Serendipitous Path

Senior year was hell, and not having my best friends with me didn't make it any easier. But I managed. I worked hard on my assignments, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work, and I finally graduated. Now, all that's left to do is enjoy summer camp until September and then find a job. Considering my love for reading, I'm not very academic—school just isn't for me.

Mom and Dad weren't very happy at first about me not going to college—after all, I was the first one of my siblings to do so. But after seeing me struggle to finish high school, they decided it would be better for my mental health if I started working instead.

It is the night before summer camp starts, and my siblings and I are in the attic for one last sibling bonding time. Sure, I'll see the at Willowcrest, but we all have different roles, and it will be hard spending time together without the kids bothering us every now and then.

Sabrina and Melanie are looking something up on the home computer— probably because the twins said something stupid, and now they want to prove them wrong. Alexis and Karter are watching from behind their shoulders, hoping Google will have their backs, but I am sure it won't; Eliot is watching the movie we put on, that kid is the only one that can go through an entire movie without talking or annoying the rest of us. As for me, I am texting the girls in our group chat, "Colonizer Among Us".

I'm about to reply, asking why Hamilton and Kameron are in LA, when I hear Melanie screaming in victory; of course the twins are wrong. I put my phone down on the coffee table and walk over to see what all that fuss is about. "Did Columbus discover America?" Were they really debating that?

'Everyone knows Columbus discovered nothing.' I say, rolling my eyes. 'It's common knowledge that Erik did.' I add.

'It's not common knowledge; that's just for Viking freaks like you.' Alexis says smugly. I feel offended—how rude of them to call me a Viking freak. So what if I know a few interesting facts about their culture?

'Don't ne—'

'I swear, if you keep talking over my movie, I am going to kick you all out.' Eliot interrupts. We all turn to look at him. He has paused the movie and is glaring at us with the same expression mum has when she's mad at us.

Eliot is the only one of us who looks completely like mum; Sabrina is a carbon copy of dad; Melanie looks just like grandma Eliza; the twins resemble dad, but they took after grandpa Nicholas. As for me, I am a mix of mum and dad, though most people say I look more like dad.

We all apologize to Eliot and return to our seats, settling back to watch the movie.

The alarm on my phone goes off, and I blindly try to turn it off. Instead I end up smacking whoever is next to me in the face. From the tone of voice, I can tell is Karter. I apologize and start to stretch. A word of advice: never fall asleep in the armchair unless you want a stiff neck and back pain.

Karter is fast awake, massaging the side of the face I just smacked him. He then shakes Alexis awake, who isn't too happy about that—not that he's ever happy to be woken up, for that matter. Sabrina is the last one to wake up, thanks to Melanie, which is rare, considering she's usually the one to wake us all up in the morning. We all start tidying up the room, which isn't too messy. Lucky us.

The attic is not the place we kids hang out at; it's also the favorite place for our cats—my cats—to hide when they don't want to be bothered. I mention this because, while I am collecting trash, I see Freya, a black Norwegian Forest cat, peeking her little face out from the Amazon box she uses to play.

'Hi baby.' I say, picking her up and scratching her belly. Not the best idea, though, because now I hear the other one, Loki, a dumb ginger American Shorthair, meowing for attention. I set Freya down and scoop up Loki, who immediately starts licking my face.

It's a matter of seconds before we hear paws scratching at the attic's door. It's probably Clarisse, our red and black German Shepherd dog, and then we hear Wedge barking. Wedge is a white American Bulldog, very calm unless he's craving his daily dose of affection.

'Shut it, Wedge, they are up. Don't worry.' Dad says from the other side of the door. 'Aren't you kids?' he adds, and Alexis goes to open the door. Clarisse squeezes past him and is on Melanie the second she sees her. Wedge starts running around the attic, waiting for one of us to play with him; Karter is the one that gives in and pets him.

Loki is still in my arms, but now his attention is on the white dog getting petted. When he looks at me again, I roll my eyes; of course he wants to be petted too, but I don't have the time. I know, once I start, it's hard for me to stop.

