The Game

Hello Fan Fictioners! I'm back with a new story. Of course, it's cliché, it's romance, and it's gonna be one hell of a story. It's not the average romance. It has it's own twists and turns that aren't exactly normal. So, here's the story.
*~*~•••~*~*
Chapter 1 – Let the Game Begin Again

Games are fun, especially if you have a rivalry. Now the game I play is extremely fun, and that is because I play it with a very special person. No, this is not a loved one. This is actually somebody else, somebody who is the exact opposite of a loved one.

River Carlyle is the bane of my existence, and he is the one who plays this game with me. The game is the game pranks.

Now I don’t see him all time, especially not during the school year. He comes to the camp that I go to, in this camp is extremely elite. I’m lucky I even got into it. You have to go through and intense initiation. This camp is so elite, I can’t even mention the name of it. So, I am going to call it Camp Secret.

River and I met five years ago, when we were both twelve, and since the beginning we pulled prank after prank on each other. No one knows but my best friend at Camp, Zoe, and a few of River’s friends. Our pranks started simple, first fake spiders, and now to syrup and feathers. It’s even gone so far as stealing some important possessions. I’ve also put talcum powder in his boxers. He tied my hair to my bed. It’s a lot of fun. Somehow, we never get caught.

*~*~***~*~*

I start out the summer as I always do, bright and early. After a quick glance in the mirror, I proceed to doing my quick routine: take a shower, brush my short black hair, put on just a bit make up, and get dressed. Taking a quick glance over my bag, making sure I have everything, I realize it is already 8 o’clock. I grab my bag and a cage, and rush downstairs, knowing that my dad is all ready to leave. I see him by the door, holding my keys in his hand. I smile at him, grab my keys, and head to my car.

After getting in, and starting the car, I wave goodbye my father and head out to Camp Secret. It’s a long drive, a little over two hours, and camp starts at noon. I, of course, want to get there early so I can pull my very first prank of the year, or rather, summer, on River. The first prank of the summer consists of probably one of my favorite things: a bird. Though, it’s not just any bird. It is a barn owl, and River is deathly afraid of owls. And what I am going to do is find his cabin number, and place the owl in his cabin. I’m also going to leave a note for his cabin mates telling them not to alert River, because they are going to want to see the hilarious chaos that is going to erupt.

I arrived at camp at 10:30, and I know he is not even close to here. After I talk the head of camp Mr. Snow, I learn that the cabin number is 132 and so, I go. Once I into the cabin of River, I give a small, evil smile. I spot his stuff, which means he’s already been here, and he’s getting ready to work on my prank. However, this first prank is genius. Pulling on a leather glove from my bag, I open the cage. The barn owl sleeps peacefully and I nudge it slightly to wake it up. The beautiful bird wakes up slowly, and when it does, I pick it up gently. I place it on the bed rail and after I do, I write a quick note, just a quick explanation, and I do not identify myself. With that, I slip out of the cabin unnoticed.

After I place my things in my cabin, I go to the convenience store just a mile away, using the excuse that I want to get a few snacks before we start Camp. When I get there, I go to the bathroom to dispose of the leather glove. Of course, I actually do buy some snacks. I buy myself some 3 Musketeers and I buy Zoe some Jolly Ranchers. Once I head to the checkout, I spot my favorite friend who is outside camp, Jared.

“Cupcake!” Jared exclaims, wide smile on his face. Jared and I have become great friends over the years, and he is also River’s “friend”. We used to go to Camp together, but he got kicked out for taking the blame for one of the pranks. Since he and I are such good friends, he is the one who warns me about River’s tricks. Now, he doesn’t always help. He always is asking for one thing in exchange for the warnings, a kiss or comment on this good looks.

Now, don’t get me wrong, he is rather handsome. With his always ruffled brown hair and bright, mischievous gray eyes, though, he isn’t exactly innocent looking. But, girls always overlook it because of his face and body. He has perfect face, and he works out. However, he is forgetful and can easily be extremely rude. I’m actually quite surprised he and I are such close friends.

“I’ve told you before Jared, I am not Cupcake. I’m Sam,” I answer with a smile and a roll of my eyes.

