Sonya Connolly's cabin was relatively easy to spot as the RV traversed the road leading them up the mountain. The metallic sheen of the cabin's green roof immediately stood out from the rest of its neighbors and could be spotted from a considerable distance.
When Tori first visited with her family nearly a decade earlier, she thought that the building resembled a scaled-up Lincoln Logs model. And observing it now, the comparison was still as fitting as ever, what with its horizontal logs that comprised the exterior walls and intersected at the corners. It was a stark contrast to some of the more contemporary residencies in the area.
The gang figured out that Ms. Connolly was an avid decorator within seconds of reaching the property. The surrounding vacation homes and their sparse furnishings absolutely paled when compared to the cabin's exterior, which was charmingly landscaped with bluebells and hollies. There was an arrangement of stones lining the pathway leading up to the entrance, and the vicinity was speckled with bird feeders that were probably filled up regularly. It was as if the woman wanted to assert that she was a permanent occupant of the house as opposed to some bright-eyed tourist. Which, you know, fair enough.
As the camper pulled into the driveway, the group hastily grabbed their belongings and attempted to dart out of the vehicle, chatting excitedly among themselves. They reached for the door handle only to be stopped by a slightly miffed Beck, who had locked the exit from the driver's seat.
"Where do you all think you're going?" he questioned with the raise of a brow. Tori, Jade, Cat, André, and Robbie traded puzzled glances with one another.
"We're… going inside the house?" Robbie squeaked out with a tinge of confusion. Beck tsked at the response while his eyes wandered towards the RV's living space. The crew followed his line of vision and were greeted with what they could only describe as the aftermath of a windstorm. Blankets and pillows had been discarded in places that they shouldn't have been, and fast food containers and wrappings were left to decompose. There were also several cards and board game pieces that were strewn all over the carpeted floor. The look of disapproval that their friend was giving them instantly made more sense.
"Yeah, maybe we'll, uh, straighten up around here first," André interjected sheepishly.
"Good call."
They spent around ten minutes tidying up the camper and tossing out any trash they had accumulated during the ride until Cat piped up.
"Hey, my pack of gummy worms is missing! And they were the multicolored ones too!" she exclaimed in disappointment.
"Are you sure you didn't leave them on the counter back at the pit stop?" Jade inquired while wrestling with a pillow that wouldn't fit inside its pillowcase.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't. I remember tossing it right there," Cat replied before gesturing to a nearby ottoman. Tori's brows furrowed, and her expression gradually tightened as if she were deep in thought.
"I think I can hear…" she trailed off, eyes narrowed in suspicion. When the crew began staring at her expectantly, she shook her head and declared with an exaggerated sigh, "We can pick some up on the way back, Cat. You guys ready to head in?"
They shrugged and filed out the door, but the singer quickly intercepted them as she opened and closed the metal door emphatically. The group protested, yet Tori put a finger to her mouth to silence the squad. They reluctantly obliged.
After a few moments, they noticed the ottoman shifting as if there were something inside. The top of the storage seat sprung up, and a disheveled person emerged from within, causing the gang to let out noises of surprise.
"Trina?!"
Trina's brown orbs widened as the cluster of teenagers gaped at her in awe, disbelief, and annoyance. She shut the lid on the seat to stow herself in the ottoman once more. Tori, being less than amused with her older sister secretly tagging along the trip, stormed over and yanked the lid back off.
"What are you doing here?!" she cried.
Trina nervously chuckled. "Heeyy, this isn't my college campus."
"Yeah, no wazz, Watson," an irked Jade bit out. Trina shot the goth an arid look.
"Why would you be searching for your college campus, anyway?" Cat wondered innocently. "Aren't community college students on fall break too?"
"They are," Tori remarked while crossing her arms and scowling at Trina. "She probably hitched a ride with us since she didn't have any plans for the break now that her car's being repaired. Which, need I remind her, is the whole reason I had to ask for a ride in the first place."
"Hey, it's not like I wanted to back into another car while at Stacy Wallace's party!"
Beck raised his hand questioningly. "What I want to know is how you even managed to get into my RV without anybody noticing."
"Oh, that?" Trina mentioned with nonchalance. "I just sneaked on while you six were grabbing your luggage. Oh, by the by, does anybody have any clothes that they can lend me?"
"No, because we're going to be taking you back. You can't just hijack a trip that I'm having with my friends!"
"They're not just your friends, you know," Trina retorted defensively, then turned to address the group. "You guys consider me a friend, right?"
"Well, in a way…" Cat began with exceeding caution.
"No, not really," André stated plainly.
"Define 'friend,'" Robbie articulated.
"We don't like you," Jade deadpanned without remorse.
