The soft cushion of the little wooden chair comforts me, reminding me of all the times I had sat down and eaten here, all the time they made me cookies and comforted me, loved me. I softly smile to myself, scooting the chair forward as I look at the table full of food.

“Tera, Euralie… I’m going to college in two months, not today!” I jest, looking at all the food as I subconsciously lick my dry puffy lips, excited to eat. I look up, expecting to see Tera giggling, holding Euarlie’s hand, or… something. But all I see is Tera picking at her cuticles, and Euralie messing with her simple black string amber pendant. Something’s up. They never act like this!

“Ha, we know Alice… But you and Bailey got a letter in the mail today. Apparently your college is having a campus tour. It's two days from now, so you can take Tera’s van. Tera went over to your apartment and packed up your stuff, so we just have to put everything in the car.” Euralie says, giving off a weird vibe.

“I never heard anything about a campus tour so late… didn’t we already take one at the beginning of the year? Why do we have to go back?” I ask curiously, weirded out by the odd aura between the usually preppy couple.

“It's a new initiation thing. We only found out recently, and we got our friend Joe-” She stops herself, pulling awkwardly at the hem of her shirt, looking at Tera to complete her thought.

“Erm, our friend Joseph offered to drive you guys. I don’t think you’ll remember him, he was a family friend of you parents as well. I believe you met him before-” Tera clears her throat nervously, and rubs the back of her neck.

“Before the accident. You met him on your birthday before the accident.” She says, lowering her voice as she leans over and squeezes Euralie’s hand for comfort. I solemnly nod, fidgeting with my nails under the baby blue tablecloth, suddenly anxious. The accident.

“He said he has no problem driving you guys there, and bringing you back once the tour is over. Keep in mind however, he can be a bit… odd at times. But he means no harm, and you can trust him. He’s practically family. Just don’t mention his height.” Euralie adds, rubbing over the top of Tera’s hand.

“Yes, if you may, you can go ahead and grab your stuff now and bring it over. I haven’t told him just yet.” Tera murmurs, and stands up abruptly, her chair squeaking slightly on the floor.

Now it was just Euralie and I. And a whole bunch of food. I look over at Euralie and smile as I shove a slice of toast into my mouth. She smiles back, as if a silent thank you for eating her food. I’ve always been a bit closer to her than Tera. I have nothing against Tera, but she’s always so busy with her work, and Euralie has always been there to comfort me when I was sick, or make me chocolate chip cookies when I was heartbroken.

“Alice, I just want to let you know, that what's about to happen next is a big deal.” Euralie starts, her usually calm demeanor suddenly serious again. I smile at her before responding back.

“Yeah, I know. College is a pretty big deal. It's kind of… terrifying.” I agree, assuming that she was talking about college.

“No, Alice… I mean more than that. I mean… sometimes people go on trips, and find things about themselves, about their families.” Euralie murmurs, whilst fumbling with the black cord of her pendant. She finally unclasps it, and holds it out to me.

“But no matter what, just know that Tera and I are doing what's best for you. Okay? We love you.” She says, her eyes brimming with tears. My family? She’s probably just having a hard time letting go. They both have cared for Bailey and me for so long… I smile and take the pendant, clutching it in my hand before standing up to kiss her cheek.

“Don’t worry, Bailey and I will be back, okay?” I smile and hug her, before pulling away to walk upstairs and tell Bailey what he missed. Before I go, I can hear her small voice, leaving my with a concerning gut feeling.

“If you survive.” She murmurs.