Protector (TFP)

ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ ~ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ~

My mom always told me to move on and move forward. That to continue living, I have to let go of the emotions and regrets from the past and keep going without looking back. Maybe that's why I didn't say anything the day my mom told me we were moving. Even though it was almost a month ago, I still remember the day vividly. 

I was sitting in my room listening to music when my mother burst in, her mouth upturned in the biggest grin. I remember how she grabbed my hands in hers and told me the big news of how she got accepted for the doctor job. A job she's always wanted ever since she graduated med school. 

Of course, I was happy for her. Both of us squealed with joy at the announcement, and for a moment, everything seemed perfect. That was until she told me the job wasn't in Montana and that we would be moving to a small town in Nevada in a month's time. The dread filled me almost immediately as she said those words, and I couldn't breathe for a second. 

I wanted to object. To fight till my last breath to stay in the place I considered home. How could she take me away from the place I loved and grew up in? There were so many memories embedded in the walls that they could tell my whole life story.

But I stopped myself once I saw the pleading look in her eyes. For my mom, it was time for her to move on and move forward, and staying in Montana, in the house he lived in, prevented her from doing just that. So with a heavy heart, I faked a smile and told her I was happy for her and that she deserved this fantastic opportunity. I could tell that she knew I was faking, but the look in her deep blue hues expressed her gratitude.

The days flew by fast, and with the house sold and the car packed, I knew there was no turning back. As we drove on the long winding road, my mom tried her best to keep a positive unbothered attitude. In a way, I think she was trying to comfort me, though I could tell she was nervous as her fingers tapped on the steering wheel.

It's been a little over ten hours since we left, and my body was already begging for me to leave the small vehicle. I stretched my limbs out once more to release the aching sensation in my bones, but the relief only lasted a moment. With an irritated sigh, my eyes wandered to the view that flew by, and although I am usually entranced by nature, the sandy environment that whipped past didn't impress me.

"How are you doing over there?" My attention lazily returned to the inside of the car at the sound of my mother's voice. My eyes met with stunning blue ones before her attention shifted back to the road.

"I'm good. Just excited to get to the new house." I replied, shifting in my seat for the thousandth time. "How are you doing?" I asked, my voice softening at the question. For a second, I thought I saw a tinge of regret in my mother's eyes, but it quickly disappeared as a happy smile overtook her face.

"I'm excited as well. It will be nice to lay in a bed and not be in this stuffy car!" She beamed. I nodded in agreement and couldn't help but let out a small smile.

"How much longer till we get there?" I questioned, the back of my head hitting the seat.

"Not long. We'll be there soon." She assured me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Mom seemed to notice my apparent disbelief as she looked at my slumped form. "What, you don't believe me?" She teased, her mouth sporting a cheeky grin. I sent her a playful glare, and I could tell she was holding back her laughter.

"You've been saying that for the past two hours." I reminded, blowing a stray strand of hair from my face. "So sorry if I'm a bit doubtful." I retorted. A contagious laugh escaped her, and I couldn't stop myself from being infected by it. My mom and I are very similar, and it wasn't a surprise that people often mistook us for sisters. We shared the same wavy caramel-brown hair, and my face was practically a perfect mold of hers. I was even the same height as her, and you could barely tell us apart from a distance.

However, there was one key difference in our appearance, our eyes. While hers was a perfect spring sky, mine was a deep forest green, the color resembling that of my Dad's. My eyes were one of the few things I got from him. Though my mom likes to joke and say, I also got my annoying stubbornness and strong spirit from him as well. My hand unconsciously moved to the small white crystal that hung around my neck. It was a gift dad gave me on my 10th birthday, and it was the last gift I ever got from him.

Before I knew it, memories from long ago flashed in my brain. His kind gaze, his hearty laugh, how mom would scold him about his messy blond hair, the feeling of being wrapped in his strong arms... My heart clenched, and I quickly pushed down any thought of him. I wasn't going to allow myself to break down from the memory of him. He wasn't coming back, and I had to accept that. A giddy squeal interrupted my thoughts, and I flinched from the sudden noise.

"What is wrong with you? You almost gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, my hand resting on my chest to try and calm my pounding heart. Mom only yanked my arm in response and giggled again. "What?" I wondered, my eyebrow lifting at her strange behavior.

"I can see the town!" She happily revealed, practically glowing in excitement. All the exhaustion quickly left my body at the news, and my gaze snapped to the window in front of me. Sure enough, the town's silhouette stood only a few miles away from us, and my lips turned into a smile at the sight.

"You were telling the truth," I murmured incredulously, my attention still fixed on the slowly growing town.

"I would never lie to you." She claimed, though she immediately burst out laughing at the blank stare I shot at her. A mixture of nervousness and excitement filled my gut as we got closer to our destination, and it wasn't long before we passed the sign welcoming us to Jasper, Nevada. With a deep breath, I looked at the town around us, desperately taking in every new sight and sound. Even though it was a kind of town with not much to look at, I felt there was more to it than what meets the eye. So as we pulled up to our quaint two-story house, the smile on my face grew, and unknowingly something inside me stirred.

Thanks for reading! This is a story I've been currently writing on Quotev, and I decided to post it on Wattpad so more people can read it. I hope you enjoy this series!