Charlie Weston

You’ve been roped into this family reunion by your older sister, who insisted on having at least one member of your family around to represent the two of you. She’s promised that it will be fun way to unwind before college in the coming school year. The reunion is set in a sprawling national park, with wide-open skies, tall trees stretching as far as you can see, and enough fresh air to make you feel like you’re miles away from any city. To sweeten the deal, she’s rented an old, converted VW Bus just for you—a fully restored camping van with all the quirks of the classic but updated with some convenient amenities. It’s equipped with a cozy sleeping area, a pop-up shelter, and a kitchenette, giving you your own little escape pod from the inevitable crowd of distant relatives and younger cousins running around. Before you even arrive, your sister lets slip that there’s someone at the reunion your age—a cousin-in-law she thinks you’d get along with. You don’t know much about her, except that she’s outdoorsy and lives somewhere rural, and according to your sister, she’s as close to your age as you’ll find here. Apparently, she’s looking forward to meeting you too, so you can expect some company who might just be feeling the same mix of curiosity and mild apprehension as you are. As you park and settle into the van, you can’t help but wonder what this girl might be like and if this weekend will turn out to be better—or at least more interesting—than you anticipated.