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No Good Byes

After the teenager, who turned out to be the babysitter, went home Jacob and Delia were sent to their rooms. Tim started cleaning the kitchen while Anna showed me around the house.

"Here is the sitting room, and here..." She says opening a door, "Is your room." It's walls are a bright pink and the bed is white. The bed had drawers underneath, but besides that the room is empty.

"We can go shopping this weekend to get you some clothes. For now you wear mine." Anna hands me some sweatpants and a grey t shirt.

After Anna walks out I close the door and collapse into my bed. What I nightmare this is. My life seems to be moving a million miles per hour.

• • • •

When I wake up I see pink. Pink why would everything be pink? Then I remember the curtains are pink. I flop back down on my bed and want to go back to sleep. I realize I should probably get up and see what everyone is doing. I stand up and get dressed in the clothes that I wore yesterday. I walk out my door and the smell of cooking food overwhelms me. I can smell bacon, pancakes, and eggs. I feel the emptiness overpower my stomach and in no time I am seated at the table ready to eat.

As we eat Anna tries to make small talk. "Jacob tell everyone what you did in school."

"Even her?" Jacob said giving me the evil eye.

"Yes honey, remember her name is Ella."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes and continued. "I drew a snowman."

Delia started on how she used to do all that baby stuff, before I stopped listening. I didn't really care. Tim and Anna seemed to be having some sort of privet conversation. Anna kept on nodding in my direction. I think it was an invitation to talk to me. Anna noticed I was watching, and stopped. Tim did start talking, but not to me. "So Delia do you want to go to the library today?"

It took everything I had not to shout out 'I do, I want to go to the library.' I stopped myself though. I can't really explain why.

"Ella and I are going shopping today." Anna sounds very excited. I am not really into all that get you nails done, go shopping kind of stuff but, I guess I will have to deal with it I do need clothes.

After we get done shopping at like a million stores I have found exactly ten t shirts and three pairs of jeans. Anna wanted to buy me more stuff but I refused. I already feel bad about how much money she has spent. I know she gets money to take care of me, but I never liked using other peoples money. I feel like I owe them something.

After a short drive home, Anna tells me she is going to go out and feed the cats that live in their barn. I walk inside and sit down on the couch. Tim walks in and sees me.

"Where is Anna?" He looks panicked.

"Out in the barn..."

"Here take these." He hands me a package of cigarets that he has probably just been using. Almost immediately after the cigarets enter my hands Anna walks into the room. I hear her gasp. I look at Tim and see a smile flicker across his face before it turns to a frown.

"Ella! What are you doing?!?"

• • • •

Here I am back at the DHR building. Anna and Tim dropped me off and that was it, no good byes. After what seemed like forever a office worker reappears.

"Come this way honey."

I follow her to a room similar to the one that I meet Tim and Anna in. This time instead of a young couple it is an old couple. I mean not to be rude, but it's true. They look healthy for their age, but still old. I felt bad for prejudging them and decide to get to know them better before I made and assumptions.

"Hello my name is Ella and you are?"

"I am Karolyn and this is Greg." They both have grey hair and blue eyes. Karolyn was wearing a grey work-out outfit and Greg looked like he had just woke up. I think he was even wearing pajamas.

They lead me out to their car. I could tell the atmosphere was a lot better than with Anna and Tim. I felt that I could be more open. I also felt a weird feeling of security. Like it was some sort if safe haven. After a few minutes I learn they were active in volunteering and exercising. They had no kids of their own but always wanted some. They told me all about their lives and surprisingly I opened up to them too. I even told them about my mom. I never have talked about my mom out loud before. Not until now. When we reached their house I could feel my jaw drop. It was HUGE and beautiful. The inside was just the same. I even had my own bathroom. I could tears of joy spring into my eyes. This is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

• • • •

The past three days have been filled with smiles and fun. It has been amazing. I really love it here. It almost makes me forget all the bad. All the rough parts of my life seemed to be smoothing out.

I start school in a week. It's the middle of the school year but they really want to got me enrolled. I haven't gone to school in a while. Not since I ran way. I count the days off on my fingers. It's almost been a week. I am starting to miss school.

"How about this backpack?" Karolyn asks holding up a pink backpack with strips. We are school supply shopping and she is set on getting me a new backpack. I scrunch up my face in response.

"Not my favorite."

"Oh oh, I found the perfect one." She holds up a plain black backpack with a white dog paw print on the front.

"It's cool, do you guys like dogs then?" I ask confused as to why the bag was such a big deal.

Greg walks over to where we are standing and responds, "Karolyn and I volunteer at an animal shelter in town. We were hopping that you would come with us this week."

I turn to Karolyn and can tell that if I went it would mean a lot to her. I agreed only because I wanted to make her happy. Okay, maybe I looking forward to it. But only a little.

• • • •

Two days later we pull up to a run down shelter. As soon as I step out off the car I hear the dogs. Karolyn and Greg seem oblivious to it. We walk through the front door and it gets worse. I do my best to block it out.

"Ella!" I hear someone shot over the noise. "Follow us!" I turn and see Karolyn and Greg walking through a door that seems to lead into the dog kennels.

They tell me that my job is to work on cleaning out the kennels. I take one dog outside at a time and then mop the kennel before leading them back in. Most of the dogs are Pit bulls or mixes. All of them are sweet. There are a few that growl at me, but I don't have to handle those ones.

After two hours of work we finish and head home. Even though I just went and cleaned up poop for two hours I am glad I decided to go. It was a cool feeling helping something like that.