New Beginnings (Anthem Lights)

Secrets and Learning

Kaylie's P.O.V

The next day, everyone met up at Alan and Brycie's house for something called a Bible Study. I was later told that a Bible is what that Book on my bed was.

We were reading a story about some lost sheep when Alan said, "Kaylie, would you like to read a few verses?"

They all looked at me and I turned a light shade of pink. "Uh, o-ok," I stuttered nervously.

I looked down at my purple Bible and looked at the words. I looked from Alan to my Bible and back to Alan. "I can't," I said. I stood and took off running up to my room, where I sat, head buried between my knees that I had huddled against my chest, and cried, embarrassed.

After a few minutes, there was a soft knock on my door. I didn't look up, but heard the door creak open and a soft voice say, "Kaylie? What's wrong, sweetie?"

The door closed again and I felt the bed sink a bit by my feet. I looked up with my puffy eyes and saw Brycie with a look of concern and sympathy on her face.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, laying  a hand on my knee.

I shook my head and buried it back in between my knees. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.  She scooted closer to me and laid an arm around my shoulders.

I waited a few minutes before looking up and saying, "I can't read."

Brycie paused. "What?"

"I can't read!" I said louder. I sighed before saying, "I was passed from home to home. None of my foster parents ever bothered teaching me. They all assumed I already knew. I was working with my best friend/roommate Phoebe for a bit, before she was fostered for a few years. She came back about a year later and we just forgot to work on it again."

Brycie thought for a moment, then said, "Would you like us to teach you?"

I looked up at her. "You would do that?"

"Of course! You're my daughter," she said.

Maybe I could trust this family.

About a week later, I had caught on to reading quickly and Alan said I was reading as well as my age.

I'd broken the first rule I ever taught myself, but I didn't care. I had a family.