This is the first edited chapter of this story; to all of the new readers, I stopped updating this story. I came back and reread everything, only to find that I had left many errors. What I wrote below is a newer version of the story, with not only better grammar, spelling, and more plot/character development, but it's changed quite a bit.
To old readers, I hope this edited version is as good as the last one, if not better. To readers old and new, I did my best on this newer version, and I hope you enjoy reading it c:
This chapter is dedicated to Sydney.
Disclaimer: I don't own Friday the 13th or any of the characters or plots from the series.
"No..I don't know Robert, maybe it isn't the best idea if we leave the kids there for a week. Knowing Zach, he might invite friends behind our backs, and then leave Emerson in charge of Hallie. Oh, it just doe-"
"It's alright Eden, it's not like we're leaving them completely alone! We'll have Jill keep an eye on them, and they have Zach. He's like, what, sixteen?"
Raising her eyebrow, a short woman in her mid-forties corrects her husband by saying, "He's twenty."
"Exactly my point! Zachary can handle those two while we get our week off! Then we can go and meet them and have a family vacation," the man named Robert replies. He's leaning forward in his own comfortable red chair, his elbows resting on his knees. Eden, his wife, sits across from him in a matching red chair, and a neatly dressed woman sits off to the side. She watches on silently, listening to her own idea unfold between the bickering couple.
Eden turns her concern-filled gaze to meet the other woman's, asking, "I don't know Sharron...do you think the kids will mind?"
The dirty-blonde meets the doubtful woman's gaze with her own confident eyes, replying simply, "They will enjoy time away from the two of you, I'm sure of it. From what I hear from the two of you, I can assume that your home-life isn't exactly...Enjoyable. They'll relish the quiet that your absence leaves." Sweeping her hands over her immaculate grey skirt, she pulls herself to her feet with ease, continuing on to say, "But I'm afraid our time is up for today. Assuming that we've agreed on the idea of you two taking some time away from each other, I'll cancel our next two meetings." Donning the fakest smile she could manage, the therapist sticks her hand out to firmly grasp and shake the hands of Eden and Robert.
Neither Eden nor Robert object to the cancelling of their next appointments, which gives Sheron a feeling of grim satisfaction. The prim and proper young woman watches the pair leave the room, Eden leaving with a quiet thank you. Robert pretends to ignore the blonde's existence though, and he continues to ignore everyone until they have finally left the elegant office building. Instantly his face brightens as he turns to meet his wife's unsure gaze as Eden murmurs, "Fine. I guess we'll give each other a week off. But where will we meet the kids at?"
The light-haired man's lips pull up into a smile as he turns his dark gaze forward, replying, "I know just the place."
Hallie's POV
"But why do we have to go there? Why can't we stay here?" Emerson complains, his wide brown eyes meeting his mother's exasperated gaze. "Because your father and I need some time away from each other! It's what the therapist recommended," she adds, throwing an extra towel at me. Sticking my hands up, I catch it and gather it into my arms. Opening her mouth to give me further instructions, she's rudely interrupted by my brother. Mimicking the high-pitched voice of Mrs. Woodall, the therapist, Emerson squeaks, "Oh, you should go on this totally unnecessary break from the entire family! Might as well leave the kids in the hands of the immature older brother while you're at it!" An-"
Emerson is cut off with an unexpected slap to the back of his head, administered by the never-to-be-counted on Zach. Towering over Emerson, who sits on a stool, he mutters, "Says you." I do my best to stifle the giggles that threaten to spill from my mouth as mom breaks up the light banter between my two older brothers. When she finally turns her attention to me, I have my face buried into the warmth of the towel. "Hallie, go put that in your suitcase. And don't forget to pack your toothbrush this time," mom warns as she rushes out of the room, still trying to pull her last minute packing together. I don't cast a last glance over my shoulder as I walk from the room, ignoring the muffled strangling of Emerson as Zach pins him to the counter.
The beginning of a yawn stretches across my face as I trudge up the stairs, weariness weighing my limbs down. So far, we'd done absolutely nothing today, but I still managed to be tired. I'm so lost in thought that I almost miss the sound of thudding footsteps coming up the stairs after me. Lean arms wrap around my small torso as Zach's booming laughter fills my ears. He picks me up off my feet and carries me to the top of steps, laughing the entire time. He lets go of me at the top of the stairs, clumsily setting me back on my own feet.
