Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 09:49:09 -0500 From: Anon Ymous Subject: Camp LakeHeart Chapter 1: Prologue Thank you Nifty.org for hosting a platform for stories like this one. Without donations this site won't be able to provide us the freedom to express our creativity and enjoy others' art as well. Please, take the time to donate so this platform is not lost. I don't know how I feel about story intros, so I think I'll leave it to you guys to just jump right in and find out for yourselves. I will say this though. I've written many stories before and this one will be of the same "theme" so to speak. This is a story about love, childhood, and friendships. I try to produce content that is as professional as possible while still being suited for this website. If you're looking for something to satisfy you in one sitting, this probably won't be it. The first part is a prologue short enough to give you a taste of what is to come. Future parts will be longer. Please send suggestions and comments to anonwrites2021@gmail.com. Since there are many characters, I am open to suggestions about spin-offs, side stories and character specific releases; also suggestions for new characters, scenes and activities. I do accept criticism as well, so feel free to write me. Thanks -Anon *** Camp LakeHeart *** The crunch of gravel underneath tires always reminds me of the country. Growing up in the city, and moving to the suburbs later on, I've grown accustomed to smooth asphalt roads. Gravel roads remind me of my summers spent at my grandparents' farm. Grandpa Jack poured gravel for a driveway when grandma complained of all the dirt being tracked inside. Those memories came rushing back as I heard the familiar crunch, this time followed by a loud "Pssssh" as the recommissioned school bus came to a halt. This wasn't the country I was used to. No barns or wooden post fences lining acres of fields filled with cattle. All I could see here was trees, save for the large wooden sign out front. "Camp LakeHeart" Based on the name I'll guess there's a lake here, probably in the shape of a heart. The map posted to the sign board proved my theory of the on-the-nose name to be correct. Right in the center of camp looked to be a massive lake, roughly similar to the shape of a cartoon heart. The camp itself looked equally impressive. Considering the several busloads of children being offloaded, it appears this place is quite popular. Myself and the other 10-16 year olds shuffled along the gravel with duffel bags in hands and backpacks bearing down on our young shoulders. With only the "you are here" pin on the map to lead our way, the newcomers such as myself got our first lessons in independence and trust. We needed to find our way to the pre-selection meeting without the assistance of any adults or counselors. Additionally, we all decided to trust the person in front of us, because each group just followed the same path as the boy before him, forming a quarter-mile long line of confusion and hope. Each step on the hard gravel made me progressively more frustrated. I wanted to be at this camp, don't get me wrong. But since the moment I arrived at the local middle school bus depot for the trek here, I've been dreading this entire experience. First, they separated my best friend and I because the bus selection was alphabetical order. Then the bus AC stopped working halfway through our three hour drive here. It's the middle of fucking July! Now, I'm carrying at least 40 lbs of stuff down this patchwork road just hoping I'm going in the right direction and my hands are full so I can't wipe this annoying bead of sweat trailing from my forehead and creeping to my right eye. I felt a shove to my right side. The shift in weight made me drop my duffel bag and the bead of sweat to crept into my left eye. The saltiness of the fluid burning it something fierce. "Damn it..." I murmured, careful not to get in trouble on the first day for my poor language. "Sorry about that, didn't realize you were so weak" Through my one good eye I watched as my best friend Taze picked up my bag and hiked it over his shoulder. Obviously, a peace offer after knocking it from my hand. His real name is actually Tazah. You might think it's foreign and exotic but in reality, he and his parents who named him are white Americans originally from Alabama. The name has no significance or meaning, they just thought it sounded cool. So Tazah, Tazer, Taze and even Taz are common alternatives, I just prefer to call him Taze. "You don't look like you're having fun yet" he said, shifting his gaze from my face to his feet as we walked. "We just got here dummy. But no I'm not, the bus ride here sucked." We continued to walk in silence except for the crunching beneath our feet. Like I said, I do want to be here. But I was largely persuaded into coming by Taze, who's been here before. I was perfectly content with finishing my last 4 weeks of summer off with video games and porn in my bedroom. The outdoors wasn't the top of my list, but Taze has been pestering me since he came back last year about how much I would love it. It sucks because I feel inclined to put on a happy face just so he won't feel bad. I think I will enjoy it though, just not as much as I would staying at home. During the bus ride over here I had two things on my mind, what my excuse was going to be for not coming again next year, and the person sitting beside me. The worst thing about the AC cutting off was also the best part of my ride. No one sat in the same seat as me, but across the aisle I spotted a caramel skinned beauty sitting cross legged and daydreaming out his own window. Him being so preoccupied with the passing trees gave me all the time in the world to ogle