CHAPTER 1 – SUMMER CAMP*****
11 years and 7 months later… Summer of 2012Erena adjusted her sunglasses as she stepped out of one of the buses that arrived at the Camp Akihabara for Girls. A large number of girls of different ages from all over the country has already gathered up on the meeting area wherein the Teenage Counselors are trying to control the pandemonium without much luck.
“I hope that Papa’s decision to send me to this summer camp is gonna be fun for me. I miss
her already…” Erena huffed on her bangs as she looked at the camp’s natural surroundings. Her eyes went wide when she saw a magnificent late sparkling at the distance. “Awesome! Papa might be right after all!” she exclaimed, hurrying down to the meeting area to join her soon to be camp buddies.
Amidst the laughing, talking and squealing mass of girls, the Senior Camp Counselor walked up a makeshift stage and turned on her bullhorn.
“Good morning ladies and welcome to Camp Akihabara. I’m Rie Kitahara your Camp Director. Now girls, let’s find our duffels as we have a very big day ahead of us. I’m now gonna pass the bullhorn to our Senior Camp Counselor and my right hand man, Rino Sashihara. Sasshi, bunk assignments if you please!” Rie, popularly known as Kitarie to the older girls who joined last year’s summer camp, announced in a sing songy voice. Kitarie held the bullhorn on her left hand, waiting for Sasshi to take the offered equipment.
“Um… Sasshi?” Kitarie whispered between her teeth as she kept smiling to the girls in front of her who were waiting for the Senior Camp Counselor. Kitarie groaned inwardly as she scanned for her right hand man.
Oh for crying out loud, Sasshi’s at it again… as she rolled her eyes towards Sasshi who is busy squealing and hugging the new campers around her. “
Ahem, again I would like to call on for our Senior Camp Counselor, RI-NO SA-SHI-HA-RA!” Kitarie pointed her bullhorn towards Sasshi’s direction.
Sasshi yelped as she heard her name being stressed per syllable. “Oh! Right! I’m here!” Sasshi yelled, as she let go of a girl whom she’s been hugging for the past minute. Clutching her clipboard, she ran towards the makeshift stage.
“Kitarie! Sorry there are soooo many cute girls and –
ACK!” Sasshi yelped for the second time as she stumbled on a rock before she even make it to the stage. Immediately standing up, she patted her shirt free of grass and purposely walked to the stage as if nothing happened. Blowing her whistle, Sasshi pulled the bullhorn from Kitarie, ignoring the Camp Director roll her eyes.
“Alright ladies here we go, listen up…!” Sasshi bellowed on the bullhorn as she randomly called for the girls’ names and their bunk assignments listed on her clipboard.
*****
Erena popped up behind a mountain of bags as she saw one of the Teenage Counselors throw her yellow duffel bag into the growing pile.
“Okay! Found my duffel!” Erena yelled happily. As she reached for her bag, a couple of Counselors threw a couple more duffels, completely burying her bag on the pile. “Now the question is – how do I get it out?” She sighed, raising her sunglasses on her head as she circled the pile.
“Okay, I can do it...” Erena said as she began pulling out her bag the moment she found its strap. “Okay… no I can’t...” Erena groaned, still pulling on the strap with all her might, turning her face bright red.
“You must be new…”
“How can you tell?” Erena sighed. Giving up, she let go of her bag strapped and combed her hand thru her short hair as she faced the other girl.
“You didn’t know how to grab your duffel before the apes we call counselors tossed it into the heap. I’m Aita Ooka, but you can call me Rabutan. I would say you need some serious help.” Rabutan said as she chewed her gum.
“I’m Erena… you can call me Erepyon. Thanks for the help, it’s the big yellow one.” Erena said, pointing at her bag underneath the pile.
As both girls started pulling on the strap together, they shot angry looks at the Teenage Counselors as they toss another half-dozen more bags into the pile. Just then, a girl wearing a tie-dye shirt and a bandana around her head arrived and pulled her duffel easily from the center of the pile.
Erena and Rabutan gawked at the other girl, “Whoa… now that’s my kind of woman.” Erena joked.
“Yo tie-die girl!” Rabutan yelled at the girl who was already walking away. The tie-dye girl, as both girls called her, turned around and looked at them curiously.
