He was in cabin number eight, and by an extreme stroke of luck, so was Finn. The hour they'd spent together had built a bond between them that Dan usually avoided with other people. Of course, it was probably just the alcohol in his system, making his judgement a bit hazy. But Finn was fun.

There were four campers to a cabin, and Finn had told him, unfortunately, that most campers didn't arrive until the next day, so his theory about having the camp hopefully empty was shattered. Two other guys he'd have to spend more time than necessary with, what more could he ask for.

"This is gonna be good for you, I'm sure of it," his mum said, repeating the same mantra from last week as she hugged him goodbye. "We'll see you at the end of August, and we'll come visit on your birthday and everything." His eighteenth birthday, and he'd be stuck in exile here.

"Okay," he said; he'd just come to accept his fate as quietly and non-dramatically as possible. It was better that way. "See you then."

They both hugged him, longer and more uncomfortably than anytime before, then climbed in their car and drove off. He watched until the tail lights were nothing but red pinpoints in the distance.

It was a lot darker than before, the sky a dusky purple that would be pretty if he could focus long enough on it. He was exhausted, weirdly enough; his sleep schedule was so fucked at this point, he'd be surprised if he ever managed to knock anytime before midnight.

"So it's just us tonight, I'm afraid," Finn said when he stepped into their cabin. "But at least we can whisper all our secrets to each other." Dan rolled his eyes and moved to start unpacking. Better do it now, because he wouldn't have the motivation to do it later.

The cabins were a lot nicer than he'd been imagining, no dirty floors or bunk beds or screen windows. The walls were a dark blue and the sheets were clean; there was definitely enough room to house four people, but it didn't seem like it would be a very comfortable fit, if they were all gonna be the same size as Dan and Finn.

"How come people wait until the next day to show up?" Dan asked, stuffing his clothes into one of the small dressers by the door; he was sharing with Finn. "I mean, doesn't registration end today?"

"Technically, yes," Finn said in a bored voice. "But those kids have been going here so long, they can bend the rules a little. Totally unfair, I think, complete nepotism, but that's life, yeah?"

"God," Dan looked over at him with a smirk, "you're not gonna be one of those insufferable hipsters, are you? Complaining about life and death and the stars every night?"

He ducked as Finn threw a pillow at him, laughing. "Shut the fuck up, you prick. It's called being educated, on real life matters."

"And annoying." Dan threw the pillow back at him. "You have any idea who our other two roommates will be?"

"Not a clue." Great. He hated going into things blindly, even if it eventually wouldn't matter. "I'm sure we'll get to know them at the bonfire tomorrow night, though."

"Bonfire?" Just what he needed, more fire. Exactly the reason he was here in the first place.

"Yep, simultaneously the best and worst part of the whole Camp Overfell experience." Finn waved his arms dramatically. "You've got your booze and they usually play good music, but there's just something so irritating about sitting in a group of people your own age, like you're all best friends."

Dan stood and moved to his bed, the one closest to the door. Not that it would mean anything, if some crazy axe murderer burst through it and blocked his exit. "Then why should we go?"

"Mandatory." Possibly the worst word in existence. "As long as you frown a lot and keep your shoulders hunched, people shouldn't bother you that much."

"Finally, something I'm good at."

Finn laughed and turned into his side so his back was facing Dan. "Never thought I'd say this at ten p.m., but goodnight, I'm fucking wiped out."

"Night," Dan said, laying out across his own bed. The day had been long and stressful, transitioning into this hellhole, and he was sure that the next day wouldn't be any better. But he'd be more prepared. Finn seemed like a substantial guide to the ins and outs of this place.

He shut off the light and climbed under the covers, and despite the constant noise of the millions of disgusting insects that seemed to live right outside the door, eventually fell asleep.

***

The door burst open and slammed against the wall, and Dan jolted awake, ready to bolt from whatever threat was accosting them at such an early hour. Seriously, the sun wasn't even completely up yet.

But it was just two teenage boys, laughing at their reactions and making as much noise as possible. Finn looked just as angry and sleep deprived as he felt across the room.

"Sorry," one of the strangers said in the most unapologetic tone ever. "Didn't think you'd still be asleep."

"Oh, fuck you, Livens," Finn said, but his cutthroat attitude was interrupted by a large yawn. The guy who'd spoken, a blonde and muscular kid, laughed again and set his bags on the floor next to one of the two remains beds.

"Got a newbie this year?" He said, and Dan realized they were talking about him. Awesome, more social interaction. Where was death when he needed it? "I'm Emery, eighteen, Sagittarius." He stuck out his hand with a broad smile, and Dan stared back at him blankly, not moving. "Alright, then."

The other guy, a tall and lanky teenager with dark hair, hadn't said anything at all since arriving, had only moved to start unpacking. Dan noticed he'd brought his own blanket and pillows. Smart move, actually.

"And that loner over there is Phil, the emo of the camp," Emery provided happily, ignoring the middle finger he received in return. "He doesn't talk much, but you'll find that's best; definitely a weird one."

