Adopted

Chapter 1 : Harsh rules

Chapter 1

A week later...

Riker POV

We were officially on our way to our new real home. I was practically bouncing in my seat from excitement.

So this guy had adopted me and Ell. He didn't seem the nicest, but he didn't seem mean either. Apparently he didn't have a wife, so he wanted kids to keep him company.

The ride there was silent. But when we got there, he said we'd be going over the rules.

Finally, we arrived. Ell and I pulled out our suitcases, and followed the guy up to his house. We sat down on the couch in the living room.

"My name is Mr.Mark. You will do as I say, when I say. And you will follow all the rules, unless you want to be punished."

He was starting to scare me a little bit now.

"You will do chores. If you want to eat, you'll work. Otherwise, you can go hungry. I expect you to keep your room clean, and I will be doing random inspections to make sure of it. You will eat what you're given, nothing more. You can't take food from the kitchen or from strangers. And you'll be going to a private school. It's 4 days a week. You will never miss a single day or a single assignment. You will get A's and B's, and nothing less. You will not talk back to me, disrespect me, question me, and most importantly, lie to me. Otherwise, you'll be punished."

Harsh rules...

"Now I'll show you guys your room, and I want you to stay there until I come back with your list of chores."

We silently followed him up the stairs. The only thing up here was a long dark hallway, and then a small room at the end of it. Ell and I put down our suitcases, and Mr.Mark shut the door. We were alone.

"Well he seems scary," Ell said, quietly.

"Yeah... We should be careful..."

We looked around the room we'd be sharing. It had 2 twin sized beds, a low ceiling, a closet, wood floors, and a bedside table with a lamp on it. There wasn't even a window.

We unpacked our stuff in silence. I hung up my shirts and stuff in the closet. I used half, and Ell used the other half. At least we're together...

The door suddenly opened, and Mr.Mark handed us each a piece of paper.

"These are your chores. You are to have them done every night before you go to bed, which is at 9:00. After 9:00, I don't want to hear any noise whatsoever. Do you hear me?"

We both nodded, looking at the papers. Every day had a list of chores. Some days had different chores than others. But there were a ton of chores each day.

Mr.Mark left, and I sat down on my bed, feeling kind of upset. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted a mom and a dad who let me have fun, and not do chores all day long.

"What do we do now?" Ell asked.

"I guess we should do our chores..." I mumbled.

Later...

Riker POV

So far, I'd vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathrooms, which were really gross, and done the dishes. I didn't know what Ellington was doing, but I knew he was working on chores.

I was really tired and annoyed now. I'd been running around the house all day, doing work, and Mr.Mark was sitting on the couch, watching tv.

I went upstairs to our bedroom to take a small break. At least Ell and I were sharing a room. That made me feel a little better about all of this.

I laid down on my bed, exhausted. And I still have more chores to do...

The door opened suddenly, and Ell came in. He sat down on the end of my bed.

"Why does he get to sit on his butt all day, and do nothing, while we're working our butts off!?" Ell asked, obviously annoyed too.

"I know... But we should just obey. I don't want to get in trouble... Tell me what you've done so far, and we'll see what else we have to do tonight. I already cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the house, and did the dishes."

"I washed his car, and swept out the garage."

"Ok. Let's go clean the kitchen next, ok?"

"Both of us?"

"Yeah. It'll be more enjoyable if we're together."

"Ok..."

Later...

Riker POV

I'd taken my last pill before bed tonight. And I was scared out of my mind!

Earlier, Ell had gotten mad about doing all these chores. He got in an argument with Mr.Mark, and he'd gotten punished.

Mr.Mark had pulled Ell over his lap, and spanked him a bunch of times, and then he locked him in the closet for an hour.

Neither of us had gotten dinner, and we were sent to bed hungry.

I guess we knew not to mess with Mr.Mark now...

Ell had cried for the rest of the day in our room. I finished our chores so he could stay upstairs. He was still crying now, but I couldn't hear him. He'd been hiding under the covers practically all day.

I shifted around a little in bed, trying to get comfortable, but I was scared! It was hard to sleep when I was scared! This wasn't what I wanted when I said I wanted to be adopted! I wish I was back at the orphanage! This is awful!

I started to feel the effects of the pill on me. I felt really sleepy, and before I knew it, I was asleep.