Back to the Dream Page
Kassandra cracks open her eyes and throws her arm over her eyes, shielding away the offending rays from the sun from damaging her sensitive eyes. 'I really have to do something about that window,' she thinks, turning off her alarm clock and getting out of her double bed in the Fawn cabin. 'Hmm… today, what do I have to do? Breakfast, getting stuff ready for my girls, go over some sailing stuff with Jason, and have a great last night of quiet. Hopefully, they will be great this year as they usually are!'
She pads over to the bathroom and washes up, smiling to herself at the thought of seeing Seth in less than half an hour.
'Ugh, where am I?' Seth thinks, rolling out of his bed and looking at his alarm clock. 'This is so unnatural to be in a room by myself. All right buddy, you better get moving if you want to catch Kassandra leaving her cabin.' Seth throws tan shorts and a t-shirt on before heading to the bathroom. 'It's a good thing I already figured out the shortcut to her cabin. Right through the athletic field!' he thinks, hurrying after realizing how late he was running.
"Hey sweetness," Seth murmurs, causing Kassandra to jump after closing the door to her cabin.
"Seth! What are you doing here?"
"Well good morning to you too," he says, leaning down to softly kiss her. "I thought I'd walk you to breakfast. Is that okay?"
"More than okay," she responds, leaning up to kiss him again.
Seth takes her hand in his and happily walks down the path, enjoying the beauty that was The Wild Woods.
Once in the dining hall they get their food and sit down to start eating.
"Incredible! How did you two end up beating me?" demands May, coming through the door with Tyler in tow.
Kassandra laughs. "It could be that your cabin is all the way on the other side of camp!"
"Grr," she responds, making Tyler chuckle.
"Now you got her all grry now," he says. "Not that I'm complaining. I find it to be adorable."
May playfully swats at him which he dodges and the couple heads to get breakfast.
"I think the two of them are cute together, don't you?" asks Kassandra.
"They are but I think you and I are even better," he says, leaning in to kiss her.
She returns the kiss softly but pulls away. "You are too much."
Seth chuckles. "I'm just glad I have you all to myself tonight."
"Oh really? What do you have planned?"
He shrugs. "You'll just have to wait and see!"
May and Tyler return to the table and sit down. "What's going on?" May asks.
"Nothing," Seth replies quickly. "So is everyone ready for the campers to come tomorrow?"
"Definitely," Tyler says. "Bring on the chaos!"
The four continue to eat breakfast together, chatting lightly as the rest of the counselors come in to eat breakfast with the addition of some younger ones.
"Hey, who are they?" Tyler asks.
"Oh, they are the junior counselors. They just came," May says. "Every summer the junior counselors are around to be trained and to help out when counselors have their days off and such."
"Cool."
Kathy comes in fifteen minutes later and clears her throat. "As you all know, the junior counselors have arrived today for their training. Please make sure you make them feel welcomed. Please remember to use today to finish all of your plans and to prepare welcome materials for your campers. After breakfast will Kassandra, Jason, May, Joey, Charles, and Cindy all come to the auditorium? Thank you."
"Ooo, someone is in trouble," Seth teases.
Kassandra swats at him. "Am not! If I am, it is your fault entirely!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes," she replies, giving him a smile.
"Hey, you two ready to go?" Jason asks, coming over to the table.
"Yup," May responds while Kassandra nods her head. "Let's go. See you later Ty."
Tyler and May share a kiss and the three are off after dumping their trays to go to the auditorium.
Once everyone is there and seated, Kassandra notes that the six junior counselors are there as well. 'Hmm, I wonder…'
"Well, thank you all for coming so promptly. This summer we selected you six to host the junior counselors because you are the most senior members here. Also, we figured it would be a nice treat for all of you since it will also be your last summer here. Think of it as our way of thanking you," Kathy says. "Each of you will have one of the junior counselors living with the campers in their room, meaning you will only have seven campers under your wing, not eight. Anyway, the way this works is that the junior counselors are here to usually help cover monitoring when you counselors have your free days off. This summer, we're going to try something new. This summer each of the six of you can feel free to leave the grounds at night, leaving the junior counselor in your cabin in charge, as long as you carry one of these cell phones with you."
