Queen Cami

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“Well…” Stella hesitated, unsure of if she should be honest or keep things close to the chest.

Truthfully, she had mixed feelings about the year. She had been so excited to return all summer, already plotting out ways to improve her social life, testing outfits for gatherings, and coming up with a new urban legend or two for the Secret Village.

But then there had been the murders. And then, when Stella had barely been back in Cambridge for a week, Eve had gone missing. Stella had stopped by the library a couple of times prior to her shifts restarting to try and catch her and give her a book that she’d read over the summer and felt an overwhelming urge to share, but Eve had never been there. That had been days ago. Eve had not left word that she would be missing her shifts.

The book Stella had set aside would start collecting dust before long. How many more days until the librarian showed up?

“I’d be way more excited if all of this super sad stuff wasn’t happening, but my classes seem like they’ll be cool and my Women in STEM club is gaining some traction now. It’s just so hard to leave behind a good summer, though, you know?” Stella asked, the question only semi-rhetorical. And her answer only minorly exaggerated.

But that was part of crafting her new persona, was it not? She was cool now, which meant that her life for all public intents and purposes was super great all the time. Keeping thing surface level with near-strangers was best. You must be a level 10 friend to unlock fears and worries. No more hesitation, Stell.

“But what about you? With so many fun sounding extracurriculars, you must have been so eager to rush back here for the year,” the girl continued after a moment, trying to not let her face betray her real feelings about the idea of a Drama Club membership for herself.

Stella would say she’d rather die than participate in a play, but given the current crisis in Cambridge, that would feel quite inappropriate to voice.

So clearly Cami’s list was a bust - especially since they had a shared membership (though Stella was an essentially silent participant) in the Honor Society. But that didn’t mean that Stella had to give in to the sorority idea just quite yet. She really didn’t think her still somewhat fragile ‘hot girl’ façade could take the level of scrutiny and constantly needing to be ‘on’ that Greek life required, and she needed a certain amount of time each day dedicated to resetting and saving up the energy for her next social adventure - something that very much did not align with living in a sorority house.

But Cami didn’t know any of that. And there were social events before rush to establish oneself at, yes?

“What kind of stuff is involved with being President? I imagine stuff like event planning, maybe… spearheading community service?”

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No, no Cami could not understand the sadness that came with leaving summer behind. In her eyes, home was hell for the holidays. It was why she usually spent thanksgiving, Christmas, every holiday break on campus. The only reason she hadn’t stayed for the summer was because she couldn’t afford it.

Going home was always a nightmare. The people there knew her based on her cup size and her sexuality. Not like here where she her power came with her name alone. Here people trembled and fell over themselves to get her attention.

“I do a little bit of everything being President,” Cami smiled and offered for Stella to sit down on one of the lawn chairs at her table. It was a good way to recruit people, make them feel comfortable with you. She offered her a glass of lemonade as well.

“I make sure that my Vice Presidents are following regulations for their planning. I’m in charge of ensuring that events run smoothly, people are doing what they’re supposed to, and keeping in contact with the board. I also handle a lot of the recruitment aspects and initiation process. It’s a lot of work but I consider it really rewarding.”

Cami hummed to herself thinking about all the work that was important to planning that was needed for this semester. “Community service is really important to us.”

The night was weird… wasn’t it? Griffin didn’t know if he was supposed to be celebrating the lives of women he barely knew or whether that was super not kosher when he’d helped invent the legend that killed them. It was weird. This guilt was weird. And heavy. His only solace was the moment the bouncer had been fooled by his fake ID.

Or maybe the guy just didn’t care tonight. Either way, Griffin was headed to the bar. It was there that he saw a familiar face, like finally finding Waldo directly in the center of the page. “Buy you a drink?” he asked as he sidled in beside them. “Or two… or seven. Personally I’d drink motor oil if it got me through this night unscathed.” 

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“Buy me as many drinks as you want, sugar,” Cami said with a smile, noticing Griffin sliding in beside her.

Tonight was heavy in ways she hadn’t expected it to be. There was the weight of murder in the air, and the fact that someone was decidedly missing as well. And there might, well maybe, be some kind of conspiracy attempting to get them to save her life if Stella’s insistence of the letter’s misspelling meant anything.

As much as Cami didn’t want to get involved too much in everything she felt compelled to never the less. Part of it was self preservation, that much she knew. If there was someone out to get their group then that could be nasty for all the skeletons in her closet.

“How are you doing?” She reached forward and adjusted the collar of his shirt.

  Sarcasm was Kieran’s primary medium of choice when it came to socializing, and Cami was well met, firing back her own teasing response without hesitation. The stress of having to return home for the summer already felt far away, though returning to Henrietta was a little dampened by the tragedies in town. It felt… nice, to jest around, knowing that they were all in this together. Kieran was already looking forward to their next Secret Village meeting, though he was a little concerned about if the school would still allow them to play their game in light of the mysterious deaths. Then again, no one really knew that their games had been the catalyst for The Wolf legend, so Kieran felt pretty secure. 

