Andy stepped off the bus with his luggage; he was still a little groggy from falling asleep on the drive. He looked around expectantly for a welcoming party, but he only saw a forest. He looked back at the bus driver and asked, “Are you sure this is the right place?” But, the bus doors closed in his face, and Andy was left with a mouthful of dust as it drove away. “I guess it is.”
As he began to wonder what to do, a truck appeared coming through the forest. It stopped in front of Andy, and the window rolled down. A young man in his late twenties greeted him with a smile. “Andy Gardner, I presume?” Andy nodded. “Great. My name is Paul. Welcome to Correction Camp. Jump in.”
Andy tossed his bags into the back and got inside the truck. Paul drove them back the way he came through the forest. Andy took a sidelong look at Paul; he was tall, handsome, and had short black hair. The fake smile permanently plastered to his face made Andy grind his teeth.
“So,” Andy broke the silence after a couple of minutes, “what do we do at this Correction Camp?”
“That is up to the director to decide,” Paul responded. Andy wondered how he could talk like smiling like that. “You’ll meet him tomorrow. For now, you’ll meet the other miscreants and get settled in your dorm.”
“Miscreants? Isn’t that kind of rude?”
“Oh, surely you know the type of camp this is? You all have been in trouble with the law in one way or the other. Your parents didn’t want to deal with you, so they sent you to us. You’ll stop being called miscreants when you have been properly . . . corrected.” Paul winked at him. “Oh, looks like we arrived.”
Andy took note that the bus stop was about five miles away; he could easily run that if needed. The dorm looked like a long two-story log cabin. Andy got out and collected his stuff.
“The rooms are on the second floor,” Paul said. “Your room is the last one down the hall. I’ll call you guys for dinner.”
Andy entered the building. The main floor had a lounge area, kitchen, and a classroom. No electronic things at all. He then walked upstairs and found a small hallway with four doors. Two guys were sitting on the floor. One guy was large and muscular while wearing a tank top; the other was slightly overweight and seemed to be on edge. The tank top guy was bragging while the other nodded excitedly. Andy groaned. His two least favorite type of people: the braggart and the suck up.
They noticed him. The muscular guy called out with a condescending grin, “Hey, little girl, this is supposed to be a guy only camp. I think you've got the wrong place.”
Andy stepped around them without a word. However, a stray foot jutted in front of Andy’s leg, and Andy fell to the floor. The two guys burst into laughter and another guy poked his head out of a room to see the commotion, but then returned to his room.
Andy picked himself off the floor. He started to clap. “Ha ha ha, that was super funny guys.” He leaned closer to the muscular guy and said with a quiet voice. “Mess with me again and I’ll break your arm.”
The muscular guy stood up a full head over Andy, all mirth was gone from his face. "What was that, girly?" He stepped forward to push Andy, but Andy was ready for him. Andy grabbed him by the wrist, twisted around, and knocked the legs from underneath the larger guy. In a moment, Andy was holding the larger guy facedown with his arm behind his back.
Andy spoke louder, so the whole floor could hear him. "I said, anybody who messes with me gets their arm broken. Did you hear me that time, or are you still deaf?" The guy on the floor didn't say anything. Andy twisted harder, and he winced in pain. "I said, did you hear me?" He nodded his head.
Andy let him go. He picked up his bags like nothing had happened, ignoring the other guys who came out of their rooms to watch. Without looking at any of them, Andy said, "The same goes for any of you." As Andy walked to his room, he could feel the hate from the guy who he had humiliated. Andy smiled grimly; this place was the same as any other.
