There's Something Major Going Down On Tracy Island

Chapter Four

"I don't know if I can leave this room today," I groaned as I curled into Scott, "I don't think I'm ready for whatever it is my mum's been planning."
I felt Scott's chest rise and fall as he chuckled silently. "While it would be nice to hide in here forever," he said, "I'm getting hungry."
"You have younger brothers to get food for you," I mumbled.
"C'mon," Scott said as he lifted me off him, "let's just get this over with."
I groaned as I pulled the covers over my head.
"Are you going to make me go out on my own?" Scott asked. He pulled the blankets off me and smiled down.
"Fine," I grumbled as I rolled off the bed. As soon as I was standing up, I regretted getting out of bed as the hangover properly took over my body. "I changed my mind," I said as I tried to get back into bed.
Scott wrapped his arms around me and pulled me towards the door. "Your hangover is not getting you out of this one."
"You suck," I told him as we walked to the living area. The parents were sat around the table in silence, it was very unnerving. I grabbed Scott's hand. He squeezed mine reassuringly.
"Good," Dad said, "you two are up."
I gulped nervously as he gestured for Scott and me to sit down.
"We'll get to your relationship in a moment," Dad said, "but first I want to discuss what happened at that party last night."
"I took advantage of the fact that the drinking age here is eighteen," I said, "and that the barman wasn't charging me full price cos he thought I was cute." I saw Scott tense up out of the corner of my eye.
"And where were you when this was happening?" Mum asked Scott harshly.
"It's not Scott's fault," I argued, "I was the one going up to the bar to get alcohol after Scott told me to get lemonade or water."
Mum pursed her lips as she glared at the two of us.
"Go on, Mum," I said, "say what's on your mind."
"We discussed this, Victoria," Dad said.
"I don't care, James," Mum snapped, "Emilia knew very well how I would feel about those two getting into a relationship."
"Well, too bad it's none of your business who I'm in a relationship with," I snapped.
"Of course it's my business," Mum exclaimed, "I am your mother, everything you do is my business."
"I'm eighteen. I'm an adult," I told her, "you're no longer my guardian, making my life none of your business."
"Both of you, stop," Dad said, "you're both acting childish."
"How long did you hide this relationship for?" Mum asked.
"A year," I replied.
"Well, that's not too long for a clean ending."
"What?" Scott and I exclaimed.
"You're not making us break up," I scoffed.
"She's right, Vic," Mrs Tracy said, "you can't make them do anything."
"Watch me," Mum said before getting up from the table. She stormed down the hallway into my room. "Scott," she said as she returned with all his stuff, "you're sleeping in here and the two of you aren't to be in the same room unless you have to be, and if you do have to be, you will be four feet away at all times."
"You can't be serious!" I exclaimed.
"Do I look like I'm making a joke?"
"Victoria, this is ridiculous," Dad said.
"There's nothing wrong with Scott and Em dating," Mrs Tracy said.
"So you're going to let your son settle for someone like Emilia," Mum laughed.
I froze where I was, my eyes filling up with tears. "Someone like me?" I asked numbly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means Scott deserves someone better, smarter, prettier," Mum hissed. Each word felt like a whip lashing against my heart.
"Good to know how you really feel," I said as I got up from the table. I ran down the hall into my room, got dressed and climbed out the window. I up down the mountain and carried on until my chest hurt and I couldn't breathe. I collapsed on the ground and cried. I cried until I fell asleep amongst the cold snow.

"Excuse me, Miss, are you okay?"
My eyes fluttered open. There was a man crouching next to me, he looked familiar but I couldn't place him anywhere.
"Do you need help?" He asked me.
I shook my head. I looked around, I had no idea where I was.
"Are you sure? You fell asleep in snow," the man said, "you must be cold. How long have you been out here?"
"I have no idea," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"Let's get you inside and in front of a fire," he said as he helped me up. I nodded and followed him, I was too cold to think about how dangerous that was. The man took me to the cabin the party was in the night before and then it clicked. The man was the barman from the party.
"I need to get back to my cabin," I said as I tried to walk to the door to leave.
"How about you just get warmed up first," the barman said, "then I promise I'll help you get back to your cabin."
I sighed and nodded. I needed the warmth. I sat down in front of the crackling fire and rubbed my arms to keep warm.
"You haven't been out there since last night, have you?" the barman asked with a laugh.
I shook my head. "I just needed to get away from my psychotic mother."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"She wants me to break up with my boyfriend just because-" I paused. "Never mind. You probably don't want to hear about a strangers problems."
"Hey," he smiled, "I'm a barman, it's part of the job."
I took a deep breath before telling him the whole story. "I can't believe I just told all that to a complete stranger," I said when I finished.
"My name's Daniel," he smiled, "now I'm not a stranger. But didn't it feel good to get it all off your chest."
I nodded. "I suppose I should get back now," I said. I stood up and made my way to the door when the ground started shaking violently.
"Get under a doorway, now," Daniel ordered.
I did as he told. I ran to the nearest doorway which happened to be the entrance to the staff room. Daniel stood next to me, holding onto one side of the doorframe. Bottles of alcohol were falling off shelves, pictures were falling off the walls, lights swinging, it was terrifying. I had never been in an earthquake before. It felt like hours before the earthquake stopped but it was really only a couple of minutes.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked me.
"Fine," I said, "I really have to get back now."
"That's not a good idea," Daniel said as a rumbling noise started, "avalanche."
My eyes widened as snow rushed past the window.
"The walls of all the cabins have been strengthened to withstand the power of the strongest avalanche," Daniel explained, "this is the safest place to be for the time being."
I sighed as I moved to sit on a couch. "How long am I going to have to stay here?" I asked.
"Until there are no more aftershocks or avalanches," Daniel told me as he sat beside me, "it's a really good thing I found you when I did."
"I need to call my dad," I said as I walked over to the phone. I picked it up but there was no signal. "Shit," I hissed.
"The avalanche probably wiped out the telephone poles," Daniel said.
The ground started shaking again and I ran to the doorframe to wait it out. I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened.