1. Camp Stops

We were on our way to youth camp, an automatic knowledge. However, our church stopped in an ominous camping ground around midnight, longing for a place to rest. A central building was surrounded by dwarf sized cabins, if they could even be called that. The cabins could fit, at most, four small, flexible people. They had doorways, but no doors; holes for windows, but no glass. Even in the light of the building, the ground was black.
The youth group spread out, different  cliques claiming their own cabins. Syd, Randy, and I chose a cabin close to the building, spreading out our sleeping bags and snuggling to get warm. Barely a second went by when Syd and Randy decided they wanted to change into some pajamas. Thinking I was asleep, they went back to the vans to change.
While they were away, Josh showed up outside our cabin, looking for a place to rest. No one else would share their cabin with him, so I let him in. Outside looking in, I felt sad seeing Josh: he had been with Jesus for almost a year. Nonetheless, his pale image curled up next to me. I felt the presence of James, looking sadly through the doorway at his little brother.
When Sydney and Randy returned both James and Josh disappeared. The girls got back into their spots, but I felt sick. I returned to the vans, to get my pajamas, and explored the central building for a bathroom to change in. I found it, changed, and curled up in a little ball on the bathroom floor and fell asleep, unable to move.

I woke up in the back of my mother's Odyssey with the interior of my father's old Mountaineer. Apparently, church vans were unavailable for the trip, so the youth group used all the cars we could find. In the front seat, my mother drove with Cory as her passenger. The back seats were folded down, creating a long bed for Randy, Sydney and I to rest in.
We pulled up to a long chain of fancy restaurants, all having a tropical exterior. Mother parked on the side of the building, so our group could rest. I became aware I was the only one still in their pajamas, so I climbed out the back window to use the bathroom of one of the restaurants. When I exited the vehicle, Mom started to move again.
I didn't like the feeling of being left behind. I ran after the van, dramatically falling and yelling for her to stop. Randy and Sydney were banging on the back window, screaming for me to run faster. The whole time I was running, I noted the people on the patios of the restaurants. The customers varied; people from my past, people from my school, and people whom I did not know. They watched me as I pathetically ran.
Mom stopped at the end of the chain, and Syd and Randy quickly escaped the vehicle. Randy veered left and disappeared, but Syd kept coming for me, never stopping until we met.
I excused myself to the bathroom, walking among the customers to the Chinese restaurant at the end.
The inside was very strange. Skinny pools filled the inside, taking place of tables. The pool sides were used like a bar. I found my mom and, oddly, my dad in one corner, and they directed me to the bathroom. I had to swim through different pools until I found it.

Then, I woke up.