The Secret Five #Wattys2016

Day 5-Hadley

Cason had the meat ready yesterday and today Trace is fishing in the pond. Anya was trying to figure out how to cook deer meat and is getting frustrated with it. I was finishing up the dishes from breakfast this morning.

"Need help?" I went over to her. "Did you look to see if we have any spices?" she nodded and adjusted the temperature of the oven.

"Where's Locklyn?" she was angry. "She is supposed to be helping us also."

"I don't know." Anya smacked the counter and went to the basement. "Locklyn!" I yelled up the stairs. She came into the hallway in a tank top and underwear. "Really?" she smiled. "Get down here and help us cook this meat. Stop making out with Cason for at least five minutes. This is ridiculous with you two."

"Cason is outside with Trace. I'll be down in a sec, jeez, don't have to get an attitude with me."

"Locklyn, please. I'm not trying to be mean, but, you need to help us cook. Are you drinking?"

"No," she snapped. I crossed my arms and glared at her. "So what, Hadley. We are trapped in this cabin and I'm going to go stir crazy. Drinking brings down my anxiety a bit. Why don't you have some, you need it more than me at the moment?"

"Because I'm not going to become an alcoholic while out here. You need to stop going through these phases. You are going back into the old habits and next you will do something that you will regret and Anya and I will have to pick you up off the floor again. I don't want to see you like that, Lock, you worry me whenever you have these phases."

"Fine!" she yelled and slammed the door. She screamed at the top of her lungs and came down the stairs to the kitchen with pants on and a sweater.

Locklyn was quiet and couldn't look me in the eyes. She knows what she is doing and doesn't want me to be right again. Last time this happened was right after Armin's death and she got into a car accident while hung over with Cason and Trace in the car with her. She didn't get arrested but became depressed because she gave Cason a sprained ankle and Trace a bruised muscle and she didn't go to school for almost a week.

She began to cook some canned vegetables Anya took out for dinner and stood at the stove watching the water boil. I was setting the table and organizing the silverware. Anya put the meat in and went back downstairs to do inventory, something she does every time we eat, just to make sure nothing is missing.

"Ow! Crap!" Locklyn yelled and stepped back from the stove. I quickly turned around from the dining room table to see her gripping her hand tightly, her eyes closed shut, and pain written across her face. "OW!" she screamed and fell to the ground.

"Locklyn." I ran over to her and bent down. "Let me see your hand, what did you do?" I was panicking for her. She is drunk, I can smell it on her breath.

"No!" she cried out and let tears fall. I took her hand and saw a giant burn mark across the palm. It was blistering already and some blood was seeping through. "No, Hadley, no!" she screamed and tried to pull back her hand. I gripped it tighter and pull her up off the ground and took her to the sink. I turned the water to cold and put her hand under it. She tensed up and sobbed.

"Did you touch the stove by accident?" she shook her head. "Locklyn Giovanna." I was angry with her. She was being stubborn and I hate when she is like this. "You did this to yourself. What the heck?"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled and looked away from me and at the ground. "I'm sorry for this."

"Don't be sorry, just be careful and no more drinking for you. This is not going to be an ongoing thing. Got it?" she nodded. I wrapped her hand up and she slowly walked upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut.