Chatterbox: Inkwell

Part Three

This was supposed to be longer, but I decided to just post what I had so far. Okay, here we go. Also, this might be weirdly formatted since I typed this on Word. Just read it... 

Recap: The CBers were just leaving the fireworks show.

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This camp was unmistakably disgusting.

Literally – the floors weren’t even floors. They were the
ground. That’s right – just packed dirt everywhere, from wall to wall. Apparently,
basic hygienic skills were not required here, which the Chatterboxers found out
the second they arrived at this so-called “camp.”

“Um.” True was the first to step into the dilapidated
building, and instantly regretted it. Her luggage dropped to the ground,
thudding, as she surveyed the first room, which was made up of plain brick
walls, six bunk beds that seemed to be falling apart, and a small notepad and
a pencil resting atop a wooden desk covered in a thick layer of dust.

“Well, it’s certainly…uh, old-timey,” True commented slowly
to herself, picking up her bags and carrying them over to a bunk bed. She began
to set them down on top, but thought better of it, since it might collapse from
the weight, and stuffed them in a corner.

Nora the Singer, Butterfly, Nina, Stellarbee, and Melody
swung open the heavy door to the same cabin and trooped into the room.

“Camp time,” Nina sang cheerily, but abruptly stopped when
she took in the sight. “Oh.”

“What the…” Melody raised her eyebrows in horror. “This is what I’ve been waiting for all
school year? This is the CB Camp
everyone was talking about? This is
it? Are you kidding me?”

“I know,” Stellarbee whispered in awe. “It’s…it’s beautiful!”

“Beautiful?” Nora the Singer and Nina demanded in unison.

“It’s horrible!” Butterfly added. “This is so unfair!”

Nora the Singer stomped across the room angrily and came to
a halt at the desk. “Oh, what’s this? A pencil and paper, huh? Oh, no need to
supply us; I’ll just write in this dust!”

“Calm down,” True commanded. “It’s not so bad.”

“Oh, it’s bad,” Melody countered. “Where’s the spa? And the
sushi bar?”

Nina stared at her blankly.

“A girl can dream,” Melody muttered. “Don’t judge me.”

“Okay, we need to do something about this,” Butterfly
decided. “Those fireworks were beautiful tonight, and the camp gave us that.
They can definitely do better than this.”

“I bet they give the fireworks display to welcome you,” Nora
the Singer remarked. “And then, when you think, ‘Oh, this camp is so wonderful,’
and whatever, they surprise you with…this!”

“This sucks,” Melody agreed.

“I love it!” Stellarbee exclaimed. “It’s like we’re living
in the olden days!”

“I don’t want to live in the olden days!” Butterfly wailed.

“Okay, hold your horses,” Nora the Singer scolded. “Wait.
Butterfly. What were you saying?”

“Huh?”

“About the camp.”

“Um, that it can do way better than this? Seriously. Like,
these beds could break if we so much as touched them! And these walls? Dark
green is so out of style! And…”

“Shhhhh,” Nora the Singer hissed. “Someone’s coming. We’ll
talk later.”

Footsteps padded the ground outside, growing louder and
louder until the door finally opened.

“Admin?” Nina asked, confused.

“Hey, guys.” A tall, thin man with sandy hair and thick dark
blue glasses stepped into the room. “Um, how are you liking your cabin so far?”

“Oh. Um, it’s nice,” True answered uncertainly.

“It’s very…authentic,” Nora the Singer tried.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” Admin raked a finger through his
hair. “It’s terrible. See, the people who were selling the campsite told us on
the phone that it was a bit old-fashioned, and we figured it’d be, you know,
quaint and everything. We didn’t expect it to be like this.”

“Well, it’s…it’s not your fault,” Butterfly assured him. “I
guess…well, yeah, it’s not what we expected either.”

“Also, um, are you sure this is safe?” Melody pressed. “Like,
those beds look unstable.”

“They’re fine,” Admin replied. “We checked. Anyway, we’ll discuss
this tomorrow. It’s very late. Good night.”