“How can remember, especially when you look as delicious as a cupcake,” he flirts with his usual smirk. I don’t know where he gets that, because I look nothing like a cupcake. The only thing different about me from any other girl are my eyes. My eyes are what are called wolf eyes, which are amber eyes. These eyes are the effect of lipochrome, which is a rare pigment the iris.

“Please,” I smile. “Cupcakes are supposed to be pretty, and I am dark. Hell, I could even be a wolf, I look so deadly.” He rolls his eyes in return and murmurs something about me being as harmless as a fly.

“So,” he says as he scans the snacks, “what’s the first attack on your River?”

“He’s not my River,” I scoff, “but, I put a barn owl in his room. You know he’s deathly afraid of owls, right?” I hand him the money as I talk, and he gives me my change in return.

“Whatever, but yeah, I saw him freak out once when they brought an owl to class,” he replies with a chuckle. Jared and River go way back. They went to school together before Jared moved. Still, they were, and pretty much still are, great friends. The only flaw in their friendship is the fact that Jared relays the pranks to me.

“Yeah, so what’s his first prank?” I ask, pocketing my money.

“What are you going to pay today?” he asks simply.

“You have an amazing body,” I deadpan, rolling my eyes.

“Nope, you used that one five times last year, and three the year before, either find a new one, or I get a kiss,” he argues. I send him a glare, sigh leaving my lips as I think of a new compliment.

“You’re eyes are absolutely and breath-taking-ly gorgeous,” I tell him adding as much awe into my voice as I can without killing myself.

“Alright, I buy it,” he tells me. “And it’s new and I actually like it, so here’s what he’s going to do. Spraying toilet water,” he deadpans.

“What about it?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“He, at this very moment, is rigging your toilet in your cabin to spray toilet water as soon as you open the lid. You didn’t hear it from me,” he tells me.

“Hear what?” I ask with a small smirk on my face. He nods approvingly and tells me he’ll see me later. I wave and leave, taking my sweet time in getting to camp.

*~*~***~*~*

By the time I get back to Camp, people are piling in. It’s only 11:30, but people are ready for Camp. I head to my cabin, number 243, and I see one person in my cabin, their back turned to me, that I have been excited to see.

“Zoe!” I exclaim happily, smiling widely. She turns and a smile appears on her face instantly. Her beautiful long blonde hair is pulled back into a bun and her blue eyes shine. She’s just barely taller than me, just by one inch.

“Sam, oh my gosh, hey,” Zoe blurts and quickly hugs me. “It’s been so long!”

“I know,” I reply, hugging her back. She pulls back quickly, and the smile on her face grows wider.

“What’d you do?” Like I said, Zoe is the only friend of mine here at Camp, and that knows about out game next to all of River’s friends.

“Placed a barn owl in his room,” I smile. “Oh, and don’t stand in front of the lid when you open the toilet. I got information that River rigged it to shoot water out of it.”

“Good information,” she tells me. “Oh and we’re getting a new roommate. I think her name is Marissa.”

“Fun. Looks like she’s going to be River’s first victim and we’re going to have to tell her about the game.”

“Hey, you never know. She might be some hardcore badass who is willing to help kick his ass,” Zoe smiles. I laugh slightly, letting her go so I can unpack my stuff. And once I do, I hear two things.

“Hey, I’m Marissa, but you can call me Rissa,” I hear from behind me.

And I hear the loudest scream coming from the other side of camp. And for sure in River’s cabin.

“What the hell is that?” I hear Rissa ask as I turn to look at her. She looks like your average girl; shoulder length brown hair, bright hazel eyes, probably as tall as Zoe, and is pretty enough. Though, at second glance, she has a nose ring, probably four piercings in each ear, and she has at least three skull rings, two on her right hand and one on her left.

“Okay, you were right,” I tell Zoe as I look over at her. She gives me an “I told you so” look and goes back to unpacking.

“Hello, am I invisible?” she asks, sending both of us a glare.

“Sorry, I’m Sam and she’s Zoe,” I greet. “And that was River, the guy who just screamed.”

“Why did he scream?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“She put an owl in his cabin, and he’s afraid of owls,” Zoe explains.

“Why?”

“They have this prank game going on,” Zoe continues to explain. I unpack and I enter the bathroom as she explains the game to Rissa. After I place a few things in the medicine cabinet, I look at the toilet and I sigh. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to open it and I can't let myself live in fear of toilet water.

