Order Of Confessions

Chapter 4: Interim Home

Roux's POV

The sweet scent of fruits hung in the air as Roux made her way through the streets of a village she found after an hour of walking through the forest. An array of stalls stood in front of her selling all kinds of fruits from custard apples to dragon fruit.

Rouxs' stomach growled as she spotted a mango stall and there was no shopkeeper to be seen. Roux knew this would be the perfect time to steal one as it'd been hours since she last ate. She made her way to the stall and picked the ripest mango and ran to find a place where she could peacefully. 

The village was bustling with people now and Roux wanted to get back to her village but it was so far away she knew she'd get lost if she tried to go through the forest again. She made her way near an apple stall and looked at the man who looked a lot like her Dad.

 "Hey little girl! Where's mom and dad?" asked the shopkeeper.

Roux didn't know and she thought it would be best to stay silent so he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Okay have a fruit, while I go get someone for you? Okay?" the shopkeeper said. "Hey Craig! Take up the store, while I go get someone for this girl!"

The man took Roux to the town officials who made her sit down and answer questions but Roux didn't want to, she was too tired and just wanted to take a nap in her bed with Mom telling her bedtime stories. The officials made a brief mention of the fire that broke out next town to the shopkeeper who looked at Roux and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Its a miracle she was able to survive. Half of the town went up in flames," the official said, shaking his head.

"Alright stay here till we wait for your parents okay?" one of the officials said. Rouxs face lit up in a huge grin and she hugged her toy close to her. She was finally going to go home.

A lady arrived dressed in a plain blue dress with a white apron and looked around. Her eyes fixed on Roux and cast a sweet smile on her face. The lady looked tired and worn out and to Roux, reminded her a bit of her mother. The officials explained everything to the lady who also looked at her the same way the shopkeeper did.

The lady reached over to hold Rouxs hand and walked out of the office.

"Where are we going?" Roux asked, still thinking she was going home.

"It's okay sweetheart, Call me Aunt Julie and I promise you'll be perfectly taken care of" she had told her.

They reached at an old-ish cottage that was big enough to hold 20 people. "Foster home for kids and toddlers" it said on a sign as they walked to the front gate. Roux didn't know what it meant but she trusted Aunt Julie anyway. 

The front door opened wide to a chaotic scene, kids racing up and down the stairs, some yelling and some just passed out on the couches in an another room. 

"SILENCE!" Aunt Julie yelled. The kids froze on their spots and looked at the source of sound. Even the kids that had passed out woke up and turned their sleepy heads.

"Gather around kids, we have a new member in our family" Aunt Julie said. "Introduce yourself, child" she added.

There was a sudden shift in her attitude from back at the office to now. She talked aggressively which was probably something she needed to do with the chaos Roux saw a few minutes ago. The kids stared at her now, looking her up and down as if she was some sort of a weird creature.

"Hi," Roux spoke quietly. "I'm Roux and I'm 8 years old," she said, and looked up at Aunt Julie.

"Good job, sweetheart" Aunt Julie said, sweetly with a smile on her face. "Now let's go and have some lunch and then I'll show you your room and get you some warm clothes, okay?"

Roux nodded. 

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Roux asked.

"Oh they'll be here soon, darling. Don't worry," Aunt Julie assured, with an unconvincing tone in her voice.