**I made this chapter a little longer cause I wanted to make it special 3 I hope to publish smaller chapters once a week, let's hope and pray I meet that goal. This chapter sticks to canon quite a bit, but don't worry, it will veer off course**
A Mandatory Vacation
Kendra stared out a window of the SUV watching the greenery blur past, listening to the soft music coming from her AirPods. Her Spotify playlist had already repeated a few songs, so she moved to turn the loop off. It didn't matter too much, as the playlist was simply 'background music', but she was growing tired of it anyway. She shifted her eyes back to the window, looking ahead and fixing her gaze on a particular tree, following as it steadily approached, streaked past, and gradually receded behind her. It was one of the many things she did to distract herself on this endless, two-lane highway in Connecticut.
"Why didn't you tell us Grandpa Sorenson lived in India?" Seth complained.
Her brother was twelve and heading into seventh grade. His attention to his Switch had run through its course⏤evidence that they were on a truly epic drive. Kendra took out an earbud, as she too wanted to know what was taking so long.
Mom twisted to face the backseat. "It won't be much longer. Enjoy the scenery."
"I'm hungry," Seth said.
Mom started rummaging through a Walmart bag full of snacks. "Peanut butter and crackers?"
Seth reached forward for the crackers. Dad, driving, asked for some Almond Roca. Last Christmas he decided that Almond Roca was his favorite candy and that he should have some on hand all year long. Nearly six months later he was still honoring his resolution.
"Do you want anything, Kendra?"
"I'm fine," she replied.
Kendra returned her attention to the frantic parade of trees, placing the missing AirPod back in her ear. Her parents were leaving on a seventeen-day Scandinavian cruise with all the aunts and uncles on her mother's side. They were all going for free, you'd think them lucky. In reality, they were going on a cruise because Kendra's grandparents had passed.
Grandma and Grandpa Larsen had been visiting relatives in South Carolina. These relatives happened to live in a trailer with some mechanical problems. Unknown to everyone, there was some sort of malfunction involving a gas leak, and they all died in their sleep.
Long ago, her grandparents had specified that when they died, all their children and their spouses were to use an allocated sum of money to go on a Scandinavian cruise. Grandchildren were not invited. (ensue Seth grumbling)
"Won't you get bored stuck on a boat for seventeen days?" Kendra asked, pausing her music. She decided not to get the noise-canceling earbuds—because they were way too expensive—so that would be sufficient.
Dad glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror. "The food is supposed to be incredible. Snails, fish eggs, the works."
Kendra and Seth both mimed gagging at those words.
"We're not all that thrilled about the trip," Mom said sadly, her eyes cast downwards. "I don't think your grandparents envisioned an accidental death writing their will. But we'll try and make the best of it."
"The ship stops in ports as you go," Dad explained, deliberately redirecting the conversation. "You get to roam free for part of the time."
"Is this car ride going to last seventeen days?" Seth grumbled.
"We're nearly there," Dad reassured.
"Do we have to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson?" Kendra asked, trying not to sound whiney. "Why couldn't we have stayed with Alyssa's family? I'm sure they wouldn't mind too much."
"I think you just want to stay with your girlfriend for two weeks," Seth teased.
"She's not my girlfriend, Seth," Kendra snapped back, slowly sinking into her seat from embarrassment, heat rising into her cheeks.
"I wouldn't want to bother them with that, and just because they wouldn't mind you doesn't mean they feel the same about Seth," Dad interjected. "It'll be fun. You should feel honored. They rarely invite anyone to stay with them."
"Hey wait! I'm not that bad!" Seth retorted.
Kendra ignored him. "Exactly. We barely know them. They're hermits."
"Well, they were my parents," Dad countered. "Somehow I survived."
What makes it worse is Kendra knew that Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson had not invited them to stay. She had overheard when Mom approached Grandpa Sorenson about letting them stay with him. It was at the funeral, creating another somber note to cling to Kendra's thoughts.
The memory of the funeral already made her shiver. There was a wake beforehand, where Grandma and Grandpa Larsen were showcased in matching caskets. She did not like seeing them all dolled up. They were dead, why draw out a moment that doesn't exist anymore? Kendra feels it only causes more pain, lengthening the mourning process. It did for her, at least. She'd rather remember them alive and well, not whatever that grotesque display was. Those were the grandparents who had been part of her life.
