Chapter Twenty One: Memory

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"On the road again! Yeah, we're on the road again!" Charolette sang loudly. We are in the pickup truck on our way to Iowa.
Jason and I are sitting in the backseat and Charolette is driving.
The thing about Charolette is, she has a very bubbly personality. Which is very sad because her mom abuses her. Mentally and physically.
Jason is sitting next to me looking like he's plotting a murder. Which, when I think about it, he probably is planning a murder. And it doesn't appear that Charolette is helping.
I love Charolette to death! But, she can be a little ignorant at times. So if someone wanted to attack us, now would be a great time. We are in the middle of nowhere, we have an ignorant driver, a boy who is so focused he isn't even paying attention, and then there's me. I'm going out of my mind. Living in the chamber was a frightening experience, and I never want to relive it. I was starved and left alone to die. Right now we are one word. One hideous word, vulnerable.

"Hey Charolette!" I said, in an attempt to distract her, "Why don't you count cows?"
"Ok!" She squealed with delight. I haven't seen a cow for miles. This should keep her busy. She began to quietly hum to herself as she stared intently out the windshield.
"Hey, Babe, what are ya up to?" I asked Jason, rubbing his upper back. He just continued to stare out the window. His face a blank canvas of emotion, he just sat there, watching the endless grass go by.

"Nothing." He replied stiffly. I knew he was just upset, and oh how I wanted to believe that! But I felt the smile fall from my face the second the icy words escaped his lips and I turned to look out my own window. I sat there motionlessly, contemplating on whether I had said something wrong, or if he was just upset. 

"Ok," I answered quietly, placing my hands in my lap. While doing so, a sparkle caught my eye and I looked down at my hand. My ring. My mom had given it to me before she died, right after my adoption. It was a flower with a purple center, surrounded by sparkly diamond petals. 

She had placed it in my hands, looked me in the eye and said, "Never forget me." Then she turned and had quietly left the room. 

I never suspected her death, but Jessalynn, my older sister, might have noticed. I think she realized something was up, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what was happening.

Seeing the ring reminds me to strive to be more like my mom. I really try to be happy! But it isnt my fault. It's Jason and Life's. Speaking of, when I think about it, I can never go back. My life in Retaw will never be the same. Besides, were would I live? 

And I knew, right then and there, my life can never, ever, be the same again. Ever.

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