Camp Firefly Sisters

Chapter 1
Camp Firefly Sisters, Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Mckenna

I sat in the back seat of her parents’ minivan, crossing my fingers and genuinely curious how all of this was about to play out.

It all started with a boy. And, if that wasn’t cliché enough, it was a boy that both me and my sister liked. Whatever. I’m a teenager; I’m allowed to be a little cliché.

Will first caught my attention when he was working on a project that he and Madeline had been partnered up for. He had come over to our house and, being a gentleman, had offered to refresh their drinks at some point. I happened to be in the kitchen making a snack at the time, and there was no denying the spark. 

Honestly, it was kind of crazy that he and I had never talked before. Last summer, I worked as a camp counselor, as did Will. We were just across the river from each other. Camp Firefly was an all girls’ camp, while Camp Falcon was an all boys’ camp; of course they got the cooler name. Every couple weeks, there would be some big activity planned for the camps to do together, often with a playful boys vs. girls rivalry involved, but otherwise each side of the river did their own thing.

He and I had been in the same room when planning those co-ed events, and worked alongside each other where the set-up was concerned. But I was fifteen then, and was a little shy when it came to boys. Which was stupid, considering how confident I was around my co-counselors at Camp Firefly. Now, I was sixteen! Basically an adult, and a lot less awkward when it came to the opposite gender. My growth spurt didn’t hurt things, either.

Of course, I wasn’t going to clue Madeline into my little crush. Mostly since I wasn’t sure it would actually lead anywhere. I only saw Will a couple more times before the end of the school year, and we didn’t get much of an opportunity to talk when his presence at my house meant that he’d be spending most of his time with my older sister. It was obvious that she was into him, too, and not just because we were siblings and I could read her decently well. The good news was, she was too hesitant to make a move, and nothing ended up happening between them before summer hit.

Then, on one seemingly insignificant evening, my family was eating dinner and the conversation shifted to summer work. Madeline had just finished her junior year of high school, while I had breezed through my sophomore year. Our parents pointed out that she should really get a job and start saving for college expenses and such, especially since her last two semesters would be full of AP classes that would make it difficult to work part-time on top of that. I certainly didn’t consider myself the golden girl between us, though it was amusing when they compared her to me and how I already had work lined up for the second summer in a row.

I don’t know what came over me, but I blurted out, “You should be a camp counselor, too!”

A more patient girl would have done a little planning before suggesting such an idea. To be clear, I did not want Madeline to be a counselor with me. Camp was an escape of sorts for me, from the monotony of school and suburban life. I had been a camper throughout most of my childhood, and being on the other side of things hadn’t killed the magic. If anything, being a counselor was better. There was some responsibility involved, sure, though it was so fun to not be bound by any of the rules I once had to follow. Plus I got to spend my whole summer at camp, rather than just the two weeks I had experienced in previous years. 

As for Madeline, there was no way she’d be hired so last minute. Camp Firefly would be all staffed up, and the group chat I had with most of the counselors from the previous summer had already informed me that nearly all of us would be returning. So, why was I suggesting it? Because maybe, just maybe, I could get Madeline in as a camper.

My older sister had stopped growing years ago. I never really noticed until puberty caused me to spike up half a foot. It was fun being the bigger sibling, though I wasn’t a brat about it most of the time. I just enjoyed whenever distant relatives assumed I was her, or how I clearly looked older when we stood side by side. So, what would happen if she put on a camper tee and was lumped in with all the other arrivals on the first day? It was an amusing thought.

There were a good dozen holes in the ‘plan,’ which wasn’t a plan in the slightest as it came to me at the dinner table. However, I couldn’t think of a single drawback. Worst case scenario, she would just get sent home and I would maybe get a slap on the wrist for the Day One prank attempt. As for our parents, I doubted they would hold onto any frustration/annoyance for over two months, as it wasn’t as if they would be able to punish me until I was home again. And there was absolutely no chance anyone would say, “Oh, since you’re already here, let’s just make you a counselor.” The rest of us already had our paperwork processed, our background checks run, and whatever else people did for summer jobs. Besides, Camp Firefly was in state, and only a few hours away. My guess was that either someone would drive her home, or our parents would have to come pick her up.

Before getting into all the hypotheticals, I had to convince Madeline to consider the prospect of camp in the first place. I wouldn’t call her nerdy, though I absolutely wouldn’t call her outdoorsy. I’ve always been the more sporty sister who doesn’t mind getting dirty, sweaty, etc. Madeline likes her AC and her board games with friends, and tends to put more focus on school than I do. 

