Tapping away at the keys on my laptop, I almost don’t hear Mom call out for me.

“Laelia, will you please grab us our food?” Mom asks from the passenger seat, looking up from her laptop when she speaks.

I set my own laptop down next to me on the couch, and stand in search of their food. I gather a few snacks for myself, and hand my parents their food.

Dad munches on his breakfast as he cruises our motorhome down the highway, while Mom types away at her computer. The strange melody of the clacking of keys, quiet country music, and the rumbling of the road is almost relaxing.

 It sounds like summer.

I spend the better part of the morning working on my writing, and I’m finished with my ten-thousand word draft by the time my name is being called again. “Laelia, Laelia, Laelia.”

I look up from my phone, and see the twins—Archer and Arden—both sitting on the floor in front of me.

“What’s wrong? And why are you two up and walking around?

You know that you’re supposed to be sitting down while we drive.” They both blink their adorable, dark brown eyes at me, and I choose to ignore the fact that they were both disobeying a house— well, motorhome—rule.

“We want you to make us food, please. Mommy said that you could make us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” Arden says, pointing towards the fridge.

“Okay, but please go sit in your seats, boys. I don’t want you falling and getting hurt.”

They both immediately walk to their seats across from me, and after making sure they buckle their seat belts, I set my phone down to go make their food.

As I’m spreading the peanut butter, I can feel Dad exit off of the highway. The motion makes my slippered feet slide a few inches across the floor, causing me to hold on to the counter for balance.

 Turning my wrist to view my watch, I realize that it’s already two in the afternoon.

 I know that we left sometime around six this morning, so it’s not unreasonable that we’d be close to our campsite.

Well, if you would call it one. Yes, we’re the people who spend their summers in their motorhome, and ‘camp’ in different campgrounds throughout the summer.

 I don’t really see it as camping—more like ‘glamping’—but that’s what most people call it.

 I pass the boys their lunches, and listen as Dad talks through the window to a man on a golf cart as we arrive at the campground.

Dad pays the admission fees, and the man waves us through, calling out to Dad as he presses the gas.

“Yes, sir. Your spot is number sixteen. Enjoy your stay.” Dad calls out his thanks, and slowly adds more pressure to the gas as we pull forward.

Dad parks us in our site before calling out to me.

“Okay, Laelia, you can get out now.”

I step out the door, the steps opening as I walk down.

“Hey, Mom, I’m going to walk around and check this place out.” I call inside the door, listening for her reply.

“Um, okay. I guess the boys will stay here with us while you look around. We’re going to open slides in a minute.” Shutting the door and walking away, I breathe a sigh of relief that we made it in one piece.

I notice that the people next to us have a camper that is pulled behind their truck, and not a motorhome. Which I find odd, but I’m not really sure why.

 The row that we’re on is the closest to the trails leading into the woods, and I scout out all of the trail heads, making note of the lengths that are displayed on the signs at each entrance.

My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my shorts, and I pull it out to read the new message from Mom. She wants me to stop by the front office and see if there are any maps of the campground. A second message appears, letting me know that the boys will want to go on a walk later.

I slide my phone back into my pocket, changing the direction of my walk and starting in the direction of the front office.

I rub my exposed arms as goosebumps flood them, the warm sun sending tingles down my spine. My purple tank top covering zero percent of my exposed arms.

“Afternoon.” A woman sitting outside of her trailer calls out, lifting her arm in a small wave. I gently wave back, smiling. I remember it being like this last year. Everyone calling out greetings as you walk by. Even people you’ve never met before.

My light brown hair runs in a thick braid down my back, and it gently swings back and forth as I walk.

 After thirty minutes of walking, I’ve reached the front office. The bell chimes as I walk in, alerting the man behind the counter to my arrival.

“Hello, ma’am, what can I do for you today?” He calls out as I approach.

“Oh, I’m just looking at the maps y’all have.” I reply, nodding at the display near me.

“No problem. Let me know if you need help finding anything.” He says, returning his attention back to the computer in front of him. I nod and turn, looking through their small store.

After grabbing some maps, and saying “Thank you” to the man, I walk out the door and start the walk towards our motorhome.

