Camp Firefly Sisters, Chapters 1-5

Author’s Note: Commissioned by KyraG. Thank you for your pledge, and for all the story ideas!

Chapter One

Mckenna

I sat in the back seat of her parents’ minivan, crossing my fingers and genuinely curious how all of this was about to play out.

It all started with a boy. And, if that wasn’t cliché enough, it was a boy that both me and my sister liked. Whatever. I’m a teenager; I’m allowed to be a little cliché.

Will first caught my attention when he was working on a project that he and Madeline had been partnered up for. He had come over to our house and, being a gentleman, had offered to refresh their drinks at some point. I happened to be in the kitchen making a snack at the time, and there was no denying the spark.

Honestly, it was kind of crazy that he and I had never talked before. Last summer, I worked as a camp counselor, as did Will. We were just across the river from each other. Camp Firefly was an all girls’ camp, while Camp Falcon was an all boys’ camp; of course they got the cooler name. Every couple weeks, there would be some big activity planned for the camps to do together, often with a playful boys vs. girls rivalry involved, but otherwise each side of the river did their own thing.

He and I had been in the same room when planning those co-ed events, and worked alongside each other where the set-up was concerned. But I was fifteen then, and was a little shy when it came to boys. Which was stupid, considering how confident I was around my co-counselors at Camp Firefly. Now, I was sixteen! Basically an adult, and a lot less awkward when it came to the opposite gender. My growth spurt didn’t hurt things, either.

Of course, I wasn’t going to clue Madeline into my little crush. Mostly since I wasn’t sure it would actually lead anywhere. I only saw Will a couple more times before the end of the school year, and we didn’t get much of an opportunity to talk when his presence at my house meant that he’d be spending most of his time with my older sister. It was obvious that she was into him, too, and not just because we were siblings and I could read her decently well. The good news was, she was too hesitant to make a move, and nothing ended up happening between them before summer hit.

Then, on one seemingly insignificant evening, my family was eating dinner and the conversation shifted to summer work. Madeline had just finished her junior year of high school, while I had breezed through my sophomore year. Our parents pointed out that she should really get a job and start saving for college expenses and such, especially since her last two semesters would be full of AP classes that would make it difficult to work part-time on top of that. I certainly didn’t consider myself the golden girl between us, though it was amusing when they compared her to me and how I already had work lined up for the second summer in a row.

I don’t know what came over me, but I blurted out, “You should be a camp counselor, too!”

A more patient girl would have done a little planning before suggesting such an idea. To be clear, I did not want Madeline to be a counselor with me. Camp was an escape of sorts for me, from the monotony of school and suburban life. I had been a camper throughout most of my childhood, and being on the other side of things hadn’t killed the magic. If anything, being a counselor was better. There was some responsibility involved, sure, though it was so fun to not be bound by any of the rules I once had to follow. Plus I got to spend my whole summer at camp, rather than just the two weeks I had experienced in previous years.

As for Madeline, there was no way she’d be hired so last minute. Camp Firefly would be all staffed up, and the group chat I had with most of the counselors from the previous summer had already informed me that nearly all of us would be returning. So, why was I suggesting it? Because maybe, just maybe, I could get Madeline in as a camper.

My older sister had stopped growing years ago. I never really noticed until puberty caused me to spike up half a foot. It was fun being the bigger sibling, though I wasn’t a brat about it most of the time. I just enjoyed whenever distant relatives assumed I was her, or how I clearly looked older when we stood side by side. So, what would happen if she put on a camper tee and was lumped in with all the other arrivals on the first day? It was an amusing thought.

There were a good dozen holes in the ‘plan,’ which wasn’t a plan in the slightest as it came to me at the dinner table. However, I couldn’t think of a single drawback. Worst case scenario, she would just get sent home and I would maybe get a slap on the wrist for the Day One prank attempt. As for our parents, I doubted they would hold onto any frustration/annoyance for over two months, as it wasn’t as if they would be able to punish me until I was home again. And there was absolutely no chance anyone would say, “Oh, since you’re already here, let’s just make you a counselor.” The rest of us already had our paperwork processed, our background checks run, and whatever else people did for summer jobs. Besides, Camp Firefly was in state, and only a few hours away. My guess was that either someone would drive her home, or our parents would have to come pick her up.

Before getting into all the hypotheticals, I had to convince Madeline to consider the prospect of camp in the first place. I wouldn’t call her nerdy, though I absolutely wouldn’t call her outdoorsy. I’ve always been the more sporty sister who doesn’t mind getting dirty, sweaty, etc. Madeline likes her AC and her board games with friends, and tends to put more focus on school than I do.

Though impulsive, I could also be clever when I put my mind to it. I was easily able to spin how being a counselor was more comfortable than being a camper, mostly because I wasn’t lying. Our building was actually a building, rather than a cabin. We mostly supervised games and activities, while the campers were the ones running around in the hot sun. And it paid more than the average summer job. Well, that last one was a bit of a stretch. It was good money, but it was also a nonstop gig with no overtime. For a girl who loves camp, however, I was basically getting paid to be outside and lead games.

If my other selling points weren’t enough, I rounded things out with, “Oh, and Will is a counselor at our brother camp! You’d see him whenever we do combined camp things. Wouldn’t it be so sad if he hit it off with some other counselor girl while you’re stuck at some retail job?” Madeline didn’t need to know that I was low key referring to myself. Besides, she was too busy being flustered by our parents asking about Will thanks to how I blatantly outed the name of her crush.

There was no need to oversell the idea. I just told Madeline that she needed to let me know ASAP if she was interested, as the counselor spots would be almost full by now. Being the amazing sister that I am, I did mention that I could put in a good word for her, and could even message her application directly to one of the girls that was already at camp to help with some of the organization and orientation set-up.

While I let her deliberate after dinner, I went up to my room and sent a text to my counselor girls asking if it was too late for a new camper to be registered. Even that was a stretch, considering how quickly the first day of camp was approaching, but I had to have some pull as a returning counselor. I made sure to mention that I was asking for my little sister, who had a last minute change of heart about going to camp.

Sure enough, one of my counselor BFFs said they could swing it. I just needed to get the registration form to her and we’d have to pay the late fee. Perfect. There was still no guarantee Madeline was going to come around on the whole camp thing; at the same time, there was no harm in doing some of the leg work just in case. It was summer break, anyway. I didn’t have anything else to work on.

Hmm, what age? I could see Madeline being thirteen, or maybe even twelve. Wearing one of those bright Camp Firefly t-shirts, with unkempt hair thanks to the sweat/humidity combination, and no make-up on? It was tough to say for sure. And yet, with a plan this ridiculous, it felt right to lean into it. Why not, right? Twelve years old.

Aside from altering Madeline’s birth year, I was able to tell the truth as I worked down the rest of the page. Her address was the same as mine. No allergies, no medical conditions, no inhaler, etc. My one hesitation was the Emergency Contact section. Someone could potentially notice if her info was different than what they had on file for me and, if this all ended up going as planned, there was a small chance of her non-athletic self getting injured or whatever. Fuck it. Deciding to take the risk, I put down the correct information.

It was only two weeks. That was the rotation for each group of campers. After that, Madeline would be sent home, provided she ended up staying that long.

Now I just had to figure out the rest. Like how I was going to be the one paying for my sister to be a camper, for starters. I didn’t have that much pull as a second year counselor. Then there was the matter of Madeline’s phone, her driver’s license, and anything else she might bring that could easily prove her real age. Oh, and the fact that our parents would be present when all of us were getting on the bus. Rather than making everyone drive separately, Camp Firefly had a shuttle option for those of us that lived in one of the major cities. Parents/guardians could simply drop their children off at a location much closer to home, and one of the camp buses would take all of us to the campgrounds.

I would somehow have to navigate Madeline through all of that, including the fact that she would be issued a camper tee that was dramatically different from the counselor polo that I would be wearing. The only piece of good news was that everything camp-related was electronic these days; aside from my sister’s date of birth, the other thing I filled in falsely was our parents’ email address. While they’d be reachable via phone for emergencies, the throwaway account I made would be receiving all the camp info they sent out ahead of time.

An hour later, all my hard work ended up being worth it.

Madeline came to my room and expressed how she was potentially interested in the job. She had questions, naturally, all of which I was happy to answer for her. Again, I slightly stretched the truth, especially regarding how much time we’d have with the male counselors across the river. Clearly she was mostly worried about a whole summer away from the guy she had been getting to know over the last month or so. Even if they did have some degree of a connection, that wouldn’t mean anything if they no longer shared a class and he was somewhat off the grid for three months.