She could hardly remember spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson. They inherited some estate in Connecticut around the time my parents got married. They never invited the family over, and they rarely made the trip to Rochester. When they did, it was generally one or the other. Kendra could only recall the two visiting together twice. The Sorensons were always nice, but she and Seth never had a chance to bond with them. Her brief knowledge of them consisted of two things: Grandma used to teach history at some college, and Grandpa traveled a lot, running a small importing business. That's not much to go off of.
Everyone was surprised when Grandpa Sorenson showed up at the funeral. It had been more than eighteen months since either of my grandparents had visited. Kendra remembered Grandpa apologizing for Grandma's absence because she fell ill. There was always some excuse. Sometimes she wondered if they were secretly divorced.
Toward the end of the wake, she heard her mom asking Grandpa to watch them. They were in a hallway around a corner from the viewing area. Kendra managed to hear them before she turned the corner, so she stopped to eavesdrop. (an average Seth activity)
"Why can't they stay with Marci?"
"Normally they would, but Marci is coming on the cruise."
Kendra peeked around the corner. Grandpa Sorenson was wearing a brown jacket with patches on the elbows and a bow tie.
"Where are Marci's kids going?"
"To her in-laws."
"What about a babysitter?"
"Two and a half weeks is a long time for a sitter. I remembered you had mentioned having them over sometime."
"Yes, I recall. Does it have to be late June? Why not July?"
"The cruise is on a time frame. What's the difference?"
"Things get extra busy around then. I don't know, Marla. I'm out of practice with children."
"Stan, I don't want to go on this cruise. It was important to my parents, so we're going. I don't mean to twist your arm." Mom sounded on the verge of tears.
Grandpa Sorenson sighed. "I suppose we could find a place to lock them up."
Kendra moved away from the hall at that point. She had quietly worried about staying with Grandpa ever since.
Having left the town behind, the SUV climbed a steep grade. Then the road curved around a blue-green lake and got lost among low, forested hills. Every so often they passed a mailbox. Sometimes a house was visible through the trees; sometimes there was only a long driveway.
They turned onto a narrower road and kept driving. Kendra leaned forward and checked the gas gauge. "Dad, you're under a quarter of a tank," she pointed out.
"We're almost there. We'll fill up after we drop you kids off."
"Can't we come on the cruise?" Seth asked. "We could hide in the lifeboats. You could sneak us food."
"You kids will have much more fun with your Grandma and Grandpa," Mom said. "Just you wait. Give it a chance."
"Here we are," Dad announced.
They pulled off the road onto a rough, gravel driveway. She couldn't see any sign of a house, only the driveway angling out of sight into the trees.
Tires crunching over the gravel, they passed several "private property" signs. Other signs warded off trespassers. They came to a low metal gate that hung open but could be shut to prevent access.
"This is the longest driveway in the world!" Seth complained.
The farther they advanced, the less conventional the signs became. Private Property and No Trespassing gave way to Beware of .12 Guage and Trespassers Will Be Persecuted.
"These signs are funny," Seth commented, a stupid grin on his face.
"More like creepy," Kendra muttered.
Rounding another bend, the driveway reached a tall, wrought-iron fence that looked like it belonged to a mansion or a castle. The double gate stood open and the fence extended off into the trees as far as I could see in either direction. Near the fence stood a final sign:
Certain Death Awaits
"Is Grandpa Sorenson paranoid?" Kendra asked, her mind wandering back to the conversation she overheard.
"The signs are a joke," Dad explained reassuringly. "He inherited this land. I'm sure the fence came with it."
"Stop being a party pooper, I think they're funny," Seth jabbed. Kendra rolled her eyes at the comment.
After they passed through the gate, there was still no house in sight. Just more greenery, with some flowers dotted about. They drove across a small bridge spanning a creek teeming with wildlife. A small green frog caught Kendra's eye, and it stared back with its adorable, bulging eyes. Once they climbed a final, shallow slope the trees ended abruptly. This brought the house into view across a vast front lawn.
The house was big, but not enormous. After the fancy gate she was almost expecting a castle or a mansion. Constructed out of dark wood and stone, it looked straight out of a movie. The house looked old but was in good repair. The grounds, on the other hand, were pulled from a fairytale. A bright flower garden bloomed in front of the house. Manicured hedges and a fish pond added character to the yard. Behind the house she could see an immense brown barn, at least five stories tall, topped with a weather vane.
"I love it," Mom expressed. "I wish we were all staying."
