Raindrop Road

Chapter 2

The beach is truly the most breathtaking place I've ever been. i feel most myself here. Just a normal vulnerable girl walking among the cruel and giant waves, drawing figures in the dark brown sand.

Most of all I take pictures here, I have been since I was 14. That's when Ned gave me my first camera, it was an old ,barely-working little thing. But i loved it more than anything in the world.
And even after taking pictures of this place for 8 years, I still discover new places, other angles.

There's a lot of noise in my head, a lot of pressure on my heart, a lot of scars in my past, but when I'm here... I'm just me. And i'm at peace.
That's why i come here alone, exceptionally I take Ned with me but once we arrive here whe just go our seperate ways. I go taking pictures and Ned sits on the large dry wooden trunks, thinking about the scars in his past.

This morning the sea washed ashore all kinds of treasures. Colorful shells, alien looking jellyfish. it paisn my heart to see some trash washed up to.
Blue may be far away and in it's own ittle world, the rest of it still manages to catch up with us. I grab the garbage and put it in an old tote bag I only use for this. I hate it. That people would treat the world like this.

That's partly why I take my pictures. So i can show the world just how beautiful the world is. It's my dream to one day be a photographer for National Geographic or something. To see every last corners of this beautiful planet and shares its beauty with the rest of the world.
Well that and the fact that it's a career where I don't have a chance to start a family, where I don't have to count on anyone to brighten up my day when I come home. I like being independent.

After an hour of taking pictures, I go sitting on a big piece of drywood and try to not think, but end up thinking anyway . I always do this, this place is perfect for thinking you life trough.

I always think about my family. Who my parents are, why they left me at the foster house, if I have any siblings. How my life would've looked if my parents actually wanted me. How much I hate them, but also love them and want nothing more than to meet them.

But then i think about the fact that if they hadn't left me here, i would've never been brought up with Mel, one of my best friends. Or have a mother figure like sweet Miss Lily. I would've never met Ned, who is the closest thing to family i have. I wouldn't have discovered my passion for photography and wouldn't live in a place like this. i wouldn't have met Monty,Abs or Jackson. Or David, Ned's nephew who visits every summer. David, who I'm a little bit obsessed with.

After a while i stand up and make my way to my bike. My bright red bike, that people recognize before they recognize me. It's sunny out, so I have a great time riding to the foster home.

I have to stop to say hello to a few people, that's just Old Blue. Everyone knows everyone. Hadir from the local spice shop waves at me, he's fourteen but I think he has a bit of a crush on me. So I wave back and smile at him.

Luke, Ned's friend passes me by in his pick-up.
''Hey there Rhodes, on the road?''

His sense of humor really is the worst.

''Wow, I just fell of my bike laughing.'' I sarcastically remark.
He chuckles, rolls his eyes and I hear him mumbling '' You really could be Neds''.

The sun shines on my long copper curls as I lift my head and smile towards it, the beginning of summer is here. The little restaurants fill up with daytourists, the streets fill with the chatter of people greeting each other and the laughter of children.

just like every other time I realize how much I love this place when I ride across the town square. It's a large rectangle, with a huge fountain in the middle and picknick benches around it. Colorful flowers are beginning to show under the first rays of sun. All above the square hang laterns , attached to poles on the side.
There are childeren playing in the fountain and a dog's trying to catch a butterfly.

Leya, the little girl of the couple that lives next to Ned waves at me. I wave back and take a left turn at the end of the square.

When I take another left I'm at Raindrop Road. It's real name is Dorne Street, but people call it Raindrop Road because of the legend that rain never falls in this street. I'm not sure it's magical or just some weird coincidence but in the 22 years I've lived here, not a drop fell on the street.

In the middle of Raindrop Road is Rain Foster home. It's a bright blue house, with poison ivy covering the whole left side and painted butterflies covering the right.
All around the house there's a giant porch, full with toys, rockingchairs and flowerpots.
It's truly a joyful view.

It's the house I grew up in. When my parents left me here, miss Lily took me in and raised me. Normally she takes in older children who can't seem to find a fitting family, giving them a home for a while before they find one that does.
Mel was like that, she was a dificult child and no family could keep her, but when she came here she calmed down and Miss Lily decided to adopt her. Mel still lives here in the attic, turned to studio.
Miss Lily tried to find me a family as well, but even then I wouldn't have it. I'm best on my own, not having to depend on anyone.

Now there are 6 childeren in the home.
Mel, who is 23 and one of my best friends, she's really girly and loves to be designer one day. She's a happy person, always smiling and putting a smile on other people's faces to, but she went trough a rough time when she discovered she liked girls more than boys.
There's Lisa, a teenager of 17 who's to much to handle for other foster families. Miss Lily just let her be and she seems alright here, altough there have been some problems at school about her being rude to other childeren.
The twin boys Bruce and Dylan. They're 1O and true menaces. They're exactly what the stereotypes of fosterchilderen says they are. But they can also be really sweet, when Miss Lily broke her hip they made her breakfast on bed every morgning for 2 weeks. Even though the breakfast consisted of two peanutbutter/jelly sandwiches.
My favorite resident of Rain Foster home is little Teddy. He's just the cutest kid ever, and I'm not even a fan of childeren. His brown long curls roll over his face and when he smiles I feel like I've just won the lottey.