Conrad Franklin was finding the breeze on a day that typically was known for being hot with record-high temperatures a welcomed change. Having grown up not far from Camp Red Rock, he was familiar with the weather patterns in this part of North Dakota - not that he has ever liked paying attention, but given the way his parents have raised him thus far, he had to be well-informed about a lot of things. It’s fairly obvious to anyone who gets to know him that Conrad hasn’t had a normal childhood. His parents haven’t raised him as such.

And that was the reason why Conrad started to question why his parents sent him here. In the two weeks he, along with seven others have been at this camp - at least the cabin that he shares with seven other kids of his age group of eleven to thirteen - have been at Camp Red Rock, he wondered why he was here. A lot of thoughts came to mind and he wanted to ask them, but something about the circumstances and how he often found himself being, he could never actually do it. He lacked a certain confidence to ask them without worry. As a result, much like with a lot of things in his life, Conrad chose the cowards way.

But it’s been like that his entire life (or at least for as long as he could remember). It didn’t matter if it was with his parents or those that he has tried to avoid at all costs (unsuccessfully one might say). It’s true, Conrad, who has been dubbed as Cowardly Conrad, no doubt a joke rather than a name given to him with the intention to insult or offend, has rung true with the boy with brown hair. Nothing about him was courageous. He lacked the confidence to do a lot of things that others could.

So as Conrad sat by the lake, the rest of the kids were enjoying themselves in the water, which was fine by him. He honestly didn’t feel like getting wet at this time and there was no way he’d let them catch them without his shirt on.

So, what did Conrad do if he wasn’t with the others taking advantage of the cool breeze and the shining sun? Well, for one, Conrad had always enjoyed writing down his thoughts into a journal that he was given to his more understanding grandparents, specifically his grandfather. Bless that man because, without him, the boy would feel completely isolated from the rest of his family. He’s the only one that made Conrad feel at least somewhat included and he loved him because of that.

It’s a little windy today, but I guess that’s okay. It doesn’t seem like it’s really keeping the others from enjoying the sunshine. Speaking of, it’s awfully bright today.

Conrad looked up at the sky for a brief moment. It was awfully bright. The wind wasn’t so bad though. It was the sort of brisk wind that was common for this state. One thing the brown-haired boy couldn’t figure out was why it was this windy in the summer season. It was a little strange if he was being honest with himself, but the thought soon became clouded by another as the blue sky above started to become hazy light disappearing. Though it wasn’t necessarily a complete darkness, the sudden loss of complete visibility was enough to make Conrad (and no doubt the others) look up.

And as the sky became a muddled gray color, what was first assumed to be lightning, Conrad saw some flashes of light from within the dark gray clouds. Conrad had then made the conscious decision to pack up his journal into his shoulder bag and he would whistle to the others to follow. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want them to catch colds, though that was more likely than not.

Walking back to the camp, it wasn’t even a full minute that something strange was happening. Conrad looked up and saw the same light come from above him. He went to his default setting of hiding. He took a direct right turn to the nearest patch of trees, but as he did, the light still slowly descended and it had made its way into his open right palm. It was odd, but the light felt warm, almost as though it seemed familiar.

When the light faded, a strange mechanical device in his hand. It had a weird shape, but Conrad saw it was similar to the pagers that seem to be popular among the older kids at his school. The few things that Conrad happened to notice that wasn’t like those pagers/beepers was the strange symbols along the device and the way it was shapen was also strange to Conrad.

Right when he was about to check it out, the device itself started to glow. Before he or the other seven children who were making their way over to where Conrad was (or somewhat in his line of sight), lights of various colors: orange, yellow, gold, blue, red, green, pink, and purple started to shine among the eight. These lights felt warm. Conrad felt like he was being hugged by someone who wouldn’t ever let him down and would always protect him. At that same moment, there came something totally unexpected.

“Wait what’s happening?”

Conrad couldn’t control his body as it started to float up into the air, the sight of a now multi-colored sky opened up. Along with him, the other seven were being tossed into that bright light. When the final child passed through it, everything else went blank. The only thing that came after it was the sudden change of scenery. They were in a forest, spread out amongst themselves.