at him. He was slightly younger than me, it appeared, with loose fitting basketball shorts that rode up his leg due to the way he was sitting. I traced up his thigh, caressing it's smoothness with my eyes until I reached the edge of the fabric, barring me from going further like a rabid dog pulling at its leash. Soft reflections of moisture gleamed from his skin; his thick dark hair pushed aside by the base of his shirt that he lifted to wipe his brow. This gave me a peak at his stomach, and the golden skin that seemed to have painted his entire body. This only added to my frustration. As I stepped off the bus, I started my new journey being sweaty, angry, and horny. I guess if I stayed home to play video games and watch porn I would have been in the same position. The trek ended with a circle of boys, all groaning from the heat and weight of our luggage, standing in front of a large cinder block structure with wooden log accents meant to make it look the part of a camp cafeteria. At the doors were some foldout tables manned by a few adults and several teenage counselors. I followed suit with Taze, who went to the front and grabbed a packet from one of the counselors. Inside the plastic wrap were several items and pieces of paper. We were instructed to not open them until we arrived in our cabins. We were then filed into the cafeteria and told to wait for our cabin selection. The cabins would be organized by age. They grouped 10--11-year-olds, 12--13-year-olds and finally 14-15 year olds in their own cabins. 16-year-olds and some who were 15 would be assigned a random cabin from the list as a cabin leader or assistant leader respectively. I had hoped for the 14-year-old cabin but unfortunately me and Taze just missed the cut with our birthdays falling a few months from now. At least we'll be the elders of our cabin, teenagers to our preteen cabin mates. Taze never told me why he wanted me to come to this camp so badly. He just kept saying "you will love it" each time I've asked, and he's maintained that answer for an entire year. I found it odd the way he would emphasize "You" when he answered. As if there was something here specific to me that I would enjoy. He would never elaborate, he just kept that "you'll see" attitude. One thing I noticed was the lack of females present in the cafeteria. Some of the staff were, but no female campers. Taze informed me they had a smaller camp for females over winter break and spring break, because they had smaller turnouts with the girls. This didn't bother me though. "Alllriigght campers listen up! It's time to get started with our little orientation here." One counselor said while trying to remember the microphone needed to be both turned on and close to his mouth in order for us to hear him. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the cheesy and predictable introduction. He drabbled on for about 20 minutes with that same nervous and forced enthusiasm he started with. By the end of the speech, I only learned that the packet we were given would tell us our cabins, cabin roster and schedule. Everything else seemed useless to me. Glancing over the schedule I took note of some of the more exciting activities planned. Swimming, kayaking, and crafts seemed pretty typical, but they also had "water obstacle course, archery and movie night" listed. Those seemed interesting. The more I read over the more excited I got. Hatchet throwing, beach volleyball and even lazer tag. Some of the events looked optional too, with many of them running concurrently. I also noticed a points-based system. Some of the courses were labeled "L" for "learning" or "F" for fun. If you completed learning courses, you would earn points that you could spend on fun events. That's interesting, I guess. Taze nudged my side, drawing a scowl from me until I realized what he was bringing my attention to. He pointed to the face sheet, the only one we were supposed to be looking at before reaching our cabins and for good reason, since it told us which cabin we were to go to. Cub Cabin Campers: Tazah Craig Aiden Supp Tristan Fretter Allen Jayson Gregory Reinhart Elijah Sera James Johnson Dalton Yakob Assistant Cabin Leader: Dean Reinhart Cabin Leader: Quincey Vera There in black and white I could see Taze at the top, and then me, Elijah, towards the bottom of the list in the same cabin. I was elated but honestly before reading the list I didn't even think about the possibility of us not being in the same cabin. I dodged a bullet I didn't even see coming, I guess. Riding that wave of excitement, we drowned out the rest of the orientation until finally we were released to our cabins. Taze let me know that the cabin we were staying in is the same one he had last year so he led me there with no issue. Since I was lucky enough to have a tour guide, we arrived before most of the other boys and grabbed a bunk in the far corner of the room. When you entered the room, you had single full-sized beds flanking each side of the front door. One for the assistant and one for the cabin leader. Then there were two bunk beds on each side of the cabin following the same line as the full beds with a dresser beside them. The cabin looked much larger on the outside than in. After further inspection I realized the rear door wasn't actually the rear door. It led to a connected bathroom and shower area. The main room was elevated off the ground, so you had to climb five steps to get in. When entering the bathroom, you had to climb 5 steps down. I don't know why but it felt like a really cool design the way it was layered. Stepping down into the bathroom made it feel cozy, private, and isolated. To the contrary, it was a multi-person bathroom with 2 urinals, 2 private toilets and 4 shower head stalls. I couldn't help but think it was odd to only have 4 shower heads in a cabin of ten boys. Especially when it was designed to hold at least 20. