Summer Camp Mates

The Arrival (Part 1)

Melanie’s POV

(40–45 minutes later…)

“Mel… Mel… Melanie… MELANIE!”

“WHOA—WHAT?!” I shot up, heart racing. “WHY are you yelling at me?!”

My mom giggled from the driver’s seat. “Because you won’t wake up any other way.”

I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

“Plus,” she added, pointing ahead, “we’re almost there.”

I followed her hand and saw the sign on the side of the road.

One Mile to Jacksonville.

My stomach flipped.

“Yay…” I muttered, slumping back in my seat. “Now can I go back to sleep?”

“No.”

That tone.

“Fine!” I huffed, crossing my arms. I could’ve used a few more minutes of sleep.

“Mel, it seems like that’s all you ever do,” Tara said from behind me, her voice dripping with annoyance.

I slowly turned. “I’m sorry… was I talking to you?”

“Girls! Don’t start!”

“Sorry, Mom,” we both muttered.

But I barely cared anymore.

Because just then—I saw it.

The gravel road.

The one that led to camp.

My breath caught, and my stomach twisted with excitement.

Roxy surged forward in my mind.

ROXANNE: We’re finally here…

“We’re home,” I whispered softly, unable to hide the smile tugging at my lips.

As we turned onto the dirt road, memories came rushing back—fast, overwhelming, and a little painful. The trees, the air, the smell of pine and earth… it all felt the same.

After a few minutes, I saw it.

The sign.

WELCOME TO CAMP BLACK FALLS

My chest tightened.

Two and a half years… and I was finally back.

⸻

As we drove deeper into camp, paths branched off toward cabins, training grounds, and open fields. Cars and ATVs lined the road as we slowly made our way through the crowd.

When we finally reached the parking loop, I didn’t even wait.

I jumped out of the car, breathing in the fresh air—woods, grass, summer.

God… I missed this place.

And then—

I saw him.

My vision blurred instantly.

“DADDY!!!”

I took off running, not stopping until I slammed into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I nearly knocked him over, but of course—strong werewolf—he didn’t budge.

He laughed, holding me tight. “Melanie… I’ve missed you so much! How’s my little firecracker?!”

I froze.

“…Yep,” I muttered, pulling back slowly. “You just ruined the moment.”

And right on cue—

“FIRECRACKER?!” Tara burst out laughing behind me. “What kind of nickname is that?!”

Heat flooded my body instantly.

I was so mad I almost force-shifted—and that would’ve been a disaster around humans.

Before I could lose control—

SPLASH!

Ice-cold water hit me.

I gasped, completely soaked, the shock snapping me out of it.

“You good?!” a familiar voice called.

I turned, dripping, glaring.

“Of course it’s you, Tyler Miller,” I said flatly. “You’re always the one pulling pranks. Where’s your brother, Tyson?”

Right then—

I heard a bucket move behind me.

Oh no you don’t.

Before he could dump it on me, I spun, kicked his legs out from under him—

—and the water went flying straight onto him.

EVERYONE: “HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

I crossed my arms, smirking down at Tyson as he lay there soaked.

“Don’t you know better?” I said. “Once someone’s guard is up, the next prank won’t be as successful.”

He groaned, wiping water from his face. “You know what… your time will come, Melanie… we have all summer.”

I shrugged. “If that helps you sleep at night.”

⸻

As I walked back to grab my bags, I scanned the crowd.

Megan… where are you?

Megan Miller—Tyler and Tyson’s sister. Human, but raised with wolves. She knew everything, and she was one of my closest friends.

I hadn’t seen her yet.

And I missed her.

⸻

My attention shifted when I heard my mom talking to my dad.

“Okay, Jason—some ground rules!” she said, poking his chest. “One: make sure those two get along. Two: set a curfew. And three—keep my babies safe… I mean it!”

“It’ll be okay, Teresa,” my dad said calmly. “I’ll take care of them.”

“You better. One phone call and I’ll be back—and your hide will be mounted on my wall.”

My dad gulped. “Yes, ma’am.”

I snorted.

After hugs and goodbyes, my mom finally drove off, leaving me and Tara standing there with Dad.

Reality hit.

I was really here.

⸻

“So… where are we staying?” I asked. “Because I’m still soaked and would love to change.”

“Right this way, ladies,” Dad said, leading us down a path.

The cabin wasn’t far. Once inside, we dropped our bags and looked around.

“I CALL THE ROOM ON THE RIGHT!” I shouted quickly.

“Of course you do, Your Majesty,” Tara snapped.

I rolled my eyes, ready to fire back—but Dad stepped between us.

