My social worker Debbi dropped me off outside the gates. I opened the gate and looked back at her. She smiled and nodded, telling me that I should have hope. Hope that this family will accept me. I approached the door and rang the doorbell. A dog barked and I heard murmuring. The door opened and behind it there was a woman beaming at me.
"You must be Brella. " She said. "You came just in time for our weekly family meeting. " I walked in and stood in the living room wide eyed. She motioned me towards a tan chair that clashed with their blue floral walls. I surveyed my new "family". The mother introduced me to all of them.
At a little tea party table were two identical toddlers named Mackenzie and Madison. They had blonde hair and blue eyes just like their mother. They must be the only biological children, because on the couch there was an 8 year old African American boy named Sammy. Next to him was a pale 11 year old girl with brown hair with tight curls and green eyes named Sophia. The last kid on the couch was a boy who looked to be about in his mid-teens. He had dirty blonde hair and green eyes with hazel flecks and was named Mason. He had a scar above his left eye about the size of an average guy's fingernail implying that he has been in some pretty rough fights. If he didn't have scars on his knuckles too I would have sworn he was part of this uptight family. They all had matching tee-shirts that said "Team Nancy has no I in it". Everyone except the boy had cheesy smiles painted on their faces.
I was snapped into reality by my new foster mom clearing her throat.
The mother smiled and handed me a tee-shirt.
"You don't expect me to wear this, do you?"
"Why wouldn't you?" The mother asked.
"Because they are stupid, and it's not like I'm going to be here for more than two months. "
"What do you mean?"
"Don't kid yourself, we all know as soon as there is another family willing to take me in you are going to ship me off to them!"
"Why would we do that?"
"Because, nobody wants a troubled teen in their home!" I shot back. The family was looked at me with mixed expressions. Half of them with sympathy and the other half fear. Mason just smirked at me.
"Well I think that concludes this week's family meeting, who wants to show Brella her room?" She asked trying to change the subject.
I know she isn't going to keep me. When they signed up for foster parenting they expected a bunch of cute little kids looking for a forever family. They didn't expect to get teens directly out of Juvie. I would know. I've been in the system for most of my life. I looked down.
"I will. " A full-toned voice said. I looked up. It was Mason. He stood up and walked over to me putting his hand out to help me up. I got up without his help and followed him up a set of stairs.
He opened a door.
"Your room. " He said cheerfully. I rolled my eyes. "Ummmm," he started. "The bathroom is right here," He pointed to the left of my room, "and my room is right here he said knocking on the wall to the right of my room. I threw my bag to the side of the twin sized bed and then sat down. The room was a neutral green so any kid they got would feel at home. "Aren't you going to unpack?" He asked, sitting himself on the bed.
"Why should I?" I asked.
"You should because these people will care for you. " He said with a smile. "We will all care for you. "
"We who?" I screeched. "We are all just a bunch of kids that nobody wants that got put in a stranger's home. " At this point I was shaking with rage and crying. Mason grabbed my arms. I could smell his cologne. It was light, unlike most guys that smell like they bathed in it.
"Listen to me. " He demanded gently. "I have been in this home the longest, and I know these people. They aren't the kind of people that just turn their backs on someone just because they've had a rough past!" I looked down at his gripping hands that were still on my shaking arms. He released my arms and took a minute to calm down
"All I'm saying is these people took me in four years ago. I was a runaway from all my other foster homes, got in some pretty nasty gangs, sent to Juvie, got put in this home, and now look where I am four years later. " He was much calmer now.
"Okay I'll unpack. " I said to his delight. He took my bag.
"I will help. " He said.
"Mason!" A voice sings from the hall. It was Sammy. Mason and I chuckled. Sammy came in he ran in and jumped on to Mason's lap. Mason grunted, and then smiled.
"Are you going to bed Sammy?" Mason asked. The answer was obvious with the kid in his Buzz Light-year pajamas and with the smell of mint toothpaste, overpowering the scent of cologne. Soon after he told Sammy goodnight, Sophia, Mackenzie, and Madison ran in.
"Night night" the twins said in unison jumping on his back giving him a kiss on each side of his face.
"Night girls. " He said pulling Sophia in for a hug.
"Will you tuck me?" in Sophia asked. Mason nodded.
"Us too?" the twins said in unison. They are really starting to scare with this whole speaking in unison thing.
"I've got it. " I said.
Mason mouthed the word sorry and walked out with all the kids attached to him. He closed the door behind him. I flopped down onto the bed face first smacking my head on the pillow. I fell asleep and dreamt of my childhood.
