One Stupid Thing

1:1:1

Again, thank you to everyone reading this. I am really proud of this story and I am excited to be able to finally share it after working on it for so long <3
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"Hurricane Agatha continues its steady march towards Kildare Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina," the woman says on the news report. The caption states "Agatha Expected to Make Landfall" in large, bolded letters at the bottom of the screen.

I draw my attention away from the TV. The reporter's voice becomes background noise. I have hated storms ever since I was a kid. Something about the chaos of preparing for the destruction it would bring and dealing with the aftermath has always unsettled me.

As if on cue, an alarm blares out over the island. I jump up from my seat on the couch at the unsuspecting sound.

"Stella Blair Cameron! Get off your ass and come help us prepare for the storm!" my older brother, Rafe, calls from the other room.

Rafe is the oldest of us four Cameron siblings. At nineteen years old, Rafe is still living at home and mooching off of our father's money. As kids, Rafe and I had a typical brother-sister relationship; we would roughhouse, he would be too wild, I would get hurt somehow, and he would get scolded. I don't think it surfaced any hard feelings, however over the years we have grown apart.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shout back. I turn off the TV with one click of a button and join my family outside.

It is a gorgeous day on Figure Eight, which is what the more fortunate side of Kildare Island is nicknamed. You wouldn't have guessed that a hurricane is on the way; 'The calm before the storm' to quote the age-old saying. I cross the yard to join Rafe, my father, Ward, and my sister, Louise (called Wheezie affectionately). My other sister, Sarah is out preparing the family boat with a family friend, Scooter Grubbs.

Sarah and I are closer than average sisters. I guess that is what happens when you are so close in age. I love her and everything, but she definitely takes advantage of the age gap. Wheezie and Sarah are polar opposites. Wheezie would rather scroll on TikTok than go shopping. My thirteen-year-old baby sister can be a bit of a misfit, but we love her all the same.

"Alright, I'm here. What would you like me to do?" I ask.

"Take these," Ward says, handing me a pair of shears. "Cut any branches that seem hazardous." I take the shears from my dad and get to work.

My father and I don't have the best relationship. For me, it is very obvious that Sarah is the favorite. It used to bother me more when I was younger, but I got used to it. Thankfully, this has never caused any strife between me and Sarah, and I would never blame her for our father's choices.

A half an hour later, Tannyhill, the estate inhabited by my family, is prepared to face Hurricane Agatha. Together, we all hurry inside the shelter of our home just before the storm hits.

For the rest of the evening, we keep ourselves busy by watching movies and playing card games. While my sisters are spending their time on their phones before the power shuts off, I am cozied up in one of Tannyhill's many rooms with a good book.

Later that night, when it is time for bed, I am restless. The loud booms of thunder and flashes of lightning disturb me. It isn't until the clock strikes midnight that I finally fall into a fragile slumber.

I am awoken by the sunlight shining through my curtains. Feeling anxious about the long day ahead, I decide to study how bad the damage is.

When I step outside and see the scene in front of me, I am already feeling unmotivated. A team of maintenance workers are hard at work. Branches litter the yard and multiple trees have been uprooted. One has even been blown into the pool. So far, Tannyhill's power has not returned and there is hardly anywhere to escape from the blistering heat.