Real Life Rugrats

It was officially Monday; today the kids were coming, and I wasn't too sure how to feel about it.

Last night, Tilly came over to the cabin and I was asking her all sorts of questions about the kids that come here;

Obviously, she didn't know all of them because new people joined every year but from what she did tell me, I'm a little less enthusiastic about the whole thing.

I'm not going to lie; I generally don't like kids, so when Tilly told me that their ages range from 4 to 16, I started to freak out.

When they're young, they are basically walking tissues; spitting their bodily fluids on everything and crying over the most trivial things.

But when they get older, they think they are too cool for rules and don't listen to a word you say.

You can't win; but on the other hand they can be so darn cute so I'm conflicted as to whether I should be worried or excited.

As all the counsellors lined up at the entrance, my self included, we all seem to collectively stiffen at the faint sound of screaming.

Definitely the former.

Then, all at once, the atmosphere went from being peaceful and quiet to unorganised, loud and chaotic.

In a matter of seconds there were screaming children everywhere. They all blended together forming an uncontrollable sea that I felt like I was going to drown in.

I knew this camp was popular but come on! There's like 50 kids per counsellor; there are hundreds of them!

Is it too late to leave?

"Miss Lane, here are your group of children for the next few weeks." Andy called from behind me.

Turning around I see him standing behind a group of about 6 or so children, all looking around the age of 8-9.

Back on topic though, no one told me I'd be responsible for a group of kids-

Never mind. I remember.

In the rule book- something in which I only skimmed over instead of reading thoroughly- it said something along the lines of:

Every counsellor will be in charge of a bunk house; it is their duty to get the children to their designated activity meet up points at the main hall every morning. They must also take them to lunch and to any 'bunk/group' activities in that group.
Counsellors have to make sure their designated group of children are in their bunks with lights out my 10pm sharp. Failure to do so, or if children are out of their bunk house after this time, will result in loss of a free time slot and a senior counsellor watching over all activities.

Well shit.

"Children, this is Ivy. She is going to be your head counsellor for the duration of the summer and you have to obey any and all rules she sets; is that clear?" Andy asks, looking pointedly at the group; a hint of humour radiating from his face.

They all mumble a quiet yes before Andy smiles and walks away.

It's then that the children all turn to look at me with expectation. Putting on a fake smile, and my big girl panties, I finally speak.

"As you already know, my name is Ivy and I'm your new counsellor. I have to get you all over to the main hall so that we can get you registered but how about we all get to know each other a little better?"

Blank faces; that's all I get. No one answers, no one talks- hell no one is even paying attention.

I don't know whether that's a good thing or not; maybe they're all shy? At least I didn't get a rowdy group.

"Alrighty then, how about we start with names- what's yours?" I ask, gesturing to the boy at then end on the left.

"We all know each other, what's the point in even doing this?" He rolls his eyes.

Mental note: look out for the cutie with dark hair and blue eyes- potential of being a little shit.

"Yeah well, I don't know anyone of you so if you don't tell me your names, how am I supposed to know what to call you?"

"You don't. You just pretend that your following the rules and let us do whatever we want." He smiled smugly, raising a few smiles from the other kids in the group.

"Yeah- No. That's not gonna happen. So why don't you just tell me your name and then we can go to registration." I smiled.

He opened his mouth to retort again but I cut him off. I could just tell by the little smirk on his face before hand that I wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"Tell you what, you all cooperate and I'll let you stay up late tonight-"

"How late?" He questioned, his eyes turning into slits.

Is this kid serious?

"10:30-"

"Make it 11 and we have a deal."

"Fine." I said through gritted teeth, after a long pause. "But, you have to behave all day and do everything I say understood?"

They all nodded, their smiles full of mischief. God, I hope I won't regret this.

"Good, now name."

"Justin."

"Okay, Justin what?" I asked, jotting down his name for future roll calls.

"Jones."

. . .

You've got to be kidding me.

"Do you by any chance have an older brother?" I asked, my voice strained by frustration.

"Yes, He counsellor as well- his names Parker, although he's a total ass." He smirked.

Of course I would be stuck with Satan's younger brother.

"Can't argue there." I mumbled. "And- watch your mouth, I don't tolerate swearing."

"Whatever you say captain." He smirked, saluting me.

Jesus Christ, he is a mini clone of Parker.

Taking a deep breath, I move onto the blonde haired boy beside him. "And you, what's your name?"

"Philip Mathews- you might know my older brother as well, his names Felix."

Felix- of course his and Parker's brothers would be friends, and be in my group.

