Cabin 9

Chapter 16

"Avery, sweetie, wake up," my mom said, gently shaking my arm.
"We're here." I opened my eyes to see we were parked in the driveway that my mother shared with her fiancée, Paul. That was strange. Most of the time I stayed with my dad at his place.
"Why are we here?" I asked. My mom bit her lip.
"We have something we need to talk about with you," she replied.
Paul greeted us at the door, and pulled me into an awkward hug.
"Glad to see you're ok, Avery. Your mom was really worried," he said.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
We all took seats in the sofas in the living room, my mom and Paul on one, and my dad and I across from them.
"What did you need to tell me?" I asked. My mom looked nervously at Paul, who nodded at her.
"Well, Avery...Paul has gotten a new job offer, a really good one," she said.
"So?" I said, trying not to sound rude.
"Well, it's in Vancouver. So we're moving there." I stayed silent, waiting for her to explain how this involved me.
"We want you to come," she said at last.
"Dad?" I asked immediately, turning to him.
"It's up to you, Avery. Your mother and I have talked about it and we're in full agreement," he said.
"When are you leaving?" I asked.
"August 24th. We've already signed on a new house, and there's a beautiful room you could have," my mom answered.
"Oh."
My head started to spin. Vancouver? I knew nothing about Vancouver, other than the fact it was on the other side of the country. I didn't have anything against Paul, but I couldn't imagine living with him and my mother, as a family.
"You probably need some time to think about it. Why don't you go up to--"
"No, Mom, it's ok. I've made my decision," I said.
"Already? Don't you think you should give it some time?" Paul asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Mom, I'm sorry, but I can't come to Vancouver with you. Toronto is my home, and I can't imagine living anywhere but here. I just really need some comfort after everything that's happened," I told her slowly.
"I understand, Avery. If you change your mind, I'll always be there," she said.
I nodded, and turned to my dad.
"Can we go home now?"
"Sure, honey."
We said goodbye to my mom and Paul, and then got in my dad's car and drove home.

When we arrived, I rushed upstairs to my room. It looked exactly as I had left it. The covers of my bed were twisted and thrown back, my drawers open and messy, and my desk strewn with old school work. I went into the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I hadn't had time to shower in nearly a week, so my body was covered in dirt and sweat. Blood caked my fingernails from when I had helped Cara change Ryan's bandages. My hair was matted against my head, and there were huge bags under my eyes. I sighed and turned on the shower. I stayed under the hot running water for nearly an hour, letting it wash away all my stress and worries.

When I got out, I changed into an old pair of pyjamas and curled up in my bed with my laptop so I could watch my favourite movie, Mean Girls. Just as I was about to start watching, I heard a knock at my door.
"Come in," I called. My dad entered the room.
"The police just called. They said they would mail you your things you left at camp within the next few weeks," he said.
"Ok, thanks for letting me know," I replied.
"I'm thinking of ordering Chinese food for dinner. Does that sound good to you?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure."
"Alright. I'll be downstairs if you need anything," he said, as he left the room. I pressed play on the movie and sank back into my pillows.

I must've dozed off again sometime during the movie, because my dad shook me awake an hour later for dinner. We sat in the living room with our takeout Chinese food, and my dad turned on the TV.
"...suspect was apprehended earlier this morning at Camp Malnary. Cole Samson is now facing charges of murder in the first degree for killing his girlfriend, Amalia Miller..." said a reporter on a news channel. My dad quickly switched it to another station, apologizing.
"Sorry, I didn't realize that channel would be on."
"It ok Dad, I've seen it all before," I replied. After that, we sat in silence watching a sitcom.

The next few weeks were awkward, to say the least. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I lazed around the house. Just as promised, all my clothes and things came in a huge shipping box addressed to me. I didn't open the box, and instead left it at the bottom of my closet where I couldn't see it. Cory and I talked a few times, and even made plans to get together with Courtney and Gabby. I didn't make contact with any of my school friends because I was too scared. I didn't know if they'd heard about what happened. And if they hadn't was I supposed to tell them? Or just pretend nothing happened? 

The police contacted me to know that Cole's trial date was set a few months from now, and they wanted me to testify since I had been in the room during his confession. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing Cole again, but I knew I would have to do it. I wondered who else would be there...

One day, towards the end of summer, I was sitting at the table in my backyard flipping through a magazine. My phone was by my side, although I had barely used it all summer. Suddenly, it started to ring. I glanced at the screen, thinking it was maybe Cory or my mom, who had promised to call me as soon as she was settled in Vancouver. But it was a number I didn't recognize. Hesitantly, I picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Avery?" said the person on the other end.
"Yes, who is this?" I asked.
The other line was silent for a while. Then...
"It's Ryan."