CHAPTER 11: What happened to Zoey?!

Harper point of view:

Most guests stayed inside on this cloudy day. Toph and I clean the patio´s tables while mom cooks and takes customers´ orders. She´s not alone in the kitchen though, some cooks from Dunn café work here now.

"Lots of work today. I´m exhausted." Toph wipes his forehead with his hand.

"Yeah, and customers keep coming." I say when a man takes a seat. I remember him, he´s been here for a few days. "We should be thankful, though. The hotel´s going well."

"I know, I´m thankful." He picks up some glasses from a table, so I´m able of cleaning it. "But I need a nap."

"Here´s the menu." I overheard mom talking to the customer, handing him the menu.

"I already know my order, thanks."

"What would you like?"

"A chicken sandwich, no onions please, a lemonade, and I don´t know if it´s possible, but… I´d like your phone number."

"What´s going on there?!" Toph exclaims, leaving the glasses over the table and focusing on the situation.

"Wait Toph." I stop him when he starts walking towards them. "Let´s keep our distance for a second."

"Excuse me?" mom replies.

"Sorry." The man puts his head down, ashamed. "You don´t have a ring, but I shouldn´t have assumed you were single."

"Well, I am." She smiles.

"Great! So, hi, I´m Patrick, I´m 47, I teach history at University of Michigan… umm… you are Jessica, right?"

"I am. Please, call me Jess. So, umm…" she´s speechless. Nervous. I don´t remember the last time I saw her like that.

"I don´t want to interfere with your work." He says. "I´d like to invite you a drink, so we can talk and know each other. I´ll be here for a few days, if you make up your mind, my room is number 210."

We get close to them, and I interrupt their conversation,

"She´ll say yes, eventually, Patrick." I wave at him. "Hi, I´m Harper."

"And I´m Topher." He crosses his arms staring at Patrick with a withering look.

"Oh, did I mention I have 2 bodyguards?" mom jokes.

"Bodyguards?" he smiles. "Nice to meet you. Well, if you take care of your mother like that, it means you love her."

"They love me so much they even spy my conversations…" mom calls us out.

"Sorry." We say.

"I think we should go…" I add, heading inside. "Nice to meet you, Patrick!"

Everything´s settled for tonight. Griff and I are spending the night at the new tree house. It´d be fun! We downloaded romcoms, we bought snacks and water bottles, Sarah prepared sandwiches for us, and I already packed my pajamas, sleeping bag and flashlight.

We arrive before it gets dark. The house is big enough for us to lay down on our sleeping bags, leave the rest of our stuff at the corner and still feel comfortable.

"So… this guy that asked your mom out…" Griff places his laptop over the coffee table before seating on the beanbag. "I don´t think I remember him, what is he like?"

"Caucasian, brown hair, brown eyes… umm… almost as tall as your dad…"

"Mhh…" he frowns, as he always does when he´s thinking. "No, I don´t know who he is."

"His room is 210." I add, but my comment doesn´t clarify his doubt. "Never mind. He seems nice. He teaches history at the University of Michigan, and was dying for visiting Sulphur Springs, especially 'the historic Tremont hotel'".

"Well, that´s good, isn´t it?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

I get lost in my thoughts, so there´s a moment of silence, until he asks,

"Are you thinking about your dad? I know it must be hard to see you mom with another man, but you should be happy for her."

"Of course I´m happy for her! It´s just… it would be weird to live with him."

"Don´t think ahead of yourself. They aren´t even dating yet." He strokes my hand. "Anyway, it could be a good thing."

We turn off our flashlights, keep the sandwiches and chips close to us, and start watching the movie. Making up our minds for a romcom was a good call. We need to laugh after all the scary stuff going on. I don´t understand how Topher keeps watching horror movies. Well, I guess they don´t scare him anymore.

When the movie ends, we decide to play cards. However, before laying on our sleeping bags, we want to put on our pajamas.

"How do you want to do this?" I ask him. "You close your eyes or go outside?"

He looks shocked for a second. Was my question that crazy? He should have thought we would have to do this.

"Umm…" he nervously scratches his arm. "I´ll go to the balcony."

I get changed while he waits outside, and then I wait outside for him to do the same. Once in our pajamas, we sit on our sleeping bags, play cards and eat some chocolate. As usual, he gets his chin dirty.

"Why do you always eat so messily?" I giggle, wiping the melted chocolate of his chin.

"Oh, sorry." He chuckles, cleaning himself with a tissue. "This place is amazing, isn´t it?" He asks looking around "Dad had a great idea."

"Yeah, he was so thoughtful. It´s a nice place, far from everyone, so we can have some privacy."

"Zoey and Wyatt were kind of jealous. I think dad will have to build another tree house for them." Griffin´s voice starts to feel distant. "What about Topher? Did you tell him about it?"

I feel dizzy, my head´s spinning, and I can´t hear him anymore.

"Ok, guys, enough games for today! Get ready for dinner!" I see Zoey in the middle of the woods, shouting at a group of kids. She looks older, like a teenager.

"Hey Zoey!" a girl gets close to her. "Are we eating marshmallows today?"

"Of course! After dinner. My brother´s already getting the campfire ready."

"Awesome!"

The girl runs with her friends to a shack, and I see a banner hanging from a tree. "Camp Tremont 2025".

"Harper!" someone´s calling me. "Harper!" they repeat.

"Harper!" I finally see Griffin in front of me, shaking my shoulders with his hands. "Another vision? What did you see?"

"Zoey…" I mumble, still adjusting to reality.

"Zoey?! No!" he´s panicking. "What happened to Zoey?!"

"Nothing!" I calm him down. "Nothing. She was a counsellor at the camp. Camp Tremont is open again in 2025!"

"What?" Griff looks so confused. "But… will something bad happen to Zoey?"

"No, she was fine."

"It makes no sense, Harper!" he shouts. "Your visions always show bad things!"

"Calm down, Griff! I tell you, she´s ok! She looked healthy and happy. Maybe… maybe my visions are not always bad. Actually, if I start to see good things… that would be fantastic."

"Yeah…" he whispers. "Anyway, we should go to 2025 and see what´s going on. I must be sure she´s not in danger before destroying the radio."

"Ok." I nod. "I´m coming with you. We´ll see Zoey as a teenager, safe and sound, and also the camp!"

"Can´t wait to see that!" he quickly puts the cards and chocolate away. "Let´s go to sleep. I want to go there early in the morning."