Chapter Five: Snake Valley

Not five minutes down the trail, Cody regretted deciding to go walking at all. It must have rained a few days before, because the land was unstable and he had to move from one section of the path to another much faster than he would have cared for. Also, it must have been mating season for the snakes, because he had seen at least three moving through the leaves. Lastly, the rain must have eroded the sides of the creek beds, because they were steep, and Cody doubted that he could climb back up if he fell.

Poison oak doesn't sound so bad right now.

Despite all the dangers to this trail, Cody kept on walking/jumping his way thorugh Snake Valley.

Everything was silent. It felt unnatural, especially because he was not only outside, but he was also walking in the middle of forest. The only sound was an occasional gust of wind that rustled the leaves, and even then only the ones at the very tops of the trees. It was still, silent, and something felt wrong.

Suddenly, the ground gave out under Cody's feet. While pondering the silence, he had gotten too close to the edge of the path, and had triggered a minor landslide. He was falling down the rain-steepened edges of Snake Valley and could find nothing to stop himself.

Slowly, after rolling to a stop at the bottom of the bed, he saw that Snake Valley was much longer, deeper, and wider than he had thought. It was at least a forty foot climb back on to the path. This time, Cody did not sigh. He shouted.

"Damn! If I hadn't come to this stupid camp, and gone on this stupid walk, and taken this stupid trail, I wouldn't be in this damn mess!"

"But Cody," a female voice said while laughing, "that is how it was fated to be."

Cody spun around. "Who followed me? Jessica?"

Again, the female laughed. "No, not Jessica. Turn around."

Cody slowly turned to face the original direction, and saw a beautiful woman with him in the creek bed. She seemed normal, except for the fact that each of her ears ended in two sharp points. Before he could notice anything else, she pointed at him. A stream of mist flew from her finger, and Cody sighed as he fainted and collapsed.

Chapter Four: Tejas

Because cars were not allowed into the actual camping areas, Cody had to lug his fifty pound foot locker (a chest for camping) all the way to Tejas. Luckily, it was one of the closer campsites to the parking lot, so the walk was not that bad.

In the campsite, he saw that he would be staying the big, green, canvas tents that were standard for all Boy Scout summer camps. Pros, he did not have to set up or take down a tent during the heat of the day. Cons, the canvas worked like an oven, so the inside of the tent was always ten degrees hotter than the rest of the world.

Because he was the first one there, he did not have to fight anyone for the best tent. It was always in the shade, no matter what time of day, and got the best breeze. It was also closest to the latrine, and there was a picnic table directly in front of it. Perfect. He dropped his stuff in the tent and began changing into basketball shorts and an Under Armor t-shirt. If I'm going to walk, I'm going to do everything to stay cool.

Just before he went to find the Grayson Trail (he found it, so he named it), he called Mr. Mathewson, who did not pick up. He left a message, saying check in went fine and the staff was understanding of the situation. As he clicked off the phone, he noticed something that caused a shiver to run down his spine. There was a raven perched on the picnic table. He could have sworn it was looking directly at him. Just nerves. That's all. But....what do I have to be nervous about? Casting one more glance at the motionless bird, Cody turned and walked briskly towards his network of trails.

His trek took him past the line of tents, which was directly in front of a massive drop off. With ease, Cody vaulted himself over and kept walking. Up ahead, he saw the fork that either led to the waterfront or to, what he called, Snake Valley. THAT trail was small, hard to follow, and had two deep creek beds on either side that were infested with copperheads. Even Cody was cautious when walking there.

For the sake of safety, he went right, towards the waterfront. However, a few yards in, he saw a sign that read, "Do NOT use this path. A massive outbreak of poison oak has spread way out of control. DO NOT ENTER!"

Again, and hopefully for the last time, Cody Sighed with disappointment. This left Snake Valley, which still made him nervous. He did NOT want to go back to camp to sit in his burning oven of a tent, or even take a chance that the raven might still be there.

Chapter Three: Camp James Ray

As Cody drove in the silence, he started to realize how truly barren the area around James Ray was. Not in a vegetative sense, there were trees everywhere. In a population sense, there were very few people that lived on the winding road that led to the camp. The scenery was basically just a solid line of trees, with either a huge country house or a rundown shack reminding Cody that he wasn't totally alone in Pottsboro, Texas.

However, when the camp gate came into view, he was positive he wasn't alone. Even from half a mile away, he could see the groups of kids being dropped off, adults checking in to camp, and there was a sea of tan Boy Scout shirts just milling around.