Kathy picks up one of the cell phones and hold sit up for everyone to see then passes one to each counselor. "This luxury is given to you only under the condition and agreement that if the junior counselor calls you, you come back ASAP, no matter where you are. I am expecting that you will not be leaving to go very far, just into town actually, so if there is an emergency you can make it back quickly. Remember, this is a trial thing. If this gets abused, Bob, Sally, and I will have no hesitations to pull it from you, but we believe that you six are responsible enough and have proven yourself enough to earn this type of reward."
"So we can leave at night even if we don't have it officially off?" Joey asks.
"Right, but you do have to keep in mind that anything can happen back in your cabin and if Doug, who is your junior counselor, calls with an emergency, you are expected to be back without a hassle or question, all right? Also, don't abuse it. If we see your performance during the day with the campers slipping, we will notice and take action."
All six of the counselors nod their heads to show their understanding of the situation.
"Well, these six junior counselors have some training ahead of them but I want you guys to spend some time getting to know them so I'll leave you alone for a bit. Doug will be with Joey in Trout, Christian will be with Jason in Eagle, Tim will be with Charles in Toad, Caitlin will be with Kassandra in Fawn, Hillary will be with May in Rabbit, and Jocelyn will be with Cindy in Chipmunk. Junior counselors, please meet me and Bob in classroom A in half an hour. Have a nice day."
Kathy leaves the auditorium, allowing the twelve people to mingle. Instantly, there is a shriek of excitement as Kassandra and Caitlin embrace.
"I can't believe my luck! This is so great! We get to spend the whole summer together, just like old times!" Caitlin says.
"I know! This is going to be so great Cait!" Kassandra replies.
"Think of all the mischief that can be caused on this side!"
Kassandra laughs. "Welcome to our side of things. I can't believe you're going to be my junior counselor. That's so awesome! I remember you being my camper the past two years. Why didn't you tell me you were going to be a junior counselor?"
"I just decided in December and by then didn't know if Kathy would take me. What can I say? You inspired me!"
"You're going to make a great counselor; I know that for a fact!"
Meanwhile, Jason was giving Christian a brief but firm manly hug. "Christian, it's a pleasure to see you again. Ready for a great summer?"
"Definitely. I am so glad that you're my senior counselor! To be honest, I was afraid of who I would be stuck with," Christian replies. "You know how me and some of those other counselors just don't get along."
Jason chuckles. "I remember that all right. You and I will have a chance to catch up tonight for sure."
"Absolutely man. Hey, what happened with you and that Valerie chick? She was hot."
A shadow of something Christian couldn't describe crossed his face but it was gone in an instant. "Things didn't work out quite so well. We'll talk more about it later."
Christian nods his head, understanding fully that the older counselor did not want to talk about it in front of everyone.
"So you're into writing as well huh?" May asks.
Hillary nods her head. "I think that is why Kathy put us together. I'm going to help you out in your classes as well if you need it. I know I am not so great on it quite yet but I am working on it. I would be willing to help you in any way that I can both in the cabin and in the classroom."
"You sound too good to be true!"
Hillary smiles. "I just want to use this summer to learn the most that I can about being a counselor. It looks like so much fun."
"It is but just to let you know, being a counselor, even a junior one, is one tough job at times."
"I understand. Still, I'm hoping for an awesome summer."
A few feet away, Joey and Doug are starting to get acquainted. "Are you new to The Wild Woods?" Joey asks.
"No, I've been here for the past five years. I didn't expect you to remember me," Doug responds.
"What do you mean? Did I have you as a cabin camper?"
"No, but you taught me all I know about sports. Don't worry Joey. I don't take it as an insult."
"Oh, good," Joey responds.
"Right," Doug responds, moving over to where his best bud Christian was talking to Jason. 'How did I end up with the deadbeat twin?'
"So what was that meeting about?" Vince asks during a rest that he and Joey were enjoying after cleaning up the rest of the playing field. "Did you all get in trouble?"
"No, I got a junior counselor. It sounded like a dream come true before he opened his mouth. Now I feel like I'm going to have a pain in my butt the entire summer," Joey responds. "I have no idea how I am going to deal man."
"Not to worry. I'm sure you'll get through it. After all, he is only a junior counselor, you know?"
"This is true."
"Besides, you have more to worry about, like how you want a piece of that Kassandra girl, right?"
Joey lets out a huge breath of air. "Man, I forgot about her for a second there. She is the one thing that could make this summer worth it. I wonder how I'll get her from that Seth dork though."
"Hey fellas, what are you two doing all dirty and sweaty?" Maya asks, appearing out of the woods. "It's quite a tasty picture."
