Crickets

I hate crickets. Not the way they look or anything. I just hate their little chirps, especially when it comes to nighttime.

I don’t remember when I started hating them, honestly. Maybe it was on that night when my boyfriend (well, ex now) and I were at the train station and he was hugging me and I giggled and commented on how loud they were. Maybe it was when I felt stuck while lying in bed on lonely summer nights in my household, listening intently for footsteps and voices. Maybe it was just that I couldn’t sleep while they were making those annoying little chirps.

So when the power went out at precisely 7:25 in the evening, I felt myself freeze for a moment. The government hadn’t said anything about a power outage, nor did they say anything about any major weather occurrence that would cause the power to go out. I grabbed my phone and turned on my data, quickly looking up the words power outage, and just as quickly, results filled the page. Apparently, there was a power outage in my town and a couple of other towns nearby, as well as one major city. And, considering my phone was at only five percent, that meant that I most likely had the spend the rest of the time with family unless I could pretend that I was sleeping.

I was just about to hop into bed and pretend to be sleeping when my door burst open, my dad smiling as he held a lit candle. "Don't go to sleep just yet! We're going camping."

Damn it. "We can't camp. We don't even have a forest near us," I pointed out. "Plus, I'm really tired." Insert fake yawn here, which he clearly didn't believe, but hey, it was worth a shot, right?

"C'mon, it’ll be like old times!"

"Like old times?"

"We used to camp out in the backyard when you were younger, remember?"

I, in fact, did not remember, but still nodded.

"Anyway, let's go. Mom already has marshmallows and firewood."

"When did she get that?"

"We've had it for a long while now," he said with a shrug, before turning around. "C'mon."

Ugh.

---

It was now 7:45, and I was outisde sitting on a chair with my parents and younger sister, all of whom were sitting on seperate chairs. I was already annoyed. My parents had been trying to get the fire up for five minutes now with no success, my sister wouldn't stop talking about some show called The Vampire Diaries, I had been bitten by several mosquitoes and my skin was starting to itch, and to top it off, the crickets were too damn loud.

"Got it!" The voice of my mom rang out excitedly, and I watched as the fire roared to life.

Finally. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can be alone again.

I checked my phone, and it was dead. Of course.

"Great! Everyone settle down so we can eat," my dad stated, and he and my mom sat down with plates.

My sister and I got up, each grabbing a plate and silverware as well, and then sat down.

I slowly but surely felt dread settle into my stomach.

There was a reason why I disliked being around my parents. I usually avoided eating with them as well. If I could eat alone or eat with my sister, I would, but considering I hadn't had dinner, it looked like I needed to be here. Granted, I could always just not eat, but I didn't want to sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night with the amount of creaking the doors and floors did.

I cut into the chicken, chewing as I glanced around. I found the silence awkward, but at least we weren't talking.

"So, kids, how's school?" my mom asked, taking a sip of water.

"It's fine," my sister answered cheerily. "Did you know that Elena got turned into a vampire?"

My mom's brows furrowed. "Who?"

"Elena! The main character," my sister said with a duh tone of voice. "She was human but she got turned."

"Elena is also probably being a crybaby about it," I snorted with an eyeroll. I didn't know much about the show itself, but from the rundowns my sister gave me, Elena seemed to be whiny.

"She is not!"

"She is!"

"No!"

"Back to the original question," my mother stated, glancing in between us before directing her attention to my sister again. "School is just fine? How are your grades?"

"They're good! I showed you my report card. All A's." She puffed her chest out proudly and then proceeded to stick her tongue out at me.

"Oh, right! I remember now!"

"Atta girl, good for you!" my dad added with a smile. He then looked to me. "How about you?"

"My grades are good." I shrugged nonchalantly as I finished up the chicken, now digging into the macaroni and cheese.

"I heard you got a C in one of your classes, though," my mom said as she brought another piece of chicken to her mouth. "Honestly, it would help if you were more like your sister."

"You mean obsessed with The Vampire Diaries?" I snorted, shovelling macaroni into my mouth.

"I mean getting better grades."

"I'm trying."

"Mhm."

"You're eating like a pig," my dad said to me as he ate calmly.

I felt my heart drop as a tense silence filled the air. Ugh. The fire crackled as I felt tears sting my eyes, but I focused on my food and looked down, attempting to eat slower. But again, the faster I ate, the faster I could leave. And so, once again, I shovelled food into my mouth. Nausea briefly swept through me. I wasn't always used to eating this fast, but I didn't really care. Getoutgetoutgetout

"Why'd you have to say that?" my sister asked, just as calm. "They're eating like a normal person."

"Not by shoving food into their mouth they aren't," my dad snapped at her, and she fell silent. "I'm sorry, but it's just not right. If anyone saw them eating like that, they'd run away."

I was quiet for a while, and after I finished my food, I stood, muttering, "I'm getting some water."

"We have water here," my mom said.

"I want tap water." With that, I quickly walked inside the house, and once inside, I let out a loud sigh. Turning on the tap water, I put my cup under it and then downed it. I now remembered why I disliked spending time with them. I was about to go up to my room, only to be stopped by the door opening and then my sister as she held a marshmallow on a stick out.

"Marshmallow making time?" she asked innocently.

"Fine. Marshmallow making time." I grumbled as I took the stick from her and walked out with her.

I sat down and my sister dragged her chair over to mine, sitting down next to me with a stick and marshmallow of her own. It was quiet and all I heard was the fire and crickets.

"So, how's Elena dealing with being a vampire?" I asked as we held our marshmallows to the fire, our parents being quiet for once, and as she started talking about it, I felt myself relax. Maybe this wasn't going to be a terrible night after all.

I still hate crickets, though.