And as Conrad adjusted to everything, only one thought crossed his mind.

“Where am I?”

Ishaq stood on the water's edge watching the other kids play in the water. He sighed. As one of the older kids, Ishaq 'felt responsible' for making sure everyone stayed safe. He had told the camp chaperones as much. He stood there in his swim trunks, his shirt removed so he wouldn't need to take anything off in case he needed to jump in and save someone. By God, he hated standing there without a shirt. He hated the fact that he was a little pudgy, he hated the feeling of being...exposed. He hated this camp. It was hard enough keeping up appearances for people he had to deal with on a regular basis, but now he was keeping up appearances for total strangers, people he would never see again once this camp was over.

He didn't hate the other kids, per se, and if anything, many of them probably liked him for the helpfulness and reliability he exuded. He looked over to Conrad, sitting by himself on dry land. This behavior irked Ishaq. As the responsible 'older child', Ishaq was expected to approach Conrad, ask him what was wrong and why he wasn't playing with the others. Was Conrad being bullied? Just having a bad day? Sick? "God I hate kids. What a pain," Ishaq thought to himself. Honestly, Ishaq just wanted to give the mopey kid some space, and was having a conundrum trying to figure out was was 'expected of him'. Fortunately, he was pulled out of his annoyed introspection by...bad weather? "Alright everyone!" Ishaq called out, parroting the adults, "Weather's looking a little strange. We should dry off and head back to the cabins."

Yet as they headed back, it became apparent that this was no storm. Ishaq had lagged behind to 'make sure everyone was accounted for', so he saw the light come down from the sky towards each of the kids, including himself. He wondered for a moment if they were being struck by meteors. Then he realized for a sickening moment that he didn't care for the safety of the others, and that he should. yet he didn't have to think about it, since it seems the streaks of light were harmless, instead depositing a device into his palm. he inspected it cynically, wondering if this was some sick prank from the camp leaders, but as he looked at the device, he felt...naked and raw. Then he felt the weightlessness as he was pulled upwards. Before the panic had fully set in, a disorienting light engulfed him.

Ishaq lay there in an unfamiliar space. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he was alone; a liberating thought. But then he heard Conrad's scared question. Ishaq groaned and stood up, patting himself off, and 'remained calm'.

The days at camp felt too quick for Link, who was actually having fun for the first time in a long time. His experience at summer camps were running drills, suicides, and kicking soccer balls day in and day out, so actually having time to run and mess around with other kids who he didn't know was a new paradise that he didn't want to end. The young pre-teen was ecstatic that his mom was able to convince, or rather force, his dad to let him come to Camp Red Rock. Some of the other kids looked dreadful, but Link was soaking it up as much as possible.

The group he had been glued to all summer had come to a consensus that they would sneak down to the lake for a bright and early morning swim. Which was something Link figured would help him bond with the others more, but knew that he would have never made that decision on his own. Link followed the rules, he did what he was told and didn't ever really think about doing what he was told not to. It wasn't until camp that he was able to freely do things that he never would have expected or thought. It helped that his dad wasn't around to hover over him and made sure he stayed in line.

At the beach, the athlete kicked around a beach ball as others swam, juggling alone as he chuckled at his own skill cockily. "Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three..." Link counted, concentrated and focused at the light, colorful ball hitting his feet. His laser focus was broken as a whistle rang through the air, signalling them to head back.

Following the lead of the others, Link kicked the ball along the trail, but was stopped yet again. This time, it was from a beam of light that broke his focus as he kicked the ball up into the air, attempting to catch it, but was instead graced with a small mechanical device as the ball bounced and rolled away.

"What the heck?" Link's blue-green eyes scanned the others as he noticed they all held up similar devices, but with different and unique colors. "What's going on?" But before he could get an answer, one that he figured no one could actually respond to, he watched as Conrad, one of the quieter kids began floating into the air. Link's eyes widened as he watched Conrad's panic. As he was attempting to reach out his hand to the shy kid, Link found himself doing the same, floating into the air after him.

"No, no, no, no!" The raven haired preteen panicked. Again he followed the others, but this time Link was following them into a multi-colored sky that he did not want any part of.