Camp Bluelake

Chapter 14

It felt like I had known Laurence my whole life. He was charming, of course, but he had a natural fluidity about him.

He had let me ride on his back to the nurses office. My bare skin was pressed against the slow-drying silk shirt. My arms wrapped themselves snuggly around his neck, sometimes choking him slightly. He didn't seem to mind. He would dramatise the choking as much as possible and sway me about.

The walk was taking longer than I thought. The nurses office was near the gym. This was the opposite side to the lake and the full effects of the aqua infiltration were settling in. My head started to sag on his shoulder, my eyes struggling to stay open. My body was still shaking (whether that was due to the cold or the shock, I wasn't sure) and skin was pale. A weak cough would cause me to turn my head away from him, not wanting to gross him out, but too tired to do anything more.

Underneath my thigh, his fingertips would tap a little and it made me smile. I was nodding off. It felt like we had been walking for hours, when really, it took us about ten minutes to cross the campsite and weave through the cabins.

We made it to the nurses office and Laurence bent down, laying me on the bed with the help of the nurse. Everything was fuzzy. The lights were refracting in my vision, distorting the people and objects in the room. I could hear Laurence talking, but even that was more like indistinct radio static.

I vaguely felt a hand on my forehead, brushing the hair back, and finally shut my eyes.

When I woke, Laurence was in the corner of the room. He was sat on a chair with his legs folded, book in hand. Small fragments of light crept through the gaps in the muted blinds, but other than that, it was quite dark. I sat up, my body under sheets.

"I'm naked!" I startled, lifting the covers to make certain. Laurence dropped his book, clearly surprised by the sudden outburst.

"Your trunks were wet, and Deliah didn't want you getting pneumonia. She brought some spare clothes, but I told her you'd rather put them on yourself. I'm here to help, of course, but I like to think of myself as a gentleman." I blushed at the thought of him seeing me naked. He read my mind when he replied.

"How cute. She undressed you. I turned away," he stated matter-of-factly. I let out a deep breath.

"How long..." my voice was rough, barely above a whisper. I wasn't sure how I made that loud noise when I woke up, but it was certainly not happening again.

Laurence stood up and walked over. "A few hours. Your friends came to visit, but I told them it was under control. They were quite persistent, but the nurse didn't want the room to be crowded, especially if anyone else came in needing medical attention." Everything he said was concise. He sounded confident and smart.

"Where is the nurse?" I asked. It seemed weird she wasn't present.

"She went to the canteen to get you some lunch. I told her I wouldn't leave, so she went and said she would be back shortly. It is around one o'clock." I had been asleep for less time than I thought. I asked Laurence to turn around while I changed into some spare shorts (which were too loose) and an oversized camp shirt.

"I should head back to check in with my friends. Are you coming?" It felt rude to not invite him after everything he had done.

"We have to wait for Deliah to come back. She will give the 'okay' for you to leave. I'm sure your friends can wait a little longer" I knew they would be worried, but what was the harm in another hour. I nodded.

"So, how come you're on a first name basis with my nurse?" I say giggling. He smirks.

"Well, I do give off a charming aura, wouldn't you say?" He winks at me, which sends me into a wheezing fit that slowly turns to dry coughing. He walks closer to rub circles on my back.

"I haven't thanked you properly. 감사합니다. That is 'thank you' in Korean." He stares at me for a while, a smile forming.

"Ya know, staring is rude. Just like pointing, or, in Japan, laughing with your mouth open, or, in Vietnam, crossed fingers are understood to symbolise female genitalia, so definitely don't do that there." I conclude my list. He doesn't seem to get the hint, as his viridescent eyes are still locked onto me. My head cocks to the side. Is he frozen.

I start to rock back and forth on my heels, my brows scrunching, head looking up at him every now and then. In the moment, I was reminded of my mother's words, 'when you're around, the world stops spinning.'

I don't know how long we were stood like that, but eventually the nurse came in.

"Oh you're awake!" She comes rushing over to me and checks my temperature, then hands me a few things.

"Are you feeling better Poppet? This nice, young gentleman stayed the entire time. Refused to leave. You're very lucky. We wouldn't want any permanent damage to be done to those lungs of yours." She spoke quickly as she totted around the room, fiddling with this and that.

"Thank you for the food Miss. Am I okay to leave?" All I wanted was to get out of the stuffy cabin that smelled like cleaning supplies and medicine.

"Yes. Although, you aren't to participate in any activities for the rest of the day. Get some more rest, especially for that voice of yours. I'm not sure if you're much of a talker, but you certainly won't be for the rest of the day." She chuckled to herself, and opened the door for us, telling me if I needed anything else that I was welcome back.

"Well, that was exciting. Can we go and see everyone now, I feel bad for making them wait?" Laurence nods, and we walk toward the canteen, hoping my friends were still inside.

"So how come you got here so late?" I questioned. It did seem weird since the retreat had started already.

"Oh, you remember that, huh? Well, my parents are friendly with the director. He's a very rich man, and invests in land, not only here, but also in England. My mum thought it would be a good idea to change up my summer plans. They sent me here, but due to some private matters I had to attend to, and the storm, I couldn't come earlier." I didn't pry any further. He had told me what he wanted.

"That's really cool. You must be rich rich. Do you go to balls and stuff. I always found them super awesome. Everyone always just knows the dances. The guys wear those cool suits and the girls are in these gorgeous gowns. And oh, oh, oh," I proceed to hit his arm in excitement. "The ones with the masks. The masquerade! Have you seen 'Phantom Of The Opera?' Gerard Butler was so hot!" I was beaming now, going on and on about the movie. My voice was croaky, but I was managing.

Laurence didn't have time to answer. Big arms encircled me lifting me up, a hoarse squeal leaving my throat.

"You scared us to death." It was Fox. He still hadn't put me down. I was like a pole in his arms. He had crushed me against him and I couldn't move.

"Fox," was all I managed to squeeze out. He finally let me go and hands came around me from behind. It was Milo. He sounded like he was crying.

"Woah, guys. I'm okay. It wasn't like I actually died... well I did for a couple seconds... but I'm fine now, I swear. It's all thanks to Laurence. He pulled me out, gave me CPR, took me to the nurses and stayed with me." I was smiling, but my wind pipe was starting to complain.

"Laurence, this is Fox, and that's Milo." I gestured to the other boys. They greeted each other, and Fox pulled me under his arm, secure against his side.

"Where's Jesse? I thought he'd be here with you guys." I frowned, finding his absence strange.

"He went back to the cabin after the nurse wouldn't let him in. He was cursing, and  wasn't happy." Fox hesitates, then seems to decide something.

"You should go and see him." I unhook myself and tell them I'll meet them back here for dinner. Then I skip off toward the cabin.

My throat was on fire, and I tell myself I'm not going to speak for the rest of the day."