Camellia Flower ● E.D

Chapter One ; Room 104

"Cammy can you go get us something to eat?" Dad groaned as he pulled into a garage shop. It was 2:41am on Thursday morning, God knows what types you'll find around a garage shop at this time.

I locked my phone and took the ten dollars Dad handed me from the front seat, "and don't go spending it on bullshit" he added.

The shop was half lit up and had rubbish scattered all over the front door, along with a group of guys about my age in adidas tracksuits huddled together and sharing a cigarette.

Inside the shop was mess, I walked to the back and picked up a ham and mayonnaise sandwich for dad, a box of crackers for me and a one litre bottle of coke to share. I wandered to the checkout and paid $6.80, I took the change and scurried out of the shop as soon as possible.

Dad was on his phone when I got back in the car, "Yeah", he said, "We'll be there in about an hour".

"Who was that?" I asked as I handed him his sandwich.

"Work, they wanted to know what time we were going to be there at", he replied as he tore open the sandwich.

Dad started the car and drove out of the garage shop, the coke rolled onto the floor, I picked it up and slouched down in the backseat. I lifted out my phone, put my earphones in and opened my crackers.

My music started blasting in my ears, overpowering Dad's country music playing through the car, I closed my eyes and began to dose off as the dark shadows passed from under the streetlights.

Memories passed of the times my Mum used to take me on walks under the streetlights if I couldn't sleep, she would wrap her arm around mine and giggle with me for hours about stupid shit, just like a best friend would. Truth be told I never had any friends, no one liked my frizzy hair or my big alien eyes. My mum was the only person that ever made me feel like I was pretty or even had a purpose in this world. She made me feel loved.

But my Mum passed away from breast cancer last September.

My Dad has struggled ever since, he works out of town so I don't see him during the day. He comes home late at night to see me and wakes up early in the morning to get to work on time, but every summer he would leave Mum and I at home for two months while he works out of state. He works in a boot camp to rehabilitate young male offenders and boys with behaviour problems, Dad's never really told me very much about his job until recently.

Because Mum isn't with us anymore and we have no relatives Dad decided he's going to take me to his work place so I can do work experience over Summer. I have to say though, I'm not as thrilled as he thought I was going to be.

After telling me more about his job and what he does, it made me think a lot higher of him. I think of my dad as a constantly on the go business man in a suit and tie. Not a strict 'officer' in protective gear running about after wild teenage boys.

He told me I would be working with a group of six boys over the months and that I would be staying in a private room beside their cabin. I would have to take them to meals, classes and activities, so basically little me will have to control six wild teenage boys for the next two months.

My sound nap was disrupted by a firm shake on the shoulder followed by one of my earphones being pulled out, "Get out and lift your case", Dad said. "We're here".

As I flinched and stretched out of my Dad's jeep I was shaken by the the wood enclosed car park we were standing in, we were surrounded by the same black jeep as my Dad's is, parked in every available space.

Dad handed me my matte black suitcase from the back and dragged his own along the bumpy concrete, I followed behind him briskly as I wrapped up my earphones around my phone and stuck it in my back skinny jean pocket.

After a bumpy walk down a long path that lead into the camp Dad told me to wait at the bottom of the steps with our luggage while he spoke to the officer at the control gate.

They had a brief conversation, Dad came back down the stairs, "you're in room one zero four, I'll show you your room, help you unpack and wake you at six am to meet the boys", he said as he picked up his suitcase and marched through the gate and down a tarmac lane.

"Okay.. So where do you stay?" I asked, following behind.

"In a different section, I'll be staying in room twenty two beside all the other officers", he said as he pointed down a lane that led to large huts huddled together.

Dad sounded so different already, as if as soon as he sets foot in the camp he changed from my Dad to an officer, which I can already tell is going to suck.

Another walk down the path there was a huge clearing, inside there were large cabins spaced closely to each other, they all looked the exact same and were placed neatly in rows across the huge field.

Dad marched through the cabins and stopped outside the one the had 'C104' written outside it. He waited until I caught up with him before he opened the door, it opened up to a small corridor with three doors. Dad opened the one on the right and walked in, "so this my dear, is where you'll be staying".

I took a look around, in the far corner there was a bed and a bedside drawer with a white lamp on top. In the other corner there was a tall wardrobe and a set of drawers beside it, there was a cream rug on the floor but other than that the room was pretty basic and boring.

My Dad lifted my suitcase onto the bed and opened it up, he pulled things out and handed them to me as I put them in drawers and hung things in my wardrobe. I didn't bring very much so we were finished unpacking in no time.

"Where can I go to the toilet?" I asked as I done the I-need-to-pee dance.

"Bathroom is right across your room," Dad replied as he opened my room door and pointed to the closed door opposite mine.

The corridor was cold when I stepped into it, it sent shivers up my spine and made my shoulders tense. "Ohh it's chilly," I quivered.

"Shut up Camellia! the boys are sleeping down there", Dad tutted as he tilted his head to the closed door at the bottom of the corridor.

I quickly shut up and covered my mouth. I opened the bathroom door, there was a shower in one corner and the toilet in another with the sink being beside it. A towel was hung on a stuck out nail beside the sink and the toilet roll was stacked underneath. "I- I don't need a pee anymore", I stuttered.

"So are you okay for tonight?" Dad asked as he ushered me into my room.

"Yeah I guess," I nodded my head.

Dad smiled, "Great, see you six am".

He walked out of the room, "Goodnight, love you", he said as he closed the door and scampered down the corridor with his suitcase.

"Love you too", I whispered into the darkness.