Life Is Changin'

Summer-The Daughter

"Woah,really?"
"Yeah,and I-"
She took her thumb of the receiver button of the small walkie-talkie.The plastic rectangle she got from a toy section at a local Wal-Mart costed her $4 each,but spending a total of eight dollars seemed worth it to her.After all,the so-called toy was meant as a goodbye gift to her best friend.Her hand trembled as she placed the device at the table next to her,eyeing the TV remote that stood there.At first,she ignored it flawlessly,but the invisible force of curiosity urged her to grip the remote,aim it at the TV,and magically turn it on.By coincidence,the channel was set on "Feathered News",the show she wanted to watch.
Before,she would always roll her eyes as Swan Landing's only TV channel played their cheap intro and bring boring content to add on her life,but this time her eyes were anxious to see the reports.
As expected,her wish came true,watching the camera angles at her friend's address and house,which on screen was a field of dust.Jane Berling,the news reporter,
stood next to the scene with a brown coat,a microphone in her right hand,and the same face expression used when the camera was LIVE.
It was one of the girl's pet peeves,to see people on TV News bearing a fake emotion on their face,not like they could be real enough for the audience.It made her feel like they didn't want to show their true personality.Yeah,
she saw the irony in this,but her brain never admitted the fact she was one of those people,trying to be like everyone else.
She found herself cupping her hand and covering her open mouth gasping in shock.
"Marcus,"Marceline whispered,"You weren't fucking joking!"
Just then,the bathroom door creaked open,a sound that made her jump and scream out loud.She turned around,
relieved that it was only her mother,wrapped in a white towel,and a black stream of hair reaching down her shoulders.Marceline had to admit,her mom looked beautifully young as a 28 year old woman.Thankfully,
she had pressed the power button on the TV remote when she was scared to her limits.
"Marcie,would you start preparing,na?",her mom said gently,"You don't want us to be late,don't you sweetie?"
"Yes,Mom,"muttered Marcline as she obeyed her orders,walking past the towers of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other.All of them were labeled with a familiar name-brand sticker (U-Haul) and written with Sharpie read:
'3916 Orange Avenue-Amber'

The boxes and packed bags scattered on the floor didn't lie.Marceline and her mom were clearly moving away from Swan Landing,where her father and best friend would be left alone till someday,hopefully during July,they'll come back just to visit.She hated visiting days when your closest loved ones come to you for a short amount of time,only to abandon you again with a broken heart.It was obvious the teenager didn't want to go to the town over the border called Amber,if it meant she would drive away with a panic that Marcus and his adorable little brother were runaways.At least she had her one chance of communication,the walkie-talkie,and thank-God the boys were safe from that hell.
After she was done changing into her normal,everyday outfit (a black hooded jacket with a violet shirt below and a black jeans),the two family members carried the boxes to the car trunk,managed to fit all of their bags inside,and finally inserted the keys to start the engine.
"I already told the manager we were leaving,so I gave the keys to her,"said Marceline's mom,"Now then,this is the last time I'm gonna ask you...are you sure you don't need to go to the bathro-"
"Mom,"her daughter hissed back,"Cut that out,be serious."
Her mother frowned in reply then sighed and told her exactly what she meant to say.
"Are you sure you don't need to do any more goodbye things before we leave.You know,some memorable pictures or sketches or-"
To her surprise,Marceline took a a picture with the two of them while she was talking.She laughed,said she was done,and confirmed that there was nothing else to do now.
"You sneaky girl,"she replied as she released the hand brake,reversed out of the parking lot,and drove into the two way road.
It's official,fucking official,as Marceline thought inside her head,
We are now runaways like Marcus and Wish...but for us,as Mother and Daughter...

For the rest of the trip,Matilda Lee's 14 year old daughter slept soundly without snoring or letting out any commotion.With a breath of relief,she relaxed the tension upon her fingers,which have been exhausted for the past few weeks.You see,not only did the woman go through years of awful insults and discrimination by a sorry excuse for an employer,but at home,she'd be dealing with another bastard:her husband.Well at first as a first-year student at a college near her original home,the man at the time seemed to be the perfect match.He was smart,loyal,hardworking,
patient with people,and mainly a pure,innocent bystander.Yes,they started off as friends,similar to the way as Marcus and Marceline had,but over time their relationship grew.The bond as simply friends magically evolved stage after stage,and soon enough,when she obtained her degree,her identity as "Matilda Aki" turned into "Matilda A. Lee".
With a new ring on her finger and life moving too quick,she gave herself a deserved break,let all the stress flow by and drain out of her system.To end this moment of rest,a tsunami suddenly drowned her...and left her with a bundle of joy who she carried in her arms.
As new parents they named the baby Marceline,but soon the husband named Nick would turn out to be an alcoholic like Jacob Orca,stay away from his formed family,and get slapped in the face by divorce papers.
Weirdly one of her sad yet happy times of her life,Matilda rarely thought of her husband and old life now,as she drove into the brand new one she was about to create...as Matilda Aki...