 “Hey, Laelia, I put Colin and Jasper in their playpen for you.” Archer says, grabbing my hand as I walk in the door.

“Thank you. Were they misbehaving?” He holds on to my hand as I walk to their playpen, and doesn’t answer my question.

I peer into their space, and my two Chihuahuas rush towards me, wagging their tiny tails in the process.

“Hello, darlings.” I say, sitting on the floor and allowing them to crawl into my lap.

 “Here, let me hold one.” Arden says, walking up behind us and reaching his hands out.

“Go sit on the couch and I’ll bring them over.” I tell him as I stand up.

 They both rush to the couch and plop down, rocking the house ever so slightly.

I’m not really sure why I’m making them sit when Archer was obviously just carrying them, but then again, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I set Jasper and Colin on the couch, knowing that they won’t jump off by themselves.

“I need to go talk to Mom. Stay here for a few minutes.” I direct, looking them both in the eye. The twins nod, but I know that they’re not going to stay.

“Here are your maps.” I say while I walk into my parents’ room.

“Oh, thank you. You’ll probably want to keep them with you, though. They’re for your walk.” Mom says from her bed.

I nod, losing focus of the conversation as I look outside. The window behind their bed is open, allowing me to watch the chaos unfold.

 A small child—probably only three or four—is walking right behind a moving RV, and by the way it’s continuing to reverse, I’m sure that the driver has no idea that he’s there.

I stuff the maps into my back pocket, and sprint outside. Scrambling out of the door, I trip, trying to reach the child that’s about to be run over.

 Just before I reach him, a boy my age grabs the child and rips him away from the back of the RV.

He quickly moves away from the now stopped vehicle, and the driver jumps out, leaving his door open in his rush to reach us, obviously realizing what almost happened.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I almost just ran over you guys’ child!” The man exclaims.

He looks to be around thirty-five, and he’s clearly in a panic. He runs his hand through his nonexistent hair, and if this wasn’t a serious situation, I would definitely find it amusing.

The boy who grabbed the child walks towards us with the kid clinging to him.

“Um, he’s not our child. At least, he’s not mine. I think he belongs to someone a few sites down.” The boy—well, almost man—says, as the child buries his head into his shoulder.

“Thank you so much for getting him out of the way. Really, thank you.” He turns to the boy who picked up the child and shakes his hand, and waves at me, before he gets back in his truck and drives away.

I’m a little surprised that he’s already leaving, but technically nothing happened, so there is no reason for him to stay.

“So, do you know who this little guy belongs to? I asked him, but I don’t think he hears very well. He obviously didn’t hear the trailer heading towards him, and was completely surprised when I picked him up.” The boy tells me, his voice extremely calming even though this situation is more than a little bit nerve wracking.

“I, uh, no. I just got here. Like, maybe forty-five minutes ago. I can help you find his parents, though.” I reply, glancing at the poor child’s face. All I can picture is seeing him innocently playing and almost being run over.

I gulp. The boy—who looks more of a man than boy—nods, patting the child’s head.

“We can walk this way. I think I’ve seen him over here, before. I’m not one-hundred percent, though. I’ve only been here for a few days.” I nod, and we start walking in the direction he pointed at.

“I’m Johnny, by the way.” The boy—Johnny—says, extending his large hand between us.

His slender fingers grip mine in a handshake.

“I’m Laelia. Nice to meet you.” I say, as his hand envelopes mine. The touch feels electric, but I’m sure that’s the adrenaline pumping through me, racing like needles through my veins.

“I like your name. It’s really pretty.” Johnny says, looking down at me.

It’s one of the first times I’ve received a compliment on my name rather than someone asking why my parents didn’t choose something easier to pronounce like Layla or Lyla.

“Thank you. Your name is also pretty. It really suits you.”

 He chuckles lightly. “Thanks. I hope that it suits me in a good way.”

I nod vigorously. “Definitely in a good way. I-”

“There he is! Oh my gosh! Where did you find him?” A woman screams, running towards us. She gently takes the child out of Johnny’s arms, and cradles him in her own.

She hugs the child—presumably her son—tightly before looking up.

