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Make it your own Boo <3

He stepped out of the van, the fresh air hitting his face. There was no smell of tobacco coming from the house, or empty soda cans on the ground in the front yard. Nothing looked or felt sketchy, and he was promised everything he never had. The sweet smell of cherry blossoms filled the air, and the warm summer breeze wrapped around him like a blanket. This time it was different, it had to be. He was no longer living at the orphanage, he was no longer just a child that existed, he no longer had to worry about where he would sleep or if the other kids would let him eat the next meal in peace.

This was going to be his home. As he looked around, he couldn’t believe his eyes. No house he had ever seen looked so astonishing that it made him speechless. The gardens on either side of the driveway were filled with flowers, and the fence looked freshly painted over. His heart raced, and he felt as if it was going to beat right out of his body. He saw from the driveway to the end of the block on either side, with houses just as brilliant as the one he stood in front of. Mrs. Gracie, his caretaker and the one who drove the van, opened the gate and motioned for him to follow.

Once they reached the door, she knocked. He looked back at the garden and wondered if he was allowed to smell the flowers. He wondered if his new parents were nice and loving, or what having parents felt like at all. He slipped away in his thoughts for what felt like hours before he heard his name being called.

“Nova. Pay attention,” Mrs. Gracie said. He turned back around to face the door and saw a neatly dressed couple, both looking like they came right out of church. He felt underdressd to say the least. He wore a black shirt with the state football team logo, ripped faded skinny jeans, with Nike sneakers that were two sizes too big on him, and a New York Yankees baseball cap over his mid length, shiny, black hair. He looked like the kind of boy you would expect to sit in a dark room and listen to Punk-Rock or Heavy Metal, but he was quite the opposite.
“Nova is such a pretty name,” the lady said, “I do so hope you will get along with your new older brother.” The lady turned back to Mrs. Gracie and started a new a conversation on his allergies and what to do if anything happened. Nova looked up at the man, and he gave a tired, kind of bored look. Nova looked back down, and stared at the welcome mat. Soon, papers were exchanged, and he was brought inside.

“This,” said the man, “Is the living room. You can hang out here or with your brother in your shared room.” Nova nodded, and the man continued. “You will address me as Father or Sir, and you will address my wife as Mother or Ma’am.”

“Yes sir,” Nova answered. He gave a small head bow when he spoke, to show respect. The woman smiled a soft and caring smile, that seemed to fit her just right. The man, however, still looked bored, and tired. He gave off energy that would have probably made any other kid his age back off, but not Nova. Nova was raised his whole life in an orphanage and random foster homes until now, so nothing seemed to frighten him.

“He has such formal manners,” The woman remarked, turning to her husband, “Doesn’t he?” She looked pleased and very happy to know her new son had and used manners.

“Yes, I suppose he does,” the man answered with a bit of enthusiasm. “Shall we call down Mason to meet Nova?”

“I think that is a very good idea darling.”

“Mason, we have someone for you to meet.”

Nova hardly heard the light footsteps approach him when suddenly a taller, leaner boy stood beside him and spoke.
“Father, who is this?” The boy asked, looking over at Nova.

“Mason,” the man announced, “This is your new brother, Nova. Nova say hello to your brother. We hope you two will get along fine.”

“Brother?” Mason questioned, “You said i was going to get a little sister and-”. The man held up a hand and Mason stopped talking. There was a still silence in the room, almost dreadful. Nova felt the tension arise, and his eyes began to water. Finally the man spoke in a calm, low, formal voice.

“Mason, son, we have a few reasons for picking Nova over all of the other girls,” he said, with a slight smile, “He is very smart, loves athletics as you do, and has leadership skills that would make you two a great pair.” Mason paused.

“Over all the other girls?” he questioned, “What does that mean?" Nova froze. His new brother would know sooner or later.

“Dear?” the woman asked as he turned to the man, “Should we tell him now?”

“That is completely up to Nova when to tell him”.

“Nova, dear,” the woman said lightly, “it’s up to you”.

Nova shook his head and turned to Mason. He bowed, then turned back to his new parents.

Mason looked back and forth between Nova and his parents, expecting an answer. “Father,” Mason said, “I will not get mad, but please just tell me.”

Nova opened his mouth to say something, but nothing seemed to come out. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped a little. But the hand was gentle, and welcoming. He looked up, seeing Mason's concerned face.

"Hey, you alright? I didn't mean to come off rude, I think a brother would be just as fun as a sister." He smiled softly, and Nova wanted to hug him, Mason, his new brother. Nova just nodded, looking over at his new parents, who were both smiling. "Do you want a hug?" Mason asked, catching Nova off guard. He looked back at his new brother, before pausing for a moment, hesitant that this might be a trap. Soon his emotions took over, and he teared up, accepting Mason's offer for a hug and embracing the taller boy.

It was a real hug, the welcoming kind you give friends or family after being away so long, not the kind you put little to no effort into. It was the best hug Nova ever had, and he was going to remember it for the rest of his life. "I'm sorry," Nova mumbled, "This is the first hug I've had in years. I didn't want to miss this chance-" Mason cut in, pulling the smaller boy in closer.

"You're good, no need to apologize here," Mason said, "What do you say I help you get your stuff upstairs, then i show you around?"
Nove forced himself to pull back from the hug and wipe his tears, then he smiled. "I'd like that," He paused for a moment, remembering the boy's name, "Mason-?" Mason nodded, and smiled back. "If that's okay with your parents," Nova added.
"Our parents," Mason corrected, before turning to them, "Mother, Father?" he asked.