Though impulsive, I could also be clever when I put my mind to it. I was easily able to spin how being a counselor was more comfortable than being a camper, mostly because I wasn’t lying. Our building was actually a building, rather than a cabin. We mostly supervised games and activities, while the campers were the ones running around in the hot sun. And it paid more than the average summer job. Well, that last one was a bit of a stretch. It was good money, but it was also a nonstop gig with no overtime. For a girl who loves camp, however, I was basically getting paid to be outside and lead games. 

If my other selling points weren’t enough, I rounded things out with, “Oh, and Will is a counselor at our brother camp! You’d see him whenever we do combined camp things. Wouldn’t it be so sad if he hit it off with some other counselor girl while you’re stuck at some retail job?” Madeline didn’t need to know that I was low key referring to myself. Besides, she was too busy being flustered by our parents asking about Will thanks to how I blatantly outed the name of her crush.

There was no need to oversell the idea. I just told Madeline that she needed to let me know ASAP if she was interested, as the counselor spots would be almost full by now. Being the amazing sister that I am, I did mention that I could put in a good word for her, and could even message her application directly to one of the girls that was already at camp to help with some of the organization and orientation set-up.

While I let her deliberate after dinner, I went up to my room and sent a text to my counselor girls asking if it was too late for a new camper to be registered. Even that was a stretch, considering how quickly the first day of camp was approaching, but I had to have some pull as a returning counselor. I made sure to mention that I was asking for my little sister, who had a last minute change of heart about going to camp.

Sure enough, one of my counselor BFFs said they could swing it. I just needed to get the registration form to her and we’d have to pay the late fee. Perfect. There was still no guarantee Madeline was going to come around on the whole camp thing; at the same time, there was no harm in doing some of the leg work just in case. It was summer break, anyway. I didn’t have anything else to work on.

Hmm, what age? I could see Madeline being thirteen, or maybe even twelve. Wearing one of those bright Camp Firefly t-shirts, with unkempt hair thanks to the sweat/humidity combination, and no make-up on? It was tough to say for sure. And yet, with a plan this ridiculous, it felt right to lean into it. Why not, right? Twelve years old.

Aside from altering Madeline’s birth year, I was able to tell the truth as I worked down the rest of the page. Her address was the same as mine. No allergies, no medical conditions, no inhaler, etc. My one hesitation was the Emergency Contact section. Someone could potentially notice if her info was different than what they had on file for me and, if this all ended up going as planned, there was a small chance of her non-athletic self getting injured or whatever. Fuck it. Deciding to take the risk, I put down the correct information. 

It was only two weeks. That was the rotation for each group of campers. After that, Madeline would be sent home, provided she ended up staying that long. 

Now I just had to figure out the rest. Like how I was going to be the one paying for my sister to be a camper, for starters. I didn’t have that much pull as a second year counselor. Then there was the matter of Madeline’s phone, her driver’s license, and anything else she might bring that could easily prove her real age. Oh, and the fact that our parents would be present when all of us were getting on the bus. Rather than making everyone drive separately, Camp Firefly had a shuttle option for those of us that lived in one of the major cities. Parents/guardians could simply drop their children off at a location much closer to home, and one of the camp buses would take all of us to the campgrounds. 

I would somehow have to navigate Madeline through all of that, including the fact that she would be issued a camper tee that was dramatically different from the counselor polo that I would be wearing. The only piece of good news was that everything camp-related was electronic these days; aside from my sister’s date of birth, the other thing I filled in falsely was our parents’ email address. While they’d be reachable via phone for emergencies, the throwaway account I made would be receiving all the camp info they sent out ahead of time.

An hour later, all my hard work ended up being worth it.

Madeline came to my room and expressed how she was potentially interested in the job. She had questions, naturally, all of which I was happy to answer for her. Again, I slightly stretched the truth, especially regarding how much time we’d have with the male counselors across the river. Clearly she was mostly worried about a whole summer away from the guy she had been getting to know over the last month or so. Even if they did have some degree of a connection, that wouldn’t mean anything if they no longer shared a class and he was somewhat off the grid for three months.

By the end of our little chat, I had managed to get her on board. Which meant I really did have to start figuring the rest out. 

