The Last Shard

THUMP. Ouch!! I lifted my head up, and once again, I had fallen out of my single bed that was to big for the corner my parents had shoved it in. What was with that? I had, many times, told my parents that I needed a bigger room, but no, they never listen. I sighed and got up. There was a reason to be happy today, because today was the first day of summer. The first weekend after the end of school, the atmosphere yesterday was exhilarating. I looked at my ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ clock, it said 8:00am. I decided to get up, when I heard my mum yell from the kitchen.

“Amber, breakfast!” That’s when I smelt the delicious scent of pancakes wafting down the hallway. I jumped up and ran into the kitchen, almost crashing into my door on the way past.

“Morning, mum,” I said, whilst quickly snatching up the paper to find cartoons.

“Morning sweetie,” She looked up as the postman went by our house.

“Jeff, could you go get the mail?” She called out to my father.

“I’ll get it,” I said running out the front door; for some reason I just had so much energy. I made my way out to the mail box and opened the latch, I grabbed the mail and skimmed through it; none for me, (again). There was still mail for Kyle coming here. My brother who was now 21, moved out a few months ago, and we had tried to sort the mail thing out, but obviously it didn’t work. There was also some thing for Alexandra, my 17 year old sister, but I didn’t take much notice of what it was. Then I saw a letter for my mum that was from…Green Hills Outdoor Education Camp? I walked back inside and put the rest of the mail on the bench.

“Mum…what’s this about?” I held the letter out to her. Her expression changed when she looked at it.

“Don’t worry about that now Amber, set the table for breakfast.” Suspiciously, I put the letter down with the others, then grabbed out the knives and forks for the table; she was hiding something from me. All of a sudden the energy I had earlier was gone. “Jeff, Alex, breakfast is ready,” my mother called. I sat down at the table as she brought over the plate of pancakes. I grabbed a pancake just when Alexandra walked around the corner.

“I’m not hungry,” she said grabbing some juice and sitting down. I decided I would start eating, I was too hungry. I was halfway through eating my first pancake when we heard a thump.

“Ow!” Dad yelled.

“Honey, I told you to look out for the suitcase in the hallway when I put it there,” Mum said to him as he came around the corner.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t remind me,” he made himself a coffee, before joining us at the table. “Did you get Amber’s letter about the summer camp?”

“YOU’RE SENDING ME TO A SUMMER CAMP!?” I screeched.

I looked at them both with disbelief, and then my dad said, “Oh, I thought you had already told her…”

“Why?” I said very aggravated

“Sweetie-” My mum started, but I cut her off.

“You didn’t send Kyle to a summer camp! You didn’t send Alex to a summer camp! Why me?!” I was waving my knife and fork around wildly, then Alex pulled them out of my hands and set them down on the table so I didn’t hit anybody. We all looked at Alex when she was placing the knife down on the table.

“Can’t I touch a knife these days without getting a suspicious look? I was only trying to be helpful! Maybe one of you should be stabbed or cut, then you would know how it feels!!” Alexandra got up from the table and huffed out of the dining room. My mum started to talk again.

“We couldn’t send Kyle or Alex to a summer camp at the time-”

“Why?”

“Because Kyle was already into his job and didn’t have the time, and Alex just wasn’t a person that you would send to a summer camp.”

“Does that mean you have to send one of your children to a summer camp? Does it mean that I am the type of person you would send to a summer camp? I have a life too, you know, I can’t go to a summer camp!” It would have helped if I’d had some of that energy form before to show how angry I was at both of them for not even asking me.

“It doesn’t mean we have to send at least one of our children to a summer camp, and it does mean that you would be a person that could get a lot out of going to a summer camp.” After those words being used so much, it got annoying.

“Argh! I’m sick of those two words! I don’t want to hear about, be near or have anything to do with a stupid summer camp!” I stormed to my room and slammed the door, how could they do this to me? I mean what did I do to deserve this...this...Argh! I watched as the glass that was sitting on top of my bedside table filled with water smashed against the wall, to see the shards of glass hit the ground was actually quite satisfying.

My mum and dad came storming up the stairs and barged into my room. “Amber what are you doing in here?” My mother demanded.

“Well this is my room, isn’t it?”

“Don’t be a smartalic Amber, now what was that crashing sound?” My father started walking impatiently into my room with my mum following and then they both stopped in front of the glass shards. “And, what is this?”

“Are you blind? Obviously... well what do you think it is?” I shifted slightly around on my bed and put my head forward so my fringe covered my smirk.

“It looks like someone is definitely going to that summer camp,” My mother said trying to sound like she had some sort of authority.

“I...TOLD...YOU NO MENTIONING OF SUMMER CAMP!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs at them and hit the wall with my fist. “Just...leave...NOW!”

“You can’t order us around young lady; as long as you live underneath our roof you will have to abide by our rules. Now, you are going to that summer camp and you’re going to have a good time!”

I looked up to them with a death stare and shouted “Then I will just have to take this roof down!! I don’t need you lousy guys anyways.” There was an awkward silence that stated the bonds of family ties were beginning to break.

My parents took in what I had said, and then my father broke the silence.

“Okay that is it; you are grounded for the rest of the week until you leave! If you set foot out of this house, there will be serious consequences!”

I mimed what he said, before replying, “You just want to get rid of me! Fine, go ahead, if I were my parents I would too, but there is no way in hell I am going to that summer camp!”

“Oh you are going whether you like it or not!”

“Make me!” I was so angry at my parents I just wanted them out of my room, but as far the looks on their faces, this conversation wasn’t over. “Alex has a knife!” I lied to make them get out of my room. They did what I thought, and walked out to the hallway to see if I was fibbing or not, then I slammed the door in their faces, locking it. How could such a perfect day turn out so horrible?