Fucking fantastic.

"Heard of him. Alright, next one- go."

"Timothy Becker." A little voice answered.
I looked up to see a brown haired little cutie with his eyes trained on the ground and a slight blush on his cheeks.

Awwwwww.

"Next." I said, looking up briefly to see a little girl; her blonde hair pulled into two tight pigtails, a confident smile on her face and her big blue eyes filled with excitement.

"Suzie Blake."

I smile, writing down her name, before looking back up again.

"Tara O'Connor." Tara said, her voice full of attitude and she flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder.

"And finally..."

"Hannah McQuade."
Her voice was timid, a little like Timothy's, and her head was facing the ground. She had brown hair that flowed down to her ribs and covered most of her face.

Isn't that annoying? We're gonna have to fix that.

"Okay, now that that's finally finished, how about we get you registered and see what activities are planned for the day." I smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing- remember to be on your best behaviour or else you won't get to stay up late. In fact, if you guys mess up, lights out will be at 9:30 instead of 10, understood?"

"Sure, sure." Justin shrugged. "Now can we go? There's always food there and I'm starving."

Rolling my eyes, I gestures for them to walk ahead of me.

This is going to be a long summer.

~*~

Throughout the day, the kids had been surprisingly well behaved.

Well, my group have; I can't exactly say the same for others.

As soon as I saw the amount of hyperactive, disobedient kids that other people had to deal with, I was suddenly glad I had the kids- they know when to behave to get what they want.

Currently, I'm walking the kids to their bunks- obviously they wouldn't let the boys and girls in together so their rooms are separated by a wall; kind of reminded me of a semi-detached bungalow- with no other rooms of course.

There were three beds in both rooms, mirroring the ones opposite, with a night stand and lamp accompanying each one.

Other than the two bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, that was pretty much it.

Although, there isn't really much need for anything else is there? They are out all day and when they come back, they're too tired to do anything and pass out.

Today though, was an exception. The activities didn't start until tomorrow so they still have all of their energy, which is not good for me.

"So, Ivy, how do you expect to pull this off?? Us staying up late. Doesn't the senior staff come round to check?" Justin said, sitting on his bed.

Fudge. I was hoping they'd forget.

"Well, we turn the lights off, I tell - whoever - that your asleep and once their gone, come back to supervise until 11." I answer, doing a mental head count.

Yup, still six little gremlins.

"You know, you don't have to come back. We're responsible enough to-"

"Nice try buddy." I scoff, cutting him off. "But there is not chance in hell that I'm going to leave you guys here alone and trust that you'll all be in bed with lights out by 11."

"So what? Your going to stay here all night?" Tara asks, playing with a strand of her hair on Justin's bed.

God, this girl is so sassy.

"No. I'm going to stay here until 11- make sure your all in bed, turn the lights out and lock the door connecting the two rooms." I smile.

"Your seriously going to lock the door? Isn't that like, a safety hazard?" Philip piped in.

"Technically, no. Back to the plan; all of you go to bed now and once the coast is clear I'll come back in and you guys can stay up for an extra hour."

"How do we know you'll even come back?" Justin narrowed his eyes.

Smart kid.

"Fine, I'll leave the middle door open okay? That way you'll know I have to come back to lock it- deal?" I ask looking around the room.

Justin, Philip and Tara- who were all sitting against the wall on Justin's bed- nodded, smiles evident on their faces.

Timothy, who was on his own bed, barely acknowledged me, while Hannah and Suzie- who were sitting on Philips bed- looked at each other with broad smiles before nodding enthusiastically.

"Alrighty then, everyone to your own beds and I'll be back in 5 minutes."

As I switched off the lights, and headed out the door, Andy came out of the neighbouring cabin and smiled when he saw me.

"Ivy, I was just about to check on your group."

"Well, they're all tucked in and ready for bed; just turned out the lights." I smiled.

"How was your first day? I know that group can be ... stressful say the least."  He grinned.

"They actually weren't that bad."

He kept his grin plastered on his face, although I could see the shock and confusion in his eyes.

He's obviously met Justin.

"Well, that's good. If you don't mind, I'm going to check up on the little ruffians- nothing against you, I just need to check every cabin; you know, protocol." He said, manoeuvring his way around me.

"Yeah, no problem- that reminds me, why are you out here? I mean you run the camp, I didn't think you'd be doing cabin checks?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"We all have our sections; mine is this side of the camp- it helps things go a little smoother and quicker."

"Right." I nod.

