Camp Keystone

Chapter 1: I learn everything I don't know

"Mom! I'm done with my math!" I yelled. I waited a moment, and then my mom opened the door. "Good job Skyla! she said. she looked at my tablet, then smiled. "It's all correct!" she said. " what do I do now? I asked.

She thought for a moment, then said. " Do you want to bake some cookies now?" "Okay," I said. "But can we make blueberry muffins instead?" My mom grinned. " That would be great!" She said. She ran up the stairs to get the stuff, and I stared after her.

I had always wondered what was up there. I had been in this room for as long as I could remember. It had one bed, with my favorite purple blanket, my dresser, a tablet with a few downloaded programs, a chair, and a small oven. My favorite thing to do was bake, and everyday me and my mom would bake something yummy.

It was fun but sometimes boring. I walked over to the stove and pulled a muffin pan out of a cupboard next to it. I heard mom come back down the stairs as I pulled a spoon out of a drawer.

She was carrying a bowl full of flour, sugar, and all the other ingredients. We laid them all out and then started mixing them. once the batter was done, I added a scoop of blueberries." Hey mom when do I get to go up the stairs?" my mom stopped stirring the batter and her face turned pale.

" Umm... yeah about that... I've been thinking..." She said. " I decided that since you will be turning sixteen soon, you should probably be allowed to come up. I want to send you to a special outdoor camp for kids who are... different." She looked... ashamed?

I was confused. " what does "outdoor" mean?" I asked. My mom looked at me with a worried face. " Skyla... there is an enormous world out there... I've kept you from it because I wanted to keep you safe. You're different from any other person Skyla... " Now I was really confused.

I left the counter and went to sit on my bed. my mom sat on a chair next to me. " So you mean... there are other people out there?" I asked. My mom nodded. she sighed. " The thing is, Skyla, you are part dragon... your father was a dragon, and he left... I felt it was best to hide you... now I see I was wrong..." she said. she was crying now, and I hugged her.

" It's okay mom... I always knew I was different," I said. I had no idea what a dragon was, but I kept it to myself. " I'm smart, I can learn fast. it'll be fine..." My mom nodded and wiped her eyes. " You're right." she said. " First, let's finish those muffins, and then I will take you outside. Okay?"

I nodded and gave her another hug. We went back over to the oven and she helped me finish the batter and pour it into the muffin pan. I slid them into the oven, then looked at my mom. She smiled. " Alright, we can go outside now." she said. " But first, you need sunscreen and sunglasses. I don't want you to get burned." she ran back up the stairs. I sat on the bed and bounced with anticipation.

'i wonder what the sun is.' I thought. My mom came back with a white bottle and a pair of dark glasses. I grabbed the bottle and looked at the picture on the front. there was a round yellow ball with rays shooting out on a blue background.

" Is this the sun?" I asked. My mom sighed. "Yes, it's a drawing of the sun, but don't look at the real thing, it will blind you." she said. " Wow..." I murmured. my mom put my hair up in a ponytail, and then she took the bottle and squirted this white stuff onto her hand. then she started smearing it on my arms.

" Ewww. it's cold and slimy." I said. my mom laughed. " I know, but then you won't get burned." she started rubbing it on my face next. "The sun burns you?" I asked, trying not to breathe. " You'll see." she said. she finished, then put the glasses on my face.

" Whoa... it's all dark." I said. My mom took my hand and led me up the stairs. when we got to the top. my mom stopped. " Are you ready?" she asked. I was so excited I just nodded and bounced on my toes. she laughed, then opened the door.