What Comes Next? {Discontinued}

Catra

I was so busy shoving my stuff into boxes that I didn't notice Shannon Weaver behind me until she said my name. "Catra,"

I spun around to face her, prepared for the worst. "What?"

She scoffed, "Is that any way to treat your mother?"

I shrugged, my tail flicking nervously. "I wouldn't know. I don't have one." Shannon never expected much from me, but she was never easy on me either. I waited for the pain to come, but it never did.

"You've come much farther than I thought." Was all she said and left the room.

Did she just... complement me? I thought. Shannon may have been horrible, but there were moments like this where she was almost kind.

I breathed out as I heard her footsteps fade. I was heading off to college, but that meant leaving Kyle and Lonnie here with her. I noticed a paper that Shannon had brought in with her. 'You can take your siblings with you. It shouldn't be too hard to get them into that college. I don't want to deal with them.'

I looked out into the hall, and Shannon was corralling Kyle and Lonnie up the stairs telling them to pack their things. I smiled. Shannon had her moments for actually being a parent.

Shannon was my foster mom. She'd had Lonnie and Kyle with her ex-husband Harold Prime. Prime left a few years after Shannon took me in, so Lonnie, Kyle, and I were ten and eleven when he left.

"Hey, Shannon, can I stay one more night? I need a little more time to get my stuff together." I don't know what answer I was hoping for, but she agreed and told me to help the other two pack up.

. . .

I woke up to my alarm the next morning. We had finished packing up before we went to bed. I was glad to have a friend over at Brightmoon University, so those two could easily enroll when we got there. I sent an email to said friend, Scorpia letting her know that two more students would come with me. She said, 'the more, the merrier!' I rolled my eyes and went downstairs to make one last breakfast before I leave, and Shannon has to cook for herself. She might not have thought that part through.

Kyle came down as I was finishing up with the eggs. "Good mornin'," He mumbled sleepily.

"Morning, Kyle," I said, "there's some breakfast for ya," I gestured to his plate.

"Jackpot!" Well, that got him up.

Lonnie came downstairs, "Why's Kyle yellin', it's too early." Then she saw me cooking. "Ah, I see," She grabbed a plate and started eating. We all knew better than to try to wait on Shannon. She never got up early, and when she did, well, let's just say it never ended well.

I made a plate for Shannon, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge with a note, 'Have a good one, Shannon Mom.' I rarely called Shannon my mom, but I was planning on being gone before she even got out of bed.

"When y'all finish eating, come and help me with these boxes," I said as I started moving our stuff into the U-Haul. Kyle finished last and started on the dishes so that we wouldn't have to stop before we left. Lonnie and I finished up with the boxes and helped Kyle dry the dishes and put them away.

. . .

After a few hours on the road, we had to stop for gas and snacks. "What do you two want?" I asked them.

"Reeses and Dr.Pepper," Kyle smiled.

I looked over to Lonnie, and she shrugged, "Something that'll keep me awake. It's my turn to drive." I rolled my eyes. She insisted on switching drivers every time we stop.