After he parked, Cody began looking for and familiar face. Someone he knew on staff, a guy from his troop, ANYONE. When he finally say it was pointless, he pulled out his phone and dialed Mr. Mathewson's number. After a few rings, he picked up, sounding incredibly exasperated.

"Steve Mathewson."

"Mr. Mathewson, it's Cody. Where are you?"

Mr. Mathewson groaned. "Stuck in traffic on the highway with the rest of the troop. An eighteen wheeler got overturned, and they say it's going to be a few hours before we go anywhere. Can you explain to the camp what happened?"

Now Cody was the one who groaned. This would mean that he had to check everyone in, which meant having to see her again. "Sure Mr. Mathewson. Do you know what campsite we got assigned to?"

"Same as every year, Tejas."

Now Cody let out a sigh of relief. Tejas was big, and had a bunch of old creekbeds behind it that no one wanted to explore except him. He knew every square inch of land and trail back there.

"Awesome! I'm going to get signed in and then set up. Good luck with the accident."

"Good luck at sign in, 'lover-boy'!" Mr. Mathewson laughed as he hung up.

Cody, once again, sighed. That girl he thought, that obsessive, obnoxious girl.

That girl was Jessica Nelson. She was the same age as Cody and worked at James Ray every summer. The problem was, she was head over heels in love with Cody and let everyone know it. Because she was so exubarent and, in a way, almost frightnening with her displays of affection, Cody found her creepy and did everything to avoid her. Jessica ran check in, meaning the two had to meet.

Check in was at the Fry Center, whick was only a short distance from the parking lot, so Cody walked very slowly despite the heat and all the little Scouts running around him. He could already see Jessica directing parents from table to table with a clipboard in her hand. Her bright orange shirt had the camp logo slammed across the front in big, black letters that read "Everything happens for a reason!" Cody didn't understand why that was the logo of a Boy Scout camp, instead of "Be Prepared" or "Do Your Best" or something like that. It was strange.

Despite his pace, in less than a minute he was at the Fry Center with Jessica smiling at him and waving him over. "Hey Cody! We were afraid you wouldn't make it this year!"

Cody forced a mile. We? Or just YOU? "My schedule was still undecided, so i said what the heck?"

"Funny you got here now, I'm about to be off my shift. What a coincedence! Oops, not really, because everything happens for a reason!" She sang the last part while pointing at her shirt.

"Haha...yeah." Cody bent down to start signing forms.

"You guys are staying in Tejas, right? After you finish here, you should go relax. See you after dinner?"

Cody was startled. Jessica had free time, he had free time, and she wasn't trying to hang out with him? What's going on here? "Uh, yeah, sounds like a plan" remarked cody, his voice full of confusion.

"Okay, bye! And drink lots of water!" Jessica turned and started waling towards her cabin.

Something's up. She doesn't seem as perky. She wasn't trying to hug me, she didn't touch me ONCE. What happened?

Cody shook the thought from his mind, then rushed to finish the paperwork so he could go exploring.

Chapter Two: Farewell

It was only a thirty minute drive to Camp James Ray on Lake Texoma, so Cody enjoyed sleeping in until ten thirty. When he woke up, he loaded his car, trying not make eye contact with his mother and, at the same time, avoiding his, once again, drunk stepfather. Eleven o' clock rolled around, so he ate lunch, and at eleven fifteen he began his good-byes. Luckily, with Daniel, good-bye consisted of a handshake (with his left hand, of course, because you can't shake hands with a beer bottle in the way) and a nod of the head.

Surprisingly though, saying good-bye to his mother was harder than expected. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "I'm sorry. I know you hate me now, but please try and enjoy yourself. It has been so hard without your father here..."

Cody could hear the sobs she was holding back, so he knew she was serious. "Mom, I don't hate you. I'm upset, but I still love you. And I know. I just hope you will be alright on your own while I'm gone." They broke, and Cody pretended not to see the single tear that Martha tried to wipe away. He walked to the car, then turned, saying, "Four weeks istn' that long. I love you Mom. Daniel..." He paused, trying to find the right words, then laughed. "Party on." Daniel raised his beer in a silent salute and a final good-bye.

Cody got in and turned the car on and waved one last time to his mother and stepfather. Martha wasn't even trying to hide anymore, she was crying as she waved a trembling hand. Cody backed out of the driveway and drove for five minutes, then pulled over and let the tears of guilt flow.

