I sat on the bus in silence. I was excited to be going back to Camp Campbell, but at the same time I felt... scared. I let out a soft sigh as I thought about the things that could happen this summer. Some were good while some were... scary to say the least. I looked out the window as I started thinking about my friends and the times we had together.

The bus soon came to a stop. I stood there as the doors busted open. I looked as miserable as Max did six years ago. I forced a smile as I walked off the bus with my duffle bag around my shoulder. I was soon greeted by David, who like always had a big smile on his face.

"Hello and welcome back to Camp Campbell, Nikki."

"Thanks, David," I said while looking around the camp.

"Is everything okay, Nikki?" David asked with concern.

"Everything's fine," I said while still looking around.

I stopped and looked at David. He had a confused look on his face.

"Where is everyone?" I asked confused and my head tilted.

"In the mess hall," he said his smile slowly returning as well as his happy tone.

"Then lets go," I said before turning around and started walking towards the mess hall.

David soon followed and started chatting as we walked.

"Camp this year is going to be the greatest year yet!" he said in excitement.

I didn't listen though. I was thinking of the possibilities that could happen. Not just for the summer but when I see Max and Neil again. I smiled but it faded quickly as I thought of the negative things that could happen. I quickly forced a smile on my face before David could see how depressed I really am.

We made it to the mess hall. I smiled as I was reminded of the first summer I had at Camp Campbell. I walked inside, but stopped dead in my tracks as soon as I saw Max and Neil. Max was wearing a black hoodie, with blue jeans and black shoes while Neil wore a yellow turtle neck shirt, with a lab coat, khakis, and white shoes.

Max and Neil looked at me and smiled. I was honestly kind of shocked to see Max smiling. He's done it before but it was rare. This however felt different. I walked towards them and sat down with a smile on my face, but this one was real.

"It's good to see you guys again," I said in my joyful tone my depression fading a little bit.

"It's good to see you too Nikki," said Max with a warm and welcoming smile on his face.

"It's been awhile," said Neil.

"Yes, it has," I said with a smile on my face.

I was happy to see my friends again. But I still had that feeling that I had on the bus. I pushed it away as I talked to my friends, until David got their attention.

"Good afternoon campers! We have some important announcements, so please pay very close attention," he said with a smile even bigger then before.

"First I'm proud to announce that we have new and improved cabins, with two nice bedrooms, one bathroom, and the camp now has Wi-Fi" He said with a smile.

"Is the WI-FI updated this time?" asked Neil.

"Yes, Neil. We fixed every issue this camp has had when you first arrived," said David.

Neil smiled.

"Maybe they finally had a real science lab." said Neil as he sighed lovingly at the thought of actually being in a science lab this summer.

Max and I looked at him worried and confused. We still don't understand his love for science.

"Next I am proud to announce that you'll have cabin buddies and they will be your partners in this year's activities."

Everybody, but me groaned as Gwen started reading the pairs.

"Older kids first. Nurf and Preston."

"It's me and you Preston," said Nurf as he wrapped an arm around him, almost chocking him.

"Nurf... calm... down," Preston gaged.

"Oh, sorry Preston," said Nurf as he let go of Preston.

I stared at them. They acted different but looked a little similar from what they did when we were kids. Preston is wearing his yellow camp Campbell shirt with a green unzipped jacket, blue jeans, and boots. Nurf wore his yellow Campbell shirt, but this time it actually fit him. He also wore blue jean shorts with red shoes. I also noticed Nurf had a beard while Preston had a mustache.

"Harrison and Nerris."

I looked at them. They looked at each other before looking away while blushing. I found it kind of cute. I then looked at Nerris. She wasn't wearing her wizard hat or cape with her fake rubber ears. Instead she wore blue jeans with her yellow camp Campbell shirt but with a red scarf, and black shoes. She still had her glasses though.

Then I looked at Harrison. He wore his yellow camp Campbell shirt with black pants and shoes. As well as black gloves on his hands His top hat was a little bigger then it was last time. Unlike Nurf and Preston, he didn't have any facial hair.

"Dolph and Space kid."

"Amazing!" shouted Dolph in excitement.

Everyone started at him. Space kid was sitting in his seat with a big smile on his face. He was taller but he still dressed up like an astronaut. Except this time it was a real astronaut suit. His helmet was in his arms, while his face was stubbled. Dolf on the other hand was still small, he also grew a small mustache and longer hair. He wore his yellow Campbell shirt, with blue shorts, and green shoes.