By the end of our little chat, I had managed to get her on board. Which meant I really did have to start figuring the rest out.

I was also playing this game on hard mode, as I really did want to turn Madeline into a camper without the help of my fellow counselors. Partly because I was curious about whether or not I could pull it off, and partly because secrets were more likely to be spilled when more people knew. Even confiding in a single girl would be a risk, as she could then confide in someone else, and so on.

Camper payment? Easy. I just split it three ways with my best friends who had their own summer jobs. They could be trusted, as I had known them for years, plus they weren’t connected to Camp Firefly at all. Both girls said I only had to pay them back for part of it, as long as I sent them pics and videos of Madeline’s camp experience. I probably would have done that anyway. As for the money, it was whatever either way. I was sixteen. There was plenty of time for me to save, especially since I started working earlier than my sister.

Madeline’s things? Simple enough. On the morning of our departure, I just had to wait for her to get in the shower. She always took forever in the bathroom, which gave me plenty of time to dig through her backpack and duffel bag. I tucked away her wallet in my own bag, then proceeded to replace a few clothing items she had packed. Honestly, Madeline’s wardrobe wasn’t that impressive, so I didn’t have to work that hard. All I really did was replace any interesting bras with the more plain white/nude numbers I found in the back of her drawer. That, and her lifts were swapped out for an old pair of pink sneakers I had found in the basement when brainstorming for this morning.

Other than that, there wasn’t much to do. Campers were required to wear their year’s t-shirt most of the time, for both safety and organizational purposes. The bright colors made it easy to spot them from just about anywhere, and anything that was divided by age along the way was simply a matter of telling green shirts to group up over there and pink shirts to meet by the mess hall. I really wanted Madeline to wear pink, but Camp Firefly rotated colors every year to keep it interesting for returning girls. I had no idea what color her age group would be given.

As for Madeline’s phone, that was still a work in progress. At the moment, she was scrolling social media in the passenger seat, no doubt enjoying reception while she had it. If I really needed to, I could always snatch the device out of her hand at the right moment. That just felt like it would cause a scene, when I had otherwise set things up so smoothly without her catching on. Maybe I could discreetly lift it from her pocket when she was getting signed in or something.

And, finally, there was our mother, who was currently driving us to the parking lot of a school that had volunteered their property for the morning. Ideally, she would just drop us off and we’d say our goodbyes by the car. If she waited around to see us off, I wasn’t sure how things would end up playing out. Still, I was banking on her just leaving. Madeline and I were both high school girls; we didn’t need a parent to hold our hands for something like this. Especially since it was a summer job. Neither of us were technically adults, but this was a somewhat mature commitment, even if I still viewed camp more as ‘play’ and less as ‘work.’

I took a calming breath as we pulled into the place. This was going to happen. I was pretty sure I hadn’t missed anything, though I was being hit with a similar feeling of wondering what I forgot to pack for a trip . . . Also, I was thinking about that. But we did have a little store at camp, so I wasn’t actually worried about a missing toothbrush or anything. The far more pressing concern was any other oversights regarding my soon to be little sister.

Phone, and mother. That was it. Had to be.

Hopping out of the car and being a responsible girl, I grabbed both my duffel bag and Madeline’s, as well as my backpack. Amusingly enough, we packed about the same amount of clothes. Not because she was into fashion or anything like that; my earlier exploration of her things informed me that her nerdy self was just overpacking all kinds of ‘just in case’ options. Meanwhile, last year had taught me that I really only needed to pack for about a single week. Since I was stuck in the counselor polo as often as the campers had to wear their matching t-shirts, there really wasn’t much to worry about where clothes were involved. Our building had a laundry machine, as we were there all summer.

“I can get your duffel, Maddie!” I smirked. She was still getting out of the car, and couldn’t currently see me, “Just grab your backpack.”

My sister wasn’t a fan of nicknames; she only ever went by ‘Madeline.’ Except she was a Camp Firefly girl now, and counselors were notorious for shortening literally everyone’s names. Or lengthening names, for those that only have a single syllable. I ended up with ‘Kenna’ last year, which no one back home had ever considered. Unlike Madeline, however, I didn’t care. It’s just part of the camp experience. And ‘Kenna’ is kind of cute! Better than ‘Mac,’ in my opinion, though I wouldn’t have been opposed to that, either.

Anyway, I already knew how Madeline would feel about ‘Maddie.’

But that wasn’t my problem. If I played the rest of my cards right, she was going to be stuck as Camper Maddie for the next two weeks.

Chapter Two

Madeline

When Mckenna brought up the idea for me to be a camp counselor with her, my first instinct was to scoff and roll my eyes. Why would I want to spend two months sweating out in the middle of nowhere, dealing with bug bites, and being responsible for a bunch of overly energetic girls? It didn’t sound like my scene at all. There was a reason I had never gone to camp myself, as I much preferred spending my summers hanging out with my friends.

However, she brought up a few good points. In particular, the fact that Will would be around. But also, that counselors rotated responsibilities enough that the job was more lax than anywhere else I would work. Rather than a fifteen minute break, I could potentially have a couple hours to myself where I was getting paid to nap in a hammock or lounge in my air conditioned room. Also, Camp Firefly was only eight weeks long, with four different sets of campers along the way. That meant I’d have the entire month of August to myself without the pressure to work.

The morning of, I spent a good thirty minutes in the shower, assuming it would be the last good one I was going to have for a while. Though the counselor building had a nicer bathroom than the campers did, according to Mckenna, I doubted I’d have the perfect water pressure or consistent heat that I had in my private bathroom at home. Then I got to work straightening my long blonde hair, applying a touch of make-up, and going with one of the push-up bras I wore most of the time. I was still praying for a belated growth spurt, both in the height and curves department. So far, my younger sister has been the only one blessed in that regard.

There hadn’t been much to pack. All I really needed to worry about was bringing along a collection of comfortable bottoms, as Mckenna had explained that I’d mostly be wearing the shirts issued to me. I wasn’t that big into fashion anyway, though I did make sure to bring along a few cute sets of lingerie in case anything happened between me and Will. Other than that, filling my duffel bag had been a pretty simple task despite how we’d be gone for eight full weeks.

As we pulled into the parking lot where everyone was supposed to meet for the bus ride, I was already starting to dread the parts of being a counselor that I was not looking forward to. Like the sheer quantity of girls, most of whom were either saying goodbye to their parents or standing in the most disorderly line I had ever seen. Rather than single file, there were clumps of campers who know doubt knew each other from previous years, or were going together for the first time. And it was going to be my job to keep all these girls on task and on schedule while they distracted each other along the way.

It was clear that Mckenna was excited for camp. Literally the second the car was parked, she was jumping out and grabbing our bags. And calling me ‘Maddie.’

“It’s Madeline,” I corrected her. Even when we were younger, I never shortened my name. The occasional relative or acquaintance would go with the less mature nickname every now and then, to which I would politely point out my preference. Except my sister was well aware of what I was called, and was suddenly shortening my name anyway.

She just shrugged. “It’s camp, Maddie! Trust me, no one’s going to call you ‘Madeline’ here. That’s way too many syllables. You could be ‘Mads,’ I guess?”

“Or I could be ‘Madeline,’” I countered, “You know, my actual name?”

“Whatever. I was ‘Kenna’ in less than a week last year. What’s the saying, again? You don’t get to choose your own nickname?” Popping her head around the side of the car, she exclaimed, “Mom! Dad! Want to say goodbye here? It’ll be less crazy getting out of here if you go now.”

She looked ridiculous with one duffel on each shoulder on top of her backpack. Though if she wanted to carry half my stuff, I wasn’t going to complain. I was going to have another conversation with her about the nickname she had sprung on me. It was one thing if it ended up happening organically, which I would of course make an effort to prevent. It would be something else entirely if Mckenna was the catalyst; if my sister called me ‘Maddie,’ then anyone witnessing that would assume that I actually went by the shortened version.

Our parents agreed with Mckenna’s point. If they waited for the bus to leave, then they would be stuck in the traffic of all the other parents heading out at the same time afterwards. I also didn’t mind the suggestion, as my sister and I were both a bit too old for our parents to be waving at us as the bus pulled out of the parking lot.

