The Spell of Summer - Day 01

"Feeling ready for that tour?" she queried with that perfectly cheery smile, the sort that camp councilors required to rally their campers for the exciting organized activities.

Aaron rose first, holding his tray. "No time like the present," he said. From there, Lissa lead them to the station to deposit their trays, then beckoned them to follow her out of the cafeteria.

It was straightforward business from there as they walked the entire grounds of the camp, finding it larger than they'd expected, or at least what Aaron had expected. And judging by Justin's reactions each time they turned a corner to find another expanse of buildings, he felt the same.

There were two large clubhouses, a music room full of instruments, an art room, a small library, a shed that held all the equipment for outdoor activities that could be checked out with a signup sheet. Near the lake were racks of canoes and row boats, a large dock that jutted out into the glassy surface of a lake that looked like paint had been dumped into it with the setting sun. There were five "cabin row's"; larger paths that looked like a road that lead to many cabins, all the same size, all for pairs. An infirmary for the sick and injured, a commissary, a laundry facility, a pool and hot tub.

It seemed the campers could want for nothing here; every activity or necessity was covered.

"And this is the amphitheater," Lissa said as they arrived at an area that was far more than what she described. There was a stage with the sort of hangings above that could project sound toward an audience, but the seating was benches in more than a semi-circle. It was more like 270 degrees, and in the center of that, a large fire pit. "We meet here based on the schedule that you'll find on the bulletin board, and lots of nights there are performances by the campers. Music, plays, presentations, skits. Tonight we're just having a bonfire and roasting marshmallows. I hope you'll feel comfortable in coming. Karen and I were talking, and we'd love it if you threw yourselves into the activities like our other campers, even though you're not officially registered. We want you to feel welcome as long as you're stuck here."

The last was said with a self-deprecating smile and a lowered head; Lissa obviously trying her hardest to make them feel welcome.

"That's really nice of you," Aaron said. "Though I'm afraid we might feel a bit out of place, seeing as we're quite a bit . . . older . . ."

Lissa laughed sweetly. "Aww, you'd hardly know it! You both look so young!"

An alarm went off in Aaron's head, as this seemed to solidify the something odd about Justin's appearance, and if Justin was telling the truth, his own appearance may be in question as well.

But he wrote it off as a compliment with the ulterior intention of making them feel like they were the same as every other camper here, and feigned a smile of thanks over her kind words, no matter what she intended with them.

"Listen, I'd love to continue, but we have to start packing the supplies over for s'mores, so if you want to join us tonight, just come here as soon as the sun has set," Lissa said. She then shrugged. "And if you don't—if you just want to take it easy tonight and rest, I totally get it. No one could question it, since you're new and probably feeling rather intimidated by it all. Not to mention being lost! You're probably so tired—"

"We'll come by," Aaron said, cutting her off, as he was finding she could be quite long winded and unnecessarily wordy.

This seemed to thrill her to pieces, and she clapped her hands, lacing her fingers together. "Great! Walk around, or spend some time in your cabin, or . . . well, just do whatever you want, and we'll see you in a bit! I know it really must feel weird, stumbling in here with no intention of attending a camp, just looking for help, but as long as you're here, it's really important to us that you feel completely welcome."

"Don't worry, we do," Justin assured her. "We'll let you get to it."

After a quick goodbye, Lissa took off to join the other councilors in whatever preparations they needed to make for the bonfire.

Justin and Aaron walked back to Alder to grab warmer clothes, just in case it cooled off as the sun set. It bothered Aaron while in there that Justin began to unpack his things, as he was far from ready to settle in, still in denial that they were actually stuck for four weeks. But he didn't say a word; just let his friend do as he wished while sitting on the bed and settling in the only things he wanted to: the charger for his cell phone, and his journal, with which he opened and began to write.

***

The flames of the bonfire rose high and the amphitheater was packed with campers, a cacophony of voices echoing in the night against the sounds of insects singing in the forest. They had swung by the commissary, surprised to find that all the snacks and beverages were free, along with other miscellany like hygiene products, decks of cards, notebooks, etc. So they'd each grabbed a bottle of water, not wanting to take advantage of it.

