Chapter 1

My life as I know it is over. I Savannah Jaymes Blakemore now has no will to live. Why? Just why does my dad have to move us across the country?

I am so proud of him for getting this huge promotion. But why couldn’t the job keep us here in Wake Forest, North Carolina? Why does it have to be in Santa Monica, California?

I must leave the town I love, leave all my friends, my school, and everything I know and love for my father’s new position as the new VP of Lockwood Finance Industries.

My last day in school was the hardest. Me and my friends hugged and cried in the parking lot outside until it was time for me to go so, I climbed into my car and drove away from the school for the last time. A red Hyundai Genesis was the last gift my mom bought me before I lost her to cancer during my junior year in high school.

She knew she wasn’t going to be here for when I passed my driver’s test. So, the day I passed my test my dad gave me a small black box with a red bow on top of it and a letter written in my mom’s handwriting.

I have missed seeing her writing so much over the years. Inside the box were the keys to my car, the letter was my mom telling me how proud she is of me and how sorry she is that she’s not here to see me drive and with this car, she’s always going to be with me wherever I go.

I’m taking the long drive home, driving through the town saying my final goodbyes before the big move tomorrow morning. I pull into the driveway outside our two-story house.

Climbing out of the car I look at the sold sign on the lawn, sighing to myself knowing how real the move is. Slowly walking up the steps onto the porch, I open the door and step in “Dad?” I call out, a deep voice from the back of the house replies.

“In the kitchen sweetpea,” so I follow the sound of his voice and head for the kitchen. As I walk into the kitchen seeing all this the boxes and packaging on the kitchen counters, I hug Dad.

“Hey Dad” I say softly. “Hey there baby girl how was school?” “It was okay as usual but hard to say goodbye all at once.” Looking at my dad seeing the same green eyes I have, looking tired with thin lines surrounding them.

He nods “I understand sweetpea, we are leaving all we know behind for a new adventure.” I nod in agreement sighing “I know Dad, I know why don’t you get us some sodas, I’ll order us a pizza for dinner, and we’ll eat by the fire pit, and I’ll play us a song for our last night here.”

He squeezes me into his side “sounds perfect baby girl I’ll go and start the fire while we wait.”

Sitting round the roaring fire pit out back on the logs, enjoying our large pepperoni pizza under the stars. “It’s so beautiful out here tonight” Dad says looking up feeling so peaceful I nod and agree.

“Yeah, it’s so relaxing out here, just a shame mom isn’t here with us to enjoy it our new adventure with going to California, she would have loved it.”

“She would have baby girl indeed she would.” Taking a sip of his soda “just remember she is always with us no matter where we are in spirit, when you feel the breeze, it’s her telling us she’s here.” As Dad says this a light gentle breeze blows around us and we look at each other and smile as we know she’s here.