Once we were on our own, Mckenna led the way towards the chaos. In less than a minute, an annoying amount of campers were smiling and greeting her while I awkwardly trailed behind as she walked towards one of the tables off to the side. A single counselor was there, denoted by the bright red Camp Firefly polo she was wearing. “Hey, Kenna!” she exclaimed, “Oh, this must be your sister.”

“Yep, this is Maddie. It’s her first year!” Mckenna replied, with the same kind of peppy energy, “Can we sign her in here, or should she line up with the other girls?”

For the love of- “It’s ‘Madeline,’” I said, right away.

“Don’t be rude, Maddie,” Mckenna said, “Sorry, Alex. She can be a little immature sometimes. Well, most of the time.”

“It’s fine,” Alex smiled, “Welcome to Camp Firefly, Maddie. And no, I can’t sign her in. She’s rising 7th, right? You’ll want to go two lines down. Pixie’s table, I think.”

Sorry, what? As in, 7th grade? Mckenna must have seen the look on my face, and proceeded to misinterpret it entirely. “Oh, ‘Pixie’ isn’t her actual name. It’s this inside joke from a few years ago that turned into an actual thing. Long story! Anyway, let’s get you where you need to go. Thanks, Alex! I’ll be back in a minute. Wait, can I leave these here?” She shrugged off the two duffel bags and tucked them behind Alex’s table, then took my hand, “Come on, sis. This way!”

She had always been more touchy than I was. Not like this, however. “Mckenna!” Yanking my hand free of hers after she had tugged me away from the other girl, I said, “Stop calling me ‘Maddie.’ And where are we going?”

Mckenna huffed and crossed her arms. “I told you, Maddie. Nicknames are totally a thing here. And I don’t like ‘Mads’ that much, so . . . ”

“So, use my full name. I can at least try to go by ‘Madeline.’ You’re not even giving it a chance.”

“I could say the same for you. You wanted to go to camp, Maddie. This is part of the camp experience. Now, can we please get you in line? You don’t want to be the last girl signed in, do you?”

Such a brat. She was normally more mature than this; maybe camp had that effect on her. I was stunned she responded to all of my corrections by just addressing me by the nickname anyway. Rude. For the time being, I let the subject change, as I also wanted to ask about where I was being sent. “Did Alex mean rising 7th graders?” I asked.

“Mm hmm,” Mckenna nodded, “That’s the group you’re going to be with for the next two weeks, I’m guessing. After that, we’ll have to see what happens.”

“Yeah, but shouldn’t counselors have their own sign-in table?” That’s what I had assumed Alex was there for. It didn’t make any sense for me to line up with the girls I’d be overseeing.

She shrugged again. “It’s a dumb process. You’re literally brand new to Camp Firefly, sis. Once you get through the line and check in, we can worry about the rest. I’m a returning counselor, so things are a little different for me.”

Umm, okay. I couldn’t really question things too much. Like Mckenna said, this was all new to me. I had no idea how any of it worked. “Whatever,” I said, “Can I at least skip to the front?”

“And what kind of example would that set for the rest of the girls?” she pointed out, “You need to wait in line with the rest of the girls, Maddie. You’re basically a camper, being new and all. Patience is something we work on with Fireflies like you.”

“They’re called ‘Fireflies?’” I scoffed.

“You’re a Firefly, too, sis. Try to embrace the camp experience! Now, do you need me to walk you to your line, or can you find it yourself?”

“I think I can manage.” It really wasn’t that difficult to find a table when everything in the parking lot was labeled.

Despite her teasing and bubbly energy about this being my first time at camp, she didn’t insist on escorting me the rest of the way. Probably because she was more interested in hanging out with Alex and whatever other girls she knew from previous years. Mckenna wasted no time in bounding off for the table we had started at, leaving me to meander through the chaos around me.

Though the lines weren’t particularly line-like, I could at least distinguish them from each other. No doubt because years of doing this taught those in charge to leave a big gap between each table to avoid confusion.

It seemed like everything was set up according to age, with the youngest group of campers at the far left. Like Alex had informed us, my line was second from the right. It made sense that rising 8th graders would be the last group, as my sister had been a counselor when she was fifteen. My guess was that she had been put in charge of the younger crowd, as it would be difficult to be seen as an authority figure by girls she was practically the same age as. That was one advantage I had, and perhaps why I was going to be in charge of an older group. I was new, so they would only see me as a counselor, rather than a camper who had aged out.

I wasn’t particularly excited to wait in line. Despite what Mckenna said, I was tempted to skip to the front. What was her name again? Pixie? Almost as ridiculous as calling the campers ‘fireflies.’ Maybe she would be more inclined to help out a fellow counselor. On the other hand, I didn’t want to make a bad first impression to a girl who had been involved with the camp for a few years. She could be just as opinionated as Mckenna when it came to virtues like patience.

Deciding to just suck it up, I walked to the back of the line. There were at least thirty girls ahead of me. I pulled out my phone to kill some time, simultaneously making the most out of the consistent service I had. According to Mckenna, reception was spotty at Camp Firefly. Apparently receiving messages was a lot easier than sending them. An unexpected bar or two would be enough for a phone to play catch-up on belated notifications, but usually in the middle of an activity when counselors wouldn’t be looking at their devices. I had already braced both myself and my friends for the fact that I would be partially off the grid, so this was really my last chance to use my phone properly. I doubted I’d be texting much on the bus, as that was easily the worst vehicle when it came to carsickness.

It wasn’t long before a few girls were lining up behind me, leaving me sandwiched between two separate groups that were chattering away. I wasn’t really trying to eavesdrop as I stared at my phone, though neither circle of girls was being particularly quiet. Were any of them aware that I was a counselor? The small group in front of me was excitedly talking about how they had snuck across the river last year to hang out with some of the boys after curfew, and their plans to do something similar this summer.

I had half a mind to clear my throat and inform them how obvious they were being. At the same time, I really didn’t care. This job was mostly about the easy money, as well as proximity to my crush. If a few girls wanted to break curfew, I wasn’t going to bust them unless they were just as obvious about it later on. I was also low key taking notes. Maybe Will and I could steal away after curfew? I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as big of a deal for counselors to do so.

The line was moving surprisingly quickly. Then again, everyone here had already done registration or whatever. Signing in was probably just a matter of giving a name and being given a folder and a stack of camper tees. That’s the process I was observing as I approached the front, anyway. My guess was that the folder was some combination of each camper’s schedule, camp rules, etc. etc.

When I was maybe five girls away from the sign-in table, Mckenna appeared beside me. “Almost there, Maddie!” she smiled. With no warning, she plucked my phone out of my hand. “I’ll hold onto this for you, sis. We discourage girls from bringing these, anyway.”

“Hey! Mckenna-” I didn’t even know what to say, and also didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone. “Give it back.” Not the most mature response, but it was all I could think of in the moment.

“I will. Later.” Shooting me a wink, she swiveled on her heel and walked away.

What the actual fuck? She just took my phone. For no reason! I wanted to chase her down to get it back, except I had just spent so long waiting in line. There were so many girls behind me, and there was no guarantee my spot would be here for me when I made it back. Was this some kind prank or hazing or whatever, or was she just being a brat? It was so stupid. I was already about to be at camp and barely able to use my phone, anyway.

Frowning in annoyance, I decided to stay. Once I was signed in, I could track Mckenna down and give her an earful about blatantly stealing something that was so personal to just about every girl our age. It didn’t matter that she said she would return it; she never should have taken it from me in the first place.

Three girls to go. I needed to make sure that my frustration towards Mckenna’s actions weren’t directed towards the counselor at the desk. First impressions and all.

Pixie was sitting behind the desk at the front of the line. Long red hair, a counselor polo, and a name tag sticker that informed me that she was the girl Alex referenced, complete with a heart over the first ‘i’ in her name. “Ooh, new camper!” she exclaimed, “Welcome to Camp Firefly. Last name?”

Did all the counselors have this kind of energy? Hopefully I’d be able to find one or two that were more like me. “Counselor, actually. Lewis.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Wrong line, babe. Sorry! You should be two tables down. I think Alex is checking counselors in?”

Umm, what? “Alex said this was my line,” I muttered. For fuck’s sake. If this was another prank, or even a simple mistake, I was going to be pissed.

“Huh. You said Lewis, right?” She glanced down at the list of names in front of her. Turning the page and tracing towards the L’s with her index finger after I affirmed what she repeated, Pixie found what she was looking for. “Maddie? Megan? Rachel?”