Chapter One: Meet Cody Grayson

"Mom, I'm seventeen! Summer camp isn't fun for me anymore! Why are you making me go?" Cody Grayson never did understand why his mother was so thick-headed. This was probably the fourth time they had had this argument over the past week.

"Cody, I have told you time and time again" his mother, Martha, said. "The troop needs you. You are the oldest, most experienced boy in your group. The Scouts all look up to you."

Cody, at this point, was fuming. "But that is your only argument. I have three. First, I already have my Eagle Scout (see footnote 1), so I don't need anymore merit badges (see footnote 2). Two, I have four Eagle Palms (see footnote 3), so I REALLY don't need any more merit badges. Lastly, stupid Camp James Ray doesn't have a high adventure program (see footnote 4), so I would literally be sitting in camp all day. I'm not going, hands down." Cody sat back and crossed his arms, clearly trying to end the conversation. Martha, however, had other plans.

"Young man, I don't care if you are thirty five and have every award in the book. As long as you live under my roof, you follow my rules and do what I tell you to do. Daniel, back me up."

Daniel Grayson was Cody's stepfather, but everyone except Martha called him "Danny the Drunk." Prime example, it was only 10:00 in the morning and Daniel already had drank four beers while still recovering from one of his oh-so-common hangovers. He response to his wife's remark was something along the lines of, "Cody, listen to your mother." But, if one did not live with and learn to understand Daniel, they would have heard, "Co-ed-ey, lishten thu yourm mater."

The phone rang in the other room. No one rose to get it. Two rings in the silence. Three. Four. Five. On the fifth, Martha finally stood up and walked into the kitchen, and the sixth ring was cut off abruptly. Cody heard her begin talking, then leaned over to his stepfather.

"You are a fat, lazy, drunk old bastard and I hate you" he whispered.

"Awsh, Co-ed-ey, I loffe yew thoo!" Daniel whispered back, his breath heavy with the stench of cheap beer.

Cody laughed at the stupidity of his stepfather, and tried to think of other ways to make fun of him in his drunken state, but he heard the phone being set back in the cradle, and the telltale shuffle of his mother's slippers on their old, wool rugs.

Martha re-entered with a smirk on her face. "That was Mr. Mathewson." He was the one in charge of the group going to summer camp.

Cody shot up, already knowing the answer to the following question. "You didn't"

Martha sat down, her smirk growing larger. "I did. Four weeks. Straight."

Words Cody didn't even know he knew popped into his head as his face grew red with fury. He kicked a chair across their small living room, then stormd into his bedroom. "I hate you, you stupid bitch!" All he could hear was Martha laughing to herself.

One more year Cody thought to himself, then I'm out of this house for good.

But, at the same time this rebellious thought entered his mind, he knew he had to resign to the will of his mother, and began packing for summer camp.

Four weeks of sitting, doing nothing, in the heat of a Texas Summer. Awesome. Cody tried shaking the depressing thought from his mind, but it wouldn't budge.

Just as he began placing clothes on his bed, he heard the shuffling of feet, and a napkin was slid under the door. It read "It may not seem like it now, bu I do love you. Your father would have wanted you to go. You leave tomorrow, be at camp by noon. Love, Mom."

He crumpled it up and threw it in the trash basket, then started packing.


Footnote 1: Eagle Scout is the highest award a Boy Scout youth can earn
Footnote 2: Merit badges are awarded for completion of certain skills, from swimming, to aviation, to nuclear science
Footnote 3: Eagle Palms are awarded to Eagle Scouts that earn more merit badges and perform more service to society
Footnote 4: High Adventure programs are for older youth that don't need merit badges. This includes scuba diving, float trips, and hiking in the mountains

Prologue (A necessary read or you won't understand the story)

Long ago, before humans had appeared on the planet, there were a group of creatures that lived in complete harmony with the earth and all the plants and animals that inhabited it. Strikingly beautiful, magnificently athletic, incredibly intelligent, wonderfully artistic,  and gifted in the magical arts, these creatures were the 

Maníans. They controlled all aspects of life on the planet, and through centuries of work and spellbinding, created a utopia to live in. It was a time of peace, magic, and prosperity.

Most talented of the Maníans was a young girl named Ariadne. She excelled at spells that most Maníans could not dream of, surpassed her peers in the schooling, and was soon the youngest Manían on the Council of Manía. Everyone had high hopes for her.

