“Mom, you can't do this to me!” I shouted.
“Oh, for heaven's sake, do what to you?” she asked waiting for an answer.
“Send me to a new school and not even tell me! I'm not going and I’m not going to camp!” I screamed with hope in my voice.
“Now, you listen to me and listen well! You do not barge into my house like that and yell at me the way you just did, do you understand me?!” she said in her motherly tone.
I stared at the floor ashamed of the way I spoke to her, “Yes, Mom, I understand,” I said.
“Now, you are grounded this week, and next week, you will be off to camp! And If I didn’t already agree to let Kenna spend the night, she would be going home. Now both of you to your room!” she demanded.
I plopped on my bed angrily saying, “I can’t believe this! I’m going to lose my friends and any chance with Davis I may have had.”
Kenna nudged me over and plopped next to me. “You’re not losing me,” she said in a sad tone.
“I know, I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to do. This week, I’m grounded, and next week, we're off to camp. How am I ever supposed to hang out with Davis?” I asked depressingly.
Kenna sat up and stared at me. “Is Davis seriously what matters right now? We have powers, Anna, freaking powers! We're going to some weird camp, and we need to focus on each other or we won’t get through it,” she said annoyed.
“You’re right.” I agreed. We both peered at the ceiling lost in thought.
“Anna! You haven’t opened your gift!” she said jumping up grabbing the perfectly wrapped present she had given me.
“Oh, yea, guess I was a bit distracted,” I replied with a laugh. I carefully tore the paper revealing the box inside. I looked at her curiously. Her face was lit up with excitement.
“I hope you love it,” she said right before I managed to open it. I gazed down at the gift. My eyes immediately began filling with tears. My heart was spilling over with joy. When I was ten, my grandmother died, but a few days before she had given me a locket necklace. It didn’t open. It had an engraving on the front that read, “Forever and always” continuing on the back with, “Keep me close to your heart.”
“Kenna, where did you find this?” I questioned. I asked because when I was twelve, I had lost it at the beach. I cried over that locket for weeks.
“I’m a Time-Turner, duh! I went back to the day after your grandma gave it to you and took it and brought it back to this time,” she said. “If you didn’t wait till the right time, you would’ve never understood,” she added.
“Thank you so much, Kenna,” I said.
I lifted my head and looked at Kenna to make sure she was sleeping before getting up and making my way to the desk. I looked at my yearbook sitting there and read his message one more time tracing his name with my finger. I opened the junk drawer of my dresser and buried the book way below to keep it away from my thoughts. “As if that would work,” I mumbled to myself. I sat on my window seat admiring the star painted sky and pondered what life would be like in this new world. I heard my door creak open and saw Marina's little head bobbing in view. I rolled my eyes with a giggle and motioned her to come over.
“What are you doing up love?” I questioned.
“I’m scared,” she said while pulling herself up on the window seat and then climbed into my lap hugging herself to me.
“Marina, why on earth are you scared and scared of what?” I pried.
“You’re leaving me and going far away!” she said while starting to cry. She added in, “It’s just going to be me and mom without you. I don’t want to lose my big sissy.”
I wrapped my arms around her and lovingly said, “Marina sweetheart, you’ve got quite a lot of thoughts in that little head of yours, right? I’m not going away forever, I promise; it’s just camp and school. I’m going to visit, every chance I get, I promise!”
She nuzzled into a tighter hug. I sang to her for a while until we both fell asleep at the window.
CHAPTER 11: Annalisia
“Okay, Anna, are you ready to go? Did you get all your stuff? Charger, wallet, pillows, blankets, headphones?” my mom asked.
I looked around my room gazing at the pictures and posters on my walls and all the things I was leaving behind. I looked down at the drawer that housed the yearbook I was trying to hide from my mind. I grabbed all my things and made my way to the door calling out, “Yeah, Mom, I’ve got everything.” My mom stood waiting at the door. I was unsure how to say goodbye. I knew it wasn’t forever… But it sure felt like it. Leaving my school, my hometown, and my friends. I grabbed Marina in a hug, kissed her on the cheek, and said my goodbyes.
Then, I walked over to my mom’s Toyota Camry, which was a spacious car. “And lots of trunk room,” I thought as I placed my bags in. I gazed down the street at all the familiar houses before climbing into the front seat and buckling in. Mom started to pull out of the driveway and I waved out the window and shot a sign language of “I love you” to Marina. I watched our house and my sister disappear in the distance. I focused my view out the front window daydreaming the whole ride. Daydreaming about Davis, school, my powers.
I woke to my mom’s elbow nudging me.
“Sweetie, we’re here,” she said smiling. It was about a two-hour drive I calculated in my head. My mom continued driving down the lane to the camp. I glanced up at the big “CAMP DELTRY” sign that hung across the road. I noticed groups of people making their way out the lane in bathing suits. “Probably going to the lake at the end,” I thought. I looked around at them frantically hoping to see Kenna somewhere. I worriedly asked my mom when Kenna would arrive. I didn’t want to be here alone.
