The Place I Wanna Be (Isolation)

"The Place I Wanna Be" is the first episode of the first season of Isolation. It is also the series premiere.

Synopsis
''Abel Monroe's parents send him to spend the summer at Camp Braveheart. Despite his pessimistic outlook on things, he quickly makes friends and finds out camp might not be so bad.''

Plot
A long gray road stretches through the red desert, a lone yellow bus riding over it. The bus is filled with children laughing and chatting. A young boy in the back of the bus melancholically stares out the window, seeing nothing but red sand stretching into the distance, and the occasional rock or two.

Summer camp…

''The place parents send their children when they don’t want them around. My name is Abel Monroe, my mom and dad figured I spend too much time on the computer, and that I needed some fresh air. They sent me to this crappy out-of-state summer camp in the middle of nowhere, so now I’m stuck in this death trap on wheels with a bunch of noisy, annoying shitheads. “C’mon it’ll be fun,” they said, “You’ll actually make some friends, instead of talking to that computer of yours all day.” Yeah right… The worst part? My dad went to this camp when he was younger, and he has quite the reputation. I pray that no one will recognize my last name...''

Abel stares coldly into the distance, before he’s caught off guard by a tap on his shoulder. He turns his head to the chubby boy sitting next to him, “Hey, uh… You alright? You’ve been staring out that window ever since we got on. Didn’t really say anything because I thought you’d wanna be left alone.”

Abel quickly snaps back to reality and processes the boy’s words. “Huh? Oh, uh… Yeah, I’m fine.”

The boy doesn’t seem too convinced, but nods anyway. “Okay, cool. I’m Eric, by the way.”

“Abel.”

Eric smiles and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, Abel.”

“Yeah, sure. I guess.” Abel looks out the window yet again, then back at Eric. “So, what’re you in for?”

“Huh? In for?”

“Summer jail. Why’d your parents send you to camp? Are you a problem child or something?”

Eric quickly gets defensive, “What? No, of course not! I love my parents! And they love me too.”

Abel raises an eyebrow, “Sure sounds like it.”

“Shut up…” Eric chuckles, “My mom and stepdad are on a trip to Venice, they wanted some alone time, so they sent me here. Mom said this is supposed to be the best summer camp in the area.”

“Yeah, right. It’s also the only summer camp in the area. Or anything for that matter.” Abel replies, as he looks out the window once more, “Nothing around here but rocks and dirt.”

The boys stay quiet for a moment before Eric speaks up. “So, what do you think it’ll be like? The camp, I mean.”

“Stuck in the middle of death county, with fuck-all modern technology? It’s gonna fucking suck.” Abel replies cynically.

“I hope we’ll get to write home. I get homesick real quick… I already miss my mom.”

“You realize summer will probably be over before those letters get to Venice, right?”

Eric sighs, “I guess. Still helps to write, though.”

“Waste of paper if you ask me. You do know the Amazon’s dying, right?”

“Are you always such a dick?”

“Definitely.” Abel smiles.

Abel looks over at the front of the bus, observing the other kids on the bus. He notices a tall boy with a mullet and shades sitting near the front.

“Who does he think he’s gonna impress?” Abel points at him, turning to Eric. “It ain’t the 90’s anymore, jackass.”

Eric snickers. “Fuck him, seriously. That asshole called me a fatass then shoved me when getting on the bus.”

Abel thinks for a few seconds, trying to come up with a stupid insult. “What a fucking cock-monkey.”

The tough-looking boy turns his attention to a girl sitting across the aisle from him, and smiles at her flirtingly. “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?”

The blonde girl rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. A girl with black hair sitting next to her glares at him menacingly, shattering his confidence and quickly shutting him up.

“We should probably stop staring before it gets weird.” Abel says.

“Too late, you guys are fucking losers.” A girl sitting behind them says, catching the boys off guard.

“Look at the pot calling the kettle black, you’re the one eavesdropping on us.” Eric tells her.

“No clue what you’re talking about, dude. I wasn’t listening in on anyone.”

“Uh huh… Sure.” Abel sarcastically agrees.

Eric turns to the girl. “Anyways, I’m--”

“Eric and Abel. I know.”

Abel raises an eyebrow, “Not listening in on us, huh?”

The girl shrugs, trying to hide her smile.

“So what’s your name, then?” Abel asks.

“Rhonda. The girl next to me is--”

“Bethany! Bethany Borowski! It’s so good to meet you guys! I’m so excited for camp, it’s going to be so much fun!” The girl blurts out enthusiastically, speaking with a lisp.

“My parents sent me here to make more friends, because I don’t really have a lot of friends at home. I don’t know why, honestly... Some people in my class say it might be because I talk too much but I don’t really think so. I think I’m a pretty calm and quiet person most of the time. My mom always says that I just need to meet the right people if I want to make friends.” Bethany goes on and on. “Oh my gosh! Do you guys wanna be my friends?”

