Chapter 1

• ~ June 30th - 7:40 PM ~
• Zoe paused her movement. Lifting her acrylic pen off her canvas. Pulling her attention away from her canvas. Blinking several times as she listened to her surroundings. Zoe tilted her head toward the door just as a knock echoed through her studio. Curious, she slipped the earbud out of her right ear and called out, “Who’s there!?”
• The door creaked open just enough for Sophia to peek her head into the room. “Your mom said you were in here.” Pushing the door open so that she could walk fully into the room. Partly turning so that she could close the door behind her.
• Sophia’s smile was infectious. At any second, it appeared like she was going to combust with excitement. Placing her acrylic pen down. Zoe mimicked her friend’s energy. Smiling from ear to ear, “Okay, what is up? You are grinning like the Cheshire Cat!” she exclaimed as she swivelled her desk chair to see her best friend better. Eager to listen to the news, she knew Sophia was holding onto it. Sophia’s enthusiasm was flowing off her body.
• As Zoe had predicted, Sophia had burst with excitable energy. Knowing that she had the floor to pitch her exciting idea. Dashing across the short distance to Zoe’s bed. Sophia leaped onto Zoe’s single bed. With a bounce, Sophia exclaimed, “I have a plan!” A Mischievous smirk was on her face. With sparkling eyes, Sophia knew those four words would wipe the smile right off Zoe’s face.
• Sophia watched Zoe roll her eyes into the back of her head. Mouthing, ‘Oh no!’ Sophia let out a small giggle as she watched Zoe closely, expecting this reaction. “Now, hear me out!” Sophia exclaimed. She raised both of her hands playfully in a defensive manner. “I know not all my plans are great! Maybe even close to being wild and outrageous!” she chuckled, knowing many times she had ideas that seemed like a good idea at the time. That ended up being the worst idea ever. “But just listen to my pitch, and then say yes!”
• Groaning, Zoe tilted her head to the side. “Really?” She had raised her brow, causing her forehead to wrinkle. Pointing to her forehead, “You see those wrinkles? Those are my ‘what the fuck!’ wrinkles when I know you are going to try to drag us all into an awful situation.” She studied Sophia for a moment. “The phrase,” she snorted, using her hands to emphasize her point, “Now hear me out!” She shook her head from side to side. “That is the beginning of a bad idea!” she lightly continued to shake her head back and forth.
• Sophia snorted before bursting into a belly laugh. “I know!” she chuckled, “but this is a really good idea.” She bounced against the mattress, making herself comfortable. “and considering you are not pushing me out the door, it tells me that you want to hear the pitch, so here I go ... This is our last summer we get to be kids!” Sophia glanced around Zoe’s room. Covering the walls was her artwork and the award that had gone with the art pieces. She stared up at the ceiling, her tone shifting to a sombre whisper. “The group is going in all different directions. Who knows when we’ll have time to see each other?” Sophia sat up quickly and crossed her arms over her chest. “And phone calls are not the same!”
• Zoe’s expression was flat as she pointed out, “Don’t forget, there are holiday weekends! We will all be travelling back to see our family’s. I am sure that we will all meet up and have a coffee of something during that time.” She was reasoning with Sophia’s emotional needs.
• “Why do things have to change!?” Grumbling, she began to mope, “That is not the same!” Bubbling to the surface of her being, a mixture of emotions was building. Each one she struggled to deal with. Sophia took a deep breath. The thought of separating from her friends had sent her into a panic attack.
• Since she was a child, Sophia has always struggled with change and separation. Each change around her was viewed with disdain. It is an unwelcoming event. Things had to be gradual, slow to grow and move on. For months, her parents had spent the time moving her into the next transition of her life. Post Secondary education! This wasn’t only a huge change. It was life-altering. As the school year ended, she had been suffering with the idea that in 8 weeks, they would be heading in different directions. Knowing that they wouldn’t see each other every day sent her into a downward spiral of emotions she had been struggling with.
• Zoe could feel her friend’s change in mood and could sense her anxiety. For a long time, Zoe knew Sophia had feared this day. New changes never came easily to her. Though countless people had reassured her that everything would stay the same, deep down, Sophia felt as if the group was splitting up forever--a thought she was struggling to cope with.
