Camp Direction

Chapter 16

As Zayn shoved the last of his jumpers into the duffle that had been under his bunk for weeks since he’d arrived at the camp, a sudden rush of realization came over him. He arched his eyebrows, falling back onto the bottom bunk, which had been stripped of the mattress cover and sleeping bag, leaving a dirtied out mattress.

Penny lived in Canada.

He lived in London.

They were an ocean apart.

“Argh,” he muttered aloud, leaning over and putting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face with his callused palms. 

Pulling away, he examined the small blisters that had formed on his palms and fingers. They were from constant rowing in the canoes, the wood of the paddles rough and prickly under his skin. 

It was then that he had realized something completely different. Camp Davies had changed him, not just physically - with all the cuts and bruises he’d received from hikes and such, he didn’t care anymore - but emotionally as well. He realized how good he was with kids as well, and finally understood his younger sister’s - Waliyha’s - predicament as a fourteen year old. Considering he had the fourteen and fifteen year old boys in his cabin, he had understood the mentality of them in the year of 2012.

For sure, he’d be a bit more protective around Waliyha, who was growing up much to fast for his liking.

Zayn stood up, running his hands through his dark colored hair. He gripped the soft locks in between his fingers as he made a fist with his hand, the length of the hair peeking out between his fingers. 

Their stylist, Lou, would most likely have a fit at the sight of them, but Zayn could care less.

He reached out and grabbed his duffle and began walking out the door, when something tumbled out of the side pocket of the bag and fell onto the wooden floor of the cabin. Arching his eyebrows, Zayn bent over and clasped his fingers around the black iPhone, having not used it in nearly two months. 

Shaking his head, Zayn stuffed the black iPhone into the back pocket of his jeans as he stepped into the doorway of the cabin, turning around to have a good last look. He sighed, the overwhelming smell of the boys’ cologne filling his nostrils.

Though the teenage lads had left not even a few hours before himself, the lingering smell of Axe body spray had not left with them. The nineteen year old counselor recalled the time they had even had a fight and sprayed it all over the cabin, resulting in a coughing session not long afterward.

Zayn let out another sigh and stepped out of the cabin, grabbing the silver knob of the metal door and pushing it closed. He grabbed the set of keys that were dangling from a necklace around his neck and locked it a final time, before grabbing his duffle and walking down the trail. 

His feet suddenly stopped in their tracks, and before he could even figure out where they were taking him, he walked to the edge of Cabin Hill and dropped his duffle beside him as he stared at the view. The sun shone brightly in the sky, its reflection blinding him  as he looked at the lake. The canoes were tied up, the fishing rods locked tightly in the shed. When he was going to leave, he saw something in the corner of his eyes and turned back, watching as the brown haired girl kicked her feet in the water of the lake.