Dare to Love

Prologue

"Are you going to take me home with you?" I asked the two strangers who stared at me with bright smiles on their faces. The woman looked young and had beautiful hair that fell in soft brown curls down her back with hazel eyes that danced in happiness. The man next to her was green eyed and tall, he towered over her. He was visibly muscular and had jet black hair.

They looked a lot different from the last people that took me in, Dave and Olivia. I did not miss my last foster home one bit. Dave had a beer belly the size of a small European country and was always red in the face while Olivia's make up scared the living day lights out of me every time.

Something about them made me really hope that if there was a God out there, He would be kind to me and make these nice people take me in.

However, deep down, I knew that they wouldn't keep me. No one ever did. I'd already been to seven foster homes in my short life on Earth and I reminded myself of the promise I made after I was dragged away from my best friend, Jessica, two years ago. I cried myself to sleep every night for 3 months after it happened. I vowed to never get attached to anyone ever again.

"Yes, sweet heart, I believe we are" the lady said with an even bigger smile on her face. Her smile was infectious and despite all the warning signals I could hear in my head, I smiled back.

"I'm Camilla" she said "But I think from now on it would be more appropriate if you called me mum, and this is my husband, Brandon and you can call him dad. We're taking you home with us. We live just outside London, in Surrey. I'm sure you'd love it there."

"You're going to be my mum and dad?" I asked wide eyed. That was all foster kids ever dreamed of. Having actual parents. Though it was highly unlikely that we found people willing to take us in for good. People usually chose babies to adopt and once you missed out on that front, you'd most likely remain in foster care till you're 18. That was what one of the kids at one of the homes I stayed in told me.

I smiled in delight at them, "well, mum and dad, I'm Audrey but you can call me Rey."

Later that day I was settled in, in what I considered a huge room. Imagine my bewilderment when I discovered that I had a whole room to myself. At my last home, I shared a room smaller than this with 5 other girls.

Mum came in to see what I was up to and she noticed me trying to unpack what little scruffs I'd brought with me.

"Oh honey, you won't be needing those anymore, here, this is your wardrobe and in it are the clothes you'll be wearing from now on."

When I saw all the pink frilly dresses, woollen jumpers and ballet pumps, I almost screamed in ecstasy. It was all the things I'd ever dreamed of. Yet that voice at the back of my head told me to not get to used to it. I'd be leaving this place in six months.

"Come now, it's dinner time."

We walked down the stairs, across the hall to the dining room. The house was stunning. I admired all the wood work and the different fabrics that gave it such a homely flair. The dining table looked just like it does on TV when those Christmas dinner adverts are on.  There were different scents and aromas wafting around the room. Every British roast meal was laid out, from Yorkshire puddings to roast parsnips, gravy and stuffings and runner beans! Never once had I seen a meal as much as this. I stared in awe at all the food. I looked around for other people. We couldn't surely finish all this food, just the three of us. Nevertheless, my mouth watered in anticipation.