I was also playing this game on hard mode, as I really did want to turn Madeline into a camper without the help of my fellow counselors. Partly because I was curious about whether or not I could pull it off, and partly because secrets were more likely to be spilled when more people knew. Even confiding in a single girl would be a risk, as she could then confide in someone else, and so on. 

Camper payment? Easy. I just split it three ways with my best friends who had their own summer jobs. They could be trusted, as I had known them for years, plus they weren’t connected to Camp Firefly at all. Both girls said I only had to pay them back for part of it, as long as I sent them pics and videos of Madeline’s camp experience. I probably would have done that anyway. As for the money, it was whatever either way. I was sixteen. There was plenty of time for me to save, especially since I started working earlier than my sister.

Madeline’s things? Simple enough. On the morning of our departure, I just had to wait for her to get in the shower. She always took forever in the bathroom, which gave me plenty of time to dig through her backpack and duffel bag. I tucked away her wallet in my own bag, then proceeded to replace a few clothing items she had packed. Honestly, Madeline’s wardrobe wasn’t that impressive, so I didn’t have to work that hard. All I really did was replace any interesting bras with the more plain white/nude numbers I found in the back of her drawer. That, and her lifts were swapped out for an old pair of pink sneakers I had found in the basement when brainstorming for this morning. 

Other than that, there wasn’t much to do. Campers were required to wear their year’s t-shirt most of the time, for both safety and organizational purposes. The bright colors made it easy to spot them from just about anywhere, and anything that was divided by age along the way was simply a matter of telling green shirts to group up over there and pink shirts to meet by the mess hall. I really wanted Madeline to wear pink, but Camp Firefly rotated colors every year to keep it interesting for returning girls. I had no idea what color her age group would be given.

As for Madeline’s phone, that was still a work in progress. At the moment, she was scrolling social media in the passenger seat, no doubt enjoying reception while she had it. If I really needed to, I could always snatch the device out of her hand at the right moment. That just felt like it would cause a scene, when I had otherwise set things up so smoothly without her catching on. Maybe I could discreetly lift it from her pocket when she was getting signed in or something. 

And, finally, there was our mother, who was currently driving us to the parking lot of a school that had volunteered their property for the morning. Ideally, she would just drop us off and we’d say our goodbyes by the car. If she waited around to see us off, I wasn’t sure how things would end up playing out. Still, I was banking on her just leaving. Madeline and I were both high school girls; we didn’t need a parent to hold our hands for something like this. Especially since it was a summer job. Neither of us were technically adults, but this was a somewhat mature commitment, even if I still viewed camp more as ‘play’ and less as ‘work.’

I took a calming breath as we pulled into the place. This was going to happen. I was pretty sure I hadn’t missed anything, though I was being hit with a similar feeling of wondering what I forgot to pack for a trip . . . Also, I was thinking about that. But we did have a little store at camp, so I wasn’t actually worried about a missing toothbrush or anything. The far more pressing concern was any other oversights regarding my soon to be little sister. 

Phone, and mother. That was it. Had to be. 

Hopping out of the car and being a responsible girl, I grabbed both my duffel bag and Madeline’s, as well as my backpack. Amusingly enough, we packed about the same amount of clothes. Not because she was into fashion or anything like that; my earlier exploration of her things informed me that her nerdy self was just overpacking all kinds of ‘just in case’ options. Meanwhile, last year had taught me that I really only needed to pack for about a single week. Since I was stuck in the counselor polo as often as the campers had to wear their matching t-shirts, there really wasn’t much to worry about where clothes were involved. Our building had a laundry machine, as we were there all summer.

“I can get your duffel, Maddie!” I smirked. She was still getting out of the car, and couldn’t currently see me, “Just grab your backpack.” 

My sister wasn’t a fan of nicknames; she only ever went by ‘Madeline.’ Except she was a Camp Firefly girl now, and counselors were notorious for shortening literally everyone’s names. Or lengthening names, for those that only have a single syllable. I ended up with ‘Kenna’ last year, which no one back home had ever considered. Unlike Madeline, however, I didn’t care. It’s just part of the camp experience. And ‘Kenna’ is kind of cute! Better than ‘Mac,’ in my opinion, though I wouldn’t have been opposed to that, either.

Anyway, I already knew how Madeline would feel about ‘Maddie.’

But that wasn’t my problem. If I played the rest of my cards right, she was going to be stuck as Camper Maddie for the next two weeks.