   Truthfully, he hadn’t a clue which Olson twin was which, and would absolutely fail trying to point one out over the other. “Does it matter?” Kieran’s head cocked to the side as he asked, not having to feign ignorance.  

   “Hey, actually - glad I ran into you, I had an idea…” Kieran paused, fingers twisting one his rings as he often did. A nervous tick, or perhaps just a habit by this point, or some sort of undiagnosed ADHD that Kieran was positive he had. “You want Stella to be a-” Fuck, he’d forgotten the name again already. “Phi Kappu whatchamacallit, and you’re president… why don’t you make the charity for the semester something to do with women in STEM?”

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“Of course it matters,” she teased, offering him a smile a she bumped him lightly. “One of them is like, way prettier. And that one is obviously me. No offense. You’re very handsome I’m just pointing out that if one of us is the pretty one its obvi me.”

Cami liked the back and forth, the teasing nature between the two of them. It was a nice reprieve from the stifling nature of her home back in Kentucky. And the fact that there was a certain someone who, oh you know, was using one of their legends to go around killing people. That was a bigger deal than her secrets. Come on Cami, at least pretend to act like you give a shit.

And then her friend had sprouted off the most beautiful thing she had ever heard and all worries about anything else were gone. Cameron threw her arms around him and gave Kieran a hug and two kisses on either of his cheeks. “Ugh you fucking genius you! That would be spectacular! Now I just have to come up with a good one.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

For every semester thus far, Stella had avoided the activities fair. She had done her research prior to enrolling at Henrietta and had known exactly which clubs and societies she had wanted to be a part of, her entire academic career mapped out before she even stepped foot on campus. And she’d made it all happen for herself, staying back to chat with professors who she knew were faculty advisors within the first couple of weeks of school to reach her goal. All to ensure that she wouldn’t have to wade through the socially exhausting set of hours known as the activities fair.

It was… so much - people shouting at you, throwing you free swag, dancing, singing, even more shouting. Oddly, it was the quiet booths that stood out the most. And Stella could think of nothing that she would normally enjoy less.

But new year, new Stella.

Her makeover had occurred towards the end of the prior school year, so beyond one particular group (not to be mentioned in public, preferably, given the current climate) she had not switched up her social circle much. But now was the time. The activities fair was the place. And if her persistent AIM messages were any indication of intent, Cami was a good resource for getting out and into the world. Stella would just need to entertain the notion of joining a sorority (a daunting idea, truthfully).

Worth it.

“But not long time no chat,” she acknowledged with a small wave, greeting the girl who was still more or less a stranger to her with a bright smile. “Rest assured, it is under consideration. But, just curious, what other clubs are you a part of? Beyond sorority life.”

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It was no secret to anyone that Cami was doing her best to prowl out the best and brightest of  the girls to make Phi Kappa Nu the best of the best. And Stella was that kind of girl. She’d undergone a transformation, like a beautiful little caterpillar all grown up into a butterfly. It was hard for Cami not to notice that kind of change. Plus her grades and her double major were impressive.

Sure, good looks were part of a sorority, but the real jewels laid in the academics. If Cameron could boost her Phi Kappa Nu’s overall GPA she’d be the top president in the history of the house. And that, God that would taste so good. To prove to everyone back home that she wasn’t just one of the greatest, but instead the top dog. The Queen Bee.

“Long time no chat indeed. How have you been? Are you excited for the new year?” Cami asked with her signature smile, curls bouncing in the light fall breeze. “As far as other activities, I’ve got a few.”

“I’m in the honors society so my grades have to be kept up, and I’m in drama club.” She was more than just a pretty face. Every day she worked hard to get to where she was. Of course, lying about her past helped.

If anyone knew that she was from a family that couldn’t even afford a laundry machine then she’d be mocked for the rest of her life. Probably removed from her seat as President though.

“Being President of Phi Kappa Nu is a lot of work in it of itself. It’s basically a full time job but I make time for other things as well.”

   The whole idea of fraternities and sororities were absolutely appalling to Kieran, who was a self-proclaimed loner, and at times, felt he could do with less friends rather than more of them. The Secret Village had been his first true friend-group, and though he wasn’t close with them all, the little sense of community was his only taste at what that was like in the real world. Online, Kieran had connections and pals of all kinds, from all walks of life… but at Henrietta, the whole thing seemed like a way-too-complicated game of social status, and he was more than happy to sit it out. 

   Cami, though? Cami, Kieran liked. There was something different about her, and the way she strayed outside of the world’s narrow view of how people should fit into boxes. They’d had some good talks, and found a great place of relativity between the other - though it wasn’t like they were hanging out all of the time, or anything. 

