Hi. My name's Gemma and this is my special book. I lived in this crummy adoption center/home and let me tell you, I did not like it there. My dad put me in there because he doesn't want me anymore. He came once in a while and brought stuff like Chocolate biscuits and cake and Smarties and M&Ms and Skittles and I ate them all up, munch-crunch, and the best part is that I could crouch in a corner and eat them privately without having to share them with any of the other kids. But one day I forgot to crouch. And Rosalie pounced.
'What are you eating there?' she asked.
'Smarties, why?' I said, looking at her.
'You're supposed to share,' she pouted, 'I'll tell Janelle that you're not sharing. Look at you, that's why you're ever so fat.'
Her words ringed in my ears and I lashed at her. Her nose was now a scarlet fountain.
'Charlotte!' Janelle, the nurse or whatever that cares for us, screamed.
'It's Charlie. I hate Charlotte,' I said, crossing my arms across my chest. 'Get that fact straight.'
I was sent to my room for the rest of the day to 'calm down and get quiet'. Tee-hee. I wasn't a bit quiet. I howled and screamed.
Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't have problems. It's just that Janelle bosses me around too much and then I get fed up with it.
The next day was adoption day. I put on my outfit- a white crop top, denim shorts and cute flip-flops. My toenails were a pearly peach colour. I did my blonde bipolar (sometimes straight, sometimes curly) hair in a sophisticated but messy bun on the top of my head. It was currently straight and some strands escaped the band I used. I checked myself in the mirror before nodding and walking downstairs with my cell phone.
'Charlotte!' Janelle called my horrible name. I quickened my pace and speed-walked to the living room downstairs, where Janelle and a man and woman were waiting. They seemed my type: the man had curly dirty-blonde hair and was wearing a black top, a black leather jacket, black skinny jeans and black boots. The woman had brown wavy locks and green orbs, and was wearing a jacket- kind of like a letterman jacket- with shorts and sneakers.
'This is Emily and Paul,' Janelle chirped. 'Emily, Paul, this is Charlotte.' she gestured to me. Emily patted the space in between her and Paul and I sat down.
'I don't like Charlotte,' I said. Emily heard me.
'Not anymore, you're not,' she said, smiling. 'You can be Gemma.'
I love Gemma. It's a wonderful name.
Then Paul said something that startled me.
'We're here to adopt you,' he said. 'Go pack your bags?'
