PTX Adoption (#PTXtoNZ)

Chapter 4 - Grateful

Before I knew it, I was it the passenger seat of Scott's car, driving to his apartment. He told me he lived with another man, but I failed to remember his name. I watched through the window as other cars sped by, and buildings and skyscrapers passed me, faster than shooting stars. It felt as though I hadn't seen the outside world in so long, like I'd been trapped in a prison for years, unable to escape.

"Oh wait, I had.." I thought to myself. 6 years I'd been stuck in that hellhole. 6 entire years. But it made me think, what would I be doing right now if my mom hadn't of died? What if my sad-excuse for a father died instead? Where would I be if I still had a family? All these different possibilities, things that could have happened, but didn't.

I appreciated the fact that Scott didn't ask or interrogate me about my past or my "story." I guess he figured that I didn't want to discuss it. Soon the car had stopped, and I knew that we had arrived. I unstrapped my seat belt and opened the door of the car, grabbing my backpack and stepping out of the vehicle. Scott opened the door of the house for me, allowing me to go inside.

I stood in awe at the sight of the shiny wooden floors, and the large plasma television. The soft grey couch provided a comfy bed for the grey cat sitting on it, and the white cloud-like cushions a perfect pillow for the creature's small head. I hadn't seen something so perfect since the day I last saw my Mother.

I stepped further inside, Scott following behind and was greeted by a short guy with dark brown eyes and similarly coloured hair. "Hi." he said, joyfully. "I'm Mitch." He pulled me in for a hug and wrapped his arms around me. He motioned for me to step inside, offering me a drink and a seat on the couch. I sat beside the grey Sphynx cat, stroking it's back and listening to its soft purr. "That's Wyatt." Mitch said, pointing to the cat, handing me a glass of iced water and sitting beside me.

"So, what's your name?" Mitch asked.

"I'm Ellen" I said.

"That's a beautiful name. So what kind of things do you like, Ellen?" Mitch asked.

"I love animals, music and acting" I said. Mitch laughed. "We're soulmates!" he said, smiling.

We got up off the couch and Mitch took me by the hand, leading me into a bare bedroom. He lead me through the door and said "This is your room now. We can go shopping sometime soon so that you can personalise it a bit more."

I was overjoyed. I hadn't had my own proper bedroom for years. My room back at the orphanage was nothing compared to this. I set my tattered backpack down on the double bed. It had a rainbow duvet cover, and a soft, purple blanket on it. I might finally get a good night's sleep! "Thank you!" I said to Mitch, then I repeated myself, louder this time, yelling to Scott who was in the kitchen. "Thank you, Scott!"