 “He was a few spots down, and was in harm’s way. I grabbed him before he was injured, though.” Johnny answers, making the whole ordeal way less dramatic than it had been. Sure, nothing did happen, but still.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was outside with him and got called away. What almost happened to him? You probably noticed, but Noah is deaf, so he doesn’t notice when he could be injured. Thank you for saving my baby. My name is Angie, by the way.” She’s obviously more than a little frantic, her sentences coming out in a strange order.

Johnny looks to me, as though I should answer, and I take a gulp of air, not wanting to dredge back up the horrible memory.

“He was behind a moving vehicle, and the driver didn’t see him. Johnny—thankfully—pulled him out of the way in time.” I finish and look towards Johnny, silently asking if he wants to add anything to the story.

“I can’t thank you both enough. Is the driver still here? Is there anything I can do to repay you for saving my baby?” Angie asks, peering past us. Presumably to see if the vehicle is still here.

“No. And really, Johnny did it all. I just saw it happen, and I tried to prevent it. He’s the one who actually saved him.” I say, ensuring she knows that I really shouldn’t be getting the credit here.

“We’re about to leave, but I want you to know how thankful I am. Really, thank you so much. I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t saved our baby.” Angie says, tears filling her eyes as she walks away.

“Well, that was a strange way to meet.” Johnny says, a small chuckle leaving his lips. I turn and look up at him, noting the way his milk chocolate hair fluffs a little in the soft breeze.

 For a moment I think he’s talking about Angie and Noah, and immediately feel dumb when I realize he’s talking about us.

 “Definitely. Are you staying at this park, too?” I ask, looking up to study his facial features.

“Yep. We’re staying for two more days. How about you? You said you got here about an hour ago, right?” He replies.

 “Yeah, I did say that. I’m not sure how long we’re staying for, though. I don’t remember dates all that much.” I reply with a sheepish laugh. He nods, silent for a minute before speaking again.

 “So was that motorhome you came out of yours? Our spot is the one on your left.” He asks, obviously unsure what else to say now that we’ve delivered Noah to his mom.

“Yeah, that’s my family’s. I think I remember seeing your home next to ours when I started my walk. Maybe I’m wrong, though.” I say.

 “Yeah, that’s ours. I, uh, I have to get back, but maybe I’ll see you around.” Johnny says, ducking his head and waving as he turns away. “Okay. I’ll see you around.” I respond, feeling awkward because I have to walk to essentially the same place as him, meaning I either have to walk next to him, or a few feet behind him.

Deciding against feeling awkward, I walk in the opposite direction for a minute, and turn back when I’m sure he’s reached his house, allowing me to walk back to mine.

Walking into my house, I spot the boys asleep on the couch, and shake my head at the sight. They napped all morning, but they’re already asleep?

I slide one of the couch blankets over them, noticing that Colin and Jasper are asleep in the passenger seat, snuggled into their bed.

“Laelia, is that you?” Dad calls from his room.

I enter their bedroom, and notice that Mom is asleep next to him on their bed.

“Why did you leave so quickly earlier?” He asks, curiosity in his voice.

 I assume Mom asked him to find out, since she was the one I was talking to before. I speak quietly, knowing that the boys and Mom are asleep.

 Early rising is not something we enjoy, or do often.

“There was a kid behind a moving trailer. I was making sure he didn’t get run over.” He nods.

“Wow, I’m glad you were able to help. Where were his parents?” I explain Angie’s explanation, and he nods after I’m finished.

I leave their room, passing the boys’ unmade bunk beds on my

way out.

Arden and Archer are still passed out on the couch, so I walk outside again.

I note that Dad pulled the grill out of the motorhome basement storage, making my job later easier.

 He placed it on our folding table, leaving me the picnic table that our site came with available for prepping food.

I plop into an outdoor chair, and set an alarm for an hour to remind myself to start baked potatoes.

 I contemplate going back inside for my laptop, but decide against it. I did a ton of writing this morning, and I’m caught up on everything. The plus side to my job is that I technically can be done a few weeks in advance.

Opening an app on my phone, I start reading the mystery novel that I’ve been making my way through.

 Soon enough, my alarm goes off, signaling that I need to start dinner, and I quickly start the electric grill. After wrapping potatoes with salt, pepper, and foil, I lay them on the grill and unlock my phone, noting that it’s four-fifteen.

