In the Heart of the Forest

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DISCLAIMER
This was the first book I ever wrote and it is not very good. For those of you who read my other books and want to read something else by me, THIS IS NOT THE BOOK YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
Please, spare me the embarrassment and go read something else :)

I stuff my last pair of running shoes into the cardboard moving box. I quickly scan my room to make sure I have all of my belongings packed and ready for the move. The room is mostly empty, except for my semi-dismantled bed and the few boxes left to be put into the moving truck.

My parents and I are moving from Rome, Georgia, to the small, mountainous town of Maicoh, Washington. We are moving because my mom got a new job in the area, as a corporate lawyer for a big company in the neighboring city. Really, we should be moving to the larger city that my mom will actually be working in, but my dad wanted to be in the much smaller town of Maicoh. And I mean much smaller, as in, I don't think it even has a Walmart.

"Are you finished packing, sweety?" My mom asks as she steps into my room. She has thin, blonde hair that is tied up into a neat bun. Her lips are stained a deep red, and her designer blouse fits her perfectly.

"Yeah, this should be everything," I sigh, picking up the box containing my shoes. "Could you grab a box for me, please? I know we are in a hurry and I don't want to take too much longer."

"That eager to leave? I figured you would be disappointed to be leaving the city you grew up in, during your senior year," my mom says as she picks up one of the boxes; I note that she picked lightest one, probably because women of her 'status' don't do manual labor. I suppose I am a little too eager to move. Really, there isn't anything here in Georgia I am going to be missing.

Yes, I will miss this home that I grew up in, but I don't really have many friends that I will miss. I have a lot of acquaintances, but no real friends. I guess one could say that I am a loner, but I like to think I am too alternative to fit in. I'm not exactly an outcast, but I'm not crazy popular either, see, alternative. At least, that makes me feel better about not having any friends.

I am excited to move because of the adventure, mostly. I will get to see new things, meet new people; it will even be a new climate! So many things that will be way more exciting than the boring Georgia I have spent my entire life in.

I put the box I was carrying into the moving truck. My mom puts in her tiny box she carried and I resituate it to fit more boxes. At this point I'm wondering if she really doesn't know how to pack things, or if she just doesn't care. My mom is not the easiest person to get along with, or at least, I don't get along with her.

She is nice, and I think she cares about me, but she is not the most...loving? Motherly? Helpful? She cares a lot about her job and she just kind of ignores me. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but she always seems to want to spend more time with her elite, rich friends and pretend she is just as prestigious as the people she works for.

"Hey, Kiddo, why don't you help me carry your bed frame into the truck? It's the last of the stuff in your room, and I think the rest of the house is about empty, too." My dad says as he steps off the porch with the last of my boxes. Contrary to how I feel about my mom, I absolutely love my dad.

He is probably one of the most knowledgeable people I know. Yes, he is only certified as a park ranger and he lacks a bachelor's degree, but the amount of knowledge he possesses about nature never ceases to amaze me. He always is sharing new things with me about the environment and the different animals who live out there in the wild.

"Sure, I will be right up to help. Just let me finish organizing these boxes to make room for it," I respond.

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One hour and many flights of stairs later, I look at my house for the last time. It is an old plantation style home with a huge wrap around porch. I take in the peeling paint on the porch steps and the rickety railing, the rusted drainpipes and the oddly new windows (my mom had them replaced because the house was looking too "Old and nasty.") Personally, I didn't really care what we did to the house, it was still home and actually belonged to my dad's grandparents.

I kind of feel bad for my dad. They got married when they were just out of high school. They had these big plans to live here on this tiny farm and raise livestock. Unfortunately, that changed. When my mom finished her schooling, she no longer wanted to live the "country life." On the other hand, my dad still wanted to work on a farm. They compromised in that, they would keep the farm, but there would be no livestock.

I can remember running loops around the porch with water guns when my brother and I were little. Now my brother, Jason, is in college studying to be a lawyer like mom. I suppose we all have to grow up at some point.

This house will always be special to me. I mean, how could it not? I grew up here. I can remember when my dad first put up the tire swing in the back yard, I was only four at the time. The swing is actually still back there, in the old oak tree. Maybe the new owners will put it to some good use. A warm hand lands on my shoulder. I turn to see my dad. His blue eyes stare into mine with the same feeling of nostalgia. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit his eyes, I got my mom's grey ones, though I did get his dark, thick hair.

"Are you ready to go? It's just before lunch and we have to leave now if we want to get to the hotel before 10:00 tonight," my dad says before climbing into the driver's seat of the moving truck. I take one last look at my old home before getting into the passenger seat. No, I am not sad that we are moving, but I will miss this place.

"Your mom already left for the airport, she should be arriving at the new house this evening. Though, I'm not sure what she is going to sleep on because I'm sure the new bed we bought it still in the package," my dad chuckles. My mom cannot build anything to save her life. It's quite funny actually. She can't even build with legos.

"Yeah, she will probably struggle a bit with that!" I laugh. "She is lucky she gets to be there so soon," I say.

"And leave me to drive all the way to Washington on my own? I thought you liked me?" My dad says while clutching his chest in mock hurt.

"No, you are right, I would much rather spend time with you crossing the country than spend the entire weekend doing nothing with mom. She would probably just talk about how amazing her new job is," I respond while crossing my arms in contempt.

"Hey, be nice. She is your mother, you know." My dad says drily.

"Is she though?" I say sarcastically.

"Yes, I'm quite sure. I was there for the entire process..."

"Eww dad! Why do you do this to me?" I say covering my ears. He gives a hearty chuckle in reply.

"I know I am ready to be in Maicoh. I am excited to start my new job!" My dad says with the enthusiasm of a child. He will be a park ranger on the nature preserve that is up in the mountains.

"Its May-eek-oh, by the way, not May-coe." I say with a small laugh.

"Are you sure? It sounds kind of silly that way, to me."

"Yep, looked it up a few days ago. It's actually Navajo for wolf, or sometimes witch. It can be translated to both because the Indians thought that the witches would 'Steal the power of the Wolf,' or something like that." I reply.

"Hmph, interesting..." my dad says, probably embarrassed that he was saying it wrong. Not that I cared.

As we merge onto the interstate, I pull out my phone and plug in my earbuds. I close my eyes and lean my head against the window as the first song plays, "Angela" by The Lumineers.

Author's Note:

Hello my beloved readers! (If I have any)

I would just like to say that this is my first book, though I am not new to writing. I will accept any corrections (that includes if there are any plot holes, or the book is moving to slow or fast.) I also ask that you try not to curse in the comments.

Thanks!

~Allie