Leo Parnell and his wife Lisa hand intended to have a fun weekend of childish camping activities and a much needed break from their sons Rob and Kyle, aged 10 and 8 respectively. Unfortunately, life had other plans. At the last minute, their sitter canceled on them and, much to their chagrin, they found themselves pleading with the councilor in change of the place, Alex, to let them bring their kids along.
Leo was a fairly average man. Aged 55, hair greying, he had a respectable job but was never someone who had the pep or energy to 'wow' people. The child in him, one might say, had been killed by the realities of years of bureaucratic work. Lisa was aged fifty, and also starting grey, something she expertly hid under a layer of hair dye. Collectively, they weren't the best parents. While they certainly provided, they never showed much responsibility towards their children. They were always looking to get the kids off their hands and didn't strive to set a strong example of adulthood.
Alex was a young man in his mid twenties who, strangely seemed to have two pristinely white stripes traveling down his jet black hair, giving him a look that oddly resembled a badger.
To their surprise, Alex was more than happy to accommodate.
"While the intent of the special weekend event is to remind adults what it was like to be a kid, we can certainty accommodate ACTUAL kids, although I must say its an unusual request. Perhaps we can do the reverse! Give them some responsibilities while you two take a load of and teach them what its like to be an adult. During the day, just leave them with me and I'll put them to work!"
The suggestion was music to their ears. They could have their cake and eat it too, it seemed, while they'd be relaxing their kids would be taken care of AND taught a lesson about work. Nothing could be more ideal.
Alex had assigned them to Cabin 20, a small cabin on the periphery of the camp that shared a bonfire space with another cabin, Cabin 21. Cabin 21, it seemed, also had a kid staying with two brothers who were there for the weekend. Alex figured perhaps the boys could get along.
When the pulled up their car Rob and Kyle immediately raced out. Kyle, the younger of the two, was shorter with neatly cropped blond hair and tons of energy while Rob, was a beanpole with dark brown hair.
As they raced inside, the parents sighed.
"I can't wait to get them off our hands" said Leo, "Tomorrow can't come soon enough"
As they entered, they found the boys already fighting. Rob, the stronger of the two was holding A crying Kyle down as he declared HE would have the top bunk. This was a common occurrence in their family. Rob liked to assert his strength, and Kyle, something of a weakling for his age, could never muster a defense beyond crying.
When Leo found them, he instantly grew angry.
"Kyle! How come you never fight back? You always cry like a little girl! Man up! You gotta get tough and be strong if you want to get a girl someday!" He turned to Rob "And Rob! Lay off your little brother. While he needs to get tougher, YOU need to be softer. He's your family. Be gentle with him and care for him!"
"I better not see ANY more fighting this weekend" Lisa sternly added.
As Kyle wiped the tears from his eyes Rob grew angry. "You guys always boss us around! How would you like it if WE were in charge? Then we could show you just how mean and demanding of us you are!"
"Well its a good thing you're not then!" Lisa replied.
With a huff, Rob then stormed out of the Cabin.
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Meanwhile in cabin 21, Max and Devin, two brothers who had come for the weekend having heard promise of excellent opportunities with the ladies. Both were your stereotypical jock. Tall, blond, and dumb, 21 years old they lived and breathed football and had little time for anything else...except girls that is.
To their annoyance, their parents forced them to bring their dweeb of a younger brother, Jake, along for the ride. Jake did not want to come, and they didn't want him there, creating a delicate situation for each of their tempers.
Jake was 10 year old, fairly tall for his age. His skin was fair and his head topped with a mop of somewhat curly reddish hair. If he was a girl, such hair would be a blessing. unfortunately, he was not and stuck with a ginger-esque look that got him frequently bullied.
Unsure what to do with himself, Jake idly wandered outside. By now the sun had set and the night was getting dark so he shied from venturing too far from the cabin.
A loud slam pierced the darkness and Rob stormed out from his parents cabin, Cabin 20. Jake was surprised. He didn't know there was another kid here and was excited to meet someone his age.
"Hey!" He said with a wave at Rob "I'm Jake, didn't know there would be other kids...kinda thought this was an adults only thing"
"Apparently we are the exceptions" Rob called, a hint of anger still laced his voice, a hint he tried to burry as he introduced himself to Jake.
While rob certainly had a temper, he was actually a very outgoing person. In the future, one could already see he was destined to be a jock popular with the ladies. Him and Jake easily started up a conversation, and idly circled the fireplace at the center of camp as they chattered.
As the night wore on, they grew close, finding they had a lot in common. Neither had guardians at the camp who really cared about where they spent their time, so as they chatted they didn't realize it was 2:00 am already. Calling it a night, they resolved to hang out in the morning.
Both went back to their respective cabins, finding their family already asleep and went to bed themselves.
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At precisely 3:00 am, a bright flash crossed the camp and the world seemed to shift, shifting each camper and the entire camp into something new.