I decide to start the steaks at five-fifteen, and then make the salad as they cook.

 Before I know it, it’s time to start steaks. I grab the food from inside, and after making a few trips in and out, I manage to get the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, dressing, croutons, bacon, and the steaks. Laying the meats on the grill, I get to work slicing the lettuce.

I check the time, surprised that everyone else is still sleeping. I guess the boys didn’t sleep last night due to excitement, and that’s why they’re still out.

Pulling the steaks off of the grill and slicing the boys’, I plate everything, and walk inside to wake everyone up.

 “Archer, Arden, it’s time to get up and eat dinner.” I say, gently shaking their shoulders.

“Huh? What?” Arden says groggily. His words slurring as he sits up, drool sliding down his cheek.

 I stifle a giggle, knowing he’ll throw a fit if he thinks I’m making fun of him.

Archer stirs a minute later, his short brown hair tousled.

“Come outside to eat dinner, boys. I need to wake Mom and Dad up, and then we’ll all eat together.” I tell them, giving each of their cheeks a poke as they stand.

 I grin at their cute expressions as they fully wake up.

“Mom, Dad.” I call as I walk in, tapping their doorframe as I do so.

“Dinner is done. I have the boys outside, already.” I say, already halfway out of their room.

 “Thank you, Laelia.” The boys say as I place their plates in front of them. After watching their first few bites of steak, I sigh in relief knowing that I sliced it small enough.

Mom and Dad come out within a few minutes, and pretty soon we’re all eating.

 I feel a strange sense of being watched, and when I look up, I lock eyes with Johnny.

I smile at him, and he does the same.

His full smile is dazzling.

 He’s near the front of his RV, a black lab leashed next to him.

His dog wags its tail as Jasper playfully barks at it.

He starts walking away, and from behind him, his parents appear. They’re both brown haired, and both considerably shorter than Johnny. I find it strange, but I rein my attention back to dinner as Archer starts talking.

“This chicken is so good.” He says, pointing at the steak. I purse my lips to avoid smiling, not wanting to hurt his feelings or start a meltdown.

“That’s really good. Do you want to know the proper name for this meat?” I ask, Mom flicking her eyebrows as I respond.

“Um, maybe.” Arden answers for Archer.

 “This meat right here is ‘steak.’” I say, emphasizing the word.

He nods, going back to his food.

Ten minutes pass as we eat, silence stretching between us.

 “Excuse me, would you mind if I were to pet your dogs?” I look up to see Johnny’s mom gesturing towards Colin and Jasper, Johnny and his dad behind her.

“Oh, of course not. Here, let me pull them out.” I pull Colin and Jasper out of their stroller, and sit down in one of the outdoor chairs, allowing her to do the same. She reaches out and pets them, smiling as she does so.

“Would you like to hold one of them?” I ask, offering her Colin.

“Oh my goodness, you’re just so cute.” She says as Colin licks her chin. “Oh, I’m Katherine, by the way.” She says, extending her hand in a greeting.

“I’m Laelia. Nice to meet you, Katherine.” I say, a smile forming on my lips.

“Boys, you can go inside and either read your books or watch television.” I hear Dad say behind me, as he and Mom come sit down with Katherine and I.

“I’m Lucia, and this is Chris.” Mom says, reaching across the empty fire pit and shaking Katherine’s hand.

“Lovely to meet you both. James, Johnny, come over and say hi.” Katherine says, turning her head and nodding toward us.

As they walk over, I notice that Johnny has put his dog in their house.

 “Hi, I’m Johnny. Nice to meet you.” He says, shaking my parents’ hands before turning to me.

“Hi, Laelia.” He says, grinning at me as he sits next to me.

“You two know each other?” Mom asks looking between the two of us.

“Yeah, we uh, met earlier today.” I respond.

“That’s so nice. Here, I think he wants you back. He’s so wiggly.” Katherine says, passing Colin back to me.

“This is James.” Katherine says, motioning at her husband who sat down next to her.

“So that’s your place?” Dad asks, pointing at their truck and RV.

“Yes, sir.” James answers, pride in his voice.

“It looks nice. We thought about something like that, but we decided to go with a motorhome.” Dad responds. James nods, swiping his eyes over our house.

