By Firefish
andrey.jamiefan@proton.me
Copyright 2026 by Firefish, all rights reserved
[5,514 words]
*
* * * *
This
story is intended for adults only. It contains depictions of forced
nudity,
spanking, and sexual activity of preteen and young teen children for
the
purpose of punishment. None of the behaviors in this story should be
attempted
in real life, as that would be harmful and/or illegal. If you are not
of legal age in your community to read or
view
such material, please leave now.
Chapter 2
Camp Sunshine was
as absurd as the name suggested. Brad's new swim trunks were already
inside-out and crumpled, stuffed in his bag as we walked past the
sign-in table and up the steps to the main hall. Our parents followed
behind, their silence like an omen. Inside, activity notices on a
bulletin board pinned us in place. Canoeing, hiking, storytelling,
star-mapping. Both of us suspended there, neither willing to be the
first to look away. In this place, possibility flapped like a caught
moth, tattered and weak but still alive.
"There he is!" Brad's voice shattered the moment as he pointed to a grainy photo on the wall. "Your dad, isn't it?"
In
the photo, the bright yellow letters on the Camp Sunshine sign looked
newer. A boy stood beneath them, towheaded and gangly, like a blond
spider in gym shorts. Beside him, a camp counselor smiled, her whistle
dangling like a predator's tooth. The walls were covered in such
photos, ghosts of summers past. I couldn't remember if I had seen this
one before or if my mother had only described it so often that it felt
familiar.
It must be!" she said, catching up to us, out of
breath and happy to have found a thread in this family tapestry. My
parents had reminisced about Camp Sunshine for years at dinner tables
and family gatherings, yet somehow this was our first actual visit. My
father shifted uncomfortably beside her, as if the photo might also
capture whatever he had been planning to do in life before Camp
Sunshine got its claws into him. His silence said as much as hers.
"This
place is huge!" Brad said, the wide sweep of his arms nearly knocking a
clipboard out of the hands of a tall man behind the reception desk. The
man stepped back, saving his paperwork with a reflexive swiftness.
"Brad,
be careful!" my mother scolded, more out of obligation than actual
concern. She turned to the man with a smile she used to convince other
parents to join the PTA. "I'm sorry. They're just so excited."
The tall man adjusted his glasses. His expression didn't change.
"Welcome to Camp Sunshine," he said, as if reciting from an internal manual. "I trust you had a pleasant journey."
Brad and I exchanged a glance, my parents' avoidance of conversation on the drive still fresh in my mind.
"It
was okay," I said, my eyes drifting back to the notices on the bulletin
board. Sign-up sheets already crowded the edges, some with familiar
titles, others like cryptic promises. From the corner of my vision, I
saw the man step out from behind the desk, clipboard in hand. His
movements were fluid but detached, like a fish adjusting course.
"As your parents are aware," he continued, "Camp Sunshine has certain traditions. These may be unusual for first-time visitors."
I
felt my heart beat faster. A good sign, I thought. Strange enough to
surprise Brad, something I could master before he got his bearings.
Already, I was deciding between archery and canoeing.
"The special nudity rule may be one such tradition," he said.
The
words hit me with physical force. My body went cold, as if I'd dived
back into the lake and forgotten how to surface. I looked at my
parents. My father studied his shoes; my mother opened and closed her
mouth like a fish drowning in air. Neither met my eyes. Brad's face
transformed beside me—first confusion, then understanding, then a slow,
dawning smirk that made my stomach twist. His eyes darted to my crotch
and back to my face. I felt my cheeks burn as I crossed my arms over my
chest, though it was the wrong part of me to hide.
"Excuse me?"
Brad said, his voice at once curious and mocking. He looked at me, then
back at the man, his confidence flickering but not yet extinguished.
"This
rule applies to boys who have not entered puberty or lack pubic hair,"
the man explained, his voice as precise as his handwriting. "They are
required to remain unclothed during their stay."
