by Willow Dean
If they didn’t love her, they wouldn’t give a rats ass about what she did with her life. They may be insensitive and a bit too prim and proper for my liking, but they aren’t inherently bad people.
“Hey, Gem. Do you remember the time we went to that carnival?” I get up off the ground and collect all the plates to deposit them in the washing up pile before taking a seat next to her.
“Ha! The one where we were meant to be double dating?!” She chortles.
“That’s the one!” I chuckle along with her, knowing exactly what’s running through her head right now.
When we were twelve, we met a couple of cute brothers at school who had just moved into the area. Mum and Dad were taking us to the carnival and we asked if they could tag along.
Harry and Gavin were super excited and agreed immediately, after asking their parent’s permission of course.
However, when we got to the carnival, they more or less ignored us the entire time. Running from one ride to the next, it was like we weren’t even there.
“Yeah, it turned out to be more of an escort than a double date,” she grumbles. “I remember you getting so annoyed because Harry wouldn’t even speak to you, so you decided to give us a mission,” she finger quotes, “and you named it operation chocolate sprinkles.” She snickers.
“Well they deserved it! I mean, I know we were only twelve, but dates or not, the least they could have done was speak to us. Ignoring us was just plain rude,” I grouse.
Waving my hands over the fire, I play with the stray embers that catch the wind, watching intently as they slowly wilt from a bright orange color to a sullen grey.
“It didn’t quite work out how we planned though did it?” She states in amusement as she tries to stop herself from laughing.
Her attempts are all in vain though as we share a silent look.
Me biting my lip and her holding her breath is all it takes before we are both doubled over in fits of laughter.
“No, but it turned out even better!” Wiping the tears off my face, I brush my hair back from my eyes.
“Harry crying when you smushed the ice cream in his face was absolutely priceless,” she praises as she tries, and fails miserably, to get a hold of herself.
“Not as funny as when you put the ice cream in Gavin’s hair and started trying to make it better,” I tease. “You got ice cream all over your hands by trying to clear it out of his hair after you accidentally tripped and smushed it there in the first place. And…that was all after you called him a bloody unicorn because of his pastel, water colored rainbow top and his awful attitude. The poor boy was mortified!”
Gem is barely able to even get a breath in. She snorts and squeaks, sounding like a dying seal, which only serves to worsen my ability to keep my witch cackles under control.
From the way my parents are just sitting there and watching us, interspersing a few of their own giggles here and there, I guess it’s probably not that funny to outsiders. More of a ‘you have to be there moment’ I suppose.
Meh. Whatever. It’s hilarious to us.
“After you failed to get it out of his hair, you forgot it was all over your hands and used them to try and wipe his tears away, which only made him cry more.” Gems gasps for breath as she slaps her knee.
“Of course, you being you, gave him a hug and got it everywhere else in the process. Sending him straight off the edge into a hysterical meltdown about his t-shirt. I mean come on, what twelve year old cries over some ice cream and a dirty shirt?!”
Everyone laughs at that one. We were all there to witness the repercussions of that particular moment.
“I definitely remember that part,” Mum chimes in as if on cue. “Their mother was furious that I had allowed her boys to be humiliated. Not only that, but apparently, I had no idea how hard it was to get chocolate stains out of light colored clothing.”
She shakes her head. “You know, being a mother myself, I clearly don’t know how to get rid of the multitude of stains that you little hooligans came back home with,” she huffs sarcastically, drawing another giggle out of me.
My mother is a feisty one, that’s for sure!
That must be where I get my inability to behave and follow orders. Both of us are far too hard headed and stubborn for our own good.
“She was livid and insisted that you both be detained and forced to see a therapist for unruly and psychotic behavior-”
“To be fair,” I interrupt. “I think they were right about the therapist. Gem definitely needs her head seeing too,” I whisper-shout behind my hand to my parents, twirling my finger by my temple and crossing my eyes at the same time.
I don’t get to see their reaction as Gem swats me hard across the back of the head.
Not expecting the blow, it knocks me off balance and I end up eating dirt and rolling about like a fish out of water. Wasting no time at all, Gem tackles me back to the ground as I try to right myself.
One playful swat, quickly turns into a full-on wrestling match.
Neither of us are your typical girls. Having taken self-defense classes together since we were little, we soon found our shared passion for martial arts. Especially bare fist sparring.
It’s a great way to release your anger in a safe environment and challenge each other both mentally and physically. It’s really useful for perfecting your self-discipline and concentration too.
Of course, at the time, we just wanted to look like power rangers.
Original, I know.
Neither of us shies away from violence, so our play fight gets pretty serious, pretty fast. Receiving a well deserved telling off, my parents force us to move away from the campfire to continue our fun.
Heading to the expanse of grass behind the tents, I barely have time to think before Gem’s fist flies towards my face.
Dodging the hook aimed at my head, I duck and greet her with a couple of sharp jabs to the ribs.
Pulling back, we both stay light on our toes and start circling each other. Gem gets a few light kicks in before I catch her with a ridge to the bridge of her nose.