“Listen,” he said firmly. “Your mother told me you two haven’t been getting along. I expect you to fix that. Do I make myself clear?”

We opened our mouths—

“DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!”

“YES, SIR!” we both snapped.

His Beta tone hit hard—even Tara froze.

“Whoa…” she muttered once he stepped back. “Your dad has some serious authority.”

I laughed softly. “You have no idea.”

OK GIRLS! My dad hollers to make sure we are listening.

“I’m going on a run and making sure everyone is getting settled in. Come find me when you girls get settled. I will be at the mess hall about 5:30 pm. If you can’t find your way, there is a map on the counter, but you shouldn’t need it—there are arrows all over the paths that we passed. I would have showed you both on the way here, but since someone wanted to prank Melanie with ice water, I figured getting you changed would probably be better.”

“Thanks, Dad!” I say with a big smile.

“Of course, anything for my little—” he trails off, remembering what happened earlier.

“Well, I’ll see you girls later. Bye.”

“Bye…” we both say as he shuts the cabin door.

I glance at the time. “Okay, so it’s only 3:27 pm. We have a little while before we head out. I’m going to take a shower and get my things put away—you should probably do the same, Tara,” I say, thinking about everything that needs to be done.

“Yeah, okay…” she says, looking at her to-do list again.

“Look, I—” I start, but Tara cuts me off.

“Okay, I think we need to get clear on a few things. One—we don’t know each other. I don’t want to start this summer being the sad little step-sister you can’t get away from. Two—if I make friends, and I will, and you somehow end up meeting them, don’t tell them we are related. And three—try to stay away from me, okay?”

I was stunned for a second before opening my mouth.

“Okkkkkk… so, like, I’m fine with most of that, but we have to play it off when Mom gets back—that we had the best time together and we actually got somewhat along.”

Tara thinks about what I said, then rolls her eyes. “Whatever. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

She grabs her bags and leaves the room to go unpack.

I roll my eyes, thinking how this is going to be a long summer, while grabbing my bags and heading upstairs to do the same. After a few minutes, I get ready to take a shower.

As soon as I’m done and blow-dry my long strawberry blonde hair, I check the time and decide to send my friends a quick text before getting dressed.

ELAINE & MEGAN ;p

MELANIE: Hey girls, I forgot to tell you I made it and I’m getting ready to go to the mess hall. What are you two doing!!?

ELAINE: Girl WHAT! Why didn’t you call me or something?! I would have came and welcomed you home!!

MELANIE: Sorry, I would have, but a lot was going on and I was just overwhelmed. Roxy literally was about to take control if I didn’t calm down.

MEGAN: GIRL!! I already heard all about your arrival…… XD Tyler got you GOOD!! And saved your A$$ from shifting…

ELAINE: SO THAT’S WHAT WAS HAPPENING EARLIER—HOW DID I MISS THAT!!

MELANIE: Yeah, I guess that’s the only good part about it… -_-!

MEGAN: Sorry…

ELAINE: Yeah, sorry Mel…

MELANIE: It’s okay… you both should have seen Tyson’s face when I put his A$$ on the ground… XD talk about priceless!!

MEGAN: I’ve been hearing it all evening. He’s been complaining about his back and getting mad at Tyler because he’s been teasing how he got taken down by a girl…

ELAINE: LMAO

MELANIE: LMAO… well girls, I’ll talk more tonight. Hope to see you guys at the mess hall. Going to go get ready.

MEGAN: Yeah, I’ll be there. See you soon ;*

ELAINE: Yeah, I’ll be there. Got loads to talk about. See you both soon :)

⸻

After a nice chat with my friends, I realize I’m still in a towel. I check the time on my phone.

5:11 pm.

Holy goddess—I need to get ready.

I head to my dresser to pick out an outfit for the evening. I finally choose a simple pair of ripped blue jeans and a gray V-neck T-shirt. I curl the ends of my hair and put on a little makeup, then look back at my reflection.

Not bad… hopefully I make a good impression tonight.

Finally done, I slip on my tennis shoes and head downstairs.

“You ready, Tara?” I ask, just wanting to hurry up and get out and find my friends.

“Yeah, I’m ready… let me just grab my notebook and the map, just in case.”

We make our way out of the cabin and start down the path toward the main trail, following the signs to the mess hall. After walking a bit, we spot one that reads:

Mess Hall – 0.5 miles

“Okay…” Tara says, stopping.

“This is where we part ways,” she adds, already turning to leave.

“WAIT—” I call out quickly.

“What?” she turns back, annoyed.

