I close my eyes listening to the birds chirping from the highest branches of the surrounding trees and enjoying the fresh air, thinking about my little brother playing football for the summer and mom working on that big murder trial that was all over the news for weeks.
I am so lost in my thoughts that I jump when someone says from behind me:
‘Are you here to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow?’
Hold on a second: I know this voice, it belongs to the most irritating boy at camp.
‘Well done, captain obvious...’
I snicker.
‘And good morning to you too, Clary.’
‘What are you doing here?’
He rolls his eyes.
‘Well... Duh! Teaching people archery? Who’s obvious now?’
Seriously? I thought he was the tennis instructor.
He must figure out what I’m thinking because he explains that he’s no match for Logan, so Joel swapped with him because he’s at a more beginner level with tennis while Xander is quite good with a bow and arrow.
I am about to bolt out and leave and he must see the conflict on my face because he pleads:
‘Come on, Clary! I know we started off on the wrong foot but you barely know me, you cannot hate me that much...’
I really don’t want to spend any time with him but he reaches into the rucksack he was carrying and gives me a peace offering: a brand new copy of Anna Karenina.
‘Since the one you were reading yesterday got ruined...’
‘Where did you get this? The camp’s store doesn’t have a big selection of books and the library doesn’t own a copy of this book because I went to check it out yesterday after my book got ruined...’
He looks a bit embarrassed because he lowers his gaze and rubs the back of his neck with one hand and says in a casual tone:
‘I might have driven into the village yesterday afternoon and found you a copy at the bookstore there...’
‘You did what?’
Lake Emerald and the camp are in a secluded area and the closest town is one hour away: I can’t believe Xander drove two hours just to get a new book for me.
He hands me the book and says:
‘Did the cat get your tongue? Just say: “thank you, Xander” and let’s get a bow and arrow for you.”
I guess there’s no way out of this now so I take a deep breath and say:
‘Thank you, Xander...’
And follow him while he gets a bow, a set of arrows and some strange leather contraption.
He explains that the leather thing goes on the hand and forearm of my dominant hand and beckons me:
‘Come here, let’s put it on...’
I advance just a few steps and he rolls his eyes and then smiles at me:
‘Come closer, Clary. I promise that I won’t bite...’
I move closer and he takes my right arm pulling me towards him a bit more, so that the tip of our shoes almost touch.
He then starts fastening the leather contraption around my wrist and near the crook of my elbow: his fingers move deftly and surprisingly gently, barely touching my skin and he keeps eye contact the whole time: his eyes are a unique shade of green and turquoise, they look like the sea when you leave the shallow waters but you haven’t quite reached the deeper waters where the colour seems to be a deep, dark blue and if you really look closely, he has some gold flecks that prevent that colour from looking cold. I would say that they are an emerald green.
Once I am all fastened up, he explains how I shoot an arrow and his first shot gets the bullseye dead in the centre.
‘Now you try.’
I take the bow from him, select an arrow, try to copy everything he has done but somehow, I don’t get enough tension in the bow and the arrow falls limply at my feet while the bow shoots out of my hand and lands a few yards in front of me.
He goes to get the bow back and says with a smile:
‘It’s the arrow that needs to be shot forward...’
I tense up:
‘Ok, well, I knew this was a mistake, if you have to be a dick about it...’
And start walking away.
‘Clary, wait!’
He grabs my arm and pulls me slightly towards him:
‘Hey, seriously, that was funny but I didn’t mean it in a mean way. It was your very first attempt and I only laughed because you looked pretty good out there until it went wrong. Come on, let’s try again, I promise not to say anything if you don’t get the target.’
He says with a smile and no trace of sarcasm in his voice or facial expression: this slightly kinder version of Xander is puzzling and a bit unnerving but I let him convince me in an attempt not to appear like a sore loser.
I repeat what I was doing before and he asks me to stay still and surrounds my arms with his, standing behind me: his cheek is very close to mine and I smell his scent of sandalwood and amber.
‘Ok, that’s where it went wrong last time: you are too gentle, you need to put more tension in the bow, like this...’
And he pulls my arms in opposite directions but instead of letting go he instructs:
‘Now take your aim and don’t hold your breath, breathe normally and once you are sure you have the right aim, let go when you exhale.’
He keeps his arms around mine and only lets go when I shoot my arrow: I don’t get the centre of the bullseye but the outer ring closest to the centre.
‘That’s a great shot! Well done, Clary!’
He cheers picking me up from the ground and spinning me around.
‘Put me down, you goofball!’
I laugh a bit out of breath and holding onto his shoulders to avoid being dropped.
He obeys but keeps his hands on my waist for a moment longer before letting go and smiling at me again, the smile reaching his eyes this time without any trace of scorn:
‘I think that there’s some talent in there for archery. Want to try again?’
We practice for a full hour and I am surprised that he is kind and encouraging rather than making fun of my mistakes like I thought he would.
I still bolt as soon as the lesson is over though, despite his kindness today, I am not ready to call him a friend or hang out with him for fear he’ll start being his usual irritating self.