   The fluff of dark curly hair drew Kieran’s attention, and he decided it was time to give the woman an in-person greeting. “Oh, absolutely I am,” Kieran carried on the jest of his new life mission to be one of the prized Phi Kappu Nu sisters, though in his all-black outfit and unbrushed hair, it was a damn near laughable vision. Plus, getting Kieran motivated to do much of anything was a struggle sometimes, especially if it involved other people. “I was thinking we could all dress up as famous sister duo icons. I claim Mary Kate Olson, so dibs on that.”

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Kieran was the kind of person that Cami genuinely liked. The two got along well and she felt, well, like she could spill a few of her secrets around him. Not all of them by any means but he was one of the only people on campus who knew about her interest in women. Everyone else was going to stay firmly in the dark with that one.

She laughed when he suggested that he become a sister. It was an ongoing joke between the two of them. They were opposites, truly almost in every sense, but they worked together somehow still. Their friendship was something Cameron genuinely and honestly valued.

Even if she liked to tease him.

“Excuse me? You think I’m an Ashley?” She crossed her arms and huffed, pretending to be strung out over the decision. “That just ain’t fair.”

Location: The Activities Fair

If there was one think Cameron knew how to do it was recruit, recruit, recruit. It was in her bones, her very being at this point. Without that kind of gumption, that prowess, that charisma she never would have made it to where she was now. She knew how to get the best of the best and she was fucking good at it.

So that’s why she had been tasked with standing out at the quad during the activities fair. People came from all over: freshman, sophomore, juniors and even seniors to see what they could do to boost their resumes for after college. This was the kind of place that mattered after all.

“Hey! Have you thought about rushing Phi Kappa Nu, or one of our other fantastic sororities or fraternities on campus!” She cried out to a group not too far away. A few of the girl came forward and she drew them in with a heartfelt speech about the value of sisterhood and philanthropy. Plus think of the benefits and connections.

The people took her flyer and nothing made her feel more like a God than the thought that she would get to turn down some of these rich shitheads for rush. And none of them were at all the wiser about her own predicament: that she spent her summers in her parents two bedroom apartment where the walls leaked and the fridge didn’t work.

But then she spotted a friend, someone from the secret villagers. “Howdy,” she hollered again, waving. “Long summer no see. Interested in rushing this year?”

open starter. date: a friday in early september location: brew haha

Cambridge was a lot like a ghost town when the students were gone. Not that the townies didn’t get out and about, but Griffin had spent most of his Summer cooped up in his uncle’s curiosity shop where his only friends were a life-sized statue of Bigfoot and a man in his sixties with a penchant for subtly encouraging Griffin to brush his hair more often. Then, suddenly, the school year returned and life had restarted. By the end of the first week of his last year, he felt like he had more work on his plate than the past three combined. 

Not to mention the murder. Meredith’s death made two bodies, which Griffin supposed made Cambridge a ‘ghost town’ all year ‘round. He considered that also on his plate, considering he had somehow… inspired? it to happen.

He preferred not to think about it. Griffin’s current game plan was ignore, ignore, ignore. Focus on school. So he was doing what felt normal - grabbing some work and heading to Brew Haha to get it done. He’d always preferred the cafe over the library… something about chaos sort of calmed him.

And chaos it was. The entire cafe was full of students, clearly having missed their daily intake of Brew Haha’s craft coffee. Griffin was having trouble securing a spot to sit down, when he spotted a friend. He hadn’t spoken to any other members of The Secret Village since everyone’s return, but he was hoping they were on the same page… the one about shutting the hell up and pretending everything was okey-dokey.

“I’m about to sound like a total cliche, but… this seat taken?” he asked in greeting. “I dunno what they put in the coffee these days, but whatever they’re doing, it’s clearly working. My only other option is sitting directly on the barista counter. I have heard that’s discouraged though.” 

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Cami needed a break desperately from all of the excitement of the school year beginning. She was doing her best to try to ignore the fact that there were currently two dead bodies and a librarian nowhere to be found. Especially when, you know, the murdering seemed heavily inspired by a certain legend that had been created in the mind of the secret villagers.

Not to mention that this was a whole new year for sorority rushing. She had to think about recruitment.

God this was going to get exhausting.

But then, well one of her favorite people showed up at Brew Haha, right as she was about ready to call it quit on an open math textbook. Why did a theatre major need math anyway? The whole thing was stupid.

“Well, well, well, who should chooses to sit by me other than you. If I ain’t a lucky one,” Cameron teased. “Nah the seats not taken, especially for you. Any chance you’re willing to help me out with some math homework?”

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NAME: Cameron “Cami” Carson

FACECLAIM: Paulina Singer

AGE: 23

BIRTHDATE & ZODIAC: October 20th, Scorpio

GENDER & PRONOUNS: She/Her, Cisgender Female

YEAR IN COLLEGE: Senior

SEXUALITY: Bisexual (Closeted)

COLLEGE MAJOR: BFA Theatre

OCCUPATION: Attendant at the Graffiti Garage Drive In Theatre

AIM SCREENNAME: xQueenCamix