All of It Was True

Excerpt

Hallie

I can hardly breathe as we pull up to the cabin, though it’s not like this is the first time I spent a weekend here. Tarryn’s parents bring us for getaways several times a year. But this time it’s one last hurrah. I don’t want to get sappy but also can’t get rid of the lump in my throat.

This time next week, we’ll be spread all over the world. I won’t be able to run next door or across the street to get an opinion on a new outfit or hairstyle. No fleeing to my friends when my parents scream at each other. At least in Connecticut, I won’t have to listen to all the arguing.

Tarryn pulls to a stop near the front steps. “Gather your things, but remember our deal.”

“No cell phones,” Brit and I say in unison.

“That’s right. This weekend is all about us. Everyone else can wait.”

I just hope my parents can get through the weekend without killing each other. They’ve been especially volatile lately, and without me as a buffer…

This will be a good trial run for them. Soon I’ll be gone, and they’ll have to figure out what to do on their own.

We gather our bags and head inside. I’ve always wanted a getaway cabin like this one. It’s adorable, and though it’s in the middle of the woods, it isn’t that far from civilization.

It’s perfect, which is why we picked it for our big celebration.

Tarryn’s mom must’ve been here recently because there isn’t a speck of dust anywhere. Or she hires someone to keep it up, which is more likely. Everything is as sparkly clean and gorgeous as their home across the street from mine. They have more money than the rest of us and could afford to live in a mansion across town, but they prefer to have multiple vacation homes instead. Brit and I have been to most of them over the years.

I could easily be jealous of Tarryn, who not only has money but also the perfect family. But they’ve always been so generous with Brit and me, so it’s impossible not to love them all.

Tarryn locks the door behind us then dumps her bags on the floor. “What should we do first?”

“Bathroom break.” Brit runs down the hall. I swear she has the world’s smallest bladder.

“Food?” Tarryn asks.

My stomach rumbles.

“That’s a yes.” She grabs my arm then tugs me to the kitchen.

Not surprisingly, it’s fully stocked. Tarryn’s mom always makes sure we have the best of everything. She’s a stark contrast to my parents. Before leaving my house, I had to make spray cheese and crackers for lunch since Mom forgot to buy groceries. Probably because she and Dad were fighting again last night.

“Turn the oven to four hundred.” Tarryn pulls out a bunch of mouthwatering finger foods from the freezer.

I do as I’m told before grabbing an orange. Then an apple. So much better than spray cheese.

Brit joins us, her blonde hair now in a ponytail. “Tell me you have jalapeño poppers.”

“Obviously.” Tarryn grins as she holds up the box.

Before long, we’re stuffing our faces and laughing over memories.

Soon, that’s all we’ll have.

Why do I keep having these thoughts? I don’t want to be depressed. Not this weekend. I haven’t spent years imagining this celebration just to ruin it.

“Movie or games?” Tarryn asks.

Brit arches her brows. “What games do you have?”

“Same as always.”

I give Brit a knowing look. “Meaning just about everything ever made.”

Tarryn’s nose wrinkles. “That’s a stretch.”

“Not by much.”

Even she can’t deny that.

“We could play games while a movie runs in the background,” I say.

“Great idea!”

A few minutes later, we’re playing Clue while an Olsen Twins movie runs on the TV. We used to be obsessed with those movies, making this the perfect nostalgic getaway. After the movie, we give each other facials and manicures while a playlist of boy bands blasts over the speakers.

Tarryn shoves aside one of the curtains so she can peek outside. “It’s already dark. Guess we’ll have to wait to hit the lake until tomorrow.”

I yawn. “Sounds like a good plan. I’m tired anyway.”

“Same.” Brit stretches.

“Don’t you dare fall asleep on me.” Tarryn gives us a playful glare. “We still have Truth or Dare and midnight snacks. Plus, we agreed to binge watch a show. Vampire Diaries? Lucifer?”

This is like every other slumber party we’ve ever had, but without parents making us go to bed when we’re not tired. Except this time, I’m tired.

We agree on Supernatural—who can turn down Dean and Sam?—and play more games until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.

“Are we going to take the bedrooms or sleep out here?” Brit asks.

“This is a sleepover,” Tarryn says. “We’re all staying in the same room.”

“Living room it is,” I say.

We push back the couches and make a semi-circle with our sleeping bags so we can talk and also watch the show, which is already playing the tenth episode.

None of us is making any sense by the time I drift off to sleep.

Tarryn

A cold breeze wakes me. I shiver and pull the sleeping bag tighter around me. Did the AC kick on? It is August, after all. Or did Hallie turn it on? Brit wouldn’t because she hates being cold. That girl needs to live somewhere tropical.

Another frigid gust blows across my face. It’s too quiet. I’d expect the show to keep streaming all night—we didn’t turn it off before crashing—but it must have timed out when we slept through a “continue watching” prompt.

I’m too tired to open my eyes but need to figure out what’s going on. Between the icy air and the silence, something feels off. Besides, if I’m cold then Brit must be freezing, so I better turn down the AC.

Yawning, I stretch then force myself to sit. When I open my eyes, I can’t believe what I see. My heart hammers. I have to be dreaming. That’s the only explanation.

