to ever feel comfortable or safe after what happened here."
It made sense to Sophie, but it was also hard to not hear him taking some kind of a shot at her, a snarky remark designed to get a rise out of her so that he could then pretend to be holding to the moral high ground.
"So what's the plan, then?" she asked. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do."
"Sophie," Rowen said, the guarded tone already in his voice.
"No, really, I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable with me being overbearing, so what does the precious princess..." She heard the words coming out of her mouth and was moments late in reigning them in. The anger and the hurt in her father's eyes was clear enough and she cursed herself for not having more restraint.
"The plan is to get out of here," James said, speaking with an icy tone. "Where we go isn't really important. We just need to find somewhere other than this to try and settle down for a while."
She wanted to argue, wanted to understand why they were so hostile with her, so angry for whatever it was they thought she had done. She wanted this family to be able to heal, to be what it used to be, not this wandering band of angst and unspoken blame.
"We'll start getting our things together," Rowen said. "Get what supplies we can use and assuming she's up to it, we'll plan on heading out in the morning."
James nodded and left the room. Sophie stood up to follow, not because she wanted to talk to her father, but because she didn't want to have to listen to Rowen trying to make her feel better. She wanted to be alone to regroup her emotions and her sense of control. Before Rowen could stop her, she walked out of the house and took the narrow path leading off into the woods. All she wanted to do was walk and be alone.
That night, for the first time the house lay in silence and while Sophie heard some crying from Corrine's room, there was nothing close to the cutting screams from all the previous nights. Sophie crept in, sure that there should have been at least a softening of the ice. Corrine would have calmed down by now and would listen to reason. Despite everything, Sophie still wanted to at least try to provide some comfort for her sister.
"What do you want?" She was greeted by the cold, flat-toned question before she had even fully entered the room.
"Corrine, I'm sorry, I just want to—"
"There's nothing to talk about so you might as well just leave. Dad already brought me up to date."
"Look, I can't tell you how sorry I am about Adam, we all wish that things could have gone differently but—"
"You don't say his name."
"What?"
"Don't ever say his name. I don't want to hear it from you."
"Corrine, come on, what do you want from me? Are you just going to blame me for this forever?"
"That's my business, Sophie. How I feel is up to me and you don't get to control that. You led this family off on this crazy expedition and two people are dead. If you won't accept any responsibility for that, fine. But I'm still holding you to it."
"So what are we going to do then? Just be pissed at each other? How are we going to make it like that?"
"I just don't want to be around you. I'll do what I can, help us stay safe. But I don't want to have anything else to do with you. Just stay out of my way. I just want to put this stain of a house behind me and never look back."
Sophie nodded. She had no idea how long this cold war was going to go on between the two of them, but she would have to continue riding it out. Eventually Corrine would have to come back to reality. She could be fooling herself, but it was the only thing left she had to hold on to, the only hope left to strive for.
Stepping out into the hall, Sophie closed the door and went back to the living room to resume packing for the following day's departure.
-11-
Sophie woke up on the couch, lost in a cloud of black smoke. The taste of it crept down into her throat, and when she sat up
It made sense to Sophie, but it was also hard to not hear him taking some kind of a shot at her, a snarky remark designed to get a rise out of her so that he could then pretend to be holding to the moral high ground.
"So what's the plan, then?" she asked. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do."
"Sophie," Rowen said, the guarded tone already in his voice.
"No, really, I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable with me being overbearing, so what does the precious princess..." She heard the words coming out of her mouth and was moments late in reigning them in. The anger and the hurt in her father's eyes was clear enough and she cursed herself for not having more restraint.
"The plan is to get out of here," James said, speaking with an icy tone. "Where we go isn't really important. We just need to find somewhere other than this to try and settle down for a while."
She wanted to argue, wanted to understand why they were so hostile with her, so angry for whatever it was they thought she had done. She wanted this family to be able to heal, to be what it used to be, not this wandering band of angst and unspoken blame.
"We'll start getting our things together," Rowen said. "Get what supplies we can use and assuming she's up to it, we'll plan on heading out in the morning."
James nodded and left the room. Sophie stood up to follow, not because she wanted to talk to her father, but because she didn't want to have to listen to Rowen trying to make her feel better. She wanted to be alone to regroup her emotions and her sense of control. Before Rowen could stop her, she walked out of the house and took the narrow path leading off into the woods. All she wanted to do was walk and be alone.
That night, for the first time the house lay in silence and while Sophie heard some crying from Corrine's room, there was nothing close to the cutting screams from all the previous nights. Sophie crept in, sure that there should have been at least a softening of the ice. Corrine would have calmed down by now and would listen to reason. Despite everything, Sophie still wanted to at least try to provide some comfort for her sister.
"What do you want?" She was greeted by the cold, flat-toned question before she had even fully entered the room.
"Corrine, I'm sorry, I just want to—"
"There's nothing to talk about so you might as well just leave. Dad already brought me up to date."
"Look, I can't tell you how sorry I am about Adam, we all wish that things could have gone differently but—"
"You don't say his name."
"What?"
"Don't ever say his name. I don't want to hear it from you."
"Corrine, come on, what do you want from me? Are you just going to blame me for this forever?"
"That's my business, Sophie. How I feel is up to me and you don't get to control that. You led this family off on this crazy expedition and two people are dead. If you won't accept any responsibility for that, fine. But I'm still holding you to it."
"So what are we going to do then? Just be pissed at each other? How are we going to make it like that?"
"I just don't want to be around you. I'll do what I can, help us stay safe. But I don't want to have anything else to do with you. Just stay out of my way. I just want to put this stain of a house behind me and never look back."
Sophie nodded. She had no idea how long this cold war was going to go on between the two of them, but she would have to continue riding it out. Eventually Corrine would have to come back to reality. She could be fooling herself, but it was the only thing left she had to hold on to, the only hope left to strive for.
Stepping out into the hall, Sophie closed the door and went back to the living room to resume packing for the following day's departure.
-11-
Sophie woke up on the couch, lost in a cloud of black smoke. The taste of it crept down into her throat, and when she sat up
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