“Uh… Sure?” Eric reluctantly agrees, looking over at Abel for help.

“Oh, no man, she’s all yours.” Abel whispers, shaking his head.

“Wonderful, the loser squad has a new member.” Rhonda says mockingly.

“So, Rhonda, why’d your parents send you to Camp Death Trap?” Abel asks Rhonda, while Bethany continues talking to Eric.

“I murdered forty-nine innocent people and burnt down an orphanage.” Rhonda jokingly replies. “Nah, I don’t know really. Just wanted me out of the house, I guess.”

Abel nods. “Same here.”

They talk for a while more, until the bus leaves the desert behind, and arrives in an area with grassy fields stretching into the horizon. Abel peeks out the window and notices the silhouettes of several small buildings in the distance.

“Are those houses?” Eric asks curiously.

“Sweet civilization! I thought we’d die in the desert!” Abel rejoices.

All the kids excitedly get up and stare out the window, observing the small town. It’s a small settlement with only a few buildings out in the middle of nowhere, like a real western town.

The bus abruptly comes to a halt in the middle of the town square. All the children are chattering and wondering what’s going on.

“Simmer down, dammit!” An old, bald man gets up from the driver seat. “We’re takin’ a quick break for gas. Y’all can get some fresh air or whatever. And if you need to piss, do it now. We ain’t stoppin’ again for a couple more hours.”

“A couple hours?” A boy in the front complains.

The driver opens the door and lets the campers out one at a time. Abel and Eric are among the last to leave the bus and set foot on the ground again.

“I think I was starting to get sick on that thing.” Eric informs his friend, looking quite pale.

The driver waits for everyone to get off the bus and group up. “Alright, I don’t want none of you kids gettin’ lost, so don’t wander off on your own. Meet back here in ‘bout twenty minutes, ya got that?”

“Yeah, we get it, man.” The boy with the mullet says rudely.

The man glares at him, “Watch it, boy. Or you can walk to camp.”

The man wanders off toward the gas station, as all the different campers disperse. Abel walks off on his own, Rhonda quickly follows him.

“Y’know, I heard that last year two campers went missing.” She tells him.

“Wait, seriously? Where’d you hear that?”

Rhonda dodges his question, “I don’t reveal my sources.”

“Uh huh… So what happened? Did a bear get them, or did they die of boredom?”

She rolls her eyes “Some say they were killed by some maniac in the woods, but their bodies were never found.”

“What, you think Jason Voorhees is sneaking around Camp Crystal Lake?”

“Nope. I bet it was that creepy driver dude.” Rhonda snickers.

They sit down on a bench, Abel reaches into his backpack for a bottle of water.

“Looks like Harley Quinn found her Mr J.” Rhonda jokes, pointing at Bethany, who’s dragging along Eric.

Abel chuckles, “I ship it already.”

He takes a sip from his bottle before taking out his cellphone. No signal, figures. He looks around and notices another boy, about a year older than him, and a little girl with crutches.

“C’mon, Robyne, you need to stay hydrated, it’s hot out here.” The older boy says, handing the girl a thermos.

The girl denies his offer, “I said I’m fine, Tristan. You can have it.”

“Mom put me in charge of keeping an eye on you. If anything happens, I’m responsible.”

“Yeah, if anything happens to my broken leg. I don’t see how water’s the problem here.” Robyne tells her brother.

“Just take it, please.” Tristan insists.

Robyne accepts her defeat, “Alright, alright, fine… You’re so annoying sometimes.” Tristan hands her the thermos, “Thanks."

Abel notices another pair of siblings on the other side of the road, though they don’t get along so well.

“C’mon, Jordy, please! I’m starving.” The little boy complains, desiring his brother’s sandwich.

“Fuck off, Milo. You shouldn’t have eaten yours earlier, like I told you to.” Jordy responds, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite out of it.

“Asshole.”

“Whatever, faggot.”

Abel quickly stops staring, before taking another sip from his bottle and putting it back in his bag. He notices two boys approaching him.

“Hey, you two!” A boy with short black hair shouts, “We’re going to check around town, see if there’s anything interesting around here. Wanna come?”

Abel looks up at him, and shields his eyes from the sun, “Fuck it, why not?” He gets up and looks behind him, “You coming, Rhonda?”

“Yeah, there’s bound to be something better to do than sitting here, melting in the sun.” The boy with curly hair and glasses says.

“Nah, I’ll pass… You boys have fun, though.”

The boys shrug as they walk past the other campers, and further down the road.

“Name’s CJ, by the way. The geek’s Simon.” The short haired boy says.

“I’m Abel.”