“Madeline.” It didn’t actually say ‘Maddie’ on the sheet, did it? Though if the redhead before me just auto-abbreviated my name, that only served to prove Mckenna’s point about nicknames being an unavoidable thing at camp.

Pixie looked up from the list, still looking a little confused. “You said you’re a counselor?”

“Yeah. Maybe Mckenna mentioned me? She’s my sister.”

“Oh!” she smiled, “Right. She was asking about a last minute registration for you. But I should warn you if Kenna didn’t, I doubt anyone will consider you for a junior counselor opportunity this year. We usually just do that for returning campers who are already familiar with Camp Firefly. Maybe your sister could swing an informal something for you along the way, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“What? No, I’m an actual counselor,” I said, “Same as Mckenna.”

“But, you’re-” Pixie hesitated, giving me a pretty blatant once-over as she processed what I was trying to tell her. Then her demeanor shifted and she gave me a soft smile. “Of course. I’m sure it’s a simple paperwork issue. Tell you what, Maddie. Do me a favor and take these?” She pulled out a small stack of the light blue camper t-shirts I had seen her handing out to everyone who had been in line in front of me, followed by a folder in a matching color.

“Umm, why?” I asked. There was no reason for me to take what the other girls had. Unlike them, I wasn’t a camper.

“Inventory will be a lot easier this way, trust me. Here, just take these and go find Mckenna.”

“But-”

“Sorry, Maddie. I need to keep things moving. Next!”

Reluctantly taking the shirts and folder, I stepped away from the table, feeling more confused than she had looked a moment ago. Why was I on the camper list, and why hadn’t Pixie made more of an effort to resolve the mix-up?

She was right about one thing–I needed to find Mckenna.

Chapter Three

Finding my sister wasn’t a particularly easy task.

The parking lot was just as chaotic as it had been when we arrived, and Mckenna could be anywhere. I assumed she would have changed into her counselor polo at this point, and was relying on the bright red to spot her amidst the crowd. Similar to what lifeguards wore, it made sense that the girls in charge here had a color that was more distinct and easily noticeable.

If she hadn’t taken my fucking phone, I could have just texted her. Then again, there was no guarantee she’d be checking hers if she was busy catching up with counselor friends, herding campers, etc. Either way, I was still bitter that she left me in line without my device.

After aimlessly circling the lot for a few minutes, I knew for certain that Mckenna wasn’t at one of the check-in tables. I also knew that I was going to get a sunburn if I kept walking around in the summer heat. With rather fair skin, I couldn’t go more than twenty or thirty minutes without sunscreen, and I had already used most of that time standing in line.

There were some trees at the edge of the parking lot, and I took shelter in the shade while continuing to scan the crowd for red polos. Of course, there was always the chance that my sister hadn’t even changed into hers yet. I briefly thought about how it would have made more sense for her to just put it on before we left, but the camp probably had the counselors turn in the polos at the end of the last week so they could be used again by the next round of counselors.

Mckenna had definitely worn her various Camp Firefly t-shirts after going to camp every year. Now that I was holding a stack of identical tees, I put it together that each camper was probably able to take home one as a souvenir, while the others would be washed and reused over the coming months. After all, it would be wasteful to send each girl home with multiple shirts.

After a couple minutes of standing around, I was approached by a counselor who was very much not my sister. She was taller and closer to my age, and wasted no time in getting right to business. “What are you doing over here?” she asked, “New camper, right?”

“Umm, not exactly,” I flushed. Did she really think I was a camper? I knew I was on the smaller side, and was holding the camper tees I was given, but still. “I’m a counselor. Pixie said there was some paperwork issue or something?”

“Uh huh. Pixie signed you in, then?” she asked, “What’s your name?”

“Madeline,” I said. Maybe getting one girl used to my full name would offset the nickname that had been thrown around so much recently.

She glanced up in thought for a moment, then said, “I’m pretty sure Melody is the only M counselor, as far as I can recall. Do you mean junior counselor? That’s a whole different thing.”

“No!” I snapped. That’s what Pixie had mentioned as well, except she had described it as something that was out of reach for me as a ‘new camper.’ Taking a breath, as it was fair to get frustrated with the girl before me who was coming in blind to all of this, I said, “I’m a counselor. Like, an actual counselor. I signed up with Mckenna. Have you seen her?”

“Oh, you’re Kenna’s sister?” she asked, “Hmm, I can see the resemblance. Did she not tell you what to do after signing in?”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “She just showed me the line and walked away.”

That’s what actually happened. From this girl’s perspective, however, I sounded like a sister oversimplifying things for whatever reason. It’s not uncommon for sisters to bicker and get annoyed with each other. “Well,” she said, “You’re supposed to change now.” She gestured towards the side door of the school, “There are bathrooms just inside. Then look for the bus for rising 7th and rising 8th girls.”

How was that helpful? If every counselor I had interacted with thus far assumed I was a camper thanks to the paperwork issue, putting on the camper tee would only add to the confusion. “But, I’m not-”

“Madeline.” She walked up to me and placed a hand on my upper back, walking me towards the nearby building as she said, “You’re not the first girl who isn’t particularly excited about being shipped off to camp for two weeks. But I promise, Camp Firefly is lots of fun if you let yourself enjoy it.”

“I signed up for two months,” I muttered, “Like Mckenna. She and I are both counselors.”

“Then, how about this?” she replied, without missing a beat, “If you change into one of the shirts Pixie gave you, like you were supposed to do after checking in, I’ll find Kenna for you. Fair?”

Not particularly. The light blue tee was less flattering than the casual summer outfit I was wearing, plus I’d have to change all over again once I was given one of the red polos the other counselors were wearing. “Can’t we just find Mckenna first?” I asked. That made so much more sense.

“No,” she said, “Come on, Madeline. Get changed. You don’t want to be the reason everyone is held up, do you?”

I hesitated. She probably meant that a bus full of campers wouldn’t appreciate stragglers like myself who delayed the trip to the camp itself, yet I was more worried about how the counselors would perceive me if I was difficult on the first day. They were the ones I’d be working with all summer, and this was already an embarrassing first impression. If I continued to whine and argue about something as simple as this, even if I was in the right, it could lead to an awkward dynamic with this girl moving forward.

Resisting the urge to sigh, I said, “Okay. Just- Give me a minute.”

The silver lining was the fact that it was a little bit cooler inside. The AC wasn’t blasting or anything, as the building likely didn’t get much summer use, but it was certainly better than the parking lot in the sun. True to what I had recently been told, the bathrooms weren’t too far from the door. There were a couple counselors around to make sure that no one strayed farther down the halls than they needed to, and to direct campers to the appropriate rooms. Apparently the older groups, including the one that I was perceived as, were to change in the boys’ bathroom. It made sense, and wasn’t that big of a deal. The opposite gender wasn’t around at the moment, and otherwise there would only be half the space for people to change.

I set down all my shirts but one on the counter inside and stepped into one of the stalls to change. When putting on my black athletic shorts this morning, I had anticipated changing into a red polo at some point, which would have been a hot combo. The light blue Camp Firefly shirt didn’t complement my bottoms nearly as well.

Checking out myself in the mirror for a moment, not particularly enthusiastic about how similar I looked to the other girls I had seen out there in the matching tee, I headed back out to the tall girl who was going to track down Mckenna for me.

When she saw me in what she believed to be the appropriate attire, the girl fulfilled her end of the deal. She pulled the walkie-talkie that was clipped to the waistband of her shorts and called to either my sister or to any other counselor who had Mckenna in their sights. “Hey, Kenna? Can you swing by the seven-eight bus for a minute?”

Huh. I couldn’t remember the last time I even saw a walkie-talkie, but it made sense. The counselors could just as easily use it here as they could at the campgrounds, and didn’t need to rely on reception when we were farther from the city. And, sure enough, the simple form of communication worked in terms of getting Mckenna’s attention. “On the way!” Static or no static, I was familiar with that voice.

“Follow me, Madeline,” the girl said. She placed the simple device back on her hip and began walking towards the parked mini-buses on the other side of the lot. As we got closer, I could tell from a distance which bus was for the rising 7th and 8th grade girls; the matching t-shirts were more informative than the sign taped to one of the windows. It was also the only bus that primarily had campers lined up, where the others had a lot more parents who were helping with luggage, saying goodbye, and so on.

