II - A Baker’s Dozen
"Catch you guys in a month!" said Arianne hurriedly as she scampered out the entrance of the foster home. The bus had already arrived and was waiting almost ten minutes for her. Arianne was a very meticulous girl for her age, but it was a quality that always made her tardy. She sprinted as fast as a five foot four slimly built girl with an overstuffed backpack and enormous suitcase in her hands could.
It was a hustle, but Arianne was overjoyed to be finally out of the monotony of her home. She loved it and she loved its people, but she wanted more out of life. Everywhere they ventured together as a foster family, they would be greeted by sympathetic people who took pity on them, and by now, Arianne was sick of it. She did not want to be treated like that anymore, starting with the camp. If need be, she decided that she would concoct a pseudo family and pretend to be normal, just like any other girl she would meet.
And interacting with other people was the aspect of this camp that she felt most excited, albeit nervous, for. After all, everyone she ever met, whether at home or at school, knew of her 'sad story' and always treated her as if she had some sort of disability. Now, this group of girls would have no idea of her background, so she wanted to focus on being natural and making new acquaintances in the process.
One such opportunity presented itself the moment she took her seat on the bus. She turned to her left to meet a freckled girl with huge glasses and shoulder length, dark brown hair. "Morning!" squeaked Arianne nervously. "Well it's about time! We were this close to leaving without you! But I'm just happy that you're the last person we're picking up before camp." The girl's tone was sharp, but her facial expressions told a different story. "Name's O'Nella by the way, it's nice to meet you!" "I'm Arianne." Arianne wasn't the best at keeping conversations, so an awkward silence ensued, which was finally broken by O'Nella. "So which house are you looking forward to being in?" she asked. Arianne did no such research into the camp, and didn't know what to say. "Lemme guess, you don't know much about Camp Amy do you? Don't fret, I only know a lot because my sister attended two years ago. I'll tell you everything you need to know, so we can have the upper hand on the competition!"
Arianne was probably the most competitive person she knew, and was thus very intrigued and felt it was fate that she sat next to O'Nella. They were still a couple hours away from Forres Park, where Camp Amy was held, so O'Nella had ample time to brief Arianne on the ins and outs. She found it easier and easier to talk to O'Nella, and soon realised that they had more in common than any of her school friends or foster family. O'Nella was probably the best friend she'd ever had, and it had only been forty-five minutes.
Before they knew it, the bus had pulled into the Forres Park entrance and they had to cut their conversation short. They were soon driving on a large, flat trail, flanked by green and brown skyscrapers. Although the sun was at its scorching, radiant best, it was no match for the vast canopy of the park, which provided optimum shade throughout the path, keeping the temperature at the ground level much cooler than any of the surrounding areas. The Forres Park Reserve was a marvel in its own right. There wasn't a fallen leaf in sight, nor were there any dried branches hanging from the hundreds of towering trees. Arianne wondered how the park's staff got the time and energy to maintain it in such pristine condition.
Upon arriving at numerous wooden buildings painted in a wide array of kaleidoscopic colours, the bus came to a halt. It was on exiting the bus that Arianne saw there were already four identical buses parked and emptied. "Yup, we are the last to arrive," explained O'Nella, "I wonder why?" A sly smirk crept on her face.
"Hush, at least we made it," responded Arianne. She peered at her surroundings. The structures were built on an enormous clearing of land, probably the size of a few football fields. The trees surrounding the clearing were arranged in layers, so that they got progressively taller moving away from the camp. It was truly a sight to behold, and made the atmosphere feel more secluded and serene. Again, Arianne was amazed at how the trees grew to the exact height and shape that was necessary to maintain the scenery. It was no surprise that this was one of the most praised natural landmarks in the world, and the staff deserved all the praise and credit, she thought.
"Alright! Hustle up girls! Let's get inside quickly! The others are already sorted into their houses and teams! exclaimed a broad, stern looking (and sounding) woman, who was built like a general in the army. "I have no idea why you bunch are late! I have zero tolerance for tardiness! Ensure it doesn't happen again for the duration of this camp, or the punishments will be dire!" Arianne exchanged surreptitious grimaces with the other girls. This was not what she was expecting, it was supposed to be fun.
"That's enough trauma for the girls on their first day, Jennifer," said a calm, deep voice behind the stern woman. "A pleasant morning to you all, I'm glad that everyone's finally here, so Camp Amy can finally commence!" Norman Fox spoke slowly, but his tone was much more welcoming to the girls. "My name is Norman Fox, and I'm the owner of this very park that you stand in! It is my pride and joy, and in the coming weeks you will come to know exactly why." His last words sounded as chilly as a prime winter day, and Arianne's thoughts about him soon capsised.
"Thank you for the introduction Mr. Fox," continued Jennifer. "To save time, I'm going to put you all in the same house, which is Hummingbird, and also on the same team, Ixora. Now, normally there are a dozen members per team, but since Miss Amy decided to include one extra girl... Ah yes, Jochelle, our thirteenth member." Jochelle was donned in embarrassment. "I suppose that makes you all a Baker's dozen!"