"Tor, I don't think any of us will have the energy to make another twelve hour drive, at least not for a few days. You can handle Trina for a little while, right?" Beck planted a palm on the brunette's shoulder and watched as she visibly deflated at the thought.
"I mean, it's not like I have a choice," Tori emphasized bitterly, her nose wrinkling in dismay. "Treen, go call Mom and Dad and tell them you're here. I don't want them to blame me for you flocking to Aunt Sonya's without their permission."
"Excuse you, I'm an adult now! I don't need their permission anymore…" Trina paused when her sister glowered at her. Her pupils were set in a withering glare.
"Ugh, fiiiine. I'm going in the house," she surrendered and began storming out of the camper towards the cabin.
"You remember where the-" Tori called out, only to be interrupted by a shrill reply of "I know where the keys are!" from outside of the vehicle.
Suddenly, Cat caught a glimpse of some plastic packaging at the bottom of the storage seat and pouted.
"She ate my gummy worms."
Robbie patted the sulking redhead on the back in reassurance.
"Well, here we are!" Tori announced while fumbling with the door handle and welcoming the group into their temporary lodge. "Welcome to my Aunt Sonya's place."
The sound of six sets of footsteps seemed to echo off the log walls as the gang wandered through the interior of the cabin with their luggage in tow. The sight of leather couches organized in front of a stone fireplace was the first to greet them. To their immediate right was an open kitchen and dining area that was separated by wooden support beams. They also noted the loft upstairs that probably served as the hallway for the second story bedrooms.
It wasn't the extravagant or hyper-modern quarters they were familiar with, but it was still a roomy space that exuded warmth and homeliness. The air brimmed with the scents of burnt firewood and citrus candles, and plush rugs and throw blankets covered just about every surface. Photographs and various knick-knacks also donned the built-in shelving units (developed by Ms. Connolly herself, if the elaborate signatures were any indication). Overall, the furnishings produced an incredibly cozy atmosphere that was a welcome sight after countless hours on the road.
As soon as the door closed with a soft thud, the group heard the clatter of paws descending the stairs to meet the guests. A doe-eyed labrador excitedly sped over to Tori, who knelt down and allowed the dog to place its front legs on her shoulders. She chuckled at the act and stroked the animal on their back affectionately.
"Well, you didn't hesitate to make an entrance. You didn't leave your brother behind, did you?" the brunette scolded playfully while staring up at her companions with a tinge of embarrassment. "As you might've guessed, this is one of my aunt's dogs. His name's Lance."
Cat's eyes lit up enthusiastically. She toppled onto the floor to pet the furry creature. "Oh my God! Hi Lance! My name's Cat, although I feel I should clarify that I'm not actually a cat, I was just unfortunately named. I hope we can be friends!"
The dog simply responded by licking a giggling Cat's nose.
Moments later, another dog traversed down the steps, this time a relatively small leopard hound with flecks of brown, grey, and tan dappling their fur. They emitted a low whine and trotted up to the group with equal parts suspicion and curiosity.
"Oh, and this scamper is Ankimo," Tori said with an endearing grin. She pretended to place her palms over their ears before whispering, "He tries to be all stoic and stuff, but he's really a huge softie that loves to be tickled."
"That makes two of us buddy," André admitted with a laugh and patted Ankimo on the head.
"Can we save the tender reunion for later and go put our luggage up? I'm getting tired of hauling this around." Jade gestured to the duffle bag that occupied her hand.
"Sure, go ahead. The bedrooms are upstairs," Tori answered.
"Wait Jade, before you go anywhere," Beck spoke up just as the goth was about to waltz off, causing an audible groan to escape her mouth. "We might need to revisit plans for who's rooming with who, what with Trina's sudden… appearance."
"We already settled this," Jade countered. "I'm rooming with Cat, André's rooming with Robbie, Tori's on the couch, and you're in the RV."
"And Trina?"
"Trina can sleep outside in a tent for all I care," she expressed icily. Although the others wanted to entertain the thought, they brushed off the suggestion and continued the discussion.
"Look, even if Trina can be a huge gank sometimes, it wouldn't be fair to let her spend the night out in the cold. Besides, I wouldn't put it past her to sneak into the RV again," André maintained and watched as the group recoiled at the idea of Trina deciding to bunk with Beck.
"Fine. Tori will share a bed with Cat and I while Trina sticks to the couch," the raven-head huffed out loudly, ignoring how Cat bounced around eagerly at the statement. She then proclaimed to Tori, "But if you snore, I'm hauling you out of the room."
"Uhh… sure, that's fine," Tori shrugged somewhat perplexedly.
"Alright then, glad that was resolved easily," Beck noted, his gaze heavy with surprise and inquiry. "Are we all clear to put our stuff away, Tori?"
"Yeah, absolutely. If you happen across Trina though, could you tell her to come downstairs? Her and I need to have a quick word," the singer replied.
