Olivia collapsed on her bed, the worn out springs squeaking underneath her. She glanced over at her bedside table, where an unfinished book sat, as if mocking her. With a heavy sigh, she reached over and grabbed it. According to her caregiver at the orphanage, it was a book for older kids. She seemed impressed that Olivia could read at that level, being only at the age of eleven.
Olivia saw a few kids run past her bedroom door, seeming to be playing a game of tag. One suddenly stopped to look at her.
“Hey, Liv, want to play?”
Olivia shook her head. She never had an interest in playing with the other kids.
“No thanks.”
The kid shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He took off running down the hallway again and a few more kids ran after him.
Olivia rolled her eyes. After living at the orphanage for a good 3 years of her life, it has gotten pretty old. Seeing the same exact kids, eating the exact same stuff, doing the same activities. Olivia just wished she could be adopted already. She wanted excitement in her life and a nice family to share it with.
After the death of her mother 3 years ago, Olivia’s dad immediately put her into an orphanage. Of course, she was too young to understand at the time, and even now, she still didn’t understand why he did it. She thought he loved her.
She wanted to feel loved again.Sure, the kids at the orphanage and the caregiver were all like family to her, but it just wasn’t the same. She wanted an actual home with actual parents.
“Kids, time for dinner!” a female voice called from downstairs.It was the caregiver of the orphanage, Ms. Stanley She was a kind and petite old woman, maybe in her late fifties, who immediately brightened up anyone’s day just by walking into the room. Since Olivia barely knew her biological mother, Ms. Stanley was the closest thing she had to one.
Olivia quickly bookmarked her place in her book and ran downstairs, wanting to get there before the rush. As she neared the wooden steps, she heard dozens of footsteps behind her, like a stampede of wildebeests. Olivia made her way downstairs, not wanting to get trampled.
She made her way to the dining room, where a whole table full of food sat, just waiting to be eaten. Dozens of delicious smells filled her nostrils all at once, nearly making her mouth water. She sat down at an empty chair and smiled at Ms. Stanley, who was filling up paper bowls with steaming hot soup.
“Hi”Ms. Stanley turned with a smile.
“Hello, Olivia,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
Olivia nodded hungrily as she gazed around the table “You bet."
The other kids began to pile in, all fooling around and laughing like they were at a carnival. As soon as Ms. Stanley passed out plates and silverware, all of the kids, including Olivia, went absolutely nuts. Kids were being pushed, dinner was being thrown and Olivia’s feet got stomped on multiple times. About ten minutes later, they all calmed down and started to eat.
Halfway through dinner, there was a loud knock on the door. Ms. Stanley got up from the table and glanced at Olivia with a smile.
“I’ll get it.” She came back a few minutes later with a man at her heels. He was tall, clean shaven and wearing a sleek black suit.
“Who’s the dude?” Olivia heard someone ask.
Ms. Stanley looked at her and Olivia was afraid that she was going to explode with how happy she looked.
“Olivia, this is Robert Gloss. He’ll be your new adoptive parent.”
Olivia nearly choked on her chicken. Her fork dropped to the floor with a clatter.
