought.
The interior was close to what I had expected. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling with one lightbulb burnt out. A small table sat in the corner of the room, two chairs, and a magazine atop it. In the other corner rested a navy blue cushioned chair with yellow and red shapes and designed. Nothing had any aesthetic to it, besides creepy woodsy cabin.
Finally, a bunk bed stretched up nearly to the ceiling. I was afraid of heights, and I decided for myself. I would not be sleeping on that rickety old top bunk.
I knew we would have bunk mates. I was glad to know they were of the same sex. Boys made me uncomfortable.
I took a seat on one of the wooden chairs, carefully resting my back against the wooden bars. I noticed a piece of paper resting on the magazine.
(Y/N L/N)
(Nora Pivido)
'Huh' I thought. I wondered about where Nora was, maybe she was a bit late getting off of the bus. I didn't let it bother me as I explored the rest of the cabin.
There wasn't much left to see but a rust covered bathroom and a closet. Neither had much space to store anything but it would still work. I just hoped Nora hadn't packed too much.

~
     About an hour later an announcement was made over the PAs we all apparently had in our rooms. "Boys and girls, please gather around the fire pit, please gather around the fire pit." Said a cheery mans voice. He sounded like a typical camp counselor.
    The man seemed to assume everyone knew where the fire pit was, but I did not. I stepped out of my cabin, wiggling the wooden door closed. (It wouldn't fully shut without that). Luckily the other children exited their cabins at the same time, and I was able to follow them like I belonged in their school of fish.
   The fire pit wasn't as big as I imagined it to be. It was enough, though. I was beginning to realize this camp was just a tiny bit below expectations. A large metal scrap surrounded a hole then went about four feet into the ground.  I couldn't see the bottom, the tops of other kids hair blocked it.  It was probably filled with ashes of old wood and newspaper clippings.
   Everyone around me had someone to talk to. A few people gave me disgusted looks, and I felt like it was the first day of school all over again. Thankfully, the man from the PA spoke to distract me.
   "How're y'all doing?!" The man shouted. The children quieted down before responding in unison "GOOD!"
I almost flinched at the immense sound, but I was able to contain myself. "My name is Mike!" He said. I could hardly see him, but from what I could tell he was about twenty with jet black hair.
   Mike went on about how many new kids were joining this year, yippee! His enthusiastic voice got tiring to hear after while. I only tuned back in when all the kids made another sound together. "UGHHh"
   I watched in confusion as kids began to line up for something. There were four different lines now forming in front of me. A few stray kids may there way into the lines, and I followed in suit. I was really becoming a follower at this camp.
~
"Phones please!" I heard Mike say. The child in front of me handed him his cellular device without hesitation. I wS about to turn around when the child moved. "Well, I do love to see new faces!" Mike said. Now that I could fully see him, I could tell he was super lanky. His hair was pulled into a man bun, I assumed him was a hippie type guy.
   "Hi," I replied. It wasn't the best reply.
   "What's your name?" He asked. I wondered if he could sense my discomfort.
"Y/N"
"Oh, yeah! I remember seeing your name." Did he, really?
   "Yeah, Sorry for getting in line, I don't have a phone."    My words came out faster than I could think them. I reached for my phone and clutched it in my back pocket without meaning too.
"Yes she does!" Sounds a familiar voice.
  I spin around, visibly fuming. 
   There stands Cooper, his mop of hair sticking to his forehead. He smiles innocently.
   "Oh, thats alright. Could I please-" Mike was being too nice— and he was taking my phone at the same time. It was disorienting. I gave him my phone in the middle of his sentence and walked through the grass, dead patches crunching beneath my feet.
  "There's a buffet if you're hungry!" I hear Mike shout. His voice has pity in it, pity for a girl without friends and without her phone.
"I'm not." I say, probably not loud enough for him to hear. The truth was,I wasn't hungry. I probably should've been but I wasn't. I looked at the sign where the balding man once stood, and followed the arrow back to my cabin.
When I got there the screen door was the only thing closed. I had closed the wooden door, right? I remembered vaguely struggling to get it closed all the way.. Huh, maybe there was a maid cleaning up or something. As I propped myself up the mini staircase I wondered if this was the part in a horror movie where people would be shouting, 'Don't go in there! You're gonna die!'. The little voices in my brain continued to tell me there was an axe murderer behind that wire frame as I opened it.
*Creeeak* Well, no need for a doorbell with a sound like that. Everything in the room was the way I had left it. I saw my bag next to the table, 'oh, they must've dropped it off and forgot to close the door.'
I took the wooden door by the handle and pushed on it with all my strength, which wasn't much. I think the wind was pushing against the door as well. All odds were against me, when another hand slid next to mine.

{A/N; OOOO bit of a cliffhanger there. That was a fun one was write. I'm pretty sure like no one is gonna read this, but I guess it's fun so I'll continue until I feel like stopping. Uhh, you'll get to meet the love interest pretty soon! uwu
Hope you enjoyed!
Words; 3922}