I let go of Loki, noticing that half his fur is now on my hands. I wipe my hands on the pajama's pants and go back to help my siblings clean up. Dad informs us that everything is ready and that we'll leave as soon as we get changed. He adds that we shouldn't worry too much about the mess; he is going to take care of it after they dropped us at the summer camp.

'Please repeat that into my phone. I don't want mom lecturing us as soon as we come back home from camp." Sabrina says, holding her phone close to dad's face. 'Come on…' she is really waiting.

Dad rolls his eyes but repeats himself.

'Thank you very much.' Sabrina says, satisfied, and she's the first one to head to her room.

My room is at the very end of the hall—or the first one if you are coming down from the attic. Eliot's room is directly across from mine. Next are the twins' rooms—yes, they aren't sharing. Finally, there are Sabrina and Melanie's rooms.

I end up in the car with Sabrina, Melanie and the twins after losing a game of rock-paper-scissors against Eliot, who blew me a raspberry on my face when he realized he'd get to ride in the "quite" car. At this point, I envy Eliot. Riding with mum and dad might be the most uncomfortable experience ever—mainly because the car is packed with most of our luggages—but at least no one bothers you. No endless game of "yellow car" that leaves our arms bruised like crazy. No yelling for who gets to choose the next song, and definitely no interruptions while I read.

It's been 24 minutes and the only thing I was able to read and understand was the prologue of the book, which, mind you, is one sentence long.

I close the book so hard, the twins stop arguing to take a look at me, confused.

'Can you just stop? Let the playlist go on by itself for once in your life.' I sigh hard, and I wish I could go back to read "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King, but my focus has been ruined now. I take out my phone and I see a text message from… Kameron? Why is Kameron texting me?

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: Congratulations on graduating! 🥳

Serena: thanks, I guess…

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: you're welcome, I guess…

Serena: ah, ah very funny

Serena: I am just surprised you texted me, we are going to see in a couple of hours.

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: Erika is going to be clingy into me all day. I don't want you two to fight.

Serena: you do have a point. I forget she is there too🤪

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: sure you do… btw see you later, bye ✌🏻

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: and this conversation never happened, right?

Serena: what conversation?

Kameron Camp Willowcrest: I don't know…

Serena: don't worry about it, my lips are sealed. See you later bye bye ✌🏻

I delete the chat, not before taking a screenshot of it and then moving it to the "Hide" section. This way I am the only one able to see it. But again, why did I screenshot it? Honestly, I can't tell, but here I am.

Kameron is really nice—the first guy friend I got at camp—but our paths had to separate that one summer when he told me he got together with Erika and the summer when she suddenly started to hate my guts. Well, maybe not so suddenly. Waya and Pratibha always say it's because I was Kameron's closest female friend, which makes sense, in a sense, but still I don't think that's the reason. I am sure it's because she knows, but how?

'Who are you texting?' Alexis asks, leaning over my shoulder. I push him away. Why is he being so annoying today? 'How rude.' He says, mimicking a line from mom's favorite show, Full House. I like the show; sometimes I even watch it with her in the living room, cuddling under the covers. Alexis, however, is more involved in the story than I am. To each their own.

Karter asks me the same question that Alexis just did, and I look at him with raised brows.

'And you think I'll answer you because…'

'Worth a shot.' he exclaims, turning back to stare out the window.

Alexis snatches the phone out of my hand, but I let him be. The chat is cleared and nowhere to be seen, so there's nothing for me to worry about. Did I mention that I'm the smart one in the family? In case I didn't say it, here it is: I am the smarter child.

My amazing and lovely brother hands me back the phone, disappointed at not having found anything interesting, and I give him a half-smile and put the device away; there's no way I'm using it with the twins lurking, ready to catch me doing something they can tease me about.

The moment Sabrina parks, I push Karter out of the car. Poor boy almost falls face-first onto the ground, but right now, I don't care. I need to stretch my entire body because it aches like crazy—and don't even get me started on my legs. I can't feel them anymore.

I limp a little, trying to shake off the stiffness, but it's all done when someone starts crushing my foot. On purpose. Seriously, why would anyone be stepping on my foot on purpose?

