Page 2 of A Twist in Fate
It is so much hotter in Pennsylvania than I expected. It is four o’clock and the sun hits us like a tidal wave. I quickly take off my jumper, placing it in my bag and start asking Bailey the same twenty questions I have every day since booking my flight four months ago.
“Ivy, you have got to relax. Everything is going to be great. Don’t worry. We get to spend an entire eight weeks at one of the greatest places on earth, Camp Sylva. Everyone’s already there and they cannot wait to see you,” she says, dramatically in her thick American accent.
Bailey has been going to Camp Sylva since she was six years old, and she stopped when she was fifteen. She has told me so many times that all she ever wanted to do was go back. She says it was one of the best times of her life. She has had it planned for years that when she was old enough to, she would return and become a camp counsellor. Bailey is seventeen now which means she is finally old enough to do it. She is two years younger thanme, but I am still eighteen. I turn nineteen in a couple weeks, and I do not think I would want to spend my birthday anywhere else and with anyone else.
I turn to her, suddenly curious. “What are the other counsellors like?” I ask as I hop into the car. I knew she would have met some of them by now because she had said everyone had already arrived today. Camp Sylva is not very well known so most of the children and counsellors are from neighbouring towns. That means most of them attended when they were younger.
“When we got there this morning, it was only the three of us and-” She goes to continue but I cut her off as she starts the car.
“The three of you?” I ask. I assume she drove from home, which she had said was nearby, alone.
“Yeah, did I not mention it? My brother, Lucas, and his friend from school, James, are being camp counsellors with us. Mom thought it would be a good idea to spend some family time together or something.” She in fact has not mentioned this at all. She has never even mentioned she has a brother. I didn’t ask her if she has siblings, but she didn’t say anything either. I must have assumed we were both only children. It makes me wonder how much I truly know her after all.
My parents had struggled to have children so once I was born, they had focused all their time and attention on me. They really wanted to raise me right. I was a miracle to them, and they did love to treat me like one. According to them, I am meant to have the best life, and I knew they wanted that for me. It seems so difficult to achieve.
“Sounds fun.” I smile at her. The road we are driving on is quiet and surrounded by tall maple trees. The sun is starting to lower but it still shines bright across the blue sky, leading to Lake Sylva. The town the camp is within is named after the lake that surrounds it. It is also where Bailey grew up and she has promised to show me all of it.
My eyes are pulled away from the window when I feel my phone chime in my pocket.
Dad: I hope your flight was okay. Love you vee x
I send off a quick reply and place my phone back. My dad is one my biggest supporters. He has always believed in me and even though I love him for it, he has the ridiculous idea that I have no faults. I am not perfect. No one is but sometimes I think his belief in that is one of the reasons I put so much pressure on myself.
I definitely have faults. I can probably list them if I wanted. My mum has understood more recently that if they think of me that way, it will only fuel my anxiety. I love how understanding she is, but we have never been as close as me and Dad.
I focus back to my window, to the trees and the long road ahead of us. I love the peace that surrounds me. One moment me and Bailey are sitting together in a comfortable silence as I take in my new surroundings, but the next we are screaming to ‘Close to you’ by Gracie Abrams with the window down. The wind pushes the hair away from my face and I have never felt so free. She sent me playlists at least once a month before this and without a doubt, each one had a Gracie Abrams song.
Turns out the airport was not as far from Lake Sylva than I had expected. The drive takes us about thirty minutes which I assume is because of the lack of traffic. As we pull up to the camp, I see a large sign upon a wooden fence reading ‘Camp Sylva’. Me and Bailey hop out of the car, grab my stuff from the backseat, and walk through the gate.
This is hopefully going to be the best time of my life and right now I do not regret leaving London one bit.
CHAPTER 2
Lucas
Song 2
Everything has changed - Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran
06/23
I have spent every summer here since I was younger while mom worked and even though the last time I was here was five years ago, it hasn’t changed since. Walking away from the entrance, I can see the dusty dirt pathways, the large dining hall and the signs leading to the cabins with the forest in the distance. I only realise now how much I miss it.
Camp Sylva has been my second home since I was seven years old. Mom and Charlie, the owner, are very close and he has always been there for our family. While he can be tough on the kids sometimes, every summer he has had a soft spot for us Miller children.
My sister, Bailey and her friend from England should be here any minute now. Bailey was soexcited when she left you would think this girl was made of pure gold. Since I left Lake Sylva for school in New York this year, I have not seen her in months and now I am finally back home.
The sun is warm against my face as James rambles on about all of the school assignments he needs to catch up on. We both know that he won’t do them over the summer. Me and James have been close ever since we started the same college two years ago. He is probably my best friend, but we are not the type of people to say that to each other. He has never really minded school but since he got in through a sports he barely participates on assignments and projects that secure his spot on the soccer team.
I am studying to work in film and media, more specifically in the production area and I am really enjoying it so far, but I definitely need a break. Homework does pile up easily.
James is a tad shorter than me which is a fact I will never let him forget and despite our similarities we couldn’t look more different. His dark hair and skin completely contrast my blonde hair and blue eyes.
We circle back to the rest of the volunteer counsellors. There’s about fifteen of us waiting for Charlie to assign rooms, houses and age groups. At CampSylva there are three houses: robins, badgers and the most ridiculous of all, donkeys. They are each split into cabins by age group. A counsellor is assigned to each group and house. When it comes to big activity days like the fourth of July, we group into houses so there is a mix of different aged children within the three teams.
As there are usually six children per cabin, that means that the counsellors are put into pairs to take care of, do activities with and go on trips with those six children. I have been hoping that I would be paired with Bailey or James but it’s usually one male and one female counsellor, and there are so many people here I could be with anyone. I hate the thought of spending eight weeks with a complete stranger.
“I really hope we are paired together,” I say. By the look of his face, I must have interrupted something he was rambling about. “Sorry, continue.”
