Season Girl //SOON TO BE DELETED//

Chapter 9

Autumn's POV

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It took me ages to go to sleep that night....I was too nervous, that and the air mattress was deflating.

It was some time around 2:00am when I finally got to sleep, and we had an early start that morning.

"Autumn? Wake up sweetie," dad was shaking me awake.

It was still dark outside.

A blurry vision of my dad stood above me.

I reached for my glasses, pushing them on.

"What time is it?" I groaned, covering my face with the duvet.

"Just gone five, but we need to get ready, the flight leaves at 8:00am," dad explained, opening the curtains up, "if we are going to say goodbye to mum we need to get a move on."

Dad left my room, and I nudged myself awake.

Dragging on literally anything I could, I sat bleary eyes in front of the bathroom mirror.

Following Amy's instructions, I tried to recreate what she 'beautified' yesterday.

When I was happy (it took twenty minutes to get right) I hauled myself into the kitchen, where dad was eating burnt jam on toast, fully dressed.

I don't normally drink coffee, but to wake me up, I had a sip of dad's.

We loaded everything into the car, and drove down to the cemetery to say goodbye to mum.

Dad had swiped some roses from Mr Barda's (the landlord) flower pot on the way out.

We lay the roses out carefully, and whispered to mum, our breathe making fog in the cold air. I crouched down beside mum's gravestone.

"We are moving to Australia today, mum," I whispered, "and it's going to be a big change. It's because of dad's job, and we are moving to the coast, near the beach! It's going to be really fun. I'll miss you."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned around and dad stood there, smiling, to no one in particularly, just smiling.

"It's time to go, Autumn. Say goodbye now," dad said gently.

"Bye, mum, I'll come back and see you soon, I promise," I leaned forward, and it might sound stupid, but I kissed the gravestone goodbye.

I traced my fingers lightly over the inscription in the stone.

'Juliana McKenna

Birth 1969 ~ Death 2010

A perfect spouse, and a beautiful mother. Will be missed by all.'

Dad hugged me tight and whispered in my ear; "she would be proud of us, Autumn."

I smiled, he's right.