Summers of Yesteryear (Camp NaNo Project) Excerpt:

I close and lock my door behind me so that there won’t be any witnesses.

Then I dial Mom’s number and wait for my execution.

“Hello,” Mother greets on the other side of the world. “This is Daphne White.”

We’re so different that we don’t even share the same last name- not since the divorce, anyway. Sometimes I think we need a translator to understand each other. “This is Violet.”

“Violet!” she gushes- she likes putting on a show. “How are you, love?”

Translation: let’s focus on pleasantries- they’re simple and safe.

Except, they’re not. “Well enough, considering the ‘Cure.’”

“That’s good,” she says before quickly changing the subject- she dislikes talking about weakness as much as I do. “How’s life at the compound? Who’s all there with you? I know your old friend Alex is. Is he as hot in person as he is on the news?”

Translation: if you don’t want to stick with pleasantries, than let’s at least pretend to have a normal mother/daughter relationship.

I clench my jaw. “Everything’s fine here. How’s everything in France?”

“Just lovely.”

Translation: just fine (fine being either positive or negative; really it’s a neutral word that can be twisted any way one pleases).

“And I suppose Dad hasn’t bothered to call to see how I’m doing after the whole Dystopian Takeover thing, has he?”

“No,” Mom answers with more artificial sweetness than usual.

Translation: change the subject. Now.

I ignore my mental translator. “I assumed as much.”

Awkward silence ensues.

Groaning, I drop down on my bed. “Well, it was nice talking to you.”

“Thank you for checking in for me,” she answers just as falsely.

Hanging up, I toss the phone on my pillow and stretch out.

Then I get up and join the others at the Running Fields.

This time, instead of running away from Alex, I pretend to be running away from Mom. I’d run away from Dad too, but he’s already run away from me.

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