"Unclothed?" I repeated, my voice thinner than I intended.
"For simplicity," he said. "And tradition."
My
parents stood as still as the faces in the faded camp photos, waiting
for the storm to pass. Brad's eyebrows knitted together, his head
tilting slightly as he glanced between me and the camp manager, clearly
as confused as I was about what was happening. I expected him to laugh,
to make a joke that would explode like fireworks between us. But he
didn't. Instead, his eyes met mine with something new—a questioning
look that seemed to ask: *What the hell is this?* For a brief moment,
we were equals in our bewilderment.
My father shifted his
weight, finally finding his voice. "Which boys does this apply to?" he
asked, though the way his eyes darted away from mine told me he already
knew the answer. He'd been a camper here himself decades ago, had lived
under these same rules, yet now he pretended ignorance, speaking
directly to the Camp Manager as if I weren't even there. The question
rattled with false innocence, like gravel in the gears of a well-oiled
machine.
"As I said, those who have not started puberty or lack
visible pubic hair. We find it less stigmatizing than singling out boys
who might feel different from their peers."
The irony would have
been funny if it wasn't so horrible. Singled out. Different. This was
the very thing I thought I'd escape by coming here, the very shadow I'd
imagined leaving behind. I wanted to laugh, but the sound stuck in my
throat.
"I'm not doing it," I blurted, unable to stop myself
from speaking even though I knew instantly I'd given myself away. The
words sounded like they came from somewhere else, from someone who
believed they could still escape. "I'm fourteen, not some little kid!"
Brad's head snapped toward me, eyebrows raised, his expression a
mixture of surprise and curiosity. He studied my face as if seeing
something new there, watching me with the sudden intensity of a
predator who's spotted weakness in its prey.
"Age is not the determining factor," the Manager replied. "We evaluate based on development."
This
time, I was sure I saw it. A light of understanding crossed Brad's
eyes, his expression shifting like a mask being removed. Not sympathy.
Not pity. Triumph. The first time in our long rivalry that Brad held a
clear advantage. I remembered the embarrassment of Dr. Mendenhall's
office, the exact same questions, the exact same humiliations. But
here, for once, not the exact same outcome.
The Manager turned to his clipboard, the matter settled in his mind. "Is this going to be a problem?"
My
parents exchanged looks. My father shifted from one foot to the other,
the wooden floor creaking beneath him. "We'll have to talk it over," he
said at last.
I backed away from the desk, stumbling against a
chair. Brad watched me, the slight curl of his lips saying what he
hadn't dared to voice: for once, Trent couldn't match him.
I felt trapped, exposed even while still clothed. "I'm not a late bloomer. This is ridiculous!"
The Manager sighed and made a note on his clipboard. "We can address this before proceeding with check-in."
The
room seemed to close in on me, the faded photos watching like silent
judges. In the stunned silence, I heard the desperate edge in my voice,
the tremble in my hands, the panicked rhythm of my own heart. The
distance between us stretched in a new, horrifying way, and there was
nothing I could do to catch up.
Camp Manager's eyes locked on
me, his precision sharper than scalpels. "Trent, perhaps you could
demonstrate right now?" My body turned to wood, rigid and numb. "Simply
undress. This will only take a moment." My breath felt distant,
separate. "No way," I finally managed, my words shaking like frail
leaves. "Not doing that here." Brad shifted his weight, loose and
cocky, arms crossed in victory. My parents exchanged helpless glances,
their loyalty as suspect as the faded camp photos on the walls.
"Trent," my father said, his voice cutting like a bone saw. "You need
to follow the camp rules."
I stood there, disbelief widening
like a bruise inside me. In a sickening flash, I understood why Mom had
insisted on those medical check-ups for both Brad and me right before
vacation—the doctor's lingering glance, his notes, the hushed
conversation with my parents in the hallway. They'd been checking which
of us would fall under this humiliating rule. My skin felt tight and
wrong, too thin to hold all the anger and shame and helplessness
swelling beneath it. In all my fantasies of standing apart from Brad,
of being special, of not matching him, I'd never imagined this. My
father shifted again, uneasy on the uneven floorboards, waiting for me
to give in.