“Cool, do you think we’ll be in the same cabin, Abel?” CJ asks him enthusiastically.

“I don’t know, maybe. I don’t really care.” Abel sighs, “As long as I can finally get some rest.”

“I think we’re all tired after sitting in that bus for 3 hours straight.” Simon replies.

Abel sighs, “I think I’m ready to roll over and die.”

“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine...” Simon responds sarcastically.

“Y’know, I’ve been hearing that a lot today.”

The boys stop in front of a small building by the side of the road. There’s a sign by the door reading ‘Cabin of Curiosities’, and several painted arrows pointing toward the door.

“Now this, we gotta check out!” CJ excitedly says.

“Yeah, c’mon Abel, you gotta admit this looks interesting.” Simon agrees.

Abel sighs, “Fine, I’m in. It’ll alleviate the boredom.”

The three boys swing open the door and go inside. They enter a dark hallway with nothing but a few neon lights guiding the way.

“Yep, we’re totally gonna get fucking murdered in here.” Abel jokes.

The boys continue down the hall and step through the dark red curtains. They step into a large room filled with all sorts of treasures and oddities.

“Whoa, check this out!” CJ points at a taxidermied mountain lion, standing proudly on a rock in the middle of the room.

The boys walk around, breathing it all in. Abel notices an array of golden pots and vases.

“There’s so much cool shit in here.” Simon says as he turns his attention to a bunch of shrunken heads held up by strings. Suddenly, a cold hand touches his shoulder, startling the boy.

“You’re not supposed to be in here.” A menacing voice warns them.

The boys quickly turn around, noticing a tall man with a walking cane standing in the entryway, glaring at them. The man pushes Simon aside, and slowly approaches the other two boys.

CJ and Abel back up, “We’re sorry sir, we didn’t know! We’ll get out of here!”

“You’ve seen too much… I’m afraid I can’t let you leave.”

CJ gulps, “W-what...?”

The man steps forward, grabbing CJ by the shoulder, and staring him dead in the eyes. CJ fearfully shuts his eyes, afraid to make eye contact, before the man suddenly bursts into laughter.

“Hahaha! I’m sorry! That gets ‘em every time!”

The boys quickly get back to their senses, unamused by the prank.

“C’mon, you gotta admit that was funny!” The man laughs, but quickly shuts up when he notices he’s the only one. “Heh, I assume you kids are here for the tour?”

“Tour? What tour?” Simon asks.

“Ah, excuse me, not many people stop by this town unless they’re here for the tour. This museum’s about the only thing attracting tourists to Possum Falls. Well, that, and it’s the only place for gas for about 50 miles. I’ve spent my entire life travelling across the world and collecting valuables with my brother. Ever since he passed, I gave up travelling and set up shop here. For just ten bucks I can tell you the tale behind every single item I’ve got here.”

Simon checks his pockets, “Oh, uh, I’m not sure if we’ve got any money on us, sir. We were on our way to camp and--”

“Camp? Camp Braveheart?” The man asks, “Has it really been a year? The time flies… Kids stop by here every year on their way there, I suppose it helps me keep track of time.”

“You didn’t come across a clock in all your travels?” Abel jokingly asks.

“Perhaps not a clock, but I did find a very old pocket watch. But that’s a story for another day. Instead, I’ve got a different story for you kids…”

“Really? Tell us!” CJ demands, excited to hear the man’s tale.

“Alright, alright, take a seat, and I’ll tell you.” He points at a sofa in the corner of the room, and the boys sit down. “When I was a young boy, about your age, I also went to Camp Braveheart. It’s why I set up shop here in the first place. I’d been going there every year since I was six years old. My brother and I were rascals, we loved playing outside and adventuring, so Camp Braveheart felt like our second home. But all that changed one night... I was in my cabin, and I couldn’t sleep, when I suddenly heard this tap-tap-tapping on the window. I got up and ran to unlock it, my brother was standing right outside. “Stanley!” he said, “Get dressed and follow me!”, “What is it this time, Theodore?” I sighed, “Another hidden treasure? Or do you simply want to go night swimming again?”. Like I said, my brother and I were troublemakers, we often sneaked out of our bunks at night. But we should’ve never left our cabins that night... Theodore looked me straight in the eyes, “No, Stanley, I’m going to the forbidden cabin, and you’re coming with me!” he demanded. Now, with my brother, there was no point fighting it, he would always convince me one way or another, so I got dressed and followed him to the forbidden cabin.”

“What’s in the forbidden cabin? Why’s it forbidden?” CJ asks, invested in the story.

“Dead bodies. Definitely.” Abel smiles.

Simon rolls his eyes. “Can you two shut up? Let him finish.”

