The Goodbye I Needed

That winter, we went skiing in Aespen, Amestia. It was where the rich and the werewolf nobles liked to hang out.

However, an avalanche came out of nowhere. Dad grabbed Summer, my adopted sister who was fast asleep, and ran. Mom hurried out too, but she made sure to grab the little stray pup Summer had found.

They got back to the Moonshadow Pack that same night and posted a bunch of photos online, happy they were all safe.

They forgot all about me.

A week later, I came home, all bruised and scratched. The Moonshadow Pack elders and the Vektar family friends were there, throwing a party for my parents and Summer to celebrate surviving the avalanche.

Seeing me, my parents showed mixed emotions. They had thought of everything during the avalanche except for me, their own daughter. They had left me buried under the snow.

Mom's eyes got a bit teary, and she hugged me tight. "My child... You've been through so much..."

I used to dream of her hugs, but at that moment, I just stepped back a little and said without much feeling. "Thanks for caring."

She paused, her arms still out.

Summer looked at me with her amber eyes, not bothering to say any nice words. The next moment, she started crying quietly and spoke in a sweet voice.

"Daddy... Mommy... I'm sorry, it's all my fault... If you hadn't had to save me, Rose wouldn't have gotten hurt… Rose, you can hit me. It's a happy occasion today. Don't let everyone here think that Mom and Dad left you because of me. It's my fault..."

Her few words made Dad go from feeling guilty to really mad.

"You deliberately chose to come back on this day? You want everyone to think we left you out?! You're so young, but you're so full of tricks. You don't even act like you're a part of this family!"

I could not believe what I was hearing. Dad, the respected leader of our Moonshadow Pack, was saying those things about me, his own daughter.

For five long days after the avalanche, I fought to stay alive under the rubble. There was no water or food, just the freezing cold and the scary feeling that death was close. I had tried over and over to reach out to them through the mind-link, but no one answered.

When I tried to send the last message with my phone before it died, hoping to tell them where I was and leave my final words, I saw the messages my parents had sent instead.

[The Moon Goddess kept us safe, all three of us are fine.]

[We're so thankful to the Moon Goddess. Even the pet puppy is okay.]

They were at home, getting cozy by the fire. They were all smiles, with Summer holding the little stray puppy she found.

Meanwhile, I was in the snow, my hands numb as I dug through the ice. I kept going, driven by the need to survive, and I finally made it out.

However, to Dad, my return was just a way for me to 'rebel' and 'start drama'.

I lost the urge to explain myself, so I turned around and went to my room. Behind me, I heard Summer whisper smugly, "Dad, don't be mad. Rose was always the favorite, so she never learned any manners. We should give her time to figure out what's right."

Dad just grunted. "I should've never brought her back. You're my good daughter, not her."

I ran to my room. As soon as I heard those words, I could not stop the tears.

I never had a place in this house, but I should've probably gotten used to that by now, huh?

I dried my eyes and called my mentor, my voice steady and sure. "I've made up my mind. I'll go with you to Cascade City next week. I'll settle down there and focus on my medical studies. I won't come back."

…

The next morning, as the sun peeked in, Mom pushed my door open with a sigh.

"Rose, you were so stubborn yesterday. Your dad just told you off a little, and you stormed off to your room. You really don't get it, do you? You embarrassed him in front of our family."

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the clothes by my bed. She had not noticed in last night's dim light, but in the bright morning, she saw my white shirt stained with dried blood. The marks were stark and shocking.

She finally understood what I had been through in the avalanche.

Dad came in after her and saw the shirt, his lips quivering in response. He started to say something.

"Rose... I... I didn't realize..."

"I just want to get dressed. Could you please leave?" I said, staring at the ceiling, my voice icy.

They never really paid me any attention.

If Summer so much as scratched her finger, they would fuss over her like she was the most fragile thing. However, my legs could be sore and swollen and they would not even glance my way. They would just think I was seeking attention.

It was not that they did not pay me any attention; they just did not care about me.

Maybe it was the chill in my voice, but for the first time, I saw a flicker of worry cross their faces.

They glanced at the dining table in the living room, where I used to place fresh Moonshadow flowers every day—a habit they always found pointless.

"Rose, you haven't put out fresh Moonshadow flowers today. Want to go pick some with me later?" Mom asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, thanks."

There was a time when I would have jumped at the chance to spend time with my parents. However, that time was gone.

I did not care anymore.