Chapter Text
May 28th
Dear campers and families,
We at Camp Pyrrhia are so excited that you are joining us for our 50th summer!
As the head counselor for both the Rain and Night cabins, I will be your first point of contact for all things relating to your camper. My name is Glory, and I am proud to say that this is my 15th summer at camp! I have been entrusted with the overseeing of both cabins this year, and I intend to make sure all 19 of my campers are well cared for while having the most fun as possible.
The care and safety of your campers is something we do not take lightly, and it is surely not a task I can undertake alone. Below you will find the counselors for the girls’ and boys’ bunks of the Rain and Night Cabins, as well as a refresher on the campers in each cabin.
Night Cabin– Boys
Counselor: Deathbringer
- Mightyclaws (11)
- Peacemaker (7)
- Strongwings (13)
- Obsidian (9)
- Thoughtful (14)
Night Cabin– Girls
Counselor: Fatespeaker
- Fierceteeth (13)
- Moonwatcher (16)
- Mindreader (14)
- Listener (12)
- Fearless (9)
Rain Cabin– Boys
Counselor: Jambu
- Coconut (11)
- Siamang (16)
- Tapir (10)
- Gibbon (13)
Rain Cabin– Girls
Counselor: Liana
- Kinkajou (14)
- Tamarin (12)
- Firefly (7)
- Heliconia (10)
- Orchid (8)
For our returning families, you may have noticed a new name in our Night Cabin! Not to worry, Starflight is still joining us this summer. He has been promoted to Camp Pyrrhia’s Financial Manager and Recordskeeper, so your camper will still be able to visit his office to say hello to him throughout their time here (as long as they promise not to touch any of his papers). In the boy’s bunk of the Night cabin, we now have Deathbringer! Brand new to Camp Pyrrhia, Deathbringer hails from the West Coast and is looking forward to receiving a warm Pyrrhian welcome.
Along with our new counselor, we would like to welcome our newest campers to the family! I take a lot of pride in the bond between the campers of my cabins, and I assure you that they will be welcomed with open arms. Since we do not divide our bunks by age, our older campers have grown to watch over our younger ones like brothers and sisters. I have no doubt that your camper will fit right in!
Some important contacts to hang onto:
For any concerns regarding food preferences, intolerances, or allergies, please reach out to our Dining Hall Supervisor, Clay.
If you haven’t already, please submit your child’s medical information to our Infirmary Supervisor, Bullfrog.
For questions about camp tuition and fees or anything else involving lots of numbers, words, and papers, please contact Starflight.
For inquiries about anything regarding camp security (including, but not limited to: visitation requests, unauthorized contacts, or scheduled camp departures), please reach out to our Camper Safety Supervisor, Sundew.
Some final reminders:
- Bring camouflage clothing for tree wars! Our secret weapon has yet to fail us, and I don’t intend on ending our winning streak this year…
- Campers are permitted and encouraged to bring any equipment for their intended electives they may have (i.e: paint/brushes for arts and crafts, racquets for tennis, life vests for watersports). Don’t stress if you don’t have anything! We have plenty of equipment available to campers.
- Bring your fanciest, most stylish outfit for our 50th annual Jade Banquet at the end of the summer! This is going to be our best one yet.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We can’t wait to see you all next week, and we’re so excited to celebrate 50 years all summer long!
Glory
Glory exhaled loudly. Ten years ago, she would have been over the moon to be at Camp Pyrrhia a week early, breathing the fresh air of the forests and enjoying the views over the lake. This place was, in all aspects of the word, her home. Her and her older brother Jambu had started camp when Glory was seven, climbing the ranks from camper, to counselor in training at 16, to bunk counselor at 18, to head counselor only a year later. Jambu showed no interest in leaving the bunks for a leadership role, which was probably for the best, considering he was the biggest kid Glory knew. As excited as she should have been about her third year as a head counselor, Glory’s nerves were taking over her mind.
For some unearthly reason, she’d been granted the responsibility of a second cabin to watch over this summer. The Night Cabin head counselor, Battlewinner, had resigned without reason not two weeks before the start of camp. The head of camp, Clearsight, had immediately nominated Glory to take on the responsibility of the Night Cabin. So, here she was, organizing the paperwork and reading through the special bunk requests for 19 campers instead of nine. She knew better than to be at her computer for the hour after sending the “Welcome to Camp” head counselor email, though.
