"We're sending you to a weight loss program over the summer. You're leaving tomorrow afternoon." Olivia and her parents had been having dinner as usual, when Olivia's calmly interrupted the silence.
"I'm not going to some useless fat camp again. I've been there and it makes no difference. I'm fine just like I am." Olivia had always been overweight, mostly due to overeating as a form of rebellion.
"You're going, no questions about it."
"I'm 18, I'm an adult you can't make me."
"We can't really make you. But you either go to the camp, or you can move out tomorrow." Olivia's mother, Elizabeth interjected.
"Is this because I didn't get accepted into any university?"
"That, and your criminal record of petty and not so petty crimes, which for sake of brevity I will not list. And your total disregard for any rules in this house, and your total disregard for your own well being."
"The drug charges were not my fault, they were Leslie's! I don't do drugs!"
"Yes we know you don't do drugs, we have tested you plenty of times, but you still hang around with the wrong crowd. The bottom line is you're going."
"It's not like it's going to make a difference. It'll be like all of the other ones."
"Ohhh this one will be different, you can be sure of that." Margaret finished, as she stood up and removed Olivia's plate.
The next day, Olivia got in the car, expecting the usual drive to the fat camp in a boring idyllic village in the middle of nowhere. Olivia was most surprised when they instead arrived at Heathrow airport.
"What are we doing here? Where are we going?"
"We're not going anywhere. You on the other hand, are going to a very special place. Now let's hurry, your plane leaves soon."
Olivia was handed her passport and a boarding pass for Islamabad, Pakistan.
"Pakistan? You're sending me to Pakistan?"
"Yes, Olivia. This very special program is only available there. Plus, it won't be easy for you to escape from this one." At this point Margaret was physically dragging Olivia to the security line.
"You can't make go there!"
"You're right, we can't. But you already know, if you don't go, you'll have to move out right now."
Olivia, scared but without options, moved along. At the entrance of the security line, an airline employee was waiting to "accompany" Olivia to the plane. The flight was long and tiring, just over 8 hours. Reaching Islamabad Olivia was feeling disoriented, but there was another surprise.
Right outside the gate, there was another airline employee waiting to walk her through immigration and customs. Olivia was feeling pampered since the airline employee was guiding her through the priority lines. Olivia was still worried about what was going on, but she still felt that she would be able to handle this "camp" like all of the previous ones. She would find a way to sneak around and find out create some mischief as usual.
She was led to domestic terminal, and ushered into a small prop plane. She barely had a chance to see in the screen where the plane was headed: Skardu, Pakistan.
The plane was a small prop airplane, and it shook, rolled, and vibrated horribly during the short flight. Olivia was sitting at the window, but barely had a chance to look at the imposing mountains just outside. Olivia took a deep long breath when the plane touched down. She was glad the flight was over, but was starting to worry. Stepping out of the plane the chilly mountain air was a nice welcome. Also there to welcome her was a women covered head to toe in black, holding a sign with her name. Olivia kept staring at most women in the airport, who were dressed in a similar way. The women guided her to pick up her bag and then onto the back of a waiting van. Olivia was tired from the long trip, but at least she managed to enjoy the view. The pleasant green fields broken by tall rugged mountains. They drove, mostly uphill, for a good three hours. On reaching their destination it was dark. A small sign hung outside the gate read "Skardu Discipline Camp for Girls".
Olivia was quickly taken to her room. No one could be seen in the dark of night. She quickly feel asleep after a quick and simple meal, after a really long day.
Olivia was summarily woken up by one of the maids. Ms Gadai stood next to her, watching intensely. Both of them were dressed in all black flowing robes. The maid had her face exposed, but Ms. Gadai had only a tiny slit through which her eyes were visible.
"Welcome, Olivia. I'm Ms. Gadai, proprietor of this establishment, and I'll be overseeing your first day here at the camp. Azra will help you finish get dressed."
Olivia looked at herself, she was wearing a large blue down filled garment. It was a one piece suit, and included a hood, leaving only her face, hands and feet were free.
"What is this thing that I'm wearing? How do I take it off? It's ridiculous, I'm not wearing this in the middle of summer." She tried to fumble with the zippers.
"Yes you are. This is your fat suit, and it's crucial for your weight loss regime. All of the girls here wear them."
"But it's summer! I'll be sweating like like crazy. I'm already sweating in this thing!"
"You will sweat, that is part of your weight loss regime here at the camp. Your undergarments are designed with that in mind. You are wearing wool undergarments that will wick your sweat away. The will be changed regularly throughout the day. Yes, the suit is very uncomfortable. We know that, so don't try to elicit any kind of sympathy. It's your own fault you ended were you are. But here we'll take care of your lack of discipline. Cooperate, follow the regime, and you'll be out of your fat suit in due time. Now I'll recommend you behave or you'll find yourself in bigger predicaments."
With her hands covered in woolen gloves, Olivia finally found the zipper to her suit, but she also found the lock keeping it closed. The lock engaged the slider of the heavy duty zipper of the suit and both ends of a chain. The hood had a chain instead of a drawstring to keep it in place. The locked hood was held tight around her head, leaving only her face visible. Olivia struggled, but neither the zipper not the chain were budging.
"Stop that. Believe me, you won't get far. The outside of the fat suit is made of a very strong Nylon Cordura. You're not the first camper to try to tamper with your suit " Ms. Gadai scolded Olivia. "Your best chance is to cooperate."
Azra took a pair of black, heavily quilted snow boots and put them on Olivia's feet.
A long black garment was taken out of a bag.
"We're still not done, your abaya is next."
The long robe was put over Olivia's body, completely hiding the down suit, except for the hood. The abaya was made of light cotton, cut in a very loose fitting pattern. A black tight fitting coif was wrapped around Olivia's head, covering the hood of the down suit. A long headscarf was then wrapped around the coif, leaving only the face visible. Black gloves reaching to the elbows in the same thin cotton completed the outfit, making Olivia look exactly like Azra.
Before Olivia had any chance to react, she was led out of her room by Azra. It was the first time Olivia had of admiring the tall mountains, half covered with green trees and topped by rocky cliffs. It was a sight she had never seen in England.
Ms. Gadai followed then closely. "Well well, you're now ready for your first day of camp. You'll begin with your morning march."
... part 2
