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LUCY HAD NEVER REALISED HOW complicated moving was.
That defining night, only two weeks ago, had been a turning point for the seventeen-year-old. Lucy had, until that point, been begging for help from her father with no response. And when she broke down, she surrendered the final part of her still holding onto the hope that her dad was still inside that empty chasm of a person.
She had to help herself now.
That night also changed something in her relationship with her father. Whenever she thought of the man, feelings of resentment and heartache warred together, turning her heart into a battlefield. Lucy loved her father deeply and was so fearful of losing him. But she could no longer ignore how he abandoned her; how he didn't help.
So, after many internet searches and phone calls, she packed up her father's belongings and determinedly drove him to Saving Winds Recovery Clinic. It wasn't easy to admit Dion into their care, and Lucy lost track of how many times she had cried throughout the ordeal. Eventually, he was given a suite and the teenager was signing documents with the founder of the clinic, the friendly Dr. Petar Nicolescu. Lucy liked him. He had a charming grin set upon pale white skin and spoke with upmost confidence about helping her father.
She started to feel more assured in leaving her father in such good hands.
The rest was a whirlwind. Child welfare soon got involved (much to Lucy's relief) and made about finding her a stable place to live whilst her father completed the program. They found this in the Ateara family in La Push, Washington – her mom's father and sister-in-law. The nice lady from child welfare helped Lucy to get her affairs in order; cease the contract with her landlord, sell furniture and the car, as well as ship her belongings. She couldn't take everything, and days were spent sorting through the entirety of her house, including her mother's possessions. She cried a lot.
Fortunately, her father's stay at the clinic was covered by insurance, and Lucy set about resigning from her jobs. Her last shifts at the gas station and supermarket were uneventful, but she left Winnie's with armfuls of food, tips and sore arms from tight embraces given by both Winnie and Wanda. She was smiling.
Aunt Joy, now her legal guardian, took control of transferring schools for her niece. All Lucy had to do was book her flight into Seattle. So, with a storm of emotions raging inside her, the girl packed what remained and left the place where she spent her childhood, where memories with her mother were made, and also where she was exposed to the cruel realities of life.
Her journey to Seattle gave her time to think about things. Lucy hadn't had a break this long for months, and it felt weird. She was fidgety, feeling like she should be doing something rather than sitting still, but there was nothing to do, and Lucy finally surrendered to her thoughts.
