Baby » The Outsiders

Chapter 1

"So, uh, what's your favorite color," my roommate, Elaine, asks.

Soda and I weren't lying about being in homes. The judge was still debating about Darry. At least Soda had Ponyboy with him. I'm all alone, except for Elaine.

Elaine is small and porcelain. Her eyes are a clear glass color, and her hair is a golden lightning storm of locks. She's beautiful, but she's not the best at starting the conversation.

"Red," I say.

She nods and looks at the floor. I guess it's my turn.

"What's the last book you read?"

She looks back at me, "It was a fairy tale book which was a gift from my grandmother in Germany. What about you?"

I don't read that's the problem. I listen to people read it to me. Then I remember something I have read.

"The Masque of The Red Death."

"You read Edger Allan Poe?"

"Not really I just found the book interesting."

"I've never read any of his work before is it good?"

"Yeah, it is. Edgar's very descriptive in his stories."

It goes silent, and then the bell rings. That's one of the signals that tell you that it's time for bed. I look at Elaine who's on her knees with a cross in her hand. Then she touches her head, then her chest, next she moves her hand left to her left shoulder, and finally to the right. Catholicism. My parents took us to church when we were younger, but we stopped going gradually.

"Goodnight Babydoll," Elaine says.

I get in the bed. The moonlight streams through the curtains. It's blinding but beautiful.

"Goodnight Elaine."

»»»

I walk into the kitchen with Elaine the next morning. It's Saturday so no school, which means no Sodapop and Ponyboy. I look at the food. Toast, eggs, and bacon. No chocolate cake. I sit down at the table and look at the other girls. They all look mean or scared or both. None of them are over sixteen. I'm at the mark—so is Elaine—so that means we're the oldest ones.

"So," Miss Green, the owner, says, "we have a visitor today. Now, she's looking to adopt. So I need all of you to be in uniform and ready to be interviewed."

Miss Green is probably in her early forties. Her hairs are long, curly, dark brown, which she keeps in a bun and her eyes are green with gray spots in them. She's lovely with her olive skin and full lips. It's kind of hard to see how she has never married.

I look at Elaine. She's told me about these days and how they go. How the oldest is never wanted. They all work for children under thirteen. I see tears in Elaine's eyes.

"Come on; we need to go get dressed," Elaine says.

I nod, and we leave the kitchen.

We come down the stairs just as a woman comes in. Our uniforms are baby blue shirts, overalls, and white slip on shoes.

I stand next to Elaine. Suddenly the lady is next to Miss Green. The lady has long black hair and blue diamond eyes. Her skin is pale. She's one of those people who are naturally pretty, but at the same time, she looks like she's had some thing done to her face.

"Girls this is Miss Tasha," Miss Green says.

All of us say 'Good Morning Miss Tasha' with a smile. Elaine has a beautiful smile, but it's fake.