Standard Gem, she hates being caught out and retaliates by busting my lip with a hidden straight jab. One that I miss, because I’m too busy concentrating on the feint she throws before the punch connects with my face.
Continuing for a good half an hour, we trade punches back and forth until we are utterly exhausted. Both of us practically crawl across the ground to collapse in between the campfire and my parents.
After a few minutes, I break the serene silence. “Hey, Mum? Dad? Gem and I are going to go for a swim in that hot spring that we saw earlier. You guys want to join us?”
Looking at one another, they share a loaded look before Dad nods at Mum subtly. With a smile, Mum turns back to us.
“I think we’ll be alright here, Darling. You guys go and enjoy, just don’t be too long. I know you’re nearly nineteen and all, but I don’t want either of you out after dark.”
“Sure thing, Mum.” Getting up, I wander over and land a quick kiss on her cheek. She smiles up at me before turning back to Dad and snuggling up close as he wraps a blanket around the two of them.
Grabbing our things from the tent, Gem and I set off to explore.
Once we reach the rock face we climbed earlier, I guide us in a southerly direction.
“If I am correct, we should be coming up to it right…about…now...”
My words trail off as the beauty of the scenery takes my breath away. Gem mutters something quietly next to me, as we both just stand there awestruck.
A natural crystal blue rock pool, with steam billowing off into the pre-dusk sky, is set back into the hillside.
I couldn’t see it from the cliff face earlier, but it sits right near the edge of a very steep descent.
The setting provides a perfect view of the Redwoods that cascade down the hill, flowing into the expansive woodlands beyond. The mountains in the background stand proudly, illuminated by the beautiful red, orange and
purple rays of the setting sun.
“I reckon we have about forty minutes before sun down, so let’s make the most of this.” I spin around to see Gem’s reaction only to find myself alone.
My heart jumps in my chest as fear turns my limbs to ice. Just as I’m just about to shout out for her, a splash echoes off the side of the rocks.
Glancing over at the pool, a head bobs up out of the water like something from a crappy BayWatch scene.
Fucking-A. That girl is going to be the death of me, I swear!
Shaking my head at the idiocy of her dive-bombing such a calm and tranquil piece of nature, I start to remove my clothes.
Seeing as it’s just the two of us, we decide to go full on hippy and skinny dip. YOLO and all that jazz.
I edge my way carefully across the craggy rocks before getting in, the elegant way.
Lowering myself down into the thermal pool, a moan escapes my lips as I relax my head back on the stones and close my eyes.
The hot, crystal clear water moves lithely over every inch of my skin. Caressing my entire body as it coaxes the tension from each and every muscle along the way.
The two of us simply lay there for a while, basking in nature's calling and enjoying the finer moments of life.
As per typical Gem, it’s not long before she gets bored of the silence.
Always on the go is this one!
Gem either has to be talking or moving, or preferably both in her case. She’s never able to simply just be.
Of course, even being miles away from civilization, the first thing she turns to is gossip.
We may not be as princessey and needy as other females our age, but no one can beat a good gossip. Our town is a small one, so news travels fast, making for a good chinwag session.
Gem’s in the middle of recalling how one of the cheerleaders was found getting it on with a teacher in the closet, when I become conscious of the feeling of someone’s eyes burning into the back of my head.
Figuring I’m just paranoid, I continue listening to Gem until a twig snaps behind me. My head snaps around at the noise, only to see an empty tree line.
“What’s up, Babe? We got some Grade-A stalkers out there?” She purposefully raises her voice.
If there is indeed anyone out there watching us, they’ll know we’ve clocked their presence by now.
Watching intently, I don’t notice any movement in the bush line, and apart from the birds and the sounds of the forest, there’s only silence.
The sensation of being watched doesn’t dissipate though.
Ever since the incident at the party, something has just felt off to me. I just can’t place it. The only way to describe it, is as though I have a niggling uncertainty that I’m not fully safe or alone.
Call it a gut feeling. Instinctual, if you will.
“Come on, let’s get back. The sun’s close to setting,” I mutter quietly, taking note of our surroundings as we get out.
“Yeah, I don’t want to receive one of Daddy’s royal punishments!” She teases.
Fighting back a gag at her purposeful choice of words, I scoff.
We both know that Dad could never give Gem a serious telling off. Every time we have ever gotten in trouble, Gem brings out her puppy dog eyes and pouts her lips something furious.
Dad’s always been a lost cause.
That’s not to say that he hasn’t ever tried to give us a proper telling off. No matter how valiant his attempts, he never could keep a straight face when we pulled the puppy-dog pout as Gem calls it.
It never works with mums though, fair warning to y’all! They see straight through that shit.
As we stroll back into camp, we find Mum sitting washing the pots.
“Hey, Mum. Where’s Dad?”
Her eyes dart up at the sound of my voice, a look of relief passing over her features almost too quickly to register. She fixes us with a small smile.
Between her and Dad, I’ve caught a few odd looks since we left. I’m sure they believe they’re being discreet, but I’m far more observant than they think.
