Page 15 of A Twist in Fate
I look down at my phone as I slip on some shoes and put my hair up in a ponytail, slipping it through the gap in Lucas’ hat.
7:47.
I move out the door, walking towards the dining hall to get breakfast. Today is the fourth of July and we are grouped by our houses to compete in all sorts ofcompetitions and games which means we all must wear our designated donkey shirts but for this time only, they are in white. I am not the most athletic, but I do enjoy running which means I can at least do somewhat well in the activities we are involved in. All of the kids woke up early today, clearly excited and practically ran to the dining hall as if it would make the day come faster. They were then followed by James pulling both Alec and Lucas by the arms, dragging them over.
I feel guilty feeling the way I am around Lucas. I have never felt such an attachment to another person in this way before. It is somewhat like how I am with Bailey, in the way that he is extremely easy to talk to, and he never fails to make me laugh. What's different is that when I'm with him I feel as though I am not in control of myself but something else is. It is something internal that is in control of the rate of my heart and the fluttering in my stomach. I have only had feelings like this when I’m anxious. They consume me and make me feel like I'm trapped, but with him it is impossible to feel anxious. It's something else, unfamiliar. Those feelings are confusing and unsettling when they were happening but when they leave, I could not help but crave them more.
Breakfast is eventful to say the least. As we all sit together, all the children are either yelling or running around chasing one another, clearly extremely excited by the day ahead. I sit down next to Lucas, who once again pushes a bowl towards me filled with my favourite cereal. This is the same small gesture he has done every day since the first time, days ago. The same one that makes my cheeks flush and heart leap in my chest.
“Thank you,” I say, offering him a small smile, which he returns with a much brighter, larger one. “So, do you know our schedule today?” I place the spoon in my mouth, eating quickly.
“It is all of us together to play capture the flag this afternoon. We just need to make sure all the children are in their shirts and sunscreen by two,” Abby says. At Camp Sylva, capture the flag includes throwing balloons filled with dyed water and if you throw a balloon at someone and it hits them, they are out for 10 minutes. There are three different coloured balloons per group: ours is orange, Robins are green, and Badgers are blue. “Also, Alec has got granola again even on the happiest of days, he has decided to stay boring.”
“I think I have to argue that the happiest of days is Christmas.” I never had the fourth of July celebrationsbecause it's not a holiday in the United Kingdom but even if I did, I don't think anything could beat Christmas. More importantly, the buildup to it. In London you don't usually get snow on Christmas but the lights on the streets and the crisp weather is unbeatable. It always has been my favourite time of year. One year, my parents took me on holiday during Christmas, and I loved seeing the snow. I don’t really remember it now as I was much younger, but I have seen photos. I looked so happy.
Alec says, “First, that's because you've never celebrated a fourth of July. Second, Ivy has had those frosted flakes every single day since we got here." Everyone, Abby especially, has started teasing him about how he eats granola every single day and she loves to bring it up at any available opportunity and every single time he became extremely defensive.
“That is because Lucas gets them for her. Also, they are covered in sugar so its normal,” James adds.
“Why do you do that?” Bailey turns to him. Lucas looks down at his empty plate in front of him. As always, I sit opposite him and whilst the others couldn't see it, I noticed the light pink on his cheeks. I think I just saw Lucas Miller blush and it happened because of something to do with me.
“Just an inside joke. Also, she is right, Christmas is better but only if you spend it here.” He gets up from the table. “C'mon everyone, let's go throw balloons filled with dyed water at children.”
Having three children in multicoloured shirts sprint at you a mile a minute, with water balloons flying out their hands, is much scarier than you may think. We have been playing for an hour and a half, and this may be the best time I have ever had in my entire life, even though no one has been able to catch ours or the Robins flag. My white shirt and shorts are stained with weird patches of blue, green and even a little orange. Charlie is sitting on the outside of the main area, blowing a whistle every few minutes when someone has been hit. I run for my life until I am backed up behind a cabin wall, the rough wood hitting my back.
Suddenly, I hear someone yell “now!” and right when I close my eyes, thinking I am going to be hit, I feel a small splash but not against me. The three girls in front of me are now stained orange and I turn to see Lucas on one side of me and Violet on the other, both holding balloons.I run over to Violet's side, who offers me a balloon, and I give her a high five. One of the older boys in our group got the Badgers flag not long ago so it's only the green flag being guarded by a handful of people right at the end of the pitch.