"You've never been here?" Kendra asked, mildly shocked.
"No. Your father came here a couple of times before we were married."
"They go the extra mile to discourage visitors," Dad explained. "Me, Uncle Carl, Aunt Sophie⎼⎼none of us have spent much time here. I don't get it. You kids are lucky, you'll have a blast. If nothing else, you can spend your time playing in the pool."
"There's a pool?!" Seth exclaimed. Kendra could admit that she liked the sound of it.
The family pulled to a stop outside the garage, to the side of the house. This is where the backyard came into view. It was somehow better than the front yard. It had stepping stones leading to various places like the pool or the barn from a direction that seemed like the back porch. There was a huge tree house in the distance, with a swing positioned underneath it. Taking a better look at the pool, the design resembled a small pond, bean-shaped and lined with big, natural-cut stones. There were steps leading into shallow water, with a low-sitting diving board opposite to them.
Yet, the best thing about the yard was the life surrounding it all. Spanning the yard were gorgeous trees, and flowers lining the edges of the yard. One of them seemed to be growing a fruit she'd never seen before. The more Kendra scanned the yard, the more she noticed all the bugs. There were varieties of butterflies she never knew existed. The dragonflies were countless. Bees aimlessly roamed the yard, lazily moving from flower to flower. It was beautiful. Maybe their stay wouldn't be so bad.
Kendra moved her eyes towards the front of the house when the door opened and Grandpa Sorenson emerged, followed by a tall, lumberjack-looking man and a thin, older woman. Mom, Dad, and Seth got out of the car. Kendra sat and watched, putting her AirPods back in their case.
Grandpa had been clean-shaven at the funeral, but now he wore a stubbly white beard. He was dressed in faded jeans, work boots, and a flannel shirt.
Kendra studied the older woman, as she was not Grandma Sorenson. Despite her white hair streaked with a few black strands, her face had an ageless quality to it. Her almond eyes were black as coffee, and her features suggested a hint of Asian ancestry. Short and slightly stooped, she retained ample amounts of beauty.
Dad and the lumberjack(?) opened the back of the SUV and began removing suitcases and duffel bags. "You coming, Kendra?" Dad called out.
She opened the door, picked up her bookbag, and dropped to the gravel.
"Just place the things inside," Grandpa was telling Dad. "Dale will take them up to the bedroom."
"Where's Mom?" Dad asked.
"Visiting your Aunt Edna."
"In Missouri?"
"Edna's dying."
Kendra had barely ever heard of Aunt Edna, so the news did not mean much. She looked up at the house, ignoring the rest of the conversation. She noticed that the windows had bubbly glass. Bird nests had made their way under the eaves.
The group migrated to the front door. Dad and the lumberjack, who she now knew was 'Dale', carried the larger bags. Seth held a smaller duffel bag and a cereal box. The cereal box was his 'emergency kit'. It was full of odds and ends he thought would come in handy for an adventure⎼⎼rubber bands, a compass, granola bars, coins, a squirt gun, a magnifying glass, plastic handcuffs, string, and a whistle. How cute.
"This is Lena, our housekeeper," Grandpa said. The older woman nodded and gave a little wave. "Dale helps me tend the grounds."
"Aren't you pretty?" Lena said to Kendra. "You must be around fifteen." Lena had a faint accent that she couldn't place.
"In October."
An iron knocker hung on the front door, a squinting goblin with a ring in its mouth. The thick door had bulky hinges.
The siblings entered the house and Kendra took it all in. Glossy wood floored the entry hall, and an arrangement of flowers rested on a low table in a white ceramic vase. A tall, brass coat rack stood off to one side beside a black bench with a high, carved back. On the wall hung a painting of a roofed forest.
Kendra could see into another room where a huge, embroidered throw rug covered most of the wooden floor. Like the house itself, the furnishings were antiquated but in good repair. The couches and chairs were mostly of the sort you would expect to see while visiting a historical site. They had curved legs and metal swirly designs lining the cushions.
Dale was heading up the stairs with some of the bags. Lena excused herself and went to another room.
"Your home is beautiful," Mom gushed. "I wish we had time for a tour."
"Maybe when you get back," Grandpa said.
"Thanks for letting the kids stay with you," Dad said.
"Our pleasure. Don't let me keep you."
"We're on a pretty tight schedule," Dad apologized.
"You kids be good and do whatever Grandpa Sorenson tells you," Mom said. She hugged Kendra and Seth goodbye.