The furniture has been moved around. Dirty footprints cover the floor. The TV is cracked. Expletives are spray-painted on two walls. And—one question answered—a window is wide open. But what really startles me? Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust.

It takes time for dust to collect.

This is seriously the worst dream, but it feels too real to be a figment of my imagination. Time to test that theory. I yank one of my braids.

“Ow!”

Not dreaming.

Hallie and Brit both move around in their sleeping bags but don’t open their eyes.

What happened here? More importantly, how did we sleep through it? If somebody broke in, how did we not hear? And why did they leave us alone? There’s no way all three of us could have missed… whatever occurred.

Wait. What if someone is still in the cabin?

Why did I insist on leaving the phones in my car? I need to call Carlos. Now. Our girls’ weekend is obviously over, and I need my boyfriend. Not to protect me—I can do that myself—but to reassure me. More than anything else right now, I want him to hold me and promise everything will be okay.

Because things are very much not okay. That much is clear.

I force myself out of the sleeping bag. Look around for anything that can be used as a weapon in case somebody is still in the cabin. I grab a fire poker and hold it like a baseball bat. Dirt sticks to my bare feet as I creep around.

I should wake Hallie and Brit, but I want to know what’s going on first.

Shivering, I go to the door to pull a hoodie out of my backpack.

Our bags are gone.

Of all the things to steal, they took those?

Jerks.

Doesn’t matter. My family has extra clothes in the bedrooms. Assuming nobody stole those too. If they did, I’m going to assume this is a practical joke. One that’s not funny. At all.

I go to close the window, but it isn’t open. It’s broken. Seriously, how did we sleep through that noise? I may not be the lightest sleeper on the planet, but I’d have certainly heard that.

Avoiding shards of glass, I peek outside the shattered window.

Everything is covered in frost. No, not frost. It’s snow.

Snow.

In August? Impossible. Not just unlikely, but literally impossible. Just yesterday Brit complained about a sunburn on her shoulders.

Yet there’s snow outside.

None of this can be real. It just can’t.

My parents are going to be pissed about the break in. I’m starting to get pissed about it. But mostly I’m confused. Snow? Dust? Graffiti?

Time to find out what’s going on. Now.

I really need to talk to Carlos. He’ll prove I’m not losing my mind. If anyone can figure out a logical explanation, it’s him.

Clinging to the fire poker, I make my way through the rest of the cabin.

No intruders.

That’s a slight relief. But it doesn’t explain all the dust and dirt everywhere. That defies logic.

In the kitchen, I check the fridge. Its door is open. No light, no running motor. The air inside is room temperature. Same with the freezer. Whoever broke in must’ve cut the power. Some time ago from the looks of it, since the freezer had time to warm up and melt the ice.

I flip the light switch on and off. Nothing. Of course. No power.

So much for our dream girls’ weekend. I’m going to have to call my parents and then the police. But first Carlos. I need him.

Maybe my parents will rent a suite at a hotel so Brit, Hallie, and I can finish our weekend. That would be almost as much fun as the cabin, and we then we can put this disaster behind us.

I dig into the closet and find warmer clothes. The only shoes I find are flip flops. They’ll have to do since that’s all we have thanks to the jerk-face pranksters. I only need to get to my car, so my toes won’t have time to get cold anyway.

Before stepping outside, I debate whether to wake my friends. But I let them sleep. It’ll be easier talking to Carlos and my parents without Brit and Hallie freaking out in the background.

I step onto the porch.

No car.

The jerks stole my car!

Along with all of our phones.

I’ll kill them.

But first, I need to get to a phone. I check the cabin’s landline.

Dead. Because of course it is.

Anger roils in my stomach. I march inside and slam the door shut, not that it does any good with a broken window. “Wake up! We’ve been robbed.”

Hallie and Brit sit up, mumbling and rubbing their eyes.

“Why’s it so cold?” Brit asks, and shivers.

“They broke a window.” I return the poker to its holder. Don’t need it since the criminals are long gone with all of our stuff.

“But it’s summer?” Brit pulls the sleeping bag around her.

“It’s snowy outside. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Snow?” Hallie leaps up, her red hair flying behind her. “That isn’t possible.”

“And why is everything dusty?” Brit asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “But they stole our bags and my car, with our phones inside. We’re going to have to walk to the nearest phone to get help.”

“How on earth did we sleep through this?” Hallie demands. “Especially Brit. She’s the lightest sleeper I’ve ever met.”

I have no answers. “We’re going to have to wear whatever spare clothes we can find in the bedrooms, and then we have to hike to the main road.”

Hallie groans. “You’re sure about all of this?”

I glare at her. “Why would I joke about it? All I wanted to do was go swimming. Not wake up to this.”

“I’m eating first.” Brit finally stands.

“There isn’t any food,” I say.

She stares at me, her expression dumbfounded. “They stole all the food too?”

“And cut the power.”

Hallie and Brit both grumble as they head toward the bedrooms. They return wearing my clothes.

“Do you have better shoes?” Brit asks.

“Let’s check the other rooms,” I say. “These flip flops are going to destroy my feet if I have to hike in them.”

Hallie finds better shoes in my brothers’ rooms. The sneakers and boots don’t fit us, but they’re better than flip flops or bare feet. And we’re going to need them.

We have a long hike ahead of us, given we’re in the middle of the woods.