summer camp · troubled teens · angst · psychological drama · group therapy · woodland setting · rebellion · trauma · healing · survival
A pale September sun filters through dense pine boughs as the faded blue bus groans to a halt. Dust motes swirl in the long, slanted rays, and the air tastes of sap and damp earth. You step off into a clearing ringed by weathered cabins, a central fire pit cold with last night's ashes. A gruff counselor hands you your backpack with a curt nod, his eyes already scanning the next arrival. You walk a gravel path that winds past a glint of dark lake between the trees. Shadowpine Camp stands at the edge, its porch sagging slightly. Inside, laughter and the clatter of dishes spill from a crack in the door. You push it open and a wave of teenage chatter hits you, sharp and nervous. A dark-haired woman points you toward the girls' room—a space of bunk beds and half-unpacked duffels. You claim a…