"This is why you have no friends, Em," Phil said darkly, shoving his bags under the bed and walking past him out of the door again.

"He's lying, I do have friends."

"Nice to know," Dan said. He realized Finn had fallen asleep again, snoring loudly; there was no way he could go back to sleep now, he was too alert and wound up. "What time is it?"

Emery was undressing, pulling on pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. "Almost seven; breakfast doesn't start for another hour and a half, so I'm gonna catch some Z's while I can. Nice meeting you."

Dan mumbled in reply and untangled himself clumsily from the bed sheets.

He was less than reluctant to try out the showers here, but was either that or bathe in the lake, and he was certain that would be frowned upon. Not that he wouldn't have minded being sent home right now; his parents probably wouldn't be so happy.

It was medium sized room with about twenty stalls on each side. It looked clean enough, but Dan still watched his step across the linoleum floor.

It was possibly the quickest shower he'd ever taken, barely washing himself in an attempt to get out as soon as he could. It was still early, but he was paranoid that other people would start arriving at any moment, and he wasn't very fond of showing off his body just yet. All the other guys he'd seen so far had been much more filled out, and his skinny arms looked like a joke in comparison.

He stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, and nearly ran into Phil, the quiet and nearly hostile cabin mate from before.

"Oh shit, sorry," he said, taking a step back out of his personal space. "I didn't know anyone else was in here." He noted happily that Phil was just as skinny as himself, but also unhappily, that it looked better on him. He was attractive.

"Obviously." The angry word snapped Dan out of his runaway thoughts, and he looked back up from Phil's chest to his face, and the bored look he was wearing. What the hell was his problem?

Phil pushed past him and left, slamming the door shut as he went and leaving Dan staring after him in shock and agitation.

His first day here, and he was already making enemies.

***

Emery was actually a pretty cool guy, once you got to know him; he talked a lot and told a lot of horrible jokes, but he did liven up the dead atmosphere. A little. He was toeing the between fun and obnoxious.

"So, why did you decide to grace the great Overfell with your presence?" He was sprawled out across the grass, shirtless and claiming to be 'working on his tan'. And okay, maybe Dan snuck a couple of glances at his very well-defined stomach, towards the sharp angle of his hips where his shorts sat low on his waist. A hormonal teenage boy surrounded by other fit boys, you couldn't expect him to keep his eyes to himself.

"I didn't come here of my own free will, trust me," he said, stretching his legs out across the ground. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was beating down on him like a goddamn oven, but it still wasn't enough to make him change out of his jeans and black shirt. "There were some...complications back home. And my parents thought going to this wholesome family camp would help straighten me out."

"Ah, so we have a criminal in our midst."

"Why does your immediate conclusion jump to 'criminal'?"

"Leave him alone, Em," Finn spoke up from the doorway of their cabin. He was dressed pretty much the same as Emery, except with a towel around his neck. "Let him keep his deep dark secrets."

Dan bit his lip. God, they weren't deep or dark, nowhere near it. He'd known these guys for all of a day, was it a crime not wanting to open up to them completely? Plus, Phil was sitting close by as well, and he'd already managed to make him angry once today; something about the guy made Dan hesitant about everything he did, like it would be the wrong thing and he would get mad again. A stupid thought to have, but it was there.

"The bonfire's gonna start in an hour," Finn continued, thankfully switching topics and crossing his legs as he sat down next to Dan, leaning back on his hands.

"An hour?" Dan asked in confusion; it was barely five o'clock. "Don't you think it's a bit early to be starting fires?"

All three of them gave him weird glances before seeming to remember he was the only one who hadn't been going here for years, and therefore wouldn't know anything about this place. Or how they did things.

"Well, the actual bonfire doesn't start until about eight, or until it gets dark, whichever comes first," Finn explained patiently. "They like to do this whole pre-blaze party, let the new campers get used to everyone and everything. It's sort of lame, but everyone will be there."

"You have to be there," Emery picked up, eyes still closed. "Otherwise they'll come looking for you and make you jump in the lake naked."

Dan gave him a sharp look. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." He was grinning widely, and pointed over at Phil. "Just ask him."

Phil gave him a look that told him to do anything but ask him, and Dan backed off. "Seems kind of cruel, don't you think?"

"It's hilarious to watch, not to take part in," Finn said. "No matter how hot it gets, the lake is always freezing, and tramping through it in your birthday suit is less than ideal, I've already told you that, right?" And yeah, he had.

So an hour later, he was following them across the camp grounds, towards a large clear area already filled with too many kids. He hadn't seen much of the camp itself, and had only met his three cabin mates so far, and the number of people that were gathered in that one space, plus the steady stream of them that were still arriving, was enough to make him hunch into himself. It was like school, but outside and with more chances to humiliate himself.