Vince turns to Joey. "Perhaps your answer has just arrived."
Joey returns Vince's look and smiles. "I think it has."
"So Jason, do you think we have everything covered?" Kassandra asks, sitting on the edge of the dock with him. It was late in the afternoon and the two had just finished taking care of the boats and the dock one last time and were now going over their plans for the summer for their sailing class.
"I think so. Besides making sure none of them drown, I think we're pretty safe," he replies. "Did you get all your cabin stuff ready?"
"You bet. You should see it! I think the decorations are the best this year. I even took care of Caitlin as well. It's really going to be amazing having her around again."
"I know what you mean. Christian looks like he is ready to go and is ready for anything I am ready to throw at him. Do you ever wonder if those two are going to get together? I mean, I've seen them secretly exchanging looks when they think no one is looking. Perhaps love will finally work for someone."
Kassandra turns her head and looks over at Jason with a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
He lets out a sigh. "It's just that at this point in time, to be honest, I really and truly don't trust girls, no offense."
She nods her head. "I can understand. You know, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you Jason. Do you remember that time when Fred made me cry?"
Jason laughs. "Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday."
"Get away from me you stupid boy!" Kassandra yells, running through the woods, running smack into a hard body, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Kassandra, come back!" Fred calls out, chasing her from the woods but comes to a halt as he sees her on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Jason asks, leaning down and extending out his hand to help her up. She takes it and nods her head, trying to hold back her tears. Jason looks over at the other boy and glares. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing, honestly! You know girls! They like to be so dramatic and fussy!" Fred responds.
"That may be true but this one usually isn't. Now what really happened Fred?"
"Nothing! I swear!" he responds, darting off quickly without looking behind him.
Jason sighs, pulling a seven year old Kassandra to him for a comforting hug. "What happened Kassie?"
Kassandra sniffles and wipes away at her tears brutally, hating the fact that she was crying over such a stupid boy. "We were playing a game with the other kids and he grabbed me by the hair and tried to kiss me. When I screamed out, he let go of me but then tripped me. Once I got up, he started running after me until I ran into you."
He shakes his head, trying to keep in a chuckle. "Kassie, I think he likes you."
"Well I don't like him!" she pouts. "He's such a stupid boy! All boys are so stupid. Why would he want to kiss me anyway? That's so gross!"
Jason chuckles. "I told you, it's because he likes you."
"Eww," Kassandra replies. "That's just yucky."
He smiles. "I know but at least he didn't throw a toad at you like Joey did yesterday."
"I guess you're right," she says with a smile. "Thanks for saving me."
"It wasn't anything big, really. Don't let him get you down. This is your first summer at The Wild Woods right?" Kassandra nods her head. "Well then you're in for some real fun! Why don't we go check out what they are doing down by the lake?"
"Sure," she replies, slipping her hand into his.
Jason lets out a sigh of relief as she wipes away the last of her tears. 'Thank God she stopped crying. I thought it would never stop,' he thinks as the two walk to the lake, starting a lifelong friendship.
"Ugh, that Fred. He really made that day awful for me," Kassandra says out loud. "Thank God I found you. I probably would have let him have it if he had come any closer to me. To think that would have been considered my first kiss if he had succeeded. He never did come back to camp, did he?"
Jason shakes his head. "No, he didn't. You probably hurt his feelings when you didn't return his love so he backed off and made sure never to come back."
Kassandra is silent for a few moments. "You know, it's odd."
"What?"
"That my first kiss ended up being shared with you after you had saved me from that near miss with Fred."
"This is true. Fate has a funny way with things."
"So are you going to tell me about Valerie?"
Jason takes in a deep breath and lets it out. "What's there to say? She was the love of my life. My longest relationship and in the end, she tore my heart out."
"What did she do?" she asks. After a few moments of silence, she adds, "You don't have to talk about this though if you don't want to."
"No, it's okay," he replies, letting out another breath of air. "It's good for me. I haven't really told anyone this story. It pretty much goes like this. Valerie and I were so strong for such a long time that I guess I let my guard down. I didn't notice the subtle changes in the relationship that I should have. She started pulling away from me, every day. The physical part of it was there, trust me, but I later realized that emotionally, when I looked in her eyes, it just wasn't there for her anymore. Eventually, I came to my senses and called her on it. She said I was imagining things. One weekend, the band I play in had a gig at The Doors. I left for the weekend, telling her that I would be gone with the guys. While I was on break after our fifth song, the DJ started playing and I saw Valerie and Tom, one of my best guy friends at the time, walk in together. They didn't see me and all I could do was watch as they began to grind each other on the dance floor, attaching together lip-to-lip and hip-to-hip…"
Kassandra saw the tears build in his eyes as he stared off over the ocean and felt her heart break. "Jason, you don't have to go on if it's too hard."