As he walks in, he checks in on both rooms and stands at the door for a few seconds before turning back round again.

"Okay, you can head over to your cabin now but remember you need to report to the main hall at 7:30 before heading back over here for 8 to get them up and ready; be back at the main hall for 9 to get them off to their activities okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Andy." I smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow Miss Lane." He muttered before walking away.

As I headed back inside there was one thing that crossed my mind:

If he was sanctioned to check all of the cabins on this side, why didn't he check the rest after ours?

~*~
"Justin I mean it, if you don't go to sleep right now, so help me god, I will knock you out myself!" I sigh.

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal Ivy?" He smirked, still refusing to settle down.

It's now 11:15, even though we agreed they would settle down at 11, that hasn't happened.

Justin refuses to lay down.

"Okay Fine." I sigh. "If you won't listen to me, I'll find someone you will listen to."

"Who? Andy?" He snorted. "Like I'd actually listen to that loser."

"I was thinking more of Parker." I said raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms.

I see him freeze for a second before dismissing me.

"Go ahead; he'll kill you for waking him up before you get the chance to rat me out." He smirked.

"So you don't mind if I call him then?" I bluff, pulling out my phone.

Like I actually have his number.

He went still for a second.

"Fine. I'll go to sleep but don't tell my brother about this." He sighed.

Philip snorts at him before being silenced by a glare.

"Good." I smirked. "Remember, I'll be here at 8 o'clock sharp to wake you guys up and you have an hour to get ready and have some breakfast-"

"We know how it works." Justin rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Enough of the sass. Now get to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning." I said waiting for the kids to get settled before turning out the lights.

"Ivy?" Timothy whispered.

"Yes?"

"You forgot to lock the door- the one between the two rooms." He reminded me.

I was silent for a moment, before walking towards the door. I stopped just before I closed it- "you were right, it's kind of a safety hazard." I smiled, although they couldn't see me.

"Night guys." I said quietly, receiving a bunch of 'goodnight's from each room.

Once I closed the door, I let out a sigh of relief before heading back towards my cabin.

I'm not going to lie, it was a little creepy walking over; you know, with the lack of people and the abundance of creepy forests.

Once I finally reached the cabin, I opened and closed the door as quietly as I could; hoping Parker wouldn't hear me-

"Where the hell have you been?" A voice cut through the silence behind me.

Jumping, I let out a small shriek. "Parker! What the fuck, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I scolded, placing a hand on my heart and trying to control my now heavy breathing.

He stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a stoic expression on his face- although his lips curled upwards at the sight of me scared half to death.

Fucker.

"You weren't at the meeting." He stated.

"What meeting?" I retorted walking to the refrigerator to get myself a drink.

"I can't tell if your joking or not?" He narrowed his eyes after thinking for a minute.

"I'm not, what meeting?" I ask.

"Once a week, all the counsellors meet up in the main hall and- I don't really know how to describe it- Basically they make sure you haven't killed your kids or whatever." He said. "Personally I think it's a load of shit but, what do I know? Anyway, it's mandatory on the first night."

Then why did Andy tell me I could go back to the cabin earlier? Why didn't he tell me about the meeting?

"Right, well when's the next one?"

"Did you bother reading the damn book?" He snapped.

"No I've been a bit preoccupied dealing with you annoying little brother." I snapped back.

"You have my brother in your group?" He asked standing up straight.

I nodded. "And Felix' brother."

Suddenly, he burst into laughter. "Good luck with that. My brothers a little shit as it is- but when he's with Philip? He's x10 worse."

Still laughing, he headed towards his room. Stoping at the door, he turned to face me. "You never did say why you weren't at the meeting."

I thought about lying, but the truth is, he'd probably find out regardless.

"We had a deal- I let them stay up an extra hour and they behave. Your brother refused to go to bed when the time came."

"You're screwed." He laughed, closing his bedroom door behind him.

I think the term 'I'm screwed' would be an understatement right now.

But, looking on the bright side, Parker and I had a semi-decent conversation; kind of.

He laughed at me, but still; at least he didn't scowl-
The whole time.

~*~
The next morning, I was woken up by my phone ringing.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Ivy, where are you? It's 7:20, we were supposed to meet at my cabin 10 minutes ago." Tilly answered.

"WHAT!" I jumped up.

I had set my alarm for 6;45 the night before, why didn't it go off?

I turned to look at my bed side table when I notice my clock stuck at 3:47am.