“If she’s not here already, she will be very soon, darling.” My mom assured me. We pulled in to the parking space of the counselors’ building and shut off the car. “Ok, sweetie, we need to find a counselor and get you all situated,” my mom stated as she hopped out of the car. I climbed out slowly and followed behind her with my head hanging low like a lost puppy.
We were greeted by Jeremy, the camp’s lead counselor. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to camp!” he joyously rang out.
“Camp Del-try,” I said pronouncing it incorrectly.
He giggled replying, “Common mistake, sweetie, it’s not “try”; it’s “tree,” Del-tree, spelled Deltry.”
I gave him the fakest smile I’d ever given and said, “My bad.”
I gazed around at the stupid camp I was now stuck at. There was a big dining hall in the middle. To the left was the counselors’ building and to the right was the gym.
“Well, if you just follow me I'll show you the way to your cabin” he said while holding the same smug smile.
“I would like to be in a cabin with my friend Kenna, if possible,” I pleaded.
“I’m sorry, dear, but it seems here Miss Kenna is in Cabin F and you are in Cabin M,” he replied.
I stared at the ground sadly as we continued on the path to my cabin. I watched as other campers made their way past us in excitement I asked myself why they would be so happy to be here.
“Here we are,” he said as we approached a large cherrywood cabin.
“This is my cabin?” I asked. I had expected it to be some little crappy back of the woods cabin.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. He then added in, “You have three cabin mates: Karen, Lorraine, and Sable.”
I looked at the door wondering what it was like inside.
“Well, why don’t you go in and meet the girls and get your stuff inside? Your mother and I will go fill out your remaining paperwork and we will meet you at the dining hall for lunch,” he said.
I watched as my mom and Jeremy disappeared. I bit my lip in anticipation as I made my way up the porch stairs. I came to the door hand up ready to knock. I stopped myself remembering this was now my home and I had no need to knock. I turned the handle slowly the metal knob was hot from the sun. I let my eyes enter before my body glancing i
nto the first area you could see…The living room. It was a decently sized room. The softest carpet I'd ever felt and it had one of those big “L” shaped leather couches with a gorgeous glass coffee table in front of it. There were dark wood side tables on each side of the couch. I looked over smiling at the 42-inch flat screen TV that was mounted on the wall opposite the couch. To the right of the living room was the joint kitchen and dining room. It was of average size. It consisted of a roundtable that housed five chairs, a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, sink, lots of counter space, and a few cabinets.
I continued to the other side of the living room which was a long hallway. There were three doors. I opened the first door on the left and saw two beds evenly spaced apart from each other, a nightstand near each. There was a tall light wood five drawer dresser at the end of each bed. This room had already been taken by two people I could tell by the luggage and blankets all over the beds. I closed the door and opened the next door on the right. I looked in at the beautiful bathroom I had just discovered. It had all the basic bathroom appliances, and the shower was huge with glass doors and a towel holder under the handle. Beside the shower was a huge bathtub that in my mind would be considered a hot tub. There were two sinks with a big mirror that covered most of that wall. I backed out of the bathroom closing the door behind me and opened the final door on the left. It was another bedroom identical to the one earlier. I looked in at the empty bed. “I guess this is my room then,” I said unsurely. I dropped my bags on the bed and brought my other things to the room.
I wondered where my cabinmates were. The whole place was empty. I then remembered the groups of girls going down to the lake. I found my way back outside the cabin and mapped out in my head the way to the dining hall. I put my headphones in and started jogging there. I was listening to my new favorite song, “Mr. Lonely” by Akon. I started singing along while still jogging. “I’m so lonely, Mr. Lonely, I’ve got nobody, for my own…” I mumbled along. Suddenly, I bumped into a very beautiful, very tall, gorgeous specimen of a man. I started apologizing hectically, “I am so, so, so, so, so sorry! I should have been looking where I was going! I’m so sorry,” I repeated a few times.
“Chill, chill, it’s all good; I’d let a sweet cupcake like you bump into me any day,” he said cockily running off with a wink.
I grabbed my face in embarrassment. “Sweet cupcake?” I repeated to myself. “So now I’m a cupcake?” I mocked.
I made my way into the dining hall and glanced around at the crowds of parents and teenagers that were stationed around the tables. I looked around hoping to see my mother. The second I saw her and Jeremy, standing to the back, left corner near the drink station, I felt someone grab me in a hug from behind.
“You’re here!” I heard chipping in my ear. I slowly swung around anticipating who I was going to see. My eyes met Kenna’s as I sighed in relief and grabbed her in a hug.
“Thank goodness you’re here. I have been looking everywhere for you. When did you arrive?” I asked eagerly.
As we started making our way through the crowds towards my mom, Kenna answered, “I got here about an hour ago. I was unpacking and then some of the girls from the cabin near mine took me to show me around.”
“When did you get here?” she added in.
“About thirty minutes ago,” I answered as we approached my mother.
