Ice

Chapter three: Alexa

I loved this mountain. The view brought peace, and it was a secluded area. which meant we could spend our time however we wanted and no people from town would bother us. We were stuck in the car for another four hours tomorrow, but I was okay with that. With our amount of food and movies, we would be just fine. I sighed tiredly as Freya pulled into a Wingate hotel. Charlotte yawned as we all stretched our muscles. it was pitch black outside, the cold air whipping wildly around our heads, trying to persuade us to fly with it. Charlotte and I shivered in the cold as Karter and Freya pulled our luggage out and handed us all the bags. we dragged our duffel bags and suitcases along the gravel as we pulled our bodies closer to the humongous hotel.  We clumsily carried our luggage to the room after Freya grabbed the key. We carefully got into the elevator squeezing into each other to fit. Freya began coughing and Karter quickly slipped something out of her bag, I turned to face the doors as her hacking subsided.

"I can drive tomorrow." Karter told her.

"I'm fine, I'll drive." Freya said, smiling up at her.

"It wasn't a suggestion." Karter replied as the doors slid open.

"I promise i'lll be fine and you shouldn't be driving us." she stared pointedly at Karter before Charlotte looked up from her book and joined the conversation.

"I can drive." she suggested.

"Then its settled, Charlotte will drive." Karter smugly began walking to our door.

Freya's nose scrunched up before her smile reappeared, "guys I'm driving and that's final. if anyone else tried to drive you would argue and we would crash." she laughed as Charlotte let out a small smile and Karter snorted.

"As if, I would win the argument before I would need to turn around." Karter stated before opening the door and ushering us all inside. Freya thanked her as we rushed in the room and set up our supplies.

All of a sudden Charlotte and Karter ran as though their lives depended on it. Both reaching for the door in hopes they can use the bathroom first. Karter shoved herself inside, not wasting any time in slamming the door in Charlottes face. "Oh, come on!" she screeches pounding on the door. "Hurry up!"

We can hear Karter groan before she answers, more like screams, "I'm taking a crap Charlotte go away!"

"No!" She yells back, before we hear shuffling and a toilet flush.

I glance at Freya who's looking through her bag, her expression holding fear. I look away figuring her aunt called and she missed it or something. I laugh as I see Karter run out of the bathroom and tackle Charlotte, who looks like she's going to pee her pants. Karter yanks Charlotte back by her collar before screeching. "Charlotte you stupid little, little... MARSHMALLOW!"

Everyone bursts out laughing as Karter pounds on Charlottes back. We eventually break up their fight and decide to set up for bed. I lay my pillows out on the bed and carefully change into my pajamas while Charlotte and Karter bicker. Eventually Karter comes to lay next to me, I feel the bed dip as she groans while trying to move the pillows. She settles down and soon enough I think I'm the only one awake. At least until Freya comes out of the bathroom, she looks upset but in the dark I'm not sure. I turn to face her as she slips into the bed, not a sound being made.

I twist to the right and look across the small space between the beds looking into Freya eyes, as they stare back at me. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a ghost or some crap." I whisper to her, but I could tell she heard me from the small smile that shines across her face.

she blinks a few times before mumbling back, "not a ghost. I'm just practically invisible to everyone. Or I don't matter enough for others to notice." My face becomes somber, I had never heard her talk like this. "How are you doing? After everything" she asks, her face morphing into concern for me as she brushes off her earlier comment.

I scrunch my nose startled by her quick question. "I don't really know, its hard. I miss my dad sometimes and then I miss my mom at other points. At least I still see them, just less now since they couldn't figure each other out." Freya listens intently, her face showing me she thought about every word coming out of my mouth.

"The way I see it. We all fight, it doesn't mean we don't love each other though. Maybe they disagree but at least you know that at some point they will understand their issues, and they will always love you. No matter the hardship they will find a way to get back to you, and the amazing part is they can both understand each other on a certain level to help you." she states. She looks at me with respect before finishing. "We all care about you too." She grins madly, "love you Alexa, sleep well."

I felt warm inside my heart, Freya always finds a way to reach our hearts with both her smile and words. "Goodnight Freya." I said. She rolled over as I laid on my back, thinking over everything.

Life was hard, my parents had divorced when I was seven ever since then they couldn't stand each other. I sighed as a my eyes welled with unshed tears. I closed them tightly in hopes the salty water would vanish, along with the sadness. I let myself be eaten by the darkness knowing that sleep would offer a silence that this world couldn't.