Seasons: Secrets of Penumbra

Chapter 3 - Fear

I don't remember much. I remember my friends bringing me back to the beach house. Hailey's parents looked so worried. I didn't mean to scare them. 

I took a shower and put on my favorite hoodie. My friends waited for me in the backyard. I walked out to them huddled by a campfire, with some s'mores and hot cocoa ready. Seriously, they're the best friends I could ever ask for. 

"There she is!" Hailey exclaimed as soon as she saw me.

My friends looked up at me in relief.

I gave them a tired smile as I sat next to Hailey. Wren handed me a s'more that was still warm.

"We made one for you," said Wren.

Remember what I said about Wren giving off this calm feeling whenever I'm near him? I relaxed my tense shoulders and took the s'more from him.

"Thanks," I beamed at him before taking a bite. It's rich and gooey and warm. Perfect.

"How are you feeling?" asked Liam.

"Better. Although everything that happened earlier seems foggy. Feels like I just woke up from a nightmare."

You know that feeling when you wake up after a dream and your mind is just groggy? You remember parts of your dream but the rest is a blur.

I feel like that right now, except I have a headache. A very bad one. Like a truck hit me in the head.

"It looked like a circus back there. Everyone was panicking, especially Hailey," said Raven as she chuckled.

Hailey rolled her eyes and said, "Mom and dad were so worried! I filled them in on what happened. I mean, I don't really know what happened before Liam pulled you out of the water, but I told them what I did know, which was not a lot honestly. You should've seen-" 

Raven shot a glare at Hailey.

"Sorry, bad habit..." muttered Hailey.

Hailey has a habit of blabbering on about things. Something small can be exaggerated and dramatized. You don't even want to know how she can turn something that happened in 5 minutes into a story that makes it seem like it happened over a year. I love that girl but sometimes she can be a bit much. I guess she can make anything interesting though, a mundane Monday morning in her eyes can be an action movie.

"Are they okay? I feel awful for worrying them," I asked Hailey.

"Oh, they're fine. Just a little startled, that's all," she gave me a reassuring smile.

"I don't remember how I got in the water," I said.

"It's alright, you don't have to remember right now. You've just experienced something horrible after all," said Liam.

"Yeah, it's not important right now, Summer. Now how would you rate my s'more?" asked Wren.

Hailey whispered, "He burnt the previous one".

I giggled.

We spent the rest of the night by the fire talking. My head still ached but spending time with my friends made me feel a little better.

I head back inside with Hailey after my friends have left. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs as I was hit with a wave of dizziness.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" she asked.

My head was swimming. My vision was blurry and my legs felt weak. I lost my balance and stumbled against the railing.

Hailey rushed over to help me back up. 

"I'll be fine, I'm just having a headache."

"You should get some sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow," she said.

"You go ahead. I want to talk to your parents for a bit," I muttered.

"Are you sure you don't need help? You can tell them tomorrow."

"Yep. I'll be okay."

Hailey took one last look at me before heading into her room.

"Take care, okay? I want my best friend alive and well tomorrow."

I stifled a giggle through the pain.

"Don't be so dramatic. Goodbye, Hailey."

I made my way to her parents' room.

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Ingrid and Henry Veracity are possibly the kindest people I have met. They have so much love to give even if I'm not their child by blood. They raised me equally as Hailey as if I was their own. I don't call them mom and dad though, I feel weird about it, and they understand. The last thing they would want to do is to make me feel like they were trying to replace my parents. Gosh, I don't even remember what my real parents look like. 

I've always felt this strange connection with Henry as if I've known him my entire life. I felt it when they first took me in. It's like when you meet someone for the first time and you just know you'll get along. That's the reason I'm closer to him. He's been the best father I could ever ask for, which got me wondering why they never officially adopted me. Regardless, I love them both.

Both Ingrid and Henry have the same beautiful blonde hair as Hailey. That's probably where Hailey got all her flawless features. Ingrid has this gentleness about her that makes you feel as if you could tell her anything. She's so approachable. You could set the kitchen on fire by accident and she would still very calmly tell you it's okay. Just like Hailey, she's pretty much flawless. They all have perfect, straight teeth and perfect skin. How does one obtain those genes?

I went into their room and told them as much as I could remember. When I was finished, they looked serious. I have never seen them so serious before. And worried, maybe? I could feel the tension in the room. They looked at each other in fear.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Everything was still. I could no longer feel their warm, welcoming presence. They looked at me hesitantly. This is the first time I've seen them like this. They seem afraid, of what?

"Summer, there is something that we need to tell you," said Ingrid.

She looked at Henry and he gave her a nod.

"Your parents weren't in a boat accident. Something really bad happened and we had to take care of you," she said.

"What?" it came out as a whisper.

"Is your head still hurting?" she asked.

I nodded.

"It's time..." murmured Henry.

"What is it? You guys are scaring me..."

I glanced at both of them. They looked like they were in pain.

They took my hands in theirs. I could see the sorrow in their crystal, blue eyes.

"Summer, It's time we meet your mother."