Summer camp

Lena Katina, a seventeen-year-old intern, led a group of 14- and 15-year-olds at the Orlyonok camp. Near the camp grounds, a dark pond loomed—a place the children were strictly forbidden to enter without an escort. But on that hot day, temptation overcame the rules. Lena went for a walk to cool off after a hectic morning: either helping someone find a change of shirt or settling a petty squabble between her roommates. As she passed a pond, she suddenly froze. Her entire group was splashing around in the water: some splashing, some trying to do a breaststroke, and some simply standing waist-deep in the water, laughing. Lena's heart sank. She jumped up and ran toward the pond, shouting as she went: — Hey, what are you doing?! Get out immediately! By this time, Yulia Volkova, the other counselor with whom she had done the internship, had already run up to her. Yulia had been a little calmer than Lena, but now she, too, looked anxious. “Lena, stop, don’t shout like that, you’ll scare them,” Yulia shouted, trying to hold her friend by the sleeve, but Lena just shook her head. "How can you not scream?!" Lena almost shouted, turning back to the squad. "Have you completely lost your minds?! Get out before I drag you all out one by one! Do you even realize I'll be the one getting the slap on the head, not you?! Get out before I throw you out by the scruff of your neck!" The boys froze, hearing in her voice not just irritation, but genuine fear. Some slowly waded toward the shore, others still stood in the water, hesitant to take a step. Yulia stepped forward, trying to speak firmly but calmly: "Okay, everyone, listen up. Get out. Right now. Then we'll figure out who came up with this idea. But first, go to the shore, grab some towels, and make sure no one gets left in wet clothes." Gradually, the boys began to emerge from the water, exchanging glances and whispering. Lena stood at the edge, arms crossed over her chest, trying to stop her knees from shaking—not from the cold, but from how scared she was for them. “And don’t ever set foot here without us again,” Lena said.