She felt tears seeping into her eyes and had to fight them back, as she realized her parents would be gone for two weeks. That, and Mom and Grandpa's conversation crept back into her thoughts. She kept her flurry of emotions to herself and merely said, "Have a fun cruise."
"We'll be back before you know it," Dad said, putting an arm around her and tousling Seth's hair. "We'll try to call often, but I don't know how much cell service we'll have."
Waving, Mom and Dad walked out the door. She went to the doorway and watched them climb into the SUV. Dad honked as they drove off. Kendra shook her head, typical Dad. She had to fight tears once more as the SUV vanished into the trees.
Mom and Dad were probably relieved to be off by themselves for the longest vacation of their married lives. She could practically hear their grateful sighs. And here she stood, abandoned. Maybe she was being a little dramatic, but it still hurt. Kendra closed the door. Seth, oblivious as ever, was examining the intricate pieces of a decorative chess set.
Grandpa caught their attention. "Shall I show you to your room?"
They followed Grandpa up the ornate stairs with an antique handrail. That led the three down a carpeted hall to the foot of a not-as-pretty narrow wooden staircase leading up to a white door. Grandpa continued on up the creaking steps.
"We don't often have guests, especially children," Grandpa said over his shoulder. "I think you'll be most comfortable in the attic.
He opened the door, and the children entered after him. Braced for cobwebs and disturbing imagery, Kendra was relieved to find that the attic was a cheerful playroom. Spacious, clean, and bright, the long room had a pair of beds, shelves crowded with children's books, freestanding wardrobes, tidy dressers, a unicorn rocking horse, multiple toy chests, and a hen in a cage. It almost seemed a little too big Kendra thought, thinking back to what the house looked like from the outside.
Seth went straight for the chicken. "Cool!" He poked a finger through the slender bars, trying to touch the orange-gold feathers.
"Careful, Seth," she warned.
"He'll be fine," Grandpa said. "Goldilocks is more a house pet than a barnyard hen. Your grandmother usually takes care of her. I figured you kids wouldn't mind filling in while she's gone. You'll need to feed her, clean her cage, and collect her eggs."
"She lays eggs!" Seth looked astonished and delighted.
"An egg or two a day if you keep her well-fed," said Grandpa. He explained in detail how to care for the hen, as in changing the cage and whatnot. What stuck out to Kendra were the words, "We give her a bowl of milk every morning. That's the secret behind her egg production." She didn't know milk had anything to do with chickens, and she wondered if it was actually hurting Goldilocks. But altogether it sounded like he wanted the responsibility lifted off his shoulders.
"Can we ever take her out?" The hen had moved close enough for Seth to stroke her feathers with one finger.
"Just put her back afterward." Grandpa bent down to put a finger in the cage, and Goldilocks instantly pecked at it, making Kendra think he might be mistreating her, perhaps by giving her milk. Grandpa withdrew his hand. "Never liked me much."
"Some of these toys look expensive," Kendra observed, standing beside an ornate Victorian dollhouse. It was a soft shade of pink with white accents, and a small tower adorned the side of the house—it was a little girl's dream. Too bad Kendra was already fourteen, where she couldn't appreciate it as much. She gave up playing with dolls two years ago. Some may say that's too old to be playing with dolls, but hey, she just has a vivid imagination. Now, books filled in the place of dolls.
"Toys are meant to be played with," Grandpa said, interrupting her thoughts. "Do your best to keep them in decent shape, and that will be good enough." Kendra wandered over to a vanity, complete with beautiful brushes, combs, hair clips, and makeup pallets. It looked like something a princess would own. She was excited to put it to use in the morning.
Seth moved from the hen cage to a small piano in the corner of the room. He banged on the keys, and Kendra winced at the clanging of such a beautiful instrument. She'd have to play something on it later, amend whatever Seth just did.
"Consider this room your space," Grandpa said. "Within reason, I'll not bother you to pick things up in here, so long as you treat the rest of the house with respect. But don't stay holed up in here all day with your devices. I'd like to see you outside and enjoy nature. Play in the pool, hang out in the treehouse, or even just read a book. I won't take any of your electronics away for now, but if you use them excessively I may give a little encouragement to explore the outdoors."
