A Love-Hate Relationship

Prologue

Friday, November 5th

"Marissa! Bring your boxes down, they're the only ones left!" Mom called from downstairs.

"Coming, Mom!" I folded the last of my clothes and put them inside my luggage. I let out a nostalgic sigh as I looked around my room, which was filled with nothing but cardboard boxes.

I'd lived in this house all my life, and I never thought I'd have to leave it. Thanks to that job offer my dad got in Wisconsin, we had to leave Iowa for good. Sure, we'd visit sometimes, but... it wouldn't be the same.

I zipped my luggage closed and pulled it into a standing position as I took a last look around my bedroom, my mind placing all the decorations, items, and furniture back where they used to be. Millions of memories flashed in my eyes as I recounted every minute I spent in this room since I was little.

Now all my stuff was packed up, and all our furniture was sold in a garage sale. It felt painful to empty out the house.

My parents told my they laid me in my cradle in this very room the day I was brought home from the hospital, about two days after I was born. After 17 years, I was leaving.

My two younger sisters also spent their whole lives in this house, being 3 years and 5 years younger than me. And despite the fact that I'd been in this house longer than both of them, they weren't taking the move as kindly as I was.

Sure, I was sad, but I was still looking forward to this change. New house, new friends, new life. It would be a good change. So I, personally, was fine with it. But my sisters...

"Mom, can I pay you 100 dollars to let us stay here?" I heard my 12-year old sister, Brenda, call from the room she shared with Gracie.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, walking over to my door. "Not if Dad gets paid more in Wisconsin."

Brenda glared at me from across the hall and crossed her arms.

"Come on, Brenda, it's good to move at least once in your life. Change is nature," I told her.

"No, it's not. I'm fine here. We were all fine here. There's no reason to just take off and leave everyone." She paused. "Well, on the other hand, maybe in this new place you might finally get a boyfriend or something."

I gasped and I went up to her to smack her continuously.

"All right, when you two are done slapping each other, get all your stuff and go downstairs." My 14-year old sister Gracie approached us with a cardboard box. She put it down with a grunt and leaned on it to take a breath. "And take one last look at this beautiful home of heaven before we go to the doomed pit of hell we're supposed to move in," she added, lifting the box again and heading down the stairwell.

I groaned. "Am I the only one excited about starting a new life somewhere else?"

"Yes." Brenda smiled sarcastically, grabbing her own things and following our sister.

"Oh, Lord," I sighed, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. I went to get my things and followed my sisters down the stairs.

"Everyone get their boxes?" asked Mom.

"Oh, yeah, sure, we just used our super-strength powers to carry all our boxes downstairs," said Gracie sarcastically.

"Watch your attitude, young lady," said Dad as he approached us.

"Why do we have to move, anyway?" complained Brenda.

Mom sighed. "We already told you a million times, we're not repeating ourselves again."