Stanley clears his throat and continues. “As I was saying… We were on our way to the forbidden cabin, and it was pitch black out. We were sneaking through the woods as quietly as possible. If any of the counselors caught us out past bedtime we were dead meat. As we were walking through the forest I heard a howling noise in the distance, like a wolf. My brother brushed it off, saying it was probably just a coyote. We finally made it to the forbidden cabin, and I could swear I saw the shadow of a body through the window, but when we opened the door, it was empty. Suddenly I heard the same noise, this time it was closer, and we both definitely heard it. We went outside to see what it was, and between the trees I saw it… It’s blood red eyes still haunt my nightmares, this was no ordinary wolf, it was a beast. I’ve taken to calling it Fang, as his teeth were sharper than knives. He was like an 8 foot tall man, covered from head to toe in dark fur, and razor sharp claws. We quickly went back inside and closed the doors, before it could get to us. It tried desperately to bust open the door, but we managed to keep it shut. Everything that happened in the moments after that is a blur, the adrenaline rushed through my body… We both woke up the next morning in the forbidden cabin, a counselor found us. We were in huge trouble, but at least Fang didn’t get us. I haven’t set foot in that camp since…”

CJ stares in disbelief, “You really fought off a werewolf?”

“Well, I don’t know if it was necessarily a werewolf… Though Theodore definitely believed it was. He thought it was the counselor who found us in true form.”

“Nonsense!”

The kids look over at the door, noticing the driver standing in the entryway.

“Stan, old boy, I’ve missed you.” The driver gives Stanley a firm pat on the back, “Still got nothin’ better to do than scarin’ the children each year?”

“Mac! How long has it been?”

“Too long, Stanley. About time summer came along, kids these days don’t set a foot outside anymore.” Mac looks over at the boys, “Speakin’ of, I thought I told you kids not to wander off.”

“Oh, we’re sorry, sir. We forgot and--” CJ apologizes.

“Forget it, kid. It’s fine. I finished gassin’ up, get yourselves back to the bus.”

“Yessir.” The boys reply, before heading outside.

Mac gives Stanley a firm pat on the back, “I’ll see you around, bud.”

“Take care, Mac. And take care of those boys!” Stanley waves his old friend goodbye.

Abel, CJ, and Simon hurry back to the bus, Mac right behind them. The other campers are already waiting in their seats. Abel heads over to the back row and sits down next to Eric.

“What the hell took you so long?” Eric complains.

“Sorry, man, got distracted.” Abel apologizes, “Why? Not having fun with your new girlfriend?”

“Who? Bethany? Do you have any idea how annoying she is?”

Abel looks behind him and notices Bethany going on and on about something or other to Rhonda, who has already fallen asleep.

“Nope, no idea.” He comments sarcastically.

The bus leaves the town and continues its journey through the prairie fields, before arriving at a thick forest. The pine trees bordering the dirt road are like a row of columns in an ancient Greek temple. Abel presses his face against the glass.

“We must be getting close to camp.” He comments, noticing the change of scenery. He looks over at his friend, to find Eric asleep. Abel yawns, as he looks back out the window. The dirt road seems to be getting narrower as they get closer to the camp.

The bus comes to a halt in a small open area in the woods. Abel shakes his friend. “Eric, wake up! We’re here!”

Mac gets up from the driver’s seat. “This is as far as the bus can go, kids. We’re walkin’ the rest of the way to camp.”

All the campers collectively moan and complain. The old man simply shakes his head and gets off the bus.

As Abel sets foot on the ground, Mac finishes unloading everyone’s bags from the luggage compartment. Abel shields his eyes from the bright sunlight shining through the leaves of the pine trees. Some of the campers already have their bags and suitcases and start chatting with each other.

Abel quickly sprints to the pile of luggage, and searches for his bag.

“Here’s your bag, kid.” The old man says as he throws Abel his black duffle bag. Abel nods and goes off to find his new friends.

The constant chattering abruptly stops when an overweight, older man walks out into the clearing.

“You must be the new campers, then.” The man says with a warm smile. “My name is Burt, and I’m the head counselor around here.”

He takes a quick look at the campers, seeing some of them aren’t too enthusiastic. “Now I know that some of you kids aren’t too happy to be here. I get that, I do. I bet you all have some place you’d rather be, right now. But let’s try and have a fun time, alright? Now, c’mon, show a little Camp Braveheart spirit!”

Some of the campers cheer along with Burt, earning a smile from the head counselor.

One of them, an energetic young girl in the front of the group comes up to Burt. “Are we going to do any activities today? Like canoeing or baseball, or hiking?”

Burt looks down at the girl and laughs, “Aren’t you excited, missy? What’s your name?”

“Kayla.”

“Well, Kayla, I promise we’ll be doing all that and more starting tomorrow, but first we gotta get you settled in.”

The last of the campers quickly grab their bags and get back to the group, as Burt quickly looks over all the campers one more time.

