Musically Gifted? Well, I Used to Play the Recorder...

Four: Oh, You Play the Flute? Well, You Should Hear Me Singing in the Shower

Four: Oh, You Play the Flute? Well, You Should Hear Me Singing in the Shower

By the stroke of some major miracle, I am able to get the six kids under my supervision out of the cabin and on their way to the dining hall in time for dinner.

            I honestly don’t know how I was able to manage it, especially since I wasted at least half an hour looking for Jake (as well as the pair of panties he was using as a fashionable piece of headgear). Eventually, he was found experimenting the efficiency of using my underwear as a fishing net, and after a lot of persuasion and the bribe of a chocolate biscuit, he agreed to return to the cabin.

            Thankfully, the entirety of the boys in my cabin weren’t actually as hyper and boisterous as Jake – who turned out to be some sort of rebellious violin prodigy who’s been forced to Triple Lakes against his will. I feel kind of bad for him actually, as it’s plain obvious he doesn’t want to be here. A couple of the other boys, whose names I found out are Connor and Shaun, have latched onto Jake and the trio have become the most challenging to control out of the whole group.

            However, the other boys are actually okay. The oldest, Alexander, is eleven and spends most of his time with his head buried in a book. Apparently, his parents sent him here to get ‘socialized’ because he doesn’t fit in properly at school. Despite being the oldest, it’s not difficult to see that he still feels slightly intimidated by Jake’s mini ‘gang’.

            The youngest boy, Bobby, has only just turned seven. He looks constantly terrified of everyone and everything, especially when I try to make contact with him. I’m still not entirely sure whether this is because he’s genuinely frightened of people, or if I emit some kind of child scaring radiation that I am unaware of. I can only hope that it’s the former.

            The last is Isaac, who is kind of in the middle of the group. It’s like he’s unsure whether to follow Jake’s lead, or if he should adopt more of a well-behaved approach. He might be perched on the fence at the moment, but inside I’m sincerely hoping that he does not increase the numbers of Jake’s gang to four. Regardless, he has exceptional talent on the guitar as well as a remarkable singing voice.

            “Why are you our counselor?” Jake suddenly asks, breaking the silence that has resided between myself and the rest of the group. His voice is cold and demeaning, despite his young age. “Girls aren’t supposed to be counselors in the boys’ cabins.”

            I pause, trying to figure out the best response to his question. “Because... because I’m new here,” I tell them. “And they thought I’d be good for you guys. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

            The silence between us proves otherwise. Jake narrows his eyes at me. “Why can’t Blake be our counselor?”

            “You know Blake?” I ask.

            “I came here last year,” Jake responds, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “His cabin won the cup at the end of the summer, and we came last.”

            “Oh.”

            “They always win,” Isaac pipes up, voicing his opinion for the first time that day. “And we always come last, no matter what counselor we have.”

            I glance round and study Isaac’s expression, which is difficult to read. It seems that not everyone is an open book, like I am. People seem to be able to distinguish my emotions so easily, and yet unpicking other people’s body language and tone of voice is an impossible task for me. I clear my throat, trying to ease the awkwardness that I know will settle between us soon. “Can’t we change that?”