The Move (II).

    The flight from Ontario to London seemed to last an eternity, even with a private jet, and we landed at Heathrow airport after a very long and nauseating eight hours that felt like hell.

I hate flying. I know, how ironic for someone who travels so much to hate flying. I wish there was something I could do, both to fix my aerophobia and my dysfunctional family.

We got through customs fairly quickly, and in a few swift and discreet minutes, we were lounging in the backseats of an escort car, safely on our way to the Eadwald mansion located in Highgate, Westminister.

Mom and Dad soon launched into a conversation about work beside me, and I efficiently tuned them out by putting my noise-cancelling headphones on.

'Candy necklace' by Lana Del Rey, featuring Jon Batiste came on, and the beautiful opening piano chords of the song flooded my ears, soon followed by Lana's heavenly voice.

That song had been one of my favorite songs to play on the piano before I...stopped playing.

I sighed and leaned my head against the window, watching the gothic landscape of London and its olden cobblestone roads, with barely visible whispers of brown and gold autumn kisses here and there, roll past my eyes in a half blur.

I don't know why they'd insisted on us all riding the same car when they could have been in a different car. I wouldn't even mind being in the staff car with Mr. Edward and the other staff personnel.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Mom and Dad's discussion gradually got heated. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Dad was pinching the bridge of his nose as he usually did whenever he was frustrated, and Mom was throwing her hands up and rolling her eyes.

I didn't even care. I just hoped they waited till I was out of the damn car before they started fighting.

I dozed off at some point during the car ride. I had been unable to sleep a wink on the plane, and was immensely tired and jet lagged. And I stirred awake when the car gave a small jolt as we came to a halt.

We had arrived.

I paused my music and took off my headphones to let it hang around my neck.

The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky with cool tones of pinks mixed with lavender, and a vast expanse of lush greenery flanked us on both sides of the driveway that led to the house. I could see the bright orange lights left on in the house from the distance.

"We're here!" Mom screeched beside me as the chauffeur walked over to open the doors.

The staff had already began offloading the luggage, and I yawned loudly as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my mother's enthusiasm.

I got out of the car after making sure I was fully awake, and my joints cracked and groaned as I stretched. I heard someone walking up behind me and turned to see Mr. Edward pulling two suitcases along with him.

"Did you have a good nap, Miss?" He smiled at me and I gave him a lazy grin.

"Yeah, can't wait to literally do nothing but sleep for the rest of the week though," I yawned again and cracked a stiff joint in my neck. "God! I'm so tired!"

Someone laughed behind us, interrupting as Mr. Edward opened his mouth to speak, and we both turned around to the sight of my mother walking towards us with a grin on her face.

"I'm afraid you can't sleep for the rest of the week though," she said as Dad got out of the car and hurried to match her steps.

"Why not?" A frown settled on my forehead. I didn't really want to speak to her or Dad—I was still harboring so much anger towards them—but I had to know what she meant.

"There was no time to tell you, but you've been enrolled in a high-school up in Kensington. I'll be taking you to the dorms tomorrow to see if you like it there, or if you want to commute from home," Mom explained, her excitement slowly fading as her voice took on a cautious tone at the look on my face.

What...

I couldn't even speak. I just stared at my mother with my mouth hanging open in confusion. Dad had reached us now, and he stood beside her with his hands in his pockets and a worried look on his face.

"What are you talking about?" I finally managed to speak, eyes darting between my parents as Mom sighed.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, Jade. It's just...things have been so busy, and I wanted to tell you at breakfast yesterday, but then you got so angry about the move and—"

"What's wrong with you?" I didn't intend for my voice to come out sounding so strangled...so pained. I was angry and I had intended to yell, but I was just hurt.

"This school might be a good thing for you, Jade. It's a chance at a new and probably exciting beginning," Mom said, and I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to send the treacherous tears back to wherever they were coming from.

"I've lived my entire life being homeschooled because you both claim that that's the best thing for me. You have refused my every plea to be enrolled in a normal high-school, and now you suddenly enroll me in one without my knowledge or consent? Without caring to inform me about the process so I could prepare for whatever might be required of me?"

Silence reigned.

Both of my parents stared at me with guilt written all over their faces, as if I was the parent and they the child. Sometimes I really felt as if I had kids for parents because this was all just ridiculous.

"There was no time, Jade. I wanted to—" Mom began another ludicrous attempt at making excuses, and I'd simply had enough.

"You had all summer, Mom!" I threw my hands up as I yelled in frustration. "You had all fucking summer to tell me about the move but you waited until just yesterday! And now you're telling me I'm to start school tomorrow when we just arrived here what?...fucking thirty minutes ago?! What is wrong with you!"

I couldn't stop the tears now. They flowed freely as I yelled, and my parents just stood there with their heads hanging in shame.

"And you, Dad," I turned to my father. "When did you change so much? When did you become so complacent and docile as you hurt me? How are you both able to live with yourselves after doing all this to me?"

All of my energy was gone, and my voice had taken on a note of defeat as I stared at the only people in the world whom I loved with all my heart.

They both remained silent, Dad's eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall.

I wanted to lean forward and hug him. I wished he would lean forward and scoop me up into a hug like he used to when I was younger, but those times were gone and over.

We had all changed and so had the love between us all.

I let out a long sigh, wiped my tears and turned away from my parents back to Mr. Edward.

"Mr. Edward?"

"Yes, Miss?" He answered immediately.

"Please, show me to the room that's been designated for me,"

"Yes, Miss. Right away. Please come with me."