"I don't understand, the only way it could've gotten stuck was if there was a power cut or-" I stopped. "That mother f-"

"What's wrong?" Tilly asked

"What's wrong is that, the asshole living in the next room turned my clock off and on, so my alarm didn't go off!" I scream, running to get ready.

"Listen, Tilly, I'll meet you outside the main hall- don't go in without me okay?"

"Okay But-"

"Bye." I cut her off running to the bathroom.

I can't believe him. I swear to go I'm going to kill him.

~*~

"What Exactly happened?" Tilly asked as we walked out of the hall.

I had been a few minutes late but no one really noticed, thank god.

"Well, I don't trust my phone enough to set my alarm-"

"Why?"

"Because, the amount of times it hasn't went off is annoyingly high- anyway. So I bought this clock that sits on my bedside and is plugged into the wall.

The only thing is, if there is a power cut- which there wasn't last night, I checked- or if someone turned it off and on, it will get stuck at that time and any alarms previously set won't go off.

Since there was no power cut and I didn't touch it, the only other explanation is that Grizzly snuck into my room and turned it off to mess with me." I finished, spitting his nickname with the upmost amount of venom.

"What did you do?"

"Well, nothing yet; I haven't seen him all morning-"

"No, I mean what did you do to piss him off?" Till interrupted.

"... what?"

"Well, he must have been pissed about something- I mean he wouldn't do it without a reason, right?"

"Well, if I did do something- I've no idea what it is that I've done." I sighed, still majorly pissed off.

"I've got to go, but what happens now?"

"Well, I get him back, obviously."

"Ivy, I don't think that's such a good-"

"Tilly, like I said before; I'm not going to let him walk all over me just because he thinks he's the shit. Now, you should go before your late."

"Right." She sighed. "Good luck with everything!" She called out, referring to both the Jones brothers.

I had told her during the meeting about yesterday and how I had Justin and Philip in my group. Immediately, she was sympathising with me- apparently she had them last year and they made her life a living hell; prancing her every chance they got.

Awesome.

Not only will I have to deal with Parker- I now have to worry about his brother pranking me as well.

Guess it runs in the family.

Tired with the day already, I don't bother being gentle when waking up the kids.

"Rise and shine!" I said in a singsong voice, the door banging off the wall and the sunlight being let in blinding them as I yank open the curtains.

"Come On, time to get up my little happy campers!" This time, I went to each individual bed and trailed off the blanket.

As a collective amount of groans surfaced, the only people who didn't get up were Justin and Philip.

"Boys!" I sang. "If you don't get up in the next 5 seconds, your going to be drenched in freezing cold water. 1-"

Immediately Philip sprung out of bed. "I'm up. I'm up." He mumbled.

Justin on the other hand, hadn't moved.

"Hannah, sweetie, do me a favour and get me a glass of water?"

"Okay." She chirped, surprisingly bubbly for someone who just woke up.

In a matter of minutes, she was back, handing my a glass of cold water.

"Thank you." I smiled before walking to Justin's bed.

"Justin." I warned. "This is your last chance, get up or I'll make you."

I know I'm going to regret this- considering his reputation of notorious, relentless pranking- but I seem to be lacking in fucks to give this morning.

"Piss off." He mumbled, burying his head into the pillow.

"Okay then, you asked for it." I said, slowly pouring the small cup of water on him.

Although, I tried to avoid the face. I'm not heartless, I don't want him getting a cold.

"What the hell!" He shouted, jumping out of bed.

"Good, your up. Now, because you took so long, you only have 40 minutes to get ready and get some breakfast." I smiled.

"Oh and Justin? You might want to get in the shower now, we don't want you getting a cold now do we?" I smiled before walking over to the girls who were covering their mouths trying to hold back their giggles, as Justin flared holes in the back of my head.

"Chop chop! I'll bring breakfast to you this morning, considering we're running late. So, any requests?"

~*~
A/N

I'm back! Kind of.
My exams were supposed to finish today but I am incredibly sick; like can't move from my bed sick, so I couldn't do my history exam- not to mention I was snowed in on the day of my sociology exam.

Just my luck right?

Anyway, I'm gonna be updating now on the usual days: Wednesday and Saturday.

Also, I'm aware that this story is taking a while to get started but I feel like if I just rushed into things it wouldn't make a lot of sense, not to mention it would be a hell of a lot crappier than it already is.

Before I forget, it would really mean a lot if you guys could vote, comment or share my book.

Anyway, I'm gonna go back to watching Jurassic World now (that movie is the shit and if you haven't seen it, you have not lived) and I'll see you guys on Saturday:

Until then
Byeeee

L.J. xx

UNEDITED