Cabin Fever | ✓

(69) JH

"I'll find a way to make it up to you," Marley told him as she went through the stacks of mail on the dining table, while he ate in the seat beside her, "The cleaning. The flight. Being here and involved in my family drama. Breakfast isn't enough."

After Marley successfully cut Aiden's hair with excruciating meticulousness and constantly referring back to the instructions, they ordered a late afternoon lunch. Aiden put his foot down about paying this time, since he chose the health food restaurant he likes to order from often.

Now he was finishing up his sandwich while she went through the stacks of mail that had been spilling out of the box. It was mostly junk mail - any of her mail is sent to Bryan's address for safekeeping.

"You and I were held hostage by my psycho half-brother for five hours in a trailer park. Call us even."

Marley rolled her eyes, tossing a few more flyers in the garbage bag at her feet, "Eli's not a psycho, he's troubled. Have you been checking in on him like I asked?"

Aiden's chewing slowed, which gave her the information she needed. She dropped another old phone bill, crossing her arms, "If you don't, I will."

Aiden's eyes narrowed, "We're still in the dark about a lot of it. Why would he owe them that much if he had just arrived here to see me for a visit? What happened at that trailer park was planned. I doubt he owed those guys a cent. He probably sauntered in with promises of a payday if they helped him get back at my father a month ago, and they've probably been threatening what would happen if he didn't succeed. Me being here at camp and away from home was his window of opportunity, and he took it." Aiden continued chewing while his eyes bored into her own with resolve, "He's still dangerous. We've discussed that I don't want you to have anything to do with him, at the very least until he starts being honest about all of it. Same rules apply to Ian."

"We did agree to that. All three of us," Marley relented with a head nod, "but you're not living up to your end of the deal."

Aiden sighed in annoyance, "Just because I haven't called him yet, doesn't mean I'm not going to."

Marley tossed more junk mail in the garbage, sliding a package closer to her from across the table.

"Why are you avoiding him?"

"Is it surprising to you that I don't want to talk to the guy who is singlehandedly responsible for causing harm to the two most important people in my life?"

Marley softened, opening the package absentmindedly with her pair of scissors, "I just want him to know that someone is checking in. You don't have to chat it up about the weather, Aiden, or invite him out for a beer. Ask him how he's holding up, that's all Ian and I want from you."

Aiden quieted after that, having no rebuttal, so she focused her attention on pulling the package out of the box. She's noticing now that the box is in bad shape, battered and encrusted with dirt and stamps — an international shipment.

Marley stood from her chair, frowning in confusion as what rested within a slew of packing peanuts, her hands closing around a worn journal. When she pulled it out to view it better under the light above the table, it was brown with wrinkled pages.

"A journal?" Aiden questioned from beside her, as she ran her fingers over an inscription on the front of the leather.

Marley

"With my name on it," she murmured in confusion, scanning over the cover.

Aiden slid the box closer, flipping the lid to read the postage sticker, "Mexico. This is from an address in Mexico. You have relatives that live there, could this be from them?"