Unknown (The Secret Life of Cassie Martin #1)(4)
“Cassie, this camp is funded so we can find people that need some direction. Your name came on the list, so the invitation was sent. We know you are quite intelligent, you have a big heart, and you feel all alone. We can help with each of these things.” Kelly’s speech makes me fidget. Does this place brainwash kids or manipulate them into helping bad people?
“Since Simon is insistent I stay, I will, but I’ll reserve judgment until I know more. Is there a rule about leaving early if things don’t work out?” Despite the question, I know leaving is no longer an option. Besides Simon wanting me to be here, my curiosity is peaked. I need to figure out what this place is.
“No one will force you to stay. We’ll encourage you to stay. We’ll help you work through any issues, but in the end, we want positive attitudes. We can’t accomplish much if everyone is unhappy.” Kelly spins and continues up the path.
The gravel path leads gradually up the side of the mountain. The trees lining our way box in the view of what's to come until it opens up into an area with a large building on our right. To our left, the jagged rocks of the mountain jut out where the earth was cut away to clear the path.
As we continue, the cuts into the mountain move back to leave room for identical, dark brown cabins, spaced far enough apart that another cabin could be put between them.
Kelly gestures to the cabins on the left. “This side is where the girls will stay. We have sixty girls enrolled this year. Since the cabins hold twenty, we split people among the five cabins.”
Kelly directs me to the cabins on our right. They have little space behind them as the land slopes down the mountain and deeper into the woods. “The left cabins hold the boys. Eighty-four boys are signed up, so they’ll have less space than the girls.
“The campers come from diverse backgrounds and locations, and every student is on scholarship to keep the field even. Tomorrow, you will be placed on a team. That team will be the group you work with for the duration of your stay. We’ve found that keeping a unit together results in higher performing individuals than when we switch teams every week or task.”
She waits for me to acknowledge her explanations with a nod before she continues, “Our youngest attendees are thirteen with our oldest about nineteen. The recently graduated seniors will be the cabin and team leads. This will be their last chance to win, so we allow them to use their knowledge of the camp to their advantage.”
“Teams are the building blocks of the camp. Each team is designed to maximize learning by matching you with others with diverse backgrounds from your own. Over the years, we’ve found that dissimilar qualities help build individual strengths because the team relies on that person to complete their part. You’ll still have some traits in common which can be used, but your main traits are individual to the group.”
Simon must have told her about my photographic memory because I’m not sure I have many other positive traits. I could be wrong, though; maybe, they’re looking for someone who can pick a lock in less than thirty seconds.
After what seems like miles along the winding road, we end up at cabin number five, which happens to be the last cabin on the left. Behind and to the right of the cabin, thick stands of pine, maple, and elm trees continue up along the mountain. About twenty feet of grass and wildflowers separate the cabin from the tree line. Even though we’re at the last cabin, the dirt road turns sharply and extends deeper into the wooded area.
Kelly pauses at the bottom of the steps leading up to my cabin. “We’ll announce the teams tomorrow. Only the people on your team will know your strengths. It’ll be up to you to let them know your weaknesses. The rest of today will be used to unpack, meet others, and tour the camp. Do you have any questions so far?”
The more she explains, the more intrigued I become.
“I’m still trying to process all of this. I’m sure I’ll come up with questions at some point.” I lift the bundle of paperwork in my hand. “Hopefully, this packet will fill in any blanks.”
We reach the top of the steps, and Kelly opens the cabin door. She waves me in first. Six bunk beds extend out from the far wall, with four more bunks close to the entrance. Tall dressers next to each bunk act as separators between the beds. On the left, a door leads to the bathroom, and nothing but a corkboard fills the wall to the right. An aged tile floor runs through the cabin and into the bathroom. Shivers course through me as I imagine stepping on the cold floor first thing in the morning or the middle of the night.
“You can call on me anytime, for any reason.” Kelly follows me inside and points at a redhead sitting on one of the top bunks. “Now, let me introduce you to Fallon. She’s your cabin lead. If I’m not around, she can also answer your questions.”
“Hey!” Fallon says as she hops down. “Most of the top bunks are already taken. Look around and leave your stuff on the one that you want. We don’t have a lot of time to put things away before we have to head to lunch.”
“Hi. I’m Cassie.” I nod in her direction as I glance over my new home. To avoid an abundance of traffic past my bed, I decide to stay away from the door as well as the bathroom.
“Well, Cassie, the top three drawers are for the person on the top bunk, and the bottom three drawers are for the person on the bottom bunk.” Fallon waves her hand at the room as I finish my walkthrough, pointing out the dressers situated between the bunks against the bright white, stucco walls. “There’s a cubby space in the bathroom for each person.”