Something is going on and they don’t seem willing to share.
“He’s checking in with work. He should be back in a minute or so,” she says, wringing the tea towel between her hands.
Whilst she’s busying herself folding the tea towel and collecting the clean cutlery, I run an assessing gaze over her from head to toe.
Even at home, Mum is never one to wear makeup. That’s why it comes as such a shock to see the concealer that is now plastered over the slightly darker skin under her left eye.
It also appears as though she has red lipstick on, which is an unusual sight unless she is planning on going out.
Not only that, but they are fuller too. Not synthetically though. No. They are puffy for entirely natural reasons, and not the good type.
It’s not hard to notice the bruising to the tops of her knuckles either, nor the small tear in the sleeve of her shirt or the tiny fragments of leaves and dirt that cling to the fabric.
Most people wouldn’t notice these barely visible changes. Yet, to someone with a keen eye, and on a woman that is usually impeccable, it’s obvious.
To the outside world, she just looks like she’s primped herself up. To her daughter, who knows her inside and out, it’s clear she’s been in an altercation.
The question is…who and why?
The sounds of boots crunching on dirt have me twisting round, ready to drop down defensively.
My posture relaxes momentarily when I see Dad strolling down the trail towards us, only to stiffen again when I catch his altered gait.
Holding himself tensely, he now wears a black t-shirt and jeans, in complete contrast to his previous white shirt and khaki shorts.
Eyeing us from down the trail, he gives a small smile, aiming to appear as if he is taking a casual evening stroll. His posture can’t lie though.
From his gait, it’s easy to deduce a probable rib and leg injury. The small raised area on his right thigh outlines a bandage of some sort, accounting for the fact that he’s now wearing jeans to try and hide it from view.
From our view.
The choice of black on black looks innocuous to most, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s a lot easier to hide blood on a darker surface.
My suspicions are confirmed a second later when he gets close enough for me to see a small dark spot on his thigh that sits directly over the middle of the bandage.
Scanning the area subtly, I note several unknown shoe tracks and scuff marks in the recently disturbed soil. Remnants of ash and dying embers are strewn over the floor a fair distance from the newly formed fire.
They did a decent job of trying to cover up whatever went on here whilst we were gone, but they sure as hell aren’t fooling their little girl.
They can’t fool the same little girl they taught survival skills to since she was old enough to walk.
I may not know exactly what went on, but I am determined to find out one way or another.
I decide not to push though. For now.
“Enjoy your time at the spa girls?” Dad asks jovially as he walks up and places an arm around our shoulders. I feel, more than see, the wince he gives.
He has broken ribs, no doubt. He’s hiding it well though. Just not from me. I’m all too familiar with the pain of that particular injury.
Out of all the fights I’ve fought in the ring, the match that was the most painful, ended with me being acquainted with an extra few sets of ribs. It hurt like a biatch!
“It was amazing, G-man! You and the wifey should go up there and rest a while.” Gem throws them a saucy wink and I cringe.
Sometimes she speaks to my parents as if they are our age, only to switch in a heartbeat and speak to them like they are her parents.
The whole thing has become very awkward, and quite frankly, disturbing. Yet, she knows exactly how to push my buttons and takes great pleasure in doing so. As demonstrated by the shit e
ating grin that she currently sports.
In less lewd terms, Gem has no idea how accurate her statement is. They could both do with some TLC and probably a half decent medic right now.
Extracting himself carefully, Dad chuckles at her suggestion and ruffles her hair before gingerly taking a seat next to Mum on the log.
Careful not to make any sudden movements, he places a protective arm around her and absently traces small patterns on her shoulder.
“Maybe tomorrow. I think we’ve all had a long and adventurous day. I don’t know about you ladies but I’m shattered. I think I’m going to get some shuteye,” he says around a yawn. “Bacon and pancakes in the morning?”
“G-man, you are the best! You certainly know the way to a woman’s heart.” Gem swoons, dramatically dropping to a knee with a hand over her heart.
“Urgh, I’m so not watching this,” I groan as they all start laughing, feeding into her dramatics. “Night,” I call out over my shoulder.
Raising a hand in the air, I wave to them without looking back as I make my way over to our tent. The warm cocoon of my sleeping bag is practically shouting out my name right now and I answer it with stark eagerness.
What a day!
7 Mila
The rest of our time away passes without any other weird happenings. Dad receiving a call from work however, has us leaving a day earlier and he’s been highly strung ever since.
He and Mum seem to have had several heated conversations, stopping abruptly the second either Gem or I get within earshot.
I head over to help Mum pack the car as Gem helps Dad buy some snacks from the little family shop at the head of the trail.
More than ready for the journey back, and having had enough of the secretive discussions, I decide to see for myself what all the fuss is about. “What’s going on, Mum?”
“Nothing is go-”
I interrupt her with a pointed look before she can even contemplate shutting me down.
“Mum, I know something is going on. It’s rather obvious and I would prefer it if you didn’t continue to try and hide it from me,” I gently chastise.