Kayleigh's Pov - Lockville

August 31, 2018

Kayleigh, we're in trouble.

I never thought I would hear those words again.

The same words that caused me so much pain in the past were now floating around in my head. I could feel my body going rigid as my mind started to panic. My brain tried desperately to process the information but couldn't keep up. The sentence was simple, but my body acted as if it was complex and foreign.

My body felt heavy. The weight of mom's words anchored me to my seat yet caused me emotional distress. Even in its rigid state, the whirlwind of emotions was battling inside me, yet it seemed I was the only one affected. She must've only told me, and a part of me wishes she hadn't.

~~~~

Somehow the mood seemed lighter when we left Gisele's. Even mom seemed to be doing better, but that might be due to her opening up. I, on the other hand, was still swimming in emotions. I had managed to act calm for the rest of the meal, but my mind was far from the present. I had so many questions, but they were left unanswered. Mom gave no further details after what she told me. Except that she didn't want my sisters to know, not that I blame her. But it would be nice to share this with Natalia, at least. Then there would be two of us with this overwhelming secret.

We're in trouble,

We're in trouble,

We're in fucking trouble.

It's like a broken record that won't shut up. It only made me worry more, but now was not the time to focus on that. I needed to focus on my sisters with this move. After a brief stop at the surrounding shops, we're back en route toward Locksville. Some were closed for the day, but the ones open were vintage, selling clothes, antiques, or books. We all made a mental note to come back sometime soon.

Two hours later, we finally made it; sadly, we still had another twenty to thirty-minute drive before reaching the new house. I was lowkey excited to see what mom picked out. She had a gift for picking beautiful homes that made us feel at home, even if the city or town didn't. I just hoped this house came with more than one bathroom. Our old house only had one, and too many fights happened over it. Sometimes it got so bad mom would have to drag one of us to her bathroom. I did not want to go through that again, so I'm praying this house doesn't disappoint.

Gazing out the window, I glanced at the buildings we were passing. Each one is different, but the emotional difference was evident. It was fascinating how an object or structure could change one's attitude. It isn't common amongst my people, as most cut their emotions off. But it's refreshing to watch others go through change. It makes me wonder what type of people we'll meet here.

Twenty-five minutes later, we pull up to our new home—a two-story styled contemporary in two hues of brown. It was different from the rustic and vintage home mom chose in Portland. Crystal-clear windows adorned the place, stretching across multiple areas, leaving nothing to the imagination of what could be waiting. A luscious green lawn sat comfortably in the front. Various colored bushes lined the pathway to the front door, all neatly trimmed as if it cut yesterday. The house's exterior was gorgeous; I couldn't help but wonder what the inside looked like.

"Kayleigh!"

"Huh?" I call as my eyes look for the source.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Quit the daydreaming and start unloading the car," Eve calls back, her figure disappearing into the door. Grabbing my bag, I hopped out of the car and proceeded to the open trunk. There wasn't much to unload as we only brought semi-important items—suitcases filled with minimum clothing, the occasional household decoration, and antique kitchenware. I had no doubt we would be going shopping to finish our move. It was an unspoken rule at this point; we moved too much. Letting a sigh escape me, I slung my bag on my back and grabbed a box from the trunk. Let's see how long we'll stay here.

It took us no time to unload the car, given that we had piled everything in the living room or kitchen. But picking rooms was a different story. Mom picked a five-bedroom home, so we had plenty of rooms to choose from, yet an argument still found its way into things. Luckily, I had no desire to pick the next oversized room after the main bedroom, so I was safe from a never-ending argument with Eve and Cassidy. I ended up settling for the room on the first floor. It was smaller than the rooms upstairs, but I wasn't bothered as it was spacious enough for an ensuite and walk-in closet. Aside from soft blue walls and a queen-sized bed, the room was empty. I needed a lot of furniture, but that could wait till tomorrow.

Dropping my suitcase on the bed, I looked for a change of clothes. We were leaving out, so I wanted to be in something more comfortable than jeans. I haven't had a shower yet, so I wasn't looking to mess up any proper-looking clothes. Settling on some black biker shorts and an oversized tee, I finish getting ready before making my way to the living room. Mom and Natalia were there when I entered, meaning Cassidy and Eve were slow poking around.

"How long have you been down here?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Natalia looked up from her position on the floor.

"Maybe about five minutes. It didn't take long to find some bottoms to change into."

"All my comfortable clothes were at the bottom of my suitcase," I say, leaning against the wall. "Did you get a decent room?"

"That's because you pack weird, and yeah, it's bigger than the one back in Portland."

"What about the bathroom?"

Sighing, Natalia lets her head fall back against the wall. "I didn't get an ensuite, but I heard Cassidy and Eve shouting, so I think they got one."

"I'm surprised I didn't hear them. If they did, then you technically got your own."

"Speaking of your sisters, what's taking them so long?" Mom questions, removing her gaze from the papers in her lap. "It's been fifteen minutes already."

Natalia and I just shrugged; those two could've fallen asleep. They hadn't shown signs of being sleepy, not that our bodies would. But if the beds in their room were soft, they would fall asleep instantly. Please don't ask me how; they've always been like this. Anyway, abandoning the papers she was reading, mom yelled upstairs until the two idiots finally came down. Sure enough, those two had been asleep.

Mom decided to take us sightseeing before going anywhere else. We didn't make an extensive trip, but we did drive past places that would be useful to us, like grocery stores, shopping centers, banks, or hang-out spots. Typically, we would do this the next day after resting, but we would be busy the rest of the weekend.

Though I am a little concerned about the lack of forest area, I know it's rare for a forest to inhabit Florida, but we would need one eventually. Especially Natalia since her birthday is close and her body would start craving more. I'll ask mom about it later or see if we can find a substitute.

After sightseeing, we headed off to wherever mom needed to go. I figured we were running some minor errands as we would spend tomorrow and Sunday. I was dreading it, my body might be strong, but I did not want to be stuck moving furniture. It was tiring, and somebody always ended up complaining, cough Cassidy.

"No way. Are we getting a new CAR?"

Huh?

"Why didn't you tell us we were getting a new car?"

What the hell? What am I missing?

Blinking, I brought myself out of my thoughts before looking out the window. Sure enough, we were in a dealership parking lot. I'm surprised as our current car wasn't even a year old and still looked brand new. Wonder if this has anything to do with our unknown trouble. My facial expression must've changed as I felt Natalia nudge me, silently asking if I'm okay. It's not like I can tell her. I don't know the particulars since mom hasn't said anything, so I just gave a quick nod with a smile. She still looked concerned but let it go nonetheless.

Mom must've had an ideal car she wanted because it didn't take long before we were rolling out the lot again. She chose a Chevy Tahoe in sleek gray with cream leather seats. We would probably need seat covers when the extreme heat sets in since it'll irritate our skin.

I want to say we were going home, but I can't be sure. I wasn't paying enough attention to memorize the way, which I'll need to do soon if we have to walk or take the bus to school. Anyway, my guess about going home was wrong; mom decided to take us out for dinner instead. It makes sense seeing that there were no groceries in the house, it was late, and it's been some hours since we last ate. But honestly, my body was craving something else.