Brought to Light

Chapter 2

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*THE ONE AND ONLY*

***I imagine River as Zendaya. Please feel free to imagine her as someone of your choosing :)***

RIVER 

Michigan has never looked this beautiful to me before. I've wanted to leave Michigan since I was a young girl and people told me Michigan didn't have much to offer. They told me there was a whole world for me to discover and that I shouldn't get stuck here. Word hard, get good grades, and get out of Michigan. My only goal in life. I could leave and be homeless in Oregon, but at least I left Michigan.

Looking at it with fresh, new eyes, I knew I could never leave. Not permanently at least. My parents didn't listen to the naysayers, either. They worked hard, got good grades, got hitched, started a real estate business, and had my beautiful sister Kallum. The American dream done right; my best friend Rae used to jokingly say. They never planned on having a second child two years after the first; nor did they plan on this second child almost dying before her head fully developed.

They made a name for themselves, and their relationship was something to be envied. Everyone could tell their love was genuine and my sister and I always had a model structure in the home.

I turned my head to the left and leaned it on my headrest. Like my younger self would, I counted my mom's freckles and began drifting to sleep. Jolted awake by a hand roughly shaking my shoulder, I bolted upright in my seat, hitting my forehead against my mom's. "Fuck!" she screamed out accidently. She instantly covered her mouth, as though I was four years old and still impressionable, "That was my fault! Honey I am so sorry, are you okay?" she asked while frantically checking over my wellbeing.

I pushed her hands gently and assured her I was fine, although my head was pounding something fierce. I didn't want to worry her more than I already knew she was. I looked through the windshield expecting to see our home in Bloomfield Hills, but instead I was staring at an older style apartment building. Twisting my body, I waited until my vision cleared and searched my surroundings hoping to grasp onto something familiar. My mother held out her hand to me like a peace offering and there was that same look back in the hospital. Her eyes screamed at me with intense passion to leave well enough alone. When have I ever been able to do that?

"Who are we visiting?" I asked without moving, watching her hand eventually drop to her side. She ducked her head down into the door to get a better view of me, conveniently blocking the sun from my line of vision.

"Why don't you come in to see?"

"I don't feel up to meeting anyone new. Especially without some type of forewarning. Can you just tell me who it is, so I'm not completely blindsided?" My introverted ways slowly sinking back into my personality.

Holding her hands up in a way of surrender, she slowly backed away from the car door as if I was a lioness getting ready to attack. The sun shown its rays directly back into my eyes and I had to squint if I wanted to see properly. She moved to the trunk of the car and began emptying its contents onto the grass next to her chosen parking spot. I slowly climbed out of the passenger seat and stretched my limbs from the short car ride.

"Can you at least tell me what city we're in?" I asked imploringly.

After a short internal debate, my mom whispered her answer. "What, mom?"

"Farmington!" she exclaims, too dramatically for my liking. I look towards the sky, making sure to raise an arm to block the light, and soak in the beautiful heat.

"I can't believe I never asked. What month is it? What season is it?"

"I never really gave you the chance to ask, I guess. It's July 3rd, 2021. Peak of summer, although we've been getting a lot of May showers, but that's Michigan for you."