Before we made it all the way to the bus where half the girls were wearing the same t-shirt as me, Mckenna spotted us on her way from the other side of the lot. She had on the counselor polo; I wasn’t sure how I missed her when scanning the area recently. “Hey, Gwen!” she smiled, “Miss me?” Then she noticed me, “Oh, hey, Maddie! Please don’t tell me you already got in trouble with our head counselor.”

“No, nothing like that,” she said, “Madeline just seems a little confused as to her camper status. She’s not a junior counselor, is she?”

“Of course not,” Mckenna replied, “This is her first year. Pretty sure there’s a rule about that. Right?”

The taller girl, whose name I now knew was Gwen, shook her head, “It’s an unofficial rule, but yeah. Returning campers only.”

“But, I’m not a camper!” I exclaimed.

“I got this, Gwen,” Mckenna said, “You probably have a million other things to worry about today!”

“Two million,” Gwen chuckled, “Thanks, Kenna. Catch up later?”

“You know it!”

Why did it feel like I was being pawned off on my little sister? I also hadn’t thought about how we would look side by side when putting on the camper shirt. Anyone who didn’t know us would absolutely assume that she was older, even without taking our size difference into consideration.

As Gwen walked away, I turned towards Mckenna with an annoyed look. “Pixie told me to find you. There was some mix-up with the paperwork she had, and half the counselors think I’m a fucking camper because of these shirts.” I gestured to what I was wearing, as well as the clean ones tucked under my arm.

“Language, Maddie,” Mckenna said. She glanced around for a moment to make sure no one was close enough to overhear what I just said. I knew for a fact that she was fine with swearing, and it looked like she was just doing her job as a counselor. The reminder to work on my own filter was appreciated at some level; it just came across in a slightly patronizing way when paired with the unwanted nickname.

“Right,” I muttered. No sense in dwelling on a valid point when I had more important things to focus on. “Can we please sort out this nonsense with whomever?” Maybe Gwen should have stayed. She was the head counselor, as I just found out, and would probably have the easiest time fixing the problem. Girls like Alex and Pixie had seemed more interested in moving things along, rather than listening to me.

“Umm, funny story,” Mckenna giggled, “All the counselor slots were full, so I registered you as a camper.”

. . . What?

She wasn’t serious, was she? I couldn’t tell if it was a joke, or if she was amused by the truth of what she was saying. Either way, my response was the same. “That’s not funny, Mckenna,” I rolled my eyes.

“It’ll be great, Maddie!” she smiled, “Being a camper is more fun, anyway. No work, no responsibilities. Besides, you said you wanted to see Will, didn’t you?”

“Mckenna, enough,” I snapped. Part of me actually believed her. Alex told me to get in the rising 7th grade line, and Pixie had me on her list. I was literally wearing the wrong shirt. In retrospect, it made a lot more sense for my sister to have signed me up for the wrong role than for the camp’s system to have such a blatant problem regarding my name. “I’m a counselor.” After saying it multiple times to multiple girls, I was starting to feel like a broken record. If this was some kind of hazing for the new girl, I wasn’t a fan.

Mckenna placed her hand on my upper back, similar to the manner in which Gwen led me towards the school, and began walking me towards the bus. Was it some counselor gesture they had, where such a hand placement was simple and appropriate when it came to guiding girls where they needed to go? I didn’t have much time to think about it, as Mckenna corrected me, “You’re a camper, sis. Or a Firefly, if you prefer. This can be the camp experience you never had! You’re welcome.”

We were nearing the bus for the older campers, which didn’t have much of a line now. “I’m not a camper!” I insisted. It was such an absurd concept. “Seriously, Mckenna. What’s going on?” If this was some form of hazing, she and the rest of the counselors were rather synced up and all had a decent poker face. But that didn’t change the fact that I had just turned seventeen, and was doing this as a summer job; I was way too old to go to camp.

Rolling her eyes, somewhat copying my reaction from a minute ago, she said, “You’re basically the same size you were when you were twelve, which is the age I put down on your registration form. Seriously, Maddie. I’m not messing with you; not about this, anyway. Come on, it’ll be great. You can get some much needed sunshine and exercise, and see that cute boy along the way.”

I didn’t know if I was more shocked or offended. Twelve?! I did not look that young. Obviously I was a little short and petite, but I was still a high school girl. Not even my current get-up was enough to visibly shave that many years away. Right? Except for the fact that several counselors had mistaken me for the camper Mckenna had apparently registered me as.

Stopping in my tracks a few feet from the bus, and pivoting so Mckenna couldn’t keep nudging me forward, I crossed my arms in annoyance. I’m not sure I’d ever get used to looking up at my younger sister, especially when we were face to face. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“Nope,” she smiled, “You’re a camper, little sis.”

For fuck’s sake. Putting aside the embarrassment of being perceived as five years younger than I actually was by multiple girls, this was such a waste of my time. It wasn’t as if I was going to pretend to be a middle schooler just for the sake of getting some time with Will. I didn’t like him that much. If Mckenna hadn’t actually gotten me a job as a counselor, our parents were going to have to come back and pick me up, and I’d have to start looking for something else.

It wasn’t lost on me that my sister wouldn’t be getting in trouble for this any time soon, as she’d be long gone by the time they arrived.

I was about to demand for my phone back, so I could storm off to the shade and call them, when Alex walked over from whatever she had been doing by one of the other buses. “Pixie says we’re all set for the older campers,” she informed Mckenna, “Just waiting on two more girls to change. Ready to go, Maddie?! I’m on your bus. I want to hear all the dirt and all the tea you have on Kenna here!”

“Umm . . . ” I hesitated. What exactly was I supposed to say to that? My younger sister is taller than me, and thought it would be amusing to register me as a camper? As for dirt, I really didn’t have much on Mckenna. Otherwise, I probably would’ve blurted it out right then and there as petty revenge for dangling an easy job over my head and taking it away in the most last minute and humiliating fashion.

“Maddie’s ready,” Mckenna said, giving my shoulders a light push, “You can go with Alex, sis. I’ll see you there! Wait, which bus am I on?”

“You and Pixie are with rising 6th,” Alex said, “Oh, we might be rooming together this year! I caught a glimpse of Gwen’s binder.”

“Fun!” Mckenna replied, “You’re so much better than Stacey.”

Alex scoffed. “Is that supposed to be a compliment? Anyway, see you up there! Maddie, you’re with me.” Sure enough, she began walking me away from my sister and towards the bus with the same gently assertive maneuver the other girls had been using.

“No, wait!” I said. The other girl’s arrival had really messed up my thought process, causing me to awkwardly blurt out what I needed from Mckenna to get picked up. “My phone. Mckenna-”

“You can have it back later,” she said, over her shoulder, “Until then, Alex is in charge.”

“Mm hmm,” Alex hummed, still nudging me forward, “Kenna says you’re not into the whole camp thing. Just promise me you’ll give it a chance, okay?”

There was no doubt in my mind that Alex wasn’t in on this or anything; she actually thought I was Mckenna’s little sister. “That’s not- I mean, I’m not-” I stammered, completely at a loss for what to say or do.

Before I knew it, I was taking a step up to avoid tripping, as Alex ushered me onto the bus.

Chapter Four

There weren’t many seats left.

The bus was too full for me to sit alone, which was the obvious preference when I didn’t know anybody else on the ride. Alex was behind me, telling me to take a seat, and the bus driver had already shut the doors behind us. I was still in a somewhat dazed state from what Mckenna had revealed to me, my head spinning from the insane concept that she had signed me up as a camper and everyone here seemed to buy it without so much as batting an eye.

It was still too fresh for me to fully believe it. There was no way I looked as young as all the girls before me on the bus, even if I was wearing the same t-shirt they were. Being on the smaller side did make the occasional person assume my sister was the older one, or that I wasn’t quite old enough to buy a ticket for an R rated movie even when I went with a group that was otherwise the same age. But, twelve? Absolutely not.

As badly as I wanted to insist to Alex that this was all a big misunderstanding or, more accurately, an intentional ‘mix-up’ that Mckenna had caused, I didn’t want to cause a scene while Alex and I were somewhat the center of attention due to being the only two girls currently standing on the bus. She also seemed to be good friends with my sister, which meant Alex either wouldn’t believe me or would commit to what I was still hoping was some kind of hazing/prank/whatever.

So I reluctantly took the nearest seat next to a freckled brunette who gave me a smile and welcomed me to Camp Firefly.

