Jasmine

F I V E

I voluntarily began rummaging for my precious possessions in the dark, careful not to tread on something slimy or wet.

Anything may be lurking beneath my shoes as I stroll, and I wouldn't be surprised if I stumbled over a decaying carcass; that's how wonderful my luck has been.

I was getting dehydrated and naively expected to locate an abandoned well along my terrible journey; however, all I kept running into were dreadfully decayed trees and crooked branches.

A tall, slender figure stood along my path, and I suppose it's a person. I recall meeting someone this tall previously; however, I can't place my finger on who. After contemplating all of the pros and cons, my very 'smart' brain has opted to approach it. I mean, how dangerous could this creature be? I can be clever at times and absurd at others.

Despite my qualms, I believe I made the right decision.

"Who are you? Oh, Jas! Where have you been?"

"Rose! Oh, how glad I am to see you!" I retorted with sarcasm. Despite the fact I was overjoyed someone had spotted me, I was in horrendous condition. Mud and filthy water have defiled my clothes. So, I was not delighted to have someone gaze at me in such a state.

"Are you all right?" You appear to have gotten into a fight with a ferocious bear." She pointed her finger towards me.

"I did! You see, I landed by this enchanting island with all of my favorite dishes and sweets. As I was eating, someone tapped me on the shoulder and began charging towards me. It was an enormous Grizzly bear. We started throwing punches at one other and smeared pudding over each other's clothing. Mrs. Grizzly bear dressed elegantly in a white blouse and a gorgeous pearl necklace. As retaliation, I splashed tomato soup at her clothes and strangled her with the necklace. Yep, that's what happened! That's why I have bear scratches on my body and pudding on my jeans, Rose!"

"What a lovely speech of yours, Jasmine." She shrugged, sarcasm in her tone, completely uninterested in my fantasy, "Anyway, I'm assuming you're lost?"

"Mhm."

"Cool, so am I."

"Oh, how lovely! We're stranded on this bizarre bit of land with no food, water, or shelter, and we're likely to die soon from starvation; wonderful!" I muttered, kicking a pebble out of my path. "Where is everyone?"

"At camp," she giggled.

"You bitch! Fuck you." I yelled, pushing her to fall to the ground.

She was still giggling and weeping from laughter as she lay on the ground.

I offered my hand to help her in standing, "Well, are you going to lie down all day? Get up! Where is camp?"

She brushed my hand aside and stood up on her own, pointing, "Over there."

Much to my surprise, the camp was situated behind the bus; and the night sky was gorgeously illuminated by lights from the horizon.

I stood there in awe until Rose and I were approached by a counselor.

"Ladies! What are we doing out here without supervision? Do you realize how dangerous your reckless actions are?" She scolded, coffee breath stinging our nostrils.

"Ma'am, Jasmine over here," Rose said, gesturing to me, "was lost. And, for the record, we are Counselors in Training."

"That wouldn't give you the advantage to go out without a counselor! I'm afraid you'll both be getting a call home for that confident demeanor of yours!" She remarked as she entered the camp's main office.

"What a bitch! Who pissed in her coffee this morning?" I scoffed.

"Right? Just wait until the lead manager approaches us and that counselor realizes she's squandered her time on us." Rose chuckled, "Let's hope she gets fired."

"Oh my God, yes! If it weren't for her, this summer would go by much more pleasantly and swiftly. I could tell she's the type to separate a couple cuddling merely because she's single, and her lover dumped her because of her dreadful coffee breath."

Rose joined, "That's if she even had one in the first place."

I couldn't hold back my tears of laughter. Rose and I were beginning to establish an unbreakable bond that no one could replace.

I only hoped for it to stay this way for the remainder of summer. We'll be sharing cabins, which, in my opinion, makes things ten times better. I was wrong for how I'd previously treated her. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about her based on her appearance. When I initially met her, I thought she was repulsive because of her apparel. Her face tells me otherwise, though.

Fashion is definitely something Rose and I will work on later. Let's get this stupid encounter with our consoler out of the way first. Then, we could relax and meet the rest of the campers.

"Ladies! Come in and dial your parent's number." The piercing voice shrieked.

Rose and I entered the office, which was constructed out of sturdy, precise wood; posters with inspirational slogans of never giving up covering the walls, a steel desktop in the middle of the room blanketed with files and documents, along with some family pictures, and a few strange shelves packed with textbooks and random phones.

Oddly, I felt secure in this environment; which was comforting in some ways.

Beneath my shoes, a fluffy materialized carpet sprawled over the floor, and a single lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting a golden hue throughout the room.

I noticed several insects here and there as I peered around. If it weren't for the lady towering over Rose and I; insisting that we phone our parents and set them on speaker, I would scream.

"Sorry, they're not picking up," Rose said, placing the handset back on the corded telephone machine.

"Nonsense! They always pick up!" The consoler snapped.

"Look, dude, I'm eighteen and I don't live with my parents. I called them and no one answered, so I'm not sure what you want from Jasmine and I. We both live together and share an apartment. So, if you'll excuse us, we have a meeting to attend. Thank you very much!"

With that, Rose grabbed my arm in hers and led us to our cabin.

"Woah, how'd you do that?" I asked astonished.

"I don't know, that moron had to be dumb for believing me and letting us go." She grinned.

"Are you actually eighteen?"

"No, I'm sixteen. I also rang my mobile number, knowing it wouldn't pick up because I had given it to my parents earlier, who'd already turned it off."

"Damn, you're smart," I exclaimed.

"Eh, I guess you could say that. Oh, and Jas, you owe me." She said, opening the door to our cabin.

"Yeah, I really do," I whispered.

The cabin was twice the size of the main office, with four twin beds filling every corner; plus, multiple large windows.

"Hey, Rose?"

"Hm?"

"Will we be sharing this cabin with anyone else? There are four beds in total."

"No, those beds are just for display, dumbass! Why else would there be two spare beds?"

"Oh, that's cool! I didn't know that."

"Jas, I'm kidding. We have two other girls sharing with us and should be here anytime soon."

A/N:

Hi! I apologize for not updating sooner. I've been really busy recently and had little to no desire to continue writing this novel. However, I gathered the courage to continue and write a chapter for you guys. I created this chapter lengthier to thank you all for 100 reads! And, I plan to keep them this way. I hope that's all okay for you guys!

Please feel free to vote, and comment with your thoughts. Have a wonderful day everyone!

MWUA <3