We made our way up the slope of the hill toward the mess hall, the girls joking and laughing the whole time. It looked like we were the first group to arrive, which I knew would be a point of ridicule later, because of course the group with the fatty would be the first group to show up for food.

“Ah, good. I was hoping it would be your crew Fergus.” Coach shouted from the back of the room.

I told the girls to sit tight as Brittany and I went to see what was going on with the coach. We then shuffled our way over to where he was sitting, a sense of dread fearing to overwhelm me. Coach stood up and met us about halfway down the building, a grin on his face.

“So, now that you’re in charge, how are you feeling? All settled in? Good. Because here’s the big surprise.” He seemed about ready to laugh, at me I would assume.

He took a breath, “I’ve been called back, but you all get to stay here for the duration of your trip. You, being the first group of campers to arrive, are now top dogs in the competition.”

I looked at Brittany, super lost, and mouthed the word competition. She shook her head and shrugged. “What competition are you talking about coach?” she asked.

His smile got even bigger, which I didn’t think was possible.

“You kids are divided into teams, right? As of the moment teams were formed, you began a competition. The school received a large donation, the terms of the donation outlined a way to double the funding; this summer camp. We take volunteers, get them here, and then we start an academic coliseum. The winners get a prize, the last place team has to repeat the school year.”

I threw up my hands, “I didn’t volunteer! You told me I had to do this or I would have to take PE again!”

He pointed at me with finger guns, “And there’s the ONE big gamble! The students who couldn’t make it were actually pulled by the donors, and they told us to find a student who seemed like they couldn’t win this competition. You’re kind of a case study in being a loser. Kinda pudgy, no friends, hates physical activity, glasses… I mean crap, I bullied kids like you back in high school for the fun of it. I knew right off the bat you were the man for the job.”

I deflated. Hearing a teacher talk about me like that just left me with no reason to even care anymore, I was going to be forced to redo the year.

“Whoa, Coach.” Brittany started in, “You can’t say things like that! He’s a student under your care!”

Coach wagged a finger, “Actually, as of right now, none of you are in my care. Plus, I knew one more thing about Fergus that I doubt he knows about himself. The real reason I chose him.”

“What, my winning personality? Sorry coach, that doesn’t exist. Same as our chances of winning.” I spat, hate and sarcasm tingeing my words.

“Nope. You’re a leader. Deep down, you can pull a team together and win this. Look at what you’ve got working under you right now. You have Evans here, who seems to have more than just a little personal interest in your well being. You’ve got Tranny McOlympics back there, blondie the smitten, brainy nerdface, schemer the dreamer, and GI Jane to start with. Figure out those last two troops, and you’ve got a recipe for success. Plus, as the first group here, you get this.” He said, pulling out a rolled up paper.

I took the page and unrolled it.

DAY 1: ARCHERY, SURVIVAL CRAFTS, FOOTRACE

“Wait, is this… an itinerary for tomorrow?” I asked, looking up at the coach.

He nodded, “Each day, at breakfast, the first team will be able to take the scroll and prepare after dinner for the next day’s activities. Automated announcements and rule keeping drones will be around to keep you all in line.”

He motioned me to lean in, so I did, and he whispered in my ear, “Look, I’m staking my livelihood on you winning. But between you and me, there’s no rule that says councillors and campers in the same cabin can’t make their own little victories. If you get my meaning. I think this will be good for you.”

I pulled back, stunned and appalled that this teacher was insinuating that I was going to make a move on any of these girls. But one thing I noticed was the phrasing.

“What did you mean by ‘in the same cabin’? Is there some problem with visiting others?” I asked, a sense of foreboding creeping in my stomach.

Coach nodded. “Campers and councillors caught trying to sneak about, even with permission to enter another cabin receive punishment. You may go as far as the doorstep, but a single foot in and… well, I’m not at liberty to say. Just assume it gets ugly.”

“Okay, follow up question. The demands that each cabin be gender segregated, I assume was more a common sense thing from the staff?” I asked, poking and prodding the rules for all they were worth.

Coach shook his head, “That was my call. The only reason I’m fine with you in with the girls is because I know there’s almost no chance of you scoring on your own. Sometimes it just takes a shove to get someone where they need to be, and if me forcing you to be around these girls makes you branch out… well, you can thank me later.”

