Finding Myself

A New Beginning

Los Angles, California; Two weeks later

Buildings, skyscrapers, and vehicles.

This is what I have been looking at for the last ten minutes of being in this dreadful car on the way back from the airport. If I had a choice I would never have left my hometown in North Carolina but, it was either moving in with Mindy Thomas, my mothers old best friend, or going to an orphanage. I took the better route.... or at least I think so.

"We're almost there, Victoria." Mindy says. I look from the depressing city over to Mindy. She curled her blond hair this morning before we left for the airport. She has been staying at my house with me for the last couple weeks filling out adoption forms to have custody of me. I really don't have any family that we talk to so she was the only person that I could call.

"Tori." I say looking out the window. "I like Tori better. Victoria is too long and too formal."

"Tori it is then." She says and I look over as she smiles at me. I give her a half smile then look in the mirror of the car. I throw my dirty brown hair into a high bun and look at myself in the mirror. A month ago I would have thought my long brown hair was beautiful and my hazel eyes were stunning. Now my hair is a birds nest and my eyes are shit colored. After the accident, everything changed.

"Do you think it will ever go away?" I ask picking at the scar on my forehead. It is always going to be there to remind me of the day my parents died in front of me. I have a few other scratches on my arms from when the glass broke in the car but those aren't as noticeable as the scratch on my forehead, right by where my hair line starts and goes down the the middle of my forehead.

"Eventually, with time, it will ." She says reassuringly but I still don't believe it. Scars can last forever.

I tune out of the world and look out the window as houses pass. I miss the trees, the creaks, and my dog. Mindy is allergic to the fur so I had to give her to the older neighbor I have lived next to my whole life. He was always so lonely after his wife died and loved when I brought him over. Now Bruce, my chocolate lab, will always be with him. "Here we are." Mindy says as she pulls into a driveway of tan colored two story house, that is a lot bigger then what I am used to.

"Its way bigger than my house." I say as she parks in the driveway then gets out. I follow her to the trunk and grab the few bags I brought with me. I packed them as high as I could with everything I cared about in my room. A few of them were going to be shipped here since there's a limit on how many you can take on a plane.

"Its spacious inside. My husband and I decided that we would always have a big house in case we decided to expand out family." She says and I nod.

"Thanks for taking me in Mindy." I say and she smiles.

"Call me aunty. It sounds better. Your mother was basically a sister to me anyway." She says as we walk toward the front door. I smile at her knowing she was trying to make it not as awkward. The door swings open and she holds the door open for me. I smile and walk past her as I take in the beautiful surroundings around me. I have never been in a house so well kept.

"I'll show you where everything is then you can go unpack." She says and I nod. This house has more rooms then it looked. The basement was finished and was really nice with a bar and hangout area to watch movies and play pool. The main floor has the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, dining room, and an office. Then upstairs was the bedrooms, each with their own private bathrooms. If I know anything, its that she really likes her own space. Her and her husband have different bathrooms but sleep in the same room. I have the room all the way at the end of the hall and there are spare bedrooms in between mine and theirs.