Lost in the Lights

Chapter 1

Once Becky taped up the last box and set it aside for the movers to take, she took the rare moment she had alone and reminisced. She knew this day was bound to come. Since her father's passing earlier in the year, Becky's mother – Rawee – had begun making the arrangements to move closer to Becky's grandparents in Ohio. Aside from a handful of friends, they didn't really have anyone else close by and with Becky's little brother – Ritchie – still too young to stay home alone and Becky busy with school, Rawee needed the extra help.

The move made sense, but Becky dreaded it in silence. She was going into her Senior year and being the new kid at school wasn't how she planned on spending it. She kept her feelings in check though as she boxed up her whole life and said goodbye.

Becky didn't want to make things harder by digging in her heels, so she put on a brave face for the sake of her family and finished her Junior year without making any complaints. Instead, Becky did everything she could to help make the transition a little easier.

With a light knock on Becky's door, Rawee made her presence known.

"You ready to go, Bec?" Rawee asked gently.

Becky could feel her throat tightening. Was she ready? The answer was obvious and deep down, Rawee knew that. She closed the distance and gave her daughter a hug.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Rawee whispered.

Becky just nodded and held on tighter.

***

It had been a long drive and it seemed like everything started to look a little greener the further they got from the coast. Even the trees changed from the bushy palms Becky grew up with to tall oaks, but after what felt like a million hours the Armstrong Family finally made it to their destination.

"It's a good looking house, right kids?" Rawee asked cheerfully as the family stretched their achy limbs in front of their new home.

It wasn't anything special, just a typical three bedroom, two bath. The siding was white, the shutters were blue and the wooden fence looked relatively knew. At a quick glance, the house looked like any other on the block. Becky didn't have any complaints though and when she glanced down at Ritchie, neither did he.

"It's cute," Becky agreed with a smile then nudged her brother, "What do you think, Ritchie?"

"I like the windows," Ritchie pointed up at the shutters, "Blue's my favorite color."

"Mine too," Becky winked.

"Well, go pick your rooms," Rawee instructed.

She didn't get a chance to tell them that they were the exact same size, one just faces the backyard and the other faces the front. The two took off towards the house giggling the whole way while Rawee just shook her head and trailed after them.

***

It took them a couple weeks to settle into their new place with the help of Becky's grandparents, but it was finally starting to feel like home even if she felt like something was missing.

Or rather, someone.

Some nights she could hear the soft whimpers coming from her mother's room and some nights Ritchie makes his way into Becky's bed because the dreams keep him up at night. Everyone misses him and that makes the transition a little harder. The nights are usually hard for everyone, but they manage to get by together.

It's better during the day when it's light out and there's less time to overthink things. An Ohio summer has nothing on a Florida one, but Becky doesn't complain about that either. She can catch a tan wherever the sun shines, so she does just that.