Deck of Cards

Day 49- Hannah

Ace of diamonds- whipping for 0hrs

Hannah's POV

I had been postponed from returning hope for a number of days, the anticipation was killing me. All I wanted to see was my parent's faces. The police hadn't told me much about why I was stuck in a hotel wasting hours away watching rubbish TV and eating crisps.

As they car pulled down the familiar road I had grown up on, I felt tears sting my eyes. The initial fear of the unknown was gone and all I wanted to was get back to normal life again. My house came in view and all I wanted to do was wrench open the car door and run out but I had to control that urge and remain breathing. I had waited almost an eternity,it felt,to get back.

My mother and father were stood in the doorway with open arms and I ran into them only to be greeted by a weak response. My mother's eyes were teary and my father was looking into the distance as if trying to ignore something. My first instinct was that he was ignoring me.

"Should I get my suitcase?" I asked shakily, hurt from the cold welcome.

"No dear," my mother's strong accent could be heard in the last word and I felt an inkling of happiness inside of me from hearing it.

"Come in for a second," my father muttered before signalling something at the driver. Nervously I walked in, wondering why they were acting so strangely. It was like they felt awkward around me.

"Hannah there is something we have to say," my mother began but choked up at the end.

"Two things," my father butted in and my mother glared at him with icy eyes which he didn't see.

"Yes two things. I shall be blunt and straight to the point," fear was building in the pit of my stomach with every word she spoke, "The first is maybe one that may come as a shock."

I breathed in deeply, preparing myself for the worst.

"You're adopted," my mother breathed out and I stood in shock. My whole childhood had somehow been made into some lie, it wasn't like I wasn't capable of dealing with the truth. I didn't love them any less, I was just hurt that it took them so long.

"The next thing, we are leaving the country. We had it planned out before...." She trailed off not wanting to say what had happened,"We sold the house, bought a new one and got jobs there. We're so sorry Hannah that we can't be there for you but we've arranged for you to stay with Auntie Cath ok?"

My father pulled me into a hug and my mother sobbed as we said our goodbyes despite only just saying our hellos. It was all too much to take in, I was adopted and being carted off again. A different location, the same crap feelings.

I entered the cab much less optimistic than I had been before, in fact I had tears running down my face. I didn't know how they couldn't have told me all those years knowing full well that I deserved the right to know. I had lived under that roof for so many years, grown old and yet never knew a defining fact about my life. I was left without parents, my biological ones were unknown and the ones that had shaped my childhood were leaving to a country I didn't even know the name off. Slumping back in my chair, I couldn't help feeling low. Like the raincloud had returned over my head.

The trees that lined the road looked so appetizing, like I could envelop myself in them and never be found. I could live my life in them. Delusional thoughts of living in a tree filled my head till I heard the crinkling of gravel under the car wheels and the vehicle stopped its churning. In front of me was Aunt Cath's house, with its perfect lawn and picket fence. She was standing outside with her perfect children with perfect smiles with perfect teeth. I grimaced as I got out the car and reluctantly took my suitcase from the poor driver who had drove for hours without break.

"Hannah!" Aunt Cath squealed and embraced me in a hug that could have given me a perfume induced coma, her smell choking me.

Behind her was Beatrice who was a swot - she was Beatrice and called nothing else. I shuddered as I remembered the countless hours spent at their house while she talked to me about maths and science and forced me to be her student. She shook my hand and pushed her thick framed glasses up her face- I could tell she was judging. Then there was Andrew, the dull as paint drying teenager who had once been an annoying whiney child. Suddenly he was an acne spotted fifteen year old who wore his hair horribly and was dressed in his mother's sense of style (which was out dated).

Then out of nowhere a tall boy came into view, someone I had never seen before.

"This Hannah is Jack, he's staying with us while his mother is in hospital," Cath beamed as she talked about him and he walked out of the doorframe. He was stunning, I felt like he should have been on a magazine front and not in the door way. He walked over to me in long strides, smiling cheekily with his perfect teeth.

"Hi, I'm Jack. Welcome to the house hold!" His voice was rich and melted over me like chocolate. Its fair to say that I knew I would enjoy my time there a lot more.