Coach began walking away before I could react to the insinuation that he wanted me to do the horizontal monster mash with the girls in my care. Was he actually trying to help, or was he screwing with us again? And if he was being real, and he did set this up to help me, why?

“Hey, wait! What about the other rules? There’s got to be more than just that, right?” Brittany called as she pun around to follow the coach.

He waved his hand, dismissing the comment, and a small drone descended from the ceiling. It flew over to hover before Brittany’s face and a roll of paper popped out for her to take. She unfurled it slowly and motioned for me to come take a look.

Rules of Camp Diabolus

1. Campers shall not fraternize beyond their cabin outside of designated feeding times

2. Campers shall not be out at night

3. Councillors shall not fraternize beyond their cabin outside of the mess hall

4. Any cabin that suffers failed leadership will be eliminated

5. Any cabin may participate in the events so long as they have one (1) councillor and one (1) camper

6. A Camper may not participate in more than two (2) events in a day

7. Only one (1) camper may be enrolled in an event for their cabin

8. All active cabins must complete two (2) events minimum per day

9. Any councillor may call for the trial of a camper or councillor so long as they receive two (2) supporting votes

10. All trials must have two-thirds (2/3) of the attendees in agreement to pass a verdict

11. Any person found guilty of foul play, in a trial by their peers, will be forced to suffer the same punishment as the losing team

12. Damage to camp safety equipment beyond normal use is prohibited, this includes drones

13. Violation of these rules will result in punishment deemed fit by the ruling entity

14. Any large scale violation of these rules will lead to a termination of camp and those in it

So, according to this, there’s a lot going on that could hurt us if we’re not careful. And I could see a lot of big problems arising, because teenagers. And the name of the camp, Diabolus, was very clearly referencing evil.

“Uh… does this mean that whoever wins is top devil?” I asked, trying to see if Brittany was as shaken as I was by this.

She rolled the paper up, took a few shaky breathes, and turned to face me. “I promise you, I didn’t know about this. I was told it was a summer camp that would guarantee a better future.”

I nodded, “Yeah, if we win I imagine we’ll never have to worry again about the terrible stuff in life.”

I shook myself out, cracked my knuckles, and stretched out as best I could. I then took the paper from Brittany and walked over to our girls. I wanted them to know what kind of stuff we were looking at.

“Ladies, it’s time. Review these rules. They’re your bible until future notice. I have a plan, but it will take a lot of secrecy for us to pull off. I’m sorry to say, but you’re under my command until I die or we win. There’s no adults, no people to stop anyone from doing dumb things, and nobody to keep us safe beyond ourselves.” I said to my team.

I then turned to the drone that was still hovering near Brittany. “Drone, request. Add line to rules printout: One line on this page is a lie.”

Brittany turned to look at me, mouth agape. “You’re not planning to… you’re not going to… you’re going to get someone killed.”

Better them than us, I thought. “Sarge, this keeps our soldiers alive. Nobody under my command will fall. We will win.”

I looked away then, realizing how cold I sounded. “Look Brit, you know how this goes. If I don’t try to win with everything I am, I’ll lose. Coach said as much; I need to step up.”

She closed the distance, getting in my face and forcing me to make eye contact.

“This isn’t you. This isn’t the kid who Chelsea saved from those bullies all those years back. This isn’t the you that I…” she broke off, her face flushing and her eyes watering.

I put my hand on her shoulder, “Chelsea isn’t here to save me from the world. And if I can’t survive without her, then I wasn’t meant to survive. It’s not like I’ve got a lot of people in my corner. Plus, let’s be real, you’re only here watching out for me because Chelsea asked you to. We both know I’m nothing more than an accessory to her, an ugly accessory that wastes her time and effort.”

“That’s not true!” Brittany cried, her face getting a little redder than normal.

“Yeah, it is. Chelsea asked you to watch me, so you took the hit and joined me as the leader for this cabin. Why else would you willingly put yourself in that kind of position?” I asked, the frustration in my voice seeping through.

“Maybe because I thought you were as good for me and I hoped I was for you. Maybe because when I look at you I see that kid back in elementary who was too afraid to stand up for himself, and I want to be close to that?” She all but screamed at me, the hint of hysteria bleeding through her words.

“See, you wanted to keep around a loser to make yourself feel better.” I said, my words sounding just as dead as I felt inside. She just told me she wanted the kid who couldn’t fight his own battles back, she wanted the kid who got bullied so she could feel good about herself. That’s why she stuck around just like I thought.