Promise Me: Adopted By NateWantsToBattle

Chapter 13

I heard the front door shut as I was packing. I neatly folded my clothes and set them in the suitcase. I grabbed another bag and packed my computer, camera, and tripod. I found the case for my guitar and gently set the guitar inside. With a baggie, I packed each piece of jewelry and set it in the suitcase. I had already called each member of The Scene. We would have gone back to school tomorrow. Now, I would be left behind. I said my window was open. Lyanna, Kile, Amber and Myka all climbed through. "Charlotte, what's wrong? Your makeup's running." Lyanna said, grabbing a tissue. She wiped it away gently and threw it away. "I'm leaving. My birth parents got the documents. I'm legally theirs." More tears appeared as I talked. Amber and Myka came over and hugged me, avoiding anything on the floor. Kile did the same after the girls backed away. "We won't forget you. You completed the group. And don't you forget us." Lyanna said, holding back tears. "We'll help you finish packing if you want." Amber said. I shook my head. "That will only make me cry more. I love you guys." We all came together for one last hug. One by one, they all crawled out the window; they all waved as they left. Hale never showed up as I finished packing. I zipped up my suitcase, packed the last of my makeup and hair care products, and shut the guitar case. This was no longer my room. And it made me sad to have to say goodbye. I grabbed my belongings and walked downstairs to the living room. The police officer left, leaving just Nate, Morgan, and my birth parents. No one was talking. I'm sure no one made any small talk. I set my suitcase down and cleared my throat. Nate and Morgan looked up and ran over to me. "Please don't let them take me. Do whatever it takes to get me back." I pleaded, throwing my arms around Nate. "I'll never forget. You are too important to me to have me try to forget." I cried on his shoulder and refused to let go of him. Morgan came up to me and tapped my shoulder. "I love you Char. Like my own daughter." she said. "And I love you like your my mother. Don't get married without me there." She smiled through her tears and hugged me. "Alright Charlotte. We have to get going." Laura said. After I was abandoned, I refused to call them Mom or Dad. They were Laura and James to me. Nothing more than that. James put a hand on my shoulder and ushered me outside. I grabbed my guitar and suitcase and walked outside. Laura and James followed close behind. I heard the front door of my old home shut behind us. I cried on the inside. There was a taxi waiting for us. The taxi driver opened the trunk and placed my things in the back. There was already a suitcase in the back which meant Laura and James were going to be here for a little bit. "Please be careful with the guitar!" I begged him. Laura ushered me into the back as she got in. I looked out the window hoping Hale would show up. He never did. James got in and the taxi driver drove off towards the airport. My purse was resting on my lap. I still had over a hundred dollars. Maybe I could use it to escape and get on a plane back home. Even if it took me two years, I would return home.

10 hours later

Laura and James collaped on the couch in the living room of my old home in London. "Charlotte, fetch me some water." Laura demanded. I scurried off to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. There was a pitcher of water inside. I grabbed a glass and poured some water into it. I hurried back to the living room to give it to her. The house hadn't changed. All the furniture was still there. "Go up to your room. You have a house to clean tomorrow." James ordered. I grabbed my things and ran up to my old room. Just as I thought, the tiny bed was still here from when I was nine. I turned 15 next week and I knew I wouldn't fit on the bed. I grabbed the blankets and set up a nest on the floor. I set my suitcase down and opened it up. On top was a box I hadn't packed. I grabbed it and a note fell out from underneath it. I unfolded the note and read Nate's writing.

Charlotte Louise Sharp,

You have been here for almost five months and you've already changed my world. Your smile is like my own ray of sunshine, your enthusiasm brightens up my day. I could never predict what you would do next. You turn 15 next week and I know I won't be able to be there when you do. I just wanted you to know: You've brightened the lives of so many people. Mine, Morgan's, all of your friends'. And we can't thank you enough for all you've done for all of us. Please hurry home to us. We'll all be waiting. I love you.

Your Father,

Nate

I was ready to cry at the end of it. I always knew I made people happier. I never thought I would change live doing it. The box was still on my lap unopened. I placed the note down and opened the box. Inside were two things. On the top was a silver chain with my birthstone, a blue topaz in the shape of a heart.

On the bottom was another necklace. It was a silver oval shaped locket with a treble clef on it.

Inside was a smaller version of the picture of me posing in Nate's arms at Newport Beach. If I wasn't crying before, I was now. I knew I would always have a home in LA. The only home in the world. I slipped the box and the note under everything so Laura and James wouldn't find it. I quickly turned the lights off and tried to get comfortable on the floor. The orphanage bed I slept in was more comfortable than this. As I drifted, I thought back to Nate and Morgan and The Scene. They would be my paradise in this hell. I pulled back the curtain and looked up at the sky. For some reason, the stars looked different than they did in LA. Even the traffic outside sounded different. I never understood why. Even after twenty years.