Her name was Bailey, as I learned a few seconds later. Just because she had been sitting alone didn’t mean that she was a particularly shy girl. She was quick to share about how this was her third year as a Firefly, how she was excited to be participating in some of the more mature camp activities reserved for the rising 7th and rising 8th girls, and that she was planning on being a counselor after that.

She was basically my exact opposite in terms of energy, and the age difference meant I had even less in common with her. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone, which meant I couldn’t gradually start paying attention to my screen more than to her until she got the memo.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, she finally asked my name and if this was my first year. Right. I guess it wasn’t the kind of camp where everyone knew everyone. This one pick-up spot was already a lot of girls, and that was before accounting for those that were being driven directly by their parents, as well as the other bigger city in the area that probably offered the same service.

I introduced myself, but didn’t bother with the awkward explanation.

‘I’m here as a counselor, even though I’m wearing this t-shirt. My sister said she registered me as a camper, which she may or may not be telling the truth about. Or it’s something all the counselors are in on. I genuinely don’t know.’

Regardless of what was actually going on, it wasn’t as if Bailey was part of it. She just thought that I was her age based on my current appearance, and was therefore talking to me like I was a peer.

Since I was stuck in my seat on the bus until we arrived at the camp itself, with a girl who was familiar with Camp Firefly, maybe I could split the difference. One way or another, I had some time to kill, so I asked Bailey if the counselors ever played any pranks on each other or whatever on the first day of camp.

The bad news was, I didn’t get the kind of answer I was looking for. Apparently the counselors did like to pull pranks, just ones that were more playful and camper-focused, rather than on each other. The good news was, I was fine with Bailey chattering away if it meant that I didn’t have to participate as much in the conversation. Silence would have been preferable, of course, not that it would really be quiet with all the background noise of other girls talking. I just wasn’t actually a rising 7th grader, nor a girl who was into camp, so I didn’t have a lot to say.

If I had my own car, today would have gone much differently. We were going to be on the road for two or three hours, which I would have happily driven myself. That would have been much more comfortable than a bus; more peaceful as well.

Without my phone, I had no way of knowing how much time had passed before Alex stood up at the front of the bus and got our attention. Maybe thirty or forty-five minutes?

“Hey, girls!” she said with a warm smile, “I’m Alex, for any new campers on the bus. Now that it’s just us, I can tell you that Camp Firefly is way more fun for you and the rising 8th girls. Better activities, later curfew, and more games with the boys across the river.”

As she elaborated on what Bailey had mentioned to me a while ago, the majority of the girls responded with a variety of whispers and quiet cheers. I could see how returning campers would be excited about aging out of whatever activities they considered themselves too old and/or mature for. That, and I couldn’t blame those that were a little boy crazy. After all, I had signed up for this because a boy I liked would be nearby.

After giving a brief summary of what to expect over the next few days, Alex picked up her clipboard and went on to talk through what we needed to do upon arrival. Grab our bags from the storage area underneath the bus, meet her and another counselor at the edge of the gravel lot, and head towards the cabins to drop our stuff. “You’ll all be in Circle B. Six girls to a cabin. We’ll go through cabin etiquette and the usual reminders during orientation. For now, just listen up for your numbers!”

Maybe this would verify whether or not Mckenna was telling the truth. Though if I was on the camper list, I’d probably be assigned to a cabin as well. Still, I was holding onto the hope that she was lying, considering how old I actually was.

It didn’t take long for Alex to get through each cabin, as she was only reading the names of the girls who were on the bus. As for my hopes, those were dashed fairly quickly as well. “Cabin Four. Bailey, Rachel, and Maddie. Cabin Five . . . ”

Before this latest round of evidence that Mckenna had actually registered me as a camper hit me, Bailey smiled and nudged me with her elbow. “Hey, same cabin! Want to share a bunk?”

No. Not at all. While Bailey had been nothing but friendly so far, her enthusiastic chattering was only ever going to be annoying to a girl like me. Less because we had nothing in common, more because I was older and therefore more mature than her. At the same time, I didn’t know what else to say when stuck next to her for the remainder of the ride. “Sure, whatever,” I shrugged. Not a denial, but not much of an affirmation either. If Mckenna really had screwed me over like this, I obviously wasn’t going to stick around.

Life would be much easier if I had my phone, which was no doubt why my sister had taken it from me. I wasn’t sure if these buses were going to turn around and head back to the city, or stay at Camp Firefly for two weeks. If it was the latter, our parents were going to have to make the round trip drive they were trying to avoid. The good news was, they couldn’t be pissed at me for that. It was all Mckenna’s fault.

I also needed to socialize a bit more with Bailey, as being cabin-mates meant she could now jump into potential skit ideas for us. Apparently each cabin performed together at some point.

She did quiet down eventually. I wasn’t trying to be a bitch about it, though I also wasn’t being particularly conversational. Once things were one sided for long enough, Bailey decided to pull out a book to entertain herself. Even that would have been preferable to what I had, which was nothing. I just sat there twiddling my thumbs for a good hour or two, thinking ahead to what I was going to do once we made it to Camp Firefly. Surely someone would be willing to lend me a phone. I belatedly realized that Bailey could be an option for that, except I really didn’t want to break the silence we had settled into.

When we finally exited the interstate, it only took another fifteen or twenty minutes before the girls in the front row noticed the CAMP FIREFLY sign. As most of the bus began sitting up and stretching, something I was tempted to participate in myself, Alex stood up and reminded everyone what to do. No running off or joining other groups of girls, even for returning campers who were familiar with the layout of the place. First things first, we had to unpack the bus and get situated in our cabins.

Bailey didn’t seem too offended by my energy. As the rows in front of us filed off the bus, she gave me another smile and said, “You can stick with me if you want, Maddie. I know my way around! Rachel is cool, too. We hung out a few times last year.”

“Sounds good,” I said, only half listening. At this point, my focus was on finding whoever was in charge. While Gwen was the head counselor, I was assuming there would at least be a few adult staff members around, especially on the first day.

I didn’t make it far. As I stepped off the bus and started to look around, Alex was standing right there to herd all of us in the right direction. I couldn’t complain too much, as I didn’t want to leave my duffel bag behind. After waiting for the dozen or so girls in front of me to grab their luggage, I stepped up and pulled out my large gray duffel. Between that and my backpack, I could already feel myself sweating a little bit in the summer heat. Why did I think this was a good idea, again?

The parking area was even more full than back at the school lot. All the buses from our pick-up spot, a couple more from somewhere else, as well as some cars coming and going. Despite the chaos, there was a surprising amount of order. As soon as I had my bag, there was really nowhere else to go but the direction the girls around me were headed. Alex was waiting for us where she said she would be, holding up a sign with a bold ‘C’ for good measure.

Once I had joined the group, all I could really do was look around and get my bearings. There was a building by the road that could potentially be where the more administrative part of camp happened. Though most of summer camp sounded like it was fun and games, at least from the way Mckenna described it, there would also be stuff like payroll, medical information for certain campers, etc. Speaking of Mckenna, I also needed to find her. If I couldn’t locate an adult, the least I could do was demand more answers from her, as well as my phone.

For now, however, it was time for us to be escorted to the cabins in Circle C.

The walk was more than I expected.

I didn’t consider myself out of shape, but I was also used to places like school and the mall. The cheap cotton of the light blue tee didn’t help anything, either. While I was busy wishing I was wearing a tank top or a breathable sundress, Alex was acting as a tour guide along the way. She pointed out the mess hall and the large field nearby where countless games would be played, as well as the lake that could just be seen through the trees. We also passed Circle A and B; Bailey murmured to me that A was for rising 8th girls, while B was usually a mix of our year and the year above. Similar to A, we would be in a clump of cabins that would exclusively be for rising 7th girls. For things like campfires, girls in the middle circle split off by year to join A and C for a couple hours.

“There really aren’t that many things that are separated by specific years,” Bailey explained, “We’ll do most of the things with the older group, which is going to be so much more than last year.”

Yeah. I got that earlier. It just wasn’t as exciting for me, as I was supposed to be here leading those things. Not participating.

The cabin itself was, well, a cabin. It was a small, single room with three bunk beds. Every window was currently open, all of which had screens but nothing else. Not even a cheap AC unit in one of the corners, as far as I could see. While I took in the simple space, Bailey informed me that there was a communal bathroom at the edge of our circle where we could shower, brush our teeth, etc.

