When the plane landed I was anger out wreck. I must have looked incredibly misplaced. I wondered the airport until I figured out I was in Australia and then saw something gut wrenching. The photo of a city being burnt down with a headline reading "Please donate to Fort McMurry Canada needs us." A security guard passed by and noticed my horrific state. "Miss, are you okay?" "No...." I squeaked out my voice barley breaking a whisper. I was taken to a misplaced Childrens room. My fate was settled. Since I was a minor I was going to be given a one night stay in a hotel room then sent to a foster home. However I didn't want to go to a foster care program. It would bring back memories of family. Then the memories would trigger questions. Questions like where are my family? Are the alive? What had happened to them? But those question no foster care center or therapist could answer.
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I was taken in a taxi with a man to check me into my hotel room. This city is truly goregus. All the beautiful shops and lights. Happy people with smiles on their faces. But all of this town is exactly a picture perfect paper thin town. Everything in place, nothing is wrong. Until the devastation comes... nothing will stop it fast enough not the hope not the water and not rescuers. I was in kindergarten little me sitting playing house with Josh. "Hey Liza don't you ever worry I'll be there to save you no matter what." I strained my neck to see Josh staring at me, with his play firefighter hat falling down, his head failing to keep it up and sturdy. "No matter what Liza I'll do it. Just to keep you save. With me and you together nothing will stop us, ever. I promise." I should of realized that tragedies do happen and that no one can ever promise such a thing. But kindergarten me didn't have the brain capacity to realize so.
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When we arrived at the hotel I was led straight to my room. As much as I wanted to I didn't dare question it. The man in the taxi gave me a time of 11:30am as the latest for checkout and a cab number to take me to the foster care home, I first walked into the washroom to fix my firecracker red hair and to attempt to scrape the dirt off my face. I glanced into the mirror to check the damage. Mt face had multiple dark ash staines. My clothes were tarred and torn. The sweatshirt that Josh gave me was around my waist. It was mostly intact but needed some strong washes. I had that about what the foster home would be like. New people, more stress more death and more heartbreak. I didn't want to think about anything. I just wanted to rewind to my previous life. But then one of my worst days came back to me...
I clutched onto Josh thinking that if I didn't hold on he would disappear in seconds too. "Shh... it's okay Elizabeth, I'm right here. I'm not leaving, not now not ever." I swallowed hard to remove the sandpaper feeling I had in my mouth. "Y-you can't promise that Josh no one c-can." "I know I know, I just thought." "Thought what Josh? He's gone now he's not coming back." "Oh Liza..." He whispered. "Just stop thinking Josh, and let it all go." I didn't know how long we stood together in front of where my Grandpa had just been buried. I had felt safe. Something I hadn't felt in awhile. I came back to reality and felt sleepy but I didn't want to sleep because I knew I would fall back into a terror filled world one that I feared.
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