I do thank him again for the book though: that was rather sweet even though of course he had ruined my copy in first place.
I go to the art and crafts building where I have an appointment with Hazel: in a few days it’s going to be Brie’s birthday and we want to make her a set of jewellery with those pretty glass beads in all those iridescent colours. Brie comes from a wealthy family of course but we want to give her something unique and that will remind her of us during the winter.
We sit at a table and start sorting out different colours and deciding on a design and pattern: I make a sketch of it and I am explaining to Hazel how I want to alternate the colours.
‘That’s really pretty: did you design it or are you copying something you have seen in a shop?’
A boy I have never seen before asks.
He’s totally stunning and for a second I can’t find the words but I just stare at him as still as an ice sculpture.
He’s tall and lean but I can see straight away the definition in his arms and his broad shoulders: he’s got green eyes and black hair buzzed short in a military style cut.
He has a really gorgeous face: he could totally be in any fashion magazine.
I tell him that I just designed the set of jewellery.
‘Hi, I’m Austin. I’m in charge of all the arts and crafts and the talent shows this year. And you are?’
‘I’m Clarissa but you can call me Clary. Nice to meet you.’
I take the hand he’s offering for me to shake and heat rushes to my cheeks when he holds it for a few seconds too long and he looks at me with those intense green eyes: for some reason I think about how different they look from Xander’s eyes as they have no hint of blue or gold but they ar
e a pure deep green.
He tells us that he’s going to work on a project for the free sketching classes that will start soon but to call him if we need any help and goes to sit at a different table.
‘He’s cute, isn’t he?’
Asks Hazel and I readily agree.
‘Yes, very...’
I fear that Hazel will say she likes him and invoke girls code and feel immediately guilty thinking about Logan: I really like him and I am starting to have feelings for him, so this pull I feel towards Austin is something I should shove aside and just be supportive of my friend if she wants to get to know him better.
‘And he’s definitely into you, Clary. I think Logan just got himself a rival...’
She giggles and I don’t know what to say because part of me was thinking exactly the same thing and that Logan hasn’t asked me to be his girlfriend yet nor has he kissed me.
‘Do you like him... Like him?’
I ask and Hazel smiles at me, her blue eyes containing a hint of sadness.
‘Well, if he asked me out, I would certainly feel flattered but he’s a bit too pretty for me, you know I like my boys a bit more rugged. And, to put it the way you would say it, the theme of this summer for me seems to be unrequited love: I keep pining for Rob and he seems to be busy trying to hook up with anything with boobs and a pulse. Maybe if I was slimmer and a couple of years older...’
I hate that she feels so insecure about her body, even if I have my own insecurities but if she saw herself the way I see her, with her gorgeous blonde hair, kind blue eyes, delicate features and she is curvy yes but not at all fat. Also Hazel is the most compassionate, sweet and smart girl I have ever met. If Brie is the brute force that propels our trio and I am the brain, she’s definitely the heart and the glue of our group of friends and I have and always will confide in her.
‘Hazel, there’s something I need to tell you but you have to promise me not to tell Brie until we see exactly what’s going on...’
She groans in frustration.
‘OMG, Clary! You know I hate secrets among us! I thought we said no secrets among the three of us...’
‘We did and I am not trying to keep the secret out of meanness, I just need to see how the situation unfolds before telling her this thing because I don’t want her to be taken advantage of or get her heart broken...’
I tell her about the scene I witnessed earlier today between Lucy and Justin and she sighs, worried.
‘If Brie considers Justin just a casual hookup, I guess it’s no biggie but if she has feelings for him... I think you are right not to tell her straight away but be careful with what you keep from her: if she finds out that you and now I both knew about this and didn’t tell her, our friendship might not survive this.’
Hazel is the voice of reason: I know that keeping this from Brie is dangerous but I need to know what the possible fallout will be and that will change my approach in telling her.
We work on our present for Brie a while longer and then I head to our cabin for a cat nap since I got up so early.
I end up sleeping all afternoon and my friends wake me up to go to dinner.
I brush my hair and rush out after them without bothering to change from my tight blue t-shirt and white denim mini skirt: I am absolutely starving, I just realise that I skipped breakfast and lunch and now my stomach is definitely protesting.
Tonight the restaurant is half empty: Mrs. Angela and some of the oldest supervisors have driven the youngest group of kids, 13 and 14 year olds to the nearest town for pizza and a movie.
I eat quietly and my friends seem lost in their own thoughts too: Hazel keeps looking at Rob who’s sitting with Hayley and Brie has her eye at the table where Justin is sitting with Joel, Lucy, Leah and Xander.
Lucy stands up and taps a teaspoon on her water glass:
‘Hey everyone! Since the supervisors and the youngest kids are out, the councillors have decided to have a game of truth or dare by the pool. You are all invited and we start straight after dinner.’
‘This will be fun!’
Decides Brie and we all file towards the pool: I don’t know why but I have a feeling of uneasiness about this, however everyone is going including Logan who catches up with us and takes the seat near mine on one of the plush sofas.
