Chapter One

We are leaving. Never to come back. Honestly, though I can't say I’m too surprised. We never stay in one place for more than four months and if I'm lucky, a year tops. I guess you could say we are a traveling family except for the fact that it is forced. My mom works some kind of government job so I'm always warned beforehand not to get too attached to my surroundings. My mom says that it was only after  I was born that they had required her to travel. She claims to love it but I can tell it takes a toll on her. Although we do have to travel a lot, the bonus is that my mom gets to pick the place. She has always loved city-like places so that's where we usually go. This time we will be traveling to Sacramento, California. An eleven hour and twenty-three minutes drive from where we live in Phoenix, Arizona.

“Zaara, it pouring outside! The moving truck has left, let's go!” my mom yells from downstairs. I glance over our house for the last time in forever. Our house is one huge, completely empty,two-story house and it looks as though we had never lived here. I guess it is because we never actually did.  We mostly just have the essentials, that and my mom’s Government files.

“Coming,” I yell back. I quickly glance into the mirror that has now been placed on my old dresser, to tighten my ponytail. A heart-shaped face, thanks to my mom, stares back at me with grey eyes and thick black wavy hair framing it, inherited from my dad. My mom says that when I'm in deep thought, my eyes get all misty and stormy looking. Like now.

It has just been me and my mom every since my dad ran off and left us. That's the most I know about him besides the fact that I mostly look like him.

I shoot a text to my friend, Railyn, that I’m leaving. We have been friends for longer than I can remember. My mom says we practically grew up together and that Railyn’s mom and my mom are best friends. She doesn't live in this area but we spend so much time face-timing that I honestly sometimes forget. I run downstairs, almost tripping on our, now old, sidewalk and take shotgun in our custom painted periwinkle Toyota C-HR we got last month. My mom’s latest and beloved car. I wish she just kept the cool black paint on but she insisted on giving it personality. Whatever.

My mom gets into the car beside me and off we go.

My mom shifts uncomfortably in the car.

“Zaara, I have something to tell you,” she says.

“ This time, when we move, it will most likely be permanent.”

No. Way. Yes!

I knew my mom had gotten a raise. When she told me, she was ecstatic and I was happy for her.

“What!?” I half shriek. This means I can maybe, finally,  make some friends and maybe something even more permanent like doing all the simple things; homework, binge-watching TV shows and going to the mall except this time I won't be alone.

“That's amazing, what's the catch mom?”

School to me has been okay for a person who doesn't mind not having friends. It's not like  I don't want to but what's the point if they forget me half a year later? This will be the perfect chance to start fresh- again- but with promises of something more.

My mom looks straight at me, her green eyes full of remorse. She knows that what she's about to say will not be taken lightheartedly and I can tell what she's about to say will not be good.

“The catch is, your going to be schooling online.”