Chapter Text
Ava bounced her knees in nervous anticipation as she stared out the window, watching the dense forest pass by in blurs of greens and browns and yellows and patches of blue as the rental car wound down the mountain pass. Lake Tahoe sure was beautiful in the late months of summer, but Ava was less focused on the nice scenery and more on what was waiting for her at the end of the road.
Beatrice.
Ava glanced over at Mary in the driver’s seat, watching Mary’s head bop in time with the music playing from Ava’s Spotify playlist as she sang along softly to Want You Back by Haim. Mary’s phone, which was attached to the dashboard, had Google Maps open showing that they were still 17 minutes away from their destination with chances of light traffic up ahead.
It had been a long day of travel so far. Ava and Mary had woken up at the ass crack of dawn and jumped in an Uber from their apartment in Somerville (well, it was Mary’s apartment technically; Ava was more of an extended house guest) to Boston-Logan to catch their 5:23 am flight to Nevada. But, that 5:23 am flight soon became a 6:15 am flight due to some delays or other….and then became a 7:35 am flight…and then a 9:07 am flight… and just when Ava was nose deep in researching real witches she could hire to cast a curse upon United Airlines, they finally boarded their plane and took off. It was only four hours late but, whatever.
Mary, who had bullied Ava out of the window seat and into the middle seat on the plane, slept the entire flight, no problem. Passed out before they had even reached cruising altitude. Ava, however, was way too anxious to sleep, let alone focus on anything really. She switched from attempting to read her book (she was rereading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for like the fifth time), to listening to podcasts (she was currently enthralled with My Favorite Murder), to browsing through the little magazine the airplane supplied each passenger (where she was annoyed that the Sudoku puzzles at the back had already been completed by a previous passenger), to leaning over Mary so that she could peer out the window to the ground far below as they flew across America. The five-and-a-half-hour flight felt like it took an eternity, but it came to an end eventually.
Once they landed, around 1 pm west coast time, Ava followed Mary around the Reno-Tahoe International Airport until they reached the rental car service. Mary sent Ava to wait outside with their bags while she handled the paperwork, then they were skipping through the parking garage to the dark orange Kia Soul they had been given for the next week. Mary stared at the car in disgust, but Ava happily jumped right in, plugging in her aux cord and kicking her feet up on the dashboard for the hour-long drive from the airport to Tahoe.
This was the best time of the year, in Ava’s opinion.
It was tradition every year for Ava and her friend group to all get together from wherever they resided in the world for a retreat of sorts. It was one thing Ava could always count on; just her, her five best friends, and more mischief than any of them could really manage. Ava had missed the retreat last year when she was abroad in Australia for work, but the trip to Spain two years ago still resonated deep within Ava as one of the best times of her life. To be honest, Ava actually couldn’t remember most of the nights in Spain due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed, but she knows for sure that she had a good time based on the pictures she would find on her phone every morning when she woke up again (her favorite being one of her and Mary scaling the sides of an abandoned church well after midnight. No one knows how they got to that church, why they were there, or who took the photo, but the evidence was there all the same).
This year, in an effort to save money, Lilith had offered to host their yearly retreat at her parent’s lake house in Incline Village in Tahoe. It had been a no brainer, really. One week of warm weather, swimming, campfires, alcohol, and friendship (and time off from work) was exactly what Ava needed right now to break up the monotony of the 9-5 grind she had been on since starting at her position as a digital marketing manager at a fancy tech start-up based in the Boston area. It was a pretty high-profile job for Ava to have landed, with her being only twenty-six and all, but the days could be long and difficult and even though it had only been a few months Ava was already starting to feel burnt out from her nonstop work. If there was one thing Ava struggled with (there were actually many things, but for the sake of time we’ll just focus on this one for now), it was being satisfied with a set routine.