"I'm not doing it," I repeated. The words felt
hollow and uncertain now, like a lie I couldn't quite believe myself.
My voice cracked on the last syllable, echoing in the silence of the
room.
"Trent, honey," my mother started, her tone painfully sweet and insubstantial, "it's only for a couple of weeks."
"I don't care!" I shot back. "It's stupid!"
"It's
camp policy," the Manager said, ignoring the rising tension in my
voice, the way it splintered into a million tiny pieces. "Most boys
find it quite liberating."
Most boys weren't fourteen. Most boys
didn't have cousins with green eyes and smug expressions, leaning
against reception desks with their arms folded, watching every
humiliating moment. Brad looked from me to our parents, gauging their
reactions with a curiosity that bordered on pleasure.
I
remembered a time in the backyard at Christmas, a challenge we'd
devised to test who could stay shirtless the longest in the bitter
cold. I was sure I'd won, even as we both dashed inside, blue-lipped
and shaking. Our mothers wrapped us in identical quilts and declared us
equally insane. I'd been angry at the time, desperate for a decisive
win. Now I longed for that easy equality, anything but this gaping,
monstrous distance.
"I'm fourteen!" I insisted, as if saying it
louder would change anything. "This is supposed to be fun, not
some—some freak show!"
"We're not forcing you to attend," the
Manager replied with calculated indifference. "But if you wish to
remain, you will have to comply."
My mother and father looked at
each other, their expressions hardening. Dad's jaw clenched, the muscle
twitching beneath his skin. Mom's fingers drummed against her crossed
arms. I felt a sudden, wild hope fade as quickly as it had appeared.
"Trent,"
my father said, his voice dropping to that dangerous quiet I'd never
heard directed at me before, "if you don't want a spanking right here
in front of everyone, you'd better start obeying. Now."
I stared
at him, mouth dry. In fourteen years, he'd never once threatened to hit
me. The ground seemed to tilt beneath my feet as I realized: they
weren't my allies against Brad anymore
."It's not like you'll be the only one," my mother added, not helping in the least.
I
stared at her, at the earnest attempt to be supportive without really
understanding. Behind her, a photo showed another boy, decades younger
than my father, dressed in nothing but a camp-issued hat. Was this
where my future lay, stripped of everything, even dignity?
"It's just for the summer," she went on. "After that—"
After
that, they were thinking, the next big crisis in Trent's life will have
come along, and this will be nothing more than another funny story. An
anecdote to trot out at holidays, when Brad had gone on to medical
school and I was still scrambling to catch up.
"And if we have
any issues with the other children, we will adjust accordingly," the
Manager said, glancing again at his clipboard. He didn't write anything
this time, just kept his pen poised over the paper like a weapon, ready
to strike.
My vision blurred with anger or tears, or both. "It's
not fair!" I choked out, knowing how childish I sounded, how exactly
like the little kid they all assumed I was.
Brad cleared his
throat, an exaggerated cough of barely concealed amusement. "Wow,
Trent," he said, his tone light and superior. "I always knew you were
one of a kind, but I didn't realize just how special you are."
I
wanted to hit him. I wanted to scream and hit him and run out into the
trees, run so far and fast that they wouldn't be able to find me or
catch me, that they wouldn't be able to laugh and look and compare.
"You might find that being unique has its advantages," the Manager said, as if reading my thoughts, or worse, confirming them.
"We
should let you get settled," my mother said, her words brittle with
forced optimism. "The first day of camp is always the hardest."
The
note of finality in her voice made my hands tremble with anger. Or
fear. Or both. But this was not going to be the same as always, and I
was not going to be complicit in my own humiliation.