“Look out and don’t stand in front of the door,” I call to them as I raise the lid. Instead of going straight, it hits me in the face, and I’m to the right of the toilet. Looks like someone put some extra effort into this prank.

“River!” I scream, and I hear a cackling outside the window. Walking out of the bathroom, I look out the window to see him. His black, ruffled hair is the same as it was last summer, except maybe shorter. His blue eyes are shining with laughter as he looks at me. As he laughs, I notice he isn't wearing braces anymore.

“Nice owl, do you want it back?” he asks, stifling his laughter.

“No, actually, I thought you’d like her as a pet. You could name her whatever you want,” I reply, sending him a fake smile, venom dripping into my words.

“Oh, well, she flew out as soon as she heard,” he pauses, thinking of someone to blame on the scream, “well, the scream.”

“You mean yours?” I ask innocently. The girls cackle behind me, mainly Rissa. She just now knows about our rivalry, and I think she loves it. Her howling laughter proves my theory.

“And you didn’t just scream?”

“I had a justified reason. You, however, screamed at the sight at an owl.”

“And Jordan and Flint were howling in laughter. You’re so nice to write them a note, telling them not to give me any warning about the bloody bird.”

“Well, I get why you were so scared,” Rissa buts in, moving to stand beside me. “You’re a rat and owls like to eat your kind.” Zoe and I glance at each other and clap at the comment. I like this girl. She is seriously perfect. We are going to have a lot of fun this summer.

“And what’s it to you, princess?” he asks her. “You have no idea what this is about.”

“Oh, I will, Rat Boy,” she snarls at him. “And I’m no princess. I’m your worst nightmare.”

“Alright, fine. See you, princess. See you, Sam.” He glares at the both of us and walks away. I cross my arms and scowl at his back.

“What caused this rivalry anyway?” Rissa asks. Zoe and I glance at each other and she motions to me.

“Your turn to explain,” she tells me, sighing.

“Well, it’s pretty simple…”

I just showed up when I was twelve. Me being me, I was eager to be at Camp Secret. Also, I was surprised that I actually got into the camp. I walked in on the first day with a wide smile. At the time, I wore contacts to hide my amber eyes; kids at the time found them rather intimidating when I was the nicest person in the world. My black hair was long and was up in either a bun or a ponytail. Still, I was walking happily throughout the camp.

The cabins were big enough to hold at least three people. There were guys and girl of all ages, some in bikinis and swimming trunks, others in nice summer clothes. In the distance, I could see the lake, kids jumping off docks, and some kids just sitting in clusters.

I had been hurrying to my cabin when I was pushed to the ground. That’s when I met the one guy I thought was the definition of perfection. He had hair that looked like black bird feathers, beautifully ruffled. His eyes were bluer than Lake Harbor, the lake at Camp Secret. He was easily taller than me, at least by a few inches. Note, we were only twelve, so we still had time to grow. But, wow, he looked gorgeous. That's where my crush started.

“Watch where you’re going, short-stuff,” he told me with a scoff. I had my mouth wide open, I just in awe of his looks, but because of his comment. How dare he talk to me like that! And it’s not like it was my fault. He pushed me, right? That’s why I fell. He didn’t have to be so rude. And that's where my crush ended.

“Not my fault,” I scowled. I stood up and grabbed one of my bags. Placing a hand on my hip and frowning, I was giving myself a sassy look. His friends stood beside him. The one on the left had dark brown hair, which was kinda long, and he had brown eyes. The boy on the right had sandy hair and sea green eyes. They were similar in build, athletic and tall, and their facial structure was also similar. Possibly, they were brother, or at least cousins, which I later learned was true. They were indeed cousins.

“Well, if you were paying attention, you wouldn’t have been on the ground,” he tells me.

“If you were kind, you’d have helped me up and asked me if I was okay,” I retort.

“Hey, leave her alone,” a girl blurted, stepping in front of me. Her hair was pin straight and pulled back in a ponytail. It was as golden as the sun. Her arms were crossed as she stood in front of me. She didn't even know me and she was defending me. I thought I was gonna like that girl.

“Get out of here, Zoe,” the boy scowled at her. The girl shifted her weight onto her right foot, placed her hands on her hips, and had the sassiest pose I’ve ever seen. It was even sassier than mine, and I was very sassy.