“A motorhome is probably better for a bigger family. More space while driving, you know. My sister has one, too. It works well for them. She has three kids, too.” He says. Mom nods, agreeing.

“Definitely. We needed something… other than a car or truck to travel in. This definitely works amazing for us. Did you have to remodel anything in yours?” Mom asks.

 “Oh, definitely. We live in ours full-time, so there were definitely some things that we had to fix. It took us six months to get it mostly livable for us. We bought it knowing we would have to adjust, so it wasn’t horrible.” Katherine responds, gesturing towards James and Johnny.

“Tell them what we had to change, Johnny.” Katherine says, leaning forward to see across from me. I shrink back, feeling in the way, even though I’m just sitting normally.

“We replaced pretty much everything, and added and adjusted everything else. Beds, everything in the kitchen, the seating. Dad and I spent a ton of time fixing it all.” Johnny says, grinning at the end of his sentence.

 I sit in silence as the conversation flows around me, and while I’m glad that we’re “meeting” again, I feel mildly awkward not knowing just about anything on our house, and that’s the only topic of this conversation. I prefer to stay out of the whole vehicle thing. My attention wanders for a second, and I’m snapped back when my name is mentioned.

“-Laelia is sixteen, so there’s a ten year age gap between her and her brothers. What about you, Johnny? How old did you say you are?” Mom asks him, staring intently.

“I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks.” He responds with a smile, and I admire his easygoing nature and calm manner of speaking.

 “That’s lovely. I’m sure your parents are ready for you to be out of the weird in-between stage where you’re not quite an adult, and not quite a kid. I know we are with Laelia.” Mom says with a chuckle.

“So, Laelia, are you homeschooled, or do you attend in-person school?” Katherine asks me, curiosity in her tone.

“I actually go to a private school. What about you, Johnny?” I ask, turning to him.

“That sounds cool. I’m homeschooled.”

 “Really? That’s neat. How does it work? I know some people do textbooks, and some do it online.” I ask, vaguely hearing our parents having a conversation in the background.

“Mine is online. I’m enrolled in a completely online academy, where I pick and choose my classes, grade level, and so on. Well, my parents technically choose my classes, but I can add a few that interest me. Like, there’s specific courses on engineering things that I really like. It’s obviously not like being in-person, but it’s still super nice.”

 I nod, the animation in his voice making it all ten times more interesting. “That sounds so cool. Do you think you’d like being in an in-person school more, or do you think this suits you better?” I inquire, genuinely curious.

“Um, I’ve never been in public school, but I definitely think that I like this better. My attention span isn’t… great, and I take breaks in between classes, so I probably wouldn’t ‘fit in’ with public school schedules.” He says, chuckling nervously.

“I definitely get that. Will you graduate this year? I know you said you’re almost eighteen.”

He sucks in a breath before answering. “Short answer, yes. It kind of depends on if I decide to take a few more classes before I officially graduate. There’s a few extra curricular classes that I’m thinking about taking. What about you? Are you close to graduating?”

I shake my head. “No. I’ll turn seventeen in August, so I’m kind of far from graduating. I mean, I could add more to my work load and try to graduate early, but it’s not really worth it right now. Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up summer school and try to get ahead.” I say, giggling a little.

“Ah, that would definitely be something. I’m sure you’d go back to school a grade ahead.”

 “A whole grade, you think? Wouldn’t it take me a few more months to do that?” I tease.

 He grins at that, and I’m definitely not expecting his response.

“No, not really. You don’t need eight hours a day to complete a lot of school, to be honest. Completing grades quickly is actually pretty easy. I mean, you really could finish a whole grade in threeish months if you were consistent.” He responds, sincerity in his face.

“Really? That’s wild to think about. What’s the shortest amount of time it’s taken you to complete a grade?”

 “I’m not sure. I know I’ve done a few of them quickly. Maybe my mom would know.” He replies.

 “Oh, okay. Hey, do you want to hold him?” I ask, motioning to Jasper, as he tries—again—to jump into Johnny’s lap.

“Sure. What’s his name?” He asks, Jasper looking even tinier than normal in Johnny’s large hands. He licks Johnny’s hand like a rabid animal, and I duck my head in embarrassment at my dog’s horrible manners.