The Manager
checked his watch, then glanced toward the door where a family with two
younger boys was already waiting. hurry up to follow the
rules," he said, no longer looking at me, dismissing me with a flick of
his clipboard. "We need to complete your registration quickly. There
are other arrivals."
The fading photos stared from the walls. Brad stared from across the room. And still, no one moved.
"Trent," my father said, his voice a taut wire. "We want you to have a good time. But you need to follow the camp rules."
I couldn't breathe. My words escaped, cracked and jagged and as alone as I felt.
"I'm not a late bloomer. This is ridiculous!"
My
mother placed her hand on my father's arm. I couldn't tell if she was
comforting him or stopping him from saying something he'd regret,
something I'd never forget.
Mom's hand landed on my shoulder, a
weight that felt like both comfort and restraint. "We'll be in the
car," she said, as if we hadn't come in together, as if the separation
had already begun. I glanced around the reception area, suddenly aware
of the fifteen or so people who seemed to have paused their own
check-ins to watch my humiliation unfold. Every pair of eyes felt like
needles on my skin. My last defiant words hung in the air like smoke,
like accusations, like lies I couldn't keep believing. And there I
stood, arms crossed over my still-covered chest, alone in a new way.
Alone, despite Brad still there, watching me with that superior,
predatory gaze that said he'd finally found the one difference between
us that mattered.
The Manager looked up from his clipboard. His eyes said he knew exactly how this would end.
Chapter 3
The
reception area was a tomb, its air hollowed out by waiting and shame.
Brad's eyes glued me to the spot, anticipating my fall. I stood there,
my heart a caged thing battering against my ribs, my thoughts a
spiraling storm. Strip, the words hammered through me. Strip, or this
vacation is over. Strip, or the car leaves without you. Strip, or miss
out on summer entirely. My hands were not my own as they rose to the
buttons of my shirt. With each flick of my fingers, my resolve shrank,
my face flamed hotter.
"We're serious, Trent," my father said, his voice hard enough to cut. "You must do it now."
Brad leaned back against the desk, his casual pose a mockery. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at anyone.
"We
know this is difficult," my mother added, more tentative but just as
firm. "But the rules are the rules. We can still call this whole thing
off."
Call it off. The words sank into me like stones, pulling
me down, forcing me to move. I peeled the shirt off and threw it to the
floor, my smooth, hairless armpits now exposed to the cool air and
Brad's scrutiny. His gaze pierced through me like a hot brand,
lingering deliberately on the childish bareness where adult hair should
have been.
My father's voice sharpened. "That's it, keep going,"
he said, glancing at the line forming behind us. "Hurry up now, Trent.
Other people are waiting."?"
My hands were shaking. My breath
was a thin, panicked thing. I yanked off my sneakers, my socks,
revealing ankles as smooth as a child's. My pants followed, exposing
legs that betrayed me with their complete absence of hair—pale, bare
skin that might as well have screamed my humiliating secret to the
room. Each piece of clothing stripped away left me smaller, weaker,
less certain of who I was.
"You can do this, Trent," my mother
said, her voice catching like a scratch in an old record. "Just get it
over with, and you'll see it isn't so bad."
Get it over with. I
fumbled at the waistband of my underwear, my fingers trembling so badly
I could barely grip the elastic. Brad's eyes narrowed, his lips curling
into a half-smile that made my stomach clench. I hesitated, trapped
between the horror of being stripped of everything and the shame of
backing down. The elastic felt like a vice around my hips, squeezing
the last of my courage from me. Brad leaned forward slightly, his
expression shifting from amusement to hungry anticipation. My heart
hammered against my ribs as I hooked my thumbs under the band. With a
final, desperate motion, I shoved them down, exposing my small,
undeveloped penis and smooth, hairless groin to the cold air and Brad's
widening eyes. I stepped out and away from my underwear as if they were
a snake I needed to escape, painfully aware of how my pale, skinny legs
trembled and how my childish body betrayed me in front of my cousin who
had clearly already begun to mature. Not a single hair visible anywhere
below my neck—just smooth, bare skin announcing my humiliating lack of
development to everyone in the room.