• Swivelling back and forth, relaxing into her chair, thinking to herself, ‘What are BFF for if they don’t hold hand while skipping down the sidewalk?’ sighing out loud. Resigning to her friend’s wishes. “I am giving you five minutes to pitch your idea. This isn’t a yes ... just so you know!” Zoe could feel the energy change. Watching Sophia perk up.
• Sophia had returned to her infectious smile. She exclaimed, “Remember those photos and stories about my parents’ cabin? The one just a few hours away?” Sophia held her thumb and index finger an inch apart to emphasize the short distance. “It’s a few hour’s drive north that leads to the cabin in the woods! I haven’t stepped foot there since I was about eight! But from what I remember there are no other places around. And technology won’t work there. So literally we are camping in the middle of nowhere but in a small version of a house.” She waved her hand as if brushing aside the memory like it was the first time she shared this story with Zoe.
• Sophia took a moment to breathe, then continued. “Any.who! They’re thinking about selling the cabin. Mom said there’s no sense in holding onto something if we’re not using it. Dad isn’t fully on board with the idea. Mumbled about something that I couldn’t hear ... BUT! When I overheard this, a brilliant idea came to my mind,” she clapped her hands rapidly. “Before my parents put the place up for sale ... Why not gather you, me, and the whole gang for one last epic party before we dive into adulthood? I know that once I ask Daddy, he’ll be all in. I mean, how could Daddy ever say no to me?” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her smile widening to show off her excitement.
• Zoe felt like her lungs had dropped into her stomach. “The cabin!?” The thought hit her like a brick. “Are you sure that the cabin is still safe to be used? That was like ten years ago when your parents were there?” Every instinct was going off. The fight-or-flight response was at full power, and she had this overwhelming need to run. Her inner being was screaming at her to say no!
• Sophia could tell from Zoe’s facial expression that she wasn’t buying her idea. “From July 30th to August 2nd, we’re going to the cabin! There will be drinking, great food, laughter with our high school friends, and just being ourselves one last time.” She brought her hands together and flashed her signature smile that melted everyone’s hearts--everyone except Zoe! She was always more challenging to convince to join in. ‘Probably the only one who could say no and mean it!’ Sophia thought to herself.
• Zoe pressed her lips together. ‘If I don’t have a good reason ... ARG, Sophia will find a hundred and one reasons to deflect my one hundred reasons not to go.’ she thought to herself. Zoe began closing her eyes. In the back of her mind, she mentally revisited the family pictures that someone had taken at their plot of land. Every time Zoe saw those images of Sophia and her family, a nagging feeling settled in--something about the land felt off. It tugged at her mind with an unsettling feeling that she could not understand despite being just photos. Zoe always gets the sense that no one is welcome on the land. It was as if something was intentionally preventing them from staying.
• Since she was a little girl, Zoe has been sensitive to energy. She couldn’t explain it. Zoe just instinctively knew when it was time to leave or if it was safe to stay. She was also able to feel others’ emotions. At this moment, Sophia was determined to get her way. An overwhelming need to comfort her worried mind of negative thoughts.
• She couldn’t say no straight out without an explanation. And her explanation was something she did not want to reveal. No one knew, not her handful of friends ... not even her parents knew that she was ‘different.’ “I need to think about this!” Zoe said apprehensively. She could not ignore the nagging feeling that if she went, something horrible was going to happen. ‘And there is no way I can tell Sophia. She would never believe me. She would call me crazy and send me to the loony bin!’ Zoe thought to herself bitterly.
• Sophia watched as Zoe’s eyes lowered. She knew this was going to happen. Zoe always acted like this whenever she suggested anything social that pushed Zoe out of her comfort zone. For some reason, Zoe would always come up with excuses to avoid joining the group. Zoe would list a million reasons why she couldn’t go. While Sophia would find a million and one ways to persuade her otherwise. Sophia had honed this tactic since ninth grade, so she thought, “Okay, let’s make a list of the reasons you can’t go!” She smiled, ready for the challenge.
