I was fourteen when I had my first major depressive episode, and then six months later I had a full blown manic episode. I had to repeat the eighth grade because I missed so much school.
That was two years ago. My doctor has me on medication now, which helps. I live with my mom Renee in Phoenix. I don't see my dad Charlie a lot, he's the police chief in Forks, Washington. My mom just got remarried to Phil. He's a minor league baseball player. She stayed at home with me while Phil traveled last season, but I can tell that she missed him while he was away. I asked my dad and he said I could come live with him for my last few years of high school. Renee was worried but I told her that I missed my dad, and that way she would be able to travel with Phil.
I had to find a psychiatrist down in Forks before I could move there though. Luckily there is a good one at the hospital in Forks; close enough to Charlie's house that I can walk to my appointments. I don't have my license yet; Dr. Jessica Turner was my shrink in Phoenix, and she and I decided that I should not go for my license for another year, since I was still working on finding just the right medication regimen.
My new shrink in Forks is going to be Dr. Mark Grant. Charlie says he has a good reputation. I'm going to be moving to Forks halfway through my sophomore year. At least I'm not moving in the middle of a semester. Now that would really suck.
- Time Jump -
The first semester went by fast, I spent Thanksgiving at Charlie's house, I brought a large portion of my stuff over. I used mine and mom's checked luggage, plus I brought a duffle bag into the plane. I'm glad that I did that, since it means that getting settled in the one week between Christmas and the start of the new semester will be easier. Tomorrow is Christmas, and I am starting to organize the last few things that cannot be packed until a few days before my flight, like my medications and bathroom supplies.
- Time Jump -
I just got on the plane, luckily I managed to get into the first boarding group, since seating is first come first serve on Southwest. I choose a window seat near the front. I put my blanket on under the seat belt and tucked my pillow between me and the side of the plane. I surfed the internet for the first 20 minutes of the flight, but then I slept for 2 hours in the middle. Half an hour after I woke up, we were landing. Charlie met me at the airport and we rode in his cruiser back to Forks from the airport in Port Angeles. We stopped at the Forks Diner to have lunch. Then, we stopped at the grocery to do a quick restock of Charlie's pantry and fridge. When we got back to the house, we unloaded the groceries, and I brought my bags to my room. I was so glad that I had been able to fly out on the 27th of December. That meant that I had six days before I had to start school in a town that I had only spent 2 weeks a year since mom and Charlie got divorced, and that had stopped when I first got sick. In the past two years, dad had come to visit me in Phoenix. And now I was going to be here full-time.