Another Piece

Chapter 1

It all started with that fateful sentence...

"Jayden, we're moving." And life came crashing down. 

"But my friends our here, my entire life has been here!!" I had to pause, of course. Taking one deep breath before giving a death glare to my perfect parents. I then proceeded to end the dramatic scene by gesturing wildly to the windows, doors, ceiling, and modern decorations that made up the kitchen. I couldn't fit any of the words I had to say into... well... words. It all came out in a jumble of gestures, and during my gesturing fit, I whacked a coffee cup off our pristine granite counter, and managed to hit my father across the face as well.

Finally, I yelled, "How could you do this to me!?" And stormed out of the room and up the stairs, tearing into my room while angrily wiping tears off my wet face. I glanced behind me to see my mother's concerned face, before I almost tore the door off the wall, slamming it against the wall with a huge BANG. 

I plopped down onto my bed and collapsed into a gulping, bawling, weeping mess. My soft, ginger hair stuck to my face and the freckles that overwhelmed my facial features were drowned by the red of my face as I gasped for air. 

I took a huge breath, forcing myself to calm down. I heard the whispered voices of my parents as they spoke to eachother quietly in their bedroom, two rooms down from mine. A scowl formed on my face, and my grieving for the loss of my precious home melted into anger at my parents for forcing these emotions on me. 

I calmed down enough to listen, and crept off the bed, which creaked as the weight was lifted off its surface. I cringed at the loud creak, and for a moment there was silence, before I began bawling once more. It was easy to fake cry, for the emotions of sadness were real.

After a few moments, my parents began their hushed speaking once more. My scowl deepened and I fell silent again, creeping towards my turquoise walls. I tensed my body as I crouched, trying not to make a single noise as to let my parents know what I'm up to. 

Slowly, I press my ear against the wall, rudely eavesdropping onto my parents' conversation. 

"Leon... are we doing the right thing? I mean... what if Jayden really has suffered too much. It's only been a year and a half since mom- my mom passed away." It was Jayden's mother talking. If anybody could convince her father not to have their family move, it was her.

"A year and a half ago. A year and a half. Lauren, she can survive moving. She should have gotten used to her grandmother not being here. Hell, you have. Look, I need this job. It's a great opportunity, and Jayden can make new friends! I need this, Lauren. Can't you see that, in a way, Jayden needs it too? Grandma Birgit's death is a huge weight on her shoulders. Maybe it would help to replace that weight with the responsibility of her own job! The neighbors next to the house we're going to move to have four children under the age of 10 years!!" My scowl deepened and I cursed. How could my father say such devilish things? Is all he cares about himself?? 

I got up from my crouched position by the wall. I wanted to throw something, to punch someone, to make someone pay for the pain I was going through. I didn't deserve this torture! 

Sure, it had been a year and a half since Grandma Birgit had died. But it had only been a year and half... and now my family was moving away from the place she'd died. We were moving away from our remaining family members, who we'd only be able to visit when my father's job allowed. 

The cruel way she'd passed away, with her throat slit and her body marred beyond belief. My father, at first, had been dead-bent on finding the disgusting man that had done that to her. That was, until, he'd gotten his big break and become famous. 

As always, it was all about my father. Never about me, my mom, or anyone else but my father. As it went, my father wanted our sole focus on his job and his job only. I'd never had the chance to play a sport, or have a pet, or any other thing that most ordinary people had had the chance to experience. 

My father, the attorney. My mother, the teacher. 

My father was an excellent attorney, of course. He was well-known for busting the case known simply as "Night Robber". He'd defended a man named Gilbert Smalls, accused of the night robberies and murders. The man that had been sentenced to jail was named Kace Ross. He'd been sentenced to lifetime in jail, proven guilty of first degree murder. Although my father had brought the man to justice, he'd never found solid proof that Kace Ross had robbed the countless stores, homes, and banks that had been stolen from in that same time period as the nightly murders.

This stunning event had happened five months ago, on the seventeenth in September. Now, in February, my father was overwhelmed with offers and requests for defense and help, that the days all blended together. Finally, after several months of waiting for the right offer, my father had found one. Several ones, actually, offering good pay. The only problem was, we had to move to Phoenix for my father to work well with the people. From California to Phoenix, 506 miles away. 

Sure, it didn't seem that far when you put it into numbers, but for the first time in my life, I was leaving California... and I wasn't coming back. 

I let out an involuntary sob and collapsed onto my purple bed, pulling my soft violet covers over my red face. I turned over on my side to look out of my crystal clear windows, and watched cars go by. 

I faintly heard the joyous yells of other children on my street, and I saw Jennifer and Maxwell, my next door neighbors, playing with Charlie, Martin, and Harmony. The five children were tossing a blue ball decorated with stars. 

Fascinated, and with nothing else to do, I watched some of my best friends play together, without me. It was like watching the future. 

As the blue ball hit 5-year-old Charlie in the head, everyone folded over laughing, and I found myself on the verge of a smile as I watched the young, curly haired boy get up and chuck the ball at 12-year-old Harmony, who deflected the rubber ball with her tan arm. 

I let out a small giggle, only to swallow the happiness when I remember my situation. I shift once more so that I'm in my back, looking up at my rapidly darkening ceiling.
 
Maybe it's because I have run out of tears, or because I'm unwilling to cry anymore, the sopping mess coming from my eyes slows to a stop. Still, my sobs continue as they shake my bed and body. I lift an arm to examine my hand and see both of them shaking. I close my eyes and will myself to pretend that I'm in another world, in an entirely different universe with an extremely easy life.
 
As the darkness closes in and I feel myself yielding to sleep, my last thought is, Wouldn't that be nice???