Here we go another chapter and this time its from Claire's POV.

Hope you enjoy.

VK

Part 2

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Claire…"

I should've expected this from my family. I walked into the dark living room, illuminated by the candles on my cake and was surrounded by the faces of my family and friends. My mum came over and hugged me tightly, tears in her eyes.

"Make a wish," yelled my little sister.

I held my breath and blew out the candles, hoping this year my wish was granted. Here I was eighteen years old, hoping a candle would grant my wish.

I was bombarded with hugs from family and friends and was a little overwhelmed. My mom had to over do it, it wasn't her style not to. I was a little apprehensive since I begged mom not to do anything, I wasn't much for show or socialising like she wanted me to be.

She wanted me to be a lot of things I wasn't.

The party went on for what felt like six hours when it wasn't even 9 yet, I felt a migraine approaching and decided to go outside for a breather. It was a warm California night. I went out to the deck where I would be alone. I rubbed by temples, hoping that mom wouldn't notice I had a headache. If she did notice I would be in an MRI machine before I can say I'm okay.

I perched on the side of the railing, staring into the night sky. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps and I was relieved to see that it was my dad.

"Princess shouldn't you be inside?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"You know I didn't want this right?"

"Yep but its not everyday you turn eighteen and graduate from highschool"

He made me sound ungrateful but I wasn't, I was just suffocated.

"How do I break it to mom that I wont be going to UCLA?"

Dad took a deep breath, he was dreading this conversation.

"You might get accepted to UCLA, you never know"

"That's not the point dad, I don't want to go there"

Dad took a swig from his beer, while looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"We'll think about it when the time comes"

I was getting angrier by the second.

"No dad, for once just help me out and believe in me please"

"Claire I-

"You let her get away with everything, I want this… why can't I do what I want"

"No you don't understand.."

"Then make me dad"

I was clenching my fists and I could feel my headache worsen. I just didn't understand them. They were so controlling, by they I mean Sarah and dad just went along with it to appease her. I was like their very own doll, I remember begging them to give me a sibling so she was distracted but alas Sarah will be Sarah.

My little sister is 6 and it took me over a decade to convince mom to have her. If she found out I wanted to go to university in Washington, she would freak out. Freaking out might be an understatement. She was so controlling in some aspects yet not in some, it didn't make any sense to me. I was not allowed to go on school camps, especially out of state, God forbid the east coast ones. I was not allowed to eat or drink certain foods. Yet my mum begged me to go out with guys. They would have to bring me home before sunset, which was around nine pm anyway. My first date was even arranged by her and to say it was a complete disaster would be a lie. It was sweet and cute but I hated that my mum had a hand in it. She gave me the birds and bees talk way too young and after years of me not wanting to date, she told me it would be okay to come out, convinced I must be a lesbian if I'm not jumping boys. She was insane and she didn't even know it. I didn't know how to cook a single meal because all my life my mom prepared my lunch, even in high school. I had never eaten from the cafeteria. She used to make me wear a heart rate monitor at nights to track my sleep patterns. And what's even crazier is that I thought all of this was normal, I thought all mums were like this because she made her obsessiveness seem normal to me. My little sister was practically raised feral, no one still cares what she does and she's six. Luna gets to eat ice cream more often than I do.

Dad had his head down and was staring into his hands.

"Your Aunt Emily called and wished you a happy birthday"

He said the E word.

"Why didn't you let me talk to her?"

"Your mum came home before you did and you know how she is"

Aunt Emily, my mums only sister whom she refuses to see or speak to. I don't remember her much, but she calls every year on my birthday and each year I never get to speak to her. She lives in La Push, where mum was born and raised but refuses to go back. Dad also has family there but mum refuses to go, so our relatives come to us except Emily. I had asked my dad once why she never comes and he just said it was grown up stuff.

"You never did tell me why her and mum don't speak"

Dad scratched his head, trying to find a way to answer me.

"They had a disagreement and once we moved here they naturally drifted".

"They're sisters, how could they?"

