Camp Woodsboro
The ancient pickup truck rattled over the gravel road, kicking up dust as Tara Carpenter clutched her duffel bag closer to her chest. Through the trees, she caught glimpses of sparkling water and weathered wooden cabins. Camp Woodsboro. For the next eight weeks, this would be home.
"First time?" asked the driver, a gray-haired man who'd introduced himself as Dewey, the camp's maintenance manager.
"Is it that obvious?" Tara smiled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Only because you haven't stopped white-knuckling that bag since we left the bus stop," he chuckled. "Don't worry. Most of the counselors are returners. They'll show you the ropes."
The truck rounded a final bend, revealing a sprawling campground centered around a flagpole and a large lodge. A dozen or so young adults in matching navy shirts were gathered in a circle, apparently mid-game. As Dewey honked the horn, they all turned.
One girl broke from the group immediately, bouncing toward the truck with infectious energy. Dark brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail, dark eyes, and a smile that somehow managed to look both welcoming and slightly mischievous.
"You must be our last arrival!" she called as Tara climbed out. "We were about to send out a search party."
"Sorry," Tara adjusted her backpack. "Bus was late."
"Happens every year." The girl extended her hand. "I'm Amber Freeman. Third summer here, waterfront director, and your cabin co-counselor."
Tara accepted the handshake, noting the firm grip. "Tara Carpenter."
"I know," Amber's eyes sparkled with something Tara couldn't quite read. "I memorized all the staff files. Little trick I learned my first year. Helps with the homesick kids when you already know their favorite color or that they have a cat named Whiskers."
Before Tara could respond, Amber had already grabbed her duffel bag and started walking backward toward the lodge.
"Tour starts in five minutes! The director's super strict about punctuality. I'll show you our cabin after—it's Evergreen, the best one on the grounds." She winked. "I pulled some strings."
Tara stood frozen for a moment, watching Amber effortlessly rejoin the group immediately at the center of attention. What had she gotten herself into? She'd signed up for this job, thinking it would be a quiet summer in nature before college started. But watching the animated way Amber used her hands as she spoke, drawing laughs from everyone around her, Tara had the distinct feeling that "quiet" was not in Camp Woodsboro's vocabulary.
And oddly enough, she wasn't sure if that disappointed or excited her.
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Chapter 1: New arrival
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Tara set her bags down in the cabin, taking it all in while Amber gave her a cheeky smile, as if she was up to no good or somethin'. "So, you comin or what?" She joked, grabbing her arm and leading her out to the group.
"Took you girls long enough, cmon, let's introduce... Tara? Is that how you say it?" The kids giggled, pointing their attention towards the brown haired girl. "Ah.. Yes, it is!" She giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.
Amber couldn't help but stare a bit. Not intentionally, she just had a really bad staring problem.
"Well, introduce yourself, Tara. We're waiting." The director spoke in a joking manner, holding his clipboard by his side. "Right, sorry. My name is Tara Carpenter, I'm 18, and I was born here - needed a job, and.. Well, I really enjoy helping people out, so I thought I'd try here and see where it'd take me! Thankfully, I'm here now!! I hope I can get to know you all." She finished with a big smile, a bit nervous, but she seemed genuinely excited.
The director returned her smile and then clapped his hands together. "Alright, everyone, let's take a look around, yeah? Pick a partner to stand by, and we'll get started!" He yelled, signaling both the girls to come and stand by him; which they did.
"So, uhm.. how long have you been here?" Tara asked in a quiet tone, walking next to Amber. "A few years now. You'll get used to it, newbie, don't worry." The taller girl teased, nudging her on the shoulder gently.
Tara smiled softly, chuckling to herself. She kept by Amber, as she was the only one to, you know.. Talk to her. That, and she was literally her cabin counselor.
"Right here, are the cabins, as we've established when you arrived. Down there is the lake," he pointed to the huge lake down the hill that had a blowup trampoline and watermat. "We'll be going down there later this week, alright? Follow me to the arts and crafts cabin."
As the tour concluded, everyone was sent to their designated cabins. It was pretty late, probably around 9:30? They had arrived in the late afternoon and were given time to explore and befriend others before the tour.
"We'll see you in the morning campers, sleep well!" The man yelled to everyone, waving them off with some enthusiasm.
Tara and Amber began walking their kids to the cabin, Amber being a lot more enthusiastic than Tara. "C'mon everyone, we can stay up a bit past bedtime, just don't tell anyone!" She whispered, giving them a mischievous smile and giggling, unlocking the cabin door.
The kids began unpacking their things and chatting with friends. The cabin itself was generally a cozy looking place. Old arts and crafts hung up everywhere, some lights, wooden bunk beds, etc.
The girls each had a bunk bed as well in the same cabin as the kids. They both began unpacking as well, Tara catching glances of the girls dark hair in the corner of her eyes. She also caught herself staring once or twice.
"So, ah.. what'd you do before all this?" Tara finally mustered out, setting her bag down and looking at Amber. "Nothin' much, I lived at home with my parents. They're the stereotypical rich white people. Kinda dicks," She sighed, meeting Tara's eyes as she sat her own bag down. "I had a pretty basic convenience store job, I'm shocked I haven't seen you--anyways, I started here so I could actually make friends with others and have some type of life. The kids here are usually sweet, a bit annoying at times, but I always try to ignore that."
She smiled softly at that last part, sniffling quietly. Amber never enjoyed talking about her past, but always wanted to get it out of the way when meeting new people. She was always viewed as someone who didn't care about authority and did whatever she wanted. In reality, that was kind of the truth, but it was deeper.
"Enough about me, what's your story, newbie?" She asked, sitting down and patting a spot next to her on the bottom bunk. Tara sat down, rubbing her knees awkwardly. "Uhm, nothing special. My parents are pretty wealthy and uh--my sister recently came back into my life after like 6 years or something. Actually, I haven't heard from my dad since I was young. Big breakup between them, I guess," Amber just listened intently, keeping her eyes locked onto Tara's. "But, I worked at the community center. Helped with the younger ones, which is why I decided to try here."
The taller girl nodded, rubbing the back of her neck softly while looking away. "I'm tired. You want top or bottom?" She asked, standing up. "Oh, uh, bottoms fine." The shorter girl replied nervously, smiling softly. "Alright, g'night Carpenter." She patted her back before climbing the ladder and plopping on the bed with a small thud.
Tara might actually enjoy this week.