Through the Tunnel

Chapter 21: Goodbye

The duvet felt heavier and heavier over my head until finally I had to move it off and let myself breath.

The sudden breath of free air felt revitalising and I allowed myself to lie there taking breath after breath until I could finally think straight.

It was hard to think about what happened, I struggled to not let myself feel completely ashamed.

I stared at the ceiling, trying to think of nothing else, and that was working fine until my mum knocked on the door and walked in.

"How you feeling?" she asked, cautiously.

"Fine" I said, and I was.

"What was that about this morning?" she asked, sitting on the end of my bed as I continued to stare at the ceiling.

"I don't know" I said, and I honestly didn't.

"Okay, well I'm ordering pizza in a second, what do you want?"

"The usual, I guess. I thought I smelt burnt food, what was it this time?" I asked.

"Pizza, actually" she said, slightly embarrassed.

I laughed and sat up to face her.

"Mum" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I should be depressed after everything that's happened?" I asked.

"I think you should feel whatever is right for you, if you're sad then be sad, if you're angry then be angry. And that stupid womam had no right to question it" she said, standing in the doorway to my room.

"Okay" I said.

She left and I considered getting out of bed. I'd been here longer than I thought if mum was already trying to cook dinner.

I got out of bed, and changed into my pyjamas and went downstairs to wait for my pizza.

***

The next day, I thought, couldn't be worse than yesterday. And turns out I was right.

When arriving at the camp I was greeted by Ashley who gave both me and my mum a hug before leading me into the office to meet her boss.

She looked no older than thirty and presented herself with such enthusiasm for life. Nothing like I remembered the camp chief back in my day.

"Ah, Charlie, it's so nice to meet you, you can call me Patricia" said shaking my hand over her desk, "please take a seat".

"Thank you" I said, sitting in the same chairs I remembered Ashley and me sitting in almost every day after being sent to the chief's office.

"It's weird to be back here" I said.

"Yes, Ashley told me you and her went here together" she said, "we tend to only hire people who have already attended this camp because I feel it gives them some inside information into the campers' mind's and allows them to do a better job".

She gave me an introduction to working at the camp and told me what I'd be needing to do. It all sounded pretty straightforward and said I'd be sharing a bunk with Ashley because her last bunk-mate left for maternity leave and decided not to come back.

The chief also said she predicts to see her kid here at some point as well.

That seemed a bit rude but I just laughed it off.

She gave me the uniform and we said our goodbyes.

Leaving the office I, said goodbye to Ashley and walked back to the car park to find my mum waiting by the car.