Emily sat on the windowsill,looking out onto the front garden of her Children's Home.The grass needed cutting,the sunflowers planted by the kids were dry and the hedge was overgrown.She sighed.Emily was fifteen,and had short light brown hair and green eyes.She wished for long hair,but Martie her foster mother insisted on keeping it short.
Emily had been in care since she was two,and hated it.Her room was a box,which she shared with Cassie,a moody thirteen year old.Emily saw a young couple come through the rickety gate.She flopped on her small bed.She used to get excited when people came.but soon she realised they only want cute kids,not teenagers.
"Emily,Sarah's here.She wants to see you."
Aaron,a ten year old called,throwing open the door.Emily groaned.Sarah was her social worker.She was too perky and always speaking in a chirpy sort of way.
"Okay Aaron."
She murmured as she pushed past Aaron and went down the creaky stairs.She made her way to Sarah's office.Sarah smiled awkwardly from behind her desk.Emily flopped down onto a squishy chair.Sarah blinked and flipped back her dark bobbed hair.
"Hiya Em."
Emily winced.She hated when Sarah called her Em.It sounded so juvenile.
"Hello Sarah."
"So,anything you want to talk about today?"
Emily rolled her green eyes.Sarah seemed to think Emily had problems just because she was in care.
"No,just still reeling after last night's train robbery.Got some nice clothes and cash off the passengers."
She replied,her voice dripping with sarcasm.Sarah blinked again,then hooted with laughter.
"Oh Emily!How funny!So,how's swimming?Reading any good mysteries?"
Emily grinned.She loved to swim.Martie agreed to drive her to swimming practice every Tuesday and Friday.Mysteries were also her passion.
"Martie gave me this new Sherlock Holmes.It's about-"
Sarah smiled and leaned back in her chair.Now she was talking.
Soon,the pink pig timer on Sarah's desk rang out,signalling the end of the session.Emily went out the door to see the young couple.The man had a happy face,with friendly brown eyes framed in geeky glasses.He was thin and tall,and towered over the woman,who had titian red hair and an elvish face.They beamed at her,Emily smiled back.
But in her room came a suprise.Cassie was packing all her belongings into a small suitcase.
"W-where are you going?"
asked Emily.Thoughts rushed through her mind-Was she moving to another home?DId her real mother come back?Cassie hugged a black sweater to her chest and spun around the room happily.
"Oh,Emily!This young couple-They're adopting me!"
She threw the sweater onto the floor and wrapped Emily in a hug.Emily didn't know what to do-What was she feeling?Anger,jealousy,sadness.Why Cassie?Why not her?
That afternoon,Cassie left.Emily sulked in her room for three days.She refused to come out,even to go swimming.She lay on her hard bed,staring at the ceiling.
"I hate my life."
She cried out,her voice echoing in the small room.Alone.
That afternoon,Emily heard a knocking at her bedroom door.Aaron pushed through,shaking with excitement.
"What?"
Emily snapped.Aaron grinned.
"There's someone here to see you-She wants to adopt you!"
YOU ARE READING
Perfection
Mystery / Thriller“Emily was confused. There was something wrong. Her room was ready made and there was a closet full of clothes in her size. Jennifer always wanted to know what she was doing. But Jennifer was kind – wasn’t she?” Fifteen year old Emily has been stuck...