“You better back up while you still have a chance or you will not win this fight,” the girl retorted in the scariest, most serious voice I have ever.

“Whatever; see you later,” he told me and walked away. I glared at him as he walked away and the girl turned to me. She gave me a smile and her blue shined at me.

“I’m sorry for River and his friends,” she apologized. “He’s just upset because of something, I don’t know what. It seems to change every day.”

“Wonderful,” I murmured. “I’m Samantha.”

“Zoe. Nice to meet you,” she smiled at me.

“Hey, can you help me do something?”

“Is it something to do River?”

“Yes.”

“I’m in.”

“And then we put fake spiders in his cabin,” I conclude. “Ever since, we’ve been at war. And it starts back up each summer.”

“Sounds fun,” Rissa grins. “I’m in, and I have an awesome prank.”
*~*~•••~*~*
And that's the first chapter! I hope you liked it. ^.^ Now, I have a poll you all of you readers.

What would you like to see as the next prank, or rather, part of the next prank?
A) Snakes
B) One of the elements (fire, water, etc.)
C) Other, and tell me what "other" could be

This is all I can think of at the moment.

I'd very much appreciate it if you took the time to answer the poll or gave me a good critique. Thank you all in advance. ^.^

 

I'm so sorry to not have posted everyone! I lost Internet for a week and they finally put the Internet tower up again and I have it and I am so happy! Now that I have it back, I am going to try to continue writing because I have been cheering and there's school and I haven't had a lot of time but I will be continuing this story. It will not just be this one post and then I stop writing it. I'll have the second chapter up this weekend when I get more time to write. Promise!

There were so many run-on sentences right there. 

 

Hello readers. Yes, I'm still writing. This story will get finished no matter what, I promise. I've just been busy cheering and school and I'm going to be working on the FFA knowledge team and I'm actually getting a life.  But anywho, here's the long needed update.
*~*~•••~*~*
Chapter 2 – Contests, and Pranks, and Screams – Oh, My!

After getting to know each other more, I learn Rissa just moved in from London, England, which is very fascinating to me because I’ve always wanted to go to England. And now that she has mentioned it, I can detect the accent in her voice, though it’s hardly there. After the brief talk about our lives, Rissa starts talking about her plan to get River back. As she speaks, my eyes widen in admiration and in fear. The admiration comes from the fact that she’s so passionate about helping us prank him. However, the fear comes from what her plan is about.

“You’re kidding me,” I tell her after Zoe and I listen to the plan. “We have curfew, and how are we going to get those things?” Zoe and I glance at each other, in fear of getting caught and of the thing Rissa is taking about.

“I know a guy who can bring them here in an hour,” she shrugs. “I have a lot of connections. And we will not get caught. You’ve never gotten caught before, right?”

“Once, but one of our friends took the blame and was kicked out of camp,” Zoe explains, biting her lip. “And besides, this is huge. In the middle of the night? What if River or Jordan or Flint wakes up?”

“They’re deep sleepers according to Jared,” I mumble, cursing at myself internally. Why did I just have to blurt that out?

“There we go. Simple enough, and now, I believe all I have to do is call my guy and get what we need. He can be here in a few hours and we’ll be ready to rock,” she grins mischievously. She stands, grabs her phone, and calls whoever “her guy” is.

*~*~***~*~*

After she calls “the guy” and we make small talk, it’s time for dinner. We head to the cafeteria and after getting our dinner which consists of simple spaghetti and meatballs, we sit down. Zoe and I talk about what we did over the school year, which includes talk about our in-school friends and our parents. Rissa starts talking about how she became her rebel self. She talks about how she victimized by horrible girls and guys in her school and she finally grew a backbone and fought back. Her story is almost like the classic stories about bullying but instead of simple name calling, there were also pranks. Nasty pranks involving the slimiest creatures and, to our luck, she is going to use them to help us get back at River.

Once dinner is over, Mr. Snow calls a meeting around the campfire for those who are seniors in high school. Being seniors, this will be our last year to visit the camp for fun. Now, if one wished to show up as a counselor, they could show up after their senior year or after college to be a counselor for the summer. I have already filled out an application for next summer because I love this camp all too much. That and because Zoe and I promised each other that we would continue to come to camp until we hit twenty.