"Adult stuff princess beats me too"

I rolled my eyes at him. We used to be able to talk more but I stopped talking to dad after my sixteenth birthday. I told him about the weird and recurring dreams I kept having, he told Sarah and it got out of hand. I had to see a sleep specialist, take sleeping pills and see a psychiatrist for a year until I convinced her they had stopped.

I decided to head back inside, my annoyance with my father was growing.

"Hey where you going princess? We haven't talked in so long"

"You don't hear me dad, even when I talk to you"

I saw the hurt in his eyes but I wasn't feeling sympathetic at all, he didn't even ask where I wanted to go college. He wanted me to accept my fate, the one mum created for me, just like him.

….

Today I would find out if I got into the university of Washington, last week I had been accepted into UCLA and mom was over the moon. She was ecstatic and surprisingly excited for me to move out. She kept rambling on about college parties and dorm life but I wasn't excited over any of that. I just wanted to be alone and figure out what kind of person I was. I wanted to go to a coffee shop during the cold winters, read my favourite novel and not have to hear Sarah's voice in my head. I hated painting such a bad picture of my mum, she loves me to bits and I her but she knew how to drive someone crazy and suffocate them, mainly me.

I opened the browser and saw "Congratulations, you have been admitted to the university of Washington as the class of…"

I didn't know what to do, I was excited and nervous… I was now forced to confront mum.

I had six weeks before I had to leave, six weeks to tell mum and move thousands of miles away from home but for now I wanted to be happy by myself.

I called my bestfriend to give her the good news and she screamed loudly in my ear. She had also been accepted into University of Washington and we had already decided to rent a place together.

"This calls for a celebration, come over to mine in 20 mins"

Typical Tayla. We had been friends since middle school and were inseparable since the day we met. Her family was awesome and I knew that atleast they would congratulate me today.

I quickly hopped in the shower, got ready and headed for the door.

"Mum I'm going out with Tayla, I'm staying there tonight"

She poked her head into the hallway.

"Why are you sleeping over there?"

I rolled my eyes, "because we're going to a party it'll be easier to crash there"

"Okay be safe".

See I told you she was crazy, which mum would prefer her daughter to be out partying than staying indoors and watching Netflix all night.

Talya's mum had outdone herself cooking for us, she had made a chicken roast with vegies, gravy, mash. After the dinner, Talya and I helped clean and then we sprawled on the couch.

"Mama really killed it… I look like I'm pregnant" added Talya while unbotting her jeans.

"Thank you so much for the dinner Mrs Callum"

Mrs Callum and Talya were basically twins, both had similar dark complexions, almond shaped eyes and a soft smile. She always had a lot of food and was the back bone of the family when Talya's dad was gone. He drove trucks across country and was gone a lot of the time. She had raised two daughters on her own and I loved how warm and caring she was. Talya's older sister had her own place with her boyfriend and was around often but I knew Talya worried about her mum when she would be living far away.

"You're most welcome, I have dessert ready for you girls too. I'll be meeting some friends for coffee, don't go too crazy in here". She was patronising us, knowing we would be watching the cringiest films on Netflix.

Once Mrs Callum left, I turned to Talya, "are you worried about her being alone?"

Talya sighed.

"Yes and no. I need to live my own life obviously and I've convinced mum to come see me as often as possible. Well actually I gave her an excuse".

My confusion was evident on my face.

"Do you remember me telling you that my mum was married before?" I nodded.

"Well she had a son with him too but she left him". My mouth dropped in shock.

"I never told you because to be honest most of the time I forget he exists too… she feels so guilty about it". I couldn't imagine someone as warm and kind as Mrs Callum abandoning her own child.

"She was extremely young and stupid… but anyways he lives near Seattle. She has an excuse to see him."

"Woah! Have you ever met him?"

"Tana met him a few years ago, they've loosely kept in touch and I spoke to him over the phone. I actually texted him today about our college acceptance and he congratulated me. He's extremely nice but there's no closeness, especially with mum. She doesn't know how to act with him, but maybe they'll get closer if they get to see each other".