Someone must have moved things around because a few of the sofas are forming a wide circle and there’s a table in the middle with an empty coke bottle on it.
‘Ok guys, here’s how this will work: we spin the bottle and the person whom the bottle points towards will be asked truth or dare. That’s quite straight forward and if the person loses the dare or we deem their truth a lie, they have to drink a shot. The winner is who has to drink less shots or completes the most dares and I will be keeping score.’
She sets two bottles of vodka on the table and spins the bottle.
It stops in front of Rob.
‘Truth or dare?’
‘Dare!’
He chooses.
‘I dare you to pick a girl you like in this circle and do something sexual to her in front of everyone. She can slap you and you lose the dare and drink or if she lets you do it, you score a point. It’s your choice what you do but it has to be below the neck.’
Holy cow, that’s... I think this game is going to be very hard.
Rob smirks and throws a calculating glance around the table: his gaze sets on Hayley and he points at her to stand up.
Once they are standing in front of each other, Rob lifts her t-shirt exposing her gold and blue t-shirt bra. He unhooks the clasp in the front middle of the bra, freeing Hayley’s small, perky breasts.
She doesn’t move and waits for Rob’s next move: he grabs one of her boobs and takes the nipple in his mouth sucking at it.
Hayley lets him do it and actually hugs his neck and wraps her legs around Rob’s waist.
‘Woohoo!’
Justin, Joel and some of the waiters clamour.
‘Ok, ok, you two. You can get a room later. If you want. I would say that this is a win. Your turn to spin the bottle, Rob.’
The bottle spins around and points towards Jemma.
‘Truth or dare?’
‘Dare.’
Rob thinks about it for a second and then challenges her:
‘I dare you to take your panties off and give them to the boy you like...’
She smiles, coquettish:
‘Are you sure I am wearing any panties?’
Rob’s smile widens:
‘Yes, because before the breeze lifted your dress and I saw a flash of pink lace. Unless you have been a really naughty girl and you have already taken them off...’
She laughs and her hands disappear under her skirt: she slowly and provocatively drags her pink panties all the way down to her ankles and then picks them up.
She looks around the circle and slowly walks towards Xander, giving him her panties but somehow keeps her eyes trained on Joel.
Xander accepts the panties with a small smile and sets them down on the table.
That’s called a win again and when Jemma spins the bottle, it points towards Logan.
‘Truth or dare?’
‘Dare.’
Lucy takes off the silky scarf she has her hair tied up with and beckons Logan placing the scarf on his eyes as a makeshift blindfold.
‘You will kiss a girl of my choosing and then you have to guess who.’
She signals to Leah to go and stand in front of Logan and he touches his lips to hers.
My throat closes down in a fit of jealousy: I know it isn’t Logan’s fault but I really hate this.
Leah must have obviously put Lucy up to this because she tries to slip her tongue into Logan’s mouth but he takes a step back and says with annoyance in his voice:
‘Knock it off, Leah.’
And then he takes the blindfold off of his eyes.
‘It’s a lose! You had to kiss me!’
‘Lucy never said that tongue had to be involved
, I completed the dare.’
He protests.
Lucy sides with Leah but Xander intervenes and backs Logan.
Lucy looks at Xander with hatred: I don’t know what happened between them, since they obviously have hooked up the first night of camp but she is obviously mad at him.
Some other people tell Lucy to give Logan the win and to continue the game and she stops fighting but keeps shooting poisoned looks at Xander.
When it’s Lucy’s turn she picks truth:
‘How many boys have you slept with?’
Jemma asks.
Lucy looks at her with a furious look:
‘20!’
Whoa! Lucy is only 19 and she has already slept with 20 boys? I think everybody knew that she’s promiscuous but I see several shocked looks on boys and girls alike.
When it’s my turn I choose truth.
‘Really? Coward!’
Snickers Lucy and I remind her that she also chose truth.
‘How many boys have you slept with, Clary?’
I blush dying of embarrassment: this is really private and I don’t want to say in front of everyone that I have never slept with a boy.
I grab the bottle of vodka, pour myself a shot and down it.
‘Ahaha, Miss little prim and proper doesn’t want to air her dirty laundry in public...’
‘Shut up, Lucy! She is entitled to her own privacy, not everyone likes to flaunt their hookups.’
My mouth drops open for a second: of all the people that could have come to my rescue, Xander is the last I expected any help from; if anything, I would have feared some sarcastic comment.
‘Are you calling me a slut?’
She snarls, narrowing her eyes.
‘I never called you anything, you are saying it, Luce. I don’t judge you if you want to have fun but if you think the shoe fits...’
‘Asshole!’
She retorts and even though I have always thought that Lucy is a slut (not because of the number of boys she’s had sex with but in general for her behaviour), I can’t totally disagree that he’s being a bit of an asshole to her even if he came to my defence.
The game continues and some of the dares are actually funny: Brie has to walk a lap of the pool perimeter wearing a sumo suit, Joel has to tell an embarrassing story and he tells us how he peed in his brother shoe while sleepwalking.
Lake Emerald Chronicles: The First Summer: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 7