Chapter 3

Danica–Tuesday

 

The rest of the morning went past in a bit of a boring haze, to be honest.

The children needed to be registered and sorted out into their specific cabins and groups, so apart from writing down names and sending them off in the right direction, there wasn't a lot for me and the rest of the camp counsellors to do. It was the owner giving the initial health and safety lectures, so we were left a little like lose ends–just waiting for the real fun to begin.

I glanced down at the list of names, just for something to do, which made me start wondering what my group was going to be like.

Marcie Jackson.

Charlotte Hall.

Vicky Baker.

Rebecca Shaw.

Jasmine Bennet.

Holly Price.

I didn’t recognise any of them, not even the family names, but that didn’t matter. They were going to be the best damn group ever; I would make sure of that! Just as I was plotting the ways that I intended to motivate my girls, to get them through the races and challenges in the best way possible, my eyes scanned across the camp and accidently landed on Rhett.

Or maybe I was attracted to him like a magnet. Either way, we were staring at one another.

He shot me a smile, one that sent my insides coursing with excitement. I just couldn't believe my luck, I’d been determined to have some fun here, but I’d never expected to meet someone quite like Rhett. He was a dream come true!

And, the way he was looking at me suggested he might just feel the same way.

Just as I was about to go over to him to have a little chat while the children unpacked, the owner of Camp Woodtree yelled out, grabbing all of our attention.

“Right, guys, everyone is set up now. The children are ready to begin.” This filled me with an intense excitement. I couldn't wait for camp to properly begin. I loved the buzz of the activities. “And for those of you who haven’t memorised the itinerary yet, today is water themed. The children will be experiencing water rafting, snorkelling–or swimming for the children who aren’t as confident–and a bit of diving.”

I wanted to jump up and down with excitement; water day was always my favorite when I was younger, and I couldn't wait to experience it as a counsellor. “And at the end of the day, we will have our famous water obstacle course.”

I glanced over to Rhett, who was grinning as brightly as me. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, then gave a disapproving look to the other counsellors standing around us, demonstrating his confidence in our ability to win. I nodded back, agreeing with him, before we were finally sent on our separate ways to meet our teams.

My girls were all living in the Bear cabins, near to me in case they had any issues, so it was easy to find their rooms. As I stepped into their cabin, I was filled with déjà vu. I remembered my own time in a similar place, surrounded by girls I didn’t know. I recalled the anticipation, the nerves, the crazy over-the-top excitement, and I felt like I could see it in all of their eyes, too.

“Hi, everyone,” I smiled brightly, realising that it was my duty to break the ice. “My name is Danica; can you please tell me your names.”

They glanced around shyly at one another, before starting to speak. Marcie, Charlotte, Vicky, Rebecca, Jasmine, Holly. Luckily, they were all very different looks wise, so I wouldn’t have any trouble telling them apart.

I instantly felt a soft spot for Holly–the small, hunched-over redhead who looked absolutely petrified. She was clearly a shy and quiet girl who didn’t do too well in social situations. I would have her feeling better about herself by the end of the week–that was what camp was for, after all! From my memory, the shy ones always ended up the loudest in the end.

“Okay, well, I’m really glad to have you all here, and I’m grateful that you’re my team.” They all looked a little uncertain about that, so I quickly continued, no wanting to give them enough time to start doubting themselves. “I don’t know how much you know about Camp Woodtree, but we’re a sports and activity based camp. At the end of each day, we compete in whatever we’ve been doing.”

I smiled brightly at them all, but they didn’t seem quite ready to return that enthusiasm. “And, we will be teamed up with a group of boys...”

There it was: I had their attention. Their eyes sparkled with excitement, and I could sense a hush around the room. They finally had something to bond over, and that made me smile. Once they had a connection, something to gossip about into the early hours of the morning, the teamwork and the winning would follow.

And to be honest, however competitive I was, it was far more important for these girls to have a good time. As long as they had fun, I would be able to leave there a happy woman.

“So, shall we go and meet the boys then?” They all nodded enthusiastically, even Holly. “It’s water sports today, so I’ll give you a moment to get yourselves organized.”

As I waited outside for the girls to get dressed, I could hear them squealing with excitement. They seemed like really good girls and a whole lot of fun.

“Everyone ready?” I asked, as they all stalked out in their wetsuits, clearly keen to get started. Then they followed behind me, almost acting like my shadows while they figured out what was to come next.

“Well hello there, girls!” Rhett cried over to us, revealing his own group. “It’s nice to meet you all.” We stood facing one another, introducing our teams.