"Oh-you should've seen the look on your face!" He snickers, his eyes glimmering with amusement. Rolling my eyes, I stick my tongue out at him before stomping down the hallway to my room, Zach in tow. His chuckling stops once we reach the doorway to my light blue room, which is where he leans against the doorframe, asking, "Do you even know where we're going?" Embarrassedly, I shrug without glancing back as I set the towel on top of the assortment of clothing that had been shoved into my suitcase. "I don't care where we're going, Zach. We could be going to grandpa's house for all that I know," I mutter, forgetting to check for my toothbrush. Pulling the top of the suitcase down, I lean over the luggage and grasp the zipper before zipping it shut.
With a snort, Zack goes on to say, "We're going to Crystal Lake. And you wanna know what happened there?"
"No," I mutter uninterestedly,
"Well, a boy named Jason drowned there a long time ago. His mom was the cook at the camp there, and when she found out why he'd drowned, she killed every single counselor – except one. The counselor chopped Jason's mom's head right off," Zach adds, a sickening grin playing on his lips. I stay rooted to the spot, listening on in...A somewhat morbid fascination. All signs of my earlier disinterest have disappeared by now. "They say Jason saw his mother die. He came back to take revenge on the counselor and her friends, but he's never exactly left. He's always there, watching, waiting," Zach hisses as he slowly creeps towards me. "And he targets annoying little girls!" He howls, nearly making me jump out of my own skin.
"I'm not annoying!" I protest angrily, stepping forward to try and push my more than amused brother from the room. Thinking that I actually did succeed, I feel his body move back unexpectedly. Glancing up with a triumphant smile, I find, much to my disappointment, that dad had yanked Zach from my room. "Quit it, both of you! Now get your bags in Zach's car, and get ready to leave; I want you gone before your mom and I go our separate ways." Dad turns on his heel and is gone within seconds, calling for Emerson as his footfalls fade down the hallway. Zach gives me a last disturbing smile before turning away and starting towards the stairs.
Sighing, I turn away to attempt to lift my suitcase. I can tell this trip will be a long one. And I can't help but think back to Zach's story…
He doesn't usually tell the truth. So maybe it's just a joke, I think, before a mental image of the laptop downstairs flashes into my mind.
Maybe I can sneak on before we leave. It wouldn't hurt to know if he's telling the truth or not.
The sound of Emerson's laughter fills the car as I slowly surface to wakefulness.
"Hey, cut it out!" He calls out to who I assume is Zach. Blinking away sleep, I open my eyes, only to realize that the two of them have already left the car. Zach had pulled into a shadowed, dusty clearing. Small wood cabins created a semi-circle on the far side of the clearing. The luscious plant-growth surrounded the otherwise empty campsite, creating a peaceful scene. Yawning, I slide my hand along the seat belt until I push and hear a click, signifying that I'm free. Rubbing my eyes, I blink away the remaining sleep and push against the car door. Once it's open, I slip out into the cool afternoon shade that's provided by the trees. Glancing up, I can see a clear blue sky through the overhead branches.
"Hallie? You're finally awake!" A familiar voice crows from one of the cabins. Turning her awe-filled eyes from the beautiful forest, she spots Emerson leaning over the railing on one of the porches. A smile stretching across her lips, she slams the car door behind her before sprinting towards the new cabin. "How long was our drive? It didn't feel like it was that long, but I slept almost the entire time!" The words spill from my mouth naturally as I climb the few stairs onto the porch. "It took about four hours," the messy-haired teenager replies, an amused smile forming on his lips.
"Is this the cabin we'll be staying in?" I question, my gaze lingering on my brother before I dart into the fresh-smelling cabin. The door is still propped open from when Zach had stormed in, which allows the warm breeze to flow into the small room. There are only two mattresses in their frames, each on the opposite wall from each other. The ceiling is relatively low, and no lights hang from above; there are two lamps, each on a nightstand beside both beds. Almost everything is made of wood.
