Page 10 of One Night
Chapter five
Clover
Pulling through the drive that holds a huge wooden banner that states “Camp Merci” in big letters above the entrance, I can’t help but feel excited.
This is my first year attending a campsite as a counselor.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a camp kid before and really enjoyed it.
I used to attend back in the fifth grade, and I loved every second of it.
I got a call last week asking me to arrive a week early, as they wanted the counselors to help get everything set up before the children’s arrival, and I’m eager to begin.
Looking out the windshield, I glance around at the wooden areas surrounded by trees before pulling up to the main log cabin.
Pulling up, I see that there are a few cars already here, with a few counselors pulling their bags out of their cars.
Shifting my car into park and stepping out, I do the same, following their lead.
“Hello, counselors. Welcome to Camp Merci. My name is Ms. Trish, and I’m so excited to have you all join me this summer. Thank you again for coming early to help set up.”
I turn and see a short, older lady, maybe in her early to late sixties.
She is about five feet tall, with brown eyes, and her white hair is tied up into a bun.
She looks like she could be our grandmother, and it makes me miss home.
She walks around, greeting us all, handing out our uniforms, and assigning us cabins.
Once we are done with the formalities, we are free to just relax for the rest of the day before we begin working tomorrow.
The rules state that we are required to leave all of our electronics in our vehicles and park them in the employee area on the outskirts of the camp.
It's about a twenty to thirty-minute walk from the site, but Ms. Trish says there is a large golf cart that can be used to bring us back.
There are six of us counselors in total here, so we can all fit and ride back together.
Once we reach the campground, everyone climbs out, making their way over to the chow hall.
Walking in, I'm greeted by the kitchen chief, Alistar, who gives a tour of the kitchen, pantry, and lunch schedule.
Everything is stocked in full with some extra food options if needed.
I sit at one of the tables and start eating my turkey and Havarti sub.
After I’m finished eating, one of the other counselors, Raelynne, suggests we all should change into our swimsuits and head down to the lake before it gets dark.
Walking to my assigned cabin, pushing open the door, I head inside, walking over to my case.
I search through my things until I find my polka dot bikini and head towards the bathroom.
Once I’m changed, I grab my towel and make my way towards the door.
Stepping outside, I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching me, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps.
I look around but don’t see anyone. I guess I’ll be feeling like this a lot, given I’m in the woods.
Shrugging, I brush off the feeling and make my way around the cabin over to the rest of the counselors. I can’t believe I’m actually here.
“Okay, before we head down, maybe we should all introduce ourselves.” The blonde girl with hazel eyes and freckles says. “I’ll start. My name is Raelynne.”
“Zaniel.” The tall, broody guy with shaggy, dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes says.
Next up is a tall, model-height girl with red hair and brown eyes, “My name is Virginia, but y'all can call me Genny.”
The shorter boy with a swimmer's body, black hair, and green eyes raises his hand, “Keith.”
The last guy looks around, then says, “Kendrix.” He’s the best of the guys, with olive skin, dark brown hair, and emerald eyes.
All eyes turn to me, and for a moment I feel like I’m in the hot seat. “I’m Clover.”
After introductions, we all head down towards the lake.
Everyone starts talking, and it feels great to make some new friends while I’m here.
It’s already turning out to be a great day.
Reaching the lake, I sit down my things before turning and noticing everyone jumping into the lake, and splashing around.
Playing a few rounds of chicken, I team up with Kendrix, and we win three rounds before us girls decide to lay in the sun on the dock.
I’m not sure how long we’ve all been out here, but the feeling of the warm sun on my skin feels amazing.
I just love soaking in the rays and feeling so engulfed in the warmth; it's refreshing, as long as you don’t burn your skin.
Then it hurts and makes me miserable. I’ve just changed positions and rolled onto my back, when I start to feel that familiar eerie feeling of being watched again.
I look around, first at the guys, but they are racing back and forth from the shore to the dock.
Looking over at the girls next to me, who are all in different positions with their eyes closed.
I turn my head left and start looking along the woodline when I see a figure in the distance standing by a tree.
Whoever it is, they’re tall from what I can see.
At first, I wasn’t sure if they were looking at me until I went to sit up.
As soon as I look back over in their direction, they are gone.
That’s weird, maybe I imagined it, or it's the groundskeeper. I’ll be sure to ask Ms. Trish about it when I see her again.
Once it starts to get darker and the sun settles, we collect our things and head back to the cabins, splitting off into our own directions.
Walking back in, I instantly feel like something is different, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I grab my shower supplies and clothing and make my way to the bathroom to shower.
Turning on the water, I wait a few moments for the water to heat up before stepping in.
I lather my washcloth and scrub my body until I’m all clean and the water begins to run cold.
I step out, dry off, and continue through my routine before putting on my pajamas.
Walking over to the bed, something catches my eye, causing me to look out the window just in time to see a shadow pass.
It must be one of the others heading to their cabin.
Closing the curtains, I pull my covers down and climb into the bed, pulling the covers back up.
It only takes me a few minutes before I start to relax.
Thinking about what tomorrow brings as I’m dragged into a deep sleep.