"Dad... are we really moving here?"
Our car pulled into the town, passing a rustic looking sign. 'Welcome to Gravity Falls' I looked out the window, viewing the various stores and such. So far, it wasn't leaving a very pleasant impression on me.
Dad laughed shortly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Of course! Just look at it. It's... empty, which means it'll be quiet. Perfect for a fresh start if you ask me." He shrugged his shoulders, giving me a small nudge with his elbow.
I promptly ignored him, forcing a smile so he wouldn't have to worry about what I really thought. Empty might've seemed nice in his mind, but to me it was a huge change from Washington.
When I heard Oregon would be the place we where moving, I felt excited. It wasn't that much different from Washington, and it felt as if I might actually get a chance to start over and gain a new reputation. However, did we have to move to one of the least populated towns of Oregon? I couldn't have been Portland.
We passed various people, all seeming a bit... rednecky? "I don't see any kids." I remarked dully, resting my head on the window frame.
"Awe c'mon, Lucy. We've been here for less than five minutes! Plus, it's the start of Summer, I'm sure a bunch of kids will roll up here to visit." He suggested, trying to look on the brighter side for me.
I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, visit. Plus, this does seem like an excellent place to visit. Look at all the tourist attractions!" I exclaimed, pointing at a crummy looking building named 'The Mystery Shack' the T hanging down on the roof. The sarcasm dripped from my tongue, and if anyone couldn't detect it, I'd probably shun them forever.
My dad glanced at the building as we passed it, cringing as he saw what I meant. "Okay, okay, I get it. Look, I know this isn't the most appealing place, but it's just enough so I can finally finish this book and start on the next one. I need to make a living for us somehow, Luc. Washington was too... distracting." He hesitated while speaking, avoiding the whole topic. "We talked about this before, you need to understand..."
I sighed, glancing slightly over to him. "Yeah, I get it..." I complied, not saying anything else. I hated arguing with my dad, and it was just best to back down all together.
The drive continued for at least 15 minutes in a somewhat comfortable silence. Eventually, we came upon a house. Well... I guess? It was more like a... cabin? Great. That tops off this whole car trip.
"Here we are!" My dad announced loudly out of nowhere, startling me greatly. I jumped and secretly glared at him while he got out of the car.
Muttering under my breath, I followed suit and reluctantly exited the car. I had been sitting so long, that I wobbled on my feet while I dumbly remembered how to stand.
So far, everything about this has been crappy. For me at least.
After regaining myself, I looked around silently. It was woody, that was the right word, right? I'm not even sure anymore. The cabin seemed sturdy enough, sturdier than that one place we passed, the Mystery Shack, at least.
Well, this was my fate. No turning back now. No changing dad's mind. No running away to Washington by myse- Could I try that? Eh, better not. As much as I hated this, I still loved my dad. He was all I had left.
"Here's your bag, Luc. The moving van should be here around 4:00... I think? Maybe I should double-check that." He muttered to himself, holding out my suitcase filled with clothes and other such essentials.
I didn't even bother to thank him, I just grabbed my bag and turned to the cabin. It wasn't terribly small, but it still was smaller than I was used to.
"Here goes nothing..." I mumbled, walking up and opening the door. This would take a little while to get used to...
Away in my mind, something told me this place felt familiar. The thought itself hardly occurred to me, it was so ridiculous. I'm positive I've never been here in my life.
It took a little longer than 4:00 for the moving truck to arrive. But, at least it did. What would've made this worst for me in having no furniture and living like hobos. Well, maybe that was the wrong impression of it.
Anyways, we managed to move all the boxes in by 6:00, but only opened and unpacked a few before we both felt tired of the moving-in process.
Entering my room once more with a box, I heaved a tired yawn. This day had been too much. Too much on my emotions, physically, on my life. Especially on my life.
I sighed dropping the box and dragging it the last few feet to my bed. I was all ready to sleep and forget today, but there was last thing I needed to do before I would be able to fall asleep.
My dad was still up, tired like me, but working vigorously to set up his writing/work space in one room. I decided to just leave him to it and not say goodnight. He knows where I am if he remembers he has a daughter. For the past two years it's all been about distractions for him.
Aside from that, I opened the box, tearing it open with my hands. I didn't feel like carefully opening them with a box-cutter as I had been doing for the last hour. Once it was finally opened, I was felt a flood of relief, seeing the picture before me.
I lifted it from the various, muddled together items, and placed it on my bedside table, facing it towards my bed.
There, now I could finally go to bed. I could finally sleep with one good thought in mind. I shoved the box aside, promising mentally I would finish unpacking it in the morning.
I snuggled underneath the comforter, staring at the picture one last time before closing my exhausted eyes. I could instantly feel myself drift off in a flurry of thoughts and memories, including ones from today.
"I love you mom..."
This was my life now, and I could sense that wouldn't be changing anytime. Ugh, it was going to be a boring Summer, that was for sure.