Chapter 1, The Beginning.
Moving again..... it's not like I'm bitter about it, or not used to it, At least we're done loading the U-haul, i have a few small paper cuts from the cardboard boxes, and stuff packing tape, a little arm soreness. I'm not very strong yet, in fact I'm much smaller than most of the 16 year old girls my age, maybe it's from my affinity to staying inside and reading. I grab my small brown crossbody bag of day to day necessities, and car boredom kit, that includes a small murder mystery book I got at the 99shop last week, a few snacks, a bottle of water, my journal with pens, and jump into the passenger seat of our run down bright orange Chevy Malibu, the dream catcher dangling from the rear view window sending light rods all over the tattered black leather seats, I watch as my mother comes skipping down the front steps, of our empty rental house, in her tight rhinestone skinny jeans and white tank top, she was naturally so beautiful, had natural large breast and hips with a tiny waste, men were always in awe at her, she always had an electric white smile, and full lips, It was hard to believe that I was her daughter, with my pale skin, petit frame, dark brown locks, and honey colored eyes, she locked the front door, slipping the key under the welcome Matt, her long red hair wild and bouncing in the summer sun as she came to the car. We're leaving Florida, moving clear across the country to Oregon, my moms from a different generation, one of free will, free love, and without roots. I never met my father, and my mother never spoke of him, I remember asking about him when I was really small, and I could tell it hurt her, so I never asked again. I have no one to say goodbye to, we weren't here long enough to get attached to anyone. I'm not sad to go, I'm not a fan of the sun, the tan beautiful people, my mother fit right in, but the smiles, bikinis, and social aspect make me feel isolated. I'm shy, more like awkward, My skins a little pale, despite living a short 5 minute walk from the beach for the past 6 months, and I don't have any desire to make friends, it's not worth the hurt when we inevitably leave, always taught not to put myself at risk, no attachments, no strings, ever. She runs around the back making sure the tail is locked in place, everything we own in one tiny trailer, boxed, or thrown into black trash bags, and then she jumps inside "it's going to be different this time baby, I got a good feeling about this new job!", she grabs my hand and squeezes while smiling, I give her a kind and fake optimistic smile, it's not going to be different, it never is. The engine turned over, with a little coaxing, we back out of the drive, and were gone, off to a new town, a new place where no one will remember me when I go. That's what we want, no connections, no friends, no memories.
My names Dove, my mother said it's after my grandmother, who I have never met, in fact I have never met any family of mine. But me and my mom make it work, we have a great system, we stay busy working, and homeschooling, it's easier to take with me seeing as we move a few times a year, my mother never likes to stay in one place too long, we never put too much into a house, or relationships, that's how we stay safe, as my mother says.
We drove into the night, until my mother could barely keep herself from nodding, and she finally greed to pull over at a rest stop outside of mobile Alabama. I hate pulling over at night, the dark stop was on the side of the highway, the restrooms were lit, but had a faint yellow buzzing, the stop was empty apart from 3 18wheel long travel truck sitting to the far right of the lot. We got out of the car and silently headed to the vending machine in between the male and female bathrooms, where my mother got two dr peppers "I'm going to need the caffeine if we're going to make it to our first stop by morning", we then headed to the ladies room, i did my business then I washed my hands and walked out before my mother, I heard a russeling in the bushes and it made me jump, I walked a little closer and a small black cat jumped out and ran straight into my calf. I yelped, and my mother almost ran into me rushing to find the cause of the cam motion. "What's going on?, are you ok?" My mother's voice loudly and scarcely proclaimed, "I'm fine mom" I bent down, a little shocked that kitten stayed next to my leg peering into the bush, I picked it up and held her to my chest. "Mom can we bring her with us, she's scared" my mother looked at me, eyes wide with awe, and mouth a bit ajar. "Yes Dove, it seems she's meant to be with us" she said curtly and walked to the car without another word.
That wasn't normal for my mother to be so short with me, almost angry, I brushed it off as sleep deprivation, and the obligation to keep another mouth fed.
I pulled the kitten into my shirt, she was fuzzy, and cold at the same time, and silently followed behind my mother. The kitten curled into my lap after we sat in the car I used my brown satchel as a pillow, leaned my head against the window and started to nod off. The vibrations of the road lulling me into a deep sleep.