Chloe’s Corruption

“Chloe, have you packed your things yet?” My mother’s voice caught my attention. Her footsteps were gradually approaching my room. “Your father is arriving shortly,” she added. “It’s his custody weekend, don’t forget.”

“Thanks, but I’m ready,” I replied. It’s an arrangement that had been going on for nearly a year already. Hell, technically it wasn’t even a custody day anymore. My eighteenth birthday came up in the midst of the year, so it wasn’t a legally binding requirement. I simply got used to spending the weekend away from home.

I suppose I was lucky that they waited with that big change as long as they did. It’s easy to remember how quickly things were different. My parents had entered that phase in their marriage when they could no longer put up with each other, and as such, they decided to get divorced and live separately. It was a simple solution ¬for them. But for me – their child – it was annoying to deal with. It was akin to living two different lives.

My mother was raising me to be modest and proper, while my father took advantage of his newfound freedom by going through what appeared to be a midlife crisis. His way of raising me revolved around the simple philosophy of “do whatever.” I couldn’t complain that my life was dull, at least.

“He seems to be late. What’s taking him so long?” I asked just as my bedroom door swung open, and my mother peeked inside. She was mildly surprised to see that I truly had packed my belongings already. It was a simple travel bag containing a change of clothes, some basic necessities, and my laptop so that I could continue studying despite being away from home.

The startling noise of a honking car drew my attention to our backyard. I quickly bid my farewells to my mother, grabbed my bag, and greeted my father outside. To my surprise, he had arrived in a rented van rather than his usual car.

He rolled down a window, and gestured for me to come closer.

“Get inside, princess!” he yelled, which made me cringe in return. He loved teasing me with that nickname. I could never tell if the origin stemmed from the large house my mother lived in, or the expensive clothes she enjoyed dressing me in. Either way, I hadn’t asked for any of it.

“Dad!” I made an attempt to make him feel guilty, but he simply scoffed and continued staring at me with an amused grin. Unacceptable. I glared even more strongly back at him, but it was of no use. He simply watched in glee as I carried the heavy luggage into the conspicuous old van and got into the passenger’s seat. It was my turn to stare back at my father.

“What’s with the rented car?” Turning to look into the back of the vehicle, I also noticed a bunch of camping utensils.

“Well,” he begun to explain. “It’s kind of a long story. How about this,” he suggested. “You go ahead and enjoy the scenery for a while, and once we’ve arrived, I’ll tell you what we are doing and why we are doing it. Does that sound fair to you?”

I nodded, and our journey started. It was a pleasant sight as I looked out the window. The urban cityscape gradually faded out of view, and was replaced by a welcoming countryside. Fields, acres, and vast patches of empty grass land. It was after an hour of driving when my interest piqued and I shot my father a curious gaze. Alas, he did not reply.

The car eventually took a turn, and entered a rough trail that led into a forest. The basking sun above us became shrouded by leaves. Only a few rays of light still managed to break through the dense vegetation, and even the air itself became noticeably damp and fresh.

It was the first time in years that I was so far away from home, but rather than being frightened, I felt a weird sense of relief. It was akin to an unexpected vacation, albeit with a purpose I still wasn’t clear about.

“You look like you haven’t seen trees before,” my father interrupted me.

“It’s been a while. Care to explain why you’re taking me all the way out here?” Just to be sure of what I already expected, I briefly snatched my phone out of my pocket and checked for a connection. It didn’t display a single bar ¬– we were far from civilization.

“Sure!” he answered. The dense vegetation was slowly opening up to reveal a larger, open area. The grass was downtrodden. Near the center was a makeshift fire pit consisting of many small and large stones which were arranged into a circle. Remnants of ash still lingered in the midst of that circle. “Well, there’s a secret I hadn’t told you yet,” he began.

“Before you were born, I always hoped that your mother would give birth to a son. Because the fondest memories of my childhood, were bonding moments with my dad during fishing trips, hiking, things like that. When she gave birth to a daughter, I kind of just accepted that those things would never happen again. But you know what?” The car gradually slowed until it came to a stop.

“You’re old enough now to decide for yourself. I figured we can give this a try, and if you dislike it, you will let me know.”

He stepped out of the car, and already began to retrieve a few items from the back of the van while I was still taken aback by this revelation. He just dumped a lot of information on me at once. It was a relief that he didn’t say he regretted having a daughter, but he also mentioned that he would have preferred a son. It probably didn’t help that my mother had her own way of raising me. Whatever good that did, anyway. I never liked playing with dolls and I certainly was never going to behave like one.

When I freshly entered puberty, she was probably the only reason why I spent my time with other girls instead of roughhousing it with the guys and being up to no good. This was an opportunity to embrace my rebellious side and maybe even learn a little more about myself. And the way my father phrased it, this seemed to be some kind of family tradition. I loved the thought.

“I will let you know!” I chirped back at him. So I climbed out of the car, and helped to get his stuff out of the car. Most of it resembled camping gear, which he soon used to set up a tent. It felt like a little adventure – I didn’t even know where we were, but it was an idyllic little patch. There was also a distinct watery sound nearby.

Curiosity got the better of me, so while my father was busy setting up the rest of the campsite, I followed the noise. It gradually grew louder, until I arrived at a little creek in the middle of the woods. The water coursing through it was crystal clear – to a city girl such as myself, it looked awesome. I sat down on a nearby patch of grass and simply watched the flowing water. The lush scenery, combined with the steady sound of water, provided such a unique experience.

It was so relaxing.

Every time I breathed in, I could smell fresh nature around me. I couldn’t tell just how long I sat there. It felt like my worries and stress were just washing away in that gentle stream.

It took a while before I returned to my father. Much to my surprise, he had already finished his preparations and sat by a newly lit campfire. The tent was just a few feet away, and despite its small size, it seemed solid and dependable enough to last the night. Which was fortunate – the sun was already setting.

Upon noticing me, my father gestured for me to come closer. He was close to the fire, seated, on a wooden log that had been split through the middle to make it serve as bench.