“Look, it’s fine if you want to go off on your own, but if you run into any issues, call me or find my dad, alright?”

“Fine—but I should be good. So I’m going later,” she says, then walks off.

I stand there for a second before continuing on my own.

Then Roxy’s voice cuts into my mind.

ROXANNE: Girl! If your sister keeps acting the way she is, I’m going to come out and whoop some A$$—I’m not playing!

I sigh. “Calm down, girl, I know… she’s just human. If I could tell her about us, I would… and maybe everything would be better,” I say, feeling a little sad.

ROXANNE: Don’t be sad, Mel. We’ll get through this—I promise.

“Thanks, girl…” I say, smiling a little.

⸻

I’m pulled out of my thoughts when I reach the mess hall doors.

And then—

“MELANIEEEEE!!”

Before I can react, two girls come running at me and crash into me.

“OMG!! MEGAN—ELAINE!!!”

We laugh, hugging tight.

“Wow… you guys have grown,” I say, taking them in. “And both slaying in the looks department—I mean, I’ve seen you over FaceTime, but you know how that works.”

Elaine is rocking her black hair just past her shoulders, partly pulled up, wearing a green crop top that shows her toned stomach. Her dark tan skin and golden-brown eyes make her absolutely stunning.

Then there’s Megan—just as beautiful, with sun-kissed skin, freckles, curly dirty blonde hair, and those forest green eyes that pop with her makeup. She’s toned too, from training to keep up with us wolves.

“Girl… you’re talking about us, but look at you—you’re drop-dead gorgeous, Mel,” Elaine says, still staring.

“Okay, okay—that’s enough,” I laugh. “Let’s go find food. I’m starving.”

(loud belly growls)

“Umm… yeah, I would say so,” Megan laughs, poking my stomach.

“Megan, stop that… -_-”

She raises her hands. “Okay, okay—I’m done.”

⸻

We grab our food and sit down, catching up on everything from the past two and a half years.

Then—

Ping.

Elaine’s phone lights up.

“Who’s that?” I ask. “Boyfriend maybe?”

“Nah…” she says with a giggle, glancing at her phone, then back at me. “Just someone you’ll meet later.”

She winks and goes back to eating.

“Okay then…” I mutter, slightly annoyed she won’t tell me.

Before I can press further, my dad steps up onto the podium.

⸻

“HELLO EVERYONE!! As you know, I’m Beta Jason Scott and head counselor of this camp…”

The whole room quiets as he continues, welcoming everyone and announcing tomorrow’s start.

“Are you all having a good evening?!”

EVERYONE — YES SIR.

“GLAD TO HEAR IT! So, as some of you may know, this is our 25th annual camp year!! Yeah—pretty exciting, right?” my dad’s voice echoed across the mess hall.

“I mainly wanted to come up here and introduce myself, see how everyone is doing, and let you all know—I want everyone back here at 10:00 AM sharp.”

He paused, scanning the room.

“NO SLEEPING IN! It’s very important—we have a lot to go over tomorrow. But for now, enjoy your food and have a good night. And I expect everyone in their cabins before midnight. There will be main leaders making rounds, so if you get caught…” he smirked slightly, “…you will face the consequences.”

A beat.

“Alright—have a good night!”

EVERYONE — (clapping and cheering!)

⸻

After my dad’s announcement, everyone started finishing up and heading back to their cabins. I stood up, ready to do the same—

“Hey!!”

Elaine grabbed my arm.

“You want to go on a run before you go back?”

My breath caught.

My eyes flashed purple instantly.

Roxy practically lunged forward inside me.

It had been too long.

“I’ll take that as a HELL YEA!” Elaine laughed, already pulling me toward the door.

We dashed out of the mess hall, adrenaline already building.

⸻

Once we were deep in the woods, far enough away from camp—

We didn’t hesitate.

Clothes dropped.

Bones shifted.

And just like that—

Freedom.

ROXANNE: Oh my god, yessss… this feels wonderful—thank you, Mel!

I let out a soft huff of laughter. “You’re welcome… it feels good being on four paws again.”

I glanced over at Elaine’s wolf.

She was beautiful—sleek black fur with a white crescent marking on her shoulder blade. Slightly smaller than me, but just as powerful.

After exchanging scents, we took off.

Fast.

The wind rushed past us, trees blurring as we weaved through the forest like we belonged there—because we did.

God… I needed this.

I usually shifted every night or morning, but living with Tara and her dad made it harder. Luckily, my mom found a place near the Red Stone Moon pack’s territory. They knew my parents, let me train, hunt, and even took me in as one of their own.

I made an oath to them.

To protect.

To be loyal.

