Cabin In The Woods

by Kristine Robinson

  Enjoy Your Bonus Stories!

  Fate

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  A First Time Lesbian Romance

  Fairy Tales NEVER tell you how life ACTUALLY works.

  I thought our meeting would be Fate! True love. All that jazz.

  We would look into each others eyes and the planet’s would align and yadda yadda. Why can’t a girl as cute as me get what every magazine totally promised me?

  I’d have a steady job, meet the girl of my dreams, and we’d live happily ever after.

  Nobody ever bothered to tell me that the girl would be tied up in her total asshole of an ex, a steady job is a complete bore, and fate is a terrible name for a dog.

  Fate, seriously. Why do this to me? More importantly, what the heck do I do now?

  The smart answer, I guess, would be “not this”.

  Fortunately, I’ve never been one for the smart answer!

  I mean, at this point it can’t get worse. Right? Right…?

  * * *

  chapter 1

  Ugh! I have to do it. Just go, Amelia. Just print it out and give it to your boss. You can’t do this anymore. Your passion becomes a chore when you are here! But… I can’t just, LEAVE. I need a job to pay my rent and I get to write.

  Spam. I get to write SPAM. My boss has the competency of a fish trying to climb a tree! Her orders have never made sense. The air in their office tastes stale and I can FEEL it ruining me. And my mood. All I want is to write for a fashion magazine. Is that so hard?

  Well, yes. Especially if I am in this stupid building!

  I hunched my shoulders to build up my courage and printed it. I held my head up as I turned in the letter of resignation. I can’t keep being so… indecisive. I usually never am. I usually make my decision and stick to it, or so I like to believe, but not this time. I hate it, the entire concept of not being able to just make a decision and stick to it.

  Fine. This is it. I can’t change my mind anymore. And now the panic sets in. I just QUIT! How am I supposed to do my job? How am I supposed to pay rent? I am so stupid sometimes. Just regular, old, scatterbrained Amelia.

  I checked my phone. It was a message from Mom, asking how my day is and if I’m gonna drive over for Sunday dinner. What can I even say to that? “My day has been fine. I quit the job that gives me financial security because I never think a single thing through. Dinner sounds great!” Yeah. Fat chance of that.

  Ugh. Okay, Amelia. Let’s go on a walk! Yeah, that’ll clear my head. And I’ll know just what to do from here on out. So I walk and I find myself around a park.

  Aww. There are so many adorable dogs around here. I could feel all my negative emotions melting away as my yearning for animal companionship set in. They are such sweet creatures. Back when I lived at home I used to have a dog. She was a little cocker spaniel with the sweetest temperament. I wanted to bring her with me when I moved out, but my stupid job took too much time.

  Hey! Maybe there is a bright side to this whole thing after all.

  A big dog began to trot behind me. It was so cute, fluffy with golden-blonde fur and a wagging tail. I wave the dog off as I walk home, trying to tell it to go find it’s family. It doesn’t listen. And my judgment has never been the BEST so… I let it in.

  I just don’t have the heart to send it away. Not when it sat on my porch and gave me those big puppy dog eyes. ‘It’s just for a bit,’ I convinced myself. ‘Just a little while and then I’ll help find his owner. I swear.’

  chapter 2

  Is she actually yelling again? At ME? What is it this time? Did I not do the dishes after I did all the work to support us and paid our bills?! Did I not pay enough attention to her after being ignored for the past three days?

  “Are you even LISTENING to me?” She snapped, hands on her hips. The sarcastic ‘No’ was on the tip of my tongue and it almost physically pained me to hold it back.

  She stifles me. And I always have to be the rational one of us. Someone needs to be the adult in this relationship. "Claire, I'm sure everything will work out in the end," I told her, hoping that was the response. I… I wasn’t ACTUALLY paying attention, but she didn’t KNOW that!

  Oh no. That glare. Usually, she was like a painting, how someone would imagine Aphrodite walking around, with hair of spun gold and sparkling sapphire eyes. When she was upset though her face twists into this grotesque expression that haunts dreams. She looks as if you are less than dirt staining her shoe and her lips curl at the edges making one feel utterly worthless.