"And Max, Neil, and Nikki will be sharing a cabin due to David's rule of everyone having to share," said Gwen who looked at David with her normal tone before smiling and rolling her eyes at him as he grinned at her.

"So I take it Ered isn't here this year?" I asked.

"No, she's here. She just not a camper this year," said Max.
"Then where is she?" asked Neil.

"Either her and Steve are getting high or they're having sex again," said Max a little annoyed.

"Again?" I asked but I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer.

"Yeah, they do this all the time. They get high and/or have sex before camp starts and after the campers go to sleep. Sometimes they'll do it on duty," said Max, his head in his hands.

I patted him on the back trying to cheer him up. Usually when Max got mad his face would get red, while sweat would run down his forehead. When he gets annoyed he acts like he's dying. This time though he was just annoyed. No screaming, no whining, no complaining, just a sigh. I was happy he got his anger under control. So why do I feel... scared?

Max looked up and smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. He was actually kind of cute when he smiles. I blushed while giving him a small smile.

"Oh I almost forgot, there's someone I want you guys to meet."

"Who?" I asked.

"My sister," said Max as he walked towards a table were two little girls were sitting.

"Max!" one of them yelled before running and hugging him.

He hugged back before turning to me and Neil.

"Guys this is my sister, Lizzie," said Max with a smile.

Neil and I looked at her before looking at Max and then back at her. She had more similarities to David and Gwen then she did Max. Her skin was white, her hair was red like David's, and her eyes were purple just like Gwen's. She wore a yellow Campbell shirt with brown shorts and black shoes.

"She's cute," I said with a smile.

"Thanks," said Lizzie who had the biggest smile on her face.

I smiled at her.

"Oh, Max, there's someone I want you to meet," said Lizzie as her smile widened.

"Okay and who is it you want me to meet?" Max asked with a smile.

"My best friend, Clara," said Lizzie as she wrapped her left arm around Clara's shoulder.

"Hello," she said with a small wave and smile.

I looked at her. Her skin was light brown while her hair was black. Her eyes were a mix of green and blue. Just like everyone eles she wore a yellow Campbell shirt, but with black shorts and shoes.

"Nice to meet you, both of you," said Neil.

"Nice to meet you too," said Lizzie.

When then heard David call out to us and the rest of the camp.

"Okay campers go to your cabins and meet us back here in one hour," said David in his usual happy tone.

"Come on Lizzie, we got a lot of unpacking to do and I want to explore the camp some more," said Charlotte as she grabbed Lizzie's arm and started walking off.

"Okay, bye Max," she said as her and Charlotte left.

Max smiled before turning to Neil and me.

"Kids am I right?" he said with a laugh.

"Yeah," I said as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Is she your blood sister?" asked Neil.

"Does it matter?" asked Max in a serious tone.

"No, but she looks a lot like David and little like Gwen," said Neil as he rubbed his chain.

"That's because David and Gwen are her parents," said Max in a smart ass tone and a smirk on his face.

"Oh, wait does that mean?"

"Yes, we adopted this little shit here," said Gwen as she wrapped her arms around Max.

"Yep, she's been stuck with me for six years now and I'm not going any time soon," said Max with a grin on his face.

Gwen rolled her eyes while smiling. I looked at them. They acted like how a mother and son would act. I felt tears trying to escape her eyes as Max and Gwen hugged. I thought of how my mother didn't care about me and how my dad is going through his own problems to be there for me when I need him. I grabbed my bag, walked out of the Mess hall and walked towards the cabin I was sharing with Max and Neil.

I opened the door and walked inside. I looked around the cabin and I must admit it looked kind of nice inside. The walls and floor light were brown while the ceiling was white. I walked inside the room on the left and slammed the door shut and started unpacking. I was still thinking about "home."

I finished unpacking and flopped on the bed. I sighed feeling depressed. I decided to go to the one place that cheered me up the most, nature. I got off the bed and walked outside. I took a deep breath before walking around the camp.

As I was walking I saw something in corner in my eye. I walked up to it and examined it. It was red and warm. My face froze with fear as I realized it was blood. I looked at the ground and noticed how there was a trial of blood that led to the woods.

I didn't want to follow it, but something told me too. I sighed before following the trial. I followed it deep into the woods, but I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw a cabin that I never seen before. I had thoughts of who that could be and it calmed me down a bit. I started to walk towards the cabin, but stopped as I noticed smoke coming out the chimney.

