Secrets Don't Make Friends

The Beginning

I've moved so many times in my life that I don't even remember where I came from. Mom and Derek have always been the adventurous type, never wanting to stay in one place for too long. Dad calls and texts me almost all the time, wondering where I've been to that day. "Darling, are you awake back there?" Derek called from the front seat of the RV. Mom was passed out in the passenger's seat, snoring away.

"I'm awake," I replied. I caught a strange expression flash across his features, but once he noticed my different colored eyes staring back at him through the mirror, he smiled. He had been like that the whole trip, at least this part of it anyways. He was acting really odd for the past couple of days, honestly. I'm not sure if Mom noticed it or not, but I did. I watched the scenery fly by as we made our way across the states. Mom eventually woke up as Derek decided to pull into a rest stop. A sign about 10 miles earlier said we had just entered Minnesota.

"Why are we stopping?" Mom asked, rubbing her eyes. Derek gave her the same look that I've been seeing him give me, then turned to smile at me. "I thought we could grab a bite to eat before continuing with our trip," he suggested. My stomach growled, giving him my answer. Mom looked at me, then nodded back to her husband. I followed behind the two of them, trying to watch for anything suspicious with Derek. He was acting so weird. We decided to eat at the rest shop's restaurant, sitting ourselves down in one of the booths. "I wish your sister would have joined us, Brooklyn. She would have loved to travel like this," Mom gushed.
I smiled at the thought of my 26 year old sister wanting to tag along with her 14 year old sister, over-bearing mother, and a "snob of a stepfather" as she called Derek. "I'm sure she would have loved it," I chuckled sarcastically. Mom smiled and continued to scan the menu for something good. I noticed a bit of tension at the table, so I decided to excuse myself to the bathroom. There were already a couple of women waiting, so I casually leaned against the wall to wait for my turn.

After about 10 minutes, I finally left to go to our table. When I reached it, I found my backpack and my bag of clothes resting on the table, but no Mom or Derek. There was a note in the front pocket of my bag:

My Darling Brooklyn,
We leave you here with the deepest feeling
of regret. We both love you all of our
hearts, but we feel leaving you here with
someone else will do you good. It will keep
you safe...
Your cousin lives not far from this rest
stop, maybe about 5 or so miles down the
road. We will be back. We just want what's
best for you, babygirl.

-Derek and Mom

I hadn't realized that I had been crying until a waitress was lifting me from the floor, and a nearby waiter was grabbing my things. They left me behind.