The Wonderful World of Words

One: Bitten

Genre: Horror

I hate camping. For anyone who thinks that I just had a bad experience let me go ahead and tell you that I have always hated camping. Something about sleeping outside in a tent with tons of wild animals around just doesn't strike me as fun. Not to mention that there is no proper bathroom in the great outdoors.

Now, if you're wondering, yes, I have been absolutely against camping ever since that night. There is nothing that can entice me to spend a night in the forest now. What happened that night? Well, for that story, I invite you to sit back and get comfortable.

It all started like this: my friend Trent had lost a bet to our other friend, Kristine.

"Ha!" Kris yelled. She jumped off of the statue at the front of the biology building. Trent was walking beside me, hanging his head in shame. In his hand was a copy of our most recent biology test, one with a big, fat, 42 written beside his name. He had failed yet another test. "I win!" Kris said as she skipped beside him. "You owe me now."

"Yeah, yeah, Kris, I know." He mumbled. "Kit," he looked at me. "Is there any way you can get me out of this? You know, could you talk to her girl to girl?"

"I could." I replied. "But you really should be a man of your word."

He sighed heavily. Then, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, threw his head back, and let out the most dramatic sigh ever. "Okay." He relented. "What do you want from me, Kris?"

"Hmm," she pretended to think for a long moment. "What do you I want from Trent? Let's see, let's see... hmm... what would be the most miserable thing I could image for Trent?"

Suddenly, I knew what she was thinking. Trent was a quiet guy and he wasn't that crazy about the outdoors. Kris was totally the opposite. She loved to camp, had a treehouse that she would sleep in from time to time, and could often be found basking in the moonlight in a hammock. She knew exactly what would make Trent miserable.

"I know!" she said with a broad smile. "You're going to come camping with me... tonight."

"What? Dude, that's not cool. You know how I feel about that."

"Yes, yes, I do. That's why we're going. You know, my mom hasn't really been in the camping spirit lately, and I miss it. So, that's why you're going to come with me for the weekend." Kris had this thing about her. She was just so convincing. Like, she wasn't even trying to talk Trent into it, but he still caved in.

He sighed really heavily again and said, "Alright. I'll be by your place at six. You're driving though. I don't know where any campgrounds are."

Kristine smiled and clapped her hands giddily. She always did that when she was happy about something. "And, and, Kit will come, too."

"Nope," I said immediately. I pivoted to look at her. Kris was really pretty. She had thick black hair that reflected blue in the light and her skin was paper white. If Kris had ever become a movie star, she would have been cast in every vampire movie. Funny how that worked out... but let me not get ahead of myself. "I'm not going, Kris." I reiterated.

Kris walked over to my side and wrapped me in something that was like a hug. "But Kit Kat, you've never gone camping with me before. You have to come. Please. Please? I'll do something you want to do if you come along."

Let me just go ahead and tell you that this story can serve as a cautionary tale about peer pressure. "Kris... I hate you."

She smiled that big smile again. "I love you, too. Hey, we can even invite Nadia!"