All 150 of us head to the campfire while everyone else heads to their cabins or to do whatever thing they have to do. We all either sit on logs or on the ground and some of us just stand. Rissa, Zoe, and I sit on a log. While Zoe and I talked about our siblings, my annoying brat of a younger brother and cruel older brother and her new baby brother and her sarcastic older sister, Rissa is silent, watching the fire with an eerie glow in her eyes. Something tells me she’s a pyromaniac. That or she is getting an idea on what to do for the next prank. I’d like to think neither is true and that she’s just thinking.

Mr. Snow and the assistant director Jewels finally call for silence and everyone goes quiet immediately.

“Welcome back campers,” Mr. Snow starts, a wide smile on his face. “I hope your last year is already starting out well. Though, I suspect a couple campers have gotten quite a scare.” He glances around, and I know he’s looking for River and I. He’s heard our screams more than once throughout the years. Though he knows we have a sort of rivalry going on, he’s never found proof. After a moment, he continues. “This year, since you are all not going to be here next year, we are going to have a contest. It will be a simple, friendly contest of creativity. This must include what got you into this camp. Now, everything will vary, which is why we are going to have four judges. One judge is going to be for one of the four elements you chose to get into this camp. There will be groups chosen by us and you all will receive which group you are in. Now, you may leave, and have a fabulous night’s sleep.”

“But, don’t forget, there are rules to the contest,” Jewels pipes in, looking at all of us. “The rules are standard to our original rules, and we will post the additional rules with your partner lists. Also, there is an exceptional prize for the winners. Good luck!” She smiles at us and waves us off, and Zoe, Rissa, and I hurry back to our cabin. I am buzzing with excitement. Since when is there a contest and an exceptional prize here at camp? This must be why every year the seniors are buzzing with excitement. I bet they’re not allowed to speak a word of this contest to anyone except their fellow upperclassmen.

*~*~***~*~*

At midnight, we’re all dressed in black, and Zoe has her blonde hair covered by a black beanie. Rissa has a wide smirk on her face as she peers out of the door.

“Where is he?” Zoe asks with a sigh.

“Oh, he shouldn’t be long. He just has to gather the goods,” she tells us. “And you’re sure no one patrols camp?”

“Nope. It’s not like anyone here is a delinquent. Except, you know, us. But that’s a secret, of course,” I answer, hopping from one foot to the other in impatience. I check the digital clock on one of the night stands, and it’s only been a few minutes, but it feels like it’s been hours.

“Hey, I’m here,” I hear a familiar voice sigh as the door opens. I look over at the owner of the voice with a gasp.

“Jared? You know Rissa?” I ask, confused. Jared blinks and turns to me. He tilts his head for a moment, and then grins at me, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Oh, hey, Cupcake.” He gives me a small wave. “Yeah, she’s my cousin. Can’t you tell?” he smirks, and I look between the two. Zoe tilts her head in confusion and then nods.

“I see it,” she says. I continue to look between the two and I notice they have the same brown hair and the same mischievous smirk. I nod along with Zoe and then we get down to business. He hands Rissa the small tank and I shudder when I look inside it. At least a dozen snakes inhabit the tank and I really don’t like this prank idea. I mean, sneaking into the guys’ cabin is one thing, but putting live snakes in the cabin? Not exactly what I would think of when it came to a prank. It sounds more like a death wish than a prank, in my mind.

“Are you one hundred percent sure that those snakes aren’t poisonous?” I ask him and he nods. I bite my lip but I end up shrugging in hopes he’s right. Jared leaves and then we head out for River’s cabin. Since I was there earlier, I know exactly where it is, so I’m in the lead. Rissa is behind us to keep a lookout just in case and Zoe is obviously in the middle. She’s carrying the rope and everything else we might need.

After about twenty silent minutes, we arrive at River’s cabin. I push the door open gently and we enter in silence. One of the boys is snoring slightly, and we quickly move to River’s bed. I grab the rope, bucket, and stool from Zoe and place the stool under a beam that is above River’s head. Rissa grabs the bucket and moves the snakes into it, placing a plastic covering over the top with a bit of tape holding it in place and the tiniest of holes so they can live at least until morning.

