Delinquent Camp

Chapter One

“Oh, don’t be so sad,” I smirk, looking up at him. “I won’t kick you again if you don’t piss me off.”

In the office, Doreen and Danny are nowhere to be found, so I assume they’re in one of the two doors behind the main desk.

“This is Gemma Taylor’s, our newest delinquent,” Michael says, his voice slightly annoyed. The woman behind the desk gives him a look as she finger-combs her curly brown hair.

“We like to refer to them as guests, Michael,” she says, her voice slightly threatening. When she turns to me, her expression instantly changes into a large smile. She’s pretty and I guess she’s in her late twenties. But why would anyone her age want to be working here? “Hello, Gemma! I’m Michelle, the person in charge here.” She gestures behind her to a framed picture hanging on the wooden walls. It’s of her and an older man, probably her dad. “I inherited it from my father but I like to do things a bit differently around here.”

I raise my hand awkwardly in a small wave. Normal people would say it’s nice to meet you. But considering I’m here, I’m nowhere near normal.

“We’re going to be working closely together,” she continues, smiling. “I’m also the therapist here and work with all of our guests. Since you just arrived this evening, you’ll get to attend your first therapy campfire tomorrow instead and see what it’s all about.”

“Let’s get on with this,” Michael mutters, and Michelle rolls her eyes. Twenty minutes, one picture, ten fingerprints and five forms later, Michael and I are stepping out of the main office and heading towards my cabin, which apparently I’ll share with a few other girls. He’s carrying a medium sized box, containing a standard sleeping bag, sweater, sweat pants, t-shirt and toiletries.

“How do you know I won’t leave in the night, steal your keys and take your van?” I ask as we walk past the mess hall, raising my eyebrows in amusement.

“You would be the one to ask that, wouldn’t you?” He looks me over, clearly not happy. “But just so you know, the keys are hidden well. And if you think you’re getting away on foot, you’re wrong. Bears, coyotes and mountain lions will get you before you’re far enough to realize you will be walking for days.”

“Well,” I mumble, readjusting my grip on my suitcase. “Good to know.”

We start walking down a dirt trail through the forest, away from the main clearing where all the buildings are. Michael and I are mostly silent, listening to the birds and the sound of kids yelling except when he needs to point out things to me.

“There’s the girl’s bathroom and showers,” he says, not looking as he points to my right. It’s a small building, looking exactly the same as any ones at a campground would look. “The boys are on the other side but obviously that’s off limits to you and vice versa.”

“Noted,” I mutter, walking past a small group of kids. They all look at me, like I’m the new kid in school and I stick my tongue out of them, getting the same thing back instead of the reaction I was going for.

“Fifth cabin on the right.” Michael leads me towards a cabin where a girl with black hair sits, grinning smugly. She combs it over her right shoulder, revealing tiny spacers in her ears and a music note tattoo behind her left ear.

“Fresh meat!” She yells at the top of her lungs, and everyone within hearing distance turns to look at me. Even the cabin across the trail has a boy open the door and stick his head out.

“Shouldn’t you be with your Haven group, Ember?” Michael sighs as we come to a stop in front of the steps. I drop the suitcase at my side and it lands with a thump as I begin to flex my fingers.