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01 | the orphan

0 1

the orphan

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Making her way down the stairs of her foster home, Cara waved a quick goodbye to the parents of the house she'd been living in for the past three months. She liked it there. In fact, she loved it. But three months in Cara's eyes was too long.

Time to move on, she said to herself as she carried the small bag of her belongings she'd brought with her when social services dumped her here. Sure, her foster parents were nice and all, buying her clothes when she needed them, but they were, in a way...almost too nice. And to be honest, it made her squirm.

It was part of the reason she had to leave now.

"See you later, Cara," her foster mother, Lauren, waved from the living room where she sat with her husband. "Just going out with some friends, right?"

"Uh, yeah," she lied, trying to avoid any conversation. She hoped they wouldn't notice the cinch sack dangling from her left hand, hastily hidden from their view. But because the two ends of the verbal exchange were in two different rooms, she assumed that all would be hidden. "See ya."

She stepped out of the house, letting the cool air brush the hair away and off her face. Soon, the teenager was at the end of the driveway, standing back to look up at the house that she'd called home for the past three months. I'll miss you, she said to it, and then shook her head, clearing her mind. What am I doing, talking to a house?

Turning around to face the dark street ahead of her, Cara prepared to step out into the unknown, and start her own life. Now that she was seventeen, she decided, she should be able to make her own decisions, live by her own rules. And that started by moving away from anyone who stood in the way of that.

A light flicked on behind her, and she was soon swallowed in a faint light. She whirled around, expecting to see Lauren and her foster dad, Nick, outside and calling for her to come back inside. But when she looked up, the glow was coming from an upstairs window, and a small figure peered down at her. She immediately knew who it was, though. It was Anna, the biological daughter of the parents, and the most precious seven-year-old she'd ever seen. A twinge of guilt picked at her heart in that moment, but Cara quickly shook it off. I can't be held back, she reminded herself, by anyone.

So, when she saw the window open, she just made eye contact with the little girl, putting her finger up to her lips in a silent plea. Please, don't tell anyone. Just let me go, she said in her mind.

Was that a nod she saw?

It didn't matter anymore, though. It was time to go. Time for an orphan to be an orphan.

-

She woke up on a park bench, having gotten tired of walking around midnight.

Not exactly how I wanted to start this out, she thought to herself wearily. Rubbing her sore muscles out, she sat up, and looked around, analyzing her surroundings.

Most of the landscape she'd noticed was made up of trees, and (thankfully) there weren't many people around. The only small groups that did exist were men and women dressed in professional attire, looking as if they had nothing but getting to work on their minds. With a sigh of relief, Cara stood up, and began on her way, looking for the perfect place to stay, at least for a week or two.

And as she turned the corner, she blinked, stuck her head up high in the air with confidence, and promptly ran into a solid wall of muscle.

"Oomph," she grunted, and stumbled back, about to fall over from the amount of momentum exerted. But before her skull kissed the sidewalk, a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her up.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, are you okay?" The wall of muscles was a man wearing a blue baseball cap, and a light gray t-shirt that seemed two sizes too small, stretched across his chest.

"Mmm," was the only sound that came out of her mouth; she was a bit distracted while staring eye-level with a rippling six pack that was outlined from the clothing. "Fine."

His blue eyes pierced hers, pulling her gaze up to his. "Are you sure? I'd hate to cause you any pain. Really, it was definitely my fault." His hand reached out to touch Cara's shoulder, but she pulled away.

I've got to get going, she reminded herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's a little dizziness?"

"You're dizzy?" His eyebrows were knit in concern. "Let me help you, if you sit down, I can go get you some water and--"

She waved him off. "No, no. I'm just fine. It was a joke. Really, I'm okay," she added when he reached down to steady her again.

Finally, it seemed, the stranger nodded his head. "Okay, I didn't want to leave you if you weren't okay. But if you are, then..." He trailed off, averting his gaze to a pebble in the road.

"Bye," Cara offered, trying desperately to end the conversation. She wanted to be on her way, and get her own place. But seeing as she was a little occupied at the moment, she had to get rid of the distraction first, even if she did sound rude(she didn't mean to be, it just came out that way).

"Yeah...bye...what's your name?" He held out his hand timidly, waiting for her response.

"Cara," she answered right away, and cursed herself immediately after. What am I doing, giving out my name to strangers? She shook her head inwardly, and asked the man the same question.

"Oh, uh, Steve," he said, and smiled kindly, holding out his hand more confidently, waiting for Cara to take it, which she did, after only a few moments' hesitation.

Moving expertly around him, she waved kindly at him, "Maybe I'll see you around, Steve."

He returned the friendly gesture, cracking his lips in the same grin. "Yeah," he replied, "maybe."

Friends may come in handy, Cara thought to herself, smiling at the thought of making connections.

But soon, before she could do anything about it, Steve was out of her mind, completely forgotten, as she saw the sign she'd been searching for:

Vacancies! Claim an apartment now!

Bingo, she thought smugly, and put a little bounce in her step as she made her way to the apartment building.