  I just wanted us to be happy, but she can NEVER be content. Over the months, I have given up trying to reason with her as my love for her died out of something that was worse than hatred, indifference. She emotionally beat the love out of me till I felt nothing.

  There was always an excuse to stay. Even if it was poor. Being the kind of conflict-avoiding coward I am, I… just didn’t want to do this.

  The worst part, though, she doesn’t WANT to listen to reason or become a better person, or even GROW. She wants to be the center of every universe. She wasn’t really, though. It wasn’t enough to love her either.

  “LEELA! YOU AREN’T EVEN LISTENING.” She snarled at me. Today was the worst day with her, she actually started screaming and throwing things.

  My new clothes. How dare she. My phone. She couldn’t have seriously done that. My special hand-knit scarf from Uncle Irwin. NO! She isn’t even allowed to EVER touch that! All these possessions were thrown onto the dirty lawn, getting smeared with dirt. I was so angry that my fists clenched. I wanted to hit her like I fight with my siblings. I want to get the physical satisfaction of making her SHUT UP.

  That’s not who I am! I am…well, I’m certainly better than that. And so, I simply called the police. I really thought it would make me feel better. Watch that awful girl was forcefully ejected from my house.

  I didn’t. It felt like those parts of me that she carved away to make a space for her, just festered. Now there was nothing where there once was so much poetry and art. The house suddenly felt so big, and so quiet. Yet, stifling. The sound of the fan was somehow too loud still, and I almost gnashed my teeth.

  I kept waiting to hear it. The dull thumps of his paws as my little Albert pawed his way to his favorite person in the world. But…it wasn’t anywhere to be heard or seen.

  My green eyes widened and I could feel my lip tremble as I heard a croaking voice cry, “ALBERT! ALBERT, WHERE ARE YOU BOY?!” It took a few moments for me to even realize those sounds came from my own mouth.

  chapter 3

  I wasn’t actually doing anything, er, wrong. ‘Yes, Amelia, It’s not like you abducted him or anything.’ The golden-furred sweetheart, whom I have now dubbed Bandit followed me home! He stole my heart, so Bandit is a perfect name for that little rascal! I even gave him a little hat….

  Which solidifies he had an owner. He took to the hat immediately and didn’t immediately knock it over, which meant he was used to having a hat. The owner probably loved him.

  Ooor, the owner wasn’t that great? What if the owner conditioned Bandit to simply get used to whatever was done to him and stay quiet? Bandit hasn’t barked at a strange noise or growled since I got him! It is in that case, it is my moral obligation to take care of him, right?

  With that in mind, I scratched him behind the ears as I got up from my couch. "No, Bandit," I told him as I went to leave the house. “You have to stay here. I’m gonna get some stuff. My house doesn’t have any puppy stuff for you.”

  He still tried to follow me. “Bandit, Stay.” See, I can be authoritative when I wanted to be. “Good boy.”

  I know there is a long list of things I probably should be doing before I spend my time caring for a dog, but actually going to the store and looking at puppy supplies actually was really relaxing. All my stressors seemed to melt away and my anxiety disappeared.

  That was until I saw her; A frazzled redhead, with piercing aqua eyes and the cutest freckles. She was chubby in a cute way
and all of a sudden, I desperately wanted to draw her and her cute red glasses and little hand-stitched beret, even though I definitely am not an artist. Oh my gosh, she has a Scottish brogue too!

  She was so cute. With a button nose and passionate eyes. I could feel my breath get caught in my throat. I fought the urge to ask her if I could draw her. It would be awkward and weird.

  That obviously wasn’t WHY my stress came back momentarily. Her beauty was completely unrelated. It definitely had nothing to do with it at all. My PROBLEM was the flyers she was passing out! That was definitely my Bandit and maybe she was a good owner. Is she calling him ALBERT? Seriously? Albert? Albert. How do you look at that face and think ‘Albert'?

