Claws of Canines • lrh

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It has begun

"You're spending your birthday with your Uncle Rob, aunt Julie and cousins Ashton and Michael."

My smile faltered as soon as she said it, but it took a moment to truly process what was going on. I'd certainly got the "family meeting we need to talk" message before, but it was never about leaving me. She never had sent me away before, especially not over a birthday.

"What?" Was all I could manage. It didn't feel real, like she was playing a sick joke on me. "Mom what are you talking about? I've never even met them before. Why would I go there?"

My mother's grey eyes softened and she reached out to take my hand, "Breigh, I've been transferred again, I don't want to make you move over your birthday, I want you to enjoy it. Let me do this, you go and relax and enjoy time with your uncle and your cousins, you know how they want to meet you. This is the perfect time." Her face had relaxed, but her tone was still firm. There wasn't room for argument but I'd be damned if I didn't try.

"We've moved every other year for as long as I can remember. I don't mind. We can just stop somewhere along the way and eat pancakes or-"

She didn't even let me finish, "Breigh I'm doing this for you. I know it's always been us-"

"Exactly," it was my turn to cut her off, "It's always just been us so why change now?" I'd never had anyone permanent in my life but my mother. My father had died before I was born in a car accident and mom had never gotten over it, she'd never been with anyone else and she just looked sad when I asked, so I stopped bringing him up. As for my uncle and aunt, we'd never visited them and they'd never visited us. We'd gotten a card now and then, for my birthday or my mother's. They didn't seem all that interested in meeting me at all. I couldn't understand why I couldn't go with her, no matter where it was she was going. I'd always follow. We were a team and I'd never not been there when we'd moved. I'd never not helped. Why should this be the first time? I didn't care about my birthday, she was the only one I wanted to celebrate it with anyway. She was the only one who had been there for all of them.

She looked a little more agitated. I saw the way she crossed her legs and leaned forward. She was getting into my space, showing me she meant business. "Breigh. I love you dearly. We're just moving a few hours over, I can manage it by myself. I want more for you. I want you to have more than me. People are out there that care about you and I want you to know and experience that firsthand. I'm sorry, but this is not a point of negotiation. You're going to stay with your uncle and that's my final decision." She let out a deep breath and shook her head, perhaps disappointed with my reaction. I couldn't help it. I was upset. It felt like rejection.

I stood up, tears burning the corners of my eyes but I refused to let them fall. My lip trembled, making it hard to speak, "Well I guess I don't have a choice then." I turned on my heel and marched out of the room with my head held high. I didn't want to talk to her anymore. I just wanted to be alone.

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