Glory stood up, massaging her temples at the thought of her inbox when she returned to her room, and made for the dining hall. Pre-camp setup always meant the best food from Chef Clay, who would experiment with new recipes for both whole-camp meals and his culinary elective. His face lit up when he saw her walk in, his curly brown hair covered by the most ridiculous chef hat Glory had ever seen.
“I feel like that thing gets taller every year,” Glory mused.
“Hey! How else is everyone supposed to know they’re getting served top-of-the-line gourmet camp cuisine? The higher the hat, the closer to Gordon Ramsay.”
“I’d really like to see you come anywhere near calling someone an ‘idiot sandwich.’”
Clay was the sweetest person Glory knew, and her first friend at Camp Pyrrhia. The youngest in her bunk, she was scared to talk to any of the other Rain Cabin girls that first night in the dining hall. She had bumped into Clay in the food line— or, rather, he had knocked her upside the head with his arm reaching for a cheeseburger. After a profuse apology (“didn’t see you down there!”), he’d noticed the sparse collection of greens and fruits on Glory’s plate.
“Aren’t you hungry?” He’d asked, looking abhorred at the contrast between his two very full plates and Glory’s half-empty one.
“Yes,” Glory had admitted, “but there’s not really any vegan options here. So I guess I’ll just have to make fruit work. Like, a lot of it.”
Unsatisfied with that answer, Clay had marched over to the head cook behind the food counter, explained Glory’s situation, and demanded he whip something of sustenance up for her. Bewildered but grateful, Glory had accepted the food he’d brought back a few moments later.
“It’s not great, but it’s better than nothing. They should be way more prepared for this! I can’t imagine not being able to eat anything in the dining hall,” Clay had breathed, giving a wistful look over to the trays of meats and pastas with creamy sauces.
Since that day, Clay had dedicated his culinary elective time to working with the cooks on protein-rich vegan food for Glory to eat at mealtime. In her first CIT year, Clay had aged out of camp, the head cook had retired, and the rest was history.
“I’ve been waiting for you to show up! I want you to try something.” He produced a plate with what was clearly a hot dog.
“Clay, I hate that you have to find out this way, but there was an animal involved in the making of that.”
“Right, because I would forget the first thing I ever learned about you,” Clay retorted, learning how to match her sarcasm by now. “I promise it’s not meat. Try it?”
Trusting him, Glory took a bite into the hot dog. The bite was juicy and flavorful, and Glory wondered for a moment if Clay had lied to her just to show her what she’d been missing out on her whole life. “Is this…?”
“Plant protein! It’s so good, right? And it looks just like an actual hot dog! Now you and the other vegan campers can eat just like everyone else at the Founder’s Day cookout!”
Grinning ear to ear, Glory got up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.
“You’re wonderful,” she said, “and this is amazing. You know I’ve learned how to feed myself by now, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s CAMP! And I only get to cook for you three months out of the year, so I’m gonna make them count.”
Glory rolled her eyes and finished her hot dog gratefully. Her and Clay delved into their hopes and worries about the upcoming summer until Glory stood up and sighed.
“Head counselor meeting. Duty calls! Thank you for dinner, Clay, I’ll see you tomorrow at setup!”
Feeling significantly lighter than she had at her desk just moments before, Glory made her way out of the dining hall. She needed that. Clay always knew how to make her worries feel small, which was something she desperately needed before her head counselor meeting.
It’s not that the other head counselors were unkind in any way. It’s more so that they had been on the job for years now, and were all older than Glory, albeit only by a few years. But, man, did these meetings make her feel seven years old again, shaking with nerves and holding a duffel bag twice her size. I earned this place. I deserve to be here. It’s just camp.
Glory took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders back, steeled her face, and pushed open the door to the head counselor’s cabin.
“...I just don’t see why it’s that big of a deal,” she heard a voice lamenting. “why not let us all take the brunt of a few extra kids rather than dumping them all on one counselor?”
As her eyes adjusted to the dim lantern light in the cabin, she recognized the strong frame and bronze skin of Moorhen, head counselor for the Mud Cabin. She was in her mid thirties, the oldest head counselor at camp. Moorhen had always been kind enough to Glory, but she still felt awkward treating her as a peer rather than a superior.
