How the Flower Bloomed

Chapter 1: Newly Orphaned

" On their funeral, Bat Orchids were placed on their graves," I said in a dead whisper thinking that if he can't hear me, he may not be able to notice me either.

"And how does this make you feel?" he said in his usual calm voice that now made me uncomfortable. I poured out the first set of words that i could find to defend my confused feelings from being exposed.

"Why am i here?" I asked as innocently as I could sound. With that, I glanced at the clock, and found that our time was over. Consequently, a deep frown stepped off my eyebrows.

I walked out of his office, never looking back at that hideous sign, that proudly read 'Psychologist Dr. Foster',ever again.

*****

I drove home with full concentration on what i had to do next in my life. I was seventeen, living my last year of high school and impatiently waiting for it to be over. At least university would be less torturous, i thought to myself and forced my heart to calm down and beat out of happiness instead of nervousness and worry. When will this doctor and the authorities ever get off my back?

My parents were murdered for an unknown reason, at least to the police and me it was, and those doctors and police officers wouldn't stop bugging me with papers and documents that I needed to sign. The request that annoyed me the most from the police was their wish to get me foster parents, although I would only need them for one year before I have the full freedom to act as I wish.

"How was it there?" questioned Harry, the man who lived on the second floor across my apartment as i walked through the hall heading to my cracked door.

"It was fine, don't worry about me," I said scrupulously trying to maintain my confidence and boldly raised head. Then, I unlocked my apartment door, stepped in and slammed it behind me.

Harry was always nice to me although it was more like, he preserved his nice tone for me, because I never felt safe enough to vent out my feelings to him. He asked about my well-being the way a big brother of mine would have, but I always shut him out.

Paranoid much? I hissed to myself. Maybe it is becoming a force of habit for me to shut people out. One thing I know for sure, i'm not looking forward to socializing much at school this year.

While I was fixing myself some grilled chicken with pineapples for dinner, I heard a knock on the door. I looked .through the door's hole and saw Harry standing there. His chestnut brown hair was carefully pulled to the back with little baby hairs escaping and bulging downwards on his forehead. He wore casual but surprisingly neat jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that was his real size for a change and faintly outlined his chiseled torso. He stared at me with his dark brown eyes until I felt obliged to open the door.

"Hello? I know you're there, open the door," he commanded.

" Can we delay this? I have to sleep early to prepare for school in four days, and you know that." Harry frequently came over in the evening where he would sit and vent out all his hatred for his job as a cop.Nonetheless i always felt like there was more to his visits than just trying to make me trust him on taking care of me.

"This is about school darling."

"Ugh fine." I said opening the door and surrendering to his magnificent quality of arguing interminably. We sat down on the big comfy cloud-shaped couch that was to the left of the front door facing a huge TV screen. Unfortunately, I had to share my dinner and pay my respects to the most neglected part of my brain called 'manners'.

"I just came to give you a brief review about this year," he said, explaining himself after having noticed the questioning looks on my face, "there are two new students, Jade and Skylar, they're siblings. They moved here with their mom after a fight that took place between their parents because their dad is always abroad 'working'."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So that you will eliminate any conversations about their parents if you ever choose to talk to any of them."

"If you see it that way."

"Alright then, good night."

"What?!"

"I did say it was a brief review didn't I?"

It was one of the few times when Harry's way of speaking reflected his serious career. I nodded to him as I was watching him move clumsily across the floor to his apartment.

"One more thing Alison," oh no he called me 'Alison' and not 'Alice'. What he's about to say next must be dead serious....

"Your father was with me the night he died."