A New Beginning (Adopted by Ariana Grande and Jai Brooks)

1

• Amelia •

I roll over in my bed and read the clock - 5:30am. There's still an hour and a half left until wake up time. I sit up and slowly open the drawer to my night stand, pulling out my old ipod and the pair of ear buds that came with it.

Both the ipod and ear buds are about 4 years old. I got them around Christmas time when everyone comes and gives donations for all of us here at the orphanage so we have a "good Christmas" The only thing that was good about it was I finally had music and this ipod has become my life. I let no one near it, let alone touch it.

I plug in my head phones and go straight to my Ariana Grande playlist. Ariana Grande isn't just my idol, shes my hero.

You see, I'm not exactly the happiest of people. I don't smile much at all, getting me to laugh is probably the hardest thing for a person to do, but Ariana? All you have to do is say her name and it puts the biggest smile on my face. Ariana has always been my one source of happiness. Her love never fails and never runs out.

I hit the top song on the playlist and close my eyes, letting her angelic voice sing me back to sleep.

-

"Amelia! Amelia! Wake up!" I open my eyes to see my only friend Bella sitting on my tiny bed next to me, poking my stomach.

"Bells what do you want?" I ask her, my voice cracks a little, causing her to giggle.

"Come on its time to get up! It's already 7:07 and the carers will kill you if you're not down stairs in the cafeteria by 7:20!" She says.

The carers are... well their name says it... they "care for us." Yes, quotation marks around "care for us." Truth is, they don't really "care for us."

The reality is, they sit in their offices all day smoking weed. Yep, that's what the world has come too. Orphan "carers" smoking weed instead of watching the children.

"Amelia!" Bella says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah? Sorry I'm coming." I say, nudging her to move.

I grab my ipod and ear buds, slide them back into my night stand drawer, and then lock it so that no one can get my iPod. Then I slide out of bed and go over to my dresser to grab some clothes.

"Don't forget it's adoption day! Put on something nice." Bella says.

"Yeah, yeah. Like it even matters. No ones gonna adopt me anyways." I mumble.

"Amelia Rose!" She says. "Don't talk like that!"

I sigh. "Sorry..." I mumble. "It's just that I don't care at this point. I'm never getting adopted. It's just not happening" I say, grabbing a pair of ripped jeans and a black top.

She frowns. "Don't lose hope. Maybe today will be you're day." She says and I just sigh again as I walk into the small bathroom to change.

The truth is, I have been adopted. 6 times. Yes, 6 times in the 5 years that I've been here. Each time was by a small family. They just felt bad for me. Each family returned me within a month. Each time I screwed up. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I did each time! I guess people in general just don't like me.

You see, Bella doesn't know that I've been adopted and returned before because she hasn't been here each time this happened

Bella arrived about a month after I was brought back for the 6th time. Then we became friends. When people try to bully me, she's right there to stand up for me. I never want her to know that I've been adopted 6 times. She'll never know why I've lost hope.

"Ready?" I ask as I walk out of the bathroom, dressed and looking decent.

"Yep! Let's go!" She says and walks over to me and links our arms together, leading the way downstairs.

-

I sit across from Bella and watch her eat her breakfast. She knows I don't eat breakfast... she just doesn't know why I don't eat breakfast...

Bella finishes up eating when one of the "carers" voice comes from the speakers.

"Children please dismiss to your adoption locations, visiting hours will start in 5 minutes. Run along." The voice says.

I'd know that voice anywhere; it's Sam. Sam is the "carer" that hates me most. She is in charge of my age group. Ages 14-16. Everything I do is wrong in her eyes and I'm always the one who is getting yelled at.

After her voice is gone and the speakers click off, everyone gets up and starts to leave the cafeteria to go to their assigned locations where the adopters will come and judge us, picking out the prettiest or the cutest children to adopt.

I don't move and Bella comes around the table, over to my side.

"Come on Amelia. Let's go." She says.

"But Bells! It's so pointless! No one wants me anyways." I mumble the last part.

"Amelia that's not tr-" she's cut off by none other than my worst enemy, Jasmine.

"Oh Bella, of course it's true! I mean shes worthless. Who'd wanna adopt that fat, ugly thing?" She asks rhetorically.

Her words hurt, but it's nothing I haven't heard before.

"Oh shut up Jasmine. Go be a pest to someone else." Bella shoots back.

"Awh wook at Amelia's wittle guard dog standing up for her." Jasmine's best friend Hannah joins in.

Jasmine, Hannah, and I all have a history that goes way back to the first few months of when I first came to the adoption center. I'd rather not talk about it, but to say the least things never ended up well and now I'm stuck with them being bitches.

I notice Bella's hands turn into balled up fists and she starts moving towards Jasmine and Hannah.

"Why don't you just go -" Bella begins, but I cut her off and grab her hand.

"Come on Bells. They're not worth it. Don't stoop to their level. Let's go." I say sternly and Bella sighs loudly, allowing me to drag her in the other direction.

Bella's location is on the other side of the building. She walks me to my location, gives me a hug, and wishes me luck before going to the other side of the building.

I'm alone now. Well not alone, alone. There are other children in my room my age. Most I know; but none of them like me at all.

I make my way over to the corner and slide down the wall. I'm not gonna be adopted so why not take a nap? I thought to myself.

I was out cold before the visitors even came into the room.