The Camp (2 page)

C
hapte
r
T
wo

We made it to the edge of the camp fairly quickly. I think we’d only been hiking fifteen minutes or so, and in that time I realized every CL was carrying a rifle.
Right! Bear country!

I smelled wood smoke and then spotted an assortm
ent of tents positioned all over. Some were large and equipped with a deck. I’m sure there was a name for that kind, but I had no idea what it was. Others looked like maybe only one person could fit inside. I hoped I didn’t get one of those.

“Okay
, so the first order of business is to put up your own tent,” the CL standing next to Steph directed. “And my name’s Danny if you need any help in that area. The equipment is spread out around the site, so just find a pile where you’d like to be located and get going. Directions are on top of the equipment.”

You’ve got to be kidding!
In shock, I dropped my duffle bag to the woodland floor with a thud and everyone looked at me.
Oops!

“Sorry,” I waved to everyone, picking it back up.

“All the CLs wear a green bracelet. Just ask if you need anything.” Danny held up his wrists and sure enough he had the same bracelet that Steph wore.

“I
t’s unusual for us to get many females. There are only three of us total,” Steph whispered. “So it’d probably be best if you chose a tent over by us.”

I saw her point to the
north side of the grounds and agreed wholeheartedly. After the plane experience, strength in numbers sounded good to me! As my eyes scanned along all the tents, my vision did a backup and reverse as I saw a guy pounding in a tent stake. His fingers were gripping the stake so firmly it was impossible to miss how muscular his forearm was, but he was missing a green bracelet. His shoulders were broad, and if only he’d look up I could gauge the rest of him. He certainly wasn’t on the plane ride here, but he was
here,
and that wasn’t a good thing. If I’d met him say at a Starbucks I’d feel a lot better about it, but this wasn’t ideal. Definitely not ideal! Although, it would be fun to bring one of them home to meet my stepdad.

“Emma?” Steph
prodded, tapping me on the shoulder and getting me out of my fog. “Right this way.”

I looked away from the hot-totally-off-limits guy and followed Steph as the rest of the
new arrivals thankfully went the other direction.

“That’s the
CLs’ yurt.” She pointed to one of the round tents that had a deck around it. “If you ever need anything, head there. It’s kind of like our break room. That’s where the meds are dispensed too.”

I nodded and
continued following her through the maze of tents.

“How many people are here?” I asked.

“There are five CLs and thirteen campers.”

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” I muttered.

“What’s a nice way of putting it?” she asked, turning to me.

“Campers,” I replied.

“We try to give everyone a chance here.” She smiled kindly at me, and I felt guilty before remembering Luke back on the plane.

We stopped in front of a pile of
nylon, stakes, and poles, and my internal sigh accidentally escaped causing Steph to laugh.

I dropped my duffle and backpack off and grabbed the instructions.

“We get a file on every camper, and you didn’t have one,” Steph said quietly.

“You mean like a criminal file?” I asked, arching my brow.

She nodded. “We usually get things we need to work on, psych evals, mandates from the courts…” her voice trailed off.

“I don’t come with any of those things.” I smiled grimly. “
That’s why you didn’t get them. I’m not on meds either, but I might want some by the end of this ordeal.”

I bent over and grabbed the tent instructions when I heard a deep voice coming from behind. “Anything I can help with?”

I spun around and saw
him
. He was even more gorgeous up close, and this time he had a face! I glanced at Steph who was doing a horrible job of hiding her amusement as I was violently nodding my head and taking him in. A warmth tingled through my body as my eyes connected with his. This took dating a bad boy to a whole new level.

“That’s usually against the
rules,” Steph chimed in. “But I’ll let it slide.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled,
my gaze falling to my backpack.

W
hoa!
I wasn’t expecting him to look that good up close.

“Have you done this before?” he asked
in a rumbling voice, his cool fingers touching mine as he took the instructions from me.

My lower belly contracted
, and I completely wanted to reprimand myself for doing the whole lust on first glance thing, but there was something really commanding about this guy. He seemed so…capable.

I looked up through my lashes
and the most amazing caramel eyes locked on mine, waiting for my answer. Up close he had chiseled features, and his lips looked so full and soft complimenting one another nicely. His strong jaw line only accentuated how perfectly proportioned his features were. His dark hair was ruffled enough from the wind that it created an unkemptness about him that I liked.

The corner of his mouth began to curl slightly, and I realized it was because I was staring at him completely dazed and unable to
speak.
Great!
The juvie thinks I’ve fallen for him…except he looked too old to be one.

“You okay over there?” he asked,
with a twinkle in his eye that meant only one thing. He was fully aware of himself and what he was doing to me. I was going to make sure that stopped.

“Of course I’m okay,” I sputtered.

“Thought I lost there you for a second.” His voice, now smooth, coated me from the outside in. “So have you put up a tent before?”

“I used to help my dad back when we went camping,” I nodded. “But it was mostly me handing him whatever he needed.
I was like twelve.”

My mind quickly flashed to our last camping trip together. It was right before
my dad got diagnosed. We had so much fun. I never knew how much I’d treasure those moments.

“Looks like you two have it handled. I’m goin
g to go check on the rest of the group. Chelsea’s sleeping in her tent, but I’ll introduce you once she’s up,” Steph said.