"That's my sister over there," Finn said to him, pointing to a tall brunette wearing a bikini top and a pair of shorts that didn't leave much to the imagination. Pretty much all the girls were dressed this way, but Dan wasn't as interested as most of the other guys, for more reasons than one. Emery had already gone to socialize.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Dan nodded towards Phil, who'd also left to go and stand by one of the long tables on the outer edge of the clearing. "What's up with him? Phil."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's a bit rude, yeah?" Dan shook his head. "I just-- I ran into him earlier, in the showers, and...god, maybe I'm freaking out over nothing. Just seems like he doesn't like me much."

"He barely knows you, he can't already hate you," Finn said disbelievingly. "Maybe he's just in a bad mood or something. You should go talk to him."

"I feel like that would piss him off even more."

"Well, have fun standing over here like a loner, than, I'm gonna go see what these guys are up to," Finn said happily, giving him a quick wave before jogging of towards a group of campers engaged in some sort of drinking game he'd never seen before. He had a lot to learn, apparently.

Maybe he should go talk to him. They had gotten off on the wrong foot, and though Dan didn't normally care about what others thought of him, this was different. This guy didn't even have a valid reason for being such an asshole to him, they didn't know each other at all. And it was new, having someone be so abrasive to him directly to his face; he was used to people talking behind his back, this was different.

And he was starting to get strange looks from people passing by. So he gathered the small amount of sociability he had left and made his way towards the table.

"Hey," he said quickly, looking down at the tabletop as he stopped in front of Phil. There was a container full of ice and drinks, cans of soda, and he grabbed one so he'd have something to do with his hands beside fumble.

Phil stared at him curiously for a long moment before accepting his presence. "Hi." Only the third thing Dan had heard him say since this morning, and he still managed to sound entirely indifferent. He had a nice voice though, which wasn't a weird thing to notice, was it? A lot of people had nice voices. "I guess I should apologize."

Ah, so he had realized he was being an asshole. "What for?" Dan asked, feigning ignorance, but Phil smiled at him like he didn't buy it.

"I know I was being a dick earlier, and I'm sorry," he said sincerely, grabbing his own drink and taking a sip from it. "I wasn't in the greatest of moods. Some stuff came up, and I had to leave before I could deal with it, and...I took it out on you. Well, on most everyone I've talked to today, but you especially."

Dan nodded; he could understand that. "It's fine, I guess. Just, not the best first impression, you know?"

"I know." He smile down at his hands, his hair sweeping into his face and covering his eyes. "So, your first year here, then. How do you like it so far?"

Dan laughed. "Well, I'll be honest, I'm pretty pessimistic and misanthropic for someone who looks as non-threatening as me," he said, and Phil raised an eyebrow, "but it's not as horrible an experiencing as I was hoping. Not saying I wouldn't rather be home right now....but I can live with it."

"Wow, such a glowing review." Phil shook his head in sarcastic awe. "I've never heard more beautiful words."

"Shut up." Dan rolled his eyes with a smile. "It's only the first day, who knows what'll happen?"

And they talked for hours. He didn't keep track of the time, he just knew the sky was steadily growing darker and the giant crowd that surrounded them was growing more rambunctious, and they never ran out of words to say. People would come up and say hi to Phil, pat him on the back and try and drag him away, but Phil always declined, saying he was in the middle of something, and that made Dan feel mightily important, for some goddamn reason.

He was like a completely different person than the jerk Dan had run into that morning, and he almost had the sneaking suspicion that he was some kind of more amiable clone.

"Guess they're starting," Phil said suddenly, looking away to where a group of kids had gathered and were messing with stuff that Dan couldn't see, but a few minutes later, there was a tall fire burning, reaching above the heads of most of the campers around it.

"I just realized I've never seen an actual bonfire," Dan voiced loudly over the noise of everything. Classroom fires didn't count, did they?

"Well there you go, then. Not that special, really," Phil said, but Dan was transfixed by the flames; it was pretty ordinary, but the orange and red and white of it was hypnotic in its own way, dancing on its own. "So how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Dan said, tearing his gaze from the light and focusing on Phil again. He had to blink the bright spots from his vision. "I'll be eighteen in a couple weeks, though."

Phil opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when Finn suddenly reappeared in front of them, wearing a devilish smirk and a girls bikini top around the front of his shirt. "Hey, a bunch of us are going into the forest, you guys wanna join?" He held up two cases of beer. "Drinks provided."

"I thought it was mandatory to be here," Dan asked uncertainly.

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, but they've already taken roll; won't notice if a few of us going missing, as long as we're back by curfew."

It was practically dark out by now, and Dan stared at the trees with a guarded look. He didn't do well with trees, and he absolutely hated them at night. He'd probably have a fucking panic attack in there, or something equally embarrassing.

"I'm in," Phil said, and turned to give him and expectant smile. "Dan?"

He wouldn't be alone. That would be okay, he supposed, there would be other people there, and no evil spirits would attack him if he wasn't alone. That was a fact.

"Okay, yeah, sounds good."

***

a/n: oh god this chapter was so long, what am i even doing with my life. but this story is gonna be so good just wait oh man. I'll see you next time, peace :3