They settled on a bench in the back.

And it was only a minute later that the first of the campers made their approach to introduce themselves.

To Aaron's surprise, it was three girls that he'd classified earlier as the princesses.

"Oh my gosh, we only just heard that some lost hikers showed up here!" a girl with long blonde hair said, the highlights of it catching light in the flickering flames. Her hand shot out, her beautiful white teeth showing through an even more beautiful smile. "I'm Quinn," she said. Aaron politely shook her hand, Justin doing the same with a bit more vigor. "This is Ems and Layla."

"Aaron," was Aaron's clipped reply. "And Justin," he added, a little more warmth entering his voice upon realizing how short he'd sounded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Quinn responded, then quickly flipped down on the bench beside Aaron. Ems sat beside her, Layla on the other side of Justin.

They were surrounded.

"Not a lot of guys around here, as you may have noticed," Layla said playfully, running her fingers through her long black hair. Aaron knew the signs of a flirt, and toying with hair was one of them. "So we're excited to see some new hot faces!"

"Layla," Ems scolded, but it was followed by a laugh. "Do you have to be so obvious?"

Justin eyed Layla, conveying his growing interest. "I like a girl who's straight forward," he said, a wicked grin on his face. "So tell me, why all the girls at a co-ed camp?"

Quinn was quick to respond, showing a signal that she was the leader of this entourage. "It's a place to escape and let loose. Don't you think girls have more of a reason to run away after high school or in college?"

"We are the ones dumped by asshole boyfriends looking to hook up with college girls the second they arrive on a campus, after all," Layla added.

"And the ones cheated on at frat parties!" Ems agreed, cocking her head to the side with a playful grin, rolling her eyes up into the air.

Aaron couldn't help but chuckle, as he'd been that asshole, though not to be an asshole. He'd left the state to go to college and was worried about the toll a long distance relationship might take. He'd broken up with his high school girlfriend in hopes of setting her free, not as an excuse to go chasing girls.

"Alright, that's fair," he said. "But I'd think that if guys knew the girl-to-guy ratio was this high in their favor, a lot more would show up."

"You'd think that," Quinn said with a wink. "The competition is brutal."

"Good thing you're the first to get to us!" Justin fired at her, with a furtive glance over at Layla.

Aaron nearly groaned at the obvious work of a master hook-up artist. "Too young!" he sang under his breath through barred teeth so only Justin could hear.

"Don't care!" Justin sang back, echoing the tone.

"Oh!" Quinn cried, slapping Aaron's knee, which caused him to jump. She elbowed Ems, and with a shared look, she seemed to send her thoughts to her friend through ESP.

The shorter girl with reddish hair swung around, showing a small backpack; the kind that only a girl would wear that mostly serves as a purse. Quinn unzipped it, didn't have to dig far before she'd retrieved a bottle of . . . something. Glancing around, she brought it down low.

"We have vodka!" she sang, lingering on the word. A grin followed as she added, "Whipped cream flavored!"

Aaron gagged a little in his throat, and Justin chuckled under his breath. How entirely girly, how completely predictable. But they weren't about to turn down any sort of alcohol, hopefully to dull the roar of unease they felt.

"And where do you get alcohol at a camp, underage?" Justin posed.

Quinn was working on the cap while Layla said, "Most sneak it in, but you find after a few weeks that Levi, one of the cooks, will order it for you behind Karen's back. A little sweet talking and a bit of money and voila! Enough liquor to keep the nights a party!"

A large swig was taken by Quinn, then the bottle was handed to Aaron. He gulped more down than he probably should have, but he absolutely had to turn off his brain. He was tired of worrying, tired of questioning, exhausted by the day and absolutely requiring the dulled senses liquor could give him while hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. The vodka offered a pleasant burn that would ease up after a few more swigs, and a repugnantly sweet artificial flavor.

After Justin nearly gagged, causing Aaron to erupt in laughter, he handed the bottle to Layla and leaned over to Aaron, saying, "We should find this Levi and see if he has some real liquor."

This comment was caught by Layla, who said, "He stockpiles it. Gimme a list; I'm sure he'll have something you'd like."