I'm surprised by the action—partly offended too—and my mind starts to fill up with insults to hurl when I notice it is Theo. I giggle. Out of everyone at camp, he's the only one allowed to greet me like that. I hug him, and he hugs me back.

'How are you, Serbear? I mean, apart from your sleeping legs.'

'Ah, ah, ah. You are so funny.' I mimic him, rolling my eyes. Noticing he is alone, I ask, 'Where's the rest of your crew?'

He rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed. 'We are not a crew—not anymore at least,' he explains. Then, with a funny tone in his voice, he repeats, 'Not anymore at least.'

I giggle. 'Okay, sorry, but really, where did you leave them?'

He just points towards the entrance of the camp. It's not far away from us, and I can see Hamilton on his phone—probably complaining about yet another summer here. Zak is holding his head in his hands, while Mathias and Christer are, of course, arguing. Then there is Kameron. He looks taller than last summer—actually, he seems taller every time I see him. And his hair is different.

'Did Kameron do something to his hair?' I ask, still trying to figure it out on my own. Nothing.

'He went blonde this winter. A terrific sight to see, trust me. He is trying to go back to his natural hair color, but as you can see…'

'Who even suggested it?' I ask. He gives me a look that screams, Are you for real?

I let out a deep sigh. Of course, it was Erika. I can't help but wonder what else she makes him do—and whether he actually enjoys it or just goes along with it. I hope it's the first one.

I'm about to point out that Erika is nowhere to be seen when Melanie calls my name, warning me that they're leaving my things in the car if I don't come and get them. I excuse myself and run back to the car, only to hear Karter commenting on Erika's absence. He noticed already?

'What if she is running late? Or maybe she is at the cabins?' I blurt out.

'Do you really think Erika would stay away from Kam knowing you aren't here?' Karter replies, pulling out his luggage with a grunt. 'She's definitely running late. I'd suggest you spend some time with him before she gets her claws on him.'

He steps aside, letting me grab my belongings while he waits for Alexis to do the same. 'Think about it.' he adds before heading to the entrance.

I think about it—for two seconds—before noticing Eliot, Sabrina, and Melanie staring at me with questioning looks on their faces. They clearly want to know what Karter was talking about; I'm 100% sure of it.

I don't say anything, but the longer I stay silent, the more they stare at me. And the more they stare, the more irritated I get because there's nothing to say. They scoff but finally leave me alone.

Backpack and suitcase in hand, I say goodbye to mum and dad, who don't fail to remind me to be careful but also to have a lot of fun and to text them. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 'Of course, when you are allowed to use your phones,' specifies dad.

'Okay, dad, but you don't forget to send me pictures of my babies every now and then.' I respond. I haven't even entered the summer camp, and I already miss my cats.

"You didn't even have to ask, love. See you guys in a month," he adds, kissing me goodbye before moving on to do the same with my other three siblings, while I scoot over to say goodbye to mum.

'Don't listen to dad. Have fun and don't think about us more than necessary.' She says with a smile. Mum has always been the chill parent, while dad has always wanted—and still does—to know everything that was going on when we were out: where we were going, with whom, you name it, but mom? Mom wants us to have fun.

I don't wait for my sister—I need to move quickly and find an empty cabin for me and the girls. Thankfully, it doesn't take long. The cabin isn't close to the bathroom, but it is better than being split up like every other year. I pull out some of my clothes and scatter them on the other beds, making it look like they are all occupied.

Some campers walk in but leave shortly after realizing there's no space for them. My tactic is working. I text the group chat to let them know I've managed to secure a cabin for all of us, much to the girls' surprise. It's not that easy to pull off something like this—I know because we've tried for years. But now, we can finally sleep together in the same cabin.

Huang is the first to show up, and the moment she enters the cabin, I hug her as if it's been years since I last saw her—spoiler: it's only been two weeks.

'I missed you so much,' she says in between giggles. I've missed her a lot too.

'How was the drive?' I ask, taking a seat on my bed. My bed is in the far corner of the room, pressed against the wall with the window. I always liked the bed by the window.

Huang drops her stuff on the bed she's chosen for herself—the bottom of one of the bunk beds—before sitting next to me.