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it" came an unfamiliar voice behind me. I turned to see a boy, much older than I with a "cabin leader" pin on his chest. I didn't know what "it" was until he pushed open the shower stall and revealed each stall had two heads. "Wait... what? Why?" I asked. "Originally, they had no stalls, just heads. But to add some privacy they added the stalls years ago. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough room in between heads to make individual stalls so here we go. In the morning when everyone wants to shower at once, I recommend finding someone you're comfortable with to share. That is... if you're uncomfortable with being naked in the first place." He slapped me on the back half-heartedly and chuckled before turning to walk away. As he was leaving, he gave one last remark. "Sorry I'm already taken. Unless you can persuade me." I looked to Taze for help trying to figure out what the hell just happened, but he just grinned stupidly at me and filed back into the main cabin. After a moment's hesitation, I followed suit so I could unpack. The rest of our cabin mates started to creep in, triple checking their sheets and the cabin door to make sure they didn't mess up already. Most of them kept their eyes to the floor, only looking around when they were sure no one else would catch their glance. Other than Taze and the recently acquainted cabin leader, everyone seemed nervous. I'm guessing I'm not the only new camper here. When the last bed was taken, our cabin leader made an announcement. "Welcome to camp LakeHeart boys. You can all call me Quinn. My assistant Dean and I will be helping you guys have the best time possible while you're here at camp. Today there won't be many options on activities. Take about 30 minutes to get unpacked, get acquainted and use the bathroom. Then fill out the diet form inside your packet. It will help the cooks prepare something for everyone going forward. Lunch is in 1 hour at the same building we just came from. After lunch, there will be another orientation inside the cafeteria where we will explain activities and free time to all of you. After that we will have free time, dinner, a bonfire and then cabin planned activities. They will go over this more in the orientation, but basically cabin planned activities are things me and Dean will put together specifically for you guys. Any questions?" He shifted gaze from one to the next, waiting for any brave soul to step up. "Am I just that good at explaining things or do we need to plan a public speaking course for one of our activities" To my surprise, Taze broke the silence. "Hey Quinn. Can I suggest we do a camp-out and maybe- "Don't worry Taze, we've got a plan. I promise you'll all have a good time" Wait? Did he just call him Taze? I wonder if he heard me call him that. Taze saw the confusion painting my face and whispered "he was my cabin leader last year. Trust me, we're gonna have so much fun" With no further questions, we commenced our previous chore of basically killing time. Quinn seemed cool, but I was more interested in Dean, who had yet to say a word to anyone except for the occasional whisper to his fellow leader. Quinn reminded me of the typical, all-american High school junior jock. Dean on the other hand didn't look any older than Taze and I. He was shorter, slimmer, and meeker than I would expect of someone 15 or 16 years old. What caught my eye, however, was the snow-white head of hair he carefully combed to the side. I kept stealing glances when I got the chance. It wasn't just the hair on his head, his eyebrows too, almost invisible against his pale skin, was also pure white. I've never met anyone who was albino before, but I'm almost certain he must be. Lunch was as basic as they come. Cold cut sandwiches, bags of chips, and various sides of vegetables and sliced fruit. We were promised better hot food from here on out once they receive everyone's diet sheet. "What's a camp-out?" I said between bites of ham and swiss. "Oh, it's so much fun. Basically, we go out in the woods and do an overnight camp with just our cabin. Everyone at camp will have to do one together sometime towards the end, but they will let cabins go by themselves if the leader organizes it." "Oh. So how is that different from just staying in the cabin with our cabin mates like usual?" "You'll see. I can't really give away the surprise" I don't know what's so special about just staying in a tent for a night, but I guess I'll just have to trust him. A few of his friends from last year found our table and started talking about all the things they were excited to do again this year. I tried to stay involved in the conversation, but I was clearly left out. I noticed there was something weird about his friends though. The way they kept looking at him, carefully studying him as if they were meeting for the first time. They were grazing over his body, pausing to stare into his eyes, looking over his arms, and imagining tugging at the zipper in his lap. These two were absolutely undressing Taze with their eyes. A pang of jealousy shot through my stomach. Who the fuck were these guys to act so blatant about it right in front of me? I mean, it's not like I'm dating him, but still. And if they were acting like this already, maybe this was normal for them. Did something happen last year that Taze didn't tell me about? He's my best friend. He knows what I'm into and we were already on the same page that he wasn't into the same thing. These friends of his were obviously just horny and wasting their time trying to get his