Chapter Five
Everest
“Hey, ma.” I say after she answers the phone. I’m pretty sure that it was one ring away from going to voicemail. Knowing her, she had no idea where her phone was even located and had to scramble around searching for it.
“Everest… Nice of you to call.” She says sardonically.
A tinge of relief courses through me hearing mom have a bit of an attitude.
It’s much more like her normal personality, and less like the strung-out version of her.
She just went through rehab for the third time, and while I don’t expect her to stay clean forever, it’d be nice if she could manage to stay off the drugs long enough for me to get back. That’s wishful thinking, though.
“Where’s Callie? I tried ringing her phone, but she didn’t answer.” I question as I grab my spare phone charger and toss it toward my luggage bag.
“She just got back from softball practice or something. She’s in the shower. She should be out soo— Oh. Here she is.” She says as I hear rustling around in the background. “Your brother.” I hear her explain from farther away.
“Hey! Whatcha up to?” Callie asks as I hear her stomping back up the stairs. Neither of us have ever really been close to our mom, so I understand her wanting some privacy to talk.
“Just some work stuff, Cal. I wanted to call and let you know that we won’t be able to do our weekly dinners for a while.
I’m going on a research project, and I’ll be out of town for a bit.
” I explain as I plop down onto my bed. I already feel like shit about it, because I know that I’m the only family my sister really has.
Our mom was never good at listening without judgement, so Callie and I have always leaned on each other.
“Oh. Okay. How long will you be gone?”
“Well… three months.” I wince as I tell her, because I know it’s a low blow. Her graduation is coming up, and I’m sure she’d love to have me around. Especially since our mom can be a bit… absent.
“You’ll be back for graduation, right?”
“Yes!” I say as I sit back up. “I checked the dates and I’ll be back four days before! I wouldn’t have agreed if I couldn’t be there. You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Cal.”
“Okay. Whew... You scared me for a second there.” She says with a chuckle that sounds a little forced.
“I know it’s a lot, but this is… Man, it’s going to be the biggest piece of my career. I can feel it, Cal.”
“Where is it at? What will you be doing for that long? You’ve never been gone more than a couple weeks.”
“Um… We don’t actually know where it’s at.
It’s a top-secret prison, and we’re going to be staying inside.
There’s nothing on the internet about it.
At all. Here, I’ll text you the name so that you can Google it.
We’re going to be the first people to ever step foot in this place and live to talk about it firsthand, Cal.
The article we’re going to get is going to be insane.
” I explain enthusiastically as I whip out my phone and type out the name for her.
“Oh, shit. I forgot I wasn’t on my phone for a second there.“ She says as I hear her moving around in the background. “That actually sounds really cool. I wrote my senior paper on Alcatraz. You know I love shit like that.”
“I know. I figured you would be excited once you found out where we’re headed. I basically had to pull your lover boy’s teeth in order to get him to agree with going.”
Callie has had a huge crush on Axel her entire life, which I totally get.
She’s always been too young for him, but now that she’s officially an adult I’m surprised that she hasn’t pounced all over him.
She’s definitely a ‘take what you want’ kind of gal.
Maybe it’s the eight-year age gap that’s discouraging her.
Well… it’s actually closer to a seven-year gap since she’s coming up on her nineteenth birthday. I hate that I’m going to miss it.
“He is not my lover boy. I’m not lowering my standards, even for that pretty face.
“ She jokes, almost distractedly. I don’t really know what she means by that since Axel is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
The whole comment kind of throws me off kilter.
The thought to ask her about it is on the tip of my tongue, but she interrupts me with a gasp.
“Wow. You weren’t kidding. There isn’t shit about this place. That’s super cool. I can’t wait to read your article about it. Make sure you write down everything.”
“You know I wouldn’t miss a thing. I’m gonna keep a personal journal, if I can. I don’t think that I’ll be able to communicate much while I’m gone, if at all. They said one phone call a month, but I’m not sure. I’ll try though, I promise. Even if I have to send it snail mail style, okay?”
She laughs. “Yeah, yeah. Make sure you give me some juicy details to get me by.”
“Of course. Don’t whine if mom tries to take pictures for prom, okay? I wanna see how good you look. I’m gonna leave your birthday present on my counter, you have a key, so just come grab it. On your birthday, Cal. Not a day before.”
“That’s literal torture, you know? Telling me it’s there… just waiting for me.”
“Yeah, yeah. You can come hideout here anytime you want, but the power might be off. If you flip the breakers on, please turn them back off when you leave.”
“Absolutely.” She swears. She’s a really responsible girl, much older than her age suggests, so I trust her to take care of everything while I’m gone.
“Alright. Be good, Cal. Good luck with all your games, and grades, and prom, and birthday…” I let out an exasperated sigh as my eyes get blurry. “I’m gonna miss you, Callie.”
“I’m gonna miss you, too.” She says somberly. “Make it worth it, okay? I love you and I’ll talk to you… soon?”
