Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Orientation
“Counselors! If you can hear me, clap your hands once. “
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“If you can hear me, clap twice.”
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“Excellent, if you can hear me, cla-“
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The woman at the head of the room calmly placed her hands on her khaki-clad hips and pinpointed the source of the one-man ovation, “Ah, Mr. Kirsch. I was wondering how long you could last before placing yourself in the center of attention.”
There was a smattering of giggling which erupted into full-blown laughter as the teen in question leapt to his feet and took a dramatic bow, blowing kisses to all corners of the room.
“Now, if Mr. Kirsch doesn’t mind, I’d like to say a few things. First of all, WELCOME TO CAMP! My name is Melissa Dean, but you can just call me Dean. I’m The Director of Camper Activities here at Silas Summer Camp and I am so excited to have each and every one of you on our staff!”
Her announcement was met with equal parts rabid enthusiasm and quiet reservation.
“As our first order of business I’d like the returning counselors to follow Alexander outside to the sports field, and I’d like the first year counselors to follow me to the dining hall for a briefing. Have a great first day everyone, LETS MAKE SOME MAGIC!!!”
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Laura was excited - far too excited. She sprang to her feet, pivoting in the direction of the doorway. She wanted to be the first counselor to the dining hall, so that she could introduce herself to Dean and grab the seat closest to her. She was so busy planning her introduction to her new boss and their inevitable friendship that she forgot to navigate her way through the crowded room. Her forward momentum, however purposeful, was halted by something and she was thrown to the ground unceremoniously.
“Oowww…” She groaned; rubbing at her newly bruised tailbone. She looked around for the opposing force in her collision. Surely, they must have suffered as much as she had, but there didn’t appear to be anyone else on the ground clutching an injured ass.
She was just about to chalk her accident up to aliens or wizards when a pale and freckled hand was thrust into her line of sight. Laura shaded her eyes against the blazing afternoon sun and found herself looking up at one of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen.
“Need a hand?” the Amazonian goddess asked, wiggling the proffered fingers mere inches from Laura’s nose.
Say something witty. Say something flirty and cute. FOR GOD’S SAKE SAY SOMETHING LAURA!
“Hnnggg… nnuuhh-uuhhsss.” Perfect.
Miraculously, the girl laughed, a rich, chocolatey laugh that made Laura’s lips stretch into a sheepish grin. She then enveloped one of Laura’s tiny hands in hers, placed another hand on her elbow and hauled her up with enough force to lift the smaller girl clear off the ground.
Once Laura had landed on her own two feet, she noticed two things: 1) she still had to crane her neck to look up at the girl, and 2), she had yet to let go of her hand.
The taller girl seemed to notice this and shook their still entwined hands.
“Hi, I’m Danny. “
“HimynamesLaurathanksforhelpingmeupthatwassuperniceevenifyouweretheonethatknockedmeover.” Blurted Laura.
Danny gently untangled her fingers from Laura’s death-grip “Nice to meet you, HimynamesLaura. Are you a first time counselor too?”
“Yes!” For the first time since making eye contact with Danny, Laura looked around the now vacated room. “Oh no! There’s no way in hell or Hogwarts I’m going to get the seat next to Dean now!”
Danny looked around, seemingly noticing the empty room for the first time as well.
“Oh god, you’re right… We’d better get going if we want to get a seat.”
Both girls looked at each other, at the door, and back at each other with matching grins.
“Race you?” came the simultaneous proposal and the even more simultaneous dash to the door. Danny’s long legs and Laura’s apparently limitless energy made the two girls just about even and they arrived at the door of the dining hall before the last counselor had entered. Both were sporting flushed faces and identical wind-blown hair.
“Welcome all newbies!” Began Dean once everyone had found a seat whether on a real chair, on the floor, or on someone else’s lap. “We at Camp Silas are so glad to see your new faces. I want to make this meeting quick and give you all a chance to meet the other counselors in your bunks and in your specialty groups.”
“We have three rules for counselors at Silas:
- Always keep track of your kids: A lost kid is a scared kid and scared kids don’t have fun at camp
- Communicate with your co-counselors: I don’t care how much they annoy you or if they steal your toothpaste. TALK TO THEM! That’s the only way this summer will work
- Have fun! When the kids see you having fun, they have more fun. It’s basically science”
Dean looked around the room smugly at the pleasant response the last rule evoked. The fact that fun was a required part of the job only made their prospects for the summer better.
“One last thing before you all go and check the posted bunk assignments; I know that most if not all of you will have a romantic relationship with someone on the staff this summer. It would be crazy of me to think otherwise. However, I warn you now: you must keep it appropriate in front of campers. Do not over share with your kids about your sex life! Keep it classy at camp.”