“I’m Erepyon and this is Rabutan.” Erena said as she introduced themselves. “Um… Could you give me a hand with my duffel? It’s the yellow one buried waaaaaay in there.”
“Sure. I’m Miho Miyazaki, also known as Myao. “ Myao replied, then scanned the mountain of bags. “Oh that? No problem!” she said, easily pulling out Erena’s bag. “Hey! You’re from New York?” Myao asked as she read Erena’s bag tag. Erena simply nodded at the other girl’s question.
“Do you live near the Statue of Liberty?” Rabutan asked.
“Do you like live next to a movie star?” Myao added.
Erena giggled at the two girls’ questions, “What are you two – Lucy and Ethel? I’ve never even been to the Statue of Liberty. I live in New York City near Central Park, but during the summer, we go to our vineyard in Long Island.”
“A what yard?” Myao asked, scratching her bandana on her head.
“A vineyard… it’s where you grow grapes to make wine. My papa’s an architect but that’s also what we do for a living.” Erena answered in a matter of fact tone.
“Erena from New York?” Sasshi bellowed from her bullhorn, just a couple of meters away from the girls were standing.
“Over here!” Erena answered as she raised her hand.
“Waaah~~ another cute little girl! You’ll be bunking together with the girls of House A!” Sasshi squealed over the bullhorn, waving her clipboard at Erena’s direction.
“Awesome! That’s where I’ll be bunking!” Rabutan said excitedly.
“Me too!” Myao added. The three girls slap hands and immediately grabbed their individual duffels as they head towards their bunkhouse.
“So ah… either of you by any chance know how to play poker?” Erena asked.
“Nah.” “Never played it before.” Rabutan and Myao answered consecutively.
“No? Gee, what a shame. So, how much cash did you guys bring with you this summer?”
Before Rabutan and Myao could answer, a limousine honked behind them and parked in front of the Main Lodge. “Whoa… who is in there?” Erena asked no one in particular as they continued their walking.
*****
A tall, short-haired woman stepped out of the passenger seat of the limousine, looking like a model who just stepped out of a magazine. Removing her big sunglasses, she scanned the vastness of Camp Akihabara and opened the car’s back door. Serena, wearing a matching Burberry top and check kilt shirt daintily stepped out of the car and smiled at the tall woman.
“Well, here we are – Camp Akihabara for Girls… We travelled all the way from Paris for this?” the tall woman asked, looking around with disdain.
“It’s rather picturesque, don’t you think Mari-nee?” Serena answered in her sultry French accent as she smiled at the tall woman named Mariko Shinoda, who has been a part of her family as their housekeeper and her nanny.
As always, Mari-nee is someone who’s not gonna get left behind when it comes to fashion. I think we have the most fashionable housekeeper ever! Serena giggled inwardly.
“I don’t think that’s precisely the term that I would’ve used…” Mariko said, waving a hand in front of her as a mosquito almost targeted her face. Serena smiled at whom she always thought of as onee-sama while the limo driver lined up three matching pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage and vanity case by Mariko’s side.
“Anyway, shall we review your mother’s list?” Mariko asked as she pulled out a small notebook and fountain pen from her coat pocket. “Now let’s see… Vitamins?”
“Check.” Serena replied, removing her flat cap then combed her fingers thru her long hair.
“Minerals?”
“Check.”
“List of daily fruits and vegetables?”
“Check, check!” Serena teased. Mariko raised a curious eyebrow at the little girl, “Check for fruits, check for vegetables… go on Mari-nee.” The younger girl smiled.
“Sunblock… lipbalm… insect repellant… stationary… stamps… photographs of your mother, grandmother and your trusty oneesama: Me.” Mariko read the items one by one as she ticks them off her list.
“Got it all I think.”
“Oh, here’s a little something from your grandmother…” Mariko snapped her fingers and pulled another item from her coat pocket. “…A spanking new deck of cards. Maybe you can finally meet someone here who could beat you on a good game of poker.” The tall woman added, handing Serena a new deck of cards.
“I doubt it Mari-nee but thanks… thanks for bringing me here.” Serena smiled.
Mariko gave her a tight hug and placed her hands on the the younger girl’s shoulder. “Now remember, if you change your mind, I’ll come here and collect you before the end of camp. You know I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thanks Mari-nee, but I’ll be fine really. See you in eight weeks Mariko onee-sama.” Serena winked at her nanny/housekeeper.
