“Are you sure you want to do this?” my mother asked me as I grabbed the last of my bags from the floor by our front door. “I mean, you don’t have to go. You could just stay here with me this summer.”
“Mom, I’ll be fine,” I said with a grin. I hugged her. “Now don’t forget, you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at three.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t do this to me,” Renee said as she held me at arms length and looked at me. “Be safe Bella.”
“I will Mom,” I replied. She smiled wetly at me. “I’ll call you as soon as I get settled in.” I, the unadventurous Isabella Swan, was going to spend the summer at a cabin in west Michigan on a lake. I was staying by myself…alone…the entire summer.
“Alright,” she sighed. “Be careful Bella.” I waved at her as I pulled out of the drive.
Five days later, I reached the cabin. It was situated at the end of a drive that sloped down a small hill. There was a cabin just to the left of it and another on top of the hill behind it. Out front of the cabin was Pettibone Lake. There was a dock going some ways out, a small beach with a few kayaks and a paddle boat on it. Also, there was a fire pit between the two cabins on the beach.
It was freezing inside. When the cold air hit my bare arms, it raised goosebumps. I cranked the heat up and built a fire in the small fireplace in the living room. Then I went back out to the car and started bringing my bags in. The cabin itself was pretty small. There were two very small bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Everything was white except for the cabinets in the kitchen which looked like they were painted in the seventies. They were a pea soup green.
I looked around me, hands on my hips and sighed. It was going to be a long day of settling in.I unpacked all of my clothes first and stuck them in the dresser in the larger of the two rooms and made the full-sized bed with midnight blue sheets. I stuck the picture of my mother and me on the nightstand. Then I moved to the kitchen. I didn’t have to bother with unpacking the dishes my mother had me pack because the cabin was fully stocked. I did need to go grocery shopping however. There was no food to be located anywhere except the almost empty pantry where I found dusty cans of condensed chicken soup.
I stoked the fire and pulled off my sweatshirt. I kicked my feet up on the coffee table and grabbed the phone. I called my mother.“Bella, I was so worried about you. You said you’d call as soon as you got settled in,” she almost cried.
“Mom, I’m not even finished unpacking yet,” I said calmly. “Relax. How are things there?”
“Fine,” she sighed, calmer now. “Your dad called. He said Jake’s going through withdrawals.” I laughed. “They both miss you.”
“I’ve been gone for five days,” I said. “Dad can kinda cook and Jake goes to Leah’s for his meals.”
“I’m not talking about your food, Bella,” Renee said. “I’m talking about you.”
“Well, they can live without me for a while,” I sighed. “I need a break sometimes too.” We talked for a while longer and eventually I told her I had to go because I needed to go shopping. I checked the mailbox and found my an envelope from my mother. It was two hundred bucks. It would last me until I got a job.
I got back in my Focus and headed for town. It was a small town with a grocery store, an ice cream shop, a gas station, a church, a restaurant, and a bar. I headed for the store. I got everything I needed and then some. As I was on my way to the check out lane, worrying about people at home, I felt eyes looking at me from behind. I turned around and saw him. He was average height with blonde hair and honey brown eyes. I turned back around and unloaded my cart.
I felt his eyes on me the whole time. I was relieved when I climbed in the driver’s side of the car and closed the door, locking it. I sat with my head back against the seat and my eyes closed. When I opened them, I jumped. He was standing in the checkout lane, looking right at me.
I quickly started the car and pulled out of the small parking lot. Okay, so this wasn’t a good way to start my summer, but it was only the first day. I stopped on my way home at the local restaurant and asked for a job application. The lady behind the counter looked at me funny. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around,” she said, snapping her gum.
“I’m just here for the summer,” I said as I pulled my brown hair back in a pony tail.
“Well, stop by tomorrow at five and we’ll get you set up with an interview. What’s your name honey?” she asked, pulling a pen out of the graying pony at the back of her head.
“Uh, Bella-Isabella-Swan,” I said. “Should I dress up or-”
“Nope, just wear comfortable clothes honey,” she said with a bright smile.
“Thank you,” I said with a grin. I headed back to the cabin.When I got home, I found a note on the door. It was from the woman who owned the place. I was just renting for the summer. It was just a welcome note so I tossed it in the fire and put some wood on it. It was just the beginning of summer so it still cooled down pretty fast when the sun went down. I changed into my pajamas and curled up in a chair in front of the window in the living room with MacBeth. I was reading it again.
When I woke up, I was freezing. The fire had died in the night and MacBeth had fallen from my hand to the floor. I must’ve fallen asleep while reading because when I stood from the chair, my blanket falling to the floor, I was sore. Then it hit me.
I didn’t have a blanket over me when I fell asleep.