He shakes his head. "What really sealed the deal was when I heard her laugh in that seductive manner she has as he slid his hand up her short skirt, probably getting her off there and then. I found out it had been at least two months that they were going behind my back. When I cornered Valerie about it, she first played stupid but ended up confessing when she realized that I was at The Doors. I'll never forget that day. She took my heart, ripped it out, and ate it for breakfast. After that day, she took anything that belonged to her and left my place, never looking back. It still gets me that she cried and begged for forgiveness after all that she did. I never did see her or Tom again. It's probably better this way. I just know that I will never, ever, forget her or what she did. I guess that's why I'm such a cynic now."
"Don't say that," she replies. "Soon, you'll find a girl that is so wonderful to you. She'll be everything that you need and that you want. She'll be one that's both faithful and truly loving. Don't let Valerie ruin it for you." Kassandra scoots over and wraps her arms around him in a hug. "You deserve so much better."
Jason allows himself to relax and allows his head to rest on her shoulder, chuckling slightly. "You were always that hopeless romantic. I'm sorry if I'm bumming you out Kassie. Thank you for being here to listen. It means a lot to me."
"Well it meant a lot to me that I was able to be here. Jason, you've always been my best friend here next to May. I just want to see you happy."
"So do I," he replies. He lets out a sigh when he looks at his watch. "As much as I love being here and being able to talk to you right now, I have to go take care of some last minute things before tomorrow. See you for breakfast?"
"Ah, the calm before the storm. Definitely. See you then!"
Jason gets up on his feet and extends his hand down to help Kassandra up, smiling as she smiles back at him. "Thank you," he says, one last time, hugging her close.
"You're welcome. I hope it helped."
"It did, it really did."
"Man Seth, you really outdid yourself!" Tyler responds, surveying Seth's room that he had spent a good part of the day doing.
Seth looks around. "Naw. I just want to make it special. It's the last real night I get to be alone with her if you know what I mean."
Tyler looks at him quizzically but nods his head. "Sure man."
"I think the time is right. Now I just have to go and get her. How do you think I look?"
Tyler looks over his friend and nods. "Khakis and a collared shirt. Looks good. My question is why you brought those clothes."
"For the dances but I thought tonight would be appropriate."
"I suppose."
"Hey, it's almost time. Wish me luck?" Seth asks, looking down at his watch.
Tyler nods his head. "Good luck Seth. I'm sure it'll be a nice night for the both of you."
"Have fun with May tonight," Seth responds, watching as Tyler retreats out of the room and out the front door. 'Now, to go get Kassandra.'
"You look beautiful tonight," Tyler says, wrapping his arm around May as they walk back to The Wild Woods. The two had just spent the night in town at the diner for dinner and had caught a movie at the movie theater.
"Thank you," she responds with a blush.
"You and moonlight do wonders together," he murmurs, stopping their walk to lean over and kiss her. "I'm glad that last meeting got cancelled. It allowed me time to get to know you a lot better."
"I am too. I'm sorry we have to return so early. We do have this tradition with the twins that we have to follow through."
"Don't worry. I understand," Tyler responds. "We have our first free day together this week so we can spend more quality time together then."
May smiles. "That sounds wonderful."
The two continue to walk, entering through the gates and past the auditorium. "Do you want to relax for a few over in Falcon? You don't have to go and get Kassandra for another half an hour right?"
"Right. Let's go," May says, leaning into his embrace as they walk through the woods, past Maya's and Vince's cabin, past the lake, and finally to Falcon. Before they could enter Falcon, the door of Seth's cabin is thrown open as Kassandra comes running out of the cabin, clutching her top sweater closed.
"Kassandra, come back. I'm sorry!" Seth calls out, coming out after her but stopping as she disappears into the woods by the lake. "Crap!"
May looks over at Tyler and he shrugs. "You better go check on her. I'll go talk to Seth."
She nods her head and starts off after her best friend without another word. 'Please, let everything be all right.'