June's POV

Moving into a new town can be quite frustrating. Packing the bags, leaving the friends, starting afresh. I never expected everything coming down to this.

Looking around my room one more time, I knew I was going to miss it. The memories of the time I spent here came crawling in.

"June! Are you ready yet?" My mom asked, from downstairs.

Of course, I wasn't ready. How could I possibly be ready to start over? To begin a new phase of my life? I am totally not a fan of new phases.

"June! Don't make me come up there!"

Ugh! Can't I ever catch a break?

Reluctantly, I fold my remaining clothes into my suitcase, the zipping noise a sudden reminder of my reality.

"June Ava Everhart! That's it! I'm coming up there!"

Typical. Of course, what did I expect? Don't get me wrong. I love my mom but sometimes, she can be quite- frustrating.

"What are you still doing, fumbling around, huh?" My mom asked me, obviously.

"Why aren't you ready yet?"

Believe me when I say this, I was so not ready for one of her lectures.

"Answer me, Ava!"

One thing you should know about my mom is that when she addresses me with my middle name, then she's more than pissed.

"Lelia and I have been waiting for hours for you and you still aren't ready".

"I don't want to move mom". I said, and I really wished I hadn't. I could've just kept my big mouth shut.

"Let's not get started with this again, June. How many times have I explained it to you, huh!? You know why we're moving, and we have to. You don't have a choice, June. Get moving!"

Somewhere deep down, I wished she said the complete opposite. I wished she said, "you know what, June, you're right. Moving is pointless. We're okay here". You know? I really wished she had said something like that.

But the reality of the situation became even more consuming when I saw myself going down the staircase, and rolling my suitcase with my right hand.

************

The car ride was silent. At least, amongst us. Mom listened to her favorite radio station, and Lelia was fast asleep.

Unsure of what to do, I put on my headphones, and listened to some music. I was so engrossed in the music that I didn't even realize when we left the busy streets.

When I looked around, I saw a completely different place. The road was lonely, only a few cars passed by. I glanced over to mom, but she wasn't moved- not one bit. Was she used to this?

I looked through the car window, and my eyes caught a signboard that read; "Welcome to Silverbrooke". We're here already?

My eyes continued to scan the environment. No busy streets, few pedestrians- it was just too quiet for a city.

Mom turned off her radio, and I took off my headphones. None of us uttered a word to each other. She drove into the woods. What could we possibly be doing here?

Fear gripped me when mom continued to drive deeper and deeper into the woods. Where were we going?

"June, we're here". My mom said, startling me, and parking beside a cabin.

What was this place? The cabin sat alone in the middle of the woods. There were no neighbors- nothing. Everywhere was just silent, and covered with high grass. It was a little eerie.

Mom came out from the car, and opened the trunk, bringing out our stuff. She woke Lelia up, and she yawned a little. I guess she still felt tired.

Feeling somewhat bothered about the whole place, I opted to talk to my mom.

"Wait, are we going to live here now?" I asked, even though I knew the answer to that.

"What does it look like? Of course we're going to stay here".

What!? I couldn't possibly stay here. It'll be a nightmare.

"But mom, we're in the middle of the woods". I said, trying to make her see the cons of living in a place like this.

"We're safe here, June. Help me with this stuff and quit whining". My mom said, giving me a heavy suitcase.

Gosh! It was really heavy.

"What's in here, mom? Tons of bricks?"

"Quit complaining, June. We still have work to do. We're gonna clean the whole place".

Cleaning? Gosh! I really hate my life.

"But mom! They're cobwebs!" I whined, trying to make her change her mind. I loathed cobwebs and spiders.

"We're cleaning this place together, June. You have no say in it".

"Fine. I said, giving up, and carrying the remaining suitcases, placing them in front of the cabin.

"Come on, let's go in". My mom said, and I followed her in.

We cleaned the place for hours, but it felt like days. Mom continued to scold me about how lazy I was, and gave me even more chores.

After what felt like eternity, we were finally done with it. The only good thing about all of this was that I got to have my own room. I cherished my space. Lelia and Mom shared a room together. There were only two rooms.

It was getting dark already, and the moon started to show up in the night sky. Mom was busy in the kitchen, making dinner, and I was just there, doing nothing.

There was no signal here, and that was quite frustrating. I missed my friends back home, and it was already difficult not talking to any of them.

I walked over to the kitchen, and mom was already done with dinner.

"Go set the table". She said, and I obeyed. I was really famished.

While we sat at the table together eating dinner, everyone was silent, but mom stared at me. I wondered what was going on in her mind, so I decided to ask her about it.

"Mom, you've been staring at me for a while now. Am I in some kind of trouble?" I asked. I was actually scared that I was in some kind of trouble. Mom's punishments can be really hectic.

"No. You're not in any trouble. I'm just worried about you. I know you didn't want to move here. But, we didn't have a choice. I couldn't continue to pay the bills. I know you'll adjust soon and make some friends here, June". My mom said, and I smiled a little.

Honestly, I don't really know why I smiled. Mom never apologizes directly, but when she apologizes, she does it in this type of way.

"Thanks mom". I said, and there was silence again. We ate quietly, and soon retired to our beds for the night.