“Alright, everyone got their bags?” Burt asks, as the campers collectively say yes. “Then let’s go and get y’all back to camp, we don’t wanna be late for supper.”

Mac looks over at Burt, “I’ll go around and park the bus. I’ll catch up with y’all later.”

Burt nods, and leads the campers further down the narrow dirt path, into the forest. Simon runs to the front of the group, wanting to talk to Burt.

“Uh, mister Burt, did my mom mention anything about my allergies?”

Burt quickly glances at Simon. “Ah, yes, your allergies… Remind me what those were again?”

“Well, I’m allergic to cats, bees, shellfish, peanut butter…”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem. There’s no cats around here, and bees are harmless if you don’t make ‘em angry.” Burt reassures him. “And we’ll just have to make sure Mac doesn’t serve you any shellfish or peanut butter.”

Simon nods, as the campers keep walking further down the path.

“Hi.” A voice suddenly catches Abel off guard, who’s walking on his own behind everyone else.

Abel turns around and notices a girl, about his age, walking next to him. “Uh, hey.”

“You don’t seem too excited about camp, do you?” She asks him.

Abel chuckles, “No, not really. My parents just wanted me out of the house for once, so here I am. Worst part is, my dad’s kind of infamous around here, because of his younger days.”

“Ah, cheer up. It’ll be fun, Burt seems like a nice enough guy. My name’s Lisa, by the way.”

“I’m Abel.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Abel. See? You’re already making friends, it’s not that bad.”

Abel chuckles. “Well, when you’re right you’re right.”

Burt suddenly stops, causing some of the campers to bump into each other. Abel tries to look over the other kids’ shoulders to see what’s going on, he notices a young woman next to Burt.

“Girls, this is Angela. She’s gonna take you to the girls’ camp, and get y’all to your bunks before dinner’s ready.”

Angela waves at the group and smiles, “Come on, girls. We should hurry up, unless you wanna miss the big bonfire tonight.”

Burt looks over at Angela and whispers, “Shhh! Don’t tell ‘em that yet, that was supposed to be a surprise!”

“Whoops! Forget I said anything girls. Just follow me.”

“I guess I’ll see you around.” Lisa smiles at Abel, as she walks off to the front.

Abel notices Tristan talking to his little sister. “You sure you’ll be alright by yourself?”

“Yes, Tristan, I’ll be fine.”

Tristan smiles, as he gently pats her on the shoulder, “Alright then, you go with Angela, then.”

All the girls in the group quickly follow Angela to the girls’ camp, the opposite direction of where Burt is headed. Burt looks over at the campers, now consisting only of boys.

“The rest of you, follow me back the boys’ camp.” Burt commands, as the small group continues following him.

As Burt and his band of boys get closer to the camp, the trees seem to become more spread out, and the leaves blocking the sun seem to fade away, too. And after a good ten minutes or so of walking, the group finally makes it to the edge of the forest. Burt sets foot into the large clearing that the camp is built upon, with the boys soon following.

“Well, this is it boys. Welcome to Camp Braveheart.” Burt says joyfully, as he points toward the camp.

The camp consists of several wooden cottages, a mess hall, an arts and crafts center, and a boathouse by the lake. Besides that, there are also large open fields for any outdoor activities that might come to mind.

It makes Burt’s day when he sees several of the campers’ faces brighten up. “Now I know it’s a lot to take in, but before y’all go off on your own, we gotta get you boys settled in. C’mon, your cabins are over there.”

The campers follow Burt down the hill, making their way to the cabins. They cross an old wooden bridge over a small stream.

“Before we get started, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I do not like to get angry, and I do not like to yell. And to make sure that doesn’t happen, we have a few rules here at Camp Braveheart. Rule number one: Lights out at 9, wake up at 6. Rule number two: The girls’ camp is strictly off limits, unless there’s a joint event. Rule number three: Nobody leaves their cabins at night. And my final, most important rule: There will be no fighting.” Burt suddenly stops and turns around, looking the campers dead in the eyes. “I catch any of you boys beating each other up, I will not be so nice anymore. Have we got an understanding?”

“Yessir.” The campers respond collectively.

“Alright then, if we’re all agreed on that, it’s gonna be a great summer!”

The group arrives at the cabins, where a few young men are already awaiting their arrival. Burt goes to stand with the men, as the boys gather around them.

“Campers, these boys are gonna be your counselors for the next weeks. If you have any questions, or problems, you come to them, and they come to me. Treat them with respect, and in turn they’ll do the same to you. Keep in mind that if you break any of the aforementioned rules, your assigned counselor will be held responsible. So think about that before you decide to break the rules. Any further questions?”

Burt waits a moment, before pulling out a clipboard with some names on it.