I stood there, utterly
exposed, the air a cold knife against my skin. My hands moved
instinctively, cupping the small, hairless failure between my legs. No
signs of puberty, they'd said. No development. Now everyone could see
it was true. I cupped my hands over myself, desperate for any shred of
dignity. The Manager cleared his throat. "That's not allowed here. No
touching yourself in public areas." His words fell like stones. Brad
stood taller, shoulders back, his face transformed by a smirk that
stretched from ear to ear. With burning cheeks and trembling limbs, I
forced my hands to my sides, leaving everything exposed to their
merciless stares. Brad's eyes gleamed with the unmistakable light of
victory, like a boxer who had just knocked out his lifelong rival in
the first round.
"You did the right thing," my father said, but there was something uneasy in his voice, as if even he wasn't sure anymore.
The Manager barely glanced up from his clipboard. "Shall I proceed with the registration?"
My mother nodded, her relief so thick I could feel it suffocating me. Brad's relief, I knew, came from a different place.
The
Manager reached under the desk, his movements as mechanical as
clockwork, and pulled out a green wristband. It was identical to the
one I'd seen on Brad, but when he placed it on the counter, he didn't
let go. The plastic band—marking me as part of the 14-16 age group,
allowing me access to the older boys' activities and facilities—seemed
to mock me with its implications of privilege. Unlike Brad, I would
wear it without the dignity of clothes.
"One more thing," he said, returning to his cabinet of horrors. "For campers who initially resist our policies."
I watched, frozen, as he produced a second wristband. Red. Bright and unmistakable, the color of every angry thing inside me.
"This," he said, laying it beside the green band, "is a Discipline Band."
The words hung in the air, a new kind of threat, a new kind of humiliation.
I
couldn't speak. My throat felt raw, sandpapered by the effort of not
breaking down. I had gone through with it, stripped down to nothing,
and still, it wasn't enough. The green band mocked me with its
sameness. The red band condemned me with its difference.
"You
may remove it once we feel you are fully complying," the Manager
continued, ignoring the horror on my face, the triumph on Brad's.
"Which can happen as soon as you wish. It's entirely up to you."
My mother shifted her weight, her smile so forced it looked painful. "See? Nothing to it."
Nothing
to it. And yet everything to it, everything that I dreaded and feared
and fought against, all laid bare in a single excruciating moment.
Brad's eyes shone with an amusement he could barely conceal. "Welcome to camp, Trent."
The Manager nodded once, satisfied. I stayed frozen, waiting for the earth to swallow me whole.
I
was still naked and still waiting for the earth to swallow me when the
real humiliation began. My fear and stress were so overwhelming that my
penis had practically disappeared, leaving only the tiny glans peeking
out from my foreskin like a frightened animal retreating into its
burrow. My parents conferred with the Manager, their words like
scalpels, sharp and precise. "Someone needs to be in charge of the
Discipline Band," he said, while I stood exposed and invisible. My
father hesitated; my mother looked as if she might take pity. But when
she suggested Brad, the truth was inevitable and brutal as blood. "Very
well," the Manager concluded. "Brad will have authority." It was a
sentence. And a life sentence.
"Brad?" I repeated, the word catching in my throat like a hook. "You're letting Brad—"
My father glanced at me, then quickly away. "He's the best option. We'll be in and out with other things."
"He'll
make sure you stay out of trouble," my mother added, trying to smooth
over the devastation they were leaving in their wake.
The Manager turned to Brad, his expression unreadable. "Are you prepared to take responsibility for Trent's Discipline Band?"
Beside
me, Brad straightened, his surprise quickly replaced by an eager
determination. "Yes," he said, not even bothering to conceal the
triumph in his voice. "I can handle it."