I had braced myself for weak water pressure and a limited amount of hot water, as well as a bedroom that I only had to share with another counselor. Not a cabin with five other girls, and a bathroom that over thirty girls would be using. Maybe campers like Bailey were used to outdoorsy living arrangements like this. However, I had been told that the counselor building had AC and a reasonable amount of privacy.

“You mind if I take top bunk?” Bailey asked.

It took a moment for me to process the question. Mostly because I wasn’t actually a camper. Sure, I had changed into the t-shirt and gotten on the bus, but that didn’t change the fact that I was too old to be part of all this. “Sure, whatever,” I said, echoing my previous sentiment regarding our sleeping arrangements, “Is there a Camp Director building or something like that? Actually, do you have a phone I can borrow?” Might as well try that first, plus it wouldn’t hurt to have a secondary measure in place. Based on everything Alex had told us so far, today’s itinerary was slightly more involved than the average camp day was.

“I mean, you can try?” she replied, “It’s basically impossible to get reception out here. I’ve heard you can get a bar by the lake if you’re lucky, but we’re not supposed to have our phones on us during the day. Even the older girls.” Thankfully, she didn’t seem like a stickler for the rules, as she took hers out and unlocked it for me. “Go for it.”

Sure enough, it was worse than no bars. A little ‘x’ with ‘No Service’ next to it verified what a returning camper like Bailey would already know. I stubbornly tried calling my mother anyway, which immediately led to a failed call that didn’t give me the option to leave a voicemail. Great.

Before I could ask about that building again, which would almost certainly have a landline when they were running a camp that was off the grid, the cabin door opened.

“Hey, Rachel!” Bailey exclaimed, “You didn’t get lost, did you?”

Rachel’s hair was a slightly lighter shade of brown than Bailey’s; the only other distinguishable feature between the two of them was her lack of freckles. It was a wonder that the counselors could tell all the girls apart when they all wore matching t-shirts. That was a skill I was going to have to develop, as soon as I sorted all of this out.

The new girl chuckled. “No, I was catching up with Brit. Oh, you must be Maddie?”

“Umm, Madeline,” I said. The fact that Alex had said Bailey/Rachel/Maddie was long forgotten at this point. I was too busy feeling awkward about the fact that Rachel also thought that I was a camper, and once again caught in a position where trying to explain the whole thing felt like more trouble than it was worth. Not only did I look the part, but I had been on the bus for hours with Bailey as a ‘fellow camper.’

Trying to assert that I was supposed to be a counselor, or that I was actually seventeen, would probably be taken as some joke that I was committing to or something. In a way, that’s what I was still doing as well. This had to be some joke. Or, based on the fact that I was standing here with two campers who were talking with me as if I was one of them, Mckenna had been serious earlier.

“Looks like we’re the first ones here,” Bailey said, “I’m bunking with Maddie–sorry, Madeline–over there. The rest are up for grabs!”

“I’ll take bottom bunk,” Rachel said. She tossed her small duffel onto the nearest bed, “There’s no guard rail; it freaks me out.”

“If I fall and die, you can have my desserts for the rest of camp,” Bailey giggled.

“Hey, Fireflies!” Alex called from outside, to our cabin and the ones adjacent to it, “Head to the amphitheater once you’re settled. The sooner everyone’s there, the sooner we can start Orientation!”

“I’m settled,” Rachel told us, clearly content with nothing but what she was wearing, “Are you two ready? I want to get a good seat.”

“Ready!” Bailey exclaimed. She took her phone back and gave me one of her patented nudges, “Come on, Madeline. Your first Camp Firefly orientation. It’ll be fun!”

Chapter Five

The longer I was a ‘camper,’ the more I was convinced this wasn’t some kind of embarrassing hazing that I was being put through as a new counselor.

Honestly, it was probably just denial at this point. Mckenna had blatantly told me that she registered me as a camper. And so far, I had gone through everything that campers went through on their first day. Or so I assumed, considering I wasn’t familiar with the camp experience. As I walked to the amphitheater with Bailey and Rachel, both of whom didn’t seem to doubt in the slightest that I was their age, a million thoughts were racing through my head.

Why did I get on the bus in the first place? I definitely had a chance to put my foot down, even if I was a bit pressured by the fact that my sister had my phone and one of the other counselors was ushering me forward. Or, backing up from there, why did I put on the camper t-shirt? I had somehow justified it to myself back then, but I was now realizing how much of a mistake that was.

I wasn’t just dwelling on the past, either. Because what would happen now? Yeah, I was pretty small for my age, and I had been mistaken for younger numerous times. Except those embarrassing moments were always resolved quickly, and in situations I could ultimately just walk away from. But camp? I wasn’t about to stay here for two full weeks as a fucking Firefly.

So, next steps. Find someone in charge, get them to believe me, and then . . . I had no idea. Go back home, ideally, unless they could make me a counselor on the spot. That seemed unlikely, when I was assuming they only had the budget for so many each summer, so many beds in their building, etc.. And, even if they could, this would be the most humiliating first impression. It would take forever to make the other counselors take me seriously.

Ugh. I was going to kill Mckenna. This was so not funny! Putting the embarrassment of it all aside, the thought of yet another 2-3 hour drive was so painful. Since this was a counselor’s fault, I had to imagine Camp Firefly would resolve the situation. Hopefully one of the adults in charge would have to make the round trip back to the city with me, as that would be a major inconvenience to them. Anything to get my sister in trouble at this point, as she totally deserved it.

As I settled on the loose plan, I realized there was one obvious obstacle in my way at the moment–I didn’t have my wallet on me. ‘FUCK.’ I was this close to swearing out loud. Managing to keep myself from exclaiming something like that with zero context, I instead turned to Bailey and said, “Hey, save me a seat? I forgot something back at the cabin.”

“Hmm. You should probably just wait until after Orientation, unless it’s an emergency or something,” Bailey said, “If a counselor sees you heading the wrong way, she’s just going to tell you to turn around.”

I mean- It wasn’t really an emergency. But I got her point about the other part. Pretty much everyone was walking in the direction that we were, and it would be super obvious if one of the girls was doing the opposite. What excuse would I give a counselor if she stopped me? “Umm,” I hesitated. While I didn’t really need to explain myself to Bailey, her response still gave me pause as I tried to figure it out for myself.

“It’s fine, Maddie!” Rachel chimed in, “Dinner is right after Orientation. We’ll have time to swing by our cabin before heading to the mess hall. The line is shorter if you wait a little bit, anyway!”

Okay. That was fine. While I would prefer to get on the road sooner rather than later, it was unlikely I’d be able to get anyone’s attention before whatever Orientation entailed. The counselors would be busy wrangling campers and preparing for whatever, and I could use the time to look for someone who might be able to handle my situation. Normally I’d try the head counselor, except my experience with Gwen earlier didn’t give me much confidence about changing her perception of me.

The amphitheater was packed. At least 150 girls; maybe even 200. For whatever reason, I had pictured this being a smaller camp. Probably because I had only seen a fraction of the campers in the high school parking lot earlier. While this area wasn’t officially divided by year, there were pretty big clumps of girls wearing the same color t-shirt. And, as a ‘camper,’ I was going to have to be part of the chaotic sea of outdoorsy teenagers.

“Do you know who else is bunking with us?” Rachel asked.

“No idea!” Bailey replied, “It’s going to be impossible to find anybody, anyway. Want to just sit in the back for now? We can move up if we see somebody from last year, or someone still on the way can always join us. Work for you, Maddie?”

‘It’s Madeline.’ The words were on the tip of my tongue. Except she hadn’t said anything when Rachel used the nickname recently, and it was going to start sounding whiny if I insisted on the full name every time. Like Mckenna had told me earlier, campers tended to shorten names for some reason. Since I didn’t plan on sticking around for too much longer, I begrudgingly let the two girls I was with call me ‘Maddie.’ It wasn’t as if I was ever going to see them again.

It took a little while for the rest of the campers to filter in from their circles of cabins. Another girl, named Ally, did end up joining us. She was a returning camper that Bailey knew, rather than a bunkmate, who took the offer of the empty seat in the back rather than roaming one of the more crowded sections. It could have been a good opportunity to introduce myself as Madeline and remind the other two of my preference, except Bailey got there first. She introduced us to each other as Maddie/Ally, and I once again didn’t bother with a correction.