“Here’s Marcie, Charlotte, Vicky, Rebecca, Jasmine, and Holly.” I indicated to them all in turn.

“And my team are Ben, Ricky, Gary, Mark, Timmy, and Frank.” The excitement fizzing between them was contagious. “Right, let’s get in the water–we’re swimming or snorkelling first, the choice is yours. You can even try a bit of diving if you like.”

As the teams got into the water and began splashing about, Rhett came to stand far too close to me all over again. The heat and chemistry was radiating off of him, making it difficult for me to concentrate.

“So,” he leant closer to me, practically whispering into my ear, causing goosebumps to pop up all over my skin. “Do you think we should be running a more regimented training session, getting them to the top of their ability?”

I couldn't help but laugh at that. “This is supposed to be fun, you know? It’s not training for the Olympics or anything.”

“I’m perfectly aware of that, but we need to win, as well,” he replied, very seriously. “We need to be the team to beat.”

“We will be,” I nodded confidently. “Look at them.”

As we both looked onto our teams, playing about and enjoying themselves, we realised just how able they all were. We were lucky to have kids that we could just leave to mess about. They wouldn’t need any training from us; they were going to get through this just fine.

“Danica,” Marcie squealed excitedly, popping up above the water, quickly removing her snorkelling gear. “This is amazing!”

“That’s awesome. I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it.” I was pleased that she felt close to me already. I hadn’t expected that. I could already feel a bond between all of us, one I hoped would continue.

“So, what’s the strategy for the race then?” Rhett asked, dragging my attention back to him. “Or are we just going to wing it?”

“Well, I think we’re all right with the swimming relay race,” I indicated towards the water once more. “Although I have noticed that Ben is your strongest swimmer, and Rebecca is mine–so maybe we should place them last. They can be our sprinters.”

“Wow,” he sounded gobsmacked by my revelation. “You’re observant. I hadn’t even realised that, but I can see that you’re right. It’s a good job that we’re on the same team because otherwise, I’d actually have something to worry about!”

 

***

 

Once we’d spent the afternoon on the boats, devising a plan for winning that race, too, it was time. Both my and Rhett’s team felt fully prepared to take on everyone else, and I was actually feeling a little nervous that we wouldn’t be able to live up to all of our expectations. We hadn’t even seen the others yet–only from a distance–so we had no idea of their abilities. I just prayed that we weren’t setting ourselves up for a fall.

“Okay, guys,” Rhett hushed as we all stood in a hugging circle. “Now, we all know exactly what we’re doing, and as long as we stick to that plan, we will crush everyone else.”

As he motivated the children, I flickered my eyes over all of their faces, drinking in their seriousness. Rhett was really inspiring them, which tugged at my heartstrings even more. Despite his fairly laid back attitude, he seemed to have a charisma that was difficult to resist. “Now, come on.” He put his hand in the middle of the circle, and we all imitated the action. “Go Team Belion!”

“Erm...” We all looked at one another really confused. “Rhett, what the hell is Belion?” I felt compelled to ask.

“It’s a combination of bear and lion. I don’t know, it sounded better in my head.”

After we’d all finished laughing, we repeated the same action, this time all shouting, “Belion!” as we flung our hands in the air. I just knew that this silly word would become our thing while we were here, a little inside joke just for us, and I was glad. What better way to solidify our friendships?

Rhett and I took the stands to watch the races, while our kids positioned themselves where they needed to be. I felt a little tremble make its way through my body as we waited, and I wasn't sure how much of that was nerves and how much of it was because of Rhett’s arm that was lightly touching mine. I was acutely aware of every single inch of him, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was feeling the same way.

He didn’t seem as reactant as me, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

And then the starting gun rang out and the activity began.

We cheered louder than everyone else as the teams competed, practically screaming as they raced across the water, and thankfully, our strategy was perfect because although we only just scraped the swimming race, we annihilated the other teams in the boat race. Our girls and boys kicked ass–it was actually amazing to watch.

“Oh my God!” I screamed as they crossed over the finish line, and Rhett threw his arms around me in excitement. “They won,” I yelled into his chest. “They did it! First place.”

It was only when he held onto me for a few seconds too long that I realised my heart was no longer racing just because of excitement. Now, it was because of Rhett and his close proximity to me.

I pulled back quickly, suddenly worried that everyone else was staring at us, noticing exactly what was happening between us, but of course, they weren’t. To everyone else, it was only a hug; plus, they were all involved in their own business.

“I...” I started at the same time as Rhett spoke out.

“We...”

We both giggled a little awkwardly as an intense blush filled my cheeks before turning away from one another and eventually leaving the stands to congratulate our groups.