title: Driftwood | Prologue rating: G author: Mir email: incandescence@juno.com website: http://cathedraldragon.tripod.com/sm/ disclaimer: Sailor Moon, et al. belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, etc., etc., and so on and so forth ^_^. The other characters belong to me...for whatever that's worth. I have no money to speak of, so suing me will not make you rich. Yes, this camp is based on an actual camp. Events are not, and characters are entirely fictional (although I have to admit that I have a certain weakness for windsurfing myself...). *Prologue* "I'm not going. You can't make me go!" Serena exclaimed, arms folded stubbornly across her chest, lower lip sticking out in front of her face. "You know, there ought to be laws against this type of thing. I'll tell the police you're abusive parents, and they'll listen to me!" "It's just for two weeks, sweetheart," her mother cooed, placing a hand gently on Serena's arm. "Didn't you read the pamphlet? There's all kinds of wonderful waterfront activities you can participate in...." "Pamphlet, smamphlet, you can't just send me off to camp like I'm an old shoe or something. I'm your daughter, don't you love me?" Her voice was rising in both pitch and decibels, and her father (not wishing to become deaf in the near future) rushed over to his daughter's side. "Who said we didn't love you?" He grabbed her shoulders firmly. "If we didn't love you we would have sent you off to Aunt Daisy's." His words had the desired effect - Great Aunt Daisy was the aunt from Hell. Old, cranky, shrived, and anaemic, she was an anal retentive perfectionist with a tendency toward yelling and a penchant for tofu burgers. Serena's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide with horror and astonishment. "You wouldn't have sent me to Aunt Daisy's for the summer, would you? Tell me you wouldn't have, please, tell me you wouldn't have!" "Oh sweetheart, we know that you two don't really get along - " her mother replied, brushing imaginary flecks of dust from Serena's skirt. "'Don't get along'? That's the worst understatement I'm ever heard in my entire life! How can anyone stand to be within three feet of her? She's the biggest - " Serena screamed in indignation, startling her mother. "Now, now, I think that's enough, Serena. We've got a long drive ahead of us, and you'll want to be on time so that you can get a good bed in your tent." Her father gave Serena a gentle nudged toward the car. "Who said I was going?" She retorted, digging her heels into the ground. "Just because I'm not going to stay with Aunt Daisy doesn't mean I'm going to camp." Her parents sighed heavily. "Serena, you're getting in the car, and you're going to camp, no more stalling." And before she could react strong hands pulled her, kicking and screaming, into the car and slammed the door behind her. And so it was with reluctance and trepidation that Serena was dragged away to summer camp by her parents while they went off on a jolly romp around Greek Isles. Sammy was already off frolicking at baseball camp, and Luna was spending the next two weeks at the neighbors sulking ((for being left out of yet another story ^_^)). - - - - - - - - - - As she sat silently in the back of the car, Serena reflected somberly upon her current predicament. Short of jumping out of a rapidly moving vehicle, it seemed that she had no choice but to endure the next two weeks at camp. "Look, sweetie, we're just coming up to the Bay Bridge. See the tollbooths ahead?" Serena looked out the window at the lines of cars...stopped cars. 'Now's my chance if I want to escape' she thought eagerly, hand creeping slowly toward the door handle. Then reality tapped on her shoulder. 'Where would I go? There's nothing out here except water and cornfields. My parents would hunt me down and ship me off to Aunt Daisy's for sure.' So she sighed and leaned her head up against the window in resignation. "Sure Mom, just great." She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew her head was ricocheting off of the window like hail on a tin roof. She had a cramp in her neck, and her left foot had fallen asleep. "Serena, wake up." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Just another minute, Mom." Then it hit her - this wasn't her bedroom. Suddenly wide awake, she pushed herself away from the window and squinted against the bright sunshine streaming in through the front window. Her eyes followed the trees as they moved passed her window, then drifted down to the dirt road underneath the tires. "Ah! Why'd you take me to camp? Turn the car around right now. I'm going home!" Her parents looked at each other and sighed. They'd long since heard it all and decided to ignore the distracting noise and keep on driving. A wooden sign loomed ominously ahead; white with faded blue lettering, it was covered with some sort of creeping vine: 'Contentment, beauty and friendship. A place to pause peacefully and happily in the midst of a changing world. A place of cherished memories. Echo Hill - a summer place.' But there was no time to reflect on the inner meanings of the words, ('As if I'd even want to think...it's summer, no thinking allowed' Serena told herself) because the car had stopped - in front of one of the ugliest building that she'd had ever seen. *end of prologue* - - - - - - - - - - Oh, this is going to be fun...I love my summer camp, absolutely love it - and never hesitate to tell hapless victims all about it. Now I can ramble on about camp and people won't quietly start sneaking out of the back of the room! So sit back and enjoy; you're in for an exciting summer experience of chance occurrences and romantic interludes. Oh, and if you're wondering about the title - guess what? Email me! I'd love to hear from you, and yes, there's a reason for the title (both a concrete reason and a thematic reason). - Mir 01.13.01.