The Unwanted Ones - Book One

Chapter One

The light pouring through the blinds on the window wakes me, lighting up my otherwise dark room. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and swing my legs onto the cold wooden floor. Almost immediately I hear a crying sound.

For a second I wait to see if my mom will take care of it. She's usually up early to get to her job at the hospital. A second passes and I go towards the sound of the crying.

I quietly tiptoe into the next room where I see a large wooden box filled with bundles of blankets. Creeping over towards it I see my little sister, Ella. Her cheeks are rosy and her eyes are shut tight as she continues to cry.

I start humming a song for her, picking her up out of the box and holding her close to me. She quiets down and starts to coo happily. A smile forms on my face as I nuzzle it into the soft dark brown curls on her head. I gently put her back down into the box, and turn around to leave the room.

My mom rushes in, her dark chocolate colored eyes wide in terror.

I step back, startled. She runs over to me and tosses her tattered overcoat onto the box, covering up my sister.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I ask her.

She turns and looks at me. It's almost like looking into a mirror. We share the same angular face, honey brown complexion, full lips and sharp cheekbones. Her dark brown curly hair however is clipped up, while mine is loose and cut short.

"They're coming." she whispers.

She turns away from me and crouches down to Ella.

"Alexandria," she says, "pull up that floor board." She points over towards the loose plank near the edge of her bed.

I immediately do as I'm told, pulling it up as she pushes the box over. She places it gently into the large hole, and I cover it up back with the floor board.

"Okay, Alexandria, act completely normal alright?" she tells me urgently, holding my hands in hers, warm and reassuring. That's a big contrast to the terrified look she has in her eyes. 

"But why are they coming?" I ask. I can hear the fear in my voice.

"Someone tipped them off I suppose. Your father is being held at the station as we speak." she replies, shaking her head.

We hear a loud banging on the front door.
"Go into your room," she says softly, placing her warm hands on my face. I nod and go back into my room.

I hear her footsteps as she goes towards the front, to the door.

"Oh hello there," she says in a calm voice. "What can I do for you all today?"

"Hello ma'am we received a tip that there may be a second child in here. We came to look around." says a grim voice. My mom laughs lightly.

"With all due respect sir, how could I possibly have a second child? Bread costs twenty dollars at the store, milk cost forty. We can barely feed the three mouths living here, why add a fourth?" she says, her voice light.

"Yes ma'am, well we still need to check." the man tells her. I hear her sigh, and can imagine her plastering a fake smile on, arms crossed firmly.

"If you insist." she tells them.

I hear heavy footsteps coming down the hall. My door opens and I hold my breath as a man, around forty years old, appraises my room. He looks at me. There are other men behind him, about three. They all are armed with guns, and they have on bullet proof vests.

"So this is the only child living here?" he turns around, asking over his shoulder.

"Yes, my eighteen-year-old daughter." my mom replies. "She, myself and my husband are the only ones living here."

The man nods. He leaves me room and the others follow. I hear them go into my mother's room, where Ella is hidden.

I hear shuffling and muffled voices. I'm still holding my breath.

If they find her, they'll kill her.

They'll kill my father. They'll kill my mother.

They'll kill me.

Disobedience isn't tolerated.

I hear them leave the room and I can finally breathe. I count in my head as they search the rest of our small, modest home. It doesn't take long, there are only two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. There's a  minuscule basement but the door is well hidden, they probably won't even notice it. After they've done their search they leave.

I listen as my mom bids them goodbye in a cheerful voice.

She then comes into my room.

"We have to bring her." my mom says. I know exactly what she's talking about.

"No, please," I say, my heart breaking. She's talking about the orphanage. It's one of few, it's located on the outskirts of the city. Families who can't or don't want to keep a child bring them there. Second children are lucky to be brought there, because if the government finds them first, that means their death. It's nicknamed the Unwanted House. Because that's where the unwanted children end up, if they're lucky.

Ella would be safe, but the selfish part of me doesn't want her to go.

And the angry side of me is furious that she even has to go. This rule enforced by the government is cruel. This whole system is awful and ridiculous.

"Alex, you know she has to." my mom says, patting my hand. "We won't be this lucky if they come around again."

I know that's true. The fact that they didn't find her this time is a miracle.

Me and my mother stand and go into the other room. I stride over to the loose floor board and pull. I pull away my mom's tattered jacket that covers the box, and see that Ella is inside sleeping soundly.

I gently pull out the box, and place it on the bed.

"When do we have to bring her?" I ask my mother as I look at my baby sister.

"Tonight." she replies.

I can hear the heartbreak in her voice. I myself feel like crying, but we have no choice.