Our Hill Of Stars

Chapter 36 : Bump in the Road

Aria is visiting again and she's brought a friend.

Maggie is an extremely outgoing girl who is just a little bit older than Aria. She is on the taller side and has blond hair matched with blue-green eyes. When she arrives she makes quick friends with the Old Timers, especially Claire and Peyton.

Aria is shyer in the large group and decides to stick around her brother and the Counsellors. Speaking of her brother, Ace is acting off today. I can't place my finger on exactly why but I'm determined to find out - even if the reason is simply because he has a headache.

"So how are things in the wilderness, Bambi?" Aria asks as she sits down on the other side of the picnic table.

Beaver Falls is currently lazing around after our fire burning extremely late into the night. We all got approximately four hours of sleep and are all paying for it. Dark bags circle our eyes and yawns are continuous.

Considering our state, we are in pretty high spirits. Well, most of us. As mentioned before, Ace is a grumpy bump today.

"It's alright. Stayed up way too late last night." Ace grumbles into his hands, rubbing his forehead.

"Well damn, if I knew everyone was going to be sleep walking today, I would've come another day." Aria pouts, crossing her arms.

"No, no." I say, smiling tiredly, "We will be awake in a little bit. Nothing like a quick dip in the lake won't freshen us up."

"That better be true." Aria unfolds her arms and stands back up. "So what are we waiting for?"

Ace chuckles quietly then stands up. Aria smiles then walks towards the cabin, picking her bag off the ground. Ace follows her and I get up to inform the Old Timers of our plans.

Ten minutes later we are down at the lake. I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. The bland coffee from this morning is starting to kick in but not enough to make a huge difference. I pray the cold water will help.

Ace keeps his distance from me on our way down to the docks, sticking by Aria. It concerns me a little bit but I don't want to be too clingy. I understand boundaries and I know when someone wants some space. I decide to occupy myself with Archer and Dax.

"So when is Barsy coming for another visit?" Archer asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not sure he'll be able to make it out again. He's busy in the shop." Dax answers, taking off his shirt.

"That sucks. Hopefully we can see him again before uni." I say, stripping down to my bikini.

"We'll see. I'll try to get him out for a day before camp closes." Dax says, then starts to walk towards the beach.

I follow him only to get picked up by Archer. He flips me on to his shoulder and runs with me into the water. I scream when the water closes over my head.

It's freezing.

I'm awake.

I come up and jump onto Archer's shoulders. I pull and take him down into the water. He shouts then comes up laughing.

"Payback." I say simply.

"Fair." Archer shrugs.