Page 6 of The Sound Of Silence

“Oregon? You grew up in Oregon?”

My skin prickles as my eyes dart around the landscape.

Fuck. Fuck. Were we always driving in this direction?

Moving my hand to my pocket, I grip my phone and contemplate checking how close I am to my nightmare, but decide against it. Oregon’s a big place, and it’s better if I don’t know. Nothing good could possibly come from dredging up my past. Especially when I’ve spent so much time concealing it.

“I did. It’s a gorgeous little town. You’ll love it.”

Again, fuck! I can tell you right now that I won’t.

We skirt around another mountain, deep within the wilderness, and have just entered some kind of civilization when Pippa turns onto a one-lane bridge. A bridge that makes my heart stop as my mind fills with images of the last time I traveled over it, for what I thought would be thelasttime.

It’s been twelve years since I’ve been this close.

The trees thin, and I pray with everything I have that we’re just passing through. But when Pippa points to another sign, welcoming us to our home for the next week, the blood drains from my body.

Hepburn Falls, Oregon.

Neighboring town to the place I vowed to forget.The place I left behind.

A million thoughts invade my mind, but I force them away, focusing on one… It's been twelve years. It’s going to be okay.I’m going to be okay.

So why do I feel a thick layer of dread in the pit of my stomach? And why does it feel like everything I’ve been running from is about to come crashing into me with full force?

Blocking out the darkness threatening to consume me, I stare at the sign as more details come into view. I never once visited the actual town of Hepburn Falls. I never felt like I belonged.

Unlike the town I lived in over the mountain, this town could be compared to something straight out of the moviePleasantville. While the world around them was overgrown and hazy, this town,Pippa’s hometown, liked to paint a picture-perfect lifestyle—a summer’s day by the lake, kids splashing in the water, parents socializing without a care.

But even back then we all knew it was a lie. They weren’tallhappy. I know this because…No, I can’t think about her. This is going to be tough enough.

We come to a stop in a small parking lot, and I’m once again distracted from my inner spiral. Taking note of what is clearly aninn, my heart pounds as I realize just how fucked I am. Not only am I trapped in a town so close to my own personal hell, but I’m about to spend a week in a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business.What if someone recognizes me for something other than hockey? From my past? I’m not ready for questions on that.While it was rare thatPleasantvillefolk visited Mossman Hills, it wasn’t unheard of. And though I may have only been a teen when I left, I’m not sure I’ve changed that much.

Only my last name.

Pushing the nightmare from my mind, we unpack the car and head toward the quaint establishment with our bags in tow.

A bell chimes over the door as a shiver runs through me, and the first thing I notice, apart from the outdated floral pink lobby, is a familiar smell of…is that Christmas?

Before I can ask any questions, a door I hadn’t even noticed—covered in the same vomit-inducing print as the wallpaper—flies open, and a short woman with a curly, gray bob comes rushing out. “Pippa! You’re here,” she gushes, wrapping Pippa in a warm hug. “It’s so lovely to see you.” Her eyes lock on me next and her smile increases. “And you must be Jesse. I’ve heard so much about you.”

She what? That’s exactly what I was worried about. Fuck my life.

I take my time in the shower, while Pippa unpacks every item from her oversized suitcase, and when I’m done, I find her braiding her long white-blonde hair with a smile from ear to ear. It looks shady if I’m being honest.

“Why are you getting dressed up? I thought we were just going to the local diner?” I ask, motioning to her tight leather pants and flowy crop top, while making myself comfortable on the couch. The very couch that’s about to take on the role of my bed for the next week.Another fantastic development.

“This is how I always dress,” Pippa says in confusion, unable to see the issue.

“That may be true, but we’re not heading out for a night in the city. We’re in bumfuck nowhere right now.”

“Hey! This is where I grew up.”

I freeze at her words, unsure why I hadn’t processed that information earlier. Pippa grew uphere, what if…nope. I don’t even want to think about it. It makes me shiver just knowing that I’m back.

I stop arguing about her attire now that I have more pressing things on my mind, and slip into my sneakers, ready to go. Pippa scruffs my already mussed hair on her way to the door, and laughs when my hand automatically mimics hers, my fingers running through the mess, as if that will fix it.

“Come on, pretty boy,” she jokes. “A delicious meal awaits us.”

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