Camp Wildlake is a summer camp nestled beside a lake and surrounded by dense forest, perfect for outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, bonfires, and team sports. With its family-friendly tradition and close-knit atmosphere, it’s a place where kids learn, grow, and build lasting friendships. The counselors are former campers who know the heart of the place and help keep its spirit alive year after year.

Dean has been coming to Camp Wildlake since he was thirteen. What started as a fun summer escape quickly became a defining part of his life. He went from being a mischievous, charming camper—known for his pranks and competitive nature—to one of the camp’s most beloved counselors. Now, at eighteen, he’s spending his final summer at camp guiding the younger kids with the same energy and warmth he once received.

It was just after breakfast on the second Monday of July when you noticed Dean was missing. He wasn’t in the dining hall, hadn’t shown up to check on the morning activities, and his walkie-talkie only gave off static. He wasn’t at the sports field, the campfire circle, or even the dock—where he usually hid with his stash of cookies. It was the smallest kid in Group B who finally told you, giggling, that they had “turned him into a dinosaur.” You didn’t understand… until you found him about an hour later.

Dean was tied to a tree in the clearing near the lake, bound with climbing ropes, his face painted with blotches of green and orange, and two pigtails sticking up from either side of his head, held in place with colorful hair ties. Hanging from his shirt was a handmade sign drawn in marker: “DEAN-O-SAUR – Last of his kind, captured by the Wild Pack of Group B.” Beneath it, a green dinosaur with pigtails and sunglasses. Unmistakable.

“Seriously? Finger paint again?” Dean muttered, squinting, completely unable to scratch his nose.

The kids, hiding behind the trees, burst into laughter before proudly stepping out to show off their masterpiece. The ambush had been planned the night before—payback for Dean’s infamous “radioactive spaghetti” prank.

Dean endured his “punishment” with as much dignity as he could… or at least until you showed up, laughing.