I stood there, the red band a brand against my skin. "This is insane," I muttered. "You can't let him do this."
The
Manager fixed his eyes on me, colder than I'd ever seen. "Your cousin
now has authority to ensure your compliance. This includes discipline,
should you resist again."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My hands trembled with the effort of holding back the rage and panic rising inside me.
Brad's voice carried a smugness I wanted to wipe from his face. "You mean I can punish him if he doesn't listen?"
"Correct. The band serves as a reminder of who is in charge."
Brad glanced at me, his eyes bright with this new power. "What kind of punishments?"
The
Manager paused, letting the possibilities sink into me like venom. "All
our campers know the consequences for misbehavior. A common penalty is
spanking."
The word echoed through my skull, bringing with it a
fresh wave of disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Not only was I
stripped of every shred of dignity, but now Brad was the one holding
the whip.
He laughed, a sound as light as it was cruel. "Sounds like fun."
"Don't worry, cousin," Brad said, leaning in close enough to cut. "I'll take good care of you."
The Manager didn't blink. "Trent must understand there are consequences for rebellion. This will help him learn."
Brad
looked like Christmas had come early. My parents looked relieved to
have the responsibility off their hands. And I was left standing there,
naked and powerless, the ground crumbling away beneath my feet.
The
wristbands felt tight, suffocating, each marking me in a different way.
The green for my pathetic lack of development. The red for my pathetic
lack of compliance. I had never imagined the balance between us could
tilt so far, so quickly.
"I expect you to keep me informed of any issues," the Manager said to Brad.
"I will," Brad replied, already tasting the victory.
This
was not the summer I had imagined. This was not the life I had
imagined. My hands moved from one indignity to the next, clutching my
exposed body, trying to cover the worst of it.
The Manager
pulled out a final sheet of paper, setting it before my parents with
the same indifferent efficiency. "You'll need to sign, acknowledging
the change in authority."
My father took the pen, hesitating only briefly before making it official. "I think this is best, Trent."
I
couldn't speak. My voice had abandoned me, fled along with every other
shred of who I thought I was. Brad's grin widened as he watched my
world collapse.
I wanted to protest, to demand some last piece
of justice. But what words could reach them now? They'd made their
decision, and it had already marched out of earshot, leaving me behind
to catch up if I could.
The Manager secured the bands around my
wrist, red first, then green, their colors glaring against my skin,
against everything I wanted to be.
"You're all set," he said, turning back to his desk, dismissing me entirely.
Brad walked ahead, the picture of triumph, his clothes bright as his future. And I, nothing but a defeated shadow, followed.
The
moment I stepped out of the reception building, the sun hit my naked
skin like a spotlight. I froze, my lungs seizing as dozens of eyes
turned toward me. A group of fully-clothed campers stared openly, their
whispers cutting through the air. My parents headed toward our parked
car, keys jingling, when Brad cleared his throat. "Actually," he said,
"Trent and I could walk to the bungalow. Start exploring the camp?" My
mother beamed at this show of cousin bonding. "What a wonderful idea!"
My father nodded, already climbing into the driver's seat. And just
like that, I was abandoned. The walk stretched before me like a
nightmare. My bare feet flinched against the rough gravel path, each
step sending jolts up myexposed legs, which felt scrawny and pale
compared to Brad's athletic calves. Every step reminded me of my
nakedness, how my small, shriveled penis seemed to retreat further into
my body with each passing stranger, how my testicles tightened against
the cool air, how utterly vulnerable and undeveloped I felt. I hunched
forward, hands trembling as they cupped over my genitals, then dropped
them when I remembered the Manager's stern warning that covering myself
was forbidden, then desperately covered myself again as a group of
girls rounded the corner. Sweat beaded across my chest and back despite
the cool air. Brad strutted twenty paces ahead, his confident gait and
squared shoulders making his t-shirt pull tight across his back. He
kept glancing over his shoulder, smirking. "Checkmate, cousin," he
called out, loud enough for nearby campers to hear. "Look at you—naked
as a baby bird." His eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of total
victory. I shuffled along, red-faced and exposed, my legs leaden, my
stomach churning with each new person who appeared on the path. A sob
caught in my throat as I felt their stares drilling into every inch of
my hairless skin, their whispers and snickers like physical blows. Brad
slowed, letting me catch up just enough to whisper, "Finally, I win.
