Mira

I never understood many things in the world.

I never understood why my mother had to be the chosen victim of a drunk driver's car crash, when my father claimed she had done everything in her power to be the best mother and wife she could be. She didn't deserve that.

I never understood why my heart quite frankly sucked at being a heart. My father often made himself depressed over this as well, even though I would always tell him it wasn't his fault. People were born with problems sometimes, I just so happened to be one of them.

I never understood why my dad and I never visited our family for the holidays. To prove my point, our Thanksgiving last year consisted of him and me ordering pizza and eating it forty-five minutes later in front of our TV. Every time I would ask him about it, he would claim that that side of the family wasn't in the best of circumstances, and we weren't to associate with them.

I never understood many things in my life, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy it. Correction: I did enjoy life most of the time, but not now.

Not when my dad had packed me up and announced that we were driving out to the middle of nowhere in Washington so I could quote: "relax and allow my heart the chance to heal and keep my heart problems from getting much worse than they already had."

Basically, I had to learn to relax, or big problems were in for me and my enlarged heart.

My dad had been my personal caretaker ever since I could remember, and his duties stretched from going to the store to buy groceries to making sure I took my pills to going to work at the hospital. He only ever started working there once I had reached an age where I could call 911 should I ever need to.

Needless to say, I was about to call 911 to complain that I was dying of boredom just sitting in the front seat of Dad's old truck. A girl could only look at her photography scrapbook for so long without getting bored out of her mind.

"Do we have to go?" I asked Dad for probably the thirtieth time since getting in the car.

Mark Lane, an aging forty-seven year old man with flecks of grey in his hair and worry wrinkles from years of raising me alone, nods.

"Yes, Mira, we have to go. You know I prioritize your health over everything." He sighed, and I leaned back against my seat.

"I feel fine. My health is fine. We don't need to go to Washington just because of my heart." I knew we secretly didn't have enough money to move around whenever I needed to 'relax', we hardly had enough money to pay for my medication and the bills. However, Dad had claimed we were staying at a family friend's cabin by a forest, 'an all expenses paid relaxation trip' as he called it. I hadn't questioned him about it.

I stared out the window as the trees passed by, miles and miles going by in a few minutes. Miles and miles away from my old home. We were already in California, almost at our final destination.

I tried looking at the bright side of things, my fingers fiddling with the heart locket around my neck. Dad had given it to me when I was little, telling me a special story about it.

He claimed the locket represented his and Mom's love for me, the glowing half of the heart representing her love for the both of us despite her being gone. He told me the light would never go out so long as he lived, and the light meant someone always loved me.

I had never taken it off.

My fingers traced over the intricate metalwork as I bit my lip. Maybe this was a chance to start over? Maybe this was a fresh start, the chance to finally take control of my life and grow up.

I was already nineteen, I didn't need to be taken care of.

My childhood had been very sheltered and lonely. I had been homeschooled my whole life by none other than my father, and I never had very many friends growing up. I couldn't complain, I knew Dad was trying his best, but I still wished at times I could be normal. Not have heart problems, have both parents in my life, go out with friends and have a crush on a boy and just live.

But I wasn't a normal girl. I was Mira Lane, and this was how my life was supposed to turn out.

"Your health is not fine, Mira. I'm thinking of what's best for you long term here." Dad sighed.

"I feel fine. I've been taking the stupid pills, I haven't done anything too exhausting in forever. Why can't we just stay in Santa Fe?" I asked, crossing my arms in a very stubborn way. Dad always said I inherited Mom's stubbornness, he used to joke he could never win arguments against her. He claimed she could practically read his mind and already come up with a counter argument before he even spoke.

"Why can't we go to Washington?" Dad asked, a smug smile on his aging face as he saw my annoyance. He knew I always hated him answering my questions with more questions. "Come on, baby girl. It could be a nice change of scenery."

"The only scenery there is trees and water. Lots and lots of trees and water." I rolled my eyes, Dad chuckling in the driver's seat.

"Then you should have fun taking pictures of lots and lots of trees and water." He glanced over to me, smiling at my pouting lip and glaring eyes. "I'll even buy you more film for your Polaroid and a new memory card for your Canon."

My eyebrows raised. I always was a sucker for bribery.

"You make an interesting deal, Mr. Lane." I joked before becoming serious. "But I think I'll need a bit more before I can agree to these terms."

Dad exaggerated a thoughtful face, fingertips running over the bit of scruff on his chin before adding to his offer.

"We can have your favorite for dinner tonight."

I smiled, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Deal."

***

Washington was as I expected. Trees, water, more trees, and more water.

Night had already fallen in Briarwood, where Dad's friend's cabin was. There was a small diner and a gas station that sold overpriced gas. A police station and volunteer fire department provided for the safety of the townspeople, who numbered a little less than three thousand.

There was a grocery store and a little first aid center farther down the road, which answered my question of where Dad was going to work. The last major hospital I had seen on the road was in Seattle, which explained why a town not more than fifteen miles outside of it barely had a first aid center.

There was a little strip of shops on the main road, offering everything from clothes to pet care. I knew now where I was going to spend my time trying to make up for years of lost teenage experiences.

A few miles more, and a tiny cabin hiding among a thicket of woods emerged along a few back roads.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Dad asked, a huge smile on his face as we pulled up to the small shack. I didn't want to ruin his excitement, so I agreed with him.

"Yeah, nice and peaceful."

Dad wasted no time in parking the truck and hopping out, ready to explore.

"Come on, baby girl. Let's check out our new home."

The inside may not have had a lot, but it was definitely cozy. There was a fireplace and a decent kitchen as well as two floors. My room was to be upstairs and Dad's would be downstairs. There were two bathrooms, which I thanked God for because there was no way I was about to share a bathroom with my father. As I explored upstairs, my breath was taken away.

There was a balcony with glass doors connected to my room that overlooked the forest, a chair outside the perfect place to sit and take photos. The moon hung low in the sky, only a sliver of a crescent visible tonight.

I took a deep breath as I stared out into the thick forest that would be my home for who knows how long. It was beautiful in a quiet and naturalistic way, very different from the hustle and bustle of busy Santa Fe.

As I stared up into the night sky, I smiled at the constellations visible. There were no clouds to obscure my vision, and the heavenly stars twinkled with a beautiful light.

My fingers wrapped around the heart locket again, clutching it tight until I could feel the metal digging into the skin of my palm. The green glow was strong, some of the light escaping and shining even with my tight grip.

"Looks like this is our new home, Mom." I spoke quietly, knowing that the one person I wanted to talk to couldn't hear me.

However, deep down inside me, I felt she did when I saw a star above me shine brighter among the glistening diamonds next to it.