It was not long before a male Manían the same age as Ariadne, named Julius, fell in love with her and tried desperately to woo her. Ariadne, after many long months, finally succumbed to his charms, and she too fell in love with him. Time passed, and after the two were married, they left Raylik, the capital of the utopia, to travel the globe. On their journey, they learned the customs, spells, and fighting styles of Maníans that many had forgotten about completely. However, when they returned to Raylik, they learned there had been a massive shift in the society.

A group of Manían sorcerers, called the Hu (pronounced like hue), had created creatures that had all the same features of the Maníans but their stamina, their extreme beauty, and their magical talent. The Maníans used these creatures for farming, for gladiatorial entertainment, and anything else the Maníans found too back-breaking or dangerous to do. Both Ariadne and Julius were furious, because these Men of the Hu (The Maníans called these creatures Man because in their language, "ía" means "magic." Only creatures that can harness magic, like the Maníans, carried that honor on their name. Because Man were so similar to the Maníans, they simply dropped the "ía", and Man was born) were making the Maníans lazy. So, for the betterment of their race, the two began to plot to destroy them.

What none of the Maníans knew was that the Hu Men had retained the intelligence of the Maníans during their creation. Somehow, they learned of the plot to destroy them, so the Hu Men decided to escape their creators by capturing and destroying Raylik. When their army gathered from Manían cities everywhere and began fighting, they outnumbered the Maníans in Raylik ten to one. The Maníans were caught completely by surprise, but still rallied together despite the huge numbers before them. As expected, the Council of Manía appointed Ariadne as their strategic commander, and her battle plans saved the Maníans from many a loss.

But, during one battle, while Ariadne was consulting with her generals, she received word that her beloved husband, Julius, had been killed on the front lines. In her anguish, she fled the battlefield and mourned for many days in a nearby forest.

After a week, just as the Hu Men were gaining ground against the Maníans, a band of hideous creatures burst from the treeline, led by a young Manían on a horse. It was Ariadne. She had spent those seven days not just mourning her deceased love, but creating these monsters out of pure magic, just meant to defeat the Hu Men. They certainly fulfilled their purpose. When the Hu Men saw they had lost more than three-quarters of their warriors and had no chance of victory, they surrendered, hoping that they would be spared. But, Ariadne was not merciful. In her anger and depression, using her magic, she slayed all of the Hu Men bu two, one man and one woman. Upon these two, she lay a curse that cleared their memory, removed their extreme intelligence, and forced them to live on an earth that was merely a shadow of what it used to be. However, she also blessed them, saying that they two would be the ones to rebuild the entire Hu Men race. The man was named Adam, and the woman was named Eve.

Then, Ariadne and the few Maníans that had survived the slaughter hid Raylik and the other Manían cities from the eyes of Adam, Eve, and all of their descendants. The Maníans have not been heard from since.

The rest, as they say, is history.  

Teaser

Cody Grayson used to enjoy going to summer camp every year. But, since he just turned seventeen, the idea seems childish to him. However, his mother asks him to go one last time, and after a lot of coaxing (and a little bit of threatening) he agrees. While walking on an unused trail, Cody slips and stumbles into a small, dry creek bed, and a secret that not only affects him, but the entire human race. He claims it was coincidence. But why did it happen to HIM, at a camp whose motto is "Everything happens for a reason"? Cody soon discovers that coincidence is a lie, and fate is the only thing he can rely on, all because of stupid, fateful summer camp.

Starting Up

Hi everyone. The reason why I am writing this blog is because I am trying to get the rest of the world's opinion on this idea. I recently spent time at a summer camp, and while there, I was inspired to write a story. Wanting to be a writer when I grow up, I knew never to waste an inspiration. So, that's how I got here. After I write a few chapters, I am going to put them on here, and I would like to see what the general public thinks of them. A few side notes to begin with. First, all of my chapters are going to be extremely short (normally only three-four written pages, inspired by James Patterson), so there are going to be a lot of them. Second, I am a practicing Catholic, but the storyline that I have goes against what the Church tells me. Just, let it be known, I still believe that the book of Genesis is the real truth about how the world began. Lastly, anything that is italicized is a thought. I will try and tie in the character that is thinking it, but if they are alone, I normally won't say "this character thought blah blah blah. Just a heads up. Okay, I'm pretty sure that's everything. Thank you, and read on. :)