Zoe holds the bucket as Rissa grabs the rope and steps onto the stool. I wait silently, looking down at River’s face. He doesn’t look as devious as he does normally. River’s lips are parted slightly, and he has his right arm hanging over his eyes. His chest barely moves, making me question if he truly is asleep or if he’s faking it.

“Rope,” I hear Rissa whisper and I hand her the rope. River really looks peaceful and innocent. He looks like he couldn’t even harm a fly. Does everyone look like this when they sleep? A younger, more peaceful, innocent look makes River – I really hate to say this –much more attractive. I mean, he was attractive before with his ruffled hair, his perfectly tan skin, his sapphire blue eyes, his perfect lips, and – wait, what am I saying? I hate this boy to no end. Why am I studying his features so hard? Why am I noticing every sharp angle and detail of his face?

“We ready to go?” Zoe asks, looking up a Rissa and then back at me. She just finished binding the rope to his wrist and Rissa steps off the stool silently.

“Yep, Sam?” Rissa asks and I nod.

“Let’s get out of here,” I tell them and with that, we take the tank and the stool and leave back to our cabin and we go to sleep.

*~*~***~*~*

The thing that wakes me up is not the usual blare of music from the alarm clock, but three blood curdling screams. All three of us shoot out of the bed and pull on shoes, running out of our cabin. I smirk once I remember what we did last night, thinking about how the snakes must be slithering all over the cabin floor and on River’s bed. And soon I hear more screams and the three of us start running.

“Was this part of the plan, Marissa?” I whisper to her as we run. She sends me a hard glare and a shake of her head and starts running faster. Zoe and I just send each other this look of unhappiness and run after her. My eyes widen as I spot a very familiar snake slither by and I stop Zoe, pointing at the creature. She widens her eyes in turn and we hurry as fast as we can to the cabin.

“Oh, crap,” I whisper, looking around. Those scared of snakes are freaking out and everyone else is just frozen as they watch the snakes slither by. I see Jordan, one of River’s very wonderful friends, holding a few tissues to his wrist, causing me to bite my lip. This was not what was meant to happen. It was supposed to be a simple scare and then they clean up the mess and try to prank us back. The chaos that is happening now is so not supposed to happen. At all.

“We’re in deep shit, Rissa,” Zoe hisses towards Marissa and I turn towards her and now notice her face is pale.

“Who did this?” Mr. Snow booms, causing most of the campers to wince. I watch the nurse of camp rush to Jordan and my heart drops. Did Jared lie to me? If those things were poisonous, I am first going to kill Jared and then kill myself. This cannot be happening, especially to someone who is a part of this war or even this camp. I watch Jared rather than paying attention to anything else. His sandy hair is a mess, and his eyes are partly closed, just enough to not see the emotion in his green eyes. I watch his mouth form words as the nurse asks questions, most of them “I’m fine” and “I don’t know” and it scares me. Will he rat us out or is he going to keep it quiet?

“If I find out any of you had anything to do with this, I will personally call your parents and kick you out of camp with no chances of you ever coming back, even as a counselor.” Zoe and I gasp at Mr. Snow’s words, and I notice that River’s eyes grow wide. He’s also applied as a counselor? That would be a fun summer of trying to be friendly while having to deal with River.

“I think this went way too far, girls,” I hear in my ear, and I know the voice so well, I don’t even have to turn to know it’s Jordan’s cousin, Flint.

“Not our fault,” I whisper back as Mr. Snow walks away. I turn towards him and cross my arms. His eyes have a mischievous glint and he has a small smile.

“Well, River can’t come and say this now, and Jordan can’t either, but Jordan wants to talk to you as soon as you can. I don’t think he’s too happy with the awakening bite he got. See you around girls. Rissa,” he nods at Rissa and walks off, and I know he got the name from Jared. He plays on both sides for this war. And I hate it. As much as I trust him, I don’t. Now that I know he’s related to Rissa, it makes it worse.

With Jordan needing to talk to me, I can see just this second day is going to be one hell of a day.
*~*~•••~*~*
So, there you are. I did use snake this time, and I have a couple more ideas unlike last time. Please answer the poll below.

The next prank shall include:
A) Fire
B) Fish
C) Goose/Geese
D) Other; lemme know what you wanna see.

And that's that. Critique is welcome and feedback is appreciated! Thank you for your patience!

Also, this has not been edited, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix it on my computer.