Interacting with: N/A Mentioning: N/A Date: 08/10/25

Word Count: 1072

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Avery woke up later than usual that morning. She was excited. Tomorrow was the day that she had been waiting for a long time. Tomorrow she would be leaving with Dylan to go to London and spend her last days of summer in a summer camp with Mikey. Mikey. Ever since she had admitted her feelings for him and found out how she really felt with her aunt, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She couldn’t wait to see him and hopefully spend the entire summer camp with him. Avery wasn’t fast to get ready that morning. She and stayed up a little too late last night finishing up a new book she had just gotten from her grandmother a couple days before and she could barely put it down. The constant twists and turns left her captivated and wanting to know what happened next. She eventually sat up and stretched. Her bed sinking down as she moved towards the edge of it so she could stand. The tile was cool beneath her feet as they touched the floor. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. If she got up too quickly, she knew she would get dizzy and probably need to sit down until her world stopped spinning. Even though her asthma had been taken care of, she still suffered from not being able to breathe or nearly passing out if she sat up too fast. Avery closed her eyes and took in another deep breath before standing. Letting her hair that had grown longer over the summer cascade down her back. Her hair wasn’t the only thing that had grown taller. She herself had also grown a few inches, but, of course, Dylan was just an inch taller. Avery walked over to her closet and stared at it. She still needed to pack her trunk for summer camp since she was leaving tomorrow, so she pulled out a blue t-shirt and some simple jean shorts and got dressed. It was still cool outside even though it was late summer, so Avery grabbed a simple jacket and walked out of her room. As she walked out, the scent of bacon cooking filled her nose. That made her excited. She found her father and aunt standing in the kitchen. Hard at work at what seemed to be her favorite breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Probably because both she and Dylan were leaving for London in the morning. Her aunt must have heard her because she glanced up from the stove where she was making pancakes and smiled. “Good morning, Avery. How did you sleep?” “I slept pretty well. Though I probably won’t sleep well tonight. I’m too excited for tomorrow.” Avery said with a smile. Her aunt gave her a knowing look. Obviously knowing what was on her niece’s mind. Ever since their conversation that early morning on the porch, she had always been there for Avery. Avery enjoyed her aunt’s intuition. Her aunt was more of a mother to her than her real mother ever had been. She heard her father audibly sigh. She had barely convinced him to let her go to camp with the help of her aunt. That was another thing Avery was grateful to have her aunt for. Her aunt always helped her father see reason and realize that Avery needed to do more than just sit around the house. She and Dylan both needed to be with people their age. She had the feeling something big would happen later with her father. She could feel the tension pouring off his shoulders as he flipped the bacon and didn’t even tell her good morning like he usually did. That alone made Avery worried about what was to come. Dylan walked in shorty after she did. He was wearing a similar outfit to her but instead of a blue shirt, his was gray. His blue eyes were bright and cheerful and his black hair was a mess. Typical Dylan style. The cousins smiled at each other before heading towards the table and sitting down to wait for their breakfast. After breakfast was finished, Avery knew exactly what she had to do before anything else. Pack. That alone was probably her least favorite thing about leaving for camp tomorrow. As Avery was staring down two shirts and deciding which one to pack, she hadn’t even heard her father’s footsteps as he walked down the hall and stood in her doorway. His brows furrowed. He wasn’t happy. Avery turned around and smiled. She hadn’t expected her father to come to her room. He usually minded his own business and worked or spent time with her grandfather. She stopped short of a happy greeting when she saw his face. The intensity of his gaze stopping her short. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Avery asked her father. Unsure of what had put him in a bad mood. “You could say that something that I disapprove of has happened.” He said to her curtly. Avery stared at him until the realization dawned on her. Summer camp. The one thing she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t let her go to without force. “I’m going tomorrow. Regardless of how much you change your mind. I need to do this.” His face became hard. Anger seeping through his features. That’s what scared Avery. What was he going to do to her? “I don’t care what you think. You’re lucky you’re even going! If it were my choice, you wouldn’t even be going to this silly camp! You’re lucky your aunt is on your side!” With that, he stormed down the hall and slammed the door to his room shut. Avery sat there in shock. Tears in her eyes as she replayed the events that had just happened. She had never seen her father that angry before. It scared her. Avery finished her packing slower than before. Shaking as she thought about the fire she had seen in her father’s eyes. He was going to hurt her, but he had stormed out before he did it. Avery sat down to write one more letter to Mikey, but all she could do was stare at the black piece of parchment in front of her. Words unable to form in her mind. She would just have to tell him when she saw him tomorrow. Maybe he could help her know what to do next.

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