CHAPTER ONE
Go to camp, see a dragon

On June 18th, two days before her birthday, Layla Brooks received some life changing news, not that she knew it at first. She was sitting cross legged on her bed, reading a Greek mythology book written in Ancient Greek. She was dyslexic when reading English but for some reason, she could read Ancient Greek perfectly.

She had a lot of problems for a fifteen years old. She never knew her mother, her leaving Layla and her father right after she was born. Along with dyslexia, she had ADHD and was considered a freak at whatever school she attended. However, when she turned thirteen, her father took her out of school, homeschooling her in Ancient Greek, as well as the mythology of the gods, goddesses, and monsters.

She didn't like it at first, being bored most of the time. But the more she delved into the subject, the more she could relate it to real life. When she asked her father why she was learning this, he only would tell her she would need it when she was older.

Arthur Brooks knocked once before opening her door. He had gotten used to her fashion taste so coming into her room wasn't a big shocker, he had gotten used to it over the years. Gothic. Her room was painted black, as was every surface. She had a huge mirror above her painted dresser, the frame a tarnished silver. The floor was dark cherry wood, matching her bed which was covered in a crimson red bedspread.

Layla herself wore a deep purple corset with a black skirt, torn tight underneath. Her black hair was pin straight, falling over her shoulders, her dark blue eyes deeper than the night sky. She had an incredibly pale complexion, her eyes outlines in midnight black eyeliner and mascara. She was the poster teen for gothism.

Her father sat down next to her on the bed and sighed heavily. He held a letter in his hand, clenched tightly in his fist. The envelope was black with silver flowing handwriting on the front. "I have decided to send you to a summer camp. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning," her father tensed, ready for her to blow up at him.

"I'm not going," she said defiantly, putting her book down and crossing her arms. "I'm almost sixteen, you can't make me."

"Layla Thanatos Brooks, you will go. This is non-negotiable," he said sternly.

She wanted to complain more but the look on her father's face left her speechless, pleading almost, as if her going to camp was a matter of life and death. "Fine, I'll go. But I'll complain the whole way there."

Her father looked relieved as he stood up and headed to the door. "It's what your mother wants, Layla," he whispered as he shut the door behind him.

Her mother? Arthur rarely spoke of her mother, Layla didn't even know her name, first or last. She sighed and picked her book back up, looking at the page but not really comprehending the words. Her mind was filled with questions of her long lost mother.

What was her name? What did she look like? What foods did she like? Did she like to read? Millions of questions flowed together in one idea. Who was her mother?

Layla stretched out as she woke up in the early morning. She knew she had to pack for camp but she just didn't want to get up, her bed was warm and comfortable, she felt as if she could stay there forever. Her father tapped on her door lightly. "Layla, are you up?" he questioned. Layla groaned in response.

Finally, after about ten minutes, she pushed herself out of bed, wrapping her black silk robe around her body as she sulked into her bathroom, turning on a hot shower. She looked in the mirror, running a brush through her hair before stripping of all clothes and stepping into the shower, feeling the hot water pour over her skin. She shampooed and conditioned her hair before washing her body and shaving her legs and under her arms along with a few other places which should not be mentioned. She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body before going over to the sink and brushing her teeth. Once she was satisfied, she ran a comb through her hair and walked back into her room to grab clothes.

An hour later, Layla walked into the kitchen, wearing a black skirt with a black blouse to match. Her makeup was done intensely, her blue eyes piercing. She carried a backpack in her hand with her makeup, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, and a few select clothes that were absolutely essential.

"Packed and ready," she sighed, carrying another bag over her shoulder filled with her most prized possessions, her Greek Mythology books. "When are we leaving?"

Her father looked up from where he stood in front of the stove, cooking bacon and eggs. "You will be leaving in about a half hour. I called a cab for you that will take you to Long Island in New York, and it's already paid for so don't worry," he smiled softly at her.

"Long Island?" She exclaimed? Dad, that must have cost three hundred dollars. Long Island is at least five hours away." Her father shrugged it off and got the food out of the pan and set the plate in front of her with an 'eat' look on his face. She sat down, her bags at her feet and dug in.

It was absolutely delicious, of course, all of her father's cooking was. He was in the culinary career, creating new dishes for restaurants all around the city. They lived in Upstate New York, near the Canadian border so many people, from both countries, tasted and absolutely loved his food.

The cab got there just in time, 11:00am sharp. With a hug goodbye to her dad and a kiss on his cheek, she walked out of her house, carrying a back in each hand, and slid into the backseat of the cab. Obviously, the man knew where to go because he was asking absolutely no questions at all. She stuck her headphones over her ears and started listening to her iPod. The song that started playing was Highwayto Hell, which she thought was kind of ironic since she certainly felt like camp would be certain hell.

Layla fell asleep a few times throughout the journey, but the five hours still seemed to be passing slowly. But after the long time, the cab turned onto a dirt road suddenly, the bumps waking her. She looked out the window, yawning softly. After a few minutes, the cab pulled over to the side of the road. "Here we are, Miss Brooks. The camp is just over that hill," he turned to her. She smiled softly, not meaning it at all, and grabbed her bags, sliding out of the seat. "Thank you," she breathed as she shut the door behind her, staring up at the hill. She started her trek up the grassy hill, looking at the ground as she did so. Once at the top of the hill, she raised her eyes and took a glance around, pulling her headphones down around her neck. Down the hill, a volleyball court stood, normal and campish enough. Behind that was an unusually large house, four stories that she could tell. The rest of the camp looked anything but modern, a Greek style to it, almost. There were building with that sort of vibe, pillars and all. There was a lake a little ways from the big house with canoes along the surface and beyond that stood long rows of cabins. There were too many than her ADHD mind could count, not that she particularly wanted to.

She looked up from the campground and looked around her on the hill. There was a lone pine tree in the middle with a golden…something hanging from the branches. Her eyes moved down the tree and resisted a gasp because wrapped around the trunk of the tree was the body of a very large sleeping dragon. The last thing she saw before she passed out were large eyes, staring into her own.

Authors Note: Thanks for reading! I hope you like it, I already have four chapters written so I'll update when I can, I don't want to put everything up at once. If you could review I would really appreciate it. Favoriting and Following is welcome also