  I walked up to her. My tongue felt like lead for some bizarre reason. Oh, it’s my Social anxiety, duh! “I need to-”

  She gave me a once over as I spoke as if judging me by my looks alone. “Not now.” She interrupted.

  “Excuse me?” I asked, affronted. I had important information about her dog! The nerve of some people.

  “I’m really sorry, but I am busy right now. I might be able to talk later but I need to find my dog. Bye.” She…She just…dismissed me! How dare she.

  She was incredibly rude. Why is it always the pretty girls? Humph. Maybe she doesn’t need to know about Bandit…just yet. I mean, she acted like nothing I said could have been of value to her. I took a flyer and went home, I could just go to her house and tell her about the dog when she was less…like that. With that thought in mind, I went home to take care of little Bandit, while I still could.

  chapter 4

  I eventually went home, I’ll have to go out and try again soon. Albert. He’s gone and I can’t believe it. I can’t function without his happy face and his cuddly behavior.

  It’s so strange. I mean, the house isn’t that big but when I look around, without Albert… it seems so huge and lifeless. I try to look around at the pictures of me and Albert and Claire, during the times when everything was so much better.

  I lied down and tried to relax. Breathe in and out. I’ll get Albert back eventually. But, would I really be happy? Do I just want Albert back, or do I really, actually want Claire too?

  I stared at the pictures of her, smiling and her eyes shining like diamonds. ‘Diamonds ARE a good description of her’, sneered a more vindictive side of me, that sounded way too much like Claire for me to be comfortable with it. ‘Beautiful and distracting, but worth much less than you have to give up for it’.

  ‘And a beauty that shimmers in the light and is worth more than her appearance’, the lovesick, lonely side of me butted in. The side that is always silent when we are together, yet wakes up to whine when we drift apart again. Ugh. Why can't that side choose a, er, side? It gets so frustrating.

  I had almost convinced myself that I genuinely missed her and in a moment of weakness, I had almost dialed the phone before I looked up and saw that girl through the window. It was that same girl from earlier. I know I shouldn’t have been so dismissive but I need to find Albert! Does she not get that?

  I opened the door before she could knock. She had this shocked look on her face. Her brown hair was up in pigtails and she had bronze skin. The pigtails made her look more childish than she was, and she was wearing a lot of makeup. I could tell she was checking me out earlier, but I was busy and she isn't even my type. I like curvy girls after all, not girls who are toned like she is. She was buff and strong and her body didn’t look soft at all aside from her face.

  I definitely was not thinking about how her face looks so soft and feminine, and her lips looked so soft. Her cheeks were soft pink and her cheekbones were like sugarplums. I would never think about how those lips of hers tasted. I hate this. She is distracting me!

  “What are you doing here?” I inwardly winced. That was much ruder than I intended. Maybe Claire had a point about my manners.

  “Is that really how you answer the door?” She snapped immediately, her plump lips pursed.

  I felt my ears turning pink in embarrassment and anger. She can’t speak to me like that! This is my house. Who in the world does this girl think she is? "You are on my property; I am entitled to know what you are doing here," I replied.

  Her lips curled into a snarl as we kept arguing and I bet I didn’t look much better. She was not so cute when she was like that. It may have escalated if my Neighbor, the sweet old lady that she is, stuck her head out and gave us a concerned look. I hated to upset her, so I dragged her into the house.

  She gingerly sat on my couch and looked around the place uncomfortably. I stared at the beautiful Indian girl in the face for a few minutes before the realization of what I did actually struck me.

  Oh crap. I’ve still never even asked her name and now she’s in my house and I have nothing to say!

  What do I do? What do I do? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do!

  chapter 5

  Okay, so I went to her house. We started fighting. And now I’m in her house and she gave me tea. I don’t know what is going on and I don’t know how to make this normal.

  I sipped my tea. “Uh…I think we got off on the wrong foot.” I said, holding my hand out to shake. “My name’s Amelia. And you are?”

  She stared at my hand for a moment like she didn’t understand, before I awkwardly dropped my hand and looked away, cheeks flushing. Of course. She has no reason to be polite to me anymore.