Ava hated to be stagnant. From a young age, she had always been on the move. She was constantly searching for new adventures and always had a hard time settling in one place for too long. Ava thinks this restlessness of hers stemmed from growing up at the orphanage after her mom was killed in a car crash, where everything had been the same day in and day out, despite Ava’s boundless energy. It was completely monotonous, and Ava had despised it. The one bright spot during those earlier years was the scholarship Ava had won that allowed her to attend Areala Academy for most of high school, an all-girls private school that became Ava’s escape from the orphanage until she was old enough to age out. Areala Academy was challenging, sure, but Ava got by. And the school was where she had met Beatrice and Lilith, who quickly became two of her very best friends.
When high school came to an end, Ava, along with Beatrice and Lilith, accepted spots at a university in Boston. So, after graduation, it was off to Bean Town. Ava actually ended up studying abroad for the first year of undergrad, so she spent her freshman year in Dublin, Ireland, where the legal drinking age was 18 and the bars stayed open unnecessarily late, even on school nights. Ava would be the first to admit that she didn’t get much of an education while she was abroad, but she sure had a good time. And she met Mary there, as they were in the same study abroad program, so that was just an added bonus.
Once Ava (and Mary) returned to the states, she threw herself into her studies to ensure she graduated on time and with a good-standing GPA. While Ava wasn’t often the brightest crayon in the box, she was actually great when it came to academics and had plans to attend grad school once she received her bachelor’s degree.
Which she did. After finishing her undergrad, Ava attended a one-year master’s program in media communications from a small school in New York. And upon earning that degree, Ava got an offer as a contracted digital marketing intern for a Consulting and Product Development company based in Australia. So, Ava packed her bags once more and spent the next year working in Sydney while backpacking around the continent whenever she could get time off of work. Once her contract came to an end, Ava headed back to Boston to crash with Mary while she planned out her next move.
Mary, who was living with her girlfriend Shannon, had a master’s in social work and was now employed as a case manager for children, adolescent, and family services. Mary had spent most of her teenage years bouncing around from group home to group home, so she had a deep understanding when it came to troubled youth and was determined to help kids in need. Mary and Shannon had met their senior year of college and have been together ever since. Shannon was currently a law student at Boston University, and the two had had a long-distance relationship for a while when Mary was off in Philadelphia getting her master’s degree. But once her program had ended, Mary moved back to Boston and the couple now resided in a small two-bedroom apartment in Somerville, which was close to both Mary’s office and Shannon’s campus.
Originally, one of Shannon’s classmates in her law program had roomed with them to help with rent. But, a few months ago, that classmate moved out after abruptly dropping out of law school without a trace, leaving a spare bedroom open in Mary and Shannon’s apartment, which Ava has happily claimed as her own for the time being. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement while Ava job hunted and made some decisions about what she wanted to do with her life next. She ended up getting hired pretty quickly by a small tech start-up in Boston, though, and the opportunity (and starting salary) was too good to pass up, so her temporary stay at Mary and Shannon’s had since become a more permanent situation (Mary wouldn’t admit it but she was glad Ava had decided to stay. Ava made the apartment a little less lonely on those nights when Shannon stayed on campus late).
Back in the car, Mary was glancing surreptitiously at Ava from the corner of her eye as Ava’s hands drummed against her thighs.
“You good, Ava?” Mary asked. “You’ve been unusually quiet since we started driving.”
Ava chewed on her lip as she reached over to turn the music down a little. “I haven’t seen Beatrice in over a year.” She said. Her anxiety was reaching new heights now, feeling like an itch that she just couldn’t scratch. She rubbed her palms against the tops of her thighs, trying to quell the nerves bouncing around her insides at the thought of seeing her again. “You don’t think she’ll still be mad at me, do you?”
“I thought things were okay between you two?”
Ava shrugged. “When we talk on the phone or over FaceTime, things seem fine. We seem fine. But…I don’t know why I feel so nervous all of a sudden.”