All the new counselors were pointedly avoiding Dean’s eyes and scanning the room. Possibly looking for their Summer Fling but probably just trying to hide their rosy cheeks. Laura was no exception; glancing up, she met Danny’s eyes and quickly looked away.
“Now Counselors, please proceed in an orderly fashion to the far wall, where we have posted the co-counselor assignments as well as your cabin assignments. Newbies will be paired with Veterans to ensure efficiency. Read carefully, find your co-counselors and sit down somewhere. Talk. Plan. Bond. It will make your cabins stronger. See you all at dinner.”
Laura was the first at the wall of assignment sheets. Which meant she caught the first glimpse of her future best friends, but she was also trapped against that wall by the throng of her peers who were all clambering to see. She was just about to succumb to the endless barrage of tie-dye shirts, and birkenstocks when a familiar, freckled hand hauled her from the confusion.
“Whew. I thought we’d lost you for a minute there, Flash.” Laughed Danny. “Is there any chance in hell we’re co-counselors?”
Laura grimaced, remembering the two names printed beside hers. Neither were even remotely close to Danny.
“Unless your real name is Lola or Susan, I don’t think so.”
“That’s too bad. We would’ve had the most badass cabin in this place.”
“Laura? Laura Hollis?”
The sound of a prim and precise voice calling her name cut through the conversation like a knife. Laura swiveled, looking for the source of her summons. As she tracked the sound, she found herself following the progress of two very ginger heads bobbing through the crowd. The first head was covered in a mane of red curls, neatly restrained with a bandana tied Rosie-the Riveter style. The second head sported hair that was closely shaven on the sides with shaggy top styled into what appeared to be carefully arranged chaos.
As the two heads finally bobbed into view, Laura saw they were attached to two individuals who could’ve been poster children for Camp Silas. One was wearing a pristine, pressed Camp Silas polo shirt, tucked into pleated khakis and the other had slightly wrinkled canvas shorts, an equally wrinkled button-up, and a bowtie. Upon closer inspection, Laura could see the bowtie was actually custom designed and bore the Camp Silas insignia. Clearly she was dealing with professionals.
“Do you know who Laura Hollis is?” Rosie the Riveter asked.
“Hi. I’m Laura Hollis. Sorry I didn’t hear you calling earlier, I was almost trampled to death.”
A hand was thrust forward prominently; a hand with sensibly manicured nails and an air of professionalism that seemed slightly out of place in a summer camp.
“Lola Perry, 3 time counselor, and winner of last summer’s “Most prepared Counselor” Award. This is Susan LaFontaine.” She indicated the carefully mussed individual standing next to her. “Susan” whose spine had visibly stiffened at the introduction gave a brief head nod and stepped forward.
“You can call me LaFontaine.” Although they posed the nickname as an option, there was something in their eyes that seemed to indicate there wasn’t much choice in the matter.
“Is LaF ok?” Laura asked.
LaF broke into a smile revealing dimples and even, white teeth.
“LaF is great.”
During this exchange, Lola had pointedly affixed her attention elsewhere, but with a sniff she turned back.
“We have a lot to cover before the kids arrive next Tuesday. Let’s find a place to sit.” She turned decisively towards the door and led the way.
Looking around Laura caught a final glimpse of Danny engaged in conversation with a tall blonde and short preppy-looking brunette. Feeling Laura’s eyes on her, Danny looked up and gave a small half wave. By mouthing the word “Dinner” and making some frantic hand motions, Laura attempted to convey the idea that she would save Danny a spot at dinner. Her flailing was presumably interpreted correctly as Danny gave a half grin followed by a thumbs up. She then turned back to conversation with her co-counselors, leaving Laura in the company of the ginger twins.
Emerging into the bright sunlight, Laura caught sight of Lola and LaF setting their stuff down by a shady tree in the central courtyard. Laura jogged to meet them and collapsed into the shade beside them in what she hoped was a fluid and cohesive motion, but in what really looked like a full-body muscular malfunction.
Lola turned her attention to the youngest counselor and began the interrogation:
“Are you a counselor or a specialist?”
“Specialist”
“In what?”
“Sports.”
This answer was followed by a barely contained snort from Laf, which they attempted to convert into a coughing fit.
“Sports? Are you sure?” they asked doubtfully
Laura drew herself up to her full 5 feet 3 inches indignantly,
“I’m the Martial Arts Specialist for this summer. I have a 2nd degree Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu and I studied Krav Maga for 5 years, so yeah, I’m sure.”
LaF took a second to close their mouth, which had dropped open slightly, somewhere between the words “2nd Degree” and “Krav Maga”.
Laura flashed a winning smile at them and turned back to Lola. “Next question.”