Shifting Greer's

Chapter 2//

Song: Car Radio by Twenty one pilots

//

Today sucks. 

I'm standing once again in front of the body mirror staring at myself. This time, I'm wearing a school uniform. It consists of white socks, ugly leather shoes, a plaited navy skirt, a white polo, and to top it all off a matching blazer. I look horrendous, let me tell you. I'm not sure whose idea these uniforms were, but they should be sued. At least everyone else at school will be wearing the same thing. 

There's a knock at my door then. I don't bother to answer. A few seconds later, Leo pokes his head inside. He looks me over once before speaking, "Breakfast is ready." 

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." I tell him, smoothing down my skirt. 

"Greer, I've barely seen you eat since you got back. You're sitting down and at least eating a piece of toast." He commands. 

I sigh, but don't argue. My uncle's right, I've barely touched food in several days. I haven't had an appetite. I grab my plain black bag off the floor and follow him through the house. I can instantly smell the food he's cooked. 

On the table, several plates are piled high. I take a seat and stare at the arrangement. He's gone overboard to make me breakfast for my first day of school. My eyes stop on a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and my heart drops. They were mom's favorite. Leo sets a glass of orange juice in front of me and takes his seat. It's silent for a few moments as we load up our plates. 

"So, we need to go over some things before you leave." He says. 

I look up at him silently. He wants to go over the details of my new life. We go over them so much that I'm pretty sure they're engrained in the back of my eye lids. I even have a file sitting on my nightstand. 

"You're Greer Evans. You live with me, Leo Martin, your mother's brother. You just moved here from Essex, Vermont. It rains there this time of year. Your parents died in a car crash two months back. You were at home reading Tolstoy when it happened." He ticks off the items like he's reciting a list. Leo said that every little detail mattered. He also said that we had to stick close to the real truth. I could deal with all the other lies, but the way I was lying about my parent's death made my heart quicken. I felt like I was betraying their memories. "Anything else you want to go over?" 

"No, I think I've got it." I tell him, setting down my half-eaten piece of toast. My suddenly felt sick to my stomach. 

Leo stands to his feet and retrieves a large envelope from the counter. He digs inside and comes out with several items. The first is a driver’s license with my new name on it. The second is a brand new smart phone with a pink case. The password is written on a post-it note stuck to the front. The last item he hands me is a set of car keys. 

"I had a car brought in last night. The registration and title is in your new name." He explains and then brings out a few more pieces of paper. "This is your new birth certificate and social security card. I'll keep those for you just in case."