Emerson grabs my shoulder and tugs me out of the cabin, shaking his head as he explains, "Zach insisted that he has his own cabin. We'll be sharing the next one down." Excitement tingles down my spine at the thought of sleeping in one of the wood cabins for the next two weeks: we rarely went on vacations, and we never had gone camping before. Running ahead of my entertained brother, I swing around the post at the end of the porch and slam my body into the door, expecting it to open. It doesn't though, and I stumble back, rubbing my elbows in annoyance. Emerson's light laughter rings in my ears as I reach for the doorknob and twist it. Light fills the doorframe's shadow on the dusty floor as I push the door open. The summery breeze from the pleasant day stirs the dust in the room, which causes us both to cough. I recover a bit quicker than Emerson though, and I walk farther into the dimly lit cabin. Observing my dreary surroundings, I note that there are a few windows that are blocked by old curtains. I make my way towards the first set of curtains and yank them to the sides of the window. Warm sunlight bathes the room in its golden glow almost instantly, so I turn to the next three sets of windows and do the same.
"Eh...You don't plan on cleaning, do you?" Emerson groans, having propped himself up against the doorframe. "Cleaning..?" I echo before giving my brother the strangest look I could muster. A faint smile pulls his lips up as he opens his mouth to speak before a hot dog hits him in the side of the face. Emerson's expression darkens as he rubs his red cheek, turning his head to the side to glower at the thrower of the hot dog, who happened to be Zach. I unsuccessfully try to hide the light laughter that bubbles up my throat, but to no avail: Emerson rolls his eyes at me as he grumpily mutters under his breath. I can hear his loud footsteps fade as he practically stomps across the porch and down the stairs. As I turn back to survey the rest of the cabin, Zach's sudden call for me from outside drowns out my thoughts.
"Hallie, you'll be the next target unless you get your ass out here!" Biting my tongue, I refuse to make a smart comment back as I exit the wood cabin.
The leaping flames in the fire-pit are the first thing to catch my attention when I step out into the cooling atmosphere. Zach is eating his own hot dog next to the fire, while Emerson is busy trying to get a hot dog from the package. The crackling sound of the burning wood and the warmth of the fire combined causes me to approach the source of light and heat.
"Hot dogs are right here; someone forgot to pack skewers," Emerson says, glancing at Zach when he emphasizes part of his statement. Zach pretends to not notice Emerson's blatantly placed blame and continues enjoying his hot dog. I snort in amusement as I approach the flames and reach for a skewer. Emerson reaches the skewer before I can and picks it up with a doubtful glance in my direction. "I'll make you a hot dog," he explains as he reaches for the pack of hot dogs. Groaning in exasperation, I argue, "Why can't I make my own hot dog? It's not like I'll fall into the fire, and I'm able to do it myself! I roast my own marshmallows too!"
Emerson spears the hot dog and sticks it above the flames, obviously ignoring my rambled complaints. Heaving a loud sigh, I throw myself over the nearest log that's being used as a seat for Zach. My older brother chooses to ignore my sighs of complaint too though, and soon I'm left in my own silent world to stew.
Zach's POV
"Good night Zach!"
"Yeah, yeah, good night," I mutter, not glancing over my shoulder as Emerson drags Hallie back into their cabin. I don't plan on going to bed anytime soon.
In fact, I have some phone calls to make.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I send a precautionary glance over my shoulder to check if Emerson has wandered back outside. Thankfully, their door remains shut, with the light from between the curtains being the only sign that they inhabited the cabin. Tiredness from the day's traveling finally seems to catch up to me when I try to stand up: my legs feel like they're made of lead, and I grow dizzy as soon as I'm standing up straight.
I can't go to bed now though. If I don't make the calls now, then no one will be able to stay for the week.
Doing my best to manage the agitated thoughts that fill my mind, I brush my hair back as I get to my feet with my phone in my free hand. The sky is still darkening quickly, and the first few stars can be seen between the branches above.
I never really liked forests... I think, shuddering as I catch sight of the darkness that the forest is slowly sinking into. The absence of light unsettles me, which causes me to throw an extra log onto the fire to keep it going. If it were lighter out then I'd go for a short hike to make my two calls, but it's getting too dark, too fast. Stifling a yawn, I blink a few times to clear my eyesight before turning my phone on.
I dial my friend and wait for him to pick up, all the while impatiently tapping my foot. Muffled laughter from inside one of the cabins reaches my ears over the crackling of the fire. Smoke rises into the dark blue sky, nearly blocking out the stars.
Jonathan picks up on the first ring with a, "Zachary, I'm so glad to get a call from you! There's this new problem between Elise and me…"
These calls will take a while, but considering the fact that we're all alone out here, I have all the time in the world.
Just a bit of a prologue for the first chapter. I plan on making these edited chapters longer than the originals.
O3O thank you for reading!