'Good! And I have some exciting news, but we need to wait for the others to get here.' Of course, she always gives hints but won't spill it right away.

While waiting for the other four, Huang and I start chatting about everything and nothing, just to pass the time. HaYun is the next one to walk in, followed by Pratibha—who surprises us with some traditional Indian food for us to try. Riko and Waya being the last ones to arrive, their planes having been delayed.

'Someone needs to tell me where Erika is. I saw Kameron freely conversing with a girl in the canteen.' Confesses Riko, her tone full of curiosity. She's not here yet? Weird.

'I thought she was running a little late.' I add to the conversation, just as Huang snickers. We all turn to look at her, and Riko asks her to speak up if she knows something.

'She is not coming.' confesses Huang, still snacking on her Chinese chips. 'She got run over by a car this morning.'

'WHAT?' Pratibha, Riko, and I exclaim in unison at the news. Waya chokes on her crackers, and HaYun is speechless. I never imagined the "exciting news" Huang mentioned would be this. And how can it be exciting when someone got hit by a car? I am about to ask how serious it is, but Huang cuts me off.

'I saw it happen. Nothing too serious.' Huang continues. 'Her mom texted mine, telling her Erika broke her leg.' She shrugs and adds, 'Finally, a summer without her.' while holding the chip bag out for us. A simple "no, thank you" leaves my lips.

I grab my hoodie and head outside the cabin. I want to check on Kameron and make sure he is doing okay. It can't be easy knowing someone you love got run over by a car and ended up with a broken leg.

Knocking at the door, I hear the boys shout for me to come inside. The moment I open the door, I can't believe my eyes—the twins are there too. Karter, who knows about my crush on Kameron, gives me a knowing smirk; Alexis, on the other hand, is confused.

'Do you need something, sis?' he asks.

'No.' He can't know the real reason I am there—not now, not in a million years. 'I mean, I wanted to talk to Karter for a moment.' I lie through my teeth, but thankfully, Karter doesn't betray me. He stands up and walks out with me.

'He is fine. A little shocked, but who wouldn't be? Huang told you?' Sometimes Karter scares me with how well he reads my mind. I nod. 'I can tell the guys there is something to check if you want to talk alone with him.' he offers.

'It's okay. I just wanted to make sure he's doing okay. That's all.'

'What am I supposed to tell Alexis we talked about?' Oh, right. That. At the moment, I have no idea what excuse will cover for me pulling Karter out of the cabin. 'I got it, don't worry. Good night, shorty.' he says, grinning as he walks back in.

I stay outside the cabin for a few minutes. I'm not sure why—my mind is racing at 100 miles per hour. I feel bad that Erika is hurt, but at the same time, I'm relieved she isn't here. It means I can spend a summer not walking on eggshells around her.

I never noticed how peaceful it is at this hour, how silent the camp becomes when the kids are in their beds, ready to go to sleep. I never truly realized how loud my thoughts can be.

I don't have time to stop and think too much. As I pass by the restrooms, I hear someone screaming. Gosh, I hate preteens. I step inside and I see a group of boys drenching some girls with water. Clearing my throat loudly, I stand there with a serious expression, arms crossed. They freeze, apologize, and run outside.

I sigh, shaking my head in disbelief. Kids, I think while I start cleaning up the floor, picking up all the toilet paper they wasted.

'Need a pair more of hands?' I nearly jump out of my skin, letting out a scream at the sudden voice behind me.

'You scared me.' I exclaim, trying to calm my racing heart.

'Sorry.' he mumbles, then starts helping me clean up the mess.

We finish cleaning up quickly, which is a relief. If I had to spend more time alone with Kameron, I'd probably start rambling and make a fool of myself. No, thank you.

'Is it okay if we talk tomorrow?' He asks. I wonder what he has to tell me that can't be discussed now. I suggest talking about it tonight instead. 'Curfew is in 2 minutes and your cabin is pretty far from here.' he points out.

'Oh right… curfew.' I start fidgeting with my nails nervously. 'Talk to you tomorrow then.' He wishes me good night and heads back to his cabin. I wait until he's completely out of sight. Once he's gone, I lightly hit my head against the wooden door. How could I forget about curfew?