  “So…I’m just… gonna… gonna go.” I said, motioning to the doors at the front of her house. “I just-“

  “Leela.” She answered eventually, sipping her own tea as she sat across from me. “My name is Leela.”

  I looked up in shock. I wasn’t expecting her to actually answer. “That’s a pretty name.” I complimented. I was feeling antsy so I had to get up and walk around her house. I can’t just stay still. I felt like I couldn’t even actually breathe.

  I wasn’t looking at her so I couldn’t see what her reaction was. I was just looking at the pictures she had around her living room, not because her pink tongue kept darting out to wet her lips and it distracted me, only because of curiosity. How can someone be so frustrating and interesting at once? I feel like screaming sometimes.

  She had several portraits scattered about. Some of Bandit playing around being adorable. Others were clearly of her as an adorable kid. The ones that my eyes spent the least amount of time on were all the pictures of her smiling and holding some beautiful blonde.

  Okay, so that bummed me out a little bit…FOR A GOOD REASON I SWEAR. I swear. There was no way that was about her being taken. Not at all. The disappointment was for all the pictures of Bandit. She… she actually took a lot of care of her dog and seemed like a decent owner.

  Am I a bad person that this made me so upset? That I wanted Bandit to have such a crummy owner that it justified me in withholding the sweet creature.

  She wasn’t. She might’ve been rude to me and had a temper, but she seemed to really care about Bandit. “I know where Bandit is.” I eventually declared, turning to Leela.

  “Bandit?” She asked. She was actually kinda cute with her face scrunched up in confusion. I wasn’t expecting that.

  “Yeah. Bandit. Your dog!” I replied. “I’ve been taking care of him.”

  “You know where Albert is!” She yelled.

  “What kind of name is Al-” I started, because honestly. Albert? What is that woman thinking?

  "Take me to him immediately!" She ordered while interrupting me. She grabbed my hand and practically pulled me out of the house.

  I would have argued more, but I didn’t want to. And I kinda felt guilty. I mean, Bandit was such a sweetheart. I bet anyone would be absolutely heartbroken to lose him. So off we went to my modest, unassuming apartment.

  chapter 6

  It is officially not my fault that I am rude to Amelia. I don’t care how cute she is when she pouts or how when I held her hand, it was so soft and her body was toned. And I definitely don’t care that she loo
ks at me like I’m some kind of disappointment. I don’t care that she is avoiding eye contact or that when I close my eyes I can imagine the taste of her soft lips. She is the one who does everything that frustrates me.

  She is the one who took my dog, invaded my space, and wasted my time! How can anyone be so annoying? She irritated me and it felt like she was insulting me even when she wasn’t. As if her very presence was some kind of grave insult. At least, I will get to get Albert, and never see her face again.

  If I was smarter I would have thought twice about why that thought filled me with more disappointment than actual relief. Thank the heavens I’m not. I was definitely not ready to actually think that out. I wasn’t ready to explore my feelings. I mean, I was still in love with Claire! How was I supposed to know that she wasn’t just a rebound to me?

  When Amelia opened the door, I saw Albert again! He was smiling and his tail was wagging in a way that just made me almost cry. I went to pet him, but, he pulled away. He barked at me and it felt like he was judging me with those big brown eyes of his.

  I felt genuinely offended when the dog walked right passed me and sat at Amelia’s feet. He rolled onto his back and began barking and wagging his tail as Amelia pet him. How dare he! He betrayed me like that.

  Amelia isn’t that great, Albert! She might be cute, but cuteness doesn’t equate to being great in any way! Can’t you see that? I mean she’s loud and demanding and- Oh you don’t care. You have such low standards for what a person needs to be in order for you to love them.

  I took Albert by the collar as I tried to leave the house. That girl knows nothing about him. She even calls Albert, Bandit! Albert is an angel who would never steal anything. Obviously not how SHE sees it.

  I would’ve left too. Just taken my little Albert with me and never looked back. (At least that’s what I like to tell myself.) I did have to turn around when I saw her expression through a reflection off the window.