Camp || Under Construction

||Nine

•Kaila's POV•

After a lunch of chicken strips and mashed potatoes which, in fact, were the best I have ever tasted. It was time for kick-off orientation. I walked with Kallen and Ellen into the chapel. Before we walked into the chapel, I saw my cabin mates by a bench.

"Hey, Kallen, I'll catch up with you later." Looking at him his expression was giddy, I could tell he was happy for me, finally fleeing the nest.

"That's my sister, going and making friends already." I stuck my tongue out at him and walked over to them.

I walked towards Alexandra, who I could tell was definitely her. Then I saw a girl I didn't recognize and someone who looked vaguely familiar.

"Hey, guys." I smiled as I walked up to where they were.

"Oh hey, Kaila! We want you to meet Amber and Zoey!"

"Hi, I'm Zoey." A girl with an assortment of pink and blue-tinted hair, which was fading so you could hardly tell it was still those colors, smiled.

"Wait for a second," The other girl, I gathered was Amber, drew out the pause, looking at me intently, as if she knew who I was. I walked into the room with my suitcase dragging behind me, to see four other girls sitting on the floor. "I know you! I talked to you earlier!"

I looked at her too, taking in her long brown hair, blue eyes, and glasses. Then I remembered. "Oh, that's right! It was you!"

"That's so cool, how do you know my youth group?"

"I, uh, got put into your cabin for the week. I didn't come with my church because they don't do camp. My brother signed me up and I guess I got placed with you all."

"That's so fun! We were told we'd be getting someone else since we were short. We're glad to have you!" There was a short pause. "So, what team are you on?"

I looked down at my hand again. "Four."

"No way, so am I!"

"Oh, yay!"

"I'm on twenty!" Zoey chimed in.

Then a couple of guys walked past us, one of them was him, the blue-eyed boy. The girls waved at them and greeted them as they passed. Claire looked a little too long in their direction as they came up to the group.

"Hello, ladies." The taller boy greeted. "How are my favorite girls today?"

"Shut up, Alex." Jordan rolled her eyes. "We all know you have one favorite girl."

He laughed uncomfortably, crossing his arms. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Then he noticed me. "Who's this?"

"This is our new friend, Kaila. She joined our cabin for the week."

"Well, it's a pleasure, Ms. Kaila. I am Alexander." He bowed in my direction; the girls laughed. I looked over to his friend, it was the beautiful blue-eyed boy. He smiled softly next to Alex. He looked at his shoes when we made eye contact. Alex noticed the small interaction. "This, milady, is my bestest bud, Hunter Leif Myer. "

Hunter smacked Alex. "You didn't have to use my full name. And I can introduce myself, thank you."

He made eye contact with me, and my stomach fluttered. I didn't believe in love at first sight. But if it were real, this would be it. I didn't even know him, but I felt like I had known him for years. "I'm Hunter."

I laughed. "Yeah, I gathered that."

Soon we saw the crowd of people head into the long white building, where I assumed orientation would be held. Our little group headed with them too. I had to walk slower than the rest of them, because of the crutches. Hunter walked slowly next to me. "So, what happened?"

"Oh, I-" I awkwardly laughed and took in a long breath. "When I was ten, I was in dance, and I tripped over a shoe and landed sideways on my leg. My knee popped out of the joint, and I broke my ankle. My leg mostly healed, but I was playing a little too hard in gym class before school go out, and my ankle and knee started hurting again. So, I have to walk on this for a couple of weeks."

He just listened and walked next to me patiently. I didn't even know him, and yet he was being kinder than anyone here.

We walked into the building. It smelled like mold and some sort of fake smoke. Not the cigarette kind, but the kind they have at concerts. They were playing loud rap music that I hadn't heard before. It seemed like the kind that Kallen would listen to.

Claire came up to Hunter and me as I stopped, looking around for my brother. She came close to me so I could hear her above the blaring music, and said, "You're welcome to sit with our youth group! You can be our honorary member!"

"I'll catch you later, Kaila," Hunter said, going around to the other side of where the group was sitting. He sat next to Alex. Claire followed Hunter and sat next to him.

I anxiously nodded, following to the row, and saw Amber at the end of the row, with an empty seat next to her. She noticed me, waved, and patted the seat next to her. I took the seat next to Amber, who was close to the end. She looked over and smiled at me. I ended the row but noticed that Hunter and Claire were sitting next to each other talking. I didn't like a boy already, that would be silly, I hadn't liked a boy in a long time, and I was not ready to start liking another one for a really long time.