“Alright, if that’s all sorted, let’s get to assigning your bunks. If you hear your name, go stand with your assigned counselor. Group A, you will be supervised by Geoff, so if you hear your name, go stand over there.” Burt points at one of the counselors, before putting on his reading glasses. “Okay, so first up… Milo. You go stand with Geoff.”

Milo quickly glances at his older brother, before running over to Geoff.

“Next up… Xander? Did I pronounce that correctly.”

The boy nods, and joins Milo and Geoff.

“Alright, let’s speed things up a little. Next we’ve got Callum, Billy, Tate, and Josh. You boys go with Milo and Xander.”

The four boys rush over to their new counselor. “Alright then, little dudes!” Geoff cheers as he high-fives them one by one.

“Group B, you go stand with Nate. That’s Eric, CJ, Tristan, Simon, Abel, and Jordy.”

The campers head over to their assigned counselor. CJ holds out his hand, waiting for a high-five, but Nate simply crosses his arms and scoffs, leaving him hanging.

Burt proceeds to read the rest of the names on the list, until all campers are assigned to a counselor.

“Okay, now that you’ve all been assigned to a cabin, you can head in and unpack. Supper’s at 6. If you have any further problems, report to the counselors’ cabin.”

Burt heads off toward the counselors’ cabin, with some of the other counselors right behind him. A few of the other counselors stay behind and chat, keeping an eye on the campers. The boys grab their luggage and quickly head inside their new bunks.

Abel enters the cabin, the wooden floorboards creaking as he steps on them. His new bunkmates are already inside, unpacking their bags. Abel shuffles over to the first bed he lays his eyes on, and drops down into the mattress. Finally, some hard earned rest. The mattress is actually pretty hard, but after the long day he’s had it feels like heaven. His moment of peace and quiet is soon interrupted however, as he hears Simon and CJ bickering.

“But I called dibs!”

“Too bad, I got the top bunk.”

“That’s not how it works!”

Abel covers his head with a pillow to drown out the sound. The two of them continue their argument until a loud voice interrupts them.

“Can you shut up?” Tristan yells from across the room.

The two suddenly go quiet. “Thank you.” he sighs, before getting back to unpacking his stuff.

“Hey, mind if I take this bunk?” Eric asks Abel, as he lifts the pillow from his hand.

“Dude, I literally don’t care. Do what you want, just let me sleep.”

“You do realize we have to be in the mess hall in half an hour, right?”

Abel presses his head deeper into his pillow, ignoring Eric. “Sorry, can’t hear you.”

Everyone suddenly gets startled when they hear Simon dropping his bags off the top of his bunk, before falling down, too.

“Ow, shit!” Simon slowly gets up, before looking at his arm. “Agh, fuck… Shit.”

CJ and Eric rush over to help him up. “What happened?”

“Something just fucking bit me or something. It stings like hell…”

“What was it? Did you see?” CJ asks.

“I-I think it was a bee, shit... I’m aller-”

Suddenly, the door swings open. A pissed-off Nate bursts into the cabin.

“What the fuck was all that ruckus?”

Nate glances around before seeing Simon on the ground with his bags scattered on the floor.

“Jesus fuck, can’t even leave you shits alone for two minutes without making a mess…”

Tristan gets up from his bed. “Hey, calm down, man. It was an accident, he got stung by a bee.” He defends Simon.

“A bee? Seriously?” Nate glances at Simon. “Man up.”

“I’m allergic! This could be seriously bad!”

Nate rolls his eyes. “Ugh, fine… Let me take a look at that.”

He walks up to Simon and bends down to take a look at his arm. “Oh come on, that’s nothing. Just man the fuck up and walk it off.”

“But it really hurts.” Simon sobs.

“What, do you want a fucking bandaid or something?”

“Don’t you have an infirmary or something here at camp?” Abel asks. “That’s kinda like health regulations 101.”

“An infirmary? You think Burt runs a camp for sissies?” Nate scoffs. “Besides, infirmary’s all the way at the girls’ camp. And no way am I bothering Isabela because of a fucking bee sting.”

“So what, you’re just gonna do nothing? Real nice counselor, asshat.” Abel complains.

Nate gets up and approaches Abel, glaring at him. “The fuck did you call me, you little shit?”

Abel shuts up, knowing better than to insult someone twice his size.

“Yeah. Thought so.” Nate says. “You there, pick up your shit and come with me. We’ll get you a fucking bandaid from the counselors cabin if you stop whining.”

Simon picks himself up, and CJ helps him with his bags.

“Rest of you should already be on your way to the mess hall. You better be there by the time I’m back.”

Nate grabs Simon by the other arm and drags him out with him to the counselors cabin. Abel glares at him as he leaves. “What a fucking asshole.”

Tristan sighs. “Well, yeah, obviously. But getting the shit beat out of you isn’t gonna help either. You shouldn’t piss him off like that.”