Mariko gave the little girl a light kiss on the forehead, “Missing you already, Queen of our Hearts.” Mariko sighed, calling Serena by the nickname her grandmother gave her for being a good poker player.
After one final hug, Mariko puts out her hand in front of Serena. The little girl smiled as she knew what that meant – it’s the Mariko-Serena-Secret-Handshake. Serena enthusiastically placed her hand over Mariko’s then continued their handshake with extravagantly choreographed hand clappings, butt bump, a wave under the chin, shimmy to-and-fro and ending it with one final handshake.
“Have fun,
Doux Bebe…” Mariko hugged the little girl one last time as she entered the limousine.
“I will Mari-nee.
Au revoir!” Serena yelled as she waved at the pulled away from where it’s parked.
*****
“Um… excuse me, do you happen to be Serena – the girl from France?” Sasshie tapped the said little girl by the shoulder.
“Ah, Bonjour madame. I apologize for being late. My flight got delayed due to rains in Paris.” Serena informed the Senior Counselor.
“Waaa~~~ kawaii!!! Oh, I’m sorry if I slipped into speaking Japanese. You do understand Japanese, don’t you? Coz you look like one, and I’ve been seeing a lot of cute lil Japanese girls this year too! I am Rino Sashihara, the Senior Camp Counselor and in charge of House A. You can call me Sasshi.” The Senior Camp Counselor squealed, giving Serena a hug.
“Ah… Nice to meet you too Sasshi… I know how to speak in Japanese as well. My Mama, Grandma and Mari-nee insisted I learn Japanese.” Serena replied, trying to pry herself from the older woman’s hug.
“Well now, before we get going, I’d like to welcome you to the U.S. of A and to what we like to think of as the most beautiful spot in North America – Camp Akihabara.” Sasshi exclaimed, closing her eyes as she takes a huge sniff of fresh air. As she opened her eyes, a bee landed on her nose making her cross-eyed. Sasshi immediately slapped her clipboard on the offending bee, missing the insect as it flew away, and hit her nose with deadly accuracy.
Ouch, that’s gotta hurt… Serena winced inwardly. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, thanks” Sasshi said, massaging her nose with one hand. “Anyway, let’s get this show on the road. You’ll be bunking in House K.” she added, awkwardly gathering up all of Serena’s luggage and leads her towards her bunk house.
“I know this sounds weird but… have we met before?” Sasshi asked, accidentally stepping on a gopher hole, making her stumble forward.
Serena furrowed her eyebrows, “Met before? No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’d remember you.”
Finally after a few minutes of walking towards the bunk house, Sasshi held the screen door open with her leg as she balanced Serena’s luggages under her arms. “Welcome to House K.” Sasshi panted as Serena walked in the bunk house.
Serena scanned the tidy bunk house. Two Japanese girls eyed her curiously as Sasshi pointed out her assigned bed.
“New arrival, girls. Her name’s Serena, make sure to introduce yourselves to her okay?” Sasshi smiled as she exited the bunk house, tripping over a sneaker on her way out.
“How scary is it that that woman’s in charge?” A girl sporting two pig-tails tsked, finally looking up from her sketchpad. “I’m Mayu Watanabe, you can call me Mayuyu.”
“I’m Manami Oku, nickname’s Maa-chan.” The other girl introduced herself.
“Like Sasshi-san said, my name’s Serena… but you can call me Ree-chan.” Serena smiled and began unpacking her things.
“I’ve heard from the other campers in the other bunk houses that there are three more Japanese girls in House A. We should get to know them one of these days.” Mayuyu suggested.
“Yeah, I already saw them Mayuyu.” Maachan said. Slowly, she made her way towards Serena and eyed her curiously.
“Um… is there something wrong Maa-chan?” Serena sweatdropped.
“Funny you said that… nah, I must be seeing things.” Maachan shook her head as she plopped down Serena’s bed.
Serena smiled as she knew she just made new friends. “Anyway, either of you by any chance know how to play poker?” she asked, opening her new deck of cards.
To be continued...
Merry Christmas minna!
I'm sorry if I wasn't able to update immediately like I promised
work and choir-related stuff has been keeping me from writing. Anyway, I hope everyone will like this chapter! Please do leave a comment! Thanks!
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