“That’s Jasper, and this is Colin. They’re Chihuahuas.”

He nods, amusement in his smile as Jasper continues licking and wagging his tail.

“He’s pretty… energetic. He’s cute, though. How old are they?”

I smile at his compliment. “They’re around ten or eleven months old, so basically full grown. They’re pretty small, though. I saw you with a dog, earlier. Is it yours?” I ask.

Johnny smiles in typical dog-parent fashion before speaking.

“Yeah, she’s mine. She’s a Labrador. Her name is Berry. When my parents got her for me, I wanted to name her ‘Bear’ but my mom persuaded me to make it Berry, so it would be ‘more feminine.’” He says, laughing at the end of his sentence.

“That’s so cute. How old were you when you got her? I’m guessing you were a little bit younger?” I ask, noticing how he smiles when I say this.

“I got her for my twelfth birthday, so yeah. A little bit younger. I occasionally call her ‘Bear,’ but Berry seems to suit her pretty well.” He says with a shrug.

 “She looked pretty adorable when I saw her. From what I saw,

Berry fits her.”

“Pretty destructive, you mean. As a puppy she destroyed everything. My parents probably had gray hairs after we got her.” He laughs.

 “Are you sure she was the only destructive one?” I tease, knowing how my brothers are right now.

“Probably not. I wasn’t a super ‘easy’ kid to raise. I really had my fair share of destructiveness. We were probably a terror together.” He says with a chuckle.

I laugh at his honesty, his complete realness refreshing.

 “Laelia, please go check on the boys and make sure they’re changed into their pajamas.” Dad calls to me, jolting me back to reality.

 I nod and stand, deciding to just take Colin with me.

“Oh, I’ll hold him for you.” Johnny says, reaching out with his left hand, Jasper asleep in his right.

“Thanks. He’s a little bit more feisty than Jasper, good luck.”

Walking inside, I see the boys sitting on the couch sharing a bag of mini popcorn, and watching their favorite train show. “Okay, let’s take a pause and put on pajamas. Afterwards you can go back to your show.”

 They both huff and fold their arms. Even though they just turned six, I’m still surprised when they’re so in sync with each other.

It still catches me off-guard when their synchronization is so on point.

“No. I’m not going to put on pajamas. Neither is Arden.” Archer says defiantly.

I roll my eyes before walking to their drawers and pulling out two sets of pajamas.

“Come here, please. If you don’t come in here and get changed you’re not going to be watching television when you’re done.”

 Usually I have a little bit more patience when it comes to their antics, but I want to get back to my conversation, and I feel slightly bad for being short with them.

They both reluctantly change, but immediately after, they go back to watching their show.

Walking back outside, I gather the plates and silverware, even though I desperately want to go back to my conversation with Johnny. Hurrying through after-dinner chores, it only takes me about fifteen minutes to finish up.

 Sitting next to Johnny again, I smile, seeing both Colin and Jasper asleep in his hands. The veins on the back of his hands and wrists are pronounced with the way he holds both of my dogs, and with the position they’re in, I can only imagine that it’s not all-that comfortable.

 “I think they both like me.” Johnny says, motioning with his head to Colin and Jasper.

 “I think so, too. They’re pretty standoff-ish most of the time, so I’m surprised that they let your mom hold them, and fall asleep in your hands.”

 “Wow. Should I feel special, then?” He says with a chuckle, his thumb brushing lightly on Jasper’s back.

“Something like that.” I reply with a chuckle.

“Johnny, I think it’s time for us to go back, we don’t need to intrude on their night, anymore.” Katherine says while standing.

“Oh, you’re welcome to stay longer, if you’d like.” Mom says, waving her hand in the air in “a don’t be silly” gesture.

“No, really, we should go and do our evening things, and let you do yours.” She says.

 “Oh, isn’t that precious. Look at Johnny and Laelia’s dogs. So cute!” Mom exclaims.

“You must have some special touch with them.” Katherine says, patting Johnny’s shoulder.

 “Here you go. They’re super sweet.” Johnny says, handing me back my dogs, care in his motions to keep them asleep.

 His hands brush mine as he passes them back, and it must be the warm air, because my whole arm immediately feels warm.