“
Okay.” I waved as she took off, and I glanced back at the mystery camper who was looking over the instructions, but I knew full well he didn’t need them.

“You
’re not missing anything,” he muttered.

“Excuse me?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

“I mean with Chelsea. She’s not a real people person.” He bit his lip as he waited for my reaction, and all I could do was focus on his lips.

“I feel like I could say that for this whole place,
” I grumbled.

“Present company excluded, I hope.” He laughed.

I avoided his gaze and perched my hands on my hips.

“
Not really sure about that,” I huffed.

“Ouch.”

“So what first?” I asked, keeping a distance.

“
How about names?” he asked, tossing the instructions on the ground and looking at me once more.

“Emma
… Yours?” His brilliant eyes stared into mine and a smile danced across his lips.

“You totally look like an Emma.”

I wondered what that meant. Did I look like an Emma? I always thought I looked like a Sarah. The longer I stood staring at him waiting for his name, the deeper his smile etched into his features, creating a deep dimple in his left cheek.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, h
e bent down and shook the poles and stakes onto the ground, and my gaze happened to notice how well his jeans fit him. God! What was happening to me? It had to be the outdoors! This was ridiculous, especially considering where I was. I wanted to start laughing but instead walked to the other side of the pile to avoid staring at him any longer.

“I’m Liam,” he finally
revealed.

“Fits you,” I
replied, attempting to sound casual as I pulled the base of the tent toward me.

“Looks like you remember the basics,” Liam said
, as I tugged on the corners by the loops. “You guys don’t camp now?”

My breath caught
as the familiar ache in my body surfaced whenever my dad came up in conversation. I was told his death would get easier as time went by. I’ve come to realize that it’s not that the death gets easier, it’s that people quit asking.

“Uh…no
. Not really our thing anymore,” I replied.

This wasn’t the group of people I wanted to find myself confiding in. Besides,
I never wanted to bog down anyone in all that stuff, my stuff. He just asked an innocent camping question. I didn’t need to take him into my world — the world where parents die and leave inept ones in their place.

“Maybe this experience will get you back out there
with him when you go home. “ He fed the poles through the nylon openings, and I shifted my focus to the tasks at hand to force the sadness away.

“You never know,” I said in my best chipper voice.

I watched as he went around securing the poles, and I realized I wasn’t really doing much of anything.

“Hope this doesn’t come out the wrong way, but it really doesn’t seem like you belong here,”
he said in a hushed tone as he tapped in one of the stakes with the hammer.

“My god! How could I take that the wrong way? I’d be pissed i
f you thought I did.” I laughed. “I’ve been thinking the same thing ever since I was handed the brochure by the pilot.”

“By the pilot?” he asked, tossing the hammer on the dirt. His eyebrows furrowed as he
was trying to compute what little I’d told him.

I nodded, picking up the hammer and
pounded the stake into the loop I’d been holding onto.

“
The social worker didn’t even tell you?” he questioned at long last.

“Uh…No, I don’t have one or…”
I exhaled loudly. I was at a complete loss for words. “It’s complicated.”

The tent was fully erect
, and I followed him to the front of it where he unzipped the door. He grabbed my duffle and backpack and threw them inside the tent.

“I’d like to
hear about it sometime,” he said softly. His eyes flickered to mine and carried a kindness that I hadn’t seen since my father’s. Now I was sure I’d lost my mind.

I shifted uncomfortably and dropped my gaze.

“Didn’t mean to pry,” he said. “I’ll go get a sleeping bag and pillow for you.”

“Thanks,” I said. My lips pressed together
in a tight smile, and I stepped inside my tent hoping for a little time to regroup. Who was this guy? He didn’t seem anything like the guys that came with me on the plane.

“No prob.
I think they’ll be doing orientation in a few minutes,” he yelled over his shoulder, taking off toward one of the larger tents.

I opened my duffle bag and grabbed a sweatshirt to wear. It was mid-day and colder than I was used to for a day in
June, but then again I was in Alaska. I heard a couple guys talking, coming up behind my tent, and I tensed up. Their conversation was harmless, but I still didn’t like the uneasiness that continually wanted to push its way through me. I needed to find out what kind of people I was here with.

A
bell chimed through the air, followed by a CL’s call for everyone to gather around the fire. I wasn’t looking forward to whatever activity they had planned, but I was looking forward to standing in front of the heat source.

I zipped my duffle back up and closed up the tent. I scanned the small group that was gathering and didn’t
notice Liam, but I did see Steph. She was talking somewhat heatedly with a girl. Must be Chelsea. Liam’s summation of her not being a people person seemed quite fitting as she turned her dark eyes to glare at me.

Chelsea
had pale skin that was in stark contrast to her shiny black hair, at least where it wasn’t shaved off in patches, and the tips were a faded purple. She was dressed in turquoise leggings with black shorts and a red top. She was definitely one of those that didn’t want to be stared at, but who did everything to make you stare.

Steph saw
me and waved me over and shrugged off whatever conversation she and Chelsea were having. I pulled my hood around my head and trundled over to where they were, hoping a shred of a smile would make its way onto Chelsea’s lips. No such luck.

“Hey, Emma. This is Chelsea.
” Steph took a few steps to the side. Apparently she wanted me to stand next to Chelsea. Wonderful! Chelsea looked like she might be fifteen or so, but it was hard to tell with all the makeup she had on.