"I'll see what I can come up with," Justin said. "But let's start with some whiskey. Daniels or Jameson, but I'm not about to be picky."

Layla laid her hand down on Justin's knee as she reached across the small group to hand the bottle to Ems. "I'll see what I can do," she said flirtatiously.

Aaron noted that she did not remove her hand, and he worried about that. This is what caused him to take three large gulps when the bottle was back in his hands. He would have to come up with some excuse to get up, and later tonight, have a talk with Justin about how important it would be that they don't fuck this up by getting too close with the campers.

The opportunity presented itself a few minutes later, when Karen announced that the fixings for s'mores were ready and anyone who wanted one could head down and get a stick. Aaron elbowed Justin and gestured with his head.

"I think I'll wait a bit," Justin said, and eyed the hand that had moved to his thigh to convey to Aaron that he was in.

Aaron would have none of that. He grabbed his friend's arm as he rose. "Join in on the activities," he urged with a feigned enthusiasm. "Like Lissa said, let's make the most of it."

Justin had been yanked up, the hand lost, thus he decided he may as well.

After they'd finished a s'more, they began to walk back to the bench where, to Aaron's dismay, the princesses were still there, seemingly waiting for their return.

But he was momentarily distracted by the sight of a girl, halting his motion, causing him to forget for a moment that he was supposed to be the grown up here. He was suddenly guilty of being Justin, as he stared at one of the most beautiful creatures he'd ever laid eyes upon.

She was surrounded by friends but didn't seem to be in direct conversation with any of them. And not because she wasn't important, as she was definitely the focal point in this group of friends. It was more like it was her choice not to talk; like she was above it, but not in the snobby princess way.

This girl . . . her honey colored blonde that framed her face in gentle curls . . . her large eyes that Aaron thought were blue, though it was hard to judge in this darkness, long lashes, button nose, classic lips with this lower lip that Aaron thought could create the most alluring pout . . . this girl, with her slim waist and long legs that shined in the glow of the fire . . . this girl with perky breasts that would fit perfectly in his palm . . .

A deep inhale, followed by a deeper exhale, then the slamming down of his eyes so fiercely that it hurt his brain as he tried to shake it off, though the closing of his eyes only created her image behind his lids.

No. No, no, NO!

It took a sudden effort to continue to walk, of which Aaron determinedly decided he'd attribute to the alcohol and not the weakness in his knees. And he forced himself to follow Justin to the back until he could see her no longer.

But in his return to these three girls that didn't hold a candle to the one he'd just seen, he couldn't pay attention to anything they talked about. Jokes were told, and he'd forgotten the story of them by the time the punchline arrived. He faked his laughter and took even heftier swigs from the bottle until he crossed the line from buzzed to drunk.

He didn't even notice that Quinn would lay her hand on his shoulder; toy with the hair at the base of his neck. That she'd press herself up against his side as they continued to get to know each other. He didn't notice that Layla's hand had not only returned to Justin's leg, but had steadily crept up his leg until it met the crease of his pants where his thigh met his hip. How could he possibly pay attention to all that when he was working to drown out the girl he'd seen with the booze, and that it was working. Working well enough to not care and throw himself into the fun of it all.

An hour had passed, a second bottle shared, and Aaron had been talking with Quinn and Ems for quite awhile when he turned around and found that Justin and Layla had disappeared. "Oh, fuck . . ." he drawled, bringing both hands up to his face and digging the heel of his palms into his eye sockets.

He felt a delicate hand on his thigh and turned to Quinn, who leaned into his ear. "Don't worry about them," she whispered, her breath hot against his neck. "Layla will take good care of him."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Justin said, and began to rise.

Quinn instantly stood beside him, weaving her arm through his. He was beyond tipsy and had to steady the swaying, and in this state, he couldn't help but feel the warmth of her body against his frame. He had to focus. "I need to go find him before he gets himself into trouble."

"There's no trouble here," Quinn said into his ear. "Whatever they're doing isn't against camp rules, because there are none in regards to hooking up. Why don't we go for a walk?"

