Yellowjackets: The Broken Victors

Chapter 08: Haze of Memories

[2021]

"Callie!" the woman screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get your ass here! We're gonna be late! It's a long drive!"

Shauna took her time checking her bag one last time as she waited for her daughter to get ready. Her brand new personal laptop was all packed, along with the bookmarks sent by her publishing company that she was compelled to sign to be given away later and the poster containing all the covers of her published book collaged on a single board that she'll put in a standee to be displayed.

Shauna Sadecki was invited, or rather paid, to participate in the annual book fair festival held in New York, where hundreds of published authors attend as they promote their works. She never liked going to any book expo and rarely even agrees to have book signings whenever her previous works get published since she's always getting asked about things that are unrelated to her works, personal questions that she doesn't want to answer. But Shauna was offered a good deal she could use in the future, so she agreed to do it just this time.

Of course, she's going to need some assistance, and all she could think of was her daughter, even though Callie's demands were too high in exchange for her service. Aside from not attending school for two consecutive days, the teen girl wanted a one-free pass from lecturing about whatever future trouble she'll get herself into. Shauna accepted her daughter's demand, but she doesn't have any plans to meet them once it happens.

"It's seven in the morning, Mom. Can you chill?" said Callie, slowly approaching Shauna.

Callie was in her usual striped knit sweater paired with denim pants and didn't bother dolling up, thinking that the people going to those kinds of events were a bunch of nerds or middle-aged lonely people who think that the best thing happening in every year of their lives is the annual book fair. She was only coming because of the deal. Not because of the event itself.

"In case you forgot, leaving at 6:30 was part of our deal, and we're already thirty minutes behind. Do you want to call this off?" Shauna said, putting in an effort to provoke her daughter.

Callie rolled her eyes and picked up the bag containing Shauna's stuff, then faked a smile as she responded. "I wouldn't want to miss this for the world."

With that, Shauna smiled triumphantly.

The drive from New Jersey to New York was really long, and the traffic didn't help them at all. They arrived at the location where the book fair is being held almost at lunchtime and even had a hard time finding a spot to park her car. Callie demanded to have lunch first before getting inside, and Shauna was also starving, so she simply agreed with her daughter's suggestion. Besides, she was told she could start after lunch. She then received a text from Jeff asking how the trip was, so she just replied that they arrived safely in New York.

Just after they made their order, Shauna heard her phone's notification sound, indicating she had just received another message. The woman smiled upon reading the short yet warm text that brought genuine feelings to her heart.

'Good luck with the book fair.'

"What are you smiling about?" Callie asked, looking at her mother suspiciously.

"Am I not allowed to smile? Do you hate me so much that it bothers you when I'm happy?" Shauna replied.

"I find it weird and alarming. I feel like you're up to no good."

Shauna rolled her eyes at her daughter, annoyed by Callie's remarks. She didn't reply to the teen after that and just typed her response to the message. 'Thanks. Having a good time lately?'

The food finally arrived shortly, and they started to dig in as they only had a few minutes left to finish them and should rush inside the book fair after. They ordered something easy to eat-just a BLT sandwich-enough to satisfy their hungry stomach.