To the Arctic

Chapter Two

Aurora's POV
"Why?" I asked, surprised. "Because it's an emergency." Dad said. I gave him a confused look.
"We're leaving as soon as possible, call your friends now if you want them to come." He ordered and walked away.

I sleepily grabbed my phone and dialled Natalie's number. It rung for a long time, then finally she picked up.
"What is it Aurora? It's 12am!" She complained over the line. I could tell that I've interrupted her sleep.

"Do you want to go to Churchill with me for a couple of weeks? My dad just came and told me we're leaving tomorrow as soon as possible." I asked.
"Yes, yes." She sighed. I couldn't tell if she was excited or she was just completely grumpy.
"Ok, great! I'll call you tomorrow! I'm going to call Quinn now. Bye." I said.
"Bye." Natalie said and hung up.

After I called Quinn, I plugged my phone into charge and went to sleep.
                             ***********
That morning, my dad woke me up.
"It's 6am!!" I yelled at him and fell back on my pillow.

15 minutes later, I stumbled into the washroom. Half of my braid fell out during the night and my hair was all knotted. I sighed and took out my braid, then pulled my hair into a ponytail.

After doing so, I walked downstairs and saw my dad eating breakfast.
"There's a plate of eggs and toast there on the island." He told me tiredly. I took it to the table and started eating.

"Remember to let Lola outside before we go." He reminded me.
"Is she going to be staying at Aunt Lily's and Uncle Will's while we're there?" I asked.
"Yup." He replied.

Aunt Lily and Uncle Will were our care-takers of Lola every time Dad and I go to Churchill or on vacations. That started happening years ago, since they used to take care of me too when Dad was gone, but by the time I was 11, I could take care of myself, so I visited them less.

"How did you get plane tickets this late?" I asked, even more confused than I already am. "Luck got me them." He answered.

"So are they coming?" Dad asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"Ok, tell them we're going to be there at 7:30 then." He warned.

I sighed, and called Quinn. It dialled for awhile and soon after I heard her tired voice on the phone.
"We're coming to pick you guys up at 7:30. This is a wake up call for you." I said and laughed.
"Ugh, why are we going so soon?!" She whined.
"Like I told you last night, my dad wants to go as soon as possible. I don't even know why. He didn't exactly explain it to me." I told her, now the question stuck in my mind.
"Ok I'll be ready." She said and hung up.

I called Natalie, finished my breakfast, then went upstairs to get ready. The first thing I decided to do was shower.

20 minutes later, I was done showering, and then I brushed my teeth. After that, I walked into my walk-in closet and picked out an outfit for today. A long grey shirt, dark-washed jeans, and a big pink scarf, all from Garage. Since it's really cold where I'm going, I decided to wear my brown Uggs for now and pack my winter boots with me.

I walked into the small washroom and put on shimmery eyeshadow to make my eyes pop, mascara on my long eyelashes, bronzer, foundation, and lipstick.

Once I was done, I pulled my hair into a messy high bun, and then straightened the pieces that fell out. Finally, I was ready, but I still needed to pack.

I looked at the time. It read 7am. I got my suitcase out of my closet. Going back into my closet, I decided that I needed to pack for 3 weeks. Just in case we decide to skip the first week of school. I picked a ton of clothes and stuffed them into my suitcase. Afterwards, I packed my toothbrush, face wash, makeup, and everything else I needed.

When I was finished, I brought my suitcase to the front door. Lola came up to me, wagging her tail. Then I remembered that I needed to take her out before we go.

"Lola! Outside!" I said and opened the door. She ran out, and I closed the door. I stood there and waited for 10 minutes, and then finally Lola came back in.

"Almost ready?!" I called to dad.
"I was ready this whole time!" He called back. I walked upstairs to his room and found him sitting on his bed on his laptop.

"I'm ready now." I said.
"Good. I'll be a minute." He said, still typing. "Are we getting to Churchill differently this time?" I asked, thinking that we would try to get there faster this time.
"No, same as always; drive to Calgary, fly to Winnipeg, then Churchill." Dad explained, as if he has already said this a thousand times.

"Now, then let's get going." He shut his laptop and put it in his bag. I walked to my room, grabbed my purse and then ran downstairs.
My white beanie, black gloves, white infinity scarf, white jacket, and Uggs sat on my suitcase waiting for me.

Pulling my jacket on, I picked everything else up in my arms and carried it all to the car, along with my suitcase.

Lola followed me outside and jumped into the back seat while I sat in the front. Waiting for dad in the car, I sent a warning text to Natalie and Quinn that we're coming to pick them up now.

Dad came 5 minutes later and threw his suitcase in the trunk. He started the car and we finally left the house.
                               ********
The first house we went to was Aunt Lily's. The familiar brick house that I've always knew. We brought Lola inside and Uncle Will came to greet us.
"Hey guys!" He welcomed and hugged us. "Hey." I greeted
"So here is Lola, remember to walk her twice a day, and replace her food bowl, too." Dad reminded.
"Yes, yes, I know!" Uncle Will laughed. "Well you two have fun!"

I knelt down and hugged Lola.
"Bye Lola." I said and pat her head. Dad did the same.
"Bye!" We all waved goodbye.
                                 **********
15 minutes later, we got to Quinn's house. I got out of the car and walked up Quinn's long driveway, careful not to slip on the ice. I walked up her steps and rung the doorbell. She answered the door and I waved and smiled.
"Hey." She greeted with a tired look on her face. I guess everyone didn't get a lot of sleep last night. She handed me one of her bags, called goodbye to her mom, then shut the door. We put the luggage in the trunk, got into the car, and my Dad greeted her. We both sat in the back together. Then, Dad started the car again and we drove to Natalie's.

"Ugh, I only got 5 hours of sleep last night." Quinn complained and rubbed her green sleepy eyes.
"So did I." I smiled.
"Sorry for being a grump." She said and smiled. "It's ok, I know you hate waking up early. I still don't understand how you wake up for school." I told her, confused.

She laid her head against the seat belt. "That's because I don't." She replied with a yawn. We both laughed.
                                **********
A couple minutes later, we got to Natalie's. I got Quinn to come with me because we both knew she would be bringing tons of stuff.
Not being surprised, she had two suitcases and a makeup bag that we had to haul out.

Everyone got into their seats, Quinn on the left, Natalie in the middle, and me in on the right side. Finally, everyone was here in the car, and we could go.

Natalie opened her purse and looked into her mirror.
"Ugh my hair." She said frustrated, trying to fix it. "Let me French braid it for you." Quinn offered. "Thank you." Natalie let out a sigh of relief. Natalie turned her back to Quinn and she started braiding.

"So, how long are we staying in Churchill for, Dad?" I asked. All he did was look at me and shrug, and I frowned at him in return.

"Could we change the music?" Natalie asked. Dad changed it to the pop station.
After listening to a few songs in silence, I yelled, "Yes! Ellie Goulding!" Then started singing to the song. Natalie joined in, and we practically had to force Quinn to sing with us.

The whole car ride to Calgary was full of girls screaming, laughing, and singing. Poor Dad.
                             *********
9:30am came fast, but we finally made it to Calgary.