Morphed

Chapter 3

We pulled up to a very large building that read "foster care happens here". The one word I can't find in my memory is foster, even when it's very important.

"What does foster mean?"

"It means to take care of or look after. I must've messed up in that part of your memory." He claims, getting out of the car while I hop out too.

"But what does it have to do with me?" The shittiest feeling is this one now, feeling so naïve and young.

"I am going to give you to them. They will find you a home. You will live a normal life and I may visit from time to time. But you need to keep your abilities secret so all I'm going to tell you is this- after making people do what you want, tell them to forget that you made them do it. And protect yourself and don't worry about others. Got it?" He says as we walk through the doors into the building.

"Got it." Why am I even listening to anything he says when he's tested on me?

Dr. Overly clears his throat at the front desk lady when she is obviously distracted. "Excuse me?" He says.

"Yes?" She lifts her head.

"I'm bringing my daughter here because I just can't take care of her. I want her to be happy in a good home elsewhere."

"This isn't daycare, sir. You are permanently giving up your child."

"Ma'am?" I interrupt. Oh lord, what am I doing.

"Yes?"

"I am ready. He cannot afford to keep me and I prefer not to be with him."

"So you would like to be a foster kid?" She raises an eyebrow.

"If that means I can escape him, then yes." Dr. winks at me.

"Oh... Okay, honey. We just need some information... What is your name?"

"Brynne Arnette."

"Age?"

I looked for an answer in Dr. Overly. He mouthed 15.

"Fifteen."

"That's all we need for now." By the time she looks back up and I turn around, the Dr. is gone. "Seems like an unfit father. What is his name?"

I hesitate. What is his name? It's not Overly, that must be his last name.

"Overly."

"Who Overly?"

"John Overly." Common name?

"Okay, well let me escort you to your room for the night. Do you have any belongings?"

No. I have nothing. I'm homeless and I don't know who my family is. You say your life sucks, you wouldn't know the half of it.

"No."

"Here it is." I enter into a small room with a bed and a dresser. That's all it can fit, but I don't have anything to fill the dresser with. "Here." The woman says, handing me a necklace she took off. "Keep it." I stare at it for a minute then close my fingers around it. "I'm going to get you a change of clothes for the night."

I had yet to notice I was wearing huge sweatpants and a big t-shirt because I had been so overwhelmed. The only thing going through my mind at this point was how ugly and unfashionable this outfit was.

I awkwardly stood there until she re-entered the room with pajamas and a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Tomorrow we'll get you a foster home. What school do you go to?" She said smiling.

"I don't know." I felt my face getting hot.

"Did you go to school?"

"No, but my father was a very smart man and taught me himself." Lies.

"Oh, okay. Well I guess we'll figure that out. Have a nice night, the bathroom is out to the right and there's a water fountain too." She said, shutting the door behind her. It felt great to be treated with real kindness.

***

I woke up the next morning and got dressed in the jeans, which I thought fit really nicely on me, and the sweatshirt which was like any other. It had some band on the front reading "Fall Out Boy" and right then I decided I would listen to it. When I walked out of the room I saw a clock on the wall and it said 7:21.

"Morning, Brynne." The desk lady said. "Breakfast is down the hall. Did you know you're the second person to use that room? Never mind, just head down the hall."

"Okay?" Something she said sounded weird. But I've been hungry ever since I woke up on the testing table, so I went to go get food.

There was only adults in there and there was one gross guy waddling around taking all the food I wanted. "Excuse me, please don't take everything." I decided it was time to pull out the hair flip, it seemed to fit the situation.

"Young lady, who are you?" He asked, turning around.

"I'm a VIP therefore treat me like I am." Now I'm a very important person supposedly, but I'll go along with it.

"Oh, you're the one that's getting a home today. Sorry, Miss." He scurried away as fast as he could move his grubby self.

***

A few hours later, a man and a woman came together looking for me. As soon as the lady with the man saw me she smiled. "She's beautiful!"

"Thank you?" I said, unsure of what to say because I don't know if I was supposed to hear it or not.

"Are you ready to go?" The lady asks.

"Yes." There was not a bit of doubt when I said that, I was ready to get out.

"Okay, then let's go. I'm parked out front."

I followed behind them out to a big white Mercedes. "Is... Is this yours?" I asked. Something in me made this car special... Familiar, maybe? I didn't quite know.

"Why yes, it is. Do you have a phone?"

"No." Did I have one in my past?

"Well maybe that will be our first stop. We need to make sure we can contact you! I don't want to overwhelm you, but we also need to look into schools for you." She said. "At least for the time being," she added quickly.

While we sat there I decided to take in all her features. Most likely fake blonde (so basic, her roots were way too dark to be blonde), green eyes (wow, unique), fit, I could tell she worked out, and that's all I could observe by just looking at her from here. The man had black hair and brown eyes, also very fit and may I add decently attractive.

"We're almost there." The man says after I daydreamed a while.

"I still haven't asked your names." I said nervously. "I would guess you know my name is Brynne, but if you don't then that's what it is." Want to learn how to sound stupid? Come to me first.

"We know your name." The man said laughing. "I'm Josh, and this is my wife Diana."

Diana, let me be the one to light a fire inside of those eyes. You've been lonely, you don't even know me, but I can feel you crying.

I don't even know where that came from, but it's a song and I like it.