To belong.

And for the first time in a long time—

I felt like myself again.

⸻

But after a while, reality crept back in.

The sky darkened slightly.

Time passed.

And I remembered—

I promised my mom.

“Hey!! I gotta go home,” I called out, slowing down.

Elaine paused, her wolf seeming distant for a second—like she was talking through the pack link.

Then she snapped back.

“Oh—yeah! I have to head back too. See you in the morning! BYE!”

We shifted back, quickly pulling our clothes on.

I gave her a small wave before heading off toward my cabin.

I checked my phone.

7:15 PM.

Okay… not too late.

I was only a few yards away now.

⸻

When I stepped inside the cabin, I headed straight for the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

“Well, how was the run?”

I turned, startled.

My dad stood there casually eating a bowl of cereal.

“Uh… fine, I guess,” I said. “What are you doing here? I know this ain’t your cabin.”

He smirked. “Yeah, well… I told your mom I’d stay here the first night. You know—make sure you and your sister don’t kill each other.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, first of all—she is my soon-to-be step-sister. And second—I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She’s made it pretty obvious she doesn’t want to be seen by me.”

Right as I said that—

The cabin door swung open.

“Well, hello, party animal,” I said, turning. “Have a fun first evening?”

Tara looked like she had just run a marathon—hair messy, breathing heavy, clearly irritated.

“Yeah, sure,” she snapped. “It would’ve been better if there weren’t so many freaking paths to choose from. Why haven’t you looked at your phone, huh?”

I took another drink of water, setting the glass down slowly.

“Well, I figured you were already home and in bed, Miss Goody Two-Shoes. Also… what happened to the map?”

Her expression darkened instantly.

“You know what, Mel? You’re right—I should have been in bed. And I would have been if I had a little help getting back to the cabin! And the map got wet when I spilled water on it at the mess hall!”

She turned sharply and stormed upstairs—

SLAM!

Her bedroom door echoed through the cabin.

“THAT’S RIGHT—GO TO BED, PRINCESS!” I yelled after her, just as pissed.

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing slightly.

“Goddess… since when am I a babysitter?”

Before I could keep going, my dad stepped in and pulled me into a hug, trying to calm me down. I guess during the argument, Roxy was trying to take over, because my eyes had started to glow. But the second I relaxed into my dad’s scent—pine and fresh rain—I instantly calmed.

“It will be okay, my little firecracker. She’ll calm down and be in a better mood tomorrow,” he said softly.

He kissed the top of my head, told me he loved me, and turned in for the night.

“I love you too, Daddy… goodnight.”

⸻

After straightening up the kitchen, I headed upstairs to my room and put on my night clothes. I wiped off what was left of my makeup before climbing into bed, deciding I would just take a shower in the morning.

I plugged in my phone and set my alarm for 8:50 AM. That would give me enough time to get ready before the meeting at the mess hall at 10:00.

Just as I was settling in, my phone buzzed.

MEGAN & ELAINE ;p

MEGAN: You girls make it home okay..?

MELANIE: Yep, I’m home—already in bed, ready for tomorrow!!

ELAINE: I just got out of the shower, getting ready for bed as well.

MELANIE: Oh—before getting off here with you girls… El, are you okay? You seemed pretty eager to get home. What was up with that..?

ELAINE: Uhh… just a few members of the pack coming back home from their long trip. My mom mind-linked me and told me I needed to be there to greet them, so yeah… that’s pretty much why I was in a hurry. So, uhh… night girls, see you in the morning ;*

(ELAINE HAS SIGNED OFF)

MEGAN: Well… that was weird..?!

MELANIE: Um… yeah, you don’t say?!

MEGAN: We’ll have to see what she’s hiding tomorrow. But for now, I’m going to sleep too. Night B :*

MELANIE: Yeah, okay… Night B :*

⸻

I set my phone on my nightstand and pulled the covers over me, finally letting my body relax.

The cabin was quiet.

Too quiet.

And as sleep slowly pulled me under…

I couldn’t help it.

My thoughts drifted back to him.

The memories.

The what-ifs.

The things I never got to say.

And somewhere between dreaming and remembering—

I had a feeling…

This summer wasn’t just going to change everything.

It was going to bring everything back.

******* That the end of this chapter, i feel like Im doing pretty well writing this story Im not perfect and no one is I also don’t clam to be a English major or any of the sort so please don’t judge my grammar Or my punctuation, agin this is my first store and I apologize agin for the long wait between chapters I do have a life like everyone els, so thanks for choosing my story and stay tuned because THIS STORE WILL BE CONTINUED!!!! ******