sleep away at Camp Wiŋtke

Chapter 1

It was early on a sunny, summer Sunday morning when Albert Peterson Bluecorn reluctantly boarded an old yellow school bus. He was heading for camp. A summer camp that he actually knew nothing about.

He was surprised to be sitting here. His parents had suddenly told him, three days ago that they had found a camp for him to spend a week at. Sure, they had been complaining that he needed to get out and find something to do, but there was something odd about the way they were secretive with the details of this camp, insisting he would find out when he got there.

"It'll be fun," they told him. "Lots of new experiences, lots of new friends."

"A whole new world," his mom added.

For the past year since Albert turned thirteen, he had finally been getting to spend some time home alone when his parents needed to go out.

That, he loved. His times alone were exciting and full of discovery about himself, the times he was happiest, the complete opposite of whenever his parents were home and all he ever did was sit in front of the TV, on his cell phone, or in his room playing video games.

The thought occurred to him that maybe his mother had figured out he was getting into her things when she wasn't home and this was why they were suddenly sending him off to camp.

He thought he was always careful, folding her undies back exactly as they has been before, re-hanging her dresses just as he had found them, but maybe, somehow she figured it out. Or maybe it was just his Native American dad getting tired of his lack of interest in sports, or his white mom tired of his obsession with video games and TV.

The more he thought about it though, the more he convinced himself there was absolutely no way she could have known. Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. He pushed the thought aside as he took in the other kids on the bus. Most of them looked equally confused, a few looked excited, and there was one boy in the back, with a mischievous grin, who was clearly ready for whatever adventure off the reservation, lay ahead.

About that time, the bus slowed and pulled into the Fashion Towne Mall parking lot. Where another boy got on the bus while his mother waved goodbye to him with tears in her eyes. He walked toward the back looking for an empty seat, taking one on the opposite side of the aisle from where Albert sat.

He immediately scooted over against the window and stared out as the bus hissed when the driver released the brakes and they began rolling on to the next stop.

All in all there would be seventeen boys on the bus when it finally reached its destination, few enough that they each had their own seat and nobody seemed inclined to start a conversation. This felt very odd to Albert, but then, he wasn't really interested in talking to anyone anyways.

Did any of them know what was in store for them this week at this camp they were headed to? Or was it just him that was in the dark?

The bus ride was long, stretching out through the countryside and into the mountains. The scenery grew more and more beautiful, the trees thickening and the air turning thiner, but the excitement of the new environment couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of his stomach.