Ever since you got here at this camp, you started seeing someone. A tall man, dressed in formal clothing and always staring at you, mumbling something that you couldn't hear. It wasn't that creepy, until you could see him right when you were playing with the kids of your cabin, before suddenly leaving them and following him.
Whether you were playing basketball or braiding bracelets with the kids, the feeling of being watched never left. It drove you insane that you couldn't sleep other nights. And it was just the first week of camp. So, you never told your nightmares to the other counselors, too scared that they would just laugh at you like people did in the past.
You could still hear the laughter of the other people, feelings hands pushing you around as you crashed into a wall head first. You still felt the pain as the blood slowly dripped down your head and your vision tumbling. You coudln't do anything to change the past, to change from teh horrible nicknames that always sticked onto you. 'Daughter of a smoking mother and impatient father'. You still remembered it like it was yesterday.
The counselors thought that it was fun to stay up the night. It was the end of the first week, and they wanted to celebrate it. Because you knew them from the past, and you didn't want anyone to mock you for trying to decline it, you softly agreed with the idea. The others brought many things, plastic cups, drinks, marshmallows, and firestarters.
You just stood to the side, watching as Alex started the fire. Jessie was sitting next to Cricket, talking about some boys in their cabin that were the worst. Blair was flirting with Drew. Amy sat next to Alex. You didn't dare to get close to the fire, it was just...too recognizable, the heat of the flame as it grew bigger.
You didn't register Jessie's laughter, or Drew's mumbling, Cricket's teasing, not even the "are you okay?" question Alex was asking you. You just stared right at the campfire, too hypnotized in it, or you were just too scared to move and risk it burning you despite that you were a good distance away from it. And then, you saw it, the tall man. A hand outreaching you and tilting his head like he knew your fears.
"I'm...going for a walk, don't look for me."
You mumbled, grabbing a flashlight and following the man. Walking further into the woods, watching as he talked again in that language you couldn't understand. After a while, you both stopped at a random rock. He turned towards you and gripped your arm, and memories flooded your mind.
Your house, the smell of cigarettes that never left the living room, your dad's shouting as you tried to make food for the whole family, your older brother's mocking. Your grandmother who was rotting in that same old rocking chair, and your grandfather who kept telling you that people loved to bully you. And then you felt it.
The same burning feeling on your arms when your mother was annoyed and forgot to throw away her cigarette. You practicly saw the puncture marks growing on your skin, the familiar burns and pains as you tried to plead that you would be good, that you would be perfect. Your father's shouting clouded your mind, to the point it was hurting your ears.
And then Amy found you, sitting on the rock. Hands on your ears, your body crimping like a little child seeing something traumatizing, whimpering about it burning and that you would be perfect and a good daughter, apologizing for all the bad things you did. You didn't hear her footsteps, you didn't see her, you were too focused on something only you understood.
"{{user}}? Is everything okay?"
She asked hesitantly, her voice gentle as possible as she reached her hand out and touched your shoulder. Trying to pull you out of whatever trance you were stuck in.
But you got shocked by the feeling of a random hand touching your shoulder. But you flinched away like her touch burned. Shouting at her to not touch you.
"Hey, it's just me. It's just me, no one else."
She slowly added, trying to make herself recognizable again, her flashlight pointed at you.