𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞

36. cam and fam

(16/4/2016)

Cam takes some of the cast to meet her fam and friends

"When will they be here Cam?" Nathan asks impatiently. He fidgets on the spot, playing with a toy car of Marley's.
"Soon. Stop playing with that, it's annoying." I say as I snatch the toy out of his hands and put it on the couch. He pouts.
"Can you text them?" He whines. I'm being patient with him for one reason only: they're his childhood memories. If it was anyone else, I'd be asking him to stop complaining.

"Ok fine." I sigh. Marley and Sadie thud down the stairs hand in hand, identically skipping the last two steps. They are wearing some of my old clothes. The old pale blue shirt and white skirt, and then my pink pinafore. I can't believe they're almost 10.

I send a text to our avengers group chat asking how far away they are. Not everyone is coming, just Robert, Chris, Seb and Anthony. Everyone else had to do interviews.

Rinnie and Cora are busy cutting fruit and creating a delicious fruit platter with biscuits and tea at the ready. They have everything from mangoes to grapes to apples. I can smell the scrumptious aroma from the living room. I'm not too sure about what Maddy is doing. I don't even no if she's in the house to be honest. She has always been the wildcard in the siblings. She isn't the best at communication, especially with getting her feelings out which causes her to bottle them up and then explode at random moments.

"Hey Sadie where's Mads?" I ask. She looks up at me with wide eyes and points up.
"I think she's in her room reading."
"Ok thanks."

We all continue getting ready for another 20 minutes, when we hear a knock on the door. Except it's more a tippity tap tap sound, followed by a loud "Hello! We're here!". I walk calmly over to the door, contrasting greatly to the sudden bounciness that my siblings absorb.
"Hey Cam!" Chris greets as he pulls me into a warm hug. I say hello back, and go down the line to give them all hugs. Seb tickles me, making me squeal. I lead them all inside, trying not to laugh at Nathan's panicked expression.

"Guys this is Sadie, Marley, Nathan, and then Rinnie and Cora are in the kitchen." I introduce them to my family. Sadie's mouth drops open in shock. Rinnie and Cora come into the living room, hearing their names being called and stop in their tracks. Cora almost drops the fruit platter.
"They aren't going to bite. Come on, introduce yourselves. I'm going to go and get Maddy." I say and jog upstairs. I run into her room, pushing open the door.

"Hey you can't just come in here Cam! It would be nice to knock every once in a while!" Maddy shouts. Her eyes are a bit puffy and red, and her face is paler than usual. My brow creases as I scan her for any signs of anger, but I can't find any. She just looks upset, and a bit broken. I can see the way her emerald eyes are glistening, and the way her hands are clenched into a fist so tightly that they've turned white. Maddy lets out a shaky breath.
"Are you alright Mads?" I ask genuinely. Her chin trembles a bit, and then she breaks.

Tears flow like a flood down her whitened cheeks and continue to dribble down her neck. I rush over and throw my arms around her. She lets out one heart wrenching sob after another. There are so many that they begin to sound raw and throaty. More like a wail. I rub my hand up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her, but it's not working very well. Suddenly Cora comes in. She sees the scene, and instantly runs over to Maddy's closet to grab her blanket and fuzzy socks. This immediately brings a small distant chuckle from Maddy, easing the cries. Cora takes over from me. She knows Maddy better, and knows exactly what will make her cheer up. We sit in silence for a few minutes, before hearing a deep sniffle and heavy sigh from Maddy.

"What's wrong?" Cora asks. Maddy shuffles a bit under her rug, and reaches for a tissue in hesitation.
"You can tell us Mads. It's okay..." I squeeze her fragile hand.
"I was just looking through some old photo albums and... I saw a few photos of David and I that's all." She sighs. Tension passes through the air. My heart drops, and I can feel my breathing slow. Cora seems to be experiencing the same thing. However, her face quickly turns stone cold and all emotion vanishes as if it's been wiped away like rain on a window. It's as though the temperature drops.

"Where are the albums?" She questions.
"Over there." Maddy points to the corner, where about 7 photo journals lay in a scattered mess on the ground. Cora walks over calmly, closes them and packs them away in the highest cupboard.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask. As soon as this leaves my mouth, Cora gives me a death glare so strong it could silence the most powerful beings. Maddy blows her nose noisily. I cringe slightly.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Why don't we-" I interrupt Cora mid sentence, which only causes her to strengthen her icy focus on me.

"No, if she wants to talk about it let her! She can't bottle it up forever!"
"It's not a good idea!"
"It's not your decision to make!"
"And it's not yours either Camryn!"
"You can't tell her when it's okay to show how she's feeling Cora! If she wants to talk about it let her because otherwise she never will!"
"It will break her!" Cora yells, her voice cracking at the end. A single tear floats down her face. Light running up the stairs can be heard, presumably Rinnie. Cora slams the bedroom door shut. She pulls me over to the closet area, far enough away that Maddy can't hear us through her cries.

"It will break her Camryn. And I don't want to hurt her like that. Please don't push it." Cora begs. The aggression has faded, and is replaced with a sister-like whisper of drained emotion and heartbreak. I see her eyes flicker with sadness, as she tries to decide whether or not she wants to show it. I sigh. I glance past her shoulder to Maddy as she snuggles further under the covers.

"Fine. But she'll have to let it out eventually? Or else it will break her heart even more than it already has." I say sharply. I go over to Maddy, give her a weak smile, and walk downstairs to give them some space.

Rinnie is sitting on the top step. She stands up quickly as soon as she sees me.
"Is everything alright? I heard some yelling."
"Yeah everything's fine." I try to convince myself, and her. She gives me an odd look.
"Okay."
"Are they getting along down there?"
"Yes! I think you may have lost your friends Cam." She jokes. I laugh quietly, and shake my head.
"They're already that close?"
"Oh yes. Robert is currently teaching Nathan all the Iron Man moves."
"Oh no!"
"Yep!"
"Why did you let him do that?"
"For my personal benefit, and amusement." She smirks. I laugh louder this time.

Downstairs my younger brother and sisters are having the time of their life. Sadie and Marley are playing a game of tag in the backyard with Anthony. Nathan is, as Erin said, being taught Iron Man moves by Robert, and Emery is grabbing some crisps for everyone with the help of Chris. Cora has obviously given Seb a cup of tea, and he now drinks it as he stands behind the kitchen counter. Rinnie goes off to find Cora, and I go over to him.

"Hey! How is it going?" I ask. He looks down and chuckles.
"Great! Your brother's so cool, and your sisters are wonderful as well. Are they all marvel fans?"
"Obsessive marvel fans, yes. They're worse than me, and that's saying something." He exhales sharply and whistles.
"Is everything alright up there?" He asks cautiously.
"Yep." I respond too quickly. His brow furrows deeply, and he frowns at me.
"You know you can talk about it Cam? If you want to?"

"Yeah I know." I take a deep breath.
"Basically we had this family friend called David. He was 19. One day he went out for a ride on his bike, and he got hit by a car. And he didn't make it." I get out. Seb looks at my sympathetically, and pulls me into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry. That would be awful."
"Yeah. Maddy was just upset about that, that's all."
"Okay. I'm here if you need it."

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this was a sad chapter, but don't worry! if you are enjoying the story please leave a comment telling me so, it means the world to me and makes me want to continue the story⚡️