After being as friendly as I could tolerate while being mistaken as a twelve year old girl, I let the campers beside me catch up while I continued my search. Aside from an authority figure who could sort out this mess, I also needed my phone back from Mckenna. Actually, no. My sister could be compelled to return the phone after I was no longer believed to be a camper. I really just wanted to berate Mckenna for everything, as I had been too flustered and confused before the bus ride to launch into such a tirade.

Apparently I didn’t need to look that hard. As the last of the campers settled into the area, the counselors started making their way towards the stage. Their red polos made them difficult to miss, which was obviously the point. Similar to lifeguards at the pool, it was all about campers being able to spot them for whatever reason.

Gwen stepped forward, microphone in hand, and got everyone’s attention. “Welcome to Camp Firefly, everyone!” she announced. That’s about as far as she got before she had to pause for a few seconds of excited cheers. It was annoyingly shrill to me; while girls my own age could also be enthusiastic about things, we were at least a little more calm about it. Moving right along, she said, “My name is Gwen. I’ll be your head counselor this summer! Now, I know all of you are really looking forward to hearing about some of our camp rules, but you’ll have to be patient. For starters, how many returning campers do we have this year?”

Once again, there was a pretty loud cheer across the amphitheater, as well as a lot of girls who briefly raised their hands as an additional form of response. Gwen posed the same question about new campers, which was actually about just as many girls when taking into account the entirety of the youngest group in orange t-shirts as well as campers who hadn’t been going every year since they were old enough. I didn’t initially participate in the hype, until Bailey gave me a smile and a nudge. Not wanting to be a wet blanket, even if I didn’t have the same energy as those sitting with me, I reluctantly raised my hand and gave a weak smile of my own that was no doubt a little awkward.

Now that the crowd was a little more hyped up, and she had a bit more of their attention, Gwen got into introductions. Starting with herself, talking about how she had been a Firefly all four years and loved it so much she wanted to be a counselor afterwards. How she was willing to bet that one of the older campers present would be head counselor just like her in a few years. She pulled it off in a lighthearted way, and definitely didn’t seem like the type of girl who was full of herself just because she had the title ‘head counselor.’

Considering Mckenna had also been a camper who then decided to become a counselor, that was probably the most common way those jobs continued getting new hires as other girls graduated out.

Once Gwen was done, she opened the floor for the other counselors to introduce themselves. There were thirteen total, including Gwen. Three for each year of campers, or something like that. Mckenna would never shut up about camp, especially after doing it as a counselor all summer last year; there were only so many stories I could feign interest about, and I would eventually tune her out at dinner. Even if I had been listening the whole time, I probably wouldn’t have retained the finer details.

Not all of the counselors had the stage presence that Gwen did, though they all seemed really into the first day of camp. What if I was up there, like I was supposed to be? I wasn’t sure I could pull off ‘bubbly.’ Some attitudes were possible to fake, like I sometimes did at school, but that was a familiar setting. The whole camp thing was brand new to me. Not that it mattered, now that I was out in the audience rather than up on the stage.

There were a couple familiar names and faces, like Pixie and Alex. Speaking of not paying attention, I really wasn’t giving my full focus to the counselors. I was thinking about how I was going to explain this to our parents to get Mckenna in as much trouble as possible, if any of my friends might be able to score me a job on short notice, and so on. Oh, and what about Will?! Aside from this being more lucrative than retail, the other draw for Camp Firefly was proximity to my crush. Thankfully, I decided to surprise him and not mention I would be here this summer. Still, there was still the chance he’d hit it off with one of the counselors my age, and I’d lose my shot.

When Mckenna stepped forward to take her turn, I came back to the present for a minute. It’s not like I cared about her counselor introduction; she was just the only person I actually knew beyond those I had met today, and maybe some small part of me was still clinging to the concept that she was about to announce . . . something. Although if this was an embarrassing prank, I didn’t really want the spotlight and for the whole camp’s first look at me to be while I looked like one of the middle schoolers I was seated with. I’d prefer ‘showing up late’ and being introduced at dinner after changing into the counselor polo, or tomorrow morning, or whatever.

“Hey, everyone!” she confidently greeted the crowd, “I’m Kenna. Second year counselor, and three years as a Firefly before that. I’ll let you get away with almost anything if you bribe me with chocolate, my favorite parts of camp are bonfires and basically every lake activity, and- Oh!” As if she just thought of it, which I highly doubted, Mckenna said, “My little sister is here for the first time, so that’s exciting! Anyway, looking forward to two amazing weeks with all of you.”

I rolled my eyes, bracing myself for a comment from Bailey or Rachel, only to remember they had no idea that Mckenna and I were related. We both had blonde hair, sure, but plenty of girls had blonde hair. If anything, the average assumption would be that I was in the youngest group of campers. Not that anyone would dwell on it, since another counselor took the stage. I was willing to bet the most memorable part of Mckenna’s intro was her teasing bit about chocolate.

When the last counselor was finished, Gwen took the mic back and got into some of the camp rules she had jokingly kept everyone ‘in suspense’ for. “Now, I know the ‘buddy system’ sounds a little immature, especially for some of the older girls, but we don’t want anyone getting into a situation where no one knows where they are or how to find them. If you’re caught going somewhere alone, outside of the flagpole area, there will be consequences. As for meals . . . ” She kept going, managing to walk a fine line of being serious about stuff involving safety while still maintaining a friendly demeanor all the while.

It was all common sense, and I eventually stopped paying attention again. The same could be said for a number of girls around me who already knew all these rules as returning campers. That, and I knew from my own experience of listening to announcements at school with friends that you could only say so much before they started getting antsy. Sitting down, outside, after being stuck on a bus for a few hours? I had different reasons for not wanting to be here, but I could still understand their impatience.

To some degree, Gwen had accounted for that as well. While she had to do her job and get through her head counselor spiel, she didn’t drag things out or try to fit in any extra announcements after covering the important details. And, the moment she was done, she told everyone what was next. Two hours for dinner and for everyone to get settled into their cabins, and then some activities that were specific to each circle of cabins so campers could meet their bunkmates and those nearby.

My plan really hadn’t changed. We were going right back to the cabin, where I had the proof that I needed. The only adjustment was that I was going to have to rely on Gwen to resolve this, as I hadn’t spotted any non-counselor adults at Orientation. They were probably doing more administrative stuff like the counselors did what they did best. It didn’t really matter; getting a minute with Gwen at the mess hall would be much simpler than anything else.

Even if the buddy system hadn’t been touched on, I’d still have ended up walking back with Bailey and Rachel. We were all going to the same place. Ally tagged along, as she was in our circle but not our cabin. I didn’t mind being the fourth wheel to the other three girls catching up after last year, for obvious reasons.

When we got back to the cabin, I let out a sigh of relief when my backpack and duffel bag were right where I had left them. I wasn’t sure why I expected anything different. Because Mckenna could have stolen my backpack, to make this more of a mess? Turns out, I wasn’t wrong to be worried.

My clutch was nowhere to be seen. At first, I thought it might have slipped down and gotten buried under something. It was a smaller accessory, as I really only brought the basics for a summer where I wouldn’t be seeing much civilization. After a minute or two of searching, however, I got to the point where I was pulling things out of the bag and tossing them onto the bed.

Between my expression and my searching, I was transparent enough for Bailey to ask, “Everything okay, Maddie?”

‘NO. My sister took my fucking wallet!’ Except I wasn’t about to explode on some girl, especially one who had been nothing but friendly since meeting me. A bit too talkative, but still. Instead, I shifted to another pocket of my backpack, on the off chance that I had somehow packed up in a different way than usual. “Everything’s fine,” I muttered, “I just- Is there anywhere that gets service here?” If Mckenna did take my wallet, either before we left the house or right before Orientation, the only other option I could think of at the moment was borrowing Bailey’s phone and calling my parents.

“You might get a bar by the lake?” she said, “Actually, some girls get spotty reception on hikes, but I usually just leave my phone here.”

Right. She had mentioned the lake earlier. Except I had no idea where that was, the tour was tomorrow morning, and I wasn’t sure if I could convince Bailey to take me there and lend me her phone; she seemed like a rule follower, and we were supposed to be heading to the mess hall soon.

“Never mind,” I said. After looking through the last few spots my clutch might be hiding, I stood up with an exasperated sigh. New plan. Well, circling back to the old idea of figuring out where the landline was. An educated guess said it would be close to where we’d be having dinner. “Why don’t we head to the mess hall?”

I’d probably think more clearly after a meal, anyway. And maybe confront Mckenna if I could do so without causing a scene.

Chapter Six