Cabin 5

Cabin 5 {Chapter 1}

-=-=-CHAPTER 1-=-=-

My name is Nicole Smith. Yeah, I know, Smith is a common last name. Everyone says that.

I walked down the Main Hall of Boarding School of Springstown. The slogan was "The perfect place for an education and a beautiful campus." What a lie. Truthfully, it's the dreariest place in the world; at least for me. The ugly orange paint on the walls looks some kind of cottage cheese. Somehow, most of the other kids who go here are the peppiest people ever! I heard a burst of laughter from some cheerleaders on the soccer field. How did they stay so happy all the time? They wore a hideous hot pink and gold cheering uniform that read, "GO, SPRINGSTOWN!" There wasn't even a real sports team.

"Something really isn't right here..." I grumbled to myself as if I had just noticed. I walked up the stairs that lead to the girls' dorm. I carefully removed the key to my dorm room (255) from my pocket. Being the only girl in the school that doesn't have to share my room with other girls must be the only upside to this school, besides the fact that it keeps me away from Labo. He's my uncle, but in my memory I've only been in the same room as him twice in my life. Why? Well, my mom hated him. Apparently they got in some huge fight before I was born. Know something else? He was driving the car that caused the crash that took the lives of my family. It just so happens that he is now the closest family I have.

Most people say the last day of school is the best. Freedom, hooray! But I, on the other hand, am devastated. I'm going to have to be with Labo again! Uncle Labo has a dingy little house in a ratty part of town. My first impression of it was that it was a mess. Dirty clothes were strewn about, papers and broken colored pencils littered the floor, and—I froze—what looked an awful lot like blood was smeared across the kitchen counter. I heard my uncle mutter something beside me, something like “Not again…”

“I thought you lived alone?” I said, one of the first things I ever said to him.

“Eh? Oh, I do. Er… I have a cat. Must’ve been the cat.”

But I never got a chance to look for said cat, because within the hour he had packed me into a taxi and sent me off to a boarding school, where I would stay indefinitely. He even paid extra so that I could stay at school over summer break. I’m still not too sure which place I would have preferred.

I have three days left before I'm out of here for good. Just three lousy days! Normally I would choose any place rather than here, but now I just want to stay! I collapsed on my bed. The whole room was blue, as if the ocean had thrown up all over it. Blue carpeting, blue walls, even a blue ceiling fan!  It's not all that bad, but it could have been better. I got out of bed and threw my bag in the corner. Sometimes all you need is a relaxing shower to clear away your thoughts.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I was eleven years old. I heard the sound of my mom arguing with someone in the living room. Cautiously, I looked around the corner. I could see a mysterious figure glaring at my mom, gesturing towards her stomach and saying things like, "You know what needs to be done... It's for the best!"

"Get out of here, Labo! I don't ever want to see you again." My mom screamed, something I had never heard her do before. I cowered behind the wall as the man yanked open the front door and strode out into the night. Tears were running down my mom's face, and I ran to comfort her.

"Mommy? Who was that?" I whispered. She seemed shocked to see me there, but she answered my question.

"It was my brother... But he's gone now. It's okay, sweetie." 

The dream changed.

Labo was chasing me down an interminable dark alley. It stretched out in front of me, monsters lurking in every shadow. People I knew flickered through my mind, watching me... Gawking at me... Labo was gaining on me. I saw his sharp nose towering over his evil sneer as he laughed a menacing laugh. It seemed to echo for hours. He was getting closer and closer... And there, up ahead of me, I saw a wall. A dead end. I desperately looked for a way out; a hidden passageway I could slip into. But there was nothing. I tried to climb the wall but it just tore at my delicate hands. Blood dripped from them as I turned around and faced his gleaming silver eyes. He opened his curvy mouth to talk.