• “Check this out!” Zoe swivelled in her chair, lifting the art piece she was working on. “This is my latest commission,” she said. “Lady Big Bucks saw this on my website. It needs to be completed before August 15th. She has already given me half the money, and when I finish, I will get paid the remainder.” She admired the work that she had completed in the last two weeks of working on it. For many, that seemed like more than enough time. For Zoe, however, deadlines and pressure were a curse and a blessing at the same time. With some commission, things ran smoothly. Finishing well before the due date. However, if there were even one misstep in her artwork, she would have to discard the entire project and start from scratch. The stakes were high, and she strived for perfection and nothing less.
• Sophia understood the importance of the situation. Zoe had always been excellent in the art department, which set her apart from everyone else in high school. While everyone else was out having fun partying with their friends, Zoe would be in her room, working tirelessly on the commission piece that she was about to sell. She dreamed big and wished to see the world for all of its wonders and glory.
• “Wow!” she exclaimed, standing up. “That is amazing!” The detail her friend had put into the art piece was phenomenal. Zoe had worked hard on the structure of the adult elephant, placing two calves near the adult elephant. Even the eyes felt as if they were real. Almost as if she could touch the majestic creatures. Sophia smiled and said, “This is surreal! I love it!” She handed the piece back to Zoe, knowing that if there were even a single smudge, Zoe would have to start over.
• “This piece here is worth a thousand dollars. That’s a big deal--the beginning of my career. If I’m going to make it big in the art world, I have to be better than the best!” Zoe placed her work back on the desk and took a deep breath. “Who is going to join you in this grand sceme that you haven’t planned out very well?”
• With a smile, she said, “You are the first person I have asked. I know I will be asking Lance too. I’m sure that with plenty of notice, he can get the August long weekend off. Considering this is our last summer to be carefree, we need this!” She wrapped her arms around her friend. “I know once I mention the cabin, drinks, and fun, the gang will be more than willing to join. It won’t be the same if you don’t come!” Sophia pouted, pushing her lower lip out. “Please!?”
• Zoe filled her lungs with a deep breath, thinking, ‘I am going to regret this!’ “If I can get this commission finished, then I will go!” she said, refusing to say no outright. Nor could she fully agree to it. The nagging feeling still lingered, even if she couldn’t quite pinpoint why. It was clear to her that this was a terrible idea. Zoe couldn’t look Sophia in the eyes and tell her that something horrible might happen if she went ahead with this weekend-long trip.
• “I will be telling everyone no cellphones or other electronics.” She shrugged, “for obvous reasons, they will not work. BUT!!! You can bring your antique camera!” Sophia wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
• She exclaimed with her hand on her chest, “It isn’t that old!” A slow smile spread across Zoe’s face.
• “Honestly,” Sophia erupted in belly laughter, “anything before Google is antique!” She laughed even harder, “I’m sure the museum would pay a hefty price just to show off what our parents had as they grew up.”
• “So funny! HAHAHA!” Zoe’s smile widened as she bit her lip. “I’d love to add more photos to my collection!” She shrugged, bringing her shoulders up to her neck.
• Hugging Zoe, Sophia felt she was getting closer to a ‘yes’ out of Zoe’s mouth. “It would also be a great way to capture the moment we transition from childhood to adulthood,” she said, smiling with extreme happiness. “I will even enlarge the pictures and cover my apartment walls with memories of the best weekend ever. I think that will help with the loss of the past and moving on into the future.”
• Zoe motioned her head back and forth as she smiled. Wrinkling her nose, her mind went to ‘the group!’ Scratching her right ear, a gesture of uncertainty. “Are you inviting Don?” she frowned at the mere thought of having to be around him.
• Snorting with displeasure, “NO! I only tolerate him because he is Lance’s friend. Don is a pig!” she sighed as she noticed she was getting snippy. “I don’t want to be that girlfriend that tells my man who he can and can not hang out with, so I say nothing. Though I have no idea why those two are friends.” Sophia placed her nose up in the air.
• Zoe pushed the air out of her lungs, which she didn’t know she was holding. Her worries had been lifted. The sight of Don always gave her the sensation that bugs were crawling over her skin. He wasn’t just loud and obnoxious. Don always thought he was God’s gift to women. There was something ominous about him. It was like a Ted Bundy vibe. Each time he joined the group, she couldn’t stick around. “Remember, I haven’t said yes!”
• Zoe glanced at her phone briefly, “Maybe is close enough for me!” She tapped her phone, “You need a coffee break! My treat, let’s go!”