Chapter One: Safety

Seven years later, Rachel was sitting on her bed writing a story. She gave up trying to convince Summer to let her call her parents. Her parents were allowed to call her, but she couldn't call them.

It was her twenlfth birthday. Yet again, her parents broke a promise. They said they'll be there, but as usual her parents didn't show up. They had the decency to send a present, a card, and an apology letter. Apparently something else was more important than her birthday.

"Rachel, you're parents want to talk to you," said Summer.

"Okay," said Rachel. She got up and ran the communication center. She saw a hologram of her parents and her fourteen year old brother, Ben.

"Hi, sweetheart," said Luke.

"Dad! Mom! Ben!" Rachel shouted. She was jumping up and down.

"Hey," said Ben.

"Hi, sweetie," said Mara.

"Wait, why can you call me, but not show up for my birthday?" asked Rachel. She stopped jumping.

Luke, Mara, and Ben exchanged worried glances. "You're still mad at us," said Luke.

Even though it wasn't a question, Rachel answered," Yeah."

"That's what we were worried about," Mara said. Rachel shrugged.

"Maybe if you made promises you intend to keep, I wouldn't be so mad," said Rachel before she could stop herself. She hadn't meant to say it. She hadn't really meant it at all. It just came out. She was mad at them, at Summer, at herself, and at the universe. She felt hurt through the Force radiating from her parents and Ben.

"Rachel! You're parents try their best," said Summer," They just have more important matters to deal with."

"So I'm not important to you," Rachel said angrily. This was directed at Luke.

"Of course you are important to us," Luke argued.

"What about you? Am I important to you?" asked Rachel.

"You are extremely important to me," said Luke.

"Rachel, that is enough," said Summer.

"Whatever floats your boat," Rachel said bitterly.

This wasn't working so Summer tried a different tactic. "Rachel, they try. They're just really busy," Summer said, since Luke, Mara. and Ben were too hurt to say anything.

"Stop making excuses for them!" Rachel shouted," It's obvious they don't care about me." Rachel whispered the last part.

Luke said," Rachel, we do care about you." She felt through the Force that he was deeply hurt. Rachel started feeling guilty. No, she thought, they brought this on themselves. Rachel stalked out of the room, knowing that if she stayed any longer she would burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry. She probability doesn't mean that. She's just really upset," Summer apologized. Luke, Ben, and Mara nodded their thanks.

"She got a point. We shouldn't make promises, we don't know for sure about," said Ben. He was still deeply hurt from what Rachel said.

"I see her logic, but it doesn't make it right," said Summer," It was wrong of her to accuse you that."

"This is all for her safety," said Luke quietly. Summer could barely hear him.

"I know," she whispered back and she signed off.

I'm going to make this a ten chapter story hopefully.