The devil inside him flashed a few fantastical images through his head of what a walk with Quinn could entail, and he couldn't deny that the thought enticed him. The girl was gorgeous, and damn, she was so warm. It had been so long; even with Nicole. They hadn't touched even while sleeping together for months. And the devil told him that the best way to forget was to find someone new.

"I can't . . ." he said, with a tone of more reluctance than he'd liked. He'd meant for that to be a firm statement, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Sure you can," Quinn urged. "Nothing wrong with a little fun on summer vacation."

Her lips met his neck, and for a moment he forgot any reason why he shouldn't do anything as she kissed a line up to his ear. When she took the lobe between her teeth, his knees momentarily weakened before he finally rolled his head away.

"You're gorgeous," he said, looking down at the girl, who was indeed that and more. She was flat out smoking hot. "Hey, we're here until the train comes. Plenty of time. I just want to make sure Justin is cool."

Quinn laced her fingers through his hand. "I can help you find him," she offered, and it was not at all sincere or innocent. "I know every corner of this camp."

I'll bet she does, Aaron thought, looking at the girl who could no doubt find any guy here to sleep with. She was the sort of California blonde that men would line up for, and that heart-shaped mouth that had just been on his neck caused another flash of images; all the things he'd like to do to that mouth.

"No really," Aaron said, shaking himself out of it. He really had to be the adult here, and used that to remind himself that he was the adult here. He should not be thinking of these things. He could be dirty and kinky and sexy and fun, but he still felt it wasn't right to go after someone this young. "Thank you so much for hanging out with me and sharing your vodka. I'm sure we'll spend more time together."

Quinn's lower lip jutted out in a pout, but she let go of his hand. "Alright," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm in Daisy if you ever want to find me."

Aaron nodded and offered her an apologetic smile, the road with all the flower themed cabins flashing in his mind as though he were committing her location to memory, which was not something he should be doing. "I'll catch you later."

With that, he slipped away and out of the amphitheater.

It was a few minutes of what couldn't fully be called walking when it was a bit more of a stumble before he realized he had no clue where to look for his friend. He thought that he probably should have taken Quinn up on her offer to help; he could have kept her at bay. At least he told himself he could have, though he knew had she joined him there was a high probability it would have escalated.

The camp was quite dark. Aside from the speckling of light from lamps to the sides of each doorway, only the moon offered enough light to really see, and that wasn't much at all.

"This is fucking stupid," Aaron muttered aloud as he continued his searching. And it really was. The chances of him finding Justin were slim to none; not when they could have dashed inside any building, or just taken off into the forest. They certainly wouldn't be under some light doing whatever they were doing!

And he was starting to get lost. They'd had the tour, but he didn't know his way around well enough to find things in the dark. So after a few minutes when he found one of the posts with arrows pointing directions, he found the road of tree themed cabins and made his way to his own. Justin may be out causing trouble, but he didn't have to be. This was safer than walking with Quinn. Better to just hole himself up for the night.

When he opened the door, he gasped.

Justin and Layla were on the bed making out; Layla in her black underwear, Justin with his shirt off. They hadn't even noticed the door open, and Aaron stood there for a second to reconcile his thoughts and get them in place.

"Justin, are you kidding me?" he demanded, gripping the knob of the open door to abate his frustration and anger.

Layla, laying on top of Justin, turned her head to Aaron, while Justin's head simply turned to the side to look at his friend. "No harm here," he said, placating, raising both hands into the air. "Two consenting adults."

Layla rolled to the side of Justin and propped her head in her hand. "Where's Quinn?"

"Back at the bonfire," Aaron drawled.

"Aww, she likes you!" Layla called playfully.

Justin nodded with a laugh. "She definitely does," he agreed.

Aaron held up both hands. "This is . . . not funny." He closed his eyes, breathed in some repose. To be fair, they were two consenting adults, and he wasn't Justin's father. And for a moment, he didn't want to be that guy. "Okay," he said, finally opening his eyes once more. He walked over to his bed and swept up his journal, then eyed Justin with severity. "I'll come back in an hour."

Justin nodded sharply, but Layla whined, "Can't you give us two?" while running her fingers over Justin's chest.