Full Moon

Prologue

My mother drove Katie and I to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in New York, the sky a perfect, kinda cloudy blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt – kinda long/short sleeve, white sheer shirt with a white shirt underneath it. I was my mom’s favorite shirt on me. Katie was wearing her favorite shirt – sleeveless, a floral shirt. It was also mom’s favorite. Our carry-on item was a baby soft sweater.

Katie and I were going to a small town named Forks, where it’s almost always cloudy. It rains in this town than any other place in the United States of America. My mom got so sick of living in the shadows that she escaped to New York with me when I was only a few months old and pregnant with Katie. My mom made me spend a month every summer until I was fourteen to spend time with him. I finally put my foot down and my dad, Eric, vacationed with me New York for three weeks instead.

I decided to give mom a break and move to Forks. She had a boyfriend, Phil, so she can have a little fun. She’s been bending over backward to raise Katie and I, I wanted to give her a chance to enjoy life before she got any older.

I’m definitely going to miss New York. I’m going to miss the sun and blistering heat. I loved the energetic city.

“Sweetie,” my mom said to me before we got on the plane. “You don’t have to do this.”

We all look alike, but mom has better laugh lines. I felt sad as I looked into her big, childlike eyes. She was so innocent, a woman who wanted fun and excitement. And I wanted to give her that. She had Phil now. The bills would get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car and someone to call when she got lost but still…

“I really want to go,” I lied. After a couple months of practice, I’ve been perfecting my lie. Plus I seemed convincing now.

“Tell Eric I said hi, okay?”

“Don’t worry I will.”

“I’ll see you soon,” she insisted. “You girls can call me when you want to come home – I’ll come and get you myself.”

I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

“Don’t worry about us,” I said picking up Katie. “It’ll be great. I love you, Mom.”

She hugged us tightly for a minute, and then we got on the plane. When I looked back, she was gone.