My mother smiled at us and hugged Kenna. “Well, sweetie, it’s time for me to go. All your paperwork is signed and filled out. You know where your cabin is and how to get here and to the gym. If you need anything else, Jeremy has assured me he will be right there,” she stated.
Jeremy smiled and nodded in agreement. He then excused himself and disappeared into the crowd to help other people.
I stared at my mother with my famous puppy eyes. “So, this is it then?” I asked. “Time for you to leave and ditch me with all these freaks?” I added in.
“Oh, Anna darling, stop being so dramatic. It’s just camp with your best friend. You will get to learn about your abilities and the abilities of others,” she said annoyed.
“Yay, how exciting to be a freak,” I groaned. My mother pulled me into a hug said she loved me and to behave and made her way out of the dining hall. I looked past Kenna watching as I saw the hunk I had bumped into earlier going into the kitchen. His golden brown tightly waved hair moved in the wind created by the force of his built body gliding through the doors. His eyes were a dreamy cognac shade. When I looked at him, I was reminded of Dave Franco.
“Anna, hello? Are we going to find somewhere to sit and eat, I’m getting hungry?” Kenna asked, snapping me back to reality.
I shook my head. “Yeah, let’s go,” I said.
We found an empty table and starting eating. We peered up to see a girl approaching us. She was gifted with beauty. She had a perfect tan and her red hair was pulled up in a French braid except for a piece that dangled to the side of her face. Her face was filled with the perfect number of freckles. Her entrancing electric blue eyes met mine when she lifted her gold-rimmed sunglasses to the top of her head. She was wearing a blue romper that was covered in daisies and she had on a pair of black wedges. She made her way to the seat opposite mine and introduced herself while plopping down into the available chair.
“Hiya, I’m Sable! I think we share a cabin,” she said while maintaining her perfect smile.
“Hi! Yeah, I think they said I shared a cabin with a certain Sable. Nice to meet you,” I said in reply. “So, it’s you, Karen, and Lorraine, right?” I asked unsurely.
“Oh! No one told you?” she asked.
I just shook my head in confusion.
“Well, Karen ended up not being able to attend this summer. Now we have a new cabin mate. I think her name is Kenna?” she said unsure of herself.
Kenna who had been slumped in her seat perked up and smiled. “I’m Kenna!” she chimed in happily. “Anna and I are from the same school. We’re best friends,” she said while wrapping me in a hug.
“Great! Well, then you guys just have to meet Lorraine,” she said trying to maintain her smile.
“So, what’s the deal with this Lorraine girl? Have you met her?” I questioned Sable.
“Well, she’s over there,” Sable said while pointing her out.
I stared at Lorraine. She was tall, blonde, and beautiful. She looked exactly like the Barbie doll I played with when I was eight. I looked back at Sage. “Okay, so, do you know anything about her?” I asked.
“Well, she tends to hang out with the older people, the ones who have already been to camp and school a few times. The cool ones.” She sighed rolling her eyes.
Kenna chimed in, “If you ask me, she looks like a really nice girl!”
Sable and I, immediately, started laughing.
“I’ve heard she’s a capital B..I..T..C..,” Sable started to say. She stopped when she saw Lorraine peering right at them.
We all switched our eyes to Lorraine who began making her way towards us. She dropped her hot pink Gucci bag on the table and extended her hand to us to introduce herself.
“Hi, ladies, I’m Lorraine,” she said. She quickly added in, “You’re my cabin mates, I presume?”
I shook my head agreeing and said, “Hey, I’m Annalisia, this is Kenna and Sable.”
She smiled at all of us and spun around.
“See you guys at home,” we heard as she disappeared into the crowd.
We started walking down the trail to our cabin giggling and talking about boys. “It was so weird the way it happened though,” Kenna said laughing.
“Speaking of weird,” I interrupted. “While I was jogging to the dining hall earlier, I bumped into this dreamy guy. I don’t know who he was, but man was he cute. He then had the nerve to call me a sweet cupcake.”
Sable started laughing uncontrollably. “Oh my gosh, you met Jonah Reeds! That’s Lorraine’s brother. He’s not new. Jonah is almost eighteen,” she said still laughing.
I shook my head trying
to convince them I wasn’t interested. “But who was I trying to convince here?” I wondered.
“I wouldn’t mess with him though. He’s trouble and he’s Lorraine’s brother, which will only start drama in our cabin, and I don’t know about you, but I would really like a drama-free summer,” pleaded Sable.
We made our way into the cabin and plopped on the couch. I looked at Sable. “Can I ask you a question?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
“Well, I was just wondering. Why do we have a kitchen, if we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining hall?” I asked confused.
“Oh, haha, well, on weekends, the kitchen staff isn’t here, so we eat here in the cabin,” she said.
Kenna interrupted with, “Did you guys see that cute boy with the red hair and freckles? He was wearing sunglasses and had a short sleeve band T-shirt on and a pair of ripped jeans.”
You Call This a Gift? Page 3