Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Six

I wake up in the morning with the sun pouring onto my face, which is funny. Emmy and I don't have a window in the basement. I rub my eyes and look around at the unfamiliar surroundings. I have no clue where I am.

Oh yeah. I'm in my new room at my new house with my new family. I stare up at the ceiling, looking up at the simple white plaster. The whole room is white, actually. White walls, white bed frame, white blankets, white desk and white lampshade.

Someone knocks on the door.
"Come in," I shout, sitting up in bed.
John comes in, wearing a paint-stained shirt and plaid pajama pants. He plops onto the bed next to me. "Morning, sweetheart."
"Morning, John." I hug him close. I can't call him Dad yet, as much as I want to.

"Did you sleep alright?" John sounds tired.
"Yeah, I think so. I just kind of collapsed and passed out last night."
He chuckles. "You're not the only one. Lafayette is passed out on the couch downstairs, and I think Peggy's asleep in the closet."
I climb out of bed and notice that I'm still wearing my dress and sneakers. I shrug and slide down to breakfast on the stair rail.

Alex is sitting at the breakfast table, reading his newspaper and drinking coffee.
"Morning, Alex," I say, smiling.
"Hi Kat! Hope you slept well."
"I did." I get up and head to the counter to get myself breakfast. John made muffins and some kind of fruit salad.

I take a scoop of fruit and two muffins, then reach for a mug.
"No coffee," Alex says, not even looking up.
"I just wanted a little bit!" I protest.
"No coffee, Kathryn," he concludes. "There's orange juice and milk and hot chocolate. You're not getting coffee and that's final."

I laugh and pour myself a glass of orange juice. It's not as though I was going to drink more than two sips anyway. "So, what are we going to do today?"
"Well, I was thinking we could just spend some time getting to know each other as a family," John offers, sitting down next to Alex. "We have to get your school supplies, too."

"School supplies for what?" I ask, gracefully and charmingly, through a mouthful of muffin.
"Well, you start at Odom Academy of Performing Arts next Monday." Alex says this in a nonchalant tone of voice, as though having two dreams come true in one week is normal.

I squeal and jump up from my seat. I run and hug first Alex then John, hopping up and down the whole time.
"This is incredible! This is one of my biggest dreams, like, ever!" I sit down again and bite my muffin.
"I'm glad," John says, squeezing my hand.
"See why you didn't need coffee?" Alex is smiling.

Odom Academy of Performing Arts has been my dream school since I was six. It still has math and science and English Language Arts classes, but the main focus is Chorus and Set Design and Advanced Ballet. I love to sing and dance, and now I get to go to a school where I get to learn all about these things.

"Morning is the worst," Lafayette moans from the couch. "I think I might die."
"Try this," I laugh, bringing him a cup of coffee and a muffin. He kisses me on both cheeks.
"Ma cherie, you are an angel from heaven."
"I try, Uncle Lafayette, I try."

Once Lafayette and Peggy have finished breakfast and left, I walk upstairs to get dressed. I don't have much in the way of clothes, but Alex has promised that we can go shopping before school starts.
I have a pair of shorts that are outside drying, plus a hoodie, skirt, and cropped leggings. All of them are sort of wrinkled, but I put on my hoodie, leggings, and skirt.

My hair, on the other hand, cannot be tamed, and so I wrestle it into a ponytail and hope for the best. I skip downstairs again, laughing as my hair bounces with a mind of its own.
John gives me a quick hug. "I promise we can get you some clothes today. We need to get school stuff too, and we can buy stuff to decorate your room if you want it."

I think for a minute. My room is plain and white, but I do feel as though there's one thing it's missing.
"I want to use rainbow paints and make a wall where I can write all of the things I'm grateful for. If that's okay, I mean."
Alex smiles. "That sounds like a great idea, Kat. We can get you some paint at the art store."

While we're out, I buy a notebook and start a list of everything I'm grateful for. There's important things like a forever family and a best friend and a good house, and silly stuff, like climbing statues and pink frosting and my stuffed frog Hortense.

John's phone goes off, and he looks down. "Alex, George says to check your phone. He said, and I quote, 'if that man keeps ignoring his phone, I'm removing him from my cabinet'."
Alex checks his own phone. "Kat, Washington wants us to go for dinner with him tonight at his home. Would you be okay to do that?"
I shrug. "I need a nicer dress, but sure. Why do I need to come?"

Alex looks down at the floor for a moment. "He has a really important question he wants to ask you."