Viva

Part 1.1

"You're absolutely insane!" My younger sister, Magnolia swung open my bedroom door and stormed towards me.

To confront my sister I had to look away from the new book I was enthralled by. Irritated by the intrusion, I slowly looked away from my book. 

Magnolia stood at the foot of my bed, with a crazed look in her dark chocolate brown eyes. 

I was confused at what I had done that time to rally up such a reaction from her. "So I've been told," I honestly confessed with a bored tone of voice. "What gives me the title of 'insane' today?" Confusion and curiosity twisted inside of me as I waited for her to explain further.

"You're crazy if I'm reading your text message right." Magnolia looked down at the cell phone she was clutching.

Tapping on the screen a few times to turn the device on, Magnolia began to make her argument. "You just texted me. Ten minutes ago you said, 'Pack your bags. We're going to Cedar Falls.'"

"Oh. . . that," realization stuck me about why she was acting upset. "No, I'm not crazy, Maggie. We're taking a little weekend vacation." A smile played on my face as I tried to play it cool. If I didn't act like it was a big deal, I considered, there was a chance she might not see it as a big deal.

For a second, I analyzed Magnolia and noted that she was not taking my idea lightly, at first.

Magnolia narrowed her eyes. It was clear as day, by the expression on her face, that she thought my vacation plan was nowhere near logical. In fact, if I knew her well enough, Magnolia was probably considering where the closest insane asylum was. "Call it delusional if you want, Viv, but you've lost your ever-loving mind and that's a fact! When's the last time you've ever heard anyone say: Oh, let's go on a vacation. Not to anywhere cool like Hawaii! No let's go to that creepy town a city over called Cedar Falls where no one enters or exits?"

My sister was being overdramatic. "Don't go with me then. Stay home like you always do on the weekend. I'll just go all by lonesome self," I pouted. Magnolia would give in.

"You're going to get us killed, Viv!"

I gave her a large grin. I had won. "It'll be fun, Maggie!" Tossing my book over to a random area on my bed. Getting up, I stretched. "I'm already packed. We leave in a couple of hours, so go get ready. Chop chop."

Exiting my room, I went down the hallway towards the kitchen. As soon as I entered, my stomach growled in hunger. "What to eat?" I muttered to myself as I thought of all my opinions. It only took a second for me to make up my mind.

Walking over to a cabinet by the refrigerator I pulled out a half-eaten, five-pound bag of sour gummy worms.

"Viv, I don't think this is a good idea."

I released a small sigh under my breath, we're still on this?

Turning, I faced my sister who was lingering in the doorway. "I promise you nothing will happen while we're there. Calm your tits, Lil Sis." I calculated every step of my plan for Cedar Falls in my mind. When I knew it was flawless, I gave my sister the most reassuring expression I could muster.

"You're giving me that creepy smile that indicates you're hiding something. Spill."

Damn, I forgot my face could be an open book. "I'm not hiding anything from you, Maggie." I turned back around and opened my bag of sour worms. Excitement overcame me as I reached in and picked out a worm. "Either get packing or start cleaning our bathroom. It's getting to look gross in there."

Magnolia slowly inhaled, "No. I'll go with you."

Grinning, I looked over my shoulder at my sister. "Are you going because you don't want to clean our bathroom or because you don't want to stay in our apartment alone for the weekend?" I knew Magnolia had a fear of being alone for long periods of time and to her a weekend was a long time. Hence why I figured she would eventually give in. "I mean, you can always go stay at mom and dad's for the weekend."