“I’d beat the shit out of him.” CJ says.

Tristan raises an eyebrow. “Sure you would.”

Eric looks over at Jordy. “Hey, you’ve been pretty quiet, what do you think?”

He sighs. “Fuck him.”

Tristan gets up from his bed and stretches. “We should probably head for the mess hall. Don’t wanna be late.”

“Aw, yeah, I’m starving!” CJ exclaims.

The boys quickly leave their cabin and head to the mess hall.

As they open the creaky door to the large cafeteria building, they notice most of the other campers are already there. Jordy goes off to find somewhere to sit by himself, as the other boys grab a tray and wait in line for their food.

“Hey, Tristan. You sitting with us?” CJ asks.

Tristan thinks for a second. “Sure, why not?”

“So, Tristan, why’d your parents send you here?” Abel asks.

“Well, my sister really wanted to go, but mom and dad didn’t trust her to go to camp on her own with her broken leg, so I had to come along to take care of her.”

“But you’re not even in the same camp.” Eric states.

“Yeah well, we didn’t know that we’d be in separate camps. Might as well enjoy it while I’m here, though.”

“Enjoy what? The boiling heat or the dirt between your toes?” Abel jokes.

Tristan chuckles. “Or the fire hazards we call cabins.”

The boys laugh as they reach the front of the line. CJ holds out his tray and Mac scoops up some potato salad for him, it smells delicious.

“Keep it movin’, boys.”

Mac finishes serving everybody their meal and the boys head to their table.

“Well, at least this camp does one thing right.” Tristan says, taking a whiff of the potato salad.

“Yeah, Mac can really cook!” Eric exclaims as he stuffs his mouth.

Even Abel is pleasantly surprised. “I thought camps only served shitty slop.”

“Guess that myth’s busted.” Tristan chuckles.

Nate walks into the cafeteria with Simon right behind him. Simon looks around before noticing his friends, and sits down next to CJ.

“Hey, you alright man?” Tristan looks at the bandaid on his arm.

“It still hurts like hell.”

Abel glares at Nate, who’s sitting at the counselors’ table, laughing with his friends.

“Hold on a sec.” Abel says as he gets up from his seat, but Tristan quickly pulls him back down.

“Not a good idea, dude.”

Abel sighs, before sitting back down. “You’re right.”

“We’ll get that asshole, eventually.” CJ swears.

Simon smiles. “Thanks, guys.”

Everyone in the mess hall goes quiet after hearing the sound of someone tapping a spoon against a glass. “Everyone, quiet down!”

The boys turn their attention to an older camp counselor standing in the middle of the room.

“Thank you.” The man says. “My name’s Paul, and I’ll be one of your counselors for the rest of this summer. It’s good to see you’re all settled in and excited to talk to each other. But I’ve got an announcement to make. As soon as all of you are done with supper, report to the totem pole out back. We are going to be having a bonfire tonight!”

Paul throws his arms in the air and smiles, waiting for the boys to cheer. Burt drops his forehead into his palm and shakes his head. “Yeah, uh, Paul… I forgot to mention, Angela might’ve accidentally spoiled that already.”

Embarrassed, Paul drops his arms back down and clears his throat. “Oh, uh… Well, no worries. Just be sure to head out back when you’re done, we’re gonna be roasting marshmallows!”

At the mention of sweets, the campers suddenly seem to cheer, making Paul smile.

The campers finish eating their dinner, and then head outside. It’s already dark when Abel steps outside, and the bonfire lights up the night sky like a beacon.

“Wow, that fire is huge!” CJ exclaims, barely believing his eyes.

“Yeah, it looks like The Wicker Man or something.” Simon comments.

The boys all gather around the fire, warming their hands and chatting.

“Well, it sure is cozy.” Abel smiles.

“See, I knew you could smile!” Eric jokes, making Abel chuckle.

“Alright, boys, everyone calm down!” Paul walks out, carrying two bags full of pink and white marshmallows. “Everyone come grab a stick and some marshmallows. No pushing, there’s enough for everyone.”

Everyone quickly grabs their marshmallows, mercilessly impaling them on their sticks, before sitting back down around the fire. Burt walks out holding a guitar, and takes a seat on a log by the bonfire.

“Okay, boys, now that we’ve all got our marshmallows roasting, how about we set the mood with some good ol’ Camp Braveheart Spirit?” Burt grabs his guitar. “We’re gonna be singing a little song. It’s tradition that every year, on the first summer night, the new campers sing the Camp Braveheart anthem by the bonfire. Now I’ll start, and you boys join in when you feel like it.”

Burt strums his guitar, and everyone goes quiet.

“It’s down by the lake, at the foot of Mount Haymeier.

We’ll sing songs and roast ‘mallows, while sitting ‘round the fire.

