If Found, Please Return

DAY ONE

 In all the books I've read, they tell you to enter anything new with your right foot. 'Right foot forward!' they muse. 'Everything will go as you want with your right foot forward!'

Well, I don't have a right foot.

As much as I'd like to say I lost it in some heroic way (saving my sister from a rabid dog!) or something a bit more adventurous (bungee jumping!), I lost it to a school bus. My foot was resting on the curb and the bus rolled over it.

Since that day, I've never been able to take a step in the right direction.

And that's how I ended up at Camp Deadwood.

I had heard about it from a few friends, saying they had heard legends of kids not returning home, counselors found dead, and shady looking cafeteria food. With no other plans for my summer and an empty notebook, I decided to dive headfirst into the mystery.

Upon arrival, I welcomed the thought of leaving.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, Dad."

"Chin up. You'll meet new people, probably better than your current friends! Anyways, I'm not going in there asking for a refund. Go."

He leans across me and opens the car door.

"Right. Okay."

My shoes sink into the mud as soon as I close the door. I feel like it's a sign, telling me to turn back, run away as far as possible.

"Nothing to lose," I say to myself.

Instead of being able to continue walking, my prosthetic gets caught in the mud. When I try to pull my leg out, my foot gets caught and the plastic slip rolls off. I pull a footless leg out of the mud.

"Need some help?"

"No, I got it," I say, ignoring the voice.

What better way to make a first impression than losing your foot? I reach down to grab it and hop out of the mud.

"What happened to your leg?" He's a short kid, and the only defining aspect about him is his bushy eyebrows. "Shark attack?"

"I wish. More like school bus attack."

"You got hit by a bus? Dude!"

"No. Long story."
By this time I've reattached my foot and begin to walk away from him. The path is still muddy, but easier to walk on. We are surrounded by trees, and a small sign that reads 'Keep walking forward for CAMP DEADWOOD.'

"You got a name, bus girl?"
"Piper. My name's Piper, and I'm going to check in."

"Check in?"

I stop walking and turn back towards him.
"Yes. Find my cabin number. Get my keys and information."

He gives me a blank stare.

"There's no checking in. Just go to a cabin and claim a bed," he explains, as if this is common knowledge.

"How do I know the boys cabins versus the girls?"
"The cabins aren't separated."

An interesting choice. I nod at him and begin trudging towards the closest cabin I can find- I don't know how much longer my foot can make it in this mud.

"Oh, and Piper?" Instead of turning around, I just pause. "Don't go in Cabin 9. That's an invite only cabin."

"Thanks for the warning!" I shout back.

I find it odd that he's the only kid out and about. No one is at the drop off. Either I'm the first one here, or everyone else is just hiding somewhere.