In all honesty I was extremely scared. And it's rare for me to get scared, but this reminded me of Spooky Island and all of the crazy and traumatizing shit that happened there, but something told me to go forward. I listened once again as I slowly walked towards the cabin. I walked up the steps, a loud thud was heard with every step I took. I grabbed the door knob and slowly turned it.

I took a deep breath as I opened the door. It made a loud and high pitched squeak as it opened. I walked inside and immediately froze in fear. I saw a boy sitting in front of the fire place with a towel wrapped around him. I slowly walked towards him.

"Hello? Are... you... okay? " I asked with fear in my voice.

He didn't answer.

"My name's... Nikki... What's yours?"

He still didn't answer.

"He doesn't talk much," said a familiar voice.

I turned around and saw Mr. Campbell himself. He still wore the same cloths he usually wore. He even looked same, expect the hair on his head, arms and his mustache was a much darker grey than the last time I've seen him.

"Mr. Campbell what are you doing here?" I asked in confusion as I raised an eyebrow.

"This is my home. I built it not too long ago, well it was actually years ago I just remembered about it not too long ago." he said as he rubbed his chin trying to think of a proper time.

I stared at him with an annoyed look on my face. He noticed and stopped. He put his hands behind him and smiled innocently at me. I shook my head before walking up to him once again.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," I said placing my hand on his shoulder.

He jumped a little but quickly calmed down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I said in a gentle tone.

"It's okay," he said in a clam and soft tone.

I was shocked that he said something. I looked at the right side of his face. He kept his left side hidden but I didn't ask why. His skin was white while his hair was dark brown. His eye color was a golden brown.

"What's your name?" I asked wanting to start a conversation with him.

"Alex," he said in the same tone as before.

"It's nice to meet you, Alex," I said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Nikki."

I was about to say something but there was a sudden knock at the door. Alex jumped in fear. I placed a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. It didn't work though sense the knocking would not stop.

"Hide him," Campbell whispered.

"Why?" I asked confused and a little worried.

"Just do it... please," he whispered.

I nodded and gently grabbed his arm.

"Come with me," I whispered as he got up.

I was able to see his entire face as he stood up and looked at me. My mouth hung open as I saw the left side of his face. It looked just like the right side, but his left eye had a scar going through it. It reminded me of when Tabii lost her eye, but far far worse. He noticed that I was staring and hung his head down low.

"Hey, it's okay. I've still got scars on my cheeks from when I was a kid," I said pointing at my cheeks trying to cheer him up.

It seemed to work as he gave me a small smile.

"There's a hidden room that Mr. Campbell showed me, in case I needed to hide," he said in fear as he pointed to a painting of Mr. Campbell on the wall.

I removed the painting. Alex pulled a deer antler that opened the door. He weakly ran inside the room. I watched as the doors closed. Mr. Campbell opened the door. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw who it was.

"Oh, it's just you Davie," said Campbell in his usual tone.

"Mr. Campbell have you seen Nikki? I was told she went to her cabin but she wasn't there. And I noticed some blood that was leading to this area," said a scared and worried David.

"Well you see Davie, I was hunting bears. I foll0wed one into it's cave, and got into a fight. The blood is mine. I thought I patched it up, but apparently not," he said with a laugh at the end.

"Well have you seen Nikki, and are you okay," David said in concern.

"No, I'm fine and Nikki's over there," he said as he pointed at me.

"Hi, David," I said nervously.

"Nikki, oh thank goodness," he said after running up to me and hugging me.

I stood their in complete silence not sure what to say.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in anger and even more concern than before.

"I went for a walk around the camp. I noticed the blood, so I followed it and here I am," I said as if I was a five year old getting yelled at by their parents for doing something stupid like running away, which is how i felt.

"Next time tell me, Gwen, or Steve or Ered, okay?" he asked calming down a bit.

"Okay, David," I said with a small smile.

"Now lets go, we're gonna start a bonfire in a few minutes," he said as he made his way towards the door.

"Okay," I said as I walked outside the door.

I stopped and turned around facing Mr. Campbell.

"We'll see you tonight," he said in a serious tone.

I nodded before walking away.

And that's chapter one. I know there were some people who liked the original story just fine, but I didn't like the direction it was going. I felt like I was rushing through it and it was kind of cringe, so I decided to delete it and start over. I hope y'all like the first chapter and hopefully the rest of the story when I update it, but right now I'm gonna write chapter three to The Princess, the Maid, and the Assassin. Which for those of you who don't know is a sequel to The Princess, the Thief, and the Alchemist by Kammie Celeek. Please go check it out and give her the love and credit she deserves. Okay, I'll see y'all in the next chapter.