Kendra nodded her head in understanding. She didn't see that to be too unreasonable, as there were seemingly many things to do here. That and she would never say no to a good book. She wondered what Seth was thinking now, even with his adventurous nature his love for video games was unmatched. He didn't seem too upset, but no doubt something was brewing underneath.
Grandpa Sorenson captured her attention once more. "I also have some unfortunate news. We are in the height of tick season. You kids ever heard of Lyme disease?"
Seth shook his head.
"I think so," Kendra replied.
"It was originally discovered in the town of Lyme, Connecticut, not too far from here. You catch it from tick bites, and the woods are full of ticks this time of year."
"What does it do?" Seth asked, with a suspicious look on his face. Without his devices to distract him he may very well be plotting to brave the woods despite the ticks.
Grandpa paused for a moment, finding the words to describe it. "Starts out as a rash. Before long it can lead to arthritis, paralysis, and heart failure. Besides, disease or no, you don't want ticks burrowing into your skin to drink your blood. You try to pull them off and the head detaches, hard to get out."
"Blegh, that's disgusting." Kendra's insides squirmed at the thought.
Grandpa nodded. "They're so small you can hardly see them, at least until they fill up on blood. Then they swell to the size of a grape. Anyhow, point is you kids are not allowed to enter the woods under any circumstances. Stay on the lawn. Break that rule and both your outside and electronic privileges will be revoked. We understand one another?"
Kendra and Seth nodded.
"Alright, before I forget," Grandpa Sorenson searched in his pocket to find a key ring with three various-sized keys. He handed them to Kendra and said, "Each of these unlocks something in this room. It's a sort of puzzle, something to keep you busy, if you're interested.
Grandpa Sorenson walked out of the room, and Kendra waited till she couldn't hear his footsteps to try the doorknob. She slowly twisted it, revealing that he had not locked them in, soothing her worries. She opened the door and peered down the empty hallway, then closed it. She couldn't help but entertain the thought of enjoying her time here. Even if she wouldn't be able to spend time with her friends (mostly Alyssa), she could still have fun. There were many luxuries here she couldn't normally afford, and that observation was only a first glance. She might as well make the most of it.
Seth had opened a toy chest across the room and pulled out various items. The toys were old-fashioned, but in excellent condition. There were soldiers, dolls, stuffed animals, wooden blocks. The only modern thing was a box of Connect Four, and even that was an older version. Kendra thought they were cooler to look at rather than to play with. It was like a time machine to her.
Kendra wandered over to a telescope by the window. She looked through the eyepiece trying, and failing, to get it to focus. She could improve it but couldn't get it quite right. She removed her eye and examined the window. The glass was bubbly, just like it was in the front of the house, and she felt stupid for not noticing sooner.
Unfastening a latch, Kendra pushed the window open. She had a good view of the forest east of the house, the trees illuminated by the golden hues of the setting sun. Moving the telescope closer to the window, she spent some time mastering the knobs, bringing even the leaves into crisp focus.
"Let me see," Seth nagged. He stood beside her, craning his neck to get a better view of the outside world.
"Pick up those toys first." A pile of toys sat near the open chest.
"Grandpa said we can do whatever we want in here."
"Yeah, without trashing the whole place! Plus, I don't like the look of it."
"I'm playing. Isn't this a playroom?" he said, his voice heavy with sass.
"Remember how Mom and Dad said we need to pick up after ourselves?"
"Remember how Mom and Dad aren't here?"
"I'll tell."
"How? Stick a note in a bottle? You won't even remember by the time they get back."
Kendra noticed a calendar on the wall. It had a picture of a pond with a couple of gazebos dotted around it. "I'll write it on the calendar."
"Good. And I'll look through the telescope while you do that."
"This is the one thing in the room I was doing. You can't find anything else?"
"I didn't notice the telescope. Why don't you share? Don't Mom and Dad also tell us to share?" Stupid lawyer Seth. "Plus I saw a piano in the corner of the room, why don't you play that? It's not like you're going to let me use it, you 'hate the sound of it'." He said that last part in a nazally, mocking tone.
"Fine," Kendra relented. "It's all yours. But I'm closing the window. Bugs are coming in."
"Whatever."
She shut the window.
Seth looked into the eyepiece while Kendra started walking towards the piano. There were intricate carvings woven into the bench and the instrument itself. There was a book of sheet music resting atop it, and she propped it open, looking for a song to site read.
She had just found a song she might try when Seth spoke up. "This stupid thing won't even focus," he complained, clearly frustrated. Kendra smiled.