Death is the best remedy

Road Trip

          "No! I like it here in Washington," I whine.

"I'm sorry Monica, but we're moving one way or another," my father says loading a box into the back of a moving truck. My toddler brother, Andy, jumps around, screaming like a lunatic. I fight the urge to scream at him to shut up, but I don't want to get in any more trouble than I can avoid. After we're finished loading the truck I get into the small Ford my parents own.

          We have bags of food, books, and an old iPod nano to entertain ourselves on our ride to Colorado. I grab the iPod before my brother can and plug in a pair of busted, old earbuds. He starts to whine and cry, so I turn the iPod up all the way. My father taps my knee to get my attention.

"Monica, could you let Andy have the iPod for a little while? He seems to really want it," my father says, more of an order than a question. I know better than to talk back to my father and I throw the iPod at Andy who doesn't seem to realize my hostility. I grab The Fault in Our Stars from our pile of books and skim over the pages. When my mother finishes her bottle of wine, we leave my old house. We follow the moving truck down the roads for hours.

"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom!" Andy whines.

"Nathan, you heard the kid, pull over," my overly drunken mother demands.

"Annie you should stay in the car," my father suggests getting out with Andy at a gas station.

"Why?" She asks opening her car door.

          I get out as well, wanting to get away from my mother. She refuses to get back in and my father gives in. I pull open the door and rush away from my family. I enter a bathroom more disgusting than any I've ever been in before. The sink is covered in who knows what and there are roaches crawling everywhere. I immediately run back out of the bathroom, pinching my nose shut. My mom stumbles in, swaying as she walks.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She asks, sounding disoriented.

          "Nothing," I answer quietly and walk away.

I hear Andy skipping up behind me, cheerfully. I frown, for I despise his happiness when I am not so. I lean against the wall, examining the gas station for my family. I see my brother jumping around near my father, who stands at the counter paying for some magazines. I scoff as I see that they're for my bratty younger brother. I brush my jet black hair out of my face and walk slowly towards my father. He sees me and hands me a cherry flavored Popsicle.

          I take it graciously, as we hardly ever receive a special treat. Andy devours his in seconds and I laugh as he finishes it off. "Daddy can I get another one?" Andy asks, pulling at his sleeve.

My father kneels down to Andy's height,"I'm sorry Andy, but we need to get to Colorado A.S.A.P." Andy begins to cry and wail. The sound is unbearable and as I cover my ears I drop the remaining half of my Popsicle.

          "Oh, Monica," my father mutters seeing the frozen treat on the ground. He sighs and pulls out another ten bucks for another two Popsicles. The store clerk helps me clean up the mess and I nod a silent thanks.

          "Be more careful next time, Jinx," my father laughs as he hands me another treat and ruffles my hair.

          "Nathan! What are you feeding our children?" My mother walks up to my father, hands on her hips.

          "Annie, it's a long way to Colorado and the kids have behaved very well," my father explains in his defense. My mother is about to say something when the doors open. A tall, slender man storms in with a miserable looking child.

          "Come now, Freddy," the man orders to the child. The small boy stops and flashes me a horrified glance. His father slaps the side of his face and pulls the child by his arm.

          "I think we should go," my father says and we walk out of the store. I look out the car window, longing to be alone in my own room. I set my chin on the heel of my hand and blink lazily at the bright stars burning in the blackened sky.

          I drift off to sleep peacefully. The last thing I see is a dark gray cloud drifting over to cover the moon. My dream is vivid as of it's almost real.

"Monica, come with us and be the same. We have all had your struggles and you need to embrace them. Come with us and you'll finally be free of your burden. Come with us and feel your inner insanity disappear," a chilling voice hissing in the ominous darkness that surrounds me.

"Those around you will never understand our pain. They will trick you into believing their hollow words, but I speak only of the truth." I'm about to answer, not knowing what else to do when a cold hand brushes across my neck.

"Monica, you'll understand soon my dear. When you do I promise you'll be on your hands and knees begging for my assistance. Until then, you mustn't worry too much, as it might just be your downfall when it comes to this life dependent question."

I wake up gasping for breath. Startled, my father swerves a bit, just missing the side of a car passing us.

Breathing heavily my father gasps,"Monica you scared me!"

Still gasping myself I manage a slight,"Sorry," and attempt to calm my heavy breathing. Andy springs up beside me. His eyes gleam as he picks up a children's magazine. I never understood why children are so easily distracted by the simplest things. I shake off the thought of the dream and sit quietly in my seat. Andy, however, giggles and squeals like a pig for minutes as he looks at the pictures in the small magazine. I grab a sketch book and draw a blue petaled flower.

When I finish my detailed drawing, I stare out the window, taking in the beautiful scenery. I see the small iPod on the seat and snatch it before Andy wants to steal it away again. I let the music sooth me and the rest of the trip passes by in a flash. Before I know it, we're only an hour away from our new home in Cedarville.