Mary looked over her shoulder as she switched lanes. “Hey, look, there’s nothing to worry about. Just be yourself and try not to overthink things. It’s Beatrice; she always turns a blind eye when it comes to you.”
Ava nodded, but really didn’t feel much better. “I hope you’re right. We only have seven days here and I don’t want to waste any of the time that I have with her.”
Mary pulled off the main road and on to a small dirt path winding through the trees. The ground gently slopped down, and it wasn’t long before a quaint cabin appeared, and Mary was bringing the car to a stop in the empty driveway. Ava’s eyes widened at the cabin, loving the rustic look but also knowing how modern it was likely to be on the inside. While the cabin was narrow, it had two stories and a large wrap-around porch, not to mention the trail behind the house that led down to a private beach on the lake. It was the perfect little getaway.
Mary turned the car off but turned in her seat to face Ava before getting out. “Whatever happens this week, Ava, I’m right here for you.” Mary wasn’t often sentimental, but she always seemed to know when Ava needed a more compassionate approach. “As much as I love Beatrice, I’m always rooting for you. Okay?”
Ava took a deep breath, exhaling quietly through her teeth. “Thanks, Mary.” She said, and she felt a little bit better after that.
Camila and Lilith, who had arrived in Tahoe earlier that morning, came running out of the cabin as Mary and Ava got out of the car.
“It’s about time!” Lilith said as Camila pulled Ava into a tight hug before doing the same to Mary. “We were expecting you to get here hours ago.” Camila’s curly black hair was much shorter than the last time Ava had seen her, but her beaming smile was wider than ever.
“Our flight was delayed.” Mary explained once Camila released her. “It’s been a long day.”
Ava shouldered her bag and walked over to where Lilith stood at the top of the driveway, cheekbones sharp and silvery hair blowing softly in the wind. “Sup loser.” Ava said, going for a high-five.
Lilith rolled her eyes and smacked Ava’s hand before wrapping an arm around Ava’s neck in a head lock and playfully mussing her hair. “Good to see you, dumbass.” Ava laughed as she pulled away. Her friendship with Lilith had always been a strange one, but they loved each other deep down.
Lilith and Camila helped Ava and Mary unload the car before leading them into the cabin, which looked even nicer than Ava had expected. The first floor had an open and spacious kitchen and living room with a large island bar, a cozy fireplace, and floor to ceiling windows in the back to give a perfect view of the lake below. Ava took a moment to gape at the view, marveling at the sight of the forest and lake stretched out before her.
“It’s nice right?” Lilith asked, coming to stand beside Ava. “I used to love coming here as a kid.”
Ava shook her head in wonder. “It still surprises me sometimes to think about how different we grew up. You got to have all this, and I was in an orphanage.” Ava nudged Lilith in the side. “Why do all the good things happen to bad people?”
“Oh, ha ha.”
Camila came up to Ava’s other side, slipping her hand into Ava’s and squeezing tightly. “Well, you get to have all this now.” She said softly. “Come with me upstairs and I’ll show you your room!”
There were four bedrooms in the cabin, one downstairs (that Lilith and Camila had already claimed as their own) and three upstairs. The bedroom to the left was Beatrice’s room (or so Camila said), the middle Mary took for herself and Shannon once her girlfriend arrived (Shannon would be flying in to Tahoe in two days’ time, as she was currently at a conference for law school in Chicago), and Ava was left with the bedroom on the right. It was simple, with cream white walls and a large queen size bed in the middle and an antique-looking armoire against one wall. There was a wide window directly across from the bed, offering another magnificent view of the lake and surrounding mountains, which Ava appreciated greatly. Tying the room together was a strange and somewhat creepy oil painting of an octopus that hung above the bed, but Ava kind of liked it. Ava tossed her bags onto the bed, shoved her phone into her shorts pocket, then headed back downstairs to rejoin her friends.
Mary and Camila were seated on barstools at the island in the kitchen, and Lilith was leaning against the counter across from them. Ava hopped up on to the counter beside Lilith, while she admired the stainless-steel appliances the kitchen was graced with.