I was proud of how mature and thoughtful my bestfriend was.

"How about you? I'm assuming you didn't tell your mum about Seattle"

I sighed deeply, "she will freak Tayla".

"Tell me again why she hates Seattle?"

"She was born near there, our entire family is there on both sides but I don't know anyone. She never talks about it and freaks out even at the mention of Washington. My memories are so fuzzy from that time because of my brain surgery, but somehow I miss it".

"Girl you on some whimsical shit, I'm dreading the rain already".

We ate popcorn and watched old chick flicks until we both fell asleep on the couch.

I fell into a deep sleep and like most nights, I had dreams that made no sense. I kept seeing a figure and then I would hear the beeps on a heart monitor. I found myself in a meadow, looking at a figure with his face in his hands, leaning against a broken tree trunk. I kept seeing a flashlight; a gold pendant and then I woke up. My dreams were always so vivid and I couldn't make any sense of them.

After waking up, we had pancakes for breakfast and then I headed home. I drove back home and saw bags of rubbish outside. My little sister was playing on the porch, "what's happening bear?" I called my little sister that since she acted like a bear. She was stocky, cute and was always rolling around.

"Mum called it a Spring Cleaning but its summer".

I walked into the house and it looked like someone had broken in, well more like Mom and Dad had a fight and this was how she coped.

"Claire could you get me a few more boxes from my room?"

Mum yelled from the kitchen as I headed for my room.

"Kay… give me a minute"

I sauntered into the master bedroom. The room was crowded with boxes, you would think we were moving but we weren't. Mum had packed dads stuff into boxes, which was her way of threatening him. Something caught the corner of my eye, a small tin box among dad's belongings. I dug the tin box out and popped it open. I smiled at the photo inside, it was me in hospital. I looked happy even with all the machines attached to me. I looked around seven. I took the photo out and read the back, it wrote Claire Bear, we love you. Claire bear? No one called me that…. I called my sister that. Under the photo was a gold pendant. The one from my dreams. I held the gold chain in my hand, it wrote my name on it. I had so many questions but I couldn't process this. Whose handwriting was that? Why did I see this pendant in my dreams and more importantly why was this hidden from me.

…..

Dad came home a few hours later with a big bouquet of flowers and he was forgiven. They were being extra lovey dovey and dad decided we should all go out for dinner. We went to a restaurant near by, laughing and enjoying our time together. Both mum and dad were so carefree, I wondered if this was how they were at my age. They kept joking around and I smiled, I would miss this. We ate the food and as we waited for dessert, Abigail begged mum to take her to the kids play area in the restaurant. It was just dad and I sitting and watching them walk away.

"I think while mom's in such a good mood I should tell her"

It sounded more like a question.

"You never told me where you wanted to go"

I scratched my head.

"University of Washington"

Dad drew a breath in.

"Claire anywhere but there"

"Dad but why? The program there is the best in the country and I got in. You know how hard I worked for this? I'm going whether or not you guys approve"

"She won't forgive you Claire, she'll go crazy"

"What am I doing that's so unforgivable?"

Tears were threatening to spill.

"Answer me Claire, what's the real reason you want to go there? It can't just be the program"

Nothing was making sense and my frustration was reaching a breaking point.

"What other reason could I have Dad? Do you realise how irrational you guys are being?"

"We almost lost you Claire, we just don't want to be away from you"

"Dad don't try to guilt trip me, Mum helped me apply to NYU its not that"

Dad started rubbing his neck.

"Not tonight Claire please"

"Can I ask you something else then?"

He nodded tentatively nodded.

"I used to have a gold pendant with my name on it, who gave me that?"

"What pendant? I don't remember anything like that".

Why would he lie to me?

"Really? It was really pretty and had random bits cut out of the circle?"

Just then the server brought out our dessert, dad took a bite.

"Never seen it"

"Really dad, it looks like this"

I pulled the pendant out and showed him. I had caught him in his lie and by the look on his face he knew all about this pendant.