Page 3 of Something New

"Those cabins, too," John-Michael said, shaking his head.

"What are they going to do with those?" Molly asked.

"I have no idea," Jenny said. "I heard Dad talking about refurbishing them—maybe renting them out to people, for vacation properties, keeping the camp alive."

"Is it a midlife crisis?" Molly asked, causing them all to laugh.

"I've always loved Camp Eden," Jenny said. "I have such good memories from going over there. That firepit was like something from a different time. I remember Kale Ashworth calling it the lake of fire. I told Mom that, and I almost got my butt whipped."

"I was scared of that thing," Sara said. "Cameron made a joke about throwing me in there. He said that's where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went, and I wouldn't leave Mom's side after that."

"I remember you being scared of that firepit," John-Michael said. "That was because of Cameron?"

"Yes."

John-Michael sighed and rolled his eyes at their cousin. He would've dealt with Cameron back then if he had known he said that to Sara. He had always been protective of his sisters.

"I'm excited about it now, though," Sara said. "Thankfully, I love campfires now."

"Yeah, you almost fell in love with Caleb Miller when he brought his guitar and sang at beach camp that year."

"I did fall in love," Sara said. "I can still picture him singing and playing that acoustic guitar. I could see the light from the fire moving on his tan face." Her serene expression fell. "Then Kandis Christiansen sat next to him, and they made out."

Everyone laughed, and Sara smiled, feeling pleased that she cracked them up. She was the quiet one, the brunette, the reader.

The Kennedy sisters were like Charlie's angels—the blonde, Jenny, the brunette, Sara, and Molly, the youngest, was a redhead. She had gotten that hair from their dad's mom, which was how she got her name. They had planned on naming her Samantha, but she was born with red hair, and so Molly it was, after her grandma.

John-Michael was the firstborn. His father had been convinced that they would have a big crew of boys, but the next three were girls, and their mother called it a day after that. John-Michael was a brunette, like Sara. He had dark hair and even darker eyes.

The Kennedy siblings had good genes. All of them were nice-looking, and they all possessed a certain level of charisma. John-Michael was the most charismatic of them all, especially before his wife passed away. All his life, he was popular with his peers and never had a problem with the ladies.

But he wasn't interested in a relationship anymore. He had a full life with Ethan, his work, and his family. Everything was fine the way it was. Almost. He did need a good babysitter.

Chapter 2

Sadie Kirkpatrick

I was so exhausted and out of it that I experienced a zapping sensation as I was ripped out of my peaceful sleep.

My body was…

I clearly needed more rest.

It was too light out. Light hovered on the other side of my sunglasses, intrusive, unwanted. I could sense that it was too bright before opening my eyes.

I was sleeping outside on the ground. I could sense that too.

But I needed sleep.

I knew where I was, and it was a safe place. My brothers had left me here, and everything was safe and sound…

There was a…

I felt something touch my face.

It happened again, and I flinched and blinked, squinting and barely opening my eyes. I was wearing my signature oversized sunglasses, and I saw a tiny finger tapping on the lens. It belonged to a tiny person. I pulled back jerkily, shifting, and he looked away, moving back, seeming like he regretted waking me up.

I had no idea who this kid was. He could have been an elf for all I knew. He was the size of an elf. I tried to peer around to see if he was with an adult or if I needed to move out of someone's way, but I couldn't see anyone.

---