“So, how’ve you been, Ava?” Camila asked once Ava was settled on the countertop. “Lil and I haven’t seen you since you left for Australia.”
“It’s been lovely, really.” Lilith joked, and she had to jump away to avoid Ava’s punch to her shoulder.
“I’ve been good,” Ava said, looking back at Camila. “But you know that already. We FaceTime at least once a week.”
Camila smiled. “Sure, but knowing you, anything could’ve happened since our last call. Crash any weddings lately?” She teased.
Ava laughed at the reminder as she fondly remembered a quaint wedding she had stumbled upon on a beach in Yamba, a small coastal town in Australia. She hadn’t meant to crash the wedding, but the family of the bride welcomed her with open arms, and it had turned into an unexpectedly wonderful evening.
“How are you two doing?” Mary asked, pointing between Camila and Lilith. “You just moved into your new apartment, right?”
Camila nodded, smiling widely. “Yes! Just two weeks ago. It’s so much nicer than our last apartment. We’re no longer in the basement, there are no leaks in the ceiling, and we have in-unit laundry now! Which let me tell you, I am never going without again.”
Lilith laughed as she ran a hand down Camila’s back. “We get a lot of natural light, too, which is also a plus. And it’s a closer commute to work for the both of us.”
Ava felt warm as she watched her two friends talk about their new home together. Lilith and Camila started dating back in their third year of college. Camila had joined their friend group sophomore year after Beatrice had met her in one of the classes they shared, as they were both majoring in International Studies. After a year of awkward flirting and tiptoeing around their mutual attraction, Lilith finally stepped up and asked Camila on a date, and the two have been together ever since. Lilith, who had studied Political Science, moved with Camila to DC after graduating from college. They both landed jobs in the government, as Lilith was working in public relations and Camila got an internship with the FBI (yes, the goddamn FBI) for analytical work (the same position that Beatrice was hired in just a year later after she completed her master’s degree. Ava’s friends were really fucking cool). While it was hard to go without seeing two of her closest friends every day, Ava was happy that Camila and Lilith had each other and that their relationship was still going strong.
But it was the third friend who currently resided in DC that Ava was most excited to see (and who had been strangely absent in the lake house thus far).
Ava swung her legs from where she sat on the counter, her heels softly clicking against the cabinets below her. “So…where is Beatrice?” She finally asked, glancing between Camila and Lilith. “She flew in with you two this morning, didn’t she?”
Camila nodded. “Yeah, we were on the same flight. Beatrice and Teresa volunteered to drive into town to pick up groceries and drinks for the week, bless them. They left about an hour before you two got here, so they should be back soon.”
“I wish they would hurry up.” Lilith grumbled, glancing at the clock on the stove. “I’m starving.”
“A drink sounds amazing right now.” Mary said longingly as she got up from the bar and headed to the fridge. “Lilith, what kind of cocktail mixers does your family have here? Think there’s anything we can use for margaritas?”
But Ava wasn’t listening anymore. She was still stuck on something Camila had said.
“Who’s Teresa?” Ava asked; a sinking feeling in her stomach.
The conversation dropped off suddenly, and there were nervous looks passed back and forth between Camila and Lilith. Mary stopped rummaging through the fridge and leaned against the counter, a curious look in her eyes as she watched the scene unfold.
Lilith hesitated when she turned back towards Ava. “You don’t – Beatrice never told you?” Ava raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms as she looked at her and Camila.
“Beatrice never told me what?” Ava could feel her own panic rising in her chest as Lilith twiddled her thumbs and Camila wouldn’t look her in the eye. “What’s going on? Who the fuck is Teresa?”
It was Camila who finally answered, after one last glance at Lilith. “I can’t believe she didn’t tell you…” Camila’s expression changed to one of pity as she broke the news to Ava. “Teresa is Beatrice’s girlfriend.”
Oh.