“Sunshine, if we give you the balloons, can you throw them at anyone who tries to hit us? We are going to run for the flag.” Lucas doesn’t give me time to reply as he hands me a bucket with what must hold two dozen balloons and then he crouches down so that Violet can get on his back. Bailey quickly appears, as if from nowhere, beside me, grabbing a few of the balloons.
“Are you ready to do this Vee?” She wraps an arm around my shoulder, laughing a little.
“Vee? I thought I was the only one who had a nickname for you?” Lucas says.
“Aw, are you jealous Lucas?” Bailey has a mischievous grin on her face, watching her brother's face turn ever so slightly pink while mine is very much bright red. Bailey shoots me a slightly confused look but if anything, it instantly switches up to a smirk when she notices the flush overcoming my face. Other than our first week and in the evenings, this has been the first time I have been able to spend such a long time with Bailey. Wehave spent most of the game close to one another, trying to stick together, so we have an advantage, but we got split up at some point earlier when loads of older kids ran at us with balloons.
“Okay, let’s go.” I smile and all of a sudden, they are running away. I struggle to keep up as they move through the running children with me and Bailey behind them. I am throwing balloons every single chance I get, after deciding to take as many out of the bucket as I can instead of carrying the whole thing while running. I turn backwards, away from Lucas and Violet as they both start getting closer to the flag. It feels like every single person who is wearing green turns towards us. My heart is racing in my chest as I throw my last balloon before another counsellor can throw theirs towards Bailey.
I spin around as I hear cheers to catch the last second of Violet on Lucas's back holding up a bright green flag before he lowers her to the ground. All the children run towards Violet, and she has the biggest smile on her face but Lucas’ attention is searching through the small crowd, searching for something. His eyes meet mine and as soon as they do, he runs right towards me, wearing a proud smile that I have never seen. As he meets me, he picks me up in his arms and spins me around. I am smiling right athim effortlessly, before I can even think about it. My heart is beating recklessly against my ribs and all I canfeel is the warmth of his arms wrapped around me.
CHAPTER 7
Lucas
Song 7
The moment I Knew – Taylor Swift
01/07
“Lucas, Ivy. We are going to take them to the docks to watch the fireworks. Do you mind staying here and cleaning up a bit? I'll get Alec or Abby to watch your six for now,” Charlie says, as everyone starts walking into the woods, lit up by string lights. We have eaten hot dogs and burgers for dinner as the sun started to set over the forest. Having over fifty children eating unhealthy food after hours of games, especially ones that turn your clothes brightly coloured, turns out to be extremely messy messy.Who would have guessed?
I stop walking away from the large fire in front of me and turn towards the mess covering the main field.
“Of course, Charlie,” Ivy says sweetly, turning away and bending down to start picking up someplastic cups left on the floor. I watch for a moment as she does but then soon follow her, picking up discarded napkins, cups and paper forks. Ivy has now changed into a mid-thigh length white dress that would flow around her, if she were to spin in it and it does a little, if she moves too fast. She is no longer wearing my hat, and her hair is down, the waves in her hair coiling up more in the front into curls. The time she's spent by the lake and in the heat, has made her hair much curlier than it was when I first met her and right now, as always, she looks perfect. It's long and the front pieces stand out, framing her face like they do when they fall out of her ponytail when we do activities every day. The dress has small flower details on it and short sleeves around her shoulders. The scoop neckline of it shows off the gold necklace she is wearing that holds a yellow stone right in the middle. She is so beautiful, inside and out. It is what I thought when she stepped out of her cabin a few hours ago and it's definitely what I am thinking now, and it is completely wrong.
My mind travels off to the thought of who must have given her the necklace that she's wearing. The thought of another guy giving her something sentimental like that oddly makes something unfamiliar churn in my stomach.What the hell is wrong with me?
“Um… is everything okay?” she asks, and I realise I must have been looking a little longer than I thought again. I need to stop doing that. Her cheeks have started to grow pink and her whole face is lit by the glow of the fire.