attention. When free time was called, I used the opportunity to call an emergency meeting. I turned down the path toward our cabin, stepped off-path, grabbed his arm and dragged him behind a tall oak that covered the both of us. "Bro, who the hell were those two?" I half yelled and half whispered. "Who? The Ruby twins?" Taken aback that the boys were also twins almost threw me off enough to not ask my follow up question. "Twins? Really? Ew. Yeah, I guess. How well do you know them?" "I mean we shared a cabin last year, so I guess I know them a little bit. What's this all about? You're wasting our free time!" He retorted, trying to divert his eyes and pull back onto the path. "Bro. They were trying to fuck you!" Unaware of the volume of my voice, I let that last remark slip out with a little bit too much excitement. Taze, very much aware of my volume, pushed me back into the hard oak tree, concealing me further from the path and placed his hand over my mouth. He looked around, to make sure no one drew attention our way. My heart stopped for a minute and all my breath caught right on the edge of my throat, not daring to escape my mouth. I placed one hand on the base of the tree to steady my weakened knees. I admired his jawline, tanned, chiseled, and distinguished for his age. Also, his hand, strong at first, but then just gently resting over my lips. Then he turned to face me again, his blue eyes piercing through me with worry and anger. I was putty beneath him, accepting my fault and looking up at him with submissive puppy eyes. His gaze softened and he returned his hand to his side but not before wiping my drool on the base of his shirt. "Yeah, not any more than you apparently" No argument to be made, I ignored the soft dig at me. "So, you realized it too. I wasn't sure if you could see how obvious it was" "Yeah Eli, I got it. Look, I told you that you'd have fun here. Some of the guys are really... loose I guess" he stuffed his hands in his pockets and avoided eye contact by pretending to keep a lookout. "Loose? Wait, what are you saying? It's more than just the twins? And how exactly would you know... unless... WAIT DID YOU- "Do not make me cover your mouth again." His stare hard as a rock. "Don't tempt me with a good time" I chuckled. He rolled his eyes dramatically but gave in to a small smirk. "So, who did you show the hammer to?" The "hammer" was a nickname I gave to his junk right after we started puberty. Not even 14 yet, and his thing is massive compared to mine. He hated the nickname but played along usually. I can't lie I was starting to feel really jealous at the thought of him messing around with some boys at camp last year. Not because I don't want him doing that, but because he didn't tell me. As far as I knew, he was straight. Incredibly, undeniably straight. He told me that when I came out to him, trying to shut down any hopes I had of going beyond our "normal" friendship. I never had that intention though. Taze is my best friend. It felt too much like having a crush on a brother. But why wouldn't he tell me then? "No more questions. Let's go back to the cabin and we can talk about this later" "If you're going to be this assertive for the rest of camp, I guess I'll just have to start calling you daddy" "I'll hit you" "Don't tempt me with a- Suddenly, my top half started to topple, greeting the fragrance of the flowers sitting atop the shrub I was previously parallel to. Now horizontal and inhaling the sweet aroma of dirt, I looked up just in time to see the cloud of dust my assailant was leaving behind. He needed that head start; he knows I'm faster than him. Back at the cabin I found myself sweaty and covered in dirt. What I couldn't find was Taze. He knew the camp better than I did and he was using that to his advantage. Looking around I saw two boys in bunks playing with their phones and another reading. They all looked up to stare as I burst through the cabin door, gasping for breath as if I had been chased here by something in the woods. I felt too embarrassed to explain myself to the strangers, so I tried to save face by slinking past them, grabbing my towel left atop my bed and slipping into the bathroom to hide- erm I mean shower. Inside, I could hear a shower head running from within a stall. Maybe it was Taze? Curious, I tip-toed to the stall beside it, taking my time as I passed so I could peek through the gap between the door and frame. It wasn't Taze. You've got to be kidding me. That is the most undeniably amazing ass I've ever seen on a boy. Through the gap I could see the water running down his smooth fair skin like streams spilling over the surface of a glacier. His long blonde hair, damp and most likely darker than normal was foamy with suds from his shampoo. I got a quick look at all the boys in our cabin earlier, but I definitely didn't notice this one yet. Lucky for me he was preoccupied with his hair so I could take my time getting a good look. God he was insanely hot, at least from the back. He was shorter than me, most likely younger too. He has a very slim build, I couldn't see any muscles to his arms or back, but there was no fat either. Out of the corner of my eye, a hand reached past me and gently tapped on the stall door I had been watching. I jumped back, my heart sinking into my stomach. Quinn stood beside me, as if he appeared from thin air. From behind the stall, I heard a meek and mild voice call back. "Yeah?" Quinn just maintained a slight grin as he looked me up and down, taking in the sight of my distress. *** As I stated before, this is just the prologue. The next part will be posted soon if people receive this well, so please take a few moments to email me at anonwrites2021@gmail.com so I know if I should continue this story.