For it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re welcome in this place.

Because seeing all this friendship, brings a smile to my face.

''For boy or girl. For young or old. For him, for her, for me.''

Camp Braveheart is the place I wanna be.

Camp Braveheart is the place I wanna be.”

All of the boys start singing along to the chorus, most of them, at least. Abel notices Simon isn’t singing along, but is still staring at his bandaid.

“Hey, you okay?” Abel asks, worried about his friend’s well-being. “Does it still hurt?”

Burt abruptly stops singing and puts down his guitar. He stands up and gives Abel a stern look. “Hey, you there! What’s your name?”

Abel gulps. “Uh, Abel.”

“Well, Abel, you’ve got more important things to say than the camp song? Would you mind sharing it with the rest of us?”

“Eh, well… I was just asking Simon if he was okay. He got stung by a bee, and-”

“You were stung by a bee?” Burt asks Simon.

Simon nods.

“Who’s your counselor, son?”

“Nate.” Abel says, glaring at him.

Burt looks over at Nate. “Nate, why wasn’t I told about this?”

“Yeah, Nate, why wasn’t he told?” CJ provokes him.

“What? C’mon! It’s just a bee sting, it’s not like he’s gonna die or anything!” Nate complains.

“I told you, I’m allergic!” Simon tells him.

Burt gets down on his knees. “Simon, was it? Lemme see that bite, son.”

Simon shows him his arm, and Burt quickly rips off the bandaid. “Ow!”

Burt looks at the wound for a moment, he shakes his head. “Well, whatever bit you, it wasn’t a bee.”

“Huh?”

“If it really was a bee, your allergies would’ve set in by now, and it’d be swollen to hell.” He presses against the bite. “Does it hurt when I do this?”

“Yes…” Simon sobs.

“Okay, good. That’s good! It means you’ve still got feeling in it. Y’know what, I’ve been running this camp for 28 years and I’ve seen all kinds of bites in my time, but this… This is really nothing to worry about.” Burt gives him a pat on the shoulder. “You just get some rest soon. The pain will be gone by morning.”

“Really?” Simon asks.

“Really.”

Burt gets up, and wraps his arm around Abell. “A moment ago, I embarrassed Abel for talking during the camp song. But as it turns out, Abel was just trying to help out a friend in need. That is exactly what Camp Braveheart is all about. And that makes Abel number one camper in my books tonight. Three cheers for Abel!”

The boys begin clapping and cheering, who attempts to hide his face in embarrassment.

The campers continue to roast marshmallows, sing songs, and talk around the bonfire for the remainder of the evening, until Burt tells everyone it’s time to douse the fire, and go to bed. The boys work together to lift a heavy tub full of water, and empty it on the fire, causing it to go up in smoke.

The boys head to their cabins, get changed into their pyjamas, and lie down in their beds.

And as the lights go out one by one all over Camp Braveheart, Abel thinks back on the events of today. As he reminisces about all that’s happened and the friends he’s made, he smiles.

This will be a summer he’ll never forget.

Co-Stars

 * Caleb McLaughlin as Josh
 * Ethan Dizon as Xander
 * Nicolas Cantu as Callum
 * Noah Jupe as Billy
 * Noah Schnapp as Tate

Deaths

 * Theodore Morgane (Confirmed Fate)

Ratings
How would you rate the Isolation episode "The Place I Wann Be" out of ten? (If it's a low score, I'd love to hear why in the comments.) 10/10 9/10 8/10 7/10 6/10 5/10 4/10 3/10 2/10 1/10

Trivia

 * First appearance of Abel Monroe
 * First appearance of Eric Stevens
 * First appearance of Duncan Whitaker
 * First appearance of Dana Díaz
 * First appearance of Belén
 * First appearance of Rhonda Santello
 * First appearance of Bethany Borowski
 * First appearance of Mac
 * First appearance of Tristan Delaney
 * First appearance of Robyne Delaney
 * First appearance of Milo Forrester
 * First appearance of Jordy Forrester
 * First appearance of CJ Washington
 * First appearance of Simon Brennan
 * First appearance of Stanley Morgane
 * First appearance of Burt Sampson
 * First appearance of Kayla Jones
 * First appearance of Lisa Morton
 * First appearance of Angela Lee
 * First appearance of Geoff McLean
 * First appearance of Nate Culver
 * First appearance of Niall Hutchison
 * First appearance of Xander
 * First appearance of Callum
 * First appearance of Billy
 * First appearance of Tate
 * First appearance of Josh
 * First appearance of Paul Rothery
 * First mention of Theodore Morgane
 * First mention of Fang
 * First mention of Isabela Ruíz
 * The name of the episode comes from the chorus of the Camp Braveheart song which is sung by Burt Sampson and the campers in this episode.