You, completely exposed. Me, completely in control." The
wristbands—green and red—seemed to pulse against my skin, broadcasting
my humiliation to everyone we passed. Behind me, the reception area
shrank into memory. Ahead, the camp sprawled like an accusation. Trails
twisted off into the trees. Cabins lined the paths, their windows
reflecting my defeat.
I ducked my head, my hair falling in wet,
shameful tangles. If I couldn't see them, I could pretend they couldn't
see me. But they could. Of course they could. The green band around my
wrist told them everything. I was the only teenager marked for the
nudity rule. The only one stripped of more than just clothing.
I
passed a group of smaller boys, clustered around a tetherball pole.
They wore nothing but blue wristbands, their carefree yells and
laughter a constant background noise. I watched them from the corner of
my eye, hoping to blend in, to look like one of them. But they were
younger, much younger. Seven, maybe eight years old. They didn't even
notice me as I scurried past.
Further on, I spotted a few boys
with yellow bands, slightly older. Ten or eleven, their skinny arms and
legs pale in the sun. Even they seemed more at ease with their
nakedness than I was. None of them wore green. None of them were old
enough to make my disgrace complete.
A group of teenage girls
walked by, their hair in ponytails, their shorts and tank tops bright
and summery. They glanced at me, then at each other, then back at me.
One of them giggled. Another covered her mouth and whispered something
I couldn't hear but felt all the same.
I ducked behind a row of
trees, trying to escape the barrage of eyes and laughter. But even
there, I wasn't safe. A family with younger children crossed my path,
and I had to stop, had to wait for them to pass, had to stand there
exposed and burning with each awkward second.
Everywhere I
turned, I saw faces. Each one seemed to know, seemed to understand
exactly why I was in this miserable state. Even the other adults looked
my way with an uncomfortable sympathy that was worse than the mockery.
And all the while, Brad walked ahead in his shorts and t-shirt, leading
the way like a conquering hero.
We were nearly to the bungalow
when he stopped, waiting for me to catch up. "Better hurry, Trent," he
called, his voice light with amusement. "You're falling behind."
I
scrambled to cover the last distance, nearly tripping in my haste. The
screen door banged shut behind my parents as they went inside. They
didn't look back. They didn't wait.
"Right this way," Brad said, holding the door with exaggerated politeness as I rushed through.
I
didn't stop. I didn't care what they saw. I grabbed a towel from the
bathroom and wrapped it around myself, clinging to it like a lifeline,
hoping for at least a moment of dignity.
But it was too much to
hope for. My mother appeared in the hallway, her expression a mix of
sympathy and resolve. "You know you can't keep that, Trent," she said
gently, reaching to take it from me. "Remember the rules."
I
held on, unwilling to give it up, unable to face what lay ahead.
"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking like an old, sad thing.
She took the towel, and my last defense crumbled with it.
"Try to relax," she said. "You'll get used to it."
Used
to it. I felt the rage and helplessness boiling inside me as she turned
away, leaving me alone in my humiliation. Alone in my nakedness. Alone
in this place where nothing was as I imagined, where everything was
worse than I feared.
I stared at the closed door, at the faint
reflection of myself in the window, at the two glaring bands around my
wrist. They would regret this. They would see. I would find a way to
make them understand what they'd done, to show them how wrong they were
to put me through this.
"This isn't over," I whispered to the
empty room, the empty camp, the empty hope. "I'll find a way out of
this humiliation if it's the last thing I do."