“Because, Moorhen,” Clearsight sighed, “splitting up the cabin means we have two bunk counselors out of work with very little notice, as well as a very tightly knit community broken into pieces. You don’t mess with cabin dynamics. Besides, I believe in Glory. She’s one of the most capable people I know.”
“Well, that’s always nice to hear,” Glory finally spoke up, sitting down at the round table in the middle of the cabin. “Let’s hope your prophecy comes true this summer, Clearsight.”
Clearsight was tall, with bright eyes that twinkled against her ebony skin. Glory remembered seeing her for the first time at the welcoming ceremony her first summer, and thinking that she must know everything in the world. Her opinion from seven to 21 had not changed one bit.
“Oh, perfect, you’re early. I wanted to go over a few things with you.” Clearsight stood up and sat down in the chair next to Glory, sliding her laptop over to show her the camper profiles.
“All of the Night Cabin Girls are returning campers, and they’re older. Moon is starting CIT this year, so Fatespeaker will have help…”
“...so it’s the boys’ cabin I have to worry about,” Glory finished.
“Correct,” Clearsight sighed again. “Thoughtful will mostly keep to himself, as usual, but if the other three returning have a repeat performance of last summer…”
There was a reason Starflight had gotten out of the bunks. He had managed his way around camp remarkably well following the accident that caused him to go blind right before last summer, but children were cruel. There were several instances of pranks that ranged from switching around his toothpaste and shaving cream to hiding his mobility cane before activities they didn’t feel like going to. Battlewinner had been of very little help, of the opinion that “boys will be boys” and that Starflight “knew what he was getting into.” It was pretty awful.
“They won’t,” Glory said icily. She got lucky with her Rain campers, who liked and respected her and her counselors. There was rarely the need to discipline campers at Glory’s level last year, but she knew how to put her foot down when those times came. Especially when it involved her friends. “Those boys will be begging for bunk cleanup days if they try anything like that this year.”
“There’s also the matter of the new counselor,” Clearsight added. “He seemed very…persuasive in his interview. I’m fairly confident in his ability to keep them in line.”
This piqued Glory’s interest. Camp Pyrrhia was very small, and very tight knit. They very rarely hired from outside, especially not for bunk counselors. Most people grew into and out of their positions, gaining respect through seniority.
“Deathbringer, was it?” Glory squinted at the profile picture he had uploaded. A young man around Glory’s age with a strong jawline, dark skin, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes stared back at her. She attributed the strange feeling she got from staring into those eyes to deep suspicion. “How did he hear about this place? Has he worked at a camp before? Is he even good with kids?”
“It’s a great thing I asked those questions when I hired him,” Clearsight said with a raised eyebrow. “I’m trusting you, Glory. You could return the favor.”
“Right. Of course. I’m sorry.” Glory settled back with a sigh of her own. She did trust Clearsight, but an unknown factor was not something she needed right now. “New counselor to watch out for, as well as two new little campers. Everything will be great.”
Ruby, Coral, Snowfall, Jewel, Hazel, and Thorn trickled into the room as the clock drew closer to 7:00, and the meeting began. They reviewed all of the counselor profiles, cabin-organized events, and campers to stay on alert for. They built the camp setup schedule for their counselors arriving the next day, and refreshed camp rules.
“We really need to deal with our sneaking-out problem,” Thorn chimed in. “I know it’s a rite of passage or whatever, but I don’t think Qibli spent a single full night in his bed last summer. It’s getting to his head.”
“Every cabin has a CIT now, don’t they? So maybe we can pair the bunk counselors up on a night patrol rotation instead of poor Sundew circling the camp all night,” Hazel suggested.
“As long as we pair up the right counselors,” Glory warned.
Counselors dating counselors wasn’t against any kind of rule—not that it would have stopped anyone—but it became very inconvenient when two counselors would rather be sneaking off to do each other instead of their jobs. She’d caught a few during elective blocks last year, and it was not an experience she’d ever like to relive; she hadn’t looked Swordtail in the eyes since. Glory had had her own rebellious acts of pure hormones during her time as a camper, with a few guys over the years that didn’t end up sticking around at camp, but she didn’t really see the appeal anymore.
After two hours of discussion and planning that seemed like two years, she finally trudged off to her room, exhausted by her own whirl of thoughts.
There’s nothing I can do right now except sleep and hope for the best, she told herself.