“As soon as I can. I swear. I love you too, Cal! Be good.”
“Nah. I’d rather not.” She says with a chuckle. “Bye, Eve.”
I laugh at the stupid nickname she calls me, a smile on my face. “Bye, asshole.”
“I left the garage open for you. Did you park your bike and car inside?“ I ask as I dig through my drawers looking for my swimsuit from last season. A fucking prison with a swimming pool. Who would’ve thought?
“Yes, Ev. The bike was already in your garage. I also closed the door when I came inside, because I know that’s going to be the next question you ask.”
“Actually, it wasn’t.” I reply snarkily as I pull out my swim trunks and shove them into my luggage bag. “I was actually going to make sure that you packed a bathing suit.”
“Yes, daddy. I made a checklist. I have absolutely everything I need.”
“A toothbrush? Razors? Lotion?” I question him.
“Yep. Even packed multiple bottles of lube. Probably too many, honestly.“ He answers as he plops down onto my couch, grabbing the television remote.
“Lube! Christ! Thank heavens you said that.” I say as I rush over to my drawer and grab every bottle I have. I spend a moment trying to decide which dildo I want to pack and ultimately decide on taking two. The suction cup one was a no brainer, but I also wanted one that vibrates.
“I only have three and a half bottles. Is that enough? How many did you pack?”
“Nine.” He says nonchalantly as he flips through the channels on the television.
“Nine! Christ! I need more, Axel. Grab my phone and start a delivery order. I need lube and batteries. Double A, please. A big pack.”
He chuckles as he leans forward and grabs my phone off the coffee table. I throw the bottles and dildos into my luggage bag, and stalk toward my bathroom.
“You should really tape those closed so they don’t leak in your bag, Everest.”
“Fuck.“ I mutter as I grab my facewash and razor from the counter. I shake the bottle in my hand, and groan at its contents. “I need more face wash too, please!”
“Tape those closed, Ev.” He warns again as he puts the order in on my phone.
“Yeah, yeah. In a minute!” I yell back at him.
I scramble around doing the same shit for what feels like hours, and once everything has been delivered, shoved into my suitcase, and taped closed, we both crawl into bed. Exhaustion drags me under before I can even get excited about where we’ve been preparing to go.
“You beast, I can barely move this thing. How did you get yours to the door so easily?” I groan as I try to drag my bag down the stairs.
“Well, I didn’t have mine upstairs to begin with, so that made it easier. Also… muscles.” He says as he steps behind me and grabs my bag for me. He picks it up like it doesn’t weigh an ounce.
“I have muscles, you’re just… the Hulk or something.“ I grumble as I follow behind him.
“Do you have all your appliances and shit unplugged? All the lights are off?”
“I’m just going to turn all the breakers off. Should work, right?” I ask nervously. The last thing I need is my house burning down while we’re away. Wouldn’t that be a treat to return to?
“Shit. That’s a good idea, Ev. Did you give a spare key to your neighbor in case there’s a leak or something?”
“Yeah. My sister has one too, and the neighbor has her phone number in case they need to pay for a repairman or something. I left her my bank account information and her birthday present on the kitchen table.”
Axel turns around and pauses as he stares at me. “Good boy, Ev. I’m proud of you.”
The shit that does to my heart and dick is pathetic.
The monster.
“Please don’t do that, Axel.” I whine as I tilt my head back in exasperation. “The last thing I need is a hard on while being escorted to a private island full of prisoners. Jesus.”
Although Axel seems to be straighter than an arrow, he doesn’t mind throwing little jabs at me about my sexuality or preferences in bed. Sometimes they sound offensive to other people, but we’ve been best friends our entire lives. It’s our love language
“Seems like the perfect time to flaunt a hard on, but who am I?” He retorts sarcastically as he opens the front door. “Eight minutes, Ev. Flip the breakers, so we can get out there.”
“Right, right.” I scramble to the laundry room and flip everything off before heading outside and locking the door behind me.
We both roll our bags to the end of my driveway and wait in silence. The tension in the air is thick as we both get lost in our own thoughts, so I glance over at Axel. He doesn’t talk to his family at all, and I’m basically his only real friend, so I wonder what he’s thinking about.
Two minutes before eight, a vehicle that matches the description of Thorne’s stops right in front of our driveway. The doors unlock with a satisfying click, and the trunk pops open. Axel and I exchange a knowing look as a wave of emotions sweep over us.
This moment feels… cataclysmic. I have a hunch that this is about to change both of our lives in a way that we can’t fathom.
A way that we aren’t quite able to understand yet.
We’re about to climb in this vehicle, and when this little project is over, and we return, we won’t be the same people that we used to be.
As nerve-wracking as that seems, I have nothing but an odd sense of acceptance.
There’s not a morsel of concern or worry to be found in my body, just concession.
It’s almost as if fate has led us here, and we’re acknowledging this for what it always was… inevitable.