"Roger that," Robbie called out as the gang scaled the stairs towards their rooms.
Tori let out an exhausted sigh and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Do you even realize how stupid, selfish, and short-sighted your plan was?" Jade listened to Tori interrogate Trina from the kitchen as she stopped descending the steps. With the contents of her luggage packed neatly within the spare dresser in the guest room, she'd headed back downstairs to inspect the rest of the cabin. That was until she stumbled into the Vega sisters' heated discussion.
"I think it was rather successful, actually," Trina responded with an air of triumph. She heard the pop, crackle, and fizz of a can of soda being opened. "Not many people can say that they held their bladder for twelve hours."
"That's not-!" the brunette silently fumed. She inhaled before resuming. "That's not the point. The point is that you knew I was hesitant to bring other people along. I made an exception for my friends because they were going out of their way to make sure I could come here. Meanwhile, I couldn't even trust you to keep your promise when I really needed you! What made you think you had any right to barge in now?"
Jade could sense Trina sobering up at the outburst, since there was a length of time when both siblings were quiet. Finally, she confessed with some reluctance, "I wanted to make it up to you."
Tori blinked. "What?"
"I said, I wanted to make it up to you."
"No, no, I heard you the first time. I just don't understand."
"You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?" she bemoaned. "I can tell when my baby sister is afraid- which, believe it or not, happens more often than you'd care to admit."
"I'm not afraid," Tori maintained with a hint of frustration.
"You brought Cuddle Me Cathy along," Trina stated plainly. The goth had to refrain from snorting at the little detail, pushing away ideas of confiscating the doll and returning to the conversation. "I just figured I could give you some extra support."
"And how could the fact that you're here give me any sort of support? If anything, it's making my stress go through the roof! We're going to have to go out and get you clothes and hygiene products for the next two weeks... Thank God I brought some extra cash because otherwise you'd have to risk asking for clothes from Jade-" The agitated teen paced around the kitchen in an anxiety-induced frenzy.
"Tori, breathe. Just like this. In… and out." Trina guided Tori through a controlled breathing exercise until the brunette's stress simmered to a manageable level.
"I'll admit that my methods were… less than ideal…" she eventually continued. "But look on the bright side! We're both here at Auntie Sonya's, just like when we were kids!"
The singer scoffed before adding, "Since when were you ever excited to go to Aunt Sonya's? Normally you'd call it a 'glorified outhouse'."
"It has some redeeming qualities!" Trina asserted. "There are… trees?"
"Uh huh," Tori answered in a monotonous tone. "And this wasn't in any way influenced by Noah?"
"Perhaps," the older sister conceded. "But hey, I have a chance with him this time! I mean, he was mostly put off by the two-year age gap."
"Among other reasons," Tori supplied (probably with a roll of her eyes.)
"...Reasons that are irrelevant now that I'm nineteen! Just watch, he'll finally see me as the mature and sprightly young woman that I am!"
"Don't give me that look!" Trina chastised when Tori decided not to comment, her face apparently twisted judgmentally. "It's not like you didn't have your little thing with Maverick while we were here!"
Oh? was the only reaction Jade could muster before the brunette began vehemently protesting.
"What thing? I hardly even know Maverick! And from what I do know about him, he doesn't seem like the kind of person I'd want to date. He's really only an acquaintance at best," Tori spouted with genuine bewilderment.
"Oh, come on! You mean to tell me that all those nightly outings weren't to see him? He's even a male version of Jade. That's practically your type," Trina mentioned offhandedly, causing the raven-head to nearly choke on thin air. It produced an identical, yet curious response within Tori.
"No, that's not my type!" she maintained firmly. "And besides, Maverick is not like Jade. Sure, they've both got the same snark, but Maverick is much more… I don't know, passive aggressive? It's honestly hard to tell what he's feeling at any moment, while as with Jade…"
Jade's breath hitched as Tori trailed off in deep thought. Eventually, she finished with, "She's a lot more forward with her feelings, I guess. She's passionate about nearly everything under the sun. I couldn't really compare those two even if I wanted to."
"Well gee, if I knew this subject would get you in a tizzy…" Trina said teasingly. "I would have brought it up way earlier."
"You're the worst, I hope you know that," Tori rebutted, then added, "Oh, by the way, the gang says you're on the couch, so you should go get your phone from upstairs."
"Ugh! Those traitors!" Trina hollered while moving towards the stair rail. She climbed into the lofted space and caught the goth admiring some framed photos on the wall.
"Looking for this?" Jade conjured the elder Vega's phone slyly. Trina snatched the device from her hands and inspected it for any lasting damage–eyes narrowed in suspicion–then stomped off curtly.
Jade shook her head and retreated into the guest room.
