Summer's End

Chapter 9

16 minutes after 5, Celeste was still in her cabin. She didn't necessarily feel like socializing. At first she read a few books that she brought along.

Then after 2 hours she grew bored. After that she tried to learn a dance routine. Realizing that she was off rhythm she gave up.

Now she was on her phone. There were 2 messages and 1 call from Remy. Celeste mentally kicked herself. She hasn't spoken to her best friend since yesterday.

Immediately she replied back to her. She told Remy to meet her at dinner in half an hour. Celeste was puzzled. Why was she so forgetful lately?

She knew she was never like this, usually.

*******

At 6 o'clock Celeste went to dinner. She pulled her phone out and texted Remy, telling her she was here. While she waited, her phone buzzed.

Remy: I'm at the front door

Celeste nodded then realized Remy obviously couldn't see her through the phone, so she typed Okay. Celeste went to the door and there was Remy.

"Remy!" Celeste called out for her. At first Remy looked around, confused. Then when she spotted Celeste, her face lit up.

She went over to Celeste and embraced her. Celeste giggled wrapping her arms around Remy.

"I know I only saw you yesterday morning but I still missed you Cel." They pulled away but Remy's arm was still around Celeste.

People started lining up to the lunch line.

"Come on."

After the girls got their lunch, they chatted about everything that happened yesterday.

"I met this guy named Lake. He's so cute and he's fun and- and-" Celeste's mind was racing a mile a second. Remy examined Celeste's face. Her friend was absolutely smitten.

Remy spoke for her, "And he's a great guy and he's funny. Even though I just met him I'm absolutely in love with him." She batted her eyelashes.

Celeste shook her head at her friend's exaggerated mockery. "What about you? You have been talking about guys since you first got here."

Remy took a bite into her apple before answering. "Well I'm friends with a guy named Emilio. I just met this guy named James. He's cool." She counted them off on her fingers. Then she paused.

Celeste gestured for her to go on.
"And this guy named Dario." Remy finished. Celeste knitted her eyebrows.

"Why'd you pause?"

Remy nervously laughed. Celeste wondered why she was acting weird about this guy. Who even is Dario? Celeste pondered.

"People were saying he may have killed his mom or something." Remy shrugged, sipping her juice. Celeste's mind was racing again. A killer? Celeste was curious on why a supposed killer was at a summer camp of all places.

Dario. Celeste recognized that name from somewhere. It was on the top of her tongue, yet she couldn't point it out.
"What's his last name?" She asked.

"Miller"

Miller. Dario Miller. It was as if Celeste's brain was keeping something from her. The name recalled a memory. Didn't his mom work with my dad? Celeste was bewildered so she convinced herself not to think of it.

"Well do you like a murderer or something?" Celeste joked.

"Hell no. He just said something weird to me today." Remy said, thinking back.

"What'd he say?"

"I don't know he said, 'nevermind'"

Celeste suddenly laughed. "Who says nevermind when he obviously wanted you to hear?" She picked at her pasta and took a bite.

"I'll ask him next time I see him. It's weird too because he had this notebook that he wrote in Latin," Remy went on. "I mean it was cool but I'm so nosy sometimes I swear. Like what the fuck was he writing in there?"

Celeste zoned out while Remy was talking. Celeste didn't care anymore. She thought Dario was too much of a mystery to keep up with. She got out of her seat and threw her lunch out.

When she got back to the table, Remy gawked at her.

"What?"

"You barely even eat your dinner at all. Didn't you have a headache? Maybe you should eat more." Remy recommended. Celeste smiled, amused.

"When did you turn into my mot-" Celeste abruptly stopped herself from saying that word. Soon after, the horrible memory haunted her head again. Carnival. Abandonment. Police. Now she felt her head pounding.

Her breath was caught in her throat. Her nightmare played on repeat in her mind. All that blood. Celeste felt like throwing up.